Author Archives: kzmclain

Birthday Festivities, Part I

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My birthday has come and gone, and my celebration is certainly one I will never forget.

The party planners (mostly my sister Jen and my daughter-in-law Jll, with suggestions, advice, and help from others) know me well. They know that they didn’t need to plan a party at a fancy restaurant. They know that I wasn’t looking for a cocktail party with friends I haven’t seen for ages bringing me gifts I don’t need. But mostly they know that if I’m going to celebrate anything, it had better be with my family and there better be a role for my grandkids. And there had better be food!

I knew something was up. The kids have been giggling and whispering for a couple of weeks now. I had no idea what to expect. And even if I had given it a lot of thought, I would not have predicted what actually transpired.

When I entered the kitchen I was introduced to Mark and Susan who were going to be my personal chefs and cooking teachers for the evening! And the cuisine was my very favorite – Italian. Over the next couple of days, I am going to tell you what my evening was like.

After I realized what was happening and had a glass of wine placed in my hand and a birthday tiara placed on my head, I saw that Susan had begun making the appetizers. She had already prepared an amazing chicken liver pate. Delicious. Susan didn’t give me the specific recipe, but she noted it – and lots of the things they would be cooking and teaching us to cook – would include cream and butter. Get used to it, she pretty much said. Oh, I could easily get used to it.

To go with the pate, Mark grilled French bread that had been brushed with olive oil, giving it a delicious smoky flavor. It was perfect. He brought in a tray of bread that I thought we would never eat, but of course we did.

At the same time, Susan was preparing skewers on which she placed a grape tomato, a fresh basil leaf, and a piece of fresh mozzarella, and then drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. The colors of the Italian flag, she pointed out. They were delicious, especially if you put all three pieces in your mouth at once and tasted the explosion of flavor. Mylee was a bit more selective, however. She probably ate seven or eight of them, but she would bite off the mozzarella cheese and hand the rest of the skewer to me. A symbiotic relationship.

Mark and Susan made three types of sauce for the pasta which would be made later. They made a fresh marinara sauce, which started with a gigantic bowl of a variety of fresh tomatoes. A mixture of tomatoes gives a more complex flavor, Mark explained to me. He cooked the tomatoes for probably an hour, along with onions that he had cooked slowly until they were as sweet as candy. As the tomatoes cooked, you could see them soften and condense. In the end, Susan used a hand blender to puree the soft tomatoes that he had cooked with the onions.

The second sauce was a meat sauce that consisted of a mixture of hot and mild Italian sausage, seasonings, and finished off with fresh red, green, and yellow peppers that had been cooked separately in olive oil to preserve some crispness.

Finally, they made an alfredo sauce with a very different twist. Instead of using butter, Mark used bacon. I was somewhat doubtful, being sort of an alfredo purist. Wow. It was amazing. And really, why should I have doubted? Parmagiano Reggiano cheese, cream, and bacon in one dish? What could go wrong with that?

All of these sauces were served over homemade pasta, which I will tell you about tomorrow. That memory will stay with me the rest of my life.

To conclude our meal, we had a wonderful desserts. Susan fixed the kids special ice cream sundaes, which included the long, thin, cookies filled with chocolate. Those cookies were a hit with the kids. At one point Dagny was just walking around eating the cookies right out of the box.

The adults were given an adult dessert of tiramisu, heavily flavored with coffee liquor. It was light and delicious. And beautiful, as you can see.

My sister had asked me some time ago to pick out a cake from Mixandmatchmama’s list of 100 bundt cakes. I picked hummingbird cake, which is a southern favorite that includes bananas, pineapple, and pecans, and is frosted in a cream cheese frosting. It was awesome, and looked terribly festive with my 6 and 0 candles.

You know, I have been complaining about turning 60, and that is silly. I am so blessed with my family and friends, and with good health. I have a wonderful husband I’m crazy about, three siblings who are my very best friends, daughters-in-law who are so kind and loving to me, and nine grandchildren (going on 10) who make me laugh every day.

Wait until you see the pictures and stories I will post tomorrow of the kids making the pasta. Don’t miss it.

And now…..

Peanut Butter Balls, via Jen S.

