Jeff's favorite food is fried chicken. Give him some rolls or french fries and a big bottle of pepsi and he is good to go. Because of this love of fried chicken, and the gift of a deep fryer our first Christmas as a married couple, we worked out our own recipe and it is a hit! I cant believe I have waited this long to post this one because it's a family fave. We serve it with homemade french fries and ranch dip or bbq sauce. Enjoy!
Crispy Fried Chicken Tenders
2 c quick biscuit mix (bisquick or the like)
1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
ice
2 tbsp corn starch
1 1/2 c cold water
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into tenders, or chicken tenders
Whisk together Bisquick with cold water. If too thick, add more water, should be a consistency of crepe batter--pretty thin. Add Cajun seasoning and cornstarch and whisk throroughly til combined. Add chicken and ice, and chill for an hour in refrigerator. Heat deep fryer to 375 degrees, add chicken in batches, and cook for 4 minutes. Chicken should be golden brown on the outside, and you might want to cut the first piece to check its not pink inside. We've made it a hundred times and 4 minutes is about perfect.
**NOTE** Got some recent feedback from a great friend of mine. I guess I need to explain the ice and cornstarch. Both are really there to make sure everything stays nice and crispy. The cornstarch makes the batter light and airy, and keeping everything cold just helps with the crispy part. Kind of like adding club soda to your tempura batter, if you know what I mean.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Pasta with Sausage and Mushrooms
So I told you, we eat a LOT of pasta around here. I have given the reason why before, but mostly its because you can do pretty much anything with some noodles of any kind. It can be eaten so many ways, that I might be able to eat pasta every day for a month and probably not get sick of it. Seriously. You can make any sauce, any meat, and any kind of vegetable and it will go with pasta quite easily. So you'll find these creations a lot on here. One thing you will find is that I use whole wheat pasta generally--more protein and more fiber--makes it better for the diabetic side of me, besides the fact that its really yummy. You'd be surprised, give it a try sometime.
Pasta with Sausage and Mushrooms
1 lb mushrooms
1/2 lb mild italian sausage
2 tbsp tomato paste, or 1/4 c tomato sauce
3 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 c milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb whole wheat pasta (you can use regular of course)
Bring water to a boil, add pasta and cook to pkg directions. Meanwhile, in large skillet, brown sausage and break into small pieces. Add mushrooms and cook til dark in color (they will shrink to about half their volume when cooked). Move the sausage and mushrooms to a side of the pan, and 2 tbsp butter to melt. Add flour, and combine with sausage and mushrooms. This will create a roux in effect, but it will probably stick to your mushrooms and sausage, that's okay, it will dissolve. Add tomato sauce/paste, and stir to combine, then add milk, stirring til smooth. Drain pasta when done cooking, and then add to sauce, and stir til pasta is completely coated. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.
Pasta with Sausage and Mushrooms
1 lb mushrooms
1/2 lb mild italian sausage
2 tbsp tomato paste, or 1/4 c tomato sauce
3 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 c milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb whole wheat pasta (you can use regular of course)
Bring water to a boil, add pasta and cook to pkg directions. Meanwhile, in large skillet, brown sausage and break into small pieces. Add mushrooms and cook til dark in color (they will shrink to about half their volume when cooked). Move the sausage and mushrooms to a side of the pan, and 2 tbsp butter to melt. Add flour, and combine with sausage and mushrooms. This will create a roux in effect, but it will probably stick to your mushrooms and sausage, that's okay, it will dissolve. Add tomato sauce/paste, and stir to combine, then add milk, stirring til smooth. Drain pasta when done cooking, and then add to sauce, and stir til pasta is completely coated. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.
How am I doing? Any suggestions?
Hey everyone. I know I have mentioned this before, but I wanted to just mention it again really quick.
I have noticed I have quite a few different readers from different parts of this country, and a few from some other countries. I love that I am getting lots of readers and I also have some very loyal ones who check this once a day or once every other day! Thanks for your loyalty, it's great to know you like what you see!
I am getting some comments from friends sometimes, letting me know they are trying a particular recipe, or asking questions, or how it was when they did try one. That's really great and let's me know what things are being used and what are not so useful.
If you are using one of the recipes and you love it, or if you found it helpful when I did something like adding notes to the recipe or giving my point of view on different parts of it, or anything of the sort, let me know! I love hearing feedback and getting ideas. Also, feel free to give suggestions or requests for new recipes and I will try to find new ways to do things that you all like. Within reason, of course, I am not made of money being a wife of a college student.
I would love for this to be sort of interactive and made to fit what people like to make or cook. What things does your family like to eat, what are things you find easy? What recipes do you think you could never tackle, and therefore have never tried? What kinds of foods would you love to try sometime, but don't even know where to start?
Let me know!
Carmel
I have noticed I have quite a few different readers from different parts of this country, and a few from some other countries. I love that I am getting lots of readers and I also have some very loyal ones who check this once a day or once every other day! Thanks for your loyalty, it's great to know you like what you see!
