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What’s a Weekend Without a Pie? Cook’s Country Tar Heel Pie

This recipe was actually pictured on the front cover of the last issue of Cook’s Country Magazine. I really like this magazine as it has great recipes that are really easy to follow, along with some other great tips throughout. It was a toss-up yesterday to try making this pie or the lemon icebox pie that is on the cover of last month’s magazine and this one won out. I’ll be making the lemon pie later on this week, so for today we can talk about the Tar Heel Pie, a North Carolina favorite for many years that combines a great fudgy flavor of a brownie into pie form.

Tar Heel Pie

1 (9-inch) single-crust pie dough

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups pecans, toasted and chopped coarse

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured counter. Loosely roll the dough around the rolling pin and gently unroll it onto a 9-inch pie plate., letting the excess dough hang over the edge. Ease the dough into the plate by gently lifting the edge of the dough with one hand while pressing into the plate bottom with your other hand. Leave any dough that overhangs the plate in place. Trim the overhang to 1/2 an inch beyond the lip of the pie plate. Tuck the overhang under itself; the folded edge should be flush with the edge of the pie plate. Crimp the dough evenly around the edge of the plate using your fingers. Wrap the dough-lined pie plate loosely in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer until the dough is fully chilled and firm, about 15 minutes.

Line the chilled pie plate with two 12-inch squares of parchment paper, letting the parchment lie over the edges of the dough, and fill the pie with pie weights.Bake the pie shell until it is lightly golden brown on the edges, about 18 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper and the pie weights, rotate the pie shell and continue to bake until the center of the pie shell begins to look opaque nd slightly drier, about 3 to 6 minutes. Allow the pie shell to coll completely.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Microwave 2/3 cup of the chocolate chips and the butter in a bowl, stirring often, until softened, about 60 to 90 seconds. Whisk in the oil and cocoa until smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt together until smooth. Whisk the chocolate mixture into the sugar mixture until it is incorporated. Stir in the flour and the remaining 1/3 cup of chocolate chips until just combined.

Spread the pecans in the bottom of the pie shell, then pour the batter over the top, using a spatula to level the batter. Bake the pie until a toothpick inserted into the center of comes out with a thin coating of batter attached, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the pie cool on a wire rack until barely warm, about 1 1/2 hours. Serve. The pie can be re-heated, uncovered, in a 300 degree oven until warm throughout, about 10 to 15 minutes.

A couple of things about this recipe. I left the pecans out this time since we were bringing it over to someone’s house and I didn’t want to take a chance on any nut allergies and such. It came out fine without the pecans, but I think it would be even better with them in the pie. It was a very chocolate center, almost exactly like a brownie should be, with the added taste of a nice pie crust to go with it. We served it with some homemade whipped cream to top off each slice. As far as the pie weights, I personally do not have any in the house, but you can use many different things as a substitute. If you have any marbles around, these will work great as that is essentially what pie weights are anyway. I used some dried beans that I had on hand and they work just fine. Just remember that you can’t use the beans for cooking after that, but you can re-use them as pie weights in the future.

That’s all I have for today. Check back during the week for some more recipes. I do plan to try a few things out this week, including the lemon icebox pie and making my own ciabatta bread, so keep checking back to see those recipes. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

3 Comments

Posted by MikeG on August 11, 2013 in Cooking, Dessert, Pie

Tags: brownie pie, Cook's Country, Cook's Country magazine, Cook's Country Tar Heel pie, Tar Heel pie

Get Your Hot Dogs Here! (And Some Good Toppings Too!)

10 Aug

I think the hot dog gets a pretty bad rap. Granted, it may not be the healthiest alternative when it comes to something to eat, but there are some hot dogs that just taste downright delicious. I can be pretty fussy about the brand of hot dog I have, but there is something about eating a hot dog at a cookout or barbecue that makes it so it doesn’t seem to matter that much what brand it may be. When I am at home, I personally prefer a Sabrett hot dog or a Nathan’s. The other requirement I have is that they need to be hot dogs with the skin on. There is something about biting into a hot dog and getting that snap that makes it just right. Anyway, I didn’t think there would be much in the way of recipes for hot dogs, and there may not be a lot of variations in the way you cook them, but there are countless toppings you can try. This recipe, from Bobby Flay, tries to make these hot dogs just like one you could get on the streets of New York with some great toppings.

