Umm- are you guys busy these days? I mean- is your holiday season flying by like Santa on a jet ski? Yep, #sameboat. I actually just had to practice some deep breathing a bit ago to calm down about ALL that awaits me on my to-do list between now and December 25.
But you know what? There is HOPE. That’s right, there is a beacon of light that lies across that sea of gift wrap on your living room floor. It’s going to simplify your life, take one MAJOR requirement off of your shopping-bag laden shoulders, and allow you to breeze through the most pressure-filled of Christmas feats- the holiday dinner.
That’s right. The once-a-year celebration that involves your family, your friends, and those relatives that you haven’t seen in years but somehow arrive at your doorstep hungry and ready for ALL the egg nog. The people that you truly love and want to feel special around your table. The people you text on the daily. That dinner. The solution? Hormel is here to save the day- and help you feed everyone on your gift list with no host-stress. Pun intended:)
This season I had the chance to partner with Hormel for these easy holiday dinner tips to utilize all I’ve gleaned from my work as a food and prop stylist to create a holiday menu that is both easy to do and will formally establish you as the Holiday Hosting Queen or King. These dishes make simple, fresh tweaks to Hormel foods that are sure to please your fave people. It’s a menu that includes:
Orange and Rosemary Glazed Hormel Cure 81 Ham: This ham is already cooked, and our glaze only has two ingredients! All we have to do is glaze and bake.
Golden broccoli and cheddar rice cups: Perfect for portioning out your buffet- especially when your relatives really love the sides; as in, ahem, maybe don’t leave much for those people behind them in line.
Salted Maple Butter Sweet Potatoes: Utilizing ready-to-go, mashed potatoes takes the boiling and the pulverizing out of the equation for you. Save that bicep strength for unwrapping presents later!
Sautéed Apples with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Candied Pecans: Sweet apples with creamy ice cream and candied pecans. Yessss pleeeassee!
Oh AND surprise!! The Hormel team also took some sweet behind-the-scenes photos I thought you guys would dig.
Let the film roll begin!
Sharing my love of ham with the camera!Our broccoli-cheddar beauties baking up in the oven.Our Cherrywood Cure 81 ham and glaze ingredients awaiting their debut.Warm cinnamon apples, vanilla ice cream and candied pecans for dessert.Fresh sautéed asparagus with butter and lemon zest deliciousness.Sweet, caramelized glazed ham in all it’s glory.
You guys, my amazing readers and watchers- I couldn’t be more thrilled to share this video, and this season, with you. You and my friends and family- you guys are the ones that make holiday food special for me. And the fact that Hormel has made an effort to make this easy for all of us- well, I’d say that’s Luv Cooks style: having a blast, cooking delicious food, and making the people around us feel special.
So, from my kitchen to yours, may your table be full of the food, sparkle and loving warmth of a hope-filled season. I can’t imagine anything more delicious.
I love local food. I always have; it’s how I grew up in the South.
I remember the hot Alabama sun streaming down my back as I ran through my Aunt Nelle and Uncle Honey’s Jackson, Alabama back yard, sweat dripping down my little knees as I scavenged for blueberries (which my favorite babysitter at the time, Karen, would carefully save for me and send me home with freezer bags full).
I kindly repayed the favor by being the *star* flower girl in her wedding (and by that I mean I braved layers of white polyester and got to sport a flower crown in her sister Kim’s wedding).
My husband Jake and I recently had the chance to attend a Spring dinner at one of our favorite Germantown spots, Butchertown Hall. His great friend Dan King reigns supreme over the beer selection at the restaurant and regularly blows us away with his beer knowledge (and ability with a wok).
Dan King, beer program curator for Butchertown Hall and several other restaurants
Jake took photos; I had the luxury of simply eating and enjoying the company of those around us. I’m constantly amazed at the kindness and warm hospitality of food lovers in Nashville. One precious dinner guest even invited us over to tour her garden and learn what made their kale grow so brilliantly. Love. That.
