Chicken with Fig Preserves and Chili Powder Glaze

This is an easy entree.  It cooks quick and couldn't be easier to make.  It has such great flavor, everyone will think you worked REALLY hard to make such a delicious meal.  {Your secret is safe with me.  ; )  }

Ingredients:

• 8 chicken thighs or drumsticks, or a mix
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1 t. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• ½ C. fig preserves
• 2 T. chili powder
• ½ t. Sriracha hot sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place all of the ingredients, except the chicken, into a gallon sized plastic bag and squeeze all of the ingredients together inside of the bag.
3. Place the chicken in the bag and squeeze the glaze over the chicken.
4. Line a cookie sheet or baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray, place the chicken on the foil and spoon the excess glaze over the chicken.
5. Bake the chicken for 30 – 40 minutes. 

Tips and Tricks:

• The Sriracha is not necessary but I like a little heat.  If you don’t, then don’t add it.
• You can use any type of preserves for this recipe.  I really like the fig, but I think apricot would be good as well.

Summer Corn Salad

Can't get easier than this, a quick fix side dish for lunch, dinner, or pot luck.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. frozen sweet corn, white or yellow or mixed
• ½ C. Parmesan cheese, grated
• ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ C. cilantro, finely chopped
• ¼ C. apple cider vinegar
• ¼ C. olive oil
• ½ T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 1/8 t. cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Boil the corn in a medium sized pot with ½ C. water for 5 minutes.  Drain and reserve.
2. Combine the last 6 ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
3. Toss the corn and Parmesan cheese together with the other ingredients.
4. Refrigerate to serve cold or serve at room temperature. 

Tips and Tricks:

• I use Green Giant corn.  I think it tastes better.

Fried Rice

This is a recipe I found from a blog called "Iowa Girl Eats".  I changed it up a bit after reading some other recipes for fried rice.  This was a quick fix meal that we really enjoyed.

Ingredients:

• 2 C. leftover prepared rice
• ¼ lb. of salami or ham, sliced and cut into squares
• 2/3 C. frozen mixed vegetables
• 2 shallots or ¼ of an onion, chopped
• ½ C. celery, chopped
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 egg
• 3 t. sesame oil, divided
• 2 T. soy sauce
• 2 T. fish sauce 

Directions:

1. Whisk egg with 1 t. of sesame oil in a small dish then set aside.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add salami or ham and then stir fry until it starts to brown, about 2 minutes.
3. Heat remaining teaspoon oil in the wok and then add frozen mixed vegetables, shallots, celery, and green onions. Stir fry until tender, about 2 minutes.
4. Add garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.
5. Push vegetables to the side of the wok then add egg and sesame oil mixture into the center and scramble.
6. Add the rice, fish sauce, and soy sauce to wok then toss well to combine.  Cook for 2 minutes until all the ingredients are hot.

Tips and Tricks:

• I don’t use a frozen vegetable mix for this recipe because I don’t like it.  I use 1/3 C. of frozen lima beans and 1/3 C. of frozen corn.
• I know the salami sounds crazy, but I found a recipe which called for a Chinese sausage that was described and sounds a lot like salami.  I tried using what I had, salami, and the fried rice had a GREAT flavor.

Broccoli Casserole

This is a traditional southern casserole: cream of mushroom soup, cheese, butter, mayonnaise, etc.  This is a Paula Dean recipe that I tweaked.

Ingredients:

• 1 (32oz.) bag of broccoli florets, frozen
• ¼ C. (½ stick) butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• ½ C. mayonnaise
• ½ C. sour cream
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 2 eggs, beatened
• 1 C. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 t. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 1 t. garlic powder
• ½ t. black pepper
• 1 sleeve of Club or Ritz crackers, crushed 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil water in a large pot and add the broccoli florets to the boiling water for 5 minutes.
3. Strain the broccoli, allow to cool, and then chop.  Reserve.
4. In a small sauté pan, over medium heat, sauté the onions in 2 T. butter until soft, about 10 minutes.
5. In a large bowl add all of the ingredients, except the crackers and the remaining 2 T. butter, and mix well.
6. Spoon the ingredients into a 13”x 9”x 2” baking dish and cover with the cracker crumbs.
7. Melt the remaining 2 T. butter and pour over the crackers.
8. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until the crackers are browned and the casserole is bubbly.

Tips and Tricks:

• I don’t like chopped broccoli, but if you do, you could use chopped broccoli for this recipe.  I use fresh broccoli sometimes and I use about 1 lb. of broccoli florets, which is about 4 C.
• I use Cream of Celery soup instead of Cream of Mushroom for this recipe.