Asian Chicken

We've had a pretty hectic past few weeks.  Between a nasty little stomach bug and having oodles and oodles of leftovers from various church functions, I have hardly cooked anything.  So at this point we are all pretty sick of random-whatever-is-in-the-fridge-or-comes-from-a-box meals.

Unfortunately, life is still crazy, so tonight I wanted something simple, but satisfying.  This Asian Chicken definately hit the spot.  Since I didn't have much time, I served it with steam-in-the-bag brown rice, egg rolls, and stir-fry veggies.

Asian Chicken
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh tenders (DON'T use chicken breasts--it would be too dry)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. sesame oil (I used peanut oil)
3 cloves garlic, minced

Place thighs into the bottom of a crockpot.  Lay as flat as possible.  Combine the rest of the ingredients in a samll bowl.  Pour over the chicken.  Cover and cook on low for three hours, stirring once.

(Source: 365 Days of Slow Cooking)

Grilled Peanut Butter Banana Split Sandwiches

My husband said to me tonight after making these: "This is one of the only desserts I know of that you laugh the whole time you are making them."
They are ooey-gooey- over the top- peanut butter- chocolate -banana splits on grilled Texas toast and dipped in whipped cream. Does it get any better or more fun than this?

Grilled Peanut Butter Banana Split Sandwiches (adapted from Cooking Light)

 For four sandwiches:

8 slices Texas Toast
3 TBS. butter, softened
4 TBS. creamy peanut butter
4 tsp. mini semisweet chocolate chips
4-6 strawberries thinly sliced
2 bananas, cut in half, and then cut lengthwise into strips (not circles)
4 TBS. pineapple jam or preserves (or pineapple ice cream topping works too)
Whipped Cream

1. Preheat a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat or about 350 degrees.

2. Spread one side of Texas toast with butter (~1/2 tsp.) Turn bread over and spread toast with 1 TBS. peanut butter, followed by 1 TBS. pineapple preserves. Sprinkle preserves with 1 tsp. mini chocolate chips. Top evenly with strawberry slices and then banana slices. Place second piece of Texas toast on top of the sandwich and spread with butter.

3. Cook the sandwich on the griddle or in the pan about 2 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned.

4. Cut into squares or triangles. Serve warm with whipped cream on the side for dipping.

Simple Yogurt Fruit Sauce

I am sorry I don't have a picture of this one. It is white with green flecks- and it tastes great. I used it on cut up cantaloupe and papaya, although I am sure you could use it on lots of different kinds of fruit.

Simple Yogurt Fruit Sauce

1/2 cup plain yogurt
zest of 1/2 of a lime
juice of 1/2 of a lime
3-4 TBS. honey
1/2 tsp. mint flakes

Mix all together in a measuring cup or a bowl. Serve over cut fruit.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Mr. D made these for us for Saturday brunch. We all had our fill, but couldn't resist nibbling them all day. We ended up eating them all before Sunday morning rolled around. They have just enough whole wheat to make you feel not (quite so) guilty about downing the whole batch in a sitting.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (From King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion)

8 TBS. unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
2 medium-size ripe bananas, mashed (about 3/4 cup)
1/3 cup milk
1 cup white whole wheat flour or traditional whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt 
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, chopped (we left these out)


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 


2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until they are smooth. Scrape the bowl down, then beat in egg, spices, banana, and milk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then gently stir them into the butter-sugar mixture. 


3. Spoon batter into 12 lightly greased muffin cups. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and after 10 minutes turn them out of the pan to cool. 



Yield: 12 muffins

An Irish Supper

We have had a crazy few weeks, and I know I am late with this post. Regardless, this is a fantastic Irish meal.  Don't be tempted to skip the parsley sauce, it is delicious and pairs perfectly with the corned beef. I serve this meal with steamed carrots, but steamed broccoli would also be a good side and look pretty on the plate. It does take some time to make everything, so I would suggest putting the corned beef in to cook, then prepping all the rest of the ingredients. Make the colcannon through step 5. Make the parsley sauce and keep warm, then finish making the colcannon (step 6). If you are going to have carrots or broccoli, prep them along with the rest of the ingredients and steam in the microwave while you are mashing the potatoes or slicing the beef. Enjoy!