New York Street Cart Dogs with Onion Sauce and Red Pepper Relish

Onion Sauce:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced

2 teaspoons ancho chile powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Grilled Pepper Relish:

6 cloves roasted garlic, coarsely chopped

3 grilled red peppers, peeled, seeded and diced

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus leaves for garnish

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grilled Hot Dogs:

8 all-beef kosher hot dogs

Vegetable oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Hot dog buns

Mustard

For the onion sauce: heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chile powder and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of water, the ketchup, the hot sauce, salt and black pepper and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until it is thickened and the onions are very soft, adding more water if needed, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature before serving.

For the grilled pepper relish: Combine the garlic, peppers, oil, red wine vinegar and parsley in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.

For the hot dogs: heat a grill to high heat for direct grilling. Brush the hot dogs with oil and sprinkle them with pepper. Grill the hot dogs until slightly charred and golden brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. put the hot dogs in the buns and top with mustard, onion sauce and the grilled pepper relish.

I did make a few alterations to this recipe. First, we were having pretty heavy rain and thunderstorms yesterday, so there was no grilling involved at all for me. I roasted the peppers and garlic in the oven and made the relish indoors. It also meant cooking the hot dogs inside, but instead of frying them or boiling them, I like them steamed. You get a much better snap from the hot dogs when you steam them. Just put about an inch of water in a large saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then insert a steamer basket into the pan, put the hot dogs in the basket and allow them to steam for about 3 minutes. They come out much more like a hot dog cart hot dog than grilling, in my opinion. I also added some yellow and orange pepper into the pepper relish for more color and flavor.

The onion sauce really does take like the onion sauce you can buy in the stores or get from a vendor. It was sweet with a little heat and tasted great with the mustard. The same goes for the pepper relish. You can really taste the garlic in this one, so you may even want to cut back a bit on the garlic to get more pepper flavor.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I just made the Tar Hell Pie in the latest issue of Cook’s Country magazine, so you can check back for that recipe tomorrow and see how it came out. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on August 10, 2013 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Sauce, Side Dishes

Tags: Bobby Flay, food network, grilled red pepper relish, hot dog toppings, hot dogs, kosher hot dogs, New York street cart dogs, onion sauce, red pepper relish

Breakfast For Dinner Redux – Pancakes and Hash Browns

08 Aug

One of the favorite meals around our household is the breakfast for dinner concept. I have posted different breakfasts we have used on here before, and one of the most common things we eat are pancakes. Of course, there are varied ways and recipes you can use to make pancakes, including using tried and true methods such as Bisquick to help you along way. There’s nothing wrong with Bisquick; we use it around here when we feel like having some easy pancakes or biscuits without any fuss. That being said, there is nothing quite like having some homemade pancakes that are cooked just right. You love them when they are fresh off the griddle with a little bit of butter and lots of syrup. I love fruit pancakes like blueberry or banana, but this time we kept it simple with just some regular pancakes.

Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups buttermilk

1 to 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees so you have a place to keep your pancakes warm while you cook more. Set a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet and set it aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, melted butter and then the buttermilk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour the buttermilk mixture into the well, and whisk very gently until the buttermilk mixture is just incorporated. A few lumps should remain in the batter. Be careful not to overmix the batter.

Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Brush the bottom of the skillet with 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil. Using 1/4 cup of batter per pancake, add the batter to the skillet. Only 2 or 3 pancakes are likely to fit in the skillet at one time. Cook until large bubbles begin to appear, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until they are golden brown on the second side, about 1 to 2 minutes longer. Spread the pancakes out over the wire rack on the baking sheet and hold them in the warm oven. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, remembering to brush the bottom of the skillet with oil for each batch you make.

Pancakes freeze pretty well, so you can make a big batch and have them as leftover breakfast during the week if you like. Just defrost them overnight in the refrigerator and throw them in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes and you can have them for breakfast. They should last for about a week in the freezer.

Since we had pancakes already, I wanted something extra to go with it since this was dinner. I have had a hankering for some hash browns lately and I saw this simple recipe from America’s Test Kitchen and decided to give it a try. This was much easier to do with the food processor, but if you don’t have one, you can use a box grater (just watch your knuckles!).

Hash Browns

1 pound russet potatoes (2 medium potatoes), peeled

2 tablespoons grated onion

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (optional)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon butter

Grate the potatoes using either the large holes of a box grater or the shredder attachment of a food processor. You should end up with about 1 1/2 cups of shredded potatoes. Wrap the grated potatoes in a kitchen towel and squeeze thoroughly of any excess moisture, then toss the potatoes with the onion, parsley (if using), salt and pepper.