Ingredients
2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. butter
4 c. confectioners’ sugar
3 c. crisp rice cereal
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Process
Melt peanut butter and butter in saucepan, ovr low heat. In large bowl, mix crispy rice cereal and confectioners’ sugar well. Pour melted peanut butter and butter over cereal and sugar and blend together thoroughly.

Form into 1 inc. or smaller balls, spread on cookie sheets, chill until firm in refrigerator (overnight is okay).

Melt chocolate in double boiler and keep melted while working with balls. A teaspoon is best to use in dipping the balls in chocolate. Dip and place on cookie sheet. Keep chilled until firm.

They Say It’s Your Birthday, It’s My Birthday Too, Yeah

Posted in Whimsies by

Since I started this blog in August, I keep referring to the fact that I’m almost 60. Well, I can no longer say that. Today, I AM 60.

Not really sure how I feel about it. Well, come to think about it, I am sure. I’m not crazy about it. I know, I know, it’s better than the alternative. Still, 60 truly is what I considered to be elderly as a child and a young adult. And the fact that my mother died at age 69 doesn’t help matters.

Growing old is funny business. I certainly have more aches and pains, but aside from that, I feel the same as I did when I was 30. Or 10, for that matter. Unless I look in the mirror of course. But growing old is so gradual that you hardly feel it happening. That’s good I guess.

I remember my landmark birthdays. When I turned 20, I was in college at the University of Nebraska, and my mom and dad, who by that time had moved to Leadville, Colorado, had a big birthday cake delivered to the sorority house where I lived so that the whole group could celebrate my birthday. Fun.

I spent my 30th birthday in bed with strep throat. I was sick as a dog. I was also in the throes of my divorce, so it definitely wasn’t the best time of my life. I had a difficult time turning 30, and I’m sure that’s why. I felt as though I was a failure.

Turning 40, however, was a piece of cake. I was happily remarried and my career was in full swing. I was just about to earn my master’s degree. We had recently moved into a pretty house. All was good.

Bill and I spent Thanksgiving in London the year I turned 50. On the way home, there was a man sitting in the seat in front of me on the plane who had a terrible cold. He spent the entire flight hacking and sniffing. I managed to catch that cold. It’s the worst cold I have ever had to this day. It was in my head and my chest, and I even managed to get pink eye. The cold went on for weeks. But the thing is, I had made plans for a gigantic birthday celebration .My sister flew in from Washington, DC, and my brother drove in from Arizona. My sibs even ordered a turducken for the occasion! (A chicken stuffed into a duck which is stuffed into a turkey.) Unfortunately, it was a party I barely remember. Here is a photo we took on that day 10 years ago:

My pink eyes were barely open!

So here I am, age 60, and very content with my life. My family is having some sort of celebration in my honor. The details are at this point a secret, though the grandkids know and it is all they can do to keep from telling me. The other night when I tucked 5-year-old Maggie into bed, she said, “Your birthday is coming and I know something I can’t tell you.” She giggled and snuggled her face deep into the pillow in an effort to keep the words from coming out. So I will be surprised. And what’s more, my sister who now lives in Arizona instead of D.C. flew in yesterday for the celebration. What joy.

I just have to remember that birthdays are just another day and 60 is just another age. I have a wonderful life and I am mostly healthy so I am grateful for all 60 years.

All Booked Up

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Tuesday night, I hosted my book club. It’s not a hard job. As host, you basically have three duties: 1) buy a bottle of red and a bottle of white and put out some wine glasses; 2) bake or buy some kind of dessert; and 3) provide a selection of four or five books on which the group will vote to read for the next meeting. I have been a member of this group since 1996 – almost 18 years – so I have hosted many times.

Yesterday I baked a batch of brownies and made a simple ganache frosting by heating up cream and pouring it over 8 oz. of chocolate chips to melt, then adding a teaspoon of instant coffee. Because I was feeling particularly festive and clever, I crunched up three or four candy canes and sprinkled them over the top of the brownies after I frosted them with the ganache, for some added Christmas spirit. Furthermore, I made a special trip to our neighborhood liquor store where I bought a nice red zin and a crisp pinot grigio. I cleaned the house and set up the room for our gathering at 7:30.

