Wow. Thank God for summer, and recipes like Chicken & Peaches.
I can't take credit for this one. My friend Sue sent it to me, and then I made it while visiting at my mom's house.
My sister-in-law was passing through town with her girlfriend last night on her way to move from Illinois to California. My brother went ahead a few weeks ago and found them a nice little bungalow to live in on Pismo Beach.
Did I mention that I am jealous?
I told her she should pass by here if she wanted free dinner and a place to sleep and of course, a chance to see her niece.
She calls her the Fabulous Miss A. That is a fitting name for Audry.
I couldn't think of what to make for dinner that would be easy, fast, and easy to hold in case they hit traffic or something and were late. UNTIL I remembered about Chicken & Peaches. Light, fresh, delish, cool on a hot summer evening, which it was.
This is one of those What To Do With Leftover (or rotisserie) Chicken recipes.
First, the dressing, which makes it.
2 tbsp walnut oil (I just happened to have some, but other oil will work in a pinch)
1 tbsp peach jam
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (yes! it adds just the right amount of kick)
2 tbsps sherry vinegar (I didn't have any. I used champagne vinegar)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
I also doubled the dressing, because it never seems like there's enough.
Then I made couscous- enough for 4 since that is how many of us were eating. I tried the pearled kind. That looked interesting. It had basil & garlic in it. Yum. But this really could be done with any kind of grain that you feel like making.
Then I chopped up 3 ripe peaches into bite sized bits. Wow do I love peaches.
When the couscous was done, I made a kind of salad with the couscous, peaches, some walnuts (maybe a 1/2 cup or so?), some feta cheese (again, 1/2 cup or so?) and a bunch of chopped up basil (probably like a 1/2 cup).
I got a rotisserie chicken at the store which had been in the fridge so it was cold. But it was just fine that way.
Will carved the chicken. He hasn't got much practice so it was a mess. But it still tasted fine.
We had the salad, with chicken & dressing on top.
It was GREAT and everyone had seconds.
Will asked why I hadn't made it before. I told him I thought it was too girly and he wouldn't like it, but since we were having two girls to dinner I thought I could try it out. He said it was delicious. So it wasn't too girly for him, I guess. Ladies, it doesn't have to be for a friend's luncheon anymore!
For dessert I made cream cheese frosting to go on the spinach carrot muffins I had in the freezer that Audry wouldn't eat.
(Frosting = 1 pkg cream cheese, 1 stick butter softened to room temp, 2 cap fulls vanilla, something like 2 cups of powdered sugar. Blend.)
I thought spinach carrot cake muffins would be a way for her to eat vegetables. I thought wrong. She apparently doesn't like muffins. Or cake. Or carrot cake. Or really anything. Even with frosting on. But my sister in law & her friend are happy to have vegetables for dessert if they get to eat them with home made cream cheese frosting. And they were wonderful.