Melt 1/2 tablespoon of the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to brown, swirling to coat the entire pan. Scatter the potatoes evenly into the skillet and press down on them firmly to form a cake. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook the potatoes until they are dark golden brown and crisp on the first side, about 8 minutes.

Slide the hash brown cake onto a large plate, then invert it onto a second plate so that the browned side is facing up. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter to the skillet and melt, swirling to coat the pan. Slide the hash brown cake back into the pan, browned-side up, and continue to cook it over medium heat until the second side is also golden and crisp, about 5 minutes longer. Slide the hash brown cake onto a plate or cutting board and cut it into wedges.

Using a non-stick skillet here really makes a big difference in making your life easier and flipping the hash browns over. With this method, they come out crisp and delicious and are easy to serve and they have great flavor. I also had some sausage links we made to go along with everything.

That’s all I have for today. Check back to see what recipes come up next. We’ll be out for the evening tonight, so no cooking for me, but I’ll be back with some more recipes to try out, including a hot dog recipe with onion sauce and pepper relish, lemon icebox pie, Tar Heel pie, roasted chicken from Marc Murphy and more. Check back and see what is next. until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

3 Comments

Posted by MikeG on August 8, 2013 in Breakfast, Cooking, Dinner, Potatoes

Tags: americas test kitchen, breakfast, breakfast for dinner, hash browns, homemade pancakes, pancakes

A Batch of Beer Battered Fish (and Roasted Fries)

07 Aug

This recipe is actually one that Sean picked out a while back and had not had the opportunity to make it until just a few days ago. It’s not often that he picks out a fish recipe for us to try, so I was more than willing to give it a shot, especially because I had just picked up some cod on sale. The timing for it was perfect and the recipe, from Bobby Deen, is actually one that is lighter than what often comes from Deen family recipes. This one uses very little oil in cooking and roasts the fries instead of frying them in oil.

Beer Battered Fish and Roasted Fries

Roasted Fries:

4 medium sweet potatoes, skin-on, cut into French fry strips

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Zest of 1 orange

Beer Battered Fish:

One 12-ounce bottle beer

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 pounds cod fillets, skin and bones removed, cut diagonally into 4-inch long, 1-inch wide strips

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt for sprinkling (optional)

For the fries: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the potatoes in a medium bowl. Whisk together the vegetable oil, paprika, salt, pepper and orange zest and toss with the potatoes to evenly coat. Place the potatoes in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast until the potatoes are tender and starting to brown, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Turn the oven up to 450 degrees and continue roasting until the potatoes get crispy around the edges, about another 5 minutes longer. Reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees and hold the potatoes in the oven to keep them warm while you prepare the fish.

For the beer battered fish: Pour the beer into a large bowl. Sift the flour over the beer, whisking gently until it is just combined. Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle on both sides with the salt, garlic powder and pepper. Coat the fish in the beer batter.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large, non-stick skillet until it is very hot. Remove the fish from the batter using tongs and allow any excess batter to drip off. Place the fish in the hot oil and fry it in batches so as not to crowd the pan. Fry the fish until it is a deep golden brown and cooked through, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and keep it warm in the oven. Repeat the process with the remaining pieces of fish. While the fish is still hot, sprinkle it with salt, if using, and drizzle with a little fresh lemon juice (optional). Serve with the roasted sweet potato fries.

It is a very simple and light meal that tastes great. I would recommend using a light-colored or light beer for the batter. This way the beer itself will not impart any flavors directly onto the fish (unless of course you want that and in that case you may want to choose a stronger flavored beer). The fries were perfectly cooked and tasted great. They would be an excellent side replacement for French fries with any sandwich or meal. Sean and Michelle both loved the lightness and crispness of the fish as well. I’ll be glad to make this one again for dinner anytime as it was easy to make and everyone liked it. One thing to remember is that you don’t want to cook the fish too long. Fish takes just minutes to cook and will get very rubbery if you overcook it, so be careful.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. I do have one I tried last night when we had breakfast for dinner for pancakes and homemade hash browns. I also have one for tonight that we are trying from Bobby Flay for New York-style street hot dogs with onion sauce and a pepper relish that promises to be tasty. There are lots more to come, so keep checking back. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on August 7, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, Potatoes, Seafood

Tags: beer battered fish, beer battered fish and roasted fries, Bobby Deen, roasted fries, roasted sweet potato fries

Sweet as Grilled Honey-Glazed Pork Chops and Peaches

06 Aug

I opened up the freezer on Sunday night looking for things I could use to make for dinner this week and I was able to come up with a few ideas for some meals, including this one I found Cook’s Country. I am always a little leery of doing pork chops on the grill because if you don’t watch them closely you end up with burnt shoe leather as your meal. This recipe lays everything out quite easily and is a fast meal, so you can grill this up any night of the week for dinner with just a few ingredients.

