Winner! Winner! Circa 1975 Chicken Dijon Dinner

Here is a little recipe that will feed kids and please friends at a dinner party. It's a recipe I grew up with that graced family dinner table, party buffet and even picnic blanket spreads.

Just as a note of nostalgia and pop culture history I would mention this dish originated from the "Grey Poupon" dijon mustard 1970's era. It was a dish that became popular as the company tried to give customers and home cooks a variety of uses for the mustard and published recipes to promote it's sales.

My grandma and mother made this dish as one of the dishes in their arsenal of chicken dishes. My brother and I loved it while my mother loved it cause it was baked and not fried.

Raising children if not an easy thing to be sure. I don't have children but I see my friends work at like it's a job. I mean that's really what it takes to be a good parent.

One thing that I can appreciate is that feeding kids can be difficult. However, many of the families I work with I think do themselves an injustice. I see many of the very privileged mothers I work with bend over backwards to give their kids whatever they want on whatever whim.

I think that they are doing their kids a disservice. When I was growing up there was no choice as to what was for dinner. I mean you ate what there was for dinner or you went hungry. My brother was a much pickier eater than I was but we learned to enjoy a variety of foods because we were forced to eat them. Finding favorites was one thing. However, learning to appreciate all the different things that are out there is another perk of trying to get kids to "eat their veggies"

Of course making things that kids want to eat is easier than forcing them to eat things they don't want to eat so finding different versions of those things is a no brainer and fried chicken in various incarnations is definitely a winner.

This recipe is made with cut up chicken pieces but could be adapted for chicken fingers to please little eaters. And while they are eating it they won't know that's it's better than fried chicken.

Dijon Chicken
(Serves 6)

Ingredients:

12 chicken pieces (I used boneless skinless thighs)
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder
onion powder
1 jar (8 ounces) Dijon mustard
1 cup sour cream
Italian-flavored panko breadcrumbs

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Sprinkle the chicken pieces well with salt and pepper, garlic powder and onion powder
Combine the mustard and sour cream.
Spread each piece generously with the mustard mixture and roll in the bread crumbs. (because I used boneless skinless thighs I rolled these into small bundles and they turned out really nice almost like a stuffed thigh, though I've made this with regular pieces and they are very easy and delicious, the thighs also cooked longer than the 20 mins. but came out perfect)

Place the chicken on a baking sheet in a single layer and cover with foil
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 400. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown. Don't let it burn.
This may be served hot, warm or cold for a picnic.

Two Bruschetta for your Spring and Summer Outdoor Al Fresco Dining San Diego Style

For every drop of rain that falls in San Diego I think a thousand flowers grow. It is really something to catch this town in full bloom. Flower boxes everywhere and the yards. while small by Mid-Western standards, hold little pockets of color, spicing up an otherwise urban feel. California as I can see has foliage that most of the country would love to have around. The name the "golden state" refers to the hue the place gets after the green of spring slowly makes it way into the summer's less rainy and more dry conditions. But let me say I was there on the cusp of Spring and the blooms were coming out and the grass was bright green. It was lovely.

The other thing you notice as a visitor to San Diego is the outdoor life. Truly amazing in it's scope I think I never saw more people moving and walking and playing in the park and everywhere than in San Diego. The weather is awesome and the bugs are not bad. It's simply awesome.

One aspect of this outdoor living is dining outside or Al Fresco. It's a pleasure to sit in the dry cool evening air and partake of fresh foods with family or friends. I had the pleasure of doing just that a number of times while I was visiting.

My friend's house has a lovely backyard with a large dining table and chairs, seating area, fire pit and pool with a deck. And it's not a big yard, just well used space. In fact it seems that anyone in this San Diego neighborhood with a little imagination, elbow grease, and a penchant for buying things on Ebay or Craig's List, could actually create themselves a little bit of outdoor heaven. And from the look of the neighbor's homes many have. That all being said, I was just happy to be so well entertained!

One evening I was charged with preparing the dinner and while we were hungry we had all had a large lunch and did not feel the need for a large meal. So I came up with the idea of making bruschetta for dinner. Now this was a dinner I had first had in New York when a good friend invited me over and made "oven" bruschetta. Now I was used to the idea that bruschetta are served cold or at room temperature. This preparation turned the bruschetta into a sort of mini pizza. And who doesn't like pizza! So these little morsels with a big green salad made for a really delicious meal.

Now the only challenge for me was what to toppings to pick for the bruschetta. I came up with two which are Italian in nature but a little more Americano in execution. The first was a twist on plain ole artichoke topping. I zipped it up essentially turning it into Artichoke dip and topping it with that. The other was a play on the old classic tomato but mixed in sausage and diced red peppers and onions and sort of made it a play on a grinder. Baked in the oven they came out warm and delicious. I think they also could have been grilled if the grill had be on and summertime I will test that theory. In any event they are perfect for a backyard feast. Enjoy, Ya'll!

Backyard or Oven Bruschetta Two Ways

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and or light grill

For both bruschetta's you will need a loaf of french bread cut into 1/2 inch slices, then sprinkled liberally with olive oil and baked till just crisp not browned in the oven

Artichoke Bruschetta

1 can Artichoke hearts drained
1/4 cup Mayonaise
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl mash together till well combined not in a food processor
Top bread slices with mixture
Bake in oven or grill till heated through and slightly browned
serve

Sausage and Peppers Bruschetta

2 Roma tomatoes seeded and diced into cubes
1 small red bell pepper seeded and diced into cubes
2 links italian cooked sausage cubed
1/2 smal red onion diced
6 basil leaves cut into chiffonade
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 slices of provolone cut into quarters

Place all ingredients except  parm and ricotta and provolone in a small bowl and mix till combined
mix parm and ricotta
Top  bread lightly with the ricotta mixture then topping mixture
Top with the provolone pieces
Bake in a 350 degree oven or grill till heated through and the cheese is really melted

Enjoy