Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas and Spring Herbs

This recipe sounded good. It was only okay. I think it had a little too much mustard flavor and not enough vegetable flavor. I probably won't make it again though.

Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas and Spring Herbs

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon flour, divided
1 pound thin-sliced chicken breast cutlets
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces sugar snap peas, cut in half (2 cups)
1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed
1/4 cup sprouted beans, (see Note), optional
3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs, such as chives, tarragon or dill
2 teaspoons champagne vinegar, or white-wine vinegar

Whisk broth, mustard, salt, pepper and 2 teaspoons flour in a small bowl until smooth. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in two batches, adjusting heat as necessary to prevent burning, until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm. Stir the broth mixture and add to the pan along with snap peas, artichoke hearts and sprouted beans (if using). Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the snap peas are tender-crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the vegetables, and simmer until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in herbs and vinegar.

Source: Eating Well

Chicken Fried Steak

I never really liked chicken fried steak from the frozen food department, but for Valentine's Day I thought I would make this for my husband. I guess I really don't like it homemade either. I didn't hate it, but it's just not my thing. If you love chicken fried steak, give it a try. Oh, and I am terrible at making gravy. This one did not turn out for me. It tasted like thick milk. But I am sure that is my inability to make gravy.

Chicken Fried Steak


3 pounds cube steak
2 eggs
3 cups milk, divided, more as needed
2 1/3 cups flour, divided, more as needed
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more if you can handle it
1 teaspoon black pepper, plus extra for seasoning the steaks and gravy
Salt
Canola or vegetable oil for frying

Begin with an assembly line of dishes for the meat, egg and milk mixture, and flour mixture. Pound the cube steaks until extremely tender (if already pounded, pound a little more to make sure they're sufficiently tender), and cut the steaks into smaller pieces if they are larger than 5 to 6 inches in diameter (this will make them easier to bread and fry). Place the prepared steaks in the first dish. Beat the eggs and 1 cup milk in the second dish with a fork. In the third dish, combine 2 cups flour with the seasoned salt, paprika, cayenne and black pepper.

Lightly season a piece of meat with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Then, dip the meat into the milk and egg mixture on each side to coat. Place the meat on the seasoned flour, turning to evenly coat both sides. Dip the meat in the milk and egg mixture once more to coat, then the flour mixture once more to coat completely. Place the prepared steak onto a rack on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining steaks.

In a large cast-iron or heavy-bottom skillet, heat one-third cup oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is sufficiently heated (I drop a few sprinkles of flour, if it sizzles, it's ready!), fry 2 to 3 pieces of meat at a time (be careful not to crowd). Cook on one side until the edges start to look golden brown, about 2 1/2 minutes, then flip over and fry until the other side is golden, another 2 to 3 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed.

Remove the steaks to a paper-towel-lined plate and keep warm. Repeat until all of the meat is fried, adding a little extra oil if needed. Set the steaks aside in a warm place while you make the gravy.

To make the gravy, pour the grease from the skillet into a heat-proof bowl. Without cleaning the pan, return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Add one-fourth cup of the grease back to the pan, discarding any remaining grease. Sprinkle one-third cup flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix the flour with the grease, creating a golden brown paste, or "roux." You want the roux to attain a deep, rich color. If the paste seems more oily than pasty, sprinkle in additional flour, a tablespoon at a time, until the right consistency is achieved. When the roux is golden-brown, whisk in 2 cups milk, then wait for the gravy to come to a slow boil. The gravy will thicken gradually, but if it seems too thick at first, add a little milk as needed, whisking to combine. The total cooking process should take 4 to 5 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper as desired, tasting to ensure that it's seasoned adequately. Under-seasoned gravy is one of life's great sacrileges. Place the warm meat on a plate and drizzle over the gravy as desired. Serve this to a hungry cowboy and you've earned an admirer for life.

Source: Pioneer Woman

Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Chicken nuggets are just so darn good. I have to try and be healthy though. These are much healthier because of the nuts and whole wheat flour. They were pretty good. I have made better ones though, so I think they won't be in the rotation.

Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Canola oil cooking spray
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large egg whites
1 pound chicken tenders, (see Ingredient Note)

Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set a wire rack on the baking sheet and coat it with cooking spray. Place almonds, flour, paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a food processor; process until the almonds are finely chopped and the paprika is mixed throughout, about 1 minute. With the motor running, drizzle in oil; process until combined. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish.

Whisk egg whites in a second shallow dish. Add chicken tenders and turn to coat. Transfer each tender to the almond mixture; turn to coat evenly. (Discard any remaining egg white and almond mixture.) Place the tenders on the prepared rack and coat with cooking spray; turn and spray the other side.
Bake the chicken fingers until golden brown, crispy and no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.

