Appetizers | onedadskitchen

A Treat for the Whole Family – Baked Honey Barbecue Chicken Fingers

For many adults, just hearing the words “chicken fingers” is enough to make them cringe. They immediately think back to the days when the only things their young children would eat were chicken fingers, tenders, McNuggets or whatever else that happened to be called that are sold in the frozen food aisle of your grocery store, at the local fast food restaurant or any of the dozens of family style convenience restaurants around today. While you may not be thrilled with the notion of what you get in those frozen bags, there are plenty of alternatives out there that you can try making on your own that taste good so that everyone in the family will enjoy them. This particular recipe, that I picked up from Sally’s Baking Addiction, covers just that, giving you a tasty chicken fingers alternative that get away from the frying and offer you a baked alternative that tastes great.

Baked Honey Barbecue Chicken Fingers

3/4 cup barbecue sauce (whatever your favorite may be)

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs (or more, if needed)

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenders

Nonstick cooking spray

Combine the barbecue sauce and the honey in a large bowl. If you are using chicken breasts, pound the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap to 1/4-inch thickness and cut the breasts into strips. If you are using chicken tenders, cut them in half lengthwise. Add the chicken strips to the bowl with the barbecue sauce and honey and stir so all of the chicken is evenly coated. Cover the bowl tightly and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 6 hours. The longer you marinade, the more flavorful the chicken will be.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat or coat the sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the flour. salt, pepper and the smoked paprika in a shallow dish. Pour the beaten eggs into another shallow dish. Pour the panko breadcrumbs into a third shallow dish. Coat each chicken strip with flour, shaking off any excess. Next. dip the floured chicken in the egg and allow any excess egg to drip off. Then roll the chicken strip in the panko breadcrumbs, coating completely before shaking off any excess. Place the chicken strips on the prepared baking sheet and repeat the process until all of the chicken has been coated. Spray each chicken strip with the nonstick cooking spray to help seal the breading to the chicken, preventing the breading from staying raw and allowing it to bake into the chicken strips.

Bake the chicken fingers in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Turn each piece over and continue baking until the outside of the chicken is crisp and the centers of the chicken pieces are cooked through, about another 10 to 12 minutes. Serve the chicken fingers with extra barbecue sauce for dipping.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can make a large batch and freeze any extras that you may have to use when you need a quick dinner for the kids or yourself or just want an easy snack. These are perfect for a meal any night with some homemade fries (I made some homemade baked sweet potato fries with ours) or you can use these for any type of buffet when you are having a party and you know kids may be around. They are also great snacks for watching the game or when you have a crowd over. You get good crunch from the breadcrumb mixture and underneath is great flavor from the barbecue sauce and the honey. This is definitely one to remember and you can experiment with this also, perhaps making the chicken fingers ranch flavored instead of barbecue with some spices, or maybe even adding some Parmesan to the breadcrumbs, eliminating the barbecue sauce and substituting tomato sauce to have an Italian-style chicken fingers. There’s lots of room to use your imagination with this one and the best part is you have control over the ingredients so you know what goes into each one, and they are baked, making them a better choice for you.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

A Simple Snack or Meal – Fried Shrimp with Homemade Cocktail Sauce

06 Apr

I love to make shrimp and now that Sean has a good appreciation for it as well since he has gotten older, we have it a little more frequently than we did in the past. Of course, Sean’s favorite way to have it is as fried shrimp. I don’t often make it this way because I try to stay away from doing too much frying these days, but every once in a while I do have to indulge him and make some nice, crispy fried shrimp. It is very easy to do only they only take a minute or two to make and will test better than any of the things you can buy in the grocer’s freezer that are already breaded and ready to be cooked. This recipe is sort of combination of recipes I got from Food Network and Williams-Sonoma, and you can certainly convert it into oven frying if you want to go that way instead. I also made an easy cocktail sauce to go along with it.

Fried Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce

For the Cocktail Sauce:

1 cup ketchup or chili sauce

2 tablespoons drained, prepared horseradish

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Hot sauce (optional)

For the Shrimp:

1 1/4 cups panko or other dried bread crumbs

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

2 eggs

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Vegetable oil, for frying

To make the cocktail sauce, in a small bowl stir together the chili sauce or ketchup, the horseradish, lemon zest and lemon juice until blended. Season the sauce with hot sauce, if desired. Set the sauce aside.