Corned Beef with Parsley Sauce and Colcannon
 For the Corned Beef:
2 lbs. corned beef (flat cut is better than point cut)
2 carrots, trimmed, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and chopped

For the Parsley Sauce: 
2 TBS. butter
2 tsp finely chopped yellow onion
2 TBS. flour
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. English  mustard (I use stone ground)
Pinch nutmeg
Salt and black pepper

For the Colcannon:
4 lbs. large red potatoes (about 9) peeled and quartered
12 TBS. butter
1/2 small head cabbage, cored and thickly sliced
2 lightly packed cups chopped greens (any combination of spinach, parsley, kale, or broccoli and cauliflower leaves) 
1 1/3 cups milk
4 scallions (green onions), green part only, chopped
Salt and black pepper


1. For the corned beef: Put beef (including spice packet contents), carrots, and onions into a large pot, cover beef with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium- low, skim foam, cover and simmer until tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid. 


2. For the colcannon: While the corned beef is cooking, put potatoes in a steamer basket over a large pot of simmering water. (I use my pasta pot.) Steam over medium heat until tender, about 45 minutes. (If you do not have a steam option, put potatoes in a large pot and barely cover with water. Boil gently until tender.)

3. Meanwhile, bring 1/2 cup water and 2 TBS of the butter to a boil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add cabbage, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well, discarding liquid, and set aside. 

4. Melt 2 TBS of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped greens and saute until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Add cabbage and cook until heated through, 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a large mixing bowl. 

5. Put milk scallions, and remaining butter into a small pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until scallions are softened, 1-2 minutes, then add to cabbage mixture and cover to keep warm. 

6. When potatoes are done, add to cabbage mixture and mash with a potato masher until fluffy and smooth with some chunks. Season to taste. Serve hot. 

7. For the Parsley Sauce: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add onions ad cook until just softened, about 1 minute. Whisk in flour until smooth, about 30 seconds. Whisk in reserved beef cooking liquid, milk, parsley, mustard, and nutmeg, and whisk until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook, whisking, until thickened, 4-5 minutes. 

8. Drain and slice corned beef and serve with parsley sauce and colcannon.

Buffalo Chicken Nachos

The other day, I found a failure in my children's food education.  In general, I try to teach them to eat lots of different fruits and vegetables...to try new things in each season...to eat food from all over the world.  But somewhere in all of my efforts, I have neglected to expose them hot & spicy.  I guess I just have been cooling things down for them because I was afraid they wouldn't like it...but in that effort, they simply don't know what to do with spicy-hot food.

I made these Buffalo Chicken Nachos from The Girl Who Ate Everything and I thought they were delish and would be perfect for a big March-Madness party, but my kids?  Not so much.

T-Man: "Mommy!  My mouth and lips are on fire!!"

Fearless: "Mommy!  That just smells hot!"

Miss Banana: (Said nothing but after a few bites, just opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue as far as she could....then gulped down her smoothie.)

So sorry, my little loves...I have failed to teach you to appreciate spicy-hot foods.  That will have to change.  I will definately be making these again, but will use the mild Frank's Wing sauce with just a little of the hot stuff mixed in, then gradually increase the hotness until my kiddos are used to it.

Also, I found this made A LOT of nachos...next time I will probably half the recipe.

Buffalo Chicken Nachos
8 cups Ranch flavored tortilla chips (I used Cool Ranch Doritos)
4 cups cooked chicken shredded (I used a rotisserie chicken)
1 1/2 cups Frank's Buffalo Wing sauce 
water
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 ounces blue cheese crumbles
1 cup chopped celery

Note: All these measurements are approximate. As with any nachos, adjust ingredients to your personal preference.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Spread tortilla chips on a rimmed baking sheet or in a shallow dish.

Bring wing sauce and 1/2 cup water to a simmer. Add shredded cooked chicken; heat through. Strain the chicken (reserving the sauce) and spread over ranch-flavored tortilla chips. Top with shredded cheddar.

Bake in the upper third portion of the oven until cheese is melted for about 5-7 minutes. After nachos are baked top with blue cheese, chopped celery and the reserved wing sauce.

