Sylvia's Scenario

This Christmas Eve, I made dinner and tried to choose something that we hadn't eaten for awhile (which is hard to do because it seems like all we've been doing lately is EATING.)  My brother is planning on preparing a prime rib for Christmas day, we just had ham two day ago at another gathering at our house, we just had turkey last month for Thanksgiving, I considered oyster stew, but my brother doesn't like oysters, so I came up with game hens.  Perfect.  I liked that idea because I knew they would make for a nice presentation, a little chicken on each plate.  So cute.  I stuffed each one with Thanksgiving dressing stuffing  and used our plum jam to make a glaze to baste them while they roasted in the oven.  That made them a little festive for Christmas Eve dinner.  Try it, you'll like it.  I also made Mrs. Wilkes Broccoli salad  broccoli salad  and used dried cranberries instead of raisins in honor of the season. Serves ...

I'm still looking for ways to use up our plums after making countless jars of jam.   It is fun to eat them now and find different ways to put them in recipes. Last night we had my  Plum Good Chicken .  Here is a delicious cake that is like an upside-down cake only you don't flip it over.   It's good while still hot with ice cream! Serves 6-8 7 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus more for the pan 1 cup flour, plus more for the pan 2 Tbsp. sugar, plus 1/2 cup for topping 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 6 Tbsp. milk 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 egg 5 plums, pitted and cut into eighths 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease an 8 X 8-inch pan with butter and dust with flour; set aside. 2.  In a food processor, pulse together the flour, 2 Tbsp. sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add 4 Tbsp. chilled butter and pulse until pea-size pieces form.  Put into a separate bowl. 3.  ...

We have two plum trees so we've gotten really good at making plum jam. Today, we made 50 jars. Start with fresh plums right off the tree. We had a good crop this year. Each batch of jam makes 10 cups and uses 4 pounds of plums which is approximately 6 - 8 cups or 40 medium plums.  I always weigh them just to be sure.  It can vary quite a bit. Wash plums and pit them but do not peel them.  I cut them in half and put them in the food processor. Chop finely in the food processor using short pulses, do not puree.  Keep some chucks since jam ought to have little pieces of fruit in it.  Pour into a 6 or 8 quart pan and add 1/2 cup of water per batch, 1 box of powdered fruit pectin and 1/2 tsp. of butter to reduce foaming, if desired.  Stir constantly, covered for about 5 minutes until mixture reaches a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.  Skim off any foam off the top. Add 8 cups of sugar, return to...

I think our cold spring might be over.  It's suppose to be 80 degrees tomorrow.  Yeah!  So, pretty soon I'll be posting "summer recipes" but for now, its still only 64 degrees so wanting something warm and saucy again.  Remember the "saucy chicken" recipes?  Here's another one (although I have a similar recipe for pork chops, too)   This one uses lots of our homemade plum jam and good enough to serve when company visits.  You can serve it with rice, noodles, or I like small, yukon gold potatoes or mashed cauliflower. Serves 4 1-1/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs 1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder 3 green onions, sliced 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1/2 c. chicken broth 1/2 c. plum jam 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar 1.  In a bowl or bag, toss thighs with five-spice powder and 1/2 tsp. salt. 2.  In a skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat until hot.  Add thighs and cook 10 minutes or until they're browned and lose their pink co...