Thyme In Grammy's Kitchen (2024)

Several years ago, it seemed like either I or one of my friends had large events going on. Between school graduations, showers, weddings and such, we were forever cooking and helping each other out. We had people asking us what our business name was and if we were available. Well, one thing led to another and we did a little catering. It was fun but it was also a lot of work. I want to share one of the recipes that was a popular choice. I think the original recipe came from a Sunset magazine but who knows how it has changed over the years. I hope you will give it a try and enjoy it as much as we did. Oh, our first name initials were P M & S but we always laughed when we told people that we were the PMS Ladies - most were never sure if we were joking or not....

A couple of years ago we went to visit our youngest son and his family at Christmas time. I came prepared to fix dinner one night, with the stipulation that the grandkiddos helped. Well, our grandson (then 10 years old) said he didn't want to cook. I told him I had a very special assignment for him. Well, when I explained that the chicken needed to be pounded to just the right thickness he became interested and did an excellent job. He and his sister both helped me and enjoyed the process and there wasn't a single question about if they were going to eat it or not.

We are so fortunate to have a very prolific Meyer Lemon Tree in our back yard and the fruit ripens in December. We keep her pruned but each year she produces more and more fruit. This year we have picked over 300 lemons. I want to share my recipe for Lemon Chicken Rustica that my family really likes. First, though, I want to introduce you to our tree.

Meet Meyer Lemon!

LEMON CHICKEN RUSTICA

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Halves

1 teaspoon Dried Thyme

1 small bunch Fresh Thyme

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

4 tablespoons Olive Oil

1/4 cup Flour

1 medium Red Onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup White Wine, optional (you can use more broth)

1 1/2 cup Chicken Broth

1 1/2 Lemons, juiced (about 3/4 cup)

1 tablespoon Butter

2 tablespoons Capers, rinsed under water (these are optional)

Cut chicken breasts in half, cross ways (butterflied, cut all the way through). Place pieces flat in a plastic bag or between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound with the bottom of a heavy fry pan to make pieces the same thickness, about 1/2”. Season chicken pieces with dried thyme and salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan.Dredge the chicken in flour and add to the hot oil and sauté until just cooked through and browned slightly on both sides.Place chicken on platter.

In the same sauté pan, over medium heat, cook the onions and fresh thyme until onions are soft, then remove them from pan to the platter.

In a measuring cup, measure the wine, if you use it, and the broth and the lemon juice.Turn the heat to high and deglaze the pan with the liquids then add the rinsed capers. Cook sauce on high until it reduces by about half and is beginning to thicken. Remove the pan from the heat and finish the sauce by whisking in the butter.Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Slide the chicken and onions into the sauce for just long enough to warm them up.

Serve over cooked spinach, pasta or rice.

Makes 6 generous servings

My mother in law made these tasty little morsels and they were always a hit. I remember that every year, at Christmas time, she would bring a box of her home baked cookies to our house. Our three sons were always excited to see that the Chess Pies were included. Over the years it became more and more difficult for Grandma Cleo to do all that baking. Finally, she told me that it was just too much and she hoped no one would mind if she just didn't do it any more. Of course I told her that it would be ok, but we would always cherish the memory of all her hard work. I said I would carry on, as best I could, but we would always miss her cookies. Well, Grandma Cleo, where are you! How did you do it all? I made Chess Pies and realized how time consuming they are. I am writing out this recipe for those in the family that would like to remember Grandma Cleo's Chess Pies and maybe appreciate all that hard work she did. The original recipe that she gave me had maybe 3 lines of instructions. I could have filled pages trying to make it clear what you really have to do. I sure miss you Grandma Cleo.

CHESS PIES

Make your favorite crust for 9” 2 crust pie. For convenience, I use the pre made, rolled out and boxed one from the supermarket. Using your rolling pin, roll dough out to about 1/8 to 1/4" thick. With a 2 3/4” cookie cutter, cut dough into 20 - 24 small tart shells. I use a mini cupcake pan, turned upside down with the dough rounds pressed down and molded over the bottoms. Prick the bottoms of the tarts with a fork to help keep the shape. Bake shells at 375˚ for 8 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool shells completely before filling.