Grilled Honey-Glazed Pork Chops

4 (10-ounce) bone-in pork rib or center-cut chops, about 1-inch thick, trimmed

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 cup honey

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Cut 2 slits about 2 inches apart through the fat and connective tissue around the outside of each pork chop. Combine the sugar, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Pat the chops dry with paper towels and rub all over with the sugar mixture.

Whisk the vinegar and cornstarch together in a small saucepan until there are no lumps remaining. Stir in the honey, mustard, thyme and cayenne pepper and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the glaze is reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 5 to 7 minutes.

If you are using a charcoal grill, open the bottom vent completely. Light a chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes. When the top coals are partially covered with ash, pour two-thirds of the coals evenly over the grill, then pour the remaining coals over half the grill. Set the cooking grate in place, cover and open the lid vent completely. Heat the grill until it is hot, about 5 minutes.

If you are using a gas grill, turn on all the burners and set them to high, cover the grill and heat the grill until it is hot, about 15 minutes. Leave the primary burner on high and the other burner(s) to medium-low.

Clean and oil the cooking grate. Place the chops on the cool part of the grill and cook (covered if you are using a gas grill) until the meat registers 140 degrees, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Brush the tops of the pork chops with the glaze and grill, glazed side down, over the hot part of the grill until it is caramelized, about 1 minute. Repeat the process with the second side of the pork chops. Transfer the chops to a platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and rest for five to ten minutes.

While the pork chops are resting, there is no better way to make use of some of those peaches you have in season this time of year by grilling them up. Grilled peaches test phenomenal and take just a few minutes to cook, so this gives you the perfect opportunity to throw a couple on the grill.

Grilled Peaches

4 ripe medium peaches

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Cut the peaches in half and remove the pit. Drizzle each half with the maple syrup and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Grill skin side up for 3 minutes until the peaches have begun to caramelize and soften.

Of course, you don’t have to serve the peaches with your meal. You could make them for dessert and serve them with some ice cream or yogurt and you have a nice dessert. To me, they went quite nicely with the pork chops though. The chops were great and using the sugar mixture on them before putting any glaze on them really helped to keep the glaze in place and helped to brown the chops nicely. I served this dish with some green beans, wild rice, the peaches and I even toasted up a little garlic bread on the grill as well.

That’s all I have for today. Check back again later in the week for some more recipes. I’ll be posting a lighter version of a beer battered fish with roasted sweet potato fries, I plan to try my hand at some ciabatta bread if I get the time, and I also have the recipe for a wonderful looking lemon icebox pie to try out. Check back and see what comes up next. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on August 6, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, Fruit, Grilling, Pork

Tags: Cook's Country, grilled honey-glazed pork chops, grilled peaches, honey glazed pork chops

Feeling Peachy with Peach-Blueberry Ice Cream Pie

05 Aug

After taking the weekend off for some family fun, it’s back to the recipes today. Here today is long promised recipe for peach-blueberry ice cream pie. I got this recipe from a recent issue of Bon Apettit magazine and when I saw the picture of it, I knew it was going to be delicious. Of course, when I first saw the picture, I figured that this must be difficult to make, but much to my surprise this was a very easy dessert to put together and is perfect for the summertime for a barbecue or party.

Peach-Blueberry Ice Cream Pie

6 ounces gingersnap cookies

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon heavy cream

2 cups fresh blueberries, divided

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 pint peach ice cream, softened in the refrigerator for 20 minutes

2 cups whipped cream (made from 1 cup of heavy cream)

1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Finely grind the cookies in a food processor. You should have about 1 1/3 cups when you are done. Transfer the crumbs to a medium bowl. Add the butter and the heavy cream; stir to coat. Press the mixture firmly onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Chill until it is firm, at least 30 minutes.

