Friendship, Food & Fashion - Oh My!

Today I decided to organize my recipes (for about the millionth time) and I came across one of my favorite treasures! Let me explain.... During my first year of college, I went for several visits to Rexburg, Idaho to visit my high school pal Jeri Dawn who was attending Ricks College. On the first visit, she made a delightful dinner, and everytime after that, I requested that she make the same dinner. Finally, she shared the recipe with me along with this note:


Isn't that sweet? I highly recommend giving this note to your friends when you share a recipe. It has been so much fun through the years as I'm going through my recipes to come across this note from Jeri Dawn and think of her. Even though for many years, we lost track of each other, she was still a little part of my life!

Here's the yummy recipe she gave me, that has been a staple ever since:

Poppy Seed Chicken

• 1 whole chicken, cooked & deboned (or any boneless, skinless chicken tenders or breasts - I use 6-8 chicken tenders) boiled instead of baked. Use enough to layer the bottom of the pan.
• 1-2 Tbsp chicken broth
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 pint sour cream
• 1 small box Ritz crackers
• 2 Tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 cube margarine
• Layer chicken in casserole dish. Mix together soup, broth & sour cream. Pour mixture over chicken. Cover with crushed crackers. Top with melted butter and poppy seeds. Bake at 350 for 30-35 min. Stir before serving.

So - I want to share a precious moment with all of you, my bloggy friends, and give you one of my absolute favorite recipes. It is sooooo easy, and always a hit with the people who eat it!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

• 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Sprinkle chicken with pepper and garlic salt. Let stand for 1 hour or more. Dip chicken in corn starch or flour. Brown in hot oil. Place in baking dish and cover with the following sauce:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup chicken stock (or buillion cube)
• 3 1/2 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce

Preheat oven to 325 and bake uncovered for 1 hour, turning once or twice. Cover with cashew nuts and sliced pineapple. Serve with rice. Makes 4-6 servings.

Speaking of friends, here's Chloe with her favorite friend of the month, Turkey Tom, and she's also showing off the fashionable pants I made her....