For the shrimp, heat about 2 inches of the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot, Dutch oven or large cast-iron skillet over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees. Meanwhile, in a large bowl stir together the bread crumbs, paprika, basil, oregano, thyme garlic, salt and cayenne pepper. In a separate shallow bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour and the cornstarch. Finally, in a third shallow bowl whisk the eggs.

Working in batches, dredge the shrimp in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess, then sip the shrimp in the egg mixture, again shaking off any excess, and then dip the shrimp in the bread crumb mixture, turning the shrimp to form a thick crust. Fry the shrimp in the hot oil until it is lightly golden, about 1 to 2 minutes total, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain the oil temperature. Transfer the shrimp to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon and continue frying the shrimp until it is all fried.

Transfer the cocktail sauce to individual bowls for dipping and serve the shrimp.

These shrimp turn out with a great coating that has really good flavor and crunch when they are done. You want to be careful not to overcook the shrimp and burn the coating or make the shrimp rubbery. They only need a minute or two at the most to get really golden brown. These are great as an appetizer for a party or to serve on a buffet just as well as you can make them for dinner. The cocktail sauce is also very easy and will stay stored in the fridge so you can use it with other fish meals or instead of regular ketchup.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more great recipes. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

3 Comments

Posted by MikeG on April 6, 2014 in Appetizers, Cooking, Dinner, Seafood

Tags: cocktail sauce, fried shrimp, fried shrimp and cocktail sauce, fried shrimp recipe, homemade cocktail sauce

Who Doesn’t Love Chicken Fingers?

19 Mar

Chicken fingers don’t have to be just the classic kid’s meal. I know plenty of adults who enjoy them as well, but most adults are a little more discriminating about the quality that they like to have. Personally, I like chicken fingers that have good crunch and flavor to them but are not covered with a ton of breading or coating and taste greasy from the deep-frying. It’s a tricky balance, but it can be done if you put your mind to it. I came across this recipe in Saveur magazine for some chicken fingers that looked great, seemed simple to make and even had a nice dipping sauce on the side to make.

Homemade Chicken Fingers

For the Chicken Fingers:

2 pounds, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cunt into 3-inch long by 1-inch wide strips

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dry mustard powder

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups panko breadcrumbs or finely ground fresh breadcrumbs

Vegetable or canola oil, for frying

For the Dipping Sauce:

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon dry mustard powder

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the dipping sauce, in a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise with the honey, dill, mustard powder and lemon juice. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste and stir together until the sauce is smooth. Set the sauce aside.

For the chicken fingers, in a medium bowl, toss together the chicken strips, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and mustard powder. Set the chicken aside. Place the all purpose flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in 3 separate shallow dishes; set the dishes aside. Pour the oil into a large Dutch oven until it reaches a depth of about 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer inserted into the oil registers 325 degrees. Working in batches, coat the chicken in the flour, shake off any excess, and then dip the chicken in the eggs; shake off any excess and the roll the chicken in the breadcrumbs. Set the chicken aside and repeat with all of the chicken pieces until they are all coated. Working in batches, fry the chicken pieces until they are golden brown and crisp all over, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat the process with the remaining chicken until all of the chicken is fried. Serve the chicken with the dipping sauce.

These were very easy to make and came out perfect. They were nice and crisp on the outside and were cooked ideally on the inside. The sauce had some great flavor with the honey and the dill and I also made the avocado ranch dipping sauce I have made in the past as well to give us a choice of sauces. Everyone loved them and these are great for a meal, a party or as an appetizer. I even used the leftovers as chicken for a buffalo chicken pizza I made the next day.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I have some great side dishes I have tried recently along with a few other dishes that have been great for sharing. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

3 Comments

Posted by MikeG on March 19, 2014 in Appetizers, Cooking, Dinner, Poultry, Sauce

Tags: chicken fingers, dipping sauce for chicken fingers, homemade chicken fingers, honey-dill dipping sauce, Saveur magazine

Simple Sides for Burger and Sandwiches, Part 2 – Cornmeal Crusted Onion Rings

04 Mar

I just have a quick recipe for tonight. it is the perfect side dish for burgers or sandwiches and it is pretty easy to make. I got the recipe from Saveur Magazine and it is for cornmeal crusted onion rings. I love onion rings and homemade onion rings just taste better than the ones you buy frozen in the supermarket. Some of them are okay, but others are pretty bland without much flavor. This recipe has great flavor from the cornmeal and the seasoning so it is worth the little bit of effort you have to put into it by deep-frying them yourself.