Toss 1 3/4 cups of blueberries, the sugar, and the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Allow the blueberries to macerate at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

Transfer the blueberry mixture to a large, heavy saucepan and cook over medium heat until the berries soften and the juices are released, about 10 to 15 minutes. Strain the berries through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Cover and chill the juices and the berries separately until they are cold.

Mix the softened peach ice cream with the chilled cooked blueberries. Scrape the ice cream mixture into the crust and smooth the top. Freeze until it is firm, at least 6 hours. (You can make the pie 2 days ahead of time if you wish. Just cover it and keep it frozen)

Soften the pie in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before serving. Top the pie with the whipped cream; scatter the remaining 1/4 cup of blueberries over the top. Garnish the top with the crystallized ginger. Drizzle each slice with some of the reserved blueberry juices.

The taste of the blueberries mixed in with the peaches and ice cream are delightful. I also loved the flavor the ginger snaps give the crust and the nice complement of the crystallized ginger on the top of the pie. Drizzling the blueberry sauce over each piece is the crowning touch, and the extra sauce is also great over other ice cream or even or something like pancakes or waffles.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time to see some more new recipes. I do have one I tried recently for a grilled hone glazed pork chops, along with a beer battered fish recipe and I think I am going to try one this week where I can make my own ciabatta bread. We’ll see how that one comes along. Keep checking back to see what comes up. If you ever have any questions, comments or a recipe you might like to see, feel free to leave a comment in the comments section here or catch up with me on Facebook or Twitter. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

2 Comments

Posted by MikeG on August 5, 2013 in Cooking, Dessert, Pie

Tags: bon appetit, bon appetit peach blueberry ice cream pie, ice cream pie, peach-blueberry ice cream pie

Cook’s Country Recipe Week Part 5 – Pan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

02 Aug

If you follow along regularly with this blog, then you likely know that not only do we eat a lot of chicken, but also that I love to make roast chicken in various ways. I am always on the lookout for a new roast chicken recipe to try and when this one came along in Cook’s Country magazine, I knew right away that I would be giving it a try. The only thing that makes this recipe even better is that you can do the whole meal in just one pan and have it done perfectly in under an hour.

Pan-Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

3/4 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

3/4 pound red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 pound shallots, peeled and halved

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces, thick ends halved lengthwise

6 garlic cloves, peeled

4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons butter, melted

3 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (2 split breasts cut in half crosswise, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs), trimmed

Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Toss the Brussels sprouts, potatoes, shallots, carrots, garlic, 2 teaspoons of thyme, oil, 1 teaspoon of rosemary, sugar, 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper together in a bowl. Combine the butter, the remaining 2 teaspoons of thyme, the remaining 1 teaspoon of rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper in a second bowl; set aside.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Place the vegetables in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, arranging the Brussels sprouts in the center. Place the chicken, skin side up, on top of the vegetables, arranging the breast pieces in the center and the leg and thigh pieces around the perimeter of the baking sheet.

Brush the chicken with the herb butter and roast until the breasts register 160 degrees and the drumsticks and thighs register 175 degrees, about 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through the cooking process. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Toss the vegetables in the pan juices and transfer them to the platter with the chicken. Serve.

There are a few things about this recipe you want to keep in mind. Here is one time where it really pays to have a good, large rimmed baking sheet. You want a big one that will hold everything well without overcrowding so that everything roasts well instead of steams in the baking sheet. You also want one that will hold up well under high heat and not warp at all. The high heat used in the recipe lets you cook everything in under an hour, gives you great caramelization on the vegetables and makes the chicken skin crispy and perfect. Adding the herb butter the chicken really helps to give it extra flavor and crisp the skin too. The vegetables get a lot of great flavor from the drippings of the chicken. Having the Brussels sprouts in the middle of the pan makes a difference here too. Since they tend to cook faster than the carrots and potatoes, you want them in the middle and the other vegetables on the outer part of the sheet where there is more heat. Same goes for the chicken breasts. Keeping it in the cooler part of the sheet helps everything be at the right temperature at the same time.

