Sweet Potato & Peach Casserolesque Bake

Two of my favorite seasonal items are fresh Georgia peaches in the summer and sweet potatoes in autumn. So what about that period of time in September and October when it's not quite either? Or any other time for that matter! Mix these two delicious seasonal favorites to make a dessert/breakfast/snack that satisfies both cravings.

What you need:
6-10 peaches, sliced. (I use Georgia peaches because they're available here, but use what is locally grown for you. I'm sure you could even use canned peaches, but I'm not sure how many cans you would need.)
1-2 cans of sweet potatoes (last time I used 1 can and wished I had used 2)
1/4 brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1/4 sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1 T. melted butter/margarine
a pinch of cinnamon or cinnamon sugar

What to do:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line the bottom of the pan with peach slices. (I use a 9x9 Pyrex, but you could use a 13X9 or 8X8) Mix together brown sugar, egg, flour, sugar, vanilla, and butter. It should be a bit dense. This is where the "secret" ingredient comes in. That water/juice stuff in the sweet potato can, pour that into the mixture, making sure to keep the sweet potatoes themselves separate. If you are using 2 cans, I'm not sure that I would use all the liquid from both cans as it could get a bit runny. The mixture should be a thick liquid, so that it pours, but slowly.

Pour 1/3 of mixture over bottom layer of peaches. Add sweet potatoes on top of peaches. Pour 1/3 of mixture over sweet potatoes. Continue to layer the peaches and sweet potatoes (or even mix them together) until there are no more. Pour remainder of mixture over top. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake 20-30 minutes depending on your oven and how "well done" you want it to be. If the mixture looks slightly liquid still when you're done, bake another 2-3 minutes and then let it cool a bit and it will harden.

This "casserolesque" baked dish makes a great dessert, breakfast, or even side dish!

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

Simple White Rice

Rice is definitely a staple, but you need to change it up every once in awhile or it just tastes like... rice. This is a simple recipe to spice up your rice, but not too much. This is the rice recipe I serve with the Baked Mango Chicken.
The way it's written is what 2 of us eat for one meal, as rice doesn't keep well, but it can easily be doubled.

What you need:
1/2 c. white rice
1 t. olive oil (or vegetable, peanut, canola, etc. oil)
seasonings:
dill weed
basil
thyme
bay leaves
garlic powder
celery salt (could be substituted with any other salt)

What to do:
In small-medium sauce pan, combine 1 c. of water with olive oil and seasonings. I use 2 "shakes" of each, and 3 shakes of the garlic powder. (Yes, I know, this is HIGHLY scientific King Julian.)
Bring water mixture to a boil and add rice. Reduce heat and simmer COVERED for 15-20 minutes until all water is absorbed, stirring occasionally.

*For 1 c. of rice, use 2 c. of water and 3-4 shakes of each seasoning.

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

Pain Perdu a la Mimi (French Toast)

Have you ever been craving French Toast only to realize that you didn't have any syrup in the fridge or pantry? Well I have plenty of syrup, but this French toast is so good that I don't want to ruin it with syrup.
According to mommie, my "secret" is that I use margarine to cook them rather than oil.

What you need:
Bread, any type will do. I personally prefer white wheat, and this makes about 5-6 slices.
1/4 c. milk
1 egg
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla extract
1-2 T. butter/margarine for cooking

What to do:
Mix together milk, egg, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. I then pour the mixture into a shallow baking dish to make it easier to coat the bread, but this is not necessary. Heat a bit of the butter/margarine in a frying pan over medium heat. While the butter is heating, begin coating slices of bread in the mixture. Two minutes on the first side and a minute on the second side is good.

Once the first slice is coated, put it in the pan and let it cook, about 90 seconds to 2 minutes on the first side and another minute to 90 seconds on the second side. While one slice is cooking, put the next slice into the mixture to absorb the liquid.

Continue cooking slice by slice, adding more margarine/butter to the pan if needed.

I think these taste great with just a bit of margarine on them, but I have served them with syrup or a can of strawberries before and both were fabulous. The canned strawberries are particularly good because this French Toast is slightly sweet and the strawberries are a bit tart.

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

Baked Mango Chicken

The combination of sweet and spicy never fails to amaze me. The trick is to make sure that neither of these flavors is too overwhelming.

What you need:
1 lb. chicken breast tenders (or any other kind of chicken. This is just what I usually buy)
1 can mango slices (or fresh mango, sliced, although the juice in the can is good for the marinade)
1 T. (or more) lemon juice
a bit of the following spices:
chili powder
black pepper
garlic powder
bay leaves
thyme
basil
(optional: a bit of Sprite, Sierra Mist, or 7up)

What to do:
In a gallon size plastic bag combine lemon juice, seasonings to taste (I tend to use twice as much garlic than anything else), a bit of mango juice syrup stuff from the can, and some Sprite. The liquids don't have to be a perfect amount, just make sure there's enough to cover and moisten the chicken.
You can add the mango slices at the marinade step or wait to add them later. I personally like to marinate the chicken with the mango slices because I think it adds more flavor. Add chicken and let marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and pour contents of bag into a baking dish (I use a 9x9 Pyrex). Bake 40-50 minutes, turning over chicken pieces in the marinade several times while baking (every 15 minutes or so).

I like to serve this dish on a bed of slightly seasoned rice.

Enjoy!
-Mimi-