Does anyone remember having a sugar bowl on the dinner table? We had a jar of instant coffee that always sat on the table as well. Mom always drank Nescafe instant and she had to have it piping hot. I don’t know how she drank it as hot as it was without burning her mouth. Gran always drank Folgers Freeze Dried coffee and I had a cousin that would hid with the jar and eat it. Momma Said, “The crazy train ran right down the middle of this family.”
It takes a lifetime of memories to make the fabric of our lives, and some things I remember are just nonsense. I can’t remember a lot of things that I should, but the crazy little things that I do remember leave a warm feeling in my heart. So many things that mom said and did are imbedded in my brain and they pop out from time to time.
She loved this time of year she would dig ramps in the snow and even mow her grass if the last snows were still falling. It didn’t make any difference to her. If the grass was getting too high, she would break out the mower no matter what the weather. I can see her now, plowing through the snow with her hair up in rollers and her red bandana wrapped around her head.
I never could understand why she would wash her hair, take the time to roll it and then go outside and work. I would be so sweaty when I got done working that I would have to shower all over again. But that was mom and she did it all the time. I miss all the things about her that made her who she was. Momma Said, “Don’t take your loved ones for granted because you never know when they will be gone.”
One Pan Balsamic Chicken and Veggies
Ingredients
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Italian salad dressing (Kraft light Italian is the perfect consistency for this)
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
1 1/4 lbs chicken breast tenderloins
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed of tough ends, chopped into 2-inch pieces (look for thinner stalks. Green beans are another good option)
1 1/2 cups matchstick carrots
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
Directions
In a mixing bowl whisk together salad dressing, balsamic vinegar, honey and red pepper flakes, set aside.
Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then place chicken evenly in skillet. Cook about 6 – 7 minutes, rotating once halfway through cooking, until chicken has cooked through (meanwhile, chop asparagus and tomatoes). Add half the dressing mixture to skillet and rotate chicken to evenly coat. Transfer chicken to a large plate or a serving platter while leaving sauce in skillet. Add asparagus and carrots to skillet, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer veggies to plate or platter with chicken.
Add remaining dressing mixture to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes to chicken and veggies and drizzle dressing mixture in pan over top (or return chicken and veggies to pan and toss to coat).