Cornmeal Crusted Onion Rings

2 large onions, sliced crosswise 1/2-inch thick and separated into rings

2 cups flour

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup milk

1 cup cornmeal

1/3 cup cornstarch

3 tablespoons baking powder

1 1/2 tablespoons seasoned salt

Vegetable or Canola oil, for frying

Submerge the onions in a large bowl of ice water. Soak the onions for 30 minutes. Meanwhile place 1 cup of the flour in a separate bowl. Stir the buttermilk and milk together in another bowl. Whisk the remaining 1 cup of flour, the cornstarch, the baking powder and the seasoned salt in a third bowl. Set the bowls aside in a line to make a dredging station for the onions.

Pour enough vegetable or canola oil in a deep cast-iron pan or Dutch oven to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil until the temperature reads 350 degrees on a deep fry thermometer. Drain the onions from the ice water and pat them dry well with paper towels. Working in batches, dredge the onions in the flour, shaking off any excess, then dip them in the milk mixture and then in the cornmeal mixture. Place the onions in the hot oil, flipping them once, and fry them until they are golden and crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the onion rings on paper towels and sprinkle them with seasoned salt before serving.

That’s all there is to it. If you didn’t want to use the seasoned salt you could certainly use other seasonings or herbs instead to fit what you like. There are lots of choices you can try, such as Creole seasoning or maybe even some Old Bay if you like that kind of flavor. As I usually do when I deep fry, I tried to use less oil then recommended to cut back a bit on the oil and I think it worked out fine using just a bit more than half of what they recommend in the recipe. Soaking the onions in ice water first does take some the sharpness and bite out of them for you as well. They had a great flavor from the cornmeal and went really well with the burgers that I had made that night, so I will definitely be making these again.

That’s all I have for today. Check back tomorrow for another recipe. I have lots to choose from, including some Mardi Gras recipes that I tried out tonight for dinner, so there is still lots of good stuff to come. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

It’s a Snack Attack, Part 3 – Pork Dumplings

12 Feb

Okay, here is the last of the snacks I made this past week. This one also comes from Kelsey Nixon of the Cooking Channel and is for pork dumplings. Sean has been asking me to make these for quite a while now and I finally had some ground pork and wonton wrappers on hand so I thought I would give it a try. There are only a few ingredients to these and they are very simple to make as an easy snack or appetizer if you are planning an Asian-style meal for dinner or just feel like having some kind of a snack.

Pork Dumplings

For the Pork Dumplings:

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons minced ginger

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 small bunch, scallions, white and green parts, chopped

12 ounces ground pork

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

1 egg

1 package dumpling or wonton wrappers

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, for frying

For the Dipping Sauce:

1 cup soy sauce

2 1/2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce

Juice of 3 lemons

For the dipping sauce, combine the soy sauce, Sriracha and lemon juice in a bowl and set the sauce aside until you are ready to serve the dumplings.

For the pork dumplings, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, sesame oil and scallions and cook until the mixture is fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for about 1 minute.

Combine the cooked garlic, ginger and scallions with the ground pork, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, Chinese five-spice powder and the egg in a large bowl.

Working with the dumpling wrappers, start with the floured surface of the wrappers facing down. Place about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of a wrapper. Wet the edge of the dumpling with water, using your finger, and fold the dumpling in half without sealing it, like a taco. Pinch one end closed. Create the pleats of the dumpling on one side using your thumb and forefinger, pressing against the other flat edge to seal the dumpling as you go. Flatten the bottoms so that the bottom surface of the dumpling can get a good sear on it when you pan fry them. Repeat the process until all the dumplings are filled. Keep the dumplings on a lightly-floured sheet tray to keep them from sticking and cover the dumplings with a slightly damp towel to keep them from drying out while you make the rest of the batch.

Heat the vegetable oil over high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Working in batches, pan fry the dumplings by placing them bottom-side down and frying them until they are golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Once the dumplings are golden brown, working carefully, pour 1/2 cup of water into the skillet to cover the dumplings halfway. Immediately cover the skillet with a lid, leaving a small crack for steam to escape. Cook the dumplings until the water has evaporated, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the dumplings to a paper towel-lined plate to soak up any excess oil and repeat the process with the remaining dumplings.

