Apricot Chicken

Original Recipe HERE (and, similarly, HERE)

I first made this recipe several years ago when we were having a party and I needed something that was (1) easy to make, and (2) would "hold" well while I made any other last-minute dishes that had to be served immediately.  It turned out so well that I made it again, in a much larger quantity, for Husband's end-of-tour ceremony and celebration.  Party of 50, catered by a party of one...I still pat myself on the back for that one.  Anyway, there isn't anything "special" about this, but in my experience, it's a solid, crowd-pleasing dish.

Other crunchy-type vegetables can be substituted.  I serve this over brown rice, since there's plenty of sauce to go around.  And speaking of the sauce, I most recently made it with French dressing because that was what I had.  I read that it can also be made with Catalina.

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2/3 cup apricot preserves

1 packet Lipton onion soup mix

3/4 cup Russian salad dressing

1/2 onion, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

olive oil

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

(2) Slice chicken into large strips (tenders).  In large pan, heat about 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  Add chicken and brown on all sides.  Put chicken in casserole dish.

(3) Add more olive oil to pan if necessary.  Add onion and pepper in pan; heat over medium to medium-high heat and sear for several minutes, tossing often.  Vegetables should be slightly browned but still crispy.  Layer vegetables over chicken.

(4) In small bowl, whisk soup mix, dressing, and preserves.  Pour over chicken and vegetables.

(5) Cover casserole dish.  Cook 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Kid Participation: None.

Parmesan Potato Balls

Original recipe cut from a magazine years ago.  Taste of Home, maybe?

I thought my kids would like these because of the novelty involved.  It's something they're actually supposed to eat with their hands, the taste and texture aren't offensive in any way, and they can dip them if desired.  Both gobbled them up and kept asking for more - so much so, that I was worried the entire pan would disappear and had to cut them off lest Husband have no dinner waiting for him.

Ingredients

3 large potatoes

2 ounces cream cheese, softened [I used low fat]

2 Tablespoons milk [I used 2%]

1 Tablespoon butter, softened

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tablespoon finely chopped green onion [I used 2 onions]

2 1/2 teaspoons onion soup mix

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder [optional]

1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce [I used several dashes of Tobasco]

dash of pepper

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 cups crushed cornflakes *OR* panko [I needed more]

Directions

(1)  Peel and cube potatoes.  Place in large saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and cook 15-20 minutes or until tender.  Drain.

(2) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

(3) In large mixing bowl, mash potatoes until no lumps appear.  Beat in cream cheese, milk, and butter until smooth.

(4) Stir in Parmesan cheese, soup mix, salt, garlic powder, hot pepper sauce, and pepper.

(5) Place egg and cornflakes (or panko) in separate bowls.

(6) Shape potato mixture into 1 1/2" balls.  Dip each ball into egg, then roll in crumbs.  Place on ungreased baking sheets.

(7) Bake 15-18 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.  Yield: approximately 36.

Notes: These took longer to make than I expected, so next time I can make the entire potato mixture ahead of time.  Also, I can experiment with making smaller balls...if able to be kept warm, they could be a good party food and/or appetizer.

Kid Participation:
* Using the electric mixer to combine all ingredients
* Shaping a few of the potato balls (because Mama works much more efficiently)
* Dipping the balls in eggs and cornflakes / panko (if you don't care about uniformity and coverage)