I am getting some comments from friends sometimes, letting me know they are trying a particular recipe, or asking questions, or how it was when they did try one. That's really great and let's me know what things are being used and what are not so useful.
If you are using one of the recipes and you love it, or if you found it helpful when I did something like adding notes to the recipe or giving my point of view on different parts of it, or anything of the sort, let me know! I love hearing feedback and getting ideas. Also, feel free to give suggestions or requests for new recipes and I will try to find new ways to do things that you all like. Within reason, of course, I am not made of money being a wife of a college student.
I would love for this to be sort of interactive and made to fit what people like to make or cook. What things does your family like to eat, what are things you find easy? What recipes do you think you could never tackle, and therefore have never tried? What kinds of foods would you love to try sometime, but don't even know where to start?
Let me know!
Carmel
Thursday, January 7, 2010
"Breakfast" Cake (as my dad calls it)
Haha, had to start that with a joke, which I now realize is only funny to me. The real title of this recipe is Danish Coffee Cake, but my dad always says, "We don't drink coffee, so we call it 'breakfast' cake," whenever we eat and make this. My grandma makes this Christmas morning to go with our John Wayne Casserole (recipe located here), when we don't have those delicious Spiced Nut Waffles (go here for recipe). Easy to make, but I think Grandma makes it the night before--tastes good warm or room temperature.
Danish Coffee Cake
2 1/2 c flour
3/4 c sugar
1 c brown sugar (or half splenda and half brown sugar)
3/4 c vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl, add oil gradually and blend well. Take out 3/4 c and reserve for topping. To the remaining batter, add:
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1 c buttermilk
Beat well and pour into large (9x13in) flat pan. To the reserved topping add
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c chopped nuts of your choice
sprinkle topping over cake. Bake at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes, then cut and serve.
Danish Coffee Cake
2 1/2 c flour
3/4 c sugar
1 c brown sugar (or half splenda and half brown sugar)
3/4 c vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl, add oil gradually and blend well. Take out 3/4 c and reserve for topping. To the remaining batter, add:
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1 c buttermilk
Beat well and pour into large (9x13in) flat pan. To the reserved topping add
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c chopped nuts of your choice
sprinkle topping over cake. Bake at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes, then cut and serve.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Who says a roast has to be hard?
Ok, so Jeff and I made this tonight, and it turned out well, so I thought I would share it with you all. Roasted pork tenderloin is actually pretty healthy considering it's pork. It's very lean and super tasty--really moist too--and super easy. We actually just followed the directions on the meat label--with a couple twists of course!
Roasted Pork Tenderloin
1-2 good sized pork tenderloin(s), thawed or fresh
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (we used the pomegranate kind)
salt and pepper
pinch dried rosemary
In a large ziplock bag, place tenderloin pieces. Add oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and dried rosemary. Let marinate a couple hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In well greased cast iron skillet or roasting pan, place marinated tenderloin pieces. Bake for 35 minutes, or until internal meat temperature reaches 150 degrees F. Let rest 5 minutes and then slice into medallions about half inch thick. Serve with mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, rice, or whatever else. I also added this (which is why I liked using a cast iron skillet):
Pork Gravy
drippings from pork tenderloin
1 tbsp flour
2 c chicken stock/broth
1/4 c milk
1 tsp honey mustard
To drippings, whisk in flour. Roux will form in pan, and it will look very thick or kinda chunky--that's normal. Whisking thoroughly, add chicken broth, and work out the roux lumps with the whisk (this takes a bit of patience, but trust me, it will happen and its worth it). Once combined and smooth, add mustard, then milk. Combine well, and then bring to low simmer. Cook 5 minutes, and serve over pork, potatoes or whatever else.
Roasted Pork Tenderloin
1-2 good sized pork tenderloin(s), thawed or fresh
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (we used the pomegranate kind)
salt and pepper
pinch dried rosemary
In a large ziplock bag, place tenderloin pieces. Add oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and dried rosemary. Let marinate a couple hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In well greased cast iron skillet or roasting pan, place marinated tenderloin pieces. Bake for 35 minutes, or until internal meat temperature reaches 150 degrees F. Let rest 5 minutes and then slice into medallions about half inch thick. Serve with mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, rice, or whatever else. I also added this (which is why I liked using a cast iron skillet):
Pork Gravy
drippings from pork tenderloin
1 tbsp flour
2 c chicken stock/broth
1/4 c milk
1 tsp honey mustard
To drippings, whisk in flour. Roux will form in pan, and it will look very thick or kinda chunky--that's normal. Whisking thoroughly, add chicken broth, and work out the roux lumps with the whisk (this takes a bit of patience, but trust me, it will happen and its worth it). Once combined and smooth, add mustard, then milk. Combine well, and then bring to low simmer. Cook 5 minutes, and serve over pork, potatoes or whatever else.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Jeff's Deep Dish Pizza
This was a suggestion from my mother in law, Cathy. My husband likes to take a certain type of food and perfect it and try it a billion different ways...twist it to different flavors and such. So one time when he was on a "pizza kick," as we call it, he decided to try making Chicago style deep dish pizza. It takes some cooking time in the oven, but its pretty darn good. Instead of a pizza stone, you'll need a cake pan, and instead of 30 minutes, it will take an hour. But try it, I am pretty darn sure you'll like it!
Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza
by Jeff
1 tbsp olive oil
1 batch of whole wheat pizza dough (go here for recipe)
1 lb mild pork sausage
1/2 lb (8 oz) shredded mozzarella
1/c sliced pepperoni
15 oz pizza sauce
other desired pizza toppings (olives, ham, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In an 8 inch cake or spring form pan (we use the spring form so you can get it out of the pan when we're ready to eat), rub with olive oil, or spray with cooking spray. Spread dough in pan to cover bottom and sides. pour 2-3 tbsp of sauce in bottom of pan to coat the dough. Using fingers, shape sausage into 8 inch circle to fit in bottom of pan on top of sauce. Cover sausage with cheese, then add pepperoni and other toppings. Top with more sauce and more cheese. Bake in oven for 1 hour, then let stand for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza
by Jeff
1 tbsp olive oil
1 batch of whole wheat pizza dough (go here for recipe)
1 lb mild pork sausage
1/2 lb (8 oz) shredded mozzarella
1/c sliced pepperoni
15 oz pizza sauce
other desired pizza toppings (olives, ham, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In an 8 inch cake or spring form pan (we use the spring form so you can get it out of the pan when we're ready to eat), rub with olive oil, or spray with cooking spray. Spread dough in pan to cover bottom and sides. pour 2-3 tbsp of sauce in bottom of pan to coat the dough. Using fingers, shape sausage into 8 inch circle to fit in bottom of pan on top of sauce. Cover sausage with cheese, then add pepperoni and other toppings. Top with more sauce and more cheese. Bake in oven for 1 hour, then let stand for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Friday, January 1, 2010
So its after Christmas...
...but I still love this soup! And I am sure even though its our tradition to eat this on Christmas Day, its probably just as good any other time of the year. My grandma makes this every year for Christmas....or at least every year she comes to visit us. Our family does the fancy dinner on Christmas Eve, and then on Christmas Day we eat leftovers, this soup, and junk we got in our stockings. It might sound like a weird tradition, but it's my tradition! So....onto the recipe!
Minestrone Soup
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 quarts water
1 veal bone (or beef soup bone)
15 oz can kidney beans
8-10 mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 lb mild italian link sausage, sliced
1/4 lb pasta (any kind you like, she usually uses rotini or fucilli)
parmesan cheese for topping
2 c chopped escarole
In large soup pot, heat oil and saute onion until transparent. Add water, veal bone, kidney beans, mushrooms, garlic, bay leaf, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and simmer covered for 45 minutes. Add zucchini, escarole, sausage and pasta, continue to simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered. Remove veal bone before serving. Serve with shredded parmesan or romano cheese. Make at least one day in advance.
**Note: Most of these ingredients you probably keep on hand at home, but you will have to search a bit for the veal/beef bone and the escarole. For those who dont know, escarole is a kind of lettuce green. It stands up to cooking better than lettuce, but it's not as tough as collards or kale. Kind of looks like a head of green leaf lettuce, but smaller. here's an article about it if you are interested. If you go to the butcher station at your store, they can tell you where get the veal or beef (soup) bone. They have them usually in a pkg in the meat section, but if not, the butcher should be able to get you some. Beef bones work pretty much as well as veal, but veal is what it calls for--use whatever you like, I couldnt tell the difference last time.
Minestrone Soup
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 quarts water
1 veal bone (or beef soup bone)
15 oz can kidney beans
8-10 mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 lb mild italian link sausage, sliced
1/4 lb pasta (any kind you like, she usually uses rotini or fucilli)
parmesan cheese for topping
2 c chopped escarole
In large soup pot, heat oil and saute onion until transparent. Add water, veal bone, kidney beans, mushrooms, garlic, bay leaf, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and simmer covered for 45 minutes. Add zucchini, escarole, sausage and pasta, continue to simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered. Remove veal bone before serving. Serve with shredded parmesan or romano cheese. Make at least one day in advance.
**Note: Most of these ingredients you probably keep on hand at home, but you will have to search a bit for the veal/beef bone and the escarole. For those who dont know, escarole is a kind of lettuce green. It stands up to cooking better than lettuce, but it's not as tough as collards or kale. Kind of looks like a head of green leaf lettuce, but smaller. here's an article about it if you are interested. If you go to the butcher station at your store, they can tell you where get the veal or beef (soup) bone. They have them usually in a pkg in the meat section, but if not, the butcher should be able to get you some. Beef bones work pretty much as well as veal, but veal is what it calls for--use whatever you like, I couldnt tell the difference last time.
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