Barbara Progess

Instead of hot sauce try chopped, roasted Annaheim chilis - just enough heat. Like the others, I cut out the cream of mushroom soup and used diced red potatoes. You can never have too many onions. I even replaced 1 cup of milk with heavy cream which made a very thick sauce + 1 can of evaporated milk along with 1 cup of 1% milk.

Making my own broth allows me to add more flavor and control the fat content for a heart-healthy recipe. I doubled the recipe, then after refrigerating it to allow the fat to congeal, I skimmed off the fat and spread the broth into a 9 x 13 pan and froze it. Then I could cut it up into large squares and freeze them individually for future use.

The bacon added another whole dimension to the chicken. I used regular-cut bacon because it cooked and crisped better. I would suggest that you don't crowd the chicken pieces otherwise the bacon stays raw in between. Let it breathe and cook. Using flatter shish kabob rods will help keep the chicken from rotating as you turn them.

I was in a hurry during a weekday dinner so I substituted hamburger meat which made a nice bolognaise-type sauce. I added fresh, sauted mushrooms and an Herbs De Provence seasoning since this recipe is a little bland. I used Poupon mustard which gave the recipe a deep spicy flavor. This cut the time to cook this recipe in 1/2.

This is my new favorite dinner. Instead of a roast I make this recipe with pork medallions. Cut into 3/4" slices the sauce covers and crisps more pork. Be sure to cover your baking pan with foil. I add a little corn starch to the remaining sauce to make a thicker gravy to cover the medallions with at serving. This dish goes well with country potatoes.

Excellent flavor combination but I would also add roasted Anaheim peppers for a little kick.