Summer is in full swing! The warmer weather has arrived, which means long summer days and nights outside doing fun activities, leaving less time for parents to cook. We’re sharing a favorite summertime dinner that is quick and hassle-free. A delicious meal that the entire family will enjoy. Yes, even the kiddos!
Local mom Susanne McGaughey shares a dish that’s been a staple in her household for years. Susanne is a homemaker as well as a homeschooling mom. She’s married to Clifford Holmes McGaughey III (better known as Tres). Tres retired from the Air Force after 20 years and is now a Network Engineer.
Susanne and Tres have been married for 30 years and have known each other since they were four and five years old. They have seven children: Josiah (28), Kaitlin (26), Caleb (25), Erin (22), Daniel (17), Shannon (17), and Jonas (15). Their children were homeschooled from ages two to 18.
“I cannot tell you how many recipes and creations I’ve made in our kitchen over the years. I love it when I am away from the house or out of town, and one of the kids calls to ask me a food-related question or what to do for some recipe. It makes me smile to know they are cooking or creating in the kitchen.”
Susanne shares
Susanne’s mom and grandmother were great cooks, so she was inspired at a young age to get in the kitchen, get her hands dirty, and help make something good to eat.
“I was probably four years old when I started cooking. When I was at my grandmother’s house, if she wasn’t in her kitchen, she would be in her garden or greenhouse. Things she grew would make their way from the garden to the kitchen. I was always beside her, watching her mix or cut up to prepare some of my favorite dishes.”
For Susanne, food is comfort, and it inspires her even now to see the faces of her family when they have enjoyed a good meal or a new recipe. If the food provides comfort and her family or friends are satisfied with a good meal, the fellowship after the meal is much sweeter.
Susanne also loves her Dutch over-stock pot. She has a pot of bone broth on rotation once a week. She picks fresh herbs from her garden to use in flavoring the broth. Often she serves an all-veggie meal. Not that they don’t like protein, but sometimes it is nice to have vegetables cooked, steamed, or roasted. She usually makes a pan of her grandmother’s cornbread to go with the veggies, using her cast iron skillet. Susanne also makes a lot of cookies at her house and has two Pampered Chef baking stones she loves to use.
She has several quick and easy crockpot and instant pot meals that her family loves. As their family has grown and their children have gotten older, the number of activities everyone is involved in has grown, too. “It is so nice to throw the ingredients in the crockpot, walk away, and in several hours return to an incredible dish.”
One crock pot recipe she adores is Angel Chicken, which she happily shares with us this month!
Angel Chicken
Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken breast or tenderloin (You can use frozen, too)
1/2 container chive & onion cream cheese
7oz. package of Italian seasoning mix
1 can golden
mushroom soup
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sherry
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on the lowest heat for 5 hours. Serve over angel hair pasta or white rice.