That’s all I have for today. I hoped you liked the Cook’s Country recipes for this week. Check back tomorrow for the peach-blueberry ice cream pie recipe I have been promising all week. I am also planning some recipes for next week as well, so we’ll see what I can come up with and decide to make. until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on August 2, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Poultry, Vegetables

Tags: Brussels sprouts, Cook's Country, Cook's Country pan-roasted chicken and vegetables, pan-roasted chicken and vegetables, roast chicken recipe

Cook’s Country Recipe Week Part 4 – Easy Chicken Parmesan Subs

01 Aug

This may be the easiest recipe of the week from Cook’s Country, which is why it was perfect for a busy night like last night. Wednesday’s are typically my busiest day of the week so I don’t always have a lot of time to do an intricate meal. That’s why something like chicken Parmesan subs makes such great sense. it’s quick, easy and the clean up is a snap. everything can be done in about 20 minutes and you can be on with the rest of your evening.

Chicken Parmesan Subs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Salt and pepper

4 (4-ounce) chicken cutlets

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

4 (6-inch) sub rolls, split lengthwise

4 ounces shredded Italian blend cheese (1 cup)

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Beat the eggs in a second shallow dish. Combine the bread crumbs, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a third shallow baking dish.

Pat the chicken cutlets dry with paper towels and season them with salt and pepper. Dip each cutlet into the flour, then dunk in the eggs and dredge in the panko bread crumb mixture, pressing the cutlets down into the bread crumbs to make sure they adhere. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the cutlets, lower the heat to medium and cook the cutlets until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the cutlets to a paper towel-lined plate and allow them to rest for 5 minutes. Slice each cutlet in half lengthwise.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and cook just until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the diced tomatoes and their juice and allow it to simmer until slightly thickened, about 7 minutes. Mash the mixture until only small chunks of tomato remain. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Place the sub rolls on a rimmed baking sheet. Lay 2 pieces of chicken inside each roll. Cover the cutlets with tomato sauce, then sprinkle with the cheese. Bake the subs until the cheese is melted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Serve.

It’s a very simple and tasty meal that is great for a weeknight. you can serve this with a side salad and you have your meal all set. To save some time, I used some of the left over sauce from the meatballs and marinara I made the other day instead of the diced tomatoes and simply re-heated the sauce a bit before putting it on the chicken.

That’s all for today. Check back tomorrow for another Cook’s Country recipe. The next one up will be a great pan-roasted chicken and vegetables recipe that is one of the issues I received. You make everything on a simple rimmed baking sheet so it is all done in one dish – chicken, potatoes and vegetables. I haven’t forgotten about the peach-blueberry ice cream pie either. That one will be up this weekend. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

2 Comments

Posted by MikeG on August 1, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, Poultry, Sandwiches

Tags: chicken parmesan subs, Cook's Country, Cook's Country chicken Parmesan subs

Cook’s Country Recipe Week Part 3 – Spicy Pork and Broccoli Stir Fry

31 Jul

For day three of using Cook’s Country recipes, I picked out this stir fry to give a try . I love making stir fry dinners since they are quick and easy and make good use of some fresh vegetables. Don’t be put off by the name of this recipe; it is not very spicy at all and has great flavor to it. There aren’t a lot of ingredients in this one at all. The only item I had to go out and buy was the Asian chili-garlic sauce, and you could easily omit it or just use any chili sauce you would like as a substitute and I think it would be just fine.

Spicy Pork and Broccoli Stir Fry

3/4 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon Asian chili-garlic sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 (16-ounce) pork tenderloin, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices, each slice cut into 1/2-inch thick strips

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound broccoli florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stalks trimmed, peeled, and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

Whisk 1/2 cup of the chicken broth, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch, chili-garlic sauce and the sesame oil together in a bowl. set aside. Toss the pork, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch together in a bowl. Heat 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of the pork, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the pork to a plate. Repeat the process with 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil and the remaining pork.

Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a now-empty skillet until just smoking. Add the broccoli and cook until it turns bright green, about 1 minute. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of the chicken broth and cook, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the ginger and the garlic and cook until they are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the soy sauce mixture and cook until it is thickened, about 2 minutes. Return the pork and any accumulated juices to the skillet and cook until the pork is heated through, about 1 minute. Serve.