Each of the dinner courses was paired with a complimentary beer. Here’s where the magic happened: To be frank, I’m not much of a drinker. It takes me about an hour to down a glass of wine, and I don’t have enough experience to qualify what’s great and what’s not. I am moved more by the way the alcohol pairs with food, the way it affects flavor and heightens or softens the aftertaste of grilled meat or cheese.
But beer. Y’all, beer. Beer does wonders for food. Mainly because my limited beer knowledge stems from red Solo cup parties and outdoor barbecues, I didn’t know the depth to which it affected the sweetness of peaches a plancha and goat’s milk yogurt. But my favorite beer on the menu- Hecht Schlenkerla Oak Smoked Doppelbock- tasted like smoky bacon.
I may need to repeat myself. IT TASTED LIKE SMOKY BACON.
Oak Smoked Doppelbock is what happens when earthy barbecue, sweetness, bold richness, bitter notes and aged oak wood smoke form a happy dance train around your brain.
And that’s really what I remember most about the night. Smoked pork beer, food-loving comrades; genteel Southern conversation; gardening tips; and clinking glasses with people who like beer as much, as I am now discovering, as I do.
Fall is in the air; life is in full, golden swing; I am running like a crazy person all over town to assist on shoots and plan a wedding (feelings of glee, planning anxiety and squeal here!! AHH!!), and hopefully we are all eating peanut butter granola energy bars to keep us going.
I can’t think of a better person to share this sweet season with and learn from than the always beautiful, inviting, and relationally gifted Mattye from the lovingkind blog! She is back for our second, October installment together on making meal time matter. And I’m here to share one of the easiest, most deliciously warm recipes I can muster, chicken divan. I think you are going to love hearing from her and making this delicious casserole (andI don’t use the words delicious and casserole together lightly).
So put on some snuggly clothes, smell something pumpkiny and preheat your oven as we hear from Mattye on how we can make our fall meals- admits the wonderful busyness of our lives- even more intentional.
Make Mealtime Matter
Hey y’all! I’m so excited to be back on the Luv Cooks blog to share some advice that will make your marriage as savory and sweet as your cooking! I promise that if you will purpose to make mealtime matter and cook this Chicken Divan recipe, it will be a happy night in your kitchen and your marriage!
I am not an incredible cook, but I do know something that can make your mealtime significantly better than the average American household. I’m not about to reveal a secret spice, perfected family recipe, or magical cooking tool. In fact, my advice is more about what you leave out than what you put in.
Fresh broccoli pre-saucing
You can literally transform mealtime in your home with one simple step: remove cell phones from the dinner table! Eliminating this one distraction will give you the chance to look into each others eyes rather than stare at a screen and share about your day in a conversation rather than in a status update.
My husband Woody and I made it a rule that no cell phones are allowed at the table for the Woodcock family before we even got married. While dating, we spent months watching husbands and wives and moms and dads at restaurants ignoring each other or their children in favor of their cell phones. While we were not innocent of this ourselves, it was seeing it take place with other people that really grabbed our attention.
Mattye sprinkling cheese on top
We realized that if we don’t want to one day ignore our children, then we need to start by not ignoring each other. Thus, “no cell phones at the table” was established.
We’re not perfect, and we occasionally slip, but we consistently hold each other accountable. On the occasion one of us starts to pull out our phone to look something up, check a message, or share a photo, the other is quick to give a knowing look and say, “What are you doing?” which is enough for the other to slip their phone back in its place and wait until after dinner to use it. As we hoped it would, this has become a healthy habit in our lives. In fact, having a cell phone present at a mealtime with Woody, or anyone else for that matter, just feels unnatural to me now, and it’s all because of a good habit we made a point to develop.
I love that pairing cell-phone-free, intentional time with your spouse alongside mealtime sets it into a part of your schedule that already happens every, single day—eating! Essentially, you don’t have to find extra time in your schedule, you just have to be more purposeful with the time you already have.
Mattye expertly smoothing out the top of our chicken divan
In our nearly two years of marriage, mealtime has become a gift to our relationship because we have chosen to make it matter. It is a consistent time we pause, connect and really see each other. Even on our busier days, a 20-minute meal can make a big difference for us simply by choosing to set aside our phones and other distractions and focus on one another.
