The Ladies Come for Lunch

I invited a few of my favourite lady friends for lunch today to taste test some more recipes from No-More-Than-4 Ingredient Recipes: A Cookbook for Kitchen Klutzes by Joy Gallagher Douglas.

Menu
Orange Blossom Specials
Chicken and Peppers
Chutney Peaches
Tomatoes and Brie
Lovely Limas
Biscuits
Strawberries Lola

Orange Blossom Specials
3 cups orange juice
1 cup white wine
2 thin orange slices
4 mint sprigs (optional)
Put ice cubes in 4 tall glasses. In pitcher, mix orange juice and white wine. Fill glasses. Garnish with half a slice of orange and a mint sprig if desired.
Serves 4

This beverage is very enjoyable!

Chicken and Peppers
1 green or red sweet pepper
2 tbsp butter
4 whole chicken breasts, halved
ground cumin
Cut pepper in half. Core and remove seeds and slice into thin strips. Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle each brest half with a pinch of cumin. Saute breasts for about 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Turn breasts, add pepper strips and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring often, until breasts are tender, about 5 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Serves 4

I couldn't understand buying boneless, skinless chicken breasts and then frying them, so, I seasoned them and baked them in the oven. I added them to the sauteed peppers shortly before serving. I think it must have been the cumin, but the chicken had a lovely aroma and taste.

Chutney Peaches
4 canned peach halves
4 tbsp melted butter
4 tbsp chutney
Place peach halves cut side up in buttered baking dish. Brush each with 1 tbsp melted butter and fill cavity with 1 tbsp chutney. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 10-15 minutes, or until hot.
Serves 4

I used peach chutney for the filling. These little gems were soooooo delicious.

Tomatoes and Brie
2 ripe tomatoes
4 thin slices Brie cheese
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
On small serving plate, overlap sliced tomatoes and slices of Brie. Sprinkle with basil and vinegar, and salt and pepper if desired.
Serves 4

Delicious. Refreshing. A wonderful way to start the meal.

Lovely Limas
1 package frozen lima beans
2 tbst chopped piniento
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
In saucepan, cook lima beans according to package directions and drain well. Combine with remaining ingredients and mix lightly but well.
Serves 4

I think even lima bean haters might like this recipe. I found that frozen lima beans were very expensive so I used canned lima beans, rinsing the beans and cooking them in fresh water. Because I used canned beans, the cooking time was much shorter.

Biscuits
1/2 cup butter or margarine, at room temperature
1 package cream cheese
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
Cream together butter or margarine and cream cheese. Add flour and a pinch of salt and mix well. Form into small balls and put on ungreased baking sheet. Press down with fingers. Bake in preheated 350F oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with butter.
Serves 4

I couldn't figure out how these biscuits were going to rise, and they did not rise much. But they were quite delicious and disappeared quickly.

Strawberries Lola
4 cups fresh strawberries
4 tbsp dairy sour cream
4 tsp brown sugar
Wash, hull and drain strawberries and place in 4 dessert dishes. Top each with 1 tbsp of sour cream and sprinkle with 1 tsp brown sugar.
Serves 4

A wonderful end to the meal. You might not think these ingredients should go together, but this dessert is surprisingly refreshing and delicious.

To get this meal on the table for 1 pm (using the recipes exactly as posted):
12:15 set table
12:20 make dessert
12:30 make biscuits
12:35 make chicken
12:40 make lima beans
12:45 make peaches
12:50 make tomatoes and brie
12:55 make beverages
Times will need to be adjusted if you use my suggestions.

Le dîner est servi . . .

Pam Hedden
scrap.master.pam@rogers.com