Cooking | onedadskitchen

Let the Week of Chicken Begin!!

As I said in yesterday’s post, I have an awful lot of chicken in the freezer and have decided to just cook out of the freezer this week. Tonight I started off with the bone-in chicken breasts. As usual, I wanted an easy recipe, not a lot of ingredients and a reasonable cooking time. As usual, America’s Test Kitchen did not disappoint by supplying this recipe for Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Sage-Vermouth Sauce. it doesn’t take long, gives you moist, juicy chicken and a very flavorful sauce for the chicken. This recipe calls for brining the chicken breasts for 30 minutes before cooking, but if you don’t have the time for that, you can go right to the roasting and it will also turn out well.

Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Sage-Vermouth Sauce

1/2 cup table salt

2 (1 1/2 pound) whole bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, split in half along the breast bone and trimmed of rib sections

Ground black pepper

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 large shallot, minced

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup dry vermouth

4 medium fresh sage leaves, each leaf torn in half

3 tablespoons butter, cut into 3 pieces

Salt and pepper

Dissolve the salt in 2 quarts of cold water in a large container; submerge the chicken in the brine, cover and refrigerate about 30 minutes. Rinse the chicken well and pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken with pepper.

Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet (I used my large cast iron pan) over medium-high heat until the oil begins to smoke. Brown the chicken, skin side down, until deep golden, about 5 minutes; turn the chicken and brown until golden on the second side, about 3 minutes longer. Turn the chicken skin side down and place the skillet in the oven. Roast until the thickest part of the breast registers 160 to 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let it rest while making the sauce. (If you’re not making the sauce, let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving it)

Using a potholder to protect your hands from the hot skillet handle, pour off all but 1 teaspoon of the fat from the skillet; add the shallot, then set the skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot is softened, about 1 1/2 minutes. add the chicken broth, vermouth and sage, increase the heat to high and simmer rapidly, scraping the skillet bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits, until slightly thickened and reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Pour the accumulated chicken juices into the skillet, reduce the heat to medium and whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time; season with salt and pepper to taste and discard the sage. Spoon the sauce around the chicken breasts and serve immediately.

I served this with some mashed potatoes and broccoli, but you could easily use rice or noodles instead to go with the chicken. The sauce comes out great and has a wonderful flavor thanks to the sage and the vermouth.

That’s tonight’s meal, quick and easy. Tomorrow I have a choice between chicken legs and boneless chicken, but I haven’t decided which way I want to go with it yet. It will be a mystery until you check back tomorrow! Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 25, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Poultry

Tags: mashed potatoes, pan roasted chicken, pan roasted chicken with sage-vermouth sauce, sage-vermouth sauce

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? Apparently to Get to my Freezer.

24 Jun

I decided I wanted to cook meals out of our freezer all week since the freezer is packed full. We couldn’t fit a Ritz cracker in there if we wanted to. So I looked int0 there this morning and started pulling things out and noticed we have an awful lot of chicken in there of just about every variety right now. I have a whole chicken, boneless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, drumsticks and whole chicken breasts. Now I just have to figure out how I want to cook it all this week. I think I would like to try to grill as much of it as possible, but I haven’t quite figures out how I am planning to cook it all just yet. I also have some pork chops I plan to make this week as well, but for today I thought I would post a simple recipe I am doing for some bratwurst on the grill. i picked some up at Adams Farms in Newburgh, where they make their own bratwurst and they looked pretty good so I thought I would give them a try.

Beer Bratwurst

6 bratwurst

Beer, to cover (you can use whatever beer you like here. I am using a Sam Adams. I wouldn’t suggest using a strong stout as you may not like the flavor, but hey, to each his own 🙂 )

1 medium onion, sliced

1/2 stick butter

Place the bratwurst in a Dutch oven with the onions and butter. Cover the bratwurst with the beer. Bring to a boil over medium heat and reduce to a simmer until the bratwurst is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a grill to medium high heat. Remove the bratwurst from the Dutch oven and place on the grill. Grill until golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve the bratwurst on hot dog buns or sub rolls with the onions, sauerkraut, grilled onions, grilled peppers and/or mustard (onions and mustard are my particular favorites).

I love a grilled bratwurst where you get the crunch of the bratwurst and the spice mixed with the onions and the mustard, yum yum. Serve them with some potato salad or grilled potatoes and either corn on the cob or some grilled vegetables like zucchini, and you’re all set. And don’t forget to have some beer ready to go along with the brats.