Bill and I were sitting down and eating a quick dinner at 6:45, when – and I don’t know why – it suddenly hit me that I hadn’t gotten any books on which the members could vote for next time. Generally, the host actually has the books on hand so that the members can peruse them prior to making their collective decision. I had nothing. I said a bad word.

Thank goodness that I keep a running list of books that I want to read. Our book club has two rules regarding the books: 1) (and aren’t I using a lot of numerated lists in this post?) the book must be available in paperback; and 2) the book selected must be a book that no one in the group has already read.

The problem with my list of books I want to read is that it includes hard cover books, and it also includes many mysteries (which I happen to love but the rest of the group doesn’t). In a matter of minutes, however, Bill had figured out the perfect answer: 1) (I can’t resist) go through my list, and upon finding a suitable book, find it on Amazon; 2) hit the “share” button and email it to him; and 3) he would do the rest.

I used my list, coupled with the section of Amazon that says “customers who bought this item also bought…”, and was able, in about 20 minutes, to come up with a list of six books. Bill worked his magic, and in 10 more minutes, he handed me six sheets of paper, each with a picture of a book and the synopsis. I had time to pour myself a glass of wine to calm down!

Our book club was founded in 1994, and we have seen many members come and go over the years. It is a awesome group of women of different ages and different backgrounds who all happen to love to read. Our conversations about the books are always interesting but never snooty or overly intellectual. Just intellectual enough! And we digress – a lot! I will, of course, be unable to attend for the next four months or so as I will be in AZ. But I will continue to read the books they select and maybe even – if I’m really ambitious – electronically provide my thoughts about the book, perhaps via Nanaswhimsies!

They, by the way, didn’t blink an eye when I handed them sheets of paper instead of books. Thanks friends.

In addition to my numerated lists, I also seem to be using a lot more exclamation points than usual. Too much coffee perhaps? And now that I’ve mentioned it, I’m not going to change them!

Yesterday morning I made my annual holiday batch of caramel corn. Who doesn’t like caramel corn? I can tell you that I brought a batch in a tin to my son with whom I ate lunch, and he was very happy. I even snuck in a leftover brownie from last night. The recipe is simple and delicious.

Caramel Corn

Ingredients
1 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
½ c. corn syrup
1 t. salt
½ t. soda
1 t. vanilla
5 quarts popped popcorn

Process
Preheat oven to 250 and place popped corn on tray(s) in oven to keep warm.

In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Then boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add baking soda and vanilla. Pour in then stream over corn; stir to coat.

Bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven; let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

Nana’s Notes: Every year, including this year, I use too much popcorn. The result is the corn isn’t as thickly coated as I would like. Use less. Pretend I said 4 quarts of popped corn.

And now……

Cream Cheese Kolacky Cookie, via Margaret M.

Ingredients
3 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla (lemon or orange are nice also, depending on what filling you use)
1/2 cup filling (jam or pie filling)
1/4 – 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Process
Mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla. Add the flour slowly until well blended. Shape into a log and chill overnight or for several hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll the log in the powdered sugar. Slice off 1/8 in thick slices and place about 1/2 tsp filling in the middle of the cookie. Fold ends of cookie over the jam. (The original recipe calls for rolling out the dough and cutting 2-1/2 inch squares then overlapping opposite corners. The modification is just easier when we are doing this with kids, and we don’t handle the dough as much, so it’s flakier). Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven. If desired, sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar after cooling.

Source (before modifications) : Allrecipes

Makes about 3 dozen.

Nana’s Notes: Thanks for the great recipe. I rolled the dough out and used a biscuit cutter to cut circles. I placed about a half tsp of blueberry or apricot peach preserves in the center and folded the cookie over. I didn’t have a lot of success getting them to stick. But, while they aren’t lovely, they are definitely delicious. I should have rolled them thinner and used egg to seal.

Anyone else have a recipe they want to share? Comment or send an email to the address on top right.

Organized Chaos

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I’m good at many things. Wrapping gifts is not one of them.

