Monthly Archives: July 2013
FAVORITE, EASY CHICKEN!
Favorite, easy chicken recipe! Tell me if you’ve tried this and which sauce(s) you use! I’ve seen a similar recipe made using a variety of sauces, including BBQ, Asian sauces, and honey mustard. Well, here’s OUR FAVORITE!! It’s a great sauce just for dipping, too, but coating the chicken tenders completely in the sauce, then rolling in crushed French Fried onions adds great texture! This is such an easy prep, economical, crowd pleasing chicken entree! Try it and tell me what YOU think!
(Click on photo to enlarge into a new window!)
SERVING THIS TONIGHT WITH MY “Sweet & Tangy BROCCOLI SALAD!”:
Remind me to catch up/create my DIY posts about garden seed saving and the DIY photo ledges we just built! I’ve been taking TONS of photos, so I definitely need to caption and write, now!
“Laters ‘Gators and Afterwhiles Crocodiles!” 😉
Your Friend,
~Amber Hamilton Henson
I believe
I BELIEVE:: I believe in love stories. I believe in details. I believe that there are no calories in wedding cakes. I believe in borrowing from the past to create a beautiful future. I believe there is always a reason to celebrate. Goodnight, Mitch. I’ll see you more when we wake. I love you. ~Amber
Nailed it!
What’s your nail style?
Foil? I just followed the instructions on the package! (Water based Glue, then the thin gold leaf.) I coated with clear top coat for durability!
Vamp?
Sparkles?
Orange! Hurry up, Spring!
Green for St. Patrick’s Day!
Fun!
I’m going to link this somewhere! Somebody in the blogosphere has a link party for nails and fashion! I’m sure!
Your Friend,
~Amber!
Linking, Check them out here:
arkansaswomenbloggers’ Sunday Link Up
iShouldBeMoppingTheFloor’s Inspiration Monday
Asian style tenderloin and edamame!
These are simple, yet super flavorful recipes! You’ll marinate the tenderloin overnight, bake, and then prepare the young soybeans, also known as Edamame, during the pork tenderloin’s 10 minute “rest.” So easy!
FOR THE TENDERLOIN: from AllRecipes.com
For best results, marinate the pork at least 8 hours (overnight is best) and flip it after 4 hours.
1/3 cup lite soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup packed light brown sugar
3 green onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1.5 tablespoons Asian chile paste
1 .5 teaspoons pepper
1 (3 pound) fat-trimmed pork tenderloin
Pour into a medium bowl the soy sauce, sesame oil, and Worcestershire sauce. Then whisk in brown sugar, green onions, garlic, chile paste, and pepper. Place the tenderloin in a shallow dish. Pour sauce over tenderloin, turning the meat a few times to coat. Cover dish, and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Transfer pork with marinade into an aluminum foil-lined baking pan.
Roast in a preheated oven 30-45 minutes.
Remove, and let stand 5 to 10 minutes before carving.
During the 10 minute “rest,” prepare the soybeans!
FOR THE YOUNG SOYBEANS (EDAMAME): from AllRecipes.com
1/4 cup water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) package frozen edamame with or without the pod
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Directions
Bring the water and garlic to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Stir in the edamame, cover with a tight fitting lid, and cook until the edamame are hot, and the liquid has nearly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high and stir in the teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and sesame oil. Stir constantly until the sauce has thickened and coats the edamame, about 4 minutes. *Optional: Sprinkle with sesame seeds or sunflower kernels to serve!
********
I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do! While I wasn’t familiar with “Edamame” growing up, I’ve always been familiar with soybeans and seeing them grow throughout our State. Soybeans are an important crop in Arkansas. For recipes for diy soymilk, edamame, soy nuts, tofu, and more, watch P. Allen Smith via TheMiracleBean.com.
See you in the blogosphere!
Your Friend,
~Amber Hamilton Henson
P.S.
This link was tweeted by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion board; find them on Twitter at Twitter.com/ArkansasSoybean!
This post will be updated as it links with other sites.
Visit the blog linkups, here:
arkansaswomenbloggers’ Sunday LinkUp
Mom’s Test Kitchen ~ Wonderful Food Wednesday #47
RattlebridgeFarm’s Foodie Friday
Pineapple~Cheddar~Ritz Bake!
Pineapple-Cheddar-Ritz Bake! Yum!
Here is a recipe given to me by my sister-in-law. The very first time I tasted it at her house during the holidays, I knew I needed this recipe in my collection! (…a little sweet from the pineapple, a little rich from the cheddar, and a bit buttery with great texture from the Ritz… YUM!)This recipe is exactly as she gave it to me, no modification. We love it and love serving it to dinner guests. I was recently asked for the recipe and realized that I hadn’t posted it onto this site, so now, with no further adieu, here it is! It is really quick to prepare. When we have guests for a dinner party, it is a great dish to prepare earlier in the day, then just pop it in the oven 30 minutes before dinner. It is just sweet enough, you could also almost consider it a dessert. It is also great as a breakfast dish. Just trust me and try it. It is wonderful AND unique. You’ll be pleased to have your guests ask for the recipe, too!
The RECIPE:
1/2 cup Sugar
3 tbsp Flour
4-5 tablespoons of Pineapple Juice (from the next ingredient)
20 oz Crushed pineapple in its own juice (saving juice)
2 cups Sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
1 stick of Butter (sweet, salted)
1 tube of Ritz brand crackers
1) Preheat the oven to 350F.
2) Mix the first three ingredients (sugar, flour, and juice) in a small bowl.
3) Add the rest of the can of pineapple into the above, stir, and pour into a 9″ x 13″ greased baking dish.