Now I have to find some chicken recipes for this week. If anyone has some good suggestions, please pass them along! I’ll scout around and see what I can come up with for stuff on the grill this week and hopefully post them today or tomorrow. until then, enjoy your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 24, 2012 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Poultry

Tags: beer bratwurst, chicken dinners, grilled bratwurst

A Friday Flank Steak

22 Jun

Sooner or later it’s going to cool off a bit around here. It’s been really, really hot here and of course I wanted to cook out today, but the thunderstorms we had here put an end to those hopes for today. I will still provide the recipe I had planned to cook today, which was flank steak with salsa verde (it was still too hot to cook tonight and since it was Sean’s last day of school before summer break we let him decide on a meal and he picked Chinese food, so that’s what we had). I still plan to make it, and when I do I will add a picture to this post. It seems like a pretty simple recipe that shouldn’t take long to make at all and it sounds delicious.

Flank Steak with Salsa Verde

2 cups loosely packed fresh parsley

3 scallions, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons capers, drained

Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

2 anchovy fillets

2 cloves of garlic, smashed

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the grill

Salt

1 flank steak (about 1 1/2 pounds)

Freshly ground pepper

For the salsa verde, pulse the parsley, scallions, capers, lemon zest and juice, anchovies, garlic, mustard and olive oil in a food processor until slightly chunky. Pour into a bowl and season with salt. Preheat the grill to high or place a grill pan over high heat. Pierce the steak all over with a fork and season with salt and pepper. Oil the grill or the grill pan; grill the steak, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare, turning once. Transfer to a cutting board and let the steak rest for 5 minutes.

Thinly slice the steak against the grain and serve with the salsa verde.

It can’t much easier than that. I plan to serve this with a tomato salad. I am going to slice some tomatoes, lightly season them with salt and pepper and pour a little extra-virgin olive oil on them. I may add some sliced avocado and some black olives to it as well. if you like, you could also add some sliced fresh mozzarella or feta cheese to round it out. This steak would also go well with some grilled asparagus or even some foil potato packets if you are grilling.

Just a quick recipe today. I am trying to plan the menu out for next week. Now that school is over and Sean will be home I want to try to get back to our menu planning. I am planning to use stuff out of our freezer all week next week, since the freezer is packed with food, so we’ll see what I can come up with. Until next time, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 22, 2012 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, Grilling

Tags: flank steak, flank steak with salsa verde, salsa verde

It’s a Glorious Rainbow (Trout)

21 Jun

It’s ungodly hot here in New York today. The temperature earlier this afternoon was 99; now it’s down to 94. Luckily, I am not cooking tonight as we are going out to visit some friends for the evening. Instead, I’ll post the recipe for the meal I made on Monday, which was oven-roasted trout with potatoes. It’s a very simple meal with Tuscan roots that only takes a few ingredients and not much effort on your part. It does turn out a very delicious piece of fish with some simple, but tasty potatoes. Use a really good extra-virgin olive oil if you have one for this one; it will make a big difference in the flavor for the fish and the potatoes.

Oven-Roasted Trout with Potatoes

2 fresh rosemary sprigs (I didn’t use these, I used thyme sprigs instead. Michelle hates rosemary, I grow my own thyme and it works out just as well here)

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and ground white pepper, to taste

1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

4 trout fillets

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Set aside 1 rosemary(or thyme) sprig and finely chop the leaves of the other. In a small bowl, combine the chopped rosemary and the garlic. Season generously with salt and white pepper.

Oil a large baking dish. Arrange half of the potato slices in rows on the bottom, slightly overlapping the slices and the rows. Sprinkle evenly with one-third of the garlic mixture, drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil and dot with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Layer with the remaining potato slices, then top with one-third of the garlic mixture, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Cover the dish and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the potatoes are almost tender, about 20 minutes more.

Remove the dish from the oven and arrange the fish in a single layer on top of the potatoes. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining garlic mixture. Lay the rosemary (or thyme) sprig on top. Return to the oven and bake until the fillets are opaque throughout, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving directly from the baking dish.

This recipe, which I got from Williams-Sonoma, was a big hit with the family. I made some sugar snap peas to along as a vegetable to round out the meal. Everyone liked it and said they would gladly east it again, so I’ll have to make sure to keep the recipe around for the summer.