I can tell you that this recipe makes a lot of dumplings, so you can certainly freeze them and heat them up any time you want to have a little snack. We all enjoyed the dumplings as they had some great flavor with the ginger, scallions and hoisin sauce. They were pretty easy to make and while the recipe calls for round dumpling wrappers, i only had square wonton wrappers and I think they worked out just fine for my purposes. It is a perfect party snack you can make pretty easily and I think you could substitute out the pork for beef, chicken, turkey, shrimp or even just vegetables and get great results.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I have some other great recipes we have tried lately and I still have my recipes I am making on Valentine’s Day this year to share as well. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

2 Comments

Posted by MikeG on February 12, 2014 in Appetizers, Cooking, Pork, Sauce, Snacks

Tags: Cooking Channel, dipping sauce, easy pork dumplings, Kelsey Nixon, pork dumplings, pork dumplings recipe

It’s a Snack Attack, Part 2 – Buttery Garlic Knots

11 Feb

Here is the second of the snacks I decided to try out this past weekend. This one is really easy and comes from Kelsey Nixon on the Cooking Channel. It is for a batch of very easy to make buttery garlic knots. This is one that you can use with some quick made pizza dough in the food processor or you can just as easily use some store-bought pizza dough and whip these up in no time at all. The actual preparation of the garlic knots and the cooking takes no time at all, so this is a great quick snack you can make just about anytime you want.

Buttery Garlic Knots

1 recipe Food Processor Pizza Dough, or 1 package of store-bought pizza dough

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, minced

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, minced

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

8 cloves garlic, grated

All-purpose flour, for dusting

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Prepare the recipe for the food processor pizza dough or take the store-bought pizza dough and let it come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the softened butter with the thyme, rosemary, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese and the grated garlic. Set the mixture aside.

Turn the pizza dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Stretch the pizza dough into a rectangle. Spread half of the butter mixture on half of the dough. Fold the dough in half, covering the butter with the pizza dough. Using a pizza wheel, divide the dough into 18 strips. First cut through the middle of the dough and then you can cut each half into 9 separate pieces to get your 18 strips. Stretch each strip of dough and then tie it into a knot and tuck the ends underneath the center of the knot. Place the knots on a baking sheet.

Sprinkle the knots with some of the Parmesan cheese and bake until they are a golden brown color, about 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, melt the remaining herb butter. Once the knots come out of the oven, baste them with the melted butter and sprinkle them with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Serve warm.

I actually basted the knots with some of the butter after they had been baking for about 10 minutes and then again at the end of the baking so they had a really nice baked in garlic flavor. They came out perfectly and has a nice crunch on the outside with a soft and buttery inside. These would go great with any Italian dinner you might be having like spaghetti and meatballs, baked ziti, lasagna, pizza, sausage and peppers or really just about any meal. They also make a great snack or appetizer and you could even put some together as a great afterschool snack for something a little different. You could certainly do a lot of different things with it and even use different herbs if there are some you would prefer instead, like basil or oregano.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I have one more good snack I tried recently to come for tomorrow so check back for that one. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

2 Comments

Posted by MikeG on February 11, 2014 in Appetizers, Breads, Cooking, Pizza, Snacks

Tags: buttery garlic knots, Cooking Channel, garlic knots, garlic knots recipe, Kelsey Nixon, pizza dough

It’s a Snack Attack, Part 1 – Southwestern Egg Rolls with Avocado-Ranch Dipping Sauce

10 Feb

Since I spent most of the weekend working I did not have a chance to do any posting on here. However I did find the time to try out some new snack recipes that I had been wanting to make for a while and we all sat down and tested them out last night to see how they were. This first one I think was the real hit and turned out the best. It is a take on Chili’s Southwestern eggrolls recipe. If you have ever eaten at Chili’s or many other places just like it now, you have likely seen this one listed on their menu and perhaps have tried it out. It has always been one of Michelle’s favorites and when I came across it at Chef’s Catalog website I knew I had to give it a try and see how it was. Though they might seem complicated to make, they are actually pretty easy and I think worth the time to put into it.

