1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp dry sherry (optional)
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp ground ginger
2 eggs, lightly beaten
fresh ground black pepper

Combine water, chicken broth, sherry (if using), sugar and ginger in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly drizzle egg into soup, stirring constantly with a fork. Reduce heat to low and cook an addition 1 minute, stirring constantly. Ladle into individual soup bowls and top with fresh ground black pepper.

Yield: 2 servings

Veggie variety:
Add an additional 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 to 2 cups sliced mushrooms, carrots, onions and/or fresh spinach leaves
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Main Dish: Sweet Cherry Teriyaki Chicken

This uses a marinade/sauce bought at Hermann’s Boy, a locally-owned store in Rockford. Another Teriyaki or Szechwan marinade could be used instead. Cover 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in marinade and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, or until done. Baste or reapply marinade halfway through baking. Another option is to marinade chicken 30 minutes prior to baking if time permits.

Side Dish: Broccoli w/ Water Chestnuts & Pineapple (Jenn Original Recipe)
Side Dish: Brown rice tossed with butter and salt
Soup: Simple Egg Drop Soup (Jenn Original Recipe)
Beverage: Hot tea

Suggested tea servings (all from the Republic of Tea):
Spring Cherry Green Tea
Earl Greyer Black Tea
Ginger Peach Black Tea
Beginner’s Green Tea

Serve tea by heating a full kettle of water and placing on table with a potholder or tivet. Allow guests to choose flavor of tea, serve with lemon wedges, honey and/or sugar.

Dessert: Dove dark chocolate squares and vanilla wafers*

*Traditional Chinese dishes are served with orange wedges and cookies as dessert. Apparently, the cookies are meant to cleanse the teeth and the palate. I would not recommend oranges with this menu as the other dishes already have cherry and pineapple in them (although leftover pineapple rings would make good garnishes or dessert treats).

These were delicious! I skipped the Cinnamon Maple Syrup, the Orange Honey Butter serves as a syrup. I served these with fresh blueberries, banana slices and orange wedges. Yum!

Blue Corn Pancakes with Orange Honey Butter

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup blue cornmeal
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1 1/2 to 2 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup fresh blueberries, plus more for garnish
2 to 3 bananas, peeled and sliced
1 orange, cut into wedges
Orange-Honey Butter, recipe follows

Preheat a nonstick griddle. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Beat the eggs and 1 1/2 cups of the milk in a medium bowl until combined, then stir in the melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries. If the batter seems too thick, add some of the remaining milk.

Ladle approximately 1/4 cup of the batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until the bottom is light golden brown, flip, and continue cooking for about 30 seconds. Remove to an ovenproof plate and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve. Serve 3 pancakes per person with a dollop of orange-honey butter, cinnamon maple syrup, and bananas. Garnish with blueberries dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Orange-Honey Butter:

3 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
2 sticks butter, slightly softened
2 tablespoons honey
Pinch salt

Place orange juice in a small non-reactive saucepan over high heat and reduce to 3 tablespoons. Place butter in a bowl and add the orange syrup, honey, and salt; mix until combined. Scoop into a large ramekin, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Reheat slightly before serving.

Preparing broccoli in the microwave can make for a stinky kitchen, especially if the microwave is in a small or enclosed space. If air fresheners, fans and windows aren’t available, here are some natural ways to banish the broccoli smell.

Brew some black tea and cut a large lemon into wedges. The black tea and lemons can be served to guests as an after dinner treat. Squeeze some extra lemon wedges into a glass or the sink, or grate the rind, releasing the crisp, clean smell into the air.

Brew strong black coffee (regular or decaf). This can also be served to guests and will help eliminate that broccoli odor.

Light a scented candle such as clean cotton, linen, rain, ocean or fresh-cut grass. Fruity or floral scents can mingle in with the broccoli smell and make it worse, but baking-inspired scents like vanilla, hazelnut, sugar cookie or baked bread work well, as well as cleaning-inspired scents like pine or lemon.

Take out the trash! The empty broccoli bag and plate scraps can make that broccoli smell linger for days.

Bake some cookies, like the pre-made cookie dough variety. Even if they won’t be served at dinner, cookies can stay fresh for over a week when stored properly.

This is a very easy way to make a favorite Italian classic, with some help from Campbell’s Soup 1-2-3 Cooking:

1 pkg italian seasoned boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1/2 pkg fettuccine or other choice of pasta
1 pkg pre-cut broccoli (that can be steamed in the microwave)
1 8 oz pkg pre-cut, pre-wash mushrooms
olive oil
1 can Campbell’s condensed cream of mushroom w/ roasted garlic soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 parmesan cheese
fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350F and prepare chicken to be baked. Coat baking pan in olive oil and place chicken in a single layer. Bake 25-30 minutes or until no longer pink.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in pasta of choice and prepare per package directions. Begin boiling water just after chicken has been placed in oven.

Saute mushrooms in a large skillet using as much or as little olive oil as desired. Cover and set aside. Combine soup, milk and parmesan cheese in a small saucepan and warm over low heat, stirring frequently. Once thoroughly heated, combine with mushrooms in large skillet, set aside and keep warm.

Drain pasta when tender and combine in skillet with mushroom sauce. Mix well, coating pasta completely. Sprinkle the top with fresh ground black pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon).

Prepare broccoli in microwave as package directs. Either add to pasta and sauce or serve on the side with butter.

Remove chicken from oven and place a chicken breast on each plate and serve with pasta, sauce and broccoli.

Additions/Substitutions:

Since all shapes of pasta taste the same, ANY kind of pasta can be used. Some shapes to try: angel hair, spiral, or bow tie. For a vegetarian options, skip the chicken and add some cheese-stuffed tortellini (prepare according to package directions and add into sauce once cooked).

Other vegetables can be added or substituted as desired, such as peas, green beans, sun-dried tomatoes, peppers or carrots.

Regular condensed mushroom soup can be used instead of the roasted garlic variety, or 1 teaspoon of minced garlic can be added to mushroom soup to create the same effect.

Low-sodium varieties of soup with fat-free milk and light parmesan cheese can turn this alfredo sauce into a healthy meal. Try using part-skim mozzarella cheese, just make sure it melts thoroughly into sauce.

Italian seasoning can be added to the sauce to give it an extra kick, especially if italian seasoned chicken isn’t available. Try two tablespoons of italian seasoning, or a half-teaspoon of each of the following: basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary.