Shade Mountain Vineyards and Plum Chicken

Karl and Carolyn Zimmerman will not experience an empty nest as long as they have a vineyard in their backyard. The couple converted their Snyder County corn and soybean farm into a vineyard in 1989, and their four adult children have since returned home to join the family business. Carolyn jokes they likely would not [...]

White Chicken Chili

The work day is more fun when there’s chili involved. Yesterday my office organized a chili cook-off — perhaps not the best plan for a 75-degree spring day, but nevertheless. There was taco chili, vegetarian chili, green chili stew, five pepper chili, and chicken chipotle chili.  There were at least three types of cornbread and [...]

Cajun Chicken Pasta

We eventually tired of preparing simple favorites in our new kitchen and were ready to test our new Calphalon cookware with an unfamiliar recipe. Enter The Pioneer Woman! This pasta dish is spicy and satisfying. We didn’t have Cajun spice in our cupboard so Nick combined cayenne pepper, paprika, white pepper, and garlic powder. (He [...]

Mustard-Baked Chicken with Pretzel Crust

Thanks to Maggie for this most delicious recipe recommendation! Hard pretzels and mustards of all types are two of my favorite things, and so this dish is a total winner in my mind. We served it alongside maple and sage roasted turnips and carrots — ideal for a Sunday supper in December. Ingredients 1/2 pound [...]

White Chicken Chili

It’s a real treat to come home to a hot meal on a Monday night, especially when it’s prepared by my husband! Nick made this one with love … and lots of spice. (I’m not kidding — it’s pretty spicy, so proceed with caution!) Ingredients 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into small chunks 1 [...]

Chicken in Puff Pastry

We watched Rachael Ray make a version of this and just had to try it ourselves. It’s easy and versatile and tasty! We served ours with a seasonal blend of roasted yams and butternut squash with cinnamon and nutmeg. And roasted mushrooms completed the plate. Ingredients skinless boneless chicken breast salt and pepper EVOO 1 [...]

Chicken and Potatoes

(We watched Anne Burrell prepare a similar meal on her Food Network show, “Secrets of a Restaurant Chef.” Our version was pretty tasty, though probably best for a cold winter night!) Ingredients chicken breasts marinade of your choice EVOO sliced onions sliced mushrooms potatoes butter cream 2-3 peeled garlic bulbs rosemary leaves Directions Marinade chicken [...]

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast Salt and pepper 2 teaspoons cumin powder 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend (or taco seasoning) 1 red onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup frozen corn, thawed 5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped 4 canned [...]

Chicken and Mushroom Stew

Ingredients 4 tablespoons EVOO 2 portobello mushroom caps, gills removed, cut in half and thinly sliced 1-10oz. container shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces salt and pepper 1/4 cup flour 1 large yellow onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, chopped 4 medium red potatoes, thinly sliced 2 celery ribs, [...]

Balsamic Chicken Wings

Ingredients 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup honey 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar 4 tablespoons cajun spice 2 tablespoons rotisserie seasong 40 small chicken wings Directions Combine soy sauce, honey, balsamic vinegar and spices. Add wings and marinate 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange wings on baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, basting [...]