Okay, it’s too hot to do any more today, so I am done. Tomorrow I am planning to make a flank steak with salsa verde, so hopefully it won’t be too hot to do it. Check back tomorrow to find out. Enjoy the rest of your day, try to stay cool, and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 21, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Potatoes, Seafood

Tags: oven roasted trout with potatoes

Father’s Day Brunch, Part 3: Having Your Cake and Eating Banana Bread, Too

20 Jun

Okay, after posting most of the meal that we had for Father’s Day Brunch, here are the dessert-like items that I made. I made a blueberry coffee cake, banana bread and a fruit salad. None of these are hard to make and they all tasted really good!

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Topping

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled

Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups buttermilk or plain yogurt

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

7 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, rinsed and dried

For the topping: Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and melted butter together in a medium bowl until the mixture resembles wet sand. Set aside.

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

For the cake: Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs and melted butter together in a separate bowl until smooth. Gently fold the egg mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula and stir until the batter looks smooth and well combined. Stir the blueberries into the finished batter.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter. Bake until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached. about 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.

You could also substitute dried apricots, dried cherries or dried cranberries for the blueberries if you prefer. The cake comes out perfectly and tastes great even the next day or two later with your morning coffee.

The banana bread is just as easy to make. I’ve tried a few recipes and this one, from Tyler Florence, seems to work out the best with the best banana flavor.

Banana Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 overripe bananas

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan. in a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together for 3 minutes; you want a light and fluffy banana cream. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla; beat well and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated; no need to over blend. Fold in the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes or so, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve.

You could add some nuts to the bread when you mix the mashed bananas in if you like the nuts. Pecans or walnuts would work pretty well. My family doesn’t care for the nuts, so I left them out. You could also toast the slices lightly in a buttered skillet over medium heat if you want to give them some crunch when serving.

Finally, I also made a fruit salad to go with the brunch. You can pretty much do what you want with fruit salads, that’s one of the great things about them. Add more of the fruit you like, change out some fruit, add some fresh mint, do what you want.

Fruit Salad

1/2 seedless watermelon

1 mango, peeled and diced

1 fresh pineapple, peeled and diced

1 pint fresh strawberries, halved

1 pint raspberries

1 pint blueberries

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

Using a melon baller, hollow out the watermelon and set the balled watermelon aside. With a knife, cut away any excess in the watermelon shell, and, if necessary, flatten out the bottom of the outside of the shell so it rests comfortably on a flat surface. Add the watermelon, mango,pineapple,strawberries,raspberries,blueberries and oranges, arranging the fruit in layers. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.

You can add any fruit you like. I often top it with a sliced banana, or add some plums, peaches or apples, whatever happens to be in season.

Tomorrow I will post the recipe I made on Monday for an oven roasted trout and potatoes, and I am planning to make a flank steak with salsa verde on Friday, so check back for that one as well. That’s all for tonight. Enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 20, 2012 in Breads, Breakfast, Cooking, Dessert, Picnic Fare, Salad

Tags: banana bread, blueberry coffee cake, fruit salad

Father’s Day Brunch, Part 2: Crab Cakes and Mussels

18 Jun

Yesterday I posted a couple of the recipes we used for our Father’s Day brunch. Today, I’ll continue with some of the things we made. This time, I’ll cover the seafood we made with crab cakes and steamed mussels. Both are pretty easy to make; they just require some paying attention so you don’t overcook them.

Crab Cakes

1 pound fresh or pasteurized crab meat, picked over for shell pieces

6 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs

4 scallions, green parts only, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or basil

1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Salt and pepper

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Gently toss the crab, 4 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs, the scallions, parsley and Old Bay together in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise and gently combine using a rubber spatula. Season the crab mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold in the egg. If necessary, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs as needed until the mixture just clings together. Divide the crab mixture into equal portions and shape each into patties. Transfer the patties to a large, plastic-wrap-lined plate. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until the patties are firm, about 30 minutes.

Spread the flour in a shallow dish. Coat the crab cakes lightly with the flour. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick skillet until shimmering. Gently lay the chilled crab cakes into the skillet and cook until crisp and brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges or tartar sauce.

You can make the patties the night before and chill them overnight if you want. Chilling them really helps to firm them up and they hold together much better as they are cooking. I tend to go with the less is more as far as ingredients for crab cakes. So many that you get have way too much seasoning, vegetables, or especially breadcrumbs that you can’t even taste the crab meat. This one recipe seems to work the best to make delicious crab cakes.

On to the steamed mussels. These are great as an appetizer, but would also be great for a main course over pasta or rice with some crunchy bread to help you soak up the broth.