Source: Eating Well

'Cheesy' Scalloped Potatoes

I don't consider scalloped potatoes as a classic Thanksgiving potato dish, but that's okay. These are pretty good. They are vegan, but I imagine you could use real cream cheese as well. They don't get the nice brown top like you do in the oven, but it is convenient.

‘Cheesy’ Scalloped Potatoes


2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 Tbsp. minced parsley
1 tsp. salt
Black pepper, to taste
8 potatoes, sliced
8 oz. vegan cream cheese, cubed

Lightly grease a crock pot. In a small bowl, combine the onion, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.
 Layer 1/4 of the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the crock pot. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the seasoning and top with 1/3 of the vegan cream cheese cubes. Repeat the layers, ending with the seasonings.

 Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or until the potatoes are tender. During the last half hour of cooking, stir the potatoes.

vegcooking.com

Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta

I don't really like stuffing. Something about wet bread that I just don't like. I did try this and it had some really good flavors. Just didn't like the texture. Of course, I never eat stuffing for Thanksgiving. I don't have any preconceived ideas about what stuffing should taste like. Some people are very particular. So if you are willing to try new recipes, this has a really good flavor. And I didn't get any pictures of Thanksgiving. I promise to do better :)

Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
8 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (7.4-ounce) jars roasted peeled whole chestnuts, coarsely broken
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 pound day-old ciabatta bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten to blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter a 15 by 10 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a large bowl. Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, and garlic. Saute until the onions are very tender, about 12 minutes. Gently stir in the chestnuts and parsley. Transfer the onion mixture to the large bowl with the pancetta. Add the bread and Parmesan and toss to coat. Add enough broth to the stuffing mixture to moisten. Season the stuffing, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mix in the eggs.

Transfer the stuffing to the prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down, and bake until the stuffing is heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the top is crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer

Giada DeLaurentiis' Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta

White Bean and Roasted Eggplant Hummus

I'm not a huge fan of hummus, so I am going to say that this recipe is only okay. If you really like hummus, you may like this. I had some eggplants to use and brought this to a family function.

White Bean and Roasetd Eggplant Hummus

1 (1 1/2-pound) eggplant or 3 Japanese eggplants, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

Olive oil, for drizzling, plus 1/3 cup
Kosher salt, for seasoning, plus 1/2 teaspoon
Freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
1 clove garlic
1 hothouse cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place an oven rack in the middle.

Place the eggplant on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cooled eggplant, beans, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add 1/3 cup of olive oil until the mixture is creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Place the hummus in a dipping bowl and serve with the cucumber slices. Alternatively, spoon the hummus over the cucumber slices and arrange on a serving platter.

West Indies Guava Barbecue Sauce

I got 5 little yellow guavas in my basket this week. Never had a fresh guava before. This one had a bunch of inedible seeds in it. After taking the seeds out, there wasn't much fruit left. So I made something easy that didn't require a lot of guava flesh. Barbecue sauce. Can't say that I tasted the guava, but the sauce was good. I forgot to get some liquid smoke, but it had a nice sweet, tangy, and a little spicey flavor.

West Indies Guave Barbecue Sauce

1 guava - peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon habanero hot sauce
1 teaspoon molasses
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

In a large saucepan over low heat, stir together the guava, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and brown sugar until well blended. Stir in liquid smoke, fresh lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, habanero sauce, and molasses. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Cover, and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

Filipino Avocado Milkshake

Avocado beverage trial #3. I saved this one for the last because I expected it to be the most avocado flavored of them all. It was. It's not a strong avocado flavor, but it's there. Many people would like it. I don't. I didn't gag or anything, but I really liked the first recipe the best. Green Goblin potion wins!! It really does have them best name anyway.  I guess I learned that avocado can be added to my already tasty smoothies for extra nutritional value, but I will avoid the plain avocado milkshake.

Filipino Avocado Milkshake

1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and cubed

5 cubes ice
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/3 cups milk
1 teaspoon fresh lemon or lime juice
1 scoop vanilla ice cream

Place avocado, ice, sugar, milk, lemon juice, and ice cream into a blender. Puree until smooth.



Source: All recipes

Chocolate Ferrero Rocher Cake with Nutella Ganache

I saw this recipe while doing some recipe surfing one day and decided I had to try it. Well, I did. I have to say, my version of the cake should be named "disaster cake." I did some research and have figured out the probable culprit. Actually, there are 3 culprits. The recipe I found is based on  a recipe that is from the NY Times, but there are a couple of differences. I wish I had read the original recipe before I tried to make it.

First, in the adapted recipe the temperature was listed at 200 degrees Celsius. After converting this online, I got 392 degrees Fahrenheit. The original recipe says to bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. And too hot of an oven leads to cracks in your cake. I had a lot of cracks---it essentially cracked apart.

Second, this recipe calls for 4 "Singapore eggs." Now what the heck are these? After a little more digging, the person who changed the recipe says that she thinks that eggs in Singapore are smaller than the typical American egg. So she added another one. So I had one too many eggs.