I did add some yellow, orange and red pepper and a shallot to the recipe, putting them in the skillet and cooking them for about a minute or two before I put the broccoli in the skillet. I think they added some nice color and flavor to the dish. The sauce adhered nicely to the pork thanks to the cornstarch and it had a good flavor with just a little kick to it. I served this dish with white rice and that was it. It is a great, simple dinner that you can have prepared and done in under 30 minutes so it is perfect for any weeknight meal.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another Cook’s Country for this week. The next recipe up will be for some quick chicken Parmesan sub sandwiches that I am making tonight, so you want to check back for that one. I also have a recipe from Bon Appetit for a wonderful peach-blueberry ice cream pie that I made that I will be posting soon. You don’t want to miss that one. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on July 31, 2013 in Cooking Tips, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Pork

Tags: Cook's Country, Cook's Country spicy pork and broccoli stir fry, pork and broccoli stir fry, pork stir fry, spicy pork and broccoli stir fry

Cook’s Country Recipe Week Part 2 – A Myriad of Meatballs and Marinara

30 Jul

I think everyone has their own meatball recipe that they love. Odds are it was something that was handed down from generation to generation and you have gotten so used to having it that way that you don’t really stray from the method. There’s nothing wrong with that – if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. However, much like I am with my meatloaf recipes, I like to experiment with different meatball recipes. I am always on the lookout for something tastier when it comes to having a meatball. My experience very often with meatballs when I have had them out at various places is that they either have no flavor because they do not have much in the way of herbs and spices and are all breading, or they are soft and mushy because they have cooked in the sauce too long and no longer have flavor of their own. When I looked through Cook’s Country and saw this recipe, it sounded like a great one to try.

Meatballs and Marinara

For the Onion Mixture:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 pounds onions, chopped fine

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the Marinara:

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1 cup dry red wine

4 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Salt

1-2 teaspoons sugar, as needed

For the Meatballs:

4 slices white sandwich bread

3/4 cup milk

1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 eggs

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 pounds 80 percent lean ground beef

For the onion mixture, Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onions and cook until they are golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer half of the onion mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

For the marinara: Add the tomato paste to the onion mixture remaining in the Dutch oven and cook until it is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and water and simmer over low heat until the sauce has thickened, about 45 to 60 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the meatballs: Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Mash the bread and the milk together in the bowl with the reserved onion mixture until it is thoroughly combined. Add the sausage, Parmesan cheese, parsley, eggs, garlic and salt and mash to combine. Add the beef and gently knead with your hands until combined (try not to overwork the mixture). Form the mixture into large meatballs (about 2 inches), place the meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until they are well browned, about 20 minutes.

Transfer the meatballs to the pot with the thickened sauce and simmer for 15 minutes before serving.

This recipe does not make quite a bit (the recipe says it serves 8), so you may want to freeze some to have on hand for future meals. The meatballs and sauce should freeze well and will keep for up to 1 month. There are a few notes about this recipe. Browning the onions in the same pot you are going to make the sauce in saves you a few steps and gives great flavor to the sauce and the meatballs. Also, you want to make sure that you do add some water in when you add the crushed tomatoes. Without it, the sauce will over-reduce in 45 minutes and be too thick for your use. For the meatballs, making the mash of bread and milk (called a panade) will bind the meatballs better than any breadcrumb you buy at the store and with the onion mixture will have a lot more flavor. Using the Italian sausage, Parmesan garlic and parsley also help with the binding and they give the meatballs some great flavor. You want to make sure you do not overwork the mixture when you add the beef; just blend it gently until everything is mixed and you won’t end up with rubbery meatballs. I love baking the meatballs in the oven over the stove top because you seem to get better overall browning in the oven and it’s a lot neater than using oil or butter to brown them.

Naturally, you can serve this with pasta or make meatball subs (which I did for myself with some garlic bread since I don’t eat pasta). Michelle and Sean actually had theirs over cheese ravioli. Now I am no pasta expert, especially since I don’t eat it, but I do know how to cook it and there are a few tips you should follow. Make sure you salt the water to season the pasta properly. You want to be sure you stir the pasta as soon as you get it in the water to prevent it from sticking to the pot (I hate cleaning stuck pasta out of a pot!) and then stir it every few minutes as it cooks so it doesn’t all clump together. Adding oil to the water doesn’t really do anything; it won’t prevent the pasta from sticking and it will keep sauce from being absorbed. Also, you know how you like your own pasta; don’t go by what the package says. Check it often to see if it is done to your liking by fishing a piece out and trying it yourself. Finally, even I as a non-pasta eater know you shouldn’t rinse off your pasta. It washes all the starch off the pasta that helps the sauce adhere nicely.

That’s all for today. Check back next time for another Cook’s Country recipe this week. Tomorrow you will find a recipe for a spicy pork and broccoli stir fry. It promises to be tasty, so come back and check it out. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!