4) Evenly spread cheese across the top.
5) Crumble/crush the tube of Ritz crackers and mix with the stick of melted butter. Layer evenly across the top of the baking dish.
6) Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
Serve warm! . . . It is also great re-warmed as leftovers, if there are any!!
Enjoy!
Your Friend,
~Amber Hamilton Henson
PS
This post will link to a few blog parties! Visit the parties
iShouldBeMoppingTheFloor’s “Inspiration Monday”
ArkansasWomenBloggers’ Sunday Link Up
Mom’s Test Kitchen ~ Wonderful Food Wednesday #47
RattlebridgeFarm’s Foodie Friday
Broccoli Salad ~Sweet & Tangy
On a Facebook page, there was a call for viewers to submit their favorite BROCCOLI recipes. I realized I didn’t have a favorite of my own to submit. I usually serve BROCCOLI steamed or just lightly sautéed with butter, unless I’m putting BROCCOLI into a casserole or quiche. In a casserole or quiche, my broccoli usually is just a supporting ingredient. However, someone else submitted a recipe for BROCCOLI SALAD. With just slight modification, we’ve fallen in love with this recipe. The original poster referred to the recipe as, “An oldie, but Goodie.” You’ll see why! With still crunchy broccoli, raw sweet onion, and a really sweet tangy sauce, this salad is ABSOLUTELY A KEEPER for us.
(Thanks for the original written recipe go to someone I’ve never met, Carol Chambers Thompson.)
THE RECIPE FOR BROCOLLI SALAD Sweet and Tangy:
* 2 lbs. Fresh broccoli cut into small florets, discarding stalks, and lightly steamed to retain crunch
* Grated cheddar cheese; (6-8oz)
* 8 slices of bacon fried crispy and crumbled
* 1 small sweet onion. (Vidalia onions are my preference)
Mix the ingredients together.
Refrigerate.
Just before serving add dressing Sauce, coating thoroughly.
For dressing Sauce:
* 1/2 cup real mayonnaise
* 1/4 cup sugar,
* 1 tablespoon white vinegar.
Then, gently mix almond slices or cashews into the salad before serving.
Enjoy!!
I don’t post a lot of recipes, primarily because I only want to post favorites. I’m an experimental cooker. We try lots of different things. This one is among only a handful of new recipes I’ve discovered in the last year that wasn’t already a staple in our house that my husband and I both truly, truly enjoyed thoroughly. As an homage to being an oldie, but goodie, I’m serving in my vintage FireKing bowl covered in gold decoration. LOVE IT!
Do you have a favorite BROCOLLI SALAD recipe? If not, you might want to give this one a try!
Your Friend,
~Amber Hamilton Henson
PS: This post will link to a few blog parties! Visit the link-ups here:
iShouldBeMoppingTheFloor’s “Inspiration Monday
ArkansasWomenBloggers’ Sunday Link Up
Mom’s Test Kitchen ~ Wonderful Food Wednesday #47
RattlebridgeFarm’s Foodie Friday
FoodieFridayDailyDish’s Foodie Friends Friday #53
This article was also published within international Hat Trick Magazine! To read an online copy of the magazine, just click on the magazine cover below this text!
Summer Valentine
Cabbage always has a heart;
Green beans string along.
You’re such a Tomato,
Will you Peas to me belong?
You’ve been the Apple of my eye,
You know how much I care;
So Lettuce get together,
We’d make a perfect Pear.
Now, something’s sure to Turnip,
To prove you can’t be Beet;
So, if you Carrot all for me
Let’s let our Tulips meet.
Don’t Squash my hopes and dreams now,
Bee my Honey, dear;
Or tears will fill Potato’s eyes,
While Sweet Corn lends an ear.
I’ll Cauliflower shop and say
Your dreams are Parsley mine.
I’ll work and share my Celery,
My Summer Valentine.
4th of July
Happy Independence Day, fellow Americans!
To celebrate the 4th of July properly requires lots of Red, White, and Blue!
Am-I-Right, or Am-I-Right?! 😃🇺🇸😃
Source for 4 free Vintage style graphics and ideas to use them, click here. (Thank You goes to The North End Loft!!)
Beyond dressing the kids in patriotic t-shirts and even a red/white/blue lace skirt on our toddler, and beyond eating grilled hot dogs, and beyond making salsa using homegrown produce, we’ve done a few more things:
1) We made “Star Cookies,” sugar cookies topped with red and blue sugar! (We followed a favorite Crisco recipe that I stapled into MY handwritten recipe book years ago.)
2) We made Red, almost white, and Blue Popsicles, the easy DIY way, using paper cups, woodsticks, a red sports drink, lemonade, and a blue sports drink! (Always make a day early and Freeze between layering drinks.)
3) We attended a “Frontier 4th of July” exhibit and family fun activities at the Historic Arkansas Museum! We enjoyed lemonade, actors in clothes from historic times, demonstrations, crafts, and live musicians. Plus, right now, the museum has George Washington’s family Bible on display for the public!
4) We’re going to watch the big Fireworks at the Arkansas River, tonight! We LOVE this state’s biggest fireworks show of the year, and watching it from the baseball stadium at the River is always great at Dickey Stephens Park!!
Whew! FUN day!
“Photos . . . or it didn’t happen!” people often say!
“Photos, I say!” just keep scrolling to the bottom of this post for photos from today throughout the day!
(I’m posting now, while our youngest daughter naps! Love!)
Happy 4th of July, 2013!
~Amber Hamilton Henson
(Click on photos to enlarge them into a new window.)
(Click on photos to enlarge them into a new window.)
what AMBER loves 