Southwestern Eggrolls

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper

2 tablespoons minced green onion

1/3 cup frozen corn kernels

1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons frozen spinach, thawed and drained

2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers

1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dash cayenne pepper

3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

5 7-inch flour tortillas

1 egg, beaten

6 cups vegetable oil, for frying

For the Avocado-Ranch Dipping Sauce:

1/4 cup fresh avocado, smashed (about half an avocado)

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon dried parsley

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Dash dried dill weed

Dash garlic powder

Dash pepper

Heat a large skillet over high heat with 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil until it is shimmering. Saute the chicken breast until it is cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Set the chicken aside until it cools down enough for you to handle. Wash and dry the skillet to use for the next step.

In the now-empty skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until it is shimmering. Add the red pepper and the green onions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Dice the cooked and cooled chicken into small cubes and add it to the pan. Add the frozen corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper to the pan and mix thoroughly. Saute the mixture until it is heated through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir the mixture well so that the spinach breaks up and is incorporated into the mixture. Remove the pan from the heat and add the Monterey Jack cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted into the mixture.

Wrap the flour tortillas in a moist cloth and microwave them on high for 1 1/2 minutes or until they are hot. Spoon approximately 1/5 of the mixture into the center of a warm tortilla. Fold in the ends of the tortilla and then roll the tortilla over the mixture. Roll the tortilla very tightly but before you finish rolling brush some of the beaten egg on the inside edge of the tortilla. Finish rolling the eggroll, then set the eggroll with the “glued” seam facing down until the egg sets. Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas and filling until you have five large eggrolls. Arrange the eggrolls on a plate with the sealed edges facing down, cover the plate with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.

While the eggrolls freeze, prepare the avocado-ranch dipping sauce by combining the avocado, mayonnaise,, sour cream, buttermilk, white vinegar, salt, dried parsley, onion powder, dill weed, garlic powder and pepper in a small bowl and mixing until everything is well combined. Refrigerate the dipping sauce until you are ready to serve the eggrolls.

Preheat the 6 cups of vegetable oil in a deep cast iron pan or Dutch oven until the temperature reaches 350 degrees. Deep fry the eggrolls, in batches if necessary, in the hot oil for 8 to 10 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove the eggrolls to a paper towel-lined plate or a cooling rack to drain for about 2 minutes. Slice each eggroll diagonally lengthwise and arrange them on a plate around a small bowl of the dipping sauce and serve.

Just a couple of quick notes about this recipe. If you don’t want to use the jalapenos, leave them out. I didn’t have any on hand when I made them and the final results were fine, but if you want more heat put them in. Also, I never use as much oil as they recommend when deep-frying. I just hate using that much oil and I try not to deep fry very often, but for something like this I think they came out much better than if we tried them in the oven first. We all loved the results of this recipe. It tastes a lot like what you get at the restaurant and was not hard to make at all. Letting them freeze really does help things to set up nicely and you get a nice dark color when they are deep-fried because of it, but to be honest I only froze them for a little over and hour and I think they turned out fine with that little time. Five may not sound like a lot to get but they are a decent size. If you are making these for a crowd you may want to make a double batch, though I actually got 7 out of the filling I made, so it really depends on how you want to go about it. Michelle has always loved the avocado ranch sauce they serve and this home version did not disappoint. It has the nice mix of flavor you like in the sauce and is perfect not just for egg rolls but for anything else you may want to dip in there, like chips or vegetables. Overall, this recipe is definitely a keeper.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another a recipe. I have a couple of more snack foods I just tried out that you may like to try and I do have some plans for a nice Valentine’s Day dinner involving some steak, lobster tails, a beet salad and molten lava cakes, so check back for those. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

6 Comments

Posted by MikeG on February 10, 2014 in Appetizers, Cooking, Sauce, Snacks

Tags: avocado-ranch dipping sauce, Chili's Southwestern eggrolls, eggrolls, Southwestern egg rolls recipe, Southwestern eggrolls, Southwestern eggrolls recipe

Need Wings for the Big Game? Buffalo and Ginger-Soy Wings

21 Jan

Wings are great any time as a snack, appetizer or even for dinner, but having them as something for snacking during the football game is like a national pastime now. I have a standard wing recipe that I use most of the time and often just toss them with some hot sauce and I am done, but I decided to incorporate that wing recipe with a couple of sauces and glazes that I saw from Bon Appetit to change things up a little bit and to give an option to those who may not like the spiciness of the Buffalo wings that I like to make. These at least give you a little bit of a choice when making your wings.