Steamed Mussels with White Wine and Garlic

5 tablespoons butter

3 shallots, minced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups dry white wine or vermouth

1 bay leaf

4 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the wine and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes to let the flavors blend.

Increase the heat to high and add the mussels. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mussels open, about 5 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mussels to a large serving bowl, discarding any that refuse to open. Whisk the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and parsley into the broth, then pour the broth over the mussels.

A couple of quick notes about mussels. Most mussels and clams you buy nowadays are farmed and pretty clean already, so you don’t have to worry too much about grit. Many are even debearded already, but you want to check them and make sure if they need it. If they do, you can simply pull the beard away with your fingers or a butter knife. When you buy the mussels, give them a smell. If they don’t smell clean, don’t buy them. The shells should also appear to be moist. Don’t use any that have a cracked shell. Store them set over ice in a bowl in the fridge and plan to use them the same day you bought them. Most importantly, if any don’t open, don’t eat it, it’s a bad mussel and not worth the stomach ache you will have after eating it. There are always a few that don’t open, and 4 pounds yields a lot of mussels, so don’t sweat it. (I wish I had gotten a picture of the mussels, but I didn’t sorry.)

Okay, so we’ve covered the seafood, the sausage and the quiche. Tomorrow I’ll go over the coffee cake, banana bread and fruit salad and I think we’ll have covered everything. I am making trout tonight, so I’ll post that recipe on Wednesday. Check back tomorrow for the tasty cake recipes. Until then, enjoy your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 18, 2012 in Appetizers, Cooking, Seafood

Tags: crab cakes, father's day brunch, steamed mussels

A Father’s Day Feast for Brunch

17 Jun

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. We decided to do a brunch for Father’s Days and have everyone over here for it. We made quite a bit of food, and of course I didn’t think about taking pictures of everything until after people had already started eating, so I apologize in advance for the pictures. We put out quite a buffet spread and I’ll share some the recipes here today. We made corned beef hash and home fries, both of which I have posted recipes on before. We also made pancakes, which I have posted on before and scrambled eggs. We did make a few things that I haven’t posted recipes on before, which I will share over the next few days. We made a Sausage Gravy with Biscuits, A Cheese and Onion Quiche, Crabcakes, Steamed Mussels, a Blueberry Coffee Cake, Banana Bread and a Fruit Salad. For today, I’ll tackle the Sausage Gravy and the quiche.

Sausage Gravy

8 ounces pork sausage

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/3 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 package refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (you can certainly make your own, but we were pinched for space and time and opted for Pillsbury.)

Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Place biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake for 14 to 17 minutes until golden brown. Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Remove the sausage and drain on a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1 tablespoon of the drippings in the skillet. Whisk the flour into the hot drippings until smooth; cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk, and cook, whisking constantly, for 5 to 7 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the sausage, salt and pepper. Serve over warm biscuits.

The quiche was just as easy, although we did cheat a little and used a pre-made refrigerated crust for the shell.

Cheese and Onion Quiche

1 pre-made pie crust (you can certainly make your own if you like)

4 tablespoons butter

6 cups thinly sliced onion

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

6 eggs at room temperature

2 cups cheddar cheese

2 cups cream, half-and-half or milk, heated gently until warm

Heat the oven to 425 degrees and set the rack in the middle. Prebake the chilled crust until the crust begins to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and let cool on a rack while you prepare the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Put the butter in a large skillet over medium heat; when the butter melts. add the onion and some salt and pepper. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is very soft and lightly browned, at least 20 minutes; adjust the heat so it doesn’t brown or crisp up, but just cook it until the onion practically melts. Add the thyme and stir, turn off the heat and cool slightly. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and then add the onion mixture.

Put the semi-cooked shell on a baking sheet and pour in the egg mixture. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until almost firm (it should still jiggle just a little in the middle) and lightly browned on top; reduce the oven heat if the edges of the shell are darkening too quickly. Cool on a wire rack; serve warm or at room temperature.

There are many more things you could add to the quiche to suit your tastes. You could add some bacon, mushrooms, or any variety of vegetables that you might like, such as broccoli, asparagus, peppers, tomatoes, spinach, really nearly anything you want. Make sure the vegetables are parboiled and cooled before you add them to the eggs and don’t overcrowd it by adding too many things.

