Traced Elements

Tag: together as family

  • Dinner made easy – Chicken Divan

    Dinner made easy – Chicken Divan

    So my OH has been away, galavanting off to the UK and Spain, leaving me with the dog, and the chores, for just over a week on my own. (Don’t get me wrong – it’s been great catching up with episodes of Desperate Housewives and enjoying some peace and quiet!)

    It has also left me with the chance to take a day off work just so I can go and collect him from the airport. At least it gets me out of the “bubble”, right?

    The flight is due to land in the early afternoon so, with the drive and subsequent stops, on the way back, I thought it would be ideal if I could make something in advance for dinner that I can just reheat and serve when we get home. Luckily, Martha came to my rescue when this recipe popped in to my Facebook feed!

    Now, I’d never heard of Chicken Divan before but apparently it’s a chicken casserole usually served with broccoli, almonds, and Mornay sauce that was named after the place of its invention, the Divan Parisienne Restaurant in the New York City Chatham Hotel where it was served as the signature dish in the early twentieth century. So there you go!

    I have since seen a few recipes on Pinterest that use Cream of Mushroom Soup but there’s nothing more satisfying than making it all from scratch (time permitting). So, hopefully it tastes great and my efforts will be appreciated!

    Note this recipe serves 6 to 8 people – I guess we’ll have plenty of leftovers! 😉

    Ingredients

    • 1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets (about 5 cups)
    • 680g (1 1/2 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick strips
    • 1 small onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
    • 225g cremini mushrooms, sliced (about 2 1/2 cups)
    • 4 tbsps unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons melted
    • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
    • 3 tbsps unbleached all-purpose flour
    • 3 cups whole milk, room temperature
    • 255g shredded medium-sharp cheddar (3 cups)
    • 2 tsps Dijon mustard
    • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
    • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
    • 1/2 cup sour cream
    • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
    • Cooked egg noodles or steamed white rice, for serving (or whatever you prefer)

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large straight-sided skillet, simmer 1/2 cup water over medium-high heat, then add broccoli and a pinch of salt. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Drain well, then transfer to a large bowl; set aside. Wipe out skillet.

    2. Pat chicken dry; season with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken and cook, turning once, until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken; set aside.
    3. In same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter, then add onion and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and starting to brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Slowly add milk, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 9 minutes. Add 2 cups cheese, Dijon, Worcestershire, cayenne, and sour cream; stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add cheese sauce to bowl with broccoli, followed by chicken and accumulated juices; toss to combine. Transfer to a 2 1/2-quart baking dish.
    4. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons melted butter, panko, and remaining 1 cup cheese. Sprinkle over broccoli-and-chicken mixture. Bake until bubbly and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes, then serve over noodles or rice.
  • Banana Bread – another variation, with cream cheese frosting!

    Banana Bread – another variation, with cream cheese frosting!

    I’d seen this recipe months ago while, undoubtedly, searching for something entirely different on Pinterest.

    However, it caught my eye and was one of those cakes I could imagine baking up for team-mates at work or for a large get-together with friends. I mean who doesn’t like banana bread or cream cheese frosting?

    So the opportunity to try this recipe came up because we were meeting up with two sets of friends and would be able to share the banana bread love. But then one of the get-togethers we had planned, cancelled at the last minute. This meant that there was far more cake to eat, on our own, than was anticipated! But, as it turned out, this cake is so light and the frosting is so dreamy that it was way too easy to eat more than one serving.

    There goes the waistline – again!

    Ingredients

    For the Banana Bread Cake

    • 1/2 cup butter, softened
    • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 cup sour cream full-fat is best
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup mashed bananas about 2 or 3 bananas

    For the Cream Cheese Frosting

    • 1/2 cup butter, softened
    • 1 bar (8 oz/227 g) cream cheese full-fat is best
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 1/2 – 3 cups powdered sugar
    • 3-4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

    Directions

    1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
    2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Blend together until combined and creamy.
    3. In small bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together to break up clumps. Add it into the wet batter and stir with spatula just until mixed and no flour pockets remain.
    4. Add mashed banana and gently stir together. Dump batter into the baking dish and spread out evenly. It makes it easier if you dump large spoonfuls of the batter all over the baking dish, instead of just one big pile of batter.
    5. Cook for 25-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle does not come out with wet batter. The edges and top will be light browned. Mine takes about 32 minutes.
    6. Let cake cool completely before frosting.
    7. To make frosting: beat butter and cream cheese together until combined. Add in vanilla extract, 2 cups of the powdered sugar, and 3 tablespoons heavy cream. Beat together until frosting forms. Add more powdered sugar and/or milk until desired frosting consistency is reached.* NOTE: if you use anything other than heavy whipping cream, start with 1 tablespoon and work from there. Heavy cream is so thick that you need more of it, lower fat milks you will need less of.
    8. Cut into squares and garnish each piece with banana slices and chopped walnuts.

    Please don’t blame me if this becomes your next favourite Banana Bread recipe! I will certainly be making it again!