Crispy Baked Chicken Wings

For the wings:

5 pounds chicken wings, tips removed, drumettes and flats separated

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Buffalo Sauce:

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup hot pepper sauce

For the Ginger-Soy Glaze:

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons soy sauce

3 large garlic cloves, crushed

1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

Adjust two oven racks to the upper-middle and the lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 250 degrees. Set a wire rack in an aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet. Pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels and transfer them to a large 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Combine the baking powder, salt and pepper, add these to the wings, seal the bag, and toss the wings to evenly coat them.

Arrange the wings, skin side up, in a single layer on the prepared wire rack. Bake the wings on the lower-middle oven rack for 30 minutes. Move the wings to the upper-middle rack, increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees, and roast until the wings are golden brown and crispy, about 40 to 50 minutes longer, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking process.

While the wings are baking, prepare the sauces. For the Buffalo sauce, mix the melted butter, cayenne pepper, black pepper and kosher salt in a medium saucepan over low heat. Allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes. Whisk in the hot sauce and keep the mixture warm until you are ready to coat the wings. For the ginger-soy glaze, combine the honey, soy sauce, garlic cloves and ginger with 1/4 cup of water in a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the honey. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 7 to 8 minutes. Strain the glaze into a medium bowl and allow it to sit for 15 minutes to thicken slightly.

After 40 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the wings stand for 5 minutes. Line another rimmed baking sheet with foil and top with a wire rack. Add half of the wings to the ginger-soy glaze and toss them evenly to coat. Place these wings in a single layer on the prepared rack and bake until the glaze is glossy and lightly caramelized, about 8 to 10 minutes. Toss the remaining half of the wings in the bowl with the Buffalo sauce toss to coat, and serve.

Making the wings this way lets the wings get a nice crunchy coating to them thanks to the baking powder. I think you get the same kind of crunch as you do as when you fry them and you don’t have to deal with the mess of frying and all that oil. The Buffalo sauce is my favorite since I like the hot wings, but the ginger-soy glaze has great flavor as well thanks to the combination of the honey, ginger and soy. Sean really liked these and gobbled them up pretty quickly when we had them so it gives you a nice choice when making wings.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. I have been trying a few new things lately so I’ll have even more to share with everyone. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day, stay warm (it is snowing here right now) and enjoy your meal!

Another Soup (Sans Picture) – French Onion Soup

20 Jan

It really bothers me now when I make something and forget to take a picture of it. It doesn’t happen nearly as often as it did when I first started the blog, but it still happens on occasion. It’s easy when you caught up in cooking and trying to get the meal on the table and you’re talking about homework, what happened at school, work or anything else going on and sometimes by the time I remember there is nothing left to take a picture of. Such is the case when I made French onion soup not that long ago. French onion soup is a personal favorite of Michelle’s and there are lots of recipes out there for it, but this one from America’s Test Kitchen is our personal favorite. It takes longer to cook, but it is so worth it to get the deep, rich onion flavor that you get from cooking the onions this way.

French Onion Soup

3 tablespoons butter, cut into 3 pieces
6 large yellow onions (about 4 pounds), halved and cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Table salt
2 cups water, plus extra for deglazing
1/2 cup dry sherry
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups beef broth
6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
1 bay leaf
Ground black pepper
1 small baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices
8 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese (about 2 1/2 cups)

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Generously spray the inside of a heavy-bottomed large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray. Place the butter in the pot and add the onions and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, covered, for 1 hour (the onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume). Remove the pot from the oven and stir the onions, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot. Return the pot to the oven with the lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until the onions are very soft and golden brown, about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours longer, stirring the onions and scraping the bottom and sides of the pot after 1 hour.

Carefully remove the pot from the oven and place it over medium-high heat. Using oven mitts to handle the pot, cook the onions, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom and the sides of pot, until the liquid evaporates and the onions brown, about 15 to 20 minutes, reducing the heat to medium if the onions are browning too quickly. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the pot bottom is coated with dark crust, about 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary. Scrape any fond that collects on the spoon back into the onions. Stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping the pot bottom to loosen the crust, and cook until the water evaporates and the pot bottom has formed another dark crust, about 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat the process of deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until the onions are very dark brown. Stir in the sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until the sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the chicken and beef broths, 2 cups of water, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on the bottom and sides of the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard the herbs, then season with salt and pepper.