That’s all I have time to talk about today. Tomorrow I will go over some more recipes from the menu – the crabcakes and the mussels. Check back tomorrow for those recipes. Until then, enjoy your Father’s Day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 17, 2012 in Breakfast, Cooking, Eggs, Gravy, Pork

Tags: breakfast, cheese and onion quiche, father's day brunch, father's day meal, sausage gravy, sausage gravy with biscuits, warm biscuits

Fried Catfish Redux and Bacon Braised Green Beans

11 Jun

I took the weekend off from blogging to spend some time with the family and have fun, but now its back to it! Tonight I made some fried catfish. I have made catfish before, and you can find the recipe here, so today I wanted to try something slightly different. Every recipe I could find really suggests that frying catfish is the best way to make it, and while it may not be the healthiest way to go, I have to admit it does turn out good. As I was searching around, I sent a Twitter message to America’s Test Kitchen asking them for some advice, and they shot back to me this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated for Pan-Fried Catfish. I broke out my trusty cast iron for this one since the one I have has higher sides than a regular skillet and works well when frying with oil. I find myself using the cast iron pan for most everything lately. It really retains heat well and I can throw it in the oven to roast as well. Anyway, back to the catfish:

Pan-Fried Catfish

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup fine-ground cornmeal

Salt and ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 large eggs

2-3 cups vegetable oil (I didn’t use this much, I cut it in half and it was fine)

2 catfish fillets, skin and dark fatty flesh just below skin trimmed, fillets cut in half lengthwise (I didn’t do this either; since it was just Sean and I for dinner tonight, I left the fillets whole and Sean and I split one and I saved the other for another meal)

Set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet, place the sheet on the middle oven rack and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Place 1/2 cup of flour in a wide, shallow dish. In a separate wide, shallow dish, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cayenne. in a third shallow dish, whisk the eggs with 1 tablespoon of oil until uniform.

Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle each side with salt and pepper. Drop the fish in the flour and shake the dish to coat. Shake the excess flour from each piece, then, using tongs, dip the fillets in the egg mixture, turning to coat well and allowing the excess to drip off. Coat the fillets with the cornmeal mixture, shake off the excess, and lay them on another wire rack set of a rimmed baking sheet.

Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a large heavy bottomed pot or cast iron pan over high heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 400 degrees. Place two catfish fillets in the oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary to keep the oil between 385 and 390 degrees. Remove the fillets from the oil with a slotted spoon and lay them on a plate lined with several layers of paper towels; blot to help remove any excess oil. Transfer the fried fish to the wire rack in the warm oven. Bring the oil back up to 400 degrees and repeat the cooking process with the remaining fish fillets. Serve the fried fish with lemon wedges or dipping sauce.

Since I only made the two pieces, I didn’t have a second batch to make, but if you have larger pieces of catfish you may want to cut them down and do them in batches so as not to crowd them into the pan when cooking.

I had bought some fresh green beans in the store yesterday, so I thought I would make them as well and wanted to jazz them up a little bit, and what jazzes things up better than bacon? I got this recipe from the Food Network’s Anne Burrell. It’s an easy recipe, but takes a little time so you may want to get it started before whatever you are serving it with.

Bacon Braised Green Beans

Extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 pound bacon, diced

2 garlic cloves, smashed

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 pound button mushrooms, stemmed and sliced (I omitted these, other than me, no one in my house eats mushrooms, so out they went)

Salt

1 pound string beans, stems removed

1 cup chicken stock

Coat a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Add the bacon, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the bacon is crispy, about 5 minutes. When the garlic has become golden brown and very aromatic, remove it and discard.

Add the mushrooms (if using) to the bacon pan, season with salt, to taste, and cook until they become soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beans and the chicken stock, season with salt, to taste, cover and cook over medium low heat for 40 to 45 minutes. If the liquid reduces too much during the cooking time, add some water to make up the difference. Remove the lid and cook until almost all of the liquid is reduced. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

It’s not hard to make, it just takes a little longer than I thought it would. I reduced the liquid all the way down to almost nothing because it allowed the bacon to crisp up again and pick up the flavor from the chicken stock. I also served the dish with some white rice. All in all, I think it turned out pretty well.

