“Welcome BACK to my kitchen.”

For those who don’t remember me, my name is Sheryl Sollars and I am returning to the News Journal as their local food columnist. I previously wrote my cooking column for over eight years and have decided it is time to return.

Many of you know me, but since I left the News Journal many new residents have moved to Wilmington who don’t know me. Here is a little about who I am.

I was born and raised in Clinton County and raised my family in Wilmington. I have three sons (whose wives are homemakers themselves): Jeff (Jill) Borton, Doug (Diane) Borton both of Wilmington. and my youngest son Chad Borton who recently moved to San Antonio. I have also been blessed with seven grandchildren.

I live in Wilmington with my husband, Fred Link, who is my also my proofreader.

Although I spent over 20 years in the medical management field, my real love is being a homemaker. I was a dedicated wife and mother who raised her family and then decided to strike out on an adventure seeking new surroundings as well as some new experiences.

In 2000, my husband Bob Sollars (deceased) and I moved to Florida to retire in the warm climate. While there I fulfilled a dream by opening “CREATATIONS BY SHERYL”, a gourmet food and gift shoppe, selling many specialized food products.

I was soon approached about writing a weekly news column on food — and a new career was born. After returning to Wilmington in 2006, I began sharing my column with the WNJ where my weekly cooking column ran for eight years.

I experienced burn-out and archived my column for four years. I had no idea that this weekly feature in the paper was so widely read until everywhere I went I would be asked to return to writing.

After many requests I have decided to return to writing a regular column again.

At an early age, I realized that I was blessed with a gift for creating — whether it was in the kitchen cooking, in front of the sewing machine or decorating homes. I was extremely active in 4-H which was a major inspiration for my love of homemaking.

My most recent achievement has been in home decorating for myself as well as many of my friends.

Each of my future columns will share stories of the adventures in my life as well as those of the Clinton County community. I will select some of my favorite recipes to share with you along with convenient tips in and out of the kitchen.

Most of these recipes can be prepared by anyone (yes, I have many men readers/cooks as well as ladies). I would like to encourage my readers to drop me an email with any questions or request you may have at [email protected].

I will continue to share more information about myself and my favorite room in the house in each column. Thanks for your encouragement and I hope I don’t let you down.

Now on with my recipes …

FLOURLESS NUT & CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

“A cookie with absolutely NO flour”

2 cups chunky peanut butter

2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup salted peanuts (lightly crushed)

1/2 cup chocolate chunks (dark or white chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together peanut butter, sugar and baking powder. Stir in beaten eggs and mix well. Fold in the nuts and chocolate chunks, mixing until combined (mixture will be stiff).

Make 1 1/2” balls and place 2” apart on a baking sheet lined with a nonstick baking mat or on parchment paper. Press down a little and sprinkle the top with coarse sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool completely.

BAKED CHICKEN & CHEESE

“A gourmet recipe for an easy bake chicken”

6 Chicken breasts *

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 large onions, sliced

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup white wine (or 1/2 cup extra broth in place of wine)

1 cup grated Swiss cheese

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Salt and pepper

Salt and pepper chicken to taste. Heat oil in large skillet on medium high. Place chicken in hot oil and brown on both sides. Remove to plate. Allow skillet to get hot, then melt butter and add onions, stirring and cooking for 2 minutes (don’t overcook..onions should be crisp). Remove from skillet and pour broth and wine in hot skilled deglazing pan (cleaning out of the pan). Place half of the cooked onion in a greased 9” x 13” baking dish (sprayed with Pam). Cover with chicken and then cover with remaining onions. Pour wine mixture over chicken, then sprinkle with cheese and breadcrumbs. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for 20-25 more minutes (until brown on top and chicken is tender. Serve with buttered pasta and a salad.

*I use boned-in chicken breast as they stay moist better and have more flavor.

Sheryl Sollars, a Clinton County native, is an accomplished cook and homemaker. She contributes her column Welcome to My Kitchen out of her love of homemaking and of sharing her thoughts with her readers. If you have cooking questions or a recipe you want to share, please contact Sheryl at [email protected].