2012 March

Little known fact: When I was in college, I worked at the Cracker Barrel Country Store as a server. I actually worked there for like a year and a half. Seriously.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of eating at the Cracker Barrel, it’s known for it’s Southern cooking and is a traveler’s favorite. They literally have maps of where all the Cracker Barrel locations are in the state… and you can plan your stops accordingly.

It also has a huge local following. I was amazed at how many regulars we’d have at the restaurant, especially on Wednesday nights… when the vegetable of the day was Macaroni and Cheese. Seriously.

My memories of working at Cracker Barrel are actually pretty funny. I was a silly college kid and had a few friends that worked there, too. Honestly, I’m not sure why we did… coming home at the end of a long night with $25 in tips is not exactly a moneymaker. Just the same, we stayed… and served up the beans and greens and ate more cornbread and biscuits than anyone should. Although, there was something fun about wearing a brown apron with your name written on it with stars on it (no, really… there is nothing about that either.)

After working there as long as I did, I kept a fondness for their food. They have AMAZING biscuits and gravy, delicious parmesan peppercorn dressing, and the chocolate cobbler is to die for. My favorite dish they make, however, just might be their grilled chicken tenderloins.

The chicken is simply marinated and grilled, but there’s something crazy-delicious about the marinade. I’ve googled a copycat recipe in the past, but last week was the first time I ever made it. Yum-O!

Cracker Barrel’s Grilled Chicken Tenderloin

From A Hen’s Nest via Pinterest

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. chicken tenderloin or chicken breast (boneless)

1/2 cup Kraft Light Zesty Italian

1 Tbsp. honey

1 tsp. fresh lime juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix all ingredients in a ziplock bag. Store in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

2. In a large non-stick skillet over med/high heat, add the entire mixture with chicken to the pan.

3. Braise chicken on all sides until golden but not dry.

4. Serve with your favorite side dish or even sliced over a nice garden salad. ENJOY!

Amazing combo!

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I’ve cooked a lot over the past few weeks and have SO many recipes to share with you guys…. but I’ve had so much other news to tell you about that I haven’t gotten around to sharing the good eats. I made a really awesome marinated chicken dish last week that was SO good. And, I promise to post the chicken recipe soon, but holy cow…. the spinach comes first!

I’ve always loved creamed spinach; however, I’ve usually eaten the frozen variety. Last week, I made it homemade. Yep, it was amazing… and it was a Weight Watchers recipe, so you can INDULGE! It was the PERFECT side dish for this chicken. So creamy and delish.