(Adapted from Food Network Magazine)

Baking Powder Biscuits (and gravy)

Growing up, my dad would often make us baking powder biscuits on Saturday mornings. We all loved them- airy, tender, delicious. Now that I have a home of my own and can no longer rely on my dad's superb baking skills, I decided to learn how to make these biscuits myself. I went through several batches and phone calls of "Why didn't mine fluff up like yours?" and "They're not flaky, just crumbly-what went wrong?" My dad talked me through them several times and now I think I can make a pretty mean biscuit, although I still think my dad's are the best! They are equally good with butter and jam or sausage gravy.

Biscuits Supreme (adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 TBS baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter or shortening (I use a mix of both- they have different melting points. Butter tastes better but melts faster, shortening not so tasty, but takes longer to melt.)
2/3 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Cut in butter or shortening till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center. Add milk all at once; stir just till moistened. Do NOT over-stir, you may have small pockets that are wetter/dryer- it will all come together when you knead it.

2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Quickly knead dough by gently folding and pressing dough 10 to 12 strokes or till nearly smooth. (I do this by folding the dough in half toward me and pressing down. Then turn the dough clockwise a quarter turn and repeat.) Again, do not over-knead!! Knead only until the dough is smooth. The more you knead, the tougher the biscuit. If necessary after kneading lightly re-flour your surface so that the dough does not stick while you are rolling it out. Pat or lightly roll dough to 1/2 in. thickness. Cut dough with a floured 2 1/2 in. biscuit cutter (or whatever size you want).  You want a clean, sharp cut. Compressing the edges on the biscuit will not allow them to expand and puff. (You can also use cookie cutters but make sure the edges are fairly sharp.) Continue patting together the scraps and cutting until dough is all used. (For the last biscuit, I generally just squish all the last bits together, without cutting it.)
3. Place biscuits 1 in. apart on an ungreased or silpat-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove from baking sheet and serve hot. Do not let the biscuits sit on the baking sheet as the bottoms will continue to cook and brown. Makes ~10 biscuits.

I use half butter and half shortening.

Cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Make a well in the center and add milk all at once.

Stir just till moistened. (This picture may even be a little over-stirred)

Knead 10-12 strokes till smooth.

Roll to 1/2 inch thickness.

Cut into biscuits.

Place 1 inch apart on baking sheet.

Pat scraps together or re-roll and cut again.

Bake and Enjoy!!

My husband loves Biscuits and Gravy, so here is our recipe for Sausage Gravy. It is infinitely better than any packet mix you can buy- and tastes oh so good with the biscuits!

Sausage Gravy (from Southern Living Christmas Cookbook)

1/2 pound ground pork sausage
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/4 cup 1% or whole milk (we have used all kinds- skim makes a thinner gravy- not as rich)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1. Brown sausage in a skillet, stirring until it crumbles. Drain, reserving 1 TBS drippings in skillet. Set sausage aside.
2. Add butter to drippings; heat over low heat until butter melts. Add flour; stirring until smooth. Cook one minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk;cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in seasonings and sausage. Cook, whisking constantly, until thoroughly heated.  Yield: 3 3/4 cups.

Classic Banana Bread

I'm pretty sure that my sister gave me this recipe from CookingLight, so I hope she wasn't planning on posting it anytime soon.  This is my favorite thing to do with extra ripe bananas.  Not that we have those very often since Miss B usually gobbles up all the bananas long before they go extra ripe...but on the rare occasion that I buy more than plenty and a few of them turn brown, this is the perfect solution.

Classic Banana Bread

Yield: 1 loaf

2  cups  all-purpose flour

3/4  teaspoon  baking soda

1/2  teaspoon  salt

1  cup  sugar

1/4  cup  butter, softened

2  large eggs

1 1/2  cups  mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)

1/3  cup  plain low-fat yogurt

1  teaspoon  vanilla extract

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined, set aside.

Cream together sugar and butter in a large bowl, by beating with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

*Tip--While the loaf is still hot, wrap in plastic wrap to keep the bread nice and moist.  Then place the wrapped loaf on a cooling rack to finish cooling off.  (Or just wait a few minutes, cut a slice, spread on some butter and enjoy it hot!)