Filling:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoon cream or canned evaporated milk

2 tablespoon water

1 cup raisins

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In the top of a double boiler ( or you can put a smaller pot into a larger one with water in the bottom pot - you just want to be sure the water in the bottom pot does not bubble into your tart mixture), melt the butter and sugar.Combine the beaten eggs with the cream and water and whisk them well. Slowly add about 1/4 cup of the melted butter mixture into the egg mixture, stirring constantly, you don’t want to cook the egg. Now add the egg mixture into the top of the double boiler, along with the raisins. You need to stir this mixture constantly as you cook it - until it thickens. This may take 30 minutes or so - don’t give up, it takes time. Once your mixture is nice and thick, add the walnuts and vanilla. Mix well! Fill your baked tart shells, dividing the filling among the tarts.

These will freeze well but they won’t last long - they are usually eaten!

This is our youngest son Joel, his wife Yoko, our grandson Alek, and me. My husband John is taking the photo. The adults are eating lobster to celebrate Yoko's birthday and Alek is having a hamburger (his preference) with his twice baked potato. Someday he will want lobster too!

I was talking with a friend today, about my blog. She asked me if I was posting 'fancy schmancy' recipes. I said 'no, just plain and easy food'. I don't think food has to be fancy all the time but I do say that it should always look good. I like to use things that are already in my pantry, rather than constantly running to the store to pick up something that I may never use again. I have favorite foods and ingredients. I like cilantro and spice, I don't like things too salty and too much sweetness makes my jaws ache. I don't have a problem with using mixes, as long as they are good. Who doesn't like a shortcut?

If I was going to give somebody tips on cooking, I would say that you should always remember that recipes are meant to be guides. If a recipe calls for celery (for instance) and you don't like celery, just leave it out. If a recipe calls for walnuts and you like pecans - use them. Baking is a little trickier. There is a balance that you don't want to upset there. Cook with your common sense, your heart and your tastebuds. Smile when things turn out good and just make notes and learn a lesson if it doesn't. I have had my failures, my 'I'll never cook that agains' and 'yikes, what happened here flops'. I have made so many mistakes that I can't even begin to list them here. Remember, I have been cooking for a really long time. I hope you will come back and spend some Thyme In Grammy's Kitchen and we will talk......

Today in my kitchen I would like to share a recipe with you for a Stuffed Portabella Mushroom that is a terrific main event dish.

I first made stuffing for a turkey when I was 17 years old and it was for a school project. I planned and prepared Thanksgiving dinner for 9 people. This was quite an undertaking but at the time I didn’t think about it, I just did it. The only thing that made me a little nervous was that I included my boyfriend (now my husband) and his parents. I got an A+ on the project. With Betty (that’s my Betty Crocker Cookbook) by my side, I could make anything in the kitchen. Over the years I have altered and adjusted many recipes that originated in Betty’s book. Here is my present stuffing recipe...

BREAD STUFFING

16 ounces dry stuffing croutons (approximately)

1/2 cup margarine

1 large onion, chopped fine

3 stalks celery, chopped fine

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

2 15 ounce cans chicken or vegetable broth

salt and pepper to taste

Melt margarine in large fry pan, sauté onion and celery until yellow. Add the poultry seasoning, parsley and broth. Combine croutons lightly with mixture and use to stuff turkey, chicken or mushrooms.

Since our oldest son and his family are vegetarians I use my stuffing to stuff large Portabella Mushrooms. I wipe them clean and remove the black 'gills' . Then rub them with olive oil, mound up the stuffing and put them in the oven at 350˚ for around 30 minutes. That should be long enough to make the stuffing crispy on top, cook the mushrooms slightly and finish up dinner. I round out our Thanksgiving with our family favorite side dishes and, of course, pumpkin pie for dessert.