Tasty Roasted Chicken

Another hot day and chicken was on the menu. Due to the heat, I chose to 'bake' the chicken in an electric roaster outside. Worked great and chicken was very tasty and more moist than if I had used a conventional recipe. Another keeper recipe! Better yet, it includes ingredients you are likely to already have on hand. The recipe below reflects the same ingredients, but I only included the roaster information. Enjoy!

Tasty Baked Chicken

Betty Reuter, Taste of Home Test Kitchens

1 broiler/fryer chicken (3 to 4 pounds) cut up (I removed skin)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup dry sherry (I used a white Zinfandel)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 shallots, chopped (I used green onions)

1. Place the chicken in a greased roaster. Sprinkle with salt, tarragon, paprika and pepper. Combine with sherry, lemon juice and soy sauce; drizzle over chicken. Top with shallots

2. Roast, covered, at 350 F until chicken is done (about 2 hours). Meat thermometer should read 180 F. Yield 4-6 servings.

Bobby's Goulash

I'm a fan of Food TV. Not all of the shows and certainly not all of the recipes, but it is enjoyable to watch and see what others make. I particularly enjoy Paula Deen's methods of cooking. As mentioned in early posts, I'm a big fan of Southern cooking (I had a boss from Georgia, I guess I can blame him). I was looking for an easy, top-of-the-stove recipe that I had everything in hand. That day, Paula was featuring her son Bobby's favorite foods for his birthday. Ok..gotta try it. Very tasty, but WAY to spicy hot. Could this be because I substituted hot Italian sausage for the ground turkey? Could be. I never buy ground turkey. I have hot Italian sausage a lot, so I think it's really because there was a mistype and only 1 teaspoon of House seasoning was supposed to be in there and not a whole tablespoon. The amount of salt seemed way too high and I used Mrs. Dash, but I think if you only use 1 tsp. House Seasoning, you can go ahead and use whatever you use for seasoned salt (Lawryrs for instance). This recipe is really worth a try. Even my sister, the vegetarian, liked this stuff (her portion had no meat, but she would have liked her Morning Star Crumbles in it). Fast, fast, fast to make and definitely man friendly. By the way, the house seasoning is really good in hamburgers too.

OH, and a tip. If you have too hot peppers (capsicums), use milk or dairy product to cut the heat. If it is excessive black pepper, you use lemon and a little sugar.

Bobby's Goulash

Paula Deen, Food Network 2007

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 pound ground turkey (I used Italian sausage)
2 large onions, chopped
3 cups water
1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce
2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon House Seasoning, recipe follows
1 tablespoon seasoned salt (I used Mrs. Dash)
2 cups dried elbow macaroni

In a Dutch oven, saute the ground beef and ground turkey over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Break up meat while sauteing; spoon off any grease. Add the onions to the pot and saute until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups water, along with the tomato sauce, tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, soy sauce, House Seasoning and seasoned salt. Stir well. Place a lid on the pot and allow this to cook for 20 to 25 minutes. (if using fresh tomatoes, add about 10 min. to cooking time).

Add the elbow macaroni, stir well, return the lid to the pot, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves and allow the mixture to sit about 30 minutes more before serving.

Deen House Seasoning

1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

http://www1.foodtv.com/celebrities/deenbio/0,7543,,00.html

New Food Search Engine

Last couple of recipes were nothing to blog about. However, on our local TV News, a reporter reviewed the Foodie Search Engine. It is an independent search engine that seeks out recipes, lists ratings (if they exist) and saves in your own recipe box. There is a separate section for restaurants in some major cities. They don't have many cities listed yet, but I wasn't surprised to see Joe's Seafood Prime Steak & Stone Crab in Chicago as a top restaurant. I mostly went to dives and Mom&Pop shops to eat when in Chicago, but my ex-guyfriend treated me to steak. Yowza that was yummy! Anyway, you can provide your own review/experience of any restaurant listed. Other things I've found on the site include links to many of the most popular recipe sites, as well as links to famous chef/cook sites.

The location of the search engine is www.foodieview.com. It will give you a couple of hours of enjoyment while you research whatever you might want for dinner!

Peanut Butter Bars

Moms all over the country used to make this all the time. Maybe you lost the recipe. Here it is. Still yummy! Still easy to do. A great summertime treat. It is no-bake although you'll need to heat the oven a couple of minutes to melt the topping. I prefer to use Special K, but really, any cornflake works.