When it comes down to it, this isn’t about living a life based on rules or restrictions; rather, it’s about taking a step back to look at your life, see what matters most to you, and find a way to prioritize it. You won’t always feel like making the extra effort to focus on what you really love most, which is exactly why deciding ahead of time is so important. Base your choice on the life you’re trying to build together, not on how you feel in the moment.
Need a snack while you bake? Bust out a box of cornflakes. Seriously, so good!Putting the final touches on our casserole
Friends, make mealtime matter. Make it a time where you don’t only refuel your body, but also your marriage. You can do it, and your future self will be thankful you did.
Chicken Divan
What You Need:
For shredded chicken:
10 frozen chicken tenders (I bought one 32-ounce bag of chicken tenders and took 10 out)
1 tbl olive oil
1 tsp kosher sea salt
1/2 tsp curry powder
For homemade cream of chicken soup:
2 1/2 cups milk (I like unsweetend original almond milk)
7 tbl gluten free flour
2 chicken boullion cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
dash of curry powder
For casserole assembly:
2 lbs fresh broccoli heads, lightly steamed in microwave*
1 cup mayonnaise (I prefer Duke’s)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I like Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar)
1 cup cornflakes
What You Will Do
Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a 13X9X2 pan.
Place frozen chicken tenders in an oven safe pan and coat in tablespoon olive oil. Stir together sea salt and curry powder, then sprinkle the spice mixture over the chicken tenders and lightly stir with spatula to evenly coat the chicken.
Once the oven is ready, bake chicken for 30 minutes. Let the chicken cool, then shred to equal two cups of chicken.**
While the chicken is baking, make your cream of chicken soup: In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk and gluten free flour until combined.
Now turn heat to medium, then add bouillon cubes and 2 tablespoons olive oil, whisking constantly until bouillon dissolves and mixture thickens. Turn heat to low and whisk for a minute or two more, until no lumps remain. Take off heat and add a dash of curry powder (a shake or two).
Once the cream of chicken soup has cooled a bit, add mayonnaise, lemon juice, and unsalted butter. Stir to combine with spatula.
Line the bottom of your 13X9X2 pan with the lightly steamed broccoli, making an even layer of veggies. Top with shredded chicken. Using a spatula, gently pour the creamy mixture on top, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to get all of that goodness on the chicken/broccoli layer.
Smooth the creamy mixture with your spatula. Top with shredded cheese, then sprinkle on cornflakes.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, until cheese is melted and cornflakes look golden brown and crispy. Enjoy!
*I like to put the broccoli in a glass pan, cover with Saran Wrap, and microwave for two to three minutes.
**Shred chicken using two forks or fork and knife into bite size chunks (stringy, too thinly pulled chicken is not good eats). I prefer the pieces to be juicy and plump. You can also use pulled rotisserie chicken here, but I prefer the flavor combo of the curried chicken:)
Mattye and I enjoying our “chicken divine”, a term affectionally coined by her neighbor who smelled it across the walkway
If biscuit heaven was a place, I think I found it.
Knoxville, Tennesse- the home of neon orange football jerseys, Mabel, and this former food post– continues to impress me. Having spent the weekend consuming the most delicious olive and scallion hummus and tasting Vietnamese pho for the first time (which, in the words of a friend of mine, tastes like “angel tears”) I thought things couldn’t get better.
Turning the corner onto Biscuit Boulevard and finding a long stretch of red and white striped tents full of happy people blessing others with hot biscuits-knowing that I could try five of whatever biscuit I chose-was about like how a small child feels staring at a never ending stack of Lucky Charms, candy bars, and free iPads.
From the humming of a biscuit-themed songwriting competition to the smell of fresh dough sizzling in a deep fryer, it was a celebration of what makes Southern food so delicious- the buttery layers of comfort and warmth we lovingly call biscuits.
Since I was forced to choose-one of these biscuit masterminds below made a bonut people- below are my top five favorites. Hopefully these will inspire you to make your own biscuit combos- or visit Knoxville next year and experience it for yourself. I’ll be there-but next year I’ll probably buy two tickets just so I can go through the line twice.
