52 Sunday Suppers: Honey Spiced Chicken & Amish Bread

Littlest, who turns six later this month, is reading. She carries a pink tote bag stuffed with books, mostly Dr. Seuss, plain white paper, and stubby colored pencils with her wherever she goes. Lately our weekends are overflowing with track meets and lacrosse games which gives Littlest ample time to read her favorite books and write and illustrate her own stories on the sidelines.

At supper time, however, Littlest’s creations move from sideline to headline. With expected regularity, the youngest of our clan commands center stage as she reads her hand written stories aloud at the table. Her brightly illustrated, crookedly stapled books are snippets of her days. Tales of what’s important in her life. She’s written stories about the Flowering of the Cross ceremony at school and her upcoming birthday party at Build-A-Bear. My favorite tells the story of us, mama and daughter, in the kitchen making pancakes which are delightfully fluffy and pink.

It took me a while to appreciate that our five-year-old was leading our family’s story-telling efforts. Go figure! Sarah’s simple stories and drawings have inspired and drawn stories from the rest of us. Storytelling appears to be contagious.

Susie & I posted a recent article from the New York Times on our 52 Sunday Suppers Facebook page. The article, The Family Stories That Bind Us, relates that the more children know about their family’s history the higher their self-esteem and overall emotional health.

Stories matter. Your story matters. Your family narrative is a story that needs to be told.

This week for Sunday supper, I’m serving the Littles’ favorite honey spiced chicken with Susie’s tasty Amish white bread and a tossed spinach salad. The Littles love this sweet and spicy chicken and according to our oldest {and allegedly the pickiest eater}, it tastes ‘just like the spicy chicken at Chick-Fil-A.’ I’m not sure about that, but he’s requested this chicken three times in the last week.

Encouraged by Littlest and the importance of family stories, I’m adding colored pencils and scrap paper to the menu and hoping this simple but delicious meal inspires equally simple, but satisfying stories.

What family stories are you telling around your supper table? Come join the conversation on our Facebook page ~ we love hearing from you!

Week Twelve Menu

Honey Spiced Chicken

Susie’s Amish White Bread

Honey Spiced Chicken

Slight spice offset by the mellow sweetness of fresh, local honey this tasty chicken recipe is special enough for a Sunday Supper but easy enough for a busy weeknight meal.

• Author: adapted from Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2008
• Category: dinner

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1–2 teaspoons chili powder {depending on spice preference use more or less}
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes {adjust for spice preference}
• 8–10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Combine spices in a ziplock bag. Add chicken thighs and shake to thoroughly coat.
3. Place chicken on a broiler pan {be sure to coat with cooking spray!} Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side.
4. While chicken is broiling, combine honey and apple cider vinegar.
5. Remove chicken from oven and brush with 1/2 of the honey mixture. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken and turn over, brush with remaining honey mixture and broil 1 additional minute.

Love,