Mother's Day

For Mother's Day I'd like to share one of my Mother's go-to menus for Sunday dinner.  She always would use her good wedding china and a white tablecloth on the dining room table when we had guests for Sunday dinner.

Baked chicken breasts
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Fruit salad
Carrots or green beans
Cloverleaf dinner rolls
Strawberry rhubarb pie with vanilla ice cream


Mom's Baked Chicken
(amounts are my best guess - she didn't use a recipe.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Make stuffing first.   (Yes, you can cheat with Stovetop Stuffing, but Mom made her own.)  Saute' one chopped onion and a rib or two of chopped celery in a little butter.   Add 1 cup water, 1 chicken bouillon cube, 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Pour water mixture over 3 cups cubed dried bread a bit at a time until it is soft, but not mushy.   Stir with a fork to moisten thoroughly.  Mound in the center of a greased round casserole. Mom had a clear Pyrex casserole with a lid, and a basket that it fit into for serving at the table. 
Brown 4 skinless chicken breasts in the frying pan with a little butter.  Remove and place in the casserole around and overlapping the stuffing a bit.
Add 1 cup water to the frying pan to deglaze the pan.  Shake 2 Tbsp flour and 1/4 cup water in a jar to mix, then pour into the chicken drippings in the frying pan.  Whisk over medium heat until thickened.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour over chicken and stuffing.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.  (Chicken should be 160 degrees when done.)

Mom's home made Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon Crisco shortening
1-3/4 cups flour (divided)
1-1/2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Tablespoon dry yeast
1 egg
Combine water and shortening and heat just until shortening melts.  In a large bowl dissolve sugar and salt with warm water mixture.  Cool down to warm or tepid.  Dissolve yeast in warm liquid.  Let yeast activate for a few minutes.  Beat in egg.  Gradually mix in 1-1/2 cups flour and place remaining flour on a board or pastry cloth.  Turn dough on to floured board/cloth and knead about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.  Divide into 8 sections.  Then further divide each section into three.  Roll small pieces into balls and dip into melted butter. Arrange 3 balls in each of 8 greased medium-sized muffin cups.  Let rise about 30 minutes until doubled.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 8 rolls.