Thirdly, she changed the oil that the original called for to butter on a 1:1 ratio. This is inaccurate since it will add a smaller amount to liquid--thus a drier cake.

Did I mention the ganache was too thin?

This is the first time that a cake I made has ever completely collapsed. Now I know why. Check out the pictures. It is officially a disaster cake. Now, the idea behind the cake is good. I may attempt it again. But I definitely have learned some lessons.

Chocolare Ferrero Rocher Cake with Nutella Ganache

Smoked Chile Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

Not a fan of sweet potatoes. Don't hate them, but don't really care for them. This recipe of Bobby Flay's was decent. There is enough spice to punch it up so that it isn't all sweet potatoes. I think this would be a really good recipe for someone who likes sweet potatoes and spicy food. You can adjust the spiciness by the amount of chipotle you use.  I used skim milk and only 1&1/2 cups to lighten it up.

Smoked Chile Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

2 cups heavy cream
1 heaping tablespoon chipotle pepper puree (I used chipotles in adobo and pureed them)
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 1/8-inch thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Whisk together cream and chipotle puree until smooth.
In a 9 by 9-inch casserole dish, arrange the potatoes in even layers. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the cream mixture and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, cream, and salt and pepper to form 10 layers.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes, remove cover and continue baking for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the cream has been absorbed and the potatoes are cooked through and the top is browned

Pomegranate Fish ....I mean Candied Orange Peel

I searched high and low for pomegranate molasses a while ago when I wanted to try pomegranate molasses baked beans. Found it. The beans tasted horrible. Incredibly tart. I thought I would try another recipe with my leftover molasses. It was also horrible. Pomegranate Fish That recipe required candied orange peel. No idea where to find that. Checked several grocery stores and finally decided to make it myself. I found a simple recipe on the Food Network website and now I know how to make candied orange peel--which many people consider a candy and make it during the holidays.

Candied Orange Peel

6 thick-skinned Valencia or navel oranges

4 1/2 cups sugar, plus extra for rolling
1 1/2 cups water

Cut tops and bottoms off of the orange and score the orange into quarters, cutting down only into the peel and not into the fruit. Peel the skin and pith of the orange in large pieces, use the orange for another recipe. Cut the peel into strips about 1/4-inch wide. Put the orange peel in a large saucepan with cold water to cover, bring to a boil over high heat. Then pour off the water. Repeat 1 or 2 more times depending up how assertive you want the orange peels to be. (Test kitchen liked the texture of a 3 time blanch best, it also mellowed the bitterness. But it is a matter of preference.) Remove the orange peels from the pan.


Whisk the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 to 9 minutes
(If you took the sugar's temperature with a candy thermometer it would be at the soft thread stage, 230 to 234 degrees F.) Add the peels and simmer gently, reducing heat to retain a simmer. Cook until the peels get translucent, about 45 minutes. Resist the urge to stir the peels or you may introduce sugar crystals into the syrup. If necessary, swirl the pan to move the peels around. Drain the peels, (save the syrup for ice tea.) Roll the peels in sugar and dry on a rack, for 4 to 5 hours. Return to the sugar to store.

Cook's Note: One way to use orange peels is to stuff a dried date with a piece of orange peel and almond, then dip the entire thing into dark chocolate.

Smoked Paprika Open Face Lasagna

After watching the Next Food Network Star---well the last half-- I was curious to see what Jeffrey Saad (the runner-up) could make. His premise for a show actually intrigues me more than the winning show. He uses unusual spices and incorporates them into everyday food. This one uses smoked paprika. I didn't even have to buy it. Does that mean I have too many spices? I say, "No!" So this recipe of his is tasty. I wasn't a fan of the deconstructed lasagna part though. It squished out all over when I cut into it. So I would recommend either using the meat sauce in a more traditional lasagna or using it as a sauce for spaghetti or penne.

Smoke Paprika Open Face Lasagna

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound Mexican chorizo sausage, removed from casing
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup red wine
1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian tomatoes
3 tablespoons smoked paprika, divided
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon salt
8 lasagna noodles
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup grated manchego cheese

Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a wide pot over medium-high heat. Once hot add the chorizo, ground beef onion, and garlic. Using a spatula, break up the meat as small as you can as it browns. Saute until dark brown, about 10 minutes.

Add the red wine and simmer until the wine is reduced by half, about 1 minute.
Stir in the tomatoes, 2 tablespoons smoked paprika, panko, heavy cream, and salt. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to very low, and cook for 15 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the lasagna noodles and cook according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Put 1 lasagna noodle on each of 4 plates. Spoon the meat mixture over the pasta and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle on about 1/8 of the parsley and grated manchego. Lay another lasagna noodle on top. Sprinkle with more parsley and manchego over the second noodle and dust with remaining 1 tablespoon smoked paprika. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and serve.