Peanut Butter Bars

1/2 cup light Karo syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1/2 cup peanuts (salted or not)
3 cups cornflakes
1 package chocolate chips (can use less)

Bring Karo syrup and sugar to a boil. Boil one minute. Mix in the peanut butter, peanuts and cornflakes. Pack into greased 9x13 inch pan. Pat with wet hands. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top; then slip into oven two minutes to melt chips. Spread chocolate with rubber spatula and cut into squares.

Moroccan Chicken

In the interests of finding more recipes to make in the crockpot when it's too hot to bake or just because, here's one my Mom tried out of my Betty Crocker Slow Cooker Cookbook. While the recipe recommends drumsticks, I was pleased that even the chicken breast didn't fall apart into a disassociated stew. It was clear though, that this recipe shines better when using dark meat. Save the chicken breast for something else. I really like the spicy version of this dish, but you need to use an adaptation for a slow cooker or it comes out like mud. For a little more kick, add a small amount of grated ginger.

Moroccan Chicken

Betty Crocker Slow Cooking Book

8 chicken drumsticks (about 1.5 lbs), skin removed
1 can (8 oz) pineapple tidbits or chunks in juice, undrained
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon marjoram leaves
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1/4 cup sliced pimiento stuffed olives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Place chicken in 5-6 quart slow cooker. Mix pineapple, onion, garlic, lemon juice, salt marjoram, red pepper and turmeric; pour over chicken.
2. Cover and cook on low heat setting 4 to 5 hours or until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Remove chicken from cooker using slotted spoon; place in serving dish. Cover to keep warm.
3. Remove fat from sauce. Mix cornstarch and water; stir into sauce
4. Cover and cook on high heat setting about 15 minutes or until thickened. Stir in olives.
5. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.

Here's some other versions that do not use a slow cooker.

Here is another recipe for Moroccan Chicken. Equally as good but uses paprika as the main spice.
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1718,129179-250198,00.html

If you want real Moroccan Chicken, this is very close to the one used by my former Co-worker who lived in Morocco for 20 years.
http://www.theelegantchef.com/north_africa_chicken.html

Another that is much spicier.
http://www.recipezaar.com/207154

Pineapple Bran Muffins

I don't know about you, but most every bran muffin I have ever eaten is just plain nasty unless it has plenty of oil or sugar. That doesn't help if you are trying to eat healthy though.

Years ago, I tried the 8 Week Cholesterol Cure by Robert Kowalski. Yep, it works. Dropped my cholesterol down about 50 points just increasing my exercise to a daily 20 minute walk and eating three bran muffins daily. Maybe not as good as Lipitor, but if you only have marginally high cholesterol, you can bring it down with the tips in this book, which is now pretty much out-of-date. For instance, eggs are no longer considered to be the bugaboo they were a decade ago. Niacin, while sold OTC, can cause worse problems than the original cholesterol problem. The best thing I got out of this book was a healthy, but yummy, bran muffin recipe. Not all of his bran muffin variations worked for me, but the Pineapple Bran Muffin was a winner! By the way, on the bad side of 3 muffins a day is all the gas it produces. Your body gets used to that in 2 weeks, but it was annoying. I use Quaker Oat Bran cereal for these muffins.


Pineapple Bran Muffins

2 1/4 cups oat-bran cereal
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk or skim milk
2 - 8 oz. cans crushed pineapple in its own juice (unsweetened)
2 egg whites or 2 oz. egg substitute
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the milk, 1 can of crushed pineapple with juice, egg whites and oil in a bowl or blender. Combine the ingredients and mix. Drain the second can of pineapple and add to the mixture. Line the muffin pans with paper baking cups and fill with batter. Bake for 17 minutes. Make 12 muffins.

If you are short on ingredients, use whatever milk you have in the fridge and substitute the 2 egg whites with one egg. If you have a 20 oz. can, drain all the pineapple and use 1/2 cup of juice and most of the pineapple.

Chicken Mole

Ever since seeing the movie Chocolat, I've thought about making some of the recipes mentioned during the decadent chocolate party. Chicken Mole is one of the most unusual recipes I've tried in a long time. Chocolate and chicken? Seems like an odd combo. Adding in chili powder? Definitely weird. But I liked it! Not only that, but this recipe is quite low in calories! Imagine that! On my blog!?

