3 Moms, 3 Kitchens, 31 Days - Day 21: Is this really dessert?

I have always been one of those people who lives to eat. I love food! (Wow, it feels good to get that out in the open.) I love food so much that I always decline pop, juice, or even fancy coffee drinks. Why have liquid calories when I could save them for something REALLY good? Because of this, I am also a very sensory-based eater. If something smells good or looks good, I just can't wait to eat it. The dinner that we had tonight fits both of those categories. I made cider vinegar chicken. Let me tell you, there is just no way to describe how good this dish smells when it is cooking! And it also looks fantastic on a plate. Here is the recipe, from Rachael Ray's 365:No Repeats cookbook. (There is an Amazon link in my sidebar if you're interested.)

Cider Vinegar Chicken
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
4 6-oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
salt & pepper
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 T. fresh thyme leaves (or 1 1/2 t. dried thyme)
3 T. honey
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
2 c. chicken stock or broth

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 T. of the EVOO (twice around the pan). Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the hot skillet. Brown the chicken on both sides, 3 minutes per side. Remove and reserve the meat, covered with foil. Add another T. of the EVOO, the onions, thyme, honey-3 good drizzles- and the garlic. Season the onions with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently for 7 to 8 minutes. You want the onions to get really brown and carmelized.
Add 1/2 cup of the cider vinegar and the stock. Turn up heat to high and bring the liquids up to a simmer. Once at a simmer, return the chicken to the skillet. Cook the chicken in the sauce for about 10 minutes, flipping the chicken over halfway through the cooking time. Serve over mashed potatoes. (I also served this with zucchini, mushroom, and garlic saute from the freezer.)


Breakfast today was the cinnamon rolls I made yesterday. Even though they weren't as gooey as we would have liked, they were still awfully good. For lunch we had our favorite standby of tuna pasta salad and yogurt. Snacks were bananas and graham crackers.

The kids all had some sherbet for dessert. We call this dessert, but that term only applies loosely. Does two tablespoons of ice cream really count as dessert? I don't even remember how we got started with this habit, but it exists nonetheless. Every night after dinner, everyone has to have dessert. Quite honestly, I think this is a little excessive health-wise. Nobody NEEDS dessert every night. So that is why we give "treat-sized" portions. Everyone is satisfied with just a little taste of something sweet. There are, of course, special occasion dinners that call for a full serving dessert. But for an average day, just a little taste is fine. (Now, if only Eric and I could get in this habit more often ourselves!)

Don't forget to stop by Toni and Joy's blogs to see what they've been up to in their kitchens today.