While the soup simmers, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at the edges, about 10 minutes. Set the bread aside.

To serve, adjust an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on a baking sheet and fill each with about 1 3/4 cups of soup. Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with the Gruyère cheese. Broil the soup until the cheese is melted and bubbly around the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes. Let the soup cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Admittedly, making the onions this way is a much longer process than some other recipes but I think the flavor you get out of them is worth it. I have had French onion soup before where you can tell the onions were not cooked long enough and taste bitter. That won’t happen with this recipe. You want to make sure that the crocks you use are safe for the broiler to avoid any broken glass in the oven. You could also do all of this in advance if you want to use the soup for a dinner party. The soup will actually have better flavor if it sits for a day or two. You then just need to put it in the crocks under the broiler with the bread and cheese to finish it off. I used homemade broth in mine because I had some around, but if you want to use store-bought it will work just as well here. The flavor for this one is coming mostly from the onions.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe, and I promise to have a picture of it for sure. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

3 Comments

Posted by MikeG on January 20, 2014 in Appetizers, Cooking, Dinner, Holidays, One Pot Meals, Soups & Stews, Vegetables

Tags: America's Test Kitchen French onion soup, americas test kitchen, french onion soup, French onion soup recipe, Gruyère cheese

Another Game Day (or Anytime) Snack – Marcus Samuelsson’s Swedish Meatballs

08 Jan

Just before Christmas I was walking through Home Goods through the aisle where they have spices, sauces and jellies of all kinds and I saw a jar of lingonberry preserves. It’s not something you see at all around this area at any time and I did pick it up and put it in my cart but then upon second thought I put it back .I kept thinking I was never going to use this very often and didn’t really want to spend the extra money on it. Upon hindsight I should have made the purchase when we decided we wanted to make Swedish meatballs on Christmas Eve as an appetizer and I wanted to make them as authentic as possible. I found this recipe from Marcus Samuelsson of Food Network and Red Rooster fame and since he was from Sweden I figured he knew what he was talking about. I ended up having to make a substitution for the lingonberry preserves (more on that later), but the recipe still turned out really well.

Marcus Samuelsson’s Swedish Meatballs

For the meatballs:

1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

1/3 pound ground chuck or sirloin

1/2 pound ground veal

1/2 pound ground pork

2 tablespoons honey

1 egg

3 tablespoons butter

For the sauce:

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup lingonberry preserves

2 tablespoons pickle juice

To garnish:

Lingonberry preserves

Quick pickled cucumbers

Combine the bread crumbs and the heavy cream in a small bowl, stirring with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened. Set the bowl aside.

Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the red onion and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onion is softened. Remove the skillet from the heat.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground veal, ground pork, the sautéed red onion, the honey and the egg and mix everything well with your hands. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the bread crumb and cream mixture to the beef mixture and mix together well. Using wet hands to keep the mixture from sticking to your fingers and hands, shape the mixture into meatballs the size of a golf ball, placing them on a plate lightly moistened with water. When you are done rolling you should have about 24 meatballs in total.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning frequently, for about 7 minutes until they are browned on all sides and cooked through. transfer the meatballs to a plate and drain off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.

Return the skillet to the heat, whisk in the chicken stock, heavy cream, lingonberry preserves and the pickle juice and bring it to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about five minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through.

Okay, a few things about this recipe. I was kicking myself over the lingonberry preserves and did some research online as to what I could use for a substitute. The best recommendation I saw was to try using cranberry preserves, which I was able to get, and I think they added a really nice flavor to the dish. I purchased a package of meatloaf mix that had the ground beef, pork and veal in it already to make the meatballs and everything else I had on hand so we were good to go. Marcus Samuelsson explains in his description of the recipe that comes from his grandmother that the meatballs that she always made were not the perfectly round and shaped meatballs you find in most places but were kind of lumpy and misshapen. This made me feel better because that is just how mine looked. I think because the mixture is moist and sticky it is hard to shape them perfectly but the taste is sure there. I will definitely be making these again. Unfortunately, I was so busy trying to put it together on Christmas Eve that I never got a picture of them, but I will try to get them next time. Trust me, they are good. I think these would be great as a meal with mashed potatoes or rice.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. It has been so cold here lately we have been making a lot of soups, so I have some other soup recipes to share with everyone. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!