This recipe was originally from Nestle and printed in one of those cookbooks that contain recipes from the backs of bags, boxes, cans and bottles of commercial food products. I took out about 25 pages of recipes I wanted to try and sent the rest of the book to the garage sale (there are 300 pages, so someone else will enjoy the rest!). This particular recipe is based on tomatoes rather than white sauce, which is why it's low on calories. Great on flavor though! The next time I make this, I would prefer deboned chicken. I could tell that Mom wasn't excited over it, but it is a very different flavor combo than we're accustomed to. The recipe below has been adapted for only 1 chicken. The coating amounts are generous. I used New Mexico Light blend chili from Pendery's (see link in sidebar). This is a good chili blend that doesn't burn (which is great for us wimpy folk). I also used diced tomatoes and pureed them with my hand blender (for very smooth, use a blender). Instead of chicken bouillon, I use Penzeys' chicken base (see link in sidebar) which is a little lower in salt than bouillon. If you are on a no-salt diet, you can skip the salt in both the coating and drop out the bouillon in the sauce. Still going to be pretty close. Using baking cocoa/chocolate will make this low carb. You can puree leftover sauce and pour over ice cream. Yum.

Chicken Mole

Chicken:
1/3 cup unsifted flour
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 broiler-fryer (2 1/2-3 lbs), cut up
2 measuring tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup water

Chocolate Mole Sauce:
2 1/4 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 of 10 oz. can tomatoes and green chilies (I used Rotel tomatoes)
1/2 cup tomato puree
3 oz (1/2 cup) Nestle Semi-sweet Real Chocolate Morsels
1 tsp chicken-flavored instant bouillon (or 1 cube crushed)

Chicken:
In a large bowl or plastic bag, combine flour, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add chicken pieces (2 at a time); coat well. Heat oil in a large skillet; brown half the chicken pieces on all sides over medium heat. Drain thoroughly on paper towels. Repeat with remaining chicken. Pour off all but 2 teaspoons of oil (may need a little more oil if not using non-stick). In same skillet, saute onion and garlic until golden. Return chicken to skillet. Add the water; simmer, covered, over medium heat about 35 to 40 minutes or until chicken is tender. Transfer to a serving platter. Top with Chocolate Mole Sauce. Garnish each serving with peanuts or almonds, if desired.

Chocolate Mole Sauce:
In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes and green chilies, tomato puree, chocolate morsels, remaining chili powder and bouillon. Cook over low heat until morsels melt and sauce is heated through.

Makes 4 servings with 1 1/2 cups sauce.

Note: This mole is milder in flavor than a traditional Mexican mole.

After searching on the net for similar recipes, try adding 1/2-3/4 tsp. cinnamon and/or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter for variation.

Penne with Spicy Chicken Alfredo

I have never before purchased a book by Sandra Lee of Semi-homemade Cooking fame but happened to gander at this one called 20 Minute Meals. I've seen her previous cookbooks and saw some of the reviews and agreed. Many of her recipes are just too unhealthy or not particularly budget conscious. The recipes in this book looked considerably better and fitted my budget, food choices and occasional time constraints. Tonight was the first recipe. We loved it! Definite keeper recipe.

First, the pasta. I didn't even notice that it said 'mini' penne pasta. I just used regular size. You can use Mostaccioli also. It's the same thing without ridges. I had a coupon for the Classico Alfredo Sauce. It's $2.85 for a jar. Yes, to you gourmet types, you can make your own alfredo sauce (see link at bottom)! You need about 2 cups of sauce. Commercial Alfredo Sauce is nearly half the calories of homemade. Finally, instead of packaged chicken strips, I just used fresh chicken breasts, a little salt and pepper, browned a little with olive oil, covered and cooked. I let it cool a few minutes, then sliced into strips. If you have cubed, precooked chicken in your freezer, that would work fine in this recipe and keep you to 20 minutes cooking time. Even cooking the chicken, this was ready in 30 minutes once the ingredients were assembled. The original recipe asked for a 2.5 oz. can of olives. I used a 6 oz. and was glad. I love olives!

FAST, 20 minute recipe.

Penne with Spicy Chicken Alfredo

8 oz. penne pasta
1 jar (16 oz) Alfredo sauce (I used Classico brand)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with Italian spices (can use regular diced also)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (original asked for 1/2 which was too much for me)
12 oz precooked chicken breast, sliced into strips
1 can (6 oz) sliced black olives, drained

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well; return to hot pot. Cover; keep warm
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine Alfredo sauce, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes over medium heat. Stir in chicken and olives. Bring to a simmer; cook for 10 minutes.
3. Serve hot over cooked pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings.

Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Here's a link to America's Test Kitchen Alfredo recipe. Please note that they tested fresh Parmesan cheeses and found DiGiorgno to be as good as Parmigiano-Reggiano for a lot less money.

http://www.foodreference.com/html/fett-alfredo-807.html

Kitchen Stuff

Kitchen stuff can be fun and useful. My scrapbooking buddy, Helle, who hails from Finland, brought this as a gift for my Mom, who spoke only Finnish until she was 7 (alas, she only remembers a few words now). Helle