I’m not being modest. Look at that picture and you’ll know I speak the truth. I was never happier than when gift bags became popular. If I get some wrap around a gift with about a foot of scotch tape and slap a sticker on, I’m good. I used to do bows, but they looked so sad. I’m really being serious. It’s the worst thing about Christmas for me. But I turn on Christmas music really loud and that makes it bearable. This year I wrapped to Christmas music from Glee, and I got it all done yesterday afternoon.

 

One of the best things about Christmas is holiday baking and cooking. And I’m never happier than on my annual Grandchildren-Sugar-Cookie-Decorating Day. It is organized chaos at its best. There is colored sugar and pieces of dough everywhere. For days I find drips and drops of colored icing hidden in places where icing doesn’t belong. The cookies invariably turn out garishly but lovingly decorated, heavy on the colored sugar. This year I allowed the use of M&Ms, marshmallows, and chocolate chips.

The decorating was done in two shifts. The two little granddaughters came over early because they weren’t in school. Mylee is much more interested in eating the icing than in decorating the cookies, but she managed to complete a couple. Hers are the ones with the sugar only dumped in the middle. Kaiya, on the other hand, carefully arranged her chocolate chips. She insisted on using my heart cookie cutter as well. You can’t, after all, have too many pink hearts, no matter the season.

Later, the three older McLains came by (the little one had a dance lesson) to decorate.

 

Kaiya and Mylee watched. Addie led the show, or tried to. Her suggestions generally fell on deaf ears, particularly when it came to 7-year-old Dagny, who has a mind of her own. Even 8-year-old Alastair joined in, again ignoring Addie’s advice. “You can’t make a Christmas tree red,” she tells him. Wanna bet? I just stand back and make sure no one gets hurt.

 

At the tail end, while the others had moved on to hide-and-seek, Dagny carefully took her last Christmas tree shaped cookie, and poured all of the remaining icing over the entire cookie, decorated it with every last remaining M&M and chocolate chip, and grinned her little missing-teeth grin in total satisfaction.

I know there are a million sugar cookie recipes, and they’re all pretty much the same. But this is one I have used for years. I got the book, Better Homes and Gardens Cookies and Candies, in 1972. I know this because I put my name and the date inside the cover. That means it has been assisting me in making cookies for over 30 years. Way to go Better Homes and Gardens.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
2/3 c. shortening
¾ c. granulated sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 egg
4 t. milk
2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1-1/2 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt

Process
Thoroughly cream shortening, sugar, and vanilla. Add egg; beat till light and fluffy. Stir in milk. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; blend into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Chill 1 hour.

On lightly floured surface, roll to 1/8 in. thickness. Cut in desired shapes with cutters. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 375 about 6 to 8 min. Cool slightly; remove from pan. Cool on rack. Makes about 2 doz. cookies.

Nana’s Notes: At the bakery, my dad would sprinkle colored sugar on the cookies before he would bake them. That’s the easiest thing to do, but not nearly as much fun. The kids simply love cutting out the cookies, patiently waiting the 6 minutes or so for them to bake and the 5 minutes or so for them to cool, and then look out! No holds barred! Close your eyes and know that the mess will be cleaned up soon enough.

Kids’ Whimsical Cooking: "Snow" Made Ice Cream

Posted in Kids' Cooking, Recipes by

Hey this is Addie and I made Snow Made Ice Cream. This is a great sweet snack that looks, tastes, and smells like regular ice cream. As long as you keep stirring and chilling, your treat will turn out right.

This snack only works if you have snow. Half and half, sugar, vanilla, and snow are the essential ingredients to the mix. (You may use candy to flavor up your ice cream.) I am sure you have those ingredients in you cabinets. I hope you try making this fun snack.

Snow Made Ice Cream

Ingredients
3 c. loose clean snow
2 T milk or half and half
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla extract

Process
Mix all the ingredients and adjust sugar and vanilla as needed. Continue to stir until mixture resembles ice cream.

Nana’s Notes: Not to be too nitpicky, but I’m guessing you probably don’t have fresh snow in your cabinets as Addie suggests you might. The rest of the ingredients are likely there. While this is not technically a holiday treat, it is certainly a winter treat. My grandkids absolutely LOVE to make this ice cream. Supervise the collection of the snow as smaller kids can include leaves in with the snow. Make sure they are not using yellow snow! Addie added chocolate chips and toffee chips to her treat.