I have a steak to cook tomorrow; I’m not sure how I am going to do it yet, but I’ll come up with something. If it’s nice enough out, I may throw it on the grill. Check back tomorrow and see what happens. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 11, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Seafood, Side Dishes, Vegetables

Tags: bacon braised green beans, cast iron pan, frying catfish, pan fried catfish

Totally Tantalizing Turkey Chili

09 Jun

I love to make chili and have been making it for many years. I have done different variations of it over the years, but I have mostly settled on making turkey chili when I make it. The turkey is better for you than the ground beef and lends itself nicely to the long cooking process of the chili. You also don’t get all the fat in your chili that ground beef tends to add to the sauce. Michelle loves it and always make a large batch so we have it for lunches and then we can freeze some and have it when we need a quick meal or use it to make a quick batch of nachos for an appetizer. This recipe is far from exact since I pretty much eyeball everything I use for this one at this point since I have been making it so long. If you like more heat in your chili, add more hot sauce or chili powder. I try not to make it too hot since it does pick up some heat after a day of two of sitting in the fridge.

Turkey Chili

2 pounds ground turkey

1 tablespoon McCormick’s Montreal Chicken seasoning

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1-2 tablespoons chili powder

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Dash of hot sauce

2 15.5 ounce cans dark red kidney beans, drained

Heat a large Dutch oven of medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and heat the oil until shimmering. Mix the Montreal Chicken seasoning with the ground turkey, mixing by hand until well blended. Add the turkey to the Dutch oven and heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and stir to mix with the turkey, heating for about 3 minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add the diced tomatoes and mix thoroughly. Cook until the tomatoes begin to release some of their juices, about 3 to minutes. Add the cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and hot sauce and mix thoroughly. Turn the heat to low and cover. Allow the chili to cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the kidney beans and mix thoroughly (at this point I usually taste the chili to see if it needs any more spices: chili powder, salt, pepper. Add more if you think it needs more). Cover and allow to cook for 2 to 3 hours.

I typically serve the chili with white rice and have some sides if anyone wants to add anything to the chili, like sour cream, diced fresh tomato, shredded cheese and occasionally some diced jalapeno or diced avocado. As I stated earlier, this makes a great ingredient for nachos if you want to make nachos or even a great taco filling if you want to use it for tacos.

It’s a very easy recipe, doesn’t take a lot of work (you could easily put this all in the slow cooker and let it cook all day, just brown the turkey meat first) and tastes great. It’s Saturday and I am thinking I want an easy meal tonight, so I may go for some simple BLT sandwiches tonight. Check back later and see if that’s what I decide to go with! Enjoy your day, and enjoy your meal!

2 Comments

Posted by MikeG on June 9, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Poultry, Slow Cooker Meals, Turkey

Tags: chili, turkey chili, turkey tacos, using turkey chili in nachos

Pass the Parmesan Paninis!

07 Jun

I’ve had a few people ask me about sandwich recipes and trying to find some new ones. I am always on the lookout for a new sandwich recipe since it’s one of my favorite meals. They are perfect for busy weeknights, but you like to be able to vary things and offer some that are new and different. I happen to catch this one from Williams-Sonoma a few days ago and it sounded too good to pass up. We all love chicken parmesan, so why not have it on a sandwich that’s a Panini?

Chicken Parmesan Panini

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup vegetable oil, plus more for brushing

4 sandwich rolls, split (I am using ciabatta rolls, a personal favorite)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup dry bread crumbs

3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

1 cup tomato sauce

Butterfly the chicken breasts, cut each one in half, and pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the 1 cup of oil to 350 degrees. Brush the rolls on both sides with oil. Preheat an electric Panini press to medium. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Put the flour and the eggs in separate breading trays or bowls. in another tray or bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip the chicken into the eggs, letting the excess drip off. Place the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing gently so the crumbs adhere.

Place 2 chicken pieces in the hot oil in the skillet and fry, turning once, until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to the paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat to fry the remaining chicken.

Place 1 piece of chicken on the bottom of each roll and top with 1/3 cup mozzarella, 1 tablespoon of basil and 1/4 cup tomato sauce. Cover with the top halves of the rolls. Place two of the sandwiches on the preheated panini press, close the lid and cook until the cheese has melted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the sandwiches to a cutting board and cut in half. Repeat to cook the remaining sandwiches. Serve immediately.

You could make several sides to go with the sandwiches, like a simple salad, or a little bit of pasta. I personally think the salad is perfect to go along side of the sandwich. Either by themselves or with a side, I think they make a great, easy meal. If you don’t have a panini press, no big deal, You could just make these as sandwiches or heat them in a skillet like you would a grilled cheese sandwich.

That’s today’s simple dinner. Tomorrow night I am making Turkey Chili, so you can check back for that one. It’s a family favorite around here and I always make extra to freeze some for another day. Make sure to come back tomorrow to check out the recipe. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!