By Andy Bedwell
Chicken Vegetable Bake
5 chicken breasts
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons oil
1 can cream of chicken soup
¾ cup white wine
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
4 tablespoons chopped green onions
¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
1 can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and brown in the hot oil in a skillet. Arrange the chicken in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Whisk the soup into the drippings in the skillet. Stir in the wine gradually. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Pour carefully into the baking dish around the chicken breasts. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes longer or until chicken is tender. Serve with hot buttered rice or noodles.
Andy’s Note: This recipe is special to me because it is something a friend “cooked up” at the last minute one evening some 30 years ago when her husband called to say he was bringing home unexpected out-of-town guests for dinner. I have served it many times since then, and it is always a hit. I told her she did good with this dish, and we still laugh about all of the “dirty looks” she gave her husband that evening.
Hawaiian Chicken
6 chicken breasts
1 stick margarine
1 large onion, sliced
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 (6-ounce) can pineapple juice
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cloves
4 teaspoons
Worcestershire sauce
Place the chicken in a greased 9×13-inch dish. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, stirring frequently. Pour the pineapple mixture evenly over the chicken and chill, covered, for up to 24 hours. Bake uncovered at 300 degrees for two hours.
Andy’s Note: You can prepare this meal ahead of time and keep it frozen until needed. Serve with rice and green beans.
Butterscotch Yum Yum
2 sticks margarine
1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 (12-ounce) package butterscotch morsels
1 cup chopped pecans
Cream the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla, baking soda and flour; beat well. Add the butterscotch morsels and pecans and mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoons two inches apart onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes or until slightly brown.
Andy’s Note: This is a perfect recipe for a stay-at-home mom who loves to have something coming out of the oven when her children are coming in from school. Children and adults love to come in to the wonderful aromas and sweet treats from their kitchen.
Happy Cooking,
Andy Bedwell
“Southern Cooking with Andy Bedwell” may be purchased at The Messenger at 1957 Rainbow Drive.