Our Farmhouse Holiday Dinner...Food For My Soul

The holidays are a VERY busy time for all of us. And sometimes it’s nice to take some time and relive special moments from the past…like this wonderful holiday dinner we enjoyed with my brother Tom and his wife Barb several years ago.

Barb’s recipes were delicious…and sharing that meal around the table in the home where I spent my childhood was food for my soul. I hope you enjoy this glimpse of an evening I’ll always remember.

It’s a VERY special feeling to go HOME to the farm where I grew up. My brother Tom and his wife Barb still live there, and they raised THEIR family there as well. So when you can combine spending time with family and enjoying great food…it makes for a special holiday event, for sure.

Recently we were invited to the farm for dinner. And a festive holiday dinner it was!

Barb is a GREAT cook! And she loves to try new recipes, just like I do. So for our meal she made Baked Teriyaki Chicken, and it was DELICIOUS! She shared the recipe with me, and I’m sharing it with you. (After all, that’s what friends do!)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Arrange 12 chicken thighs in a 9 x 12 pan sprayed with cooking spray. Then prepare the glaze..

GLAZE

1 T. corn starch

1 T. cold water

1/2 c. white sugar

1/2 c.soy sauce (Barb used lower sodium soy sauce)

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. black pepper

In a small saucepan combine all above ingredients and let simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Brush the glaze over the thighs. Flip them over and brush again.

Bake for 30 minutes, brushing every 10 minutes with the glaze. Then flip the chicken pieces and cook another 30 minutes, brushing every 10 minutes with the glaze. (Cooking Tip: Remember to discard unused marinade if you’ve been dipping a brush into the glaze and then coating the raw or partially cooked chicken…)

Next, she prepared

ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Drizzle asparagus with a small amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt and pepper. Bake in 425 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes or until crisp/tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

We started our festive meal with a delicious salad…

BABY KALE AND SPINACH SALAD

1 bag mixed baby kale and spinach

A handful of dried cranberries

salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese

Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive oil and toss to combine

She also made a wild rice mixture (Uncle Ben’s…) And dinner was served, to RAVE REVIEWS all around!

A Rainbow on a Plate

And now..the dessert…ORANGE CAKE WITH WARM ORANGE GLAZE

ORANGE CAKE

1 pkg yellow cake mix

1 (3 oz.) pkg instant lemon pudding mix

3/4 c. orange juice

1/2 c. vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 tsp. lemon extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a Bundt pan and set aside.

In a large bowl mix cake mix. Stir in all other ingredients ans beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl and beat on medium speed for 4 minutes. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes then turn out onto wire rack to cool.

When ready to serve, make the warm glaze…

ORANGE GLAZE

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine

1/3 c. orange juice

2/3 c. white sugar

1/4 c. butter.

Bring to a simmer and cook for two minutes. Drizzle over cake slices and serve.

(A perfect ending to a wonderful meal…eaten with people we love. A Christmas gift, for sure!)

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