And hey! I haven’t heard from a single person. Can’t have a cookie exchange without the exchange. Send me your faves.

I Feel Like a Real Turkey!

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Tick tock, tick tock. Christmas is getting nearer by the day. It’s time to start my holiday baking and candy making.

And I want to try something fun – a virtual cookie exchange. Each day I will post a different recipe for a holiday treat. I encourage all of you to either comment below or send me an email at the address provided in the upper right hand corner of my home page with a favorite holiday recipe. I will post them along with mine.

But first, I have a couple of stories.

It was a spectacular Saturday, despite the cold weather, simply because it was filled with family and friends. My Saturday began with an annual gathering of friends that has been taking place for over 12 years. Not only is this annual holiday event a chance to catch up on everyone’s life (since many of us don’t see each other but once a year), but the gathering goes beyond that. We come together in memory of a very dear friend who passed away almost 11 years ago at a much too young age, after a long illness. Our friend Paulette LOVED Christmas. She and I worked together for many years, and it was no secret that Christmas was her favorite time of year. She was in charge of decorating the Christmas tree in the lobby of our building, and I didn’t know a tree could hold so many lights. When I thought that another string of lights simply couldn’t fit on the tree, she would open another box. Needless to say, the trees were always spectacular.

Her friends and family gathered with her at Christmas while she was alive, and we continue the tradition in her memory. Her mother and sister are present, and this year her nieces also joined us. What a treat. Merry Christmas friends.

Later that evening, my son dropped off their two daughters for a sleepover at Nana and Papa’s house. I am trying to absorb all of their sweetness and funniness and love that I can before we leave for Arizona.

Yesterday morning, I asked the girls what they wanted for breakfast. Kaiya, the 5-year-old, thought carefully (as she is prone to do) and chose Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. Three-year-old Mylee didn’t have to think twice. Her answer, “A turkey sandwich.” Well, the look of disdain on her face when I admitted to her that I didn’t have any turkey meat in the house was sobering. “Cinnamon toast?” I asked. Nope. A turkey sandwich. “How about yogurt?” Nope. A turkey sandwich. She finally settled on pretzels. That’s one of the things I like best about being a grandmother. Pretzels can actually be a food group in Nanaworld when you’re desperate.

But here’s the thing. Later on I went to the grocery store to get the ingredients for my delicious Almond Roca that is featured below. I bought butter, almonds, and sugar. When I got home, I knew there wasn’t anything that was terribly perishable, and the Broncos were on TV, so I set the bags down until halftime.

When I began putting my ingredients away, what should I find in my bag but turkey lunch meat. I swear on a stack of bibles that I didn’t put that in my cart, but somehow, someway, Mylee saw to it that there will be turkey meat next time she’s here.

True story.

Yesterday I made my personal favorite Christmas treat, Almond Roca. It really is the only candy I ever make, and it is delicious.

Holiday Almond Roca

Ingredients
1 lb. real butter (no substitutes)
3 c. granulated white sugar
1 lb. whole shelled almonds (unsalted)
1 giant Hershey milk chocolate bar

Process
Place butter and sugar in large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven .Blend sugar and butter over medium heat, stirring continually. When mixture begins to bubble increase heat, time for 5 min., stir constantly. Mixture will begin to brown. Add whole almonds and continue cooking on high heat, stirring constantly for 7 to 10 min. Mixture should be smooth and resemble a brown, thick syrup. Quickly pour onto a large, sided cookie sheet. Mixture is extremely hot. Set aside to cool. Melt Hershey bar in a saucepan. Spread on one side of candy block. Allow to harden. Turn and frost other side of block. Break into small pieces.

Nana’s Notes: I never use a candy thermometer, but I think the mixture should reach 300 degrees. I have always cooked it the original 5 min., and then 7 minutes more, no longer. Keep stirring, or it will begin to separate. I have seen where some people pour out the mixture, and then lay the chocolate bars right onto the candy to melt. I use a double boiler. The candy mixture really is like molten lava, so I never do it when the kids are around.

