I love making my family's meal time special with home-cooked nutritional food. I believe spending time together around the table promotes a bonded family and makes each person feel important and valued.
To help achieve this, I use batch cooking and freezer meals to save time in the kitchen and save money! We come together over meals like cream of broccoli soup with Grandma's sour cream biscuits.
When author Mary DeMuth announced her cookbook, The Irresistible Table, was releasing, I eagerly awaited my early copy of the book. Mary's a Christian author who shares the same belief as I do and talks about it in her new book. I'm excited to share with you one of her recipes. I know it was the first recipe I tried, but not the last.
Chicken Artichoke Heart Casserole
4 whole chicken breasts
1 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained (I used marinated-Melissa)
⅓ cup butter (I will use less-Mary)
⅓ cup flour (I will use less, more like ¼ cup-Mary)
2 ½ cups chicken broth
¼ cup white wine
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. green onions
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup bread crumbs (I cut up my own from my 5 minute a day Artisan bread recipe-Melissa)
Sauté chicken breasts in a little olive oil until done. Cut into large chunks. Layer chicken and artichokes in a 9x13 pan. Melt butter in medium sauce pan, add flour to create a roux. (For instructions on how to make a roux and sauce go here.)Add chicken broth and stir until thickened and combined. Add wine and cheddar and onions over low heat. Stir until melted. Pour sauce over casserole. Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan and sprinkle over casserole. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Serve with rice or pasta.
📖 Recipe
Chicken Artichoke Heart Casserole and The Irresistible Table
Ingredients
- 4 whole chicken breasts
- 1 14 ounce can artichoke hearts drained (I used marinated-Melissa)
- ⅓ cup butter I will use less-Mary
- ⅓ cup flour I will use less, more like ¼ cup-Mary
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup white wine
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 Tbsp. green onions
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 cup bread crumbs
Instructions
- Sauté chicken breasts in a little olive oil until done. Cut into large chunks. Layer chicken and artichokes in a 9×13 pan. Melt butter in medium sauce pan, add flour to create a roux.
- Add chicken broth and stir until thickened and combined. Add wine and cheddar and onions over low heat. Stir until melted. Pour sauce over casserole.
- Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan and sprinkle over casserole. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Serve with rice or pasta.
What's your favorite memory of eating together around the table? Did you have any traditions around the dinner table?
Barb Winters
Looks yummy! I can't wait to try it!!
Melissa K. Norris
Barb, let me know how you like it. I really enjoyed it and the wine gave the roux an interesting flavor. I'll be trying it in some of my other recipes for a twist.
Tammy Helfrich
Looks yummy! Excited to get her book.
Melissa Norris
Tammy, it is good and so is her book. She's got a ton of recipes, wisdom, and I love that she's a self taught cook like me. Some cookbooks have too many exotic ingredients or really technical skills, this is a perfect blend of new tastes with old-fashioned, home cooking tastes. 🙂
Becky
While we didn't have any specific traditions, we did eat together as a family regularly. Then again, very few in our small community didn't. Unfortunately, because it was just what we did and what my husband and our children have always done we tend to take it for granted. It really isn't anything special or extraordinary to us. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that mealtimes around the table are usually more duty than pleasure for us. Articles such as this have gotten me thinking that perhaps I need to add some "romantic idealism" into our lives and create an atmosphere to celebrate the special blessing gathering around the table as a family for three meals each day is. It certainly seems to be something rare and treasured by many. When the children have all grown and gone I know that I will be glad I took the effort to create a time of beauty rather than merely continue a necessary act.
Melissa K. Norris
Becky, it is so easy to forget the meaning and love behind certain things as we get caught up in the business of life. I think God takes the time to remind us by articles, books, friends, etc. so we can capture back the specialness He wants for us.
I love your words here, When the children have all grown and gone I know that I will be glad I took the effort to create a time of beauty rather than merely continue a necessary act.