The Hills are Alive

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I’m rather tired of whining about the cold weather (though it is only -6 as I write this post this morning). But it’s cold lots of places and I’m thankful to have a nice, warm house in which to stay out of the cold.

But the cold really has prohibited me from doing a lot of things outside. The roads are still pretty icy because they thaw somewhat during the day and then refreeze at night. And in the time it takes to drive from Point A to Point B, the car never warms up (unless Point B is Albuquerque!).

One would think that I would spend this time indoors baking Christmas cookies or at least cleaning my house. But alas, what I’m really doing is watching Christmas movies, crocheting, and answering the doorbell as all of my gifts that I ordered Cyber Monday are beginning to arrive. Yesterday, I had three deliveries. One of the nice things about being almost 60 is that by now I have forgotten what I ordered so it’s fun to open the packages and try to remember for whom I bought the ballerina doll.

Yesterday I watched the live version of The Sound of Music, which was on television the other night. I had set it up to record, knowing that my nights get away from me. It didn’t really matter because in Colorado, the program wasn’t live at all, but a recording of a live show. I hadn’t read about anybody falling down or forgetting their words, so I went into it with a positive attitude.

I wasn’t disappointed, but I must say, though Carrie Underwood has a marvelous singing voice, her acting leaves a lot to be desired. And it really isn’t fair to compare her to Julie Andrews, whose voice is as clear and lovely as a Christmas bell, and who knows how to sing and act at the same time. Still, I LOVE The Sound of Music. I think it has the most beautiful music of any musical ever written. And I absolutely cannot listen to “Edelweiss” without crying because it’s the song I have always sang to my grandchildren to get them to relax and fall asleep.

As I watched, I looked up Maria Von Trapp on Wikipedia only to learn that she didn’t really love Georg at the beginning, but grew to love him over many years. Not nearly as romantic, so I don’t blame Rogers and Hammerstein for changing that up!

The fact that Bill sang along with every number didn’t help my enjoyment. He was undoubtedly recalling our European adventure a number of years ago when we took the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg and they encouraged singing along. I could have lived without his participation yesterday.

All in all, I think it was wonderful that NBC gave this a try, and I enjoyed the production a great deal. I haven’t heard how the critics received it, but apparently it was well-watched.

Much like Seinfeld, this was a blog about nothing. Enjoy your weekend and stay warm if it’s cold outside where you live.

Lazy Snow Daze

Posted in Meat Dishes, Recipes by

Man, oh man. If the word lazy could be personified, it would look a lot like me yesterday. But I have a good excuse. The high was only 10 degrees, and it snowed all day.

Actually, I had one duty that required that I at least got dressed. I gave two of my grandchildren a ride to school – a mere five block trek. Still, it required clothes and the car to be cleaned off. And thank goodness it was only five blocks, because the roads were slippery and the temperature was cold, cold, cold.

So I came home, postponed a planned lunch, encouraged Bill to change a doctor appointment to a more habitable day, and settled in for a day of Christmas movies.

I watched The Last Holiday, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Love Actually, and, just for kicks, threw in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the animated version, not the movie). Somewhere in there I made us some lunch and ordered some more Christmas presents using my Ipad.

Our high of 10 was reached at noon, and it went downhill from there. The low reached below zero last night, but we are snug and warm in our cozy house. I put a couple of potatoes in the oven to bake last night. We enjoyed the potatoes with roasted chicken tenders with lemon and thyme.

TodayI may venture out. I’m running out of Christmas movies. Of course, I haven’t yet watched my favorite, A Christmas Story…….

Lemon Thyme Chicken

Ingredients
4 small chicken breasts
2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
Juice of one lemon
2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 t. dried thyme
Salt and pepper

Process
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook in 2 T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until golden, turning once, about 12-15 min. total. Add butter, lemon juice, and thyme to skillet; cover, and cook 3 minutes longer.

Nana’s Notes: I couldn’t find Redbird chicken breasts yesterday at the grocery store, so I bought chicken tenders instead. They worked fine. I served it with Swiss chard. I couldn’t hide the chard like I hid the carrots and spinach yesterday, so Bill said no thank you. I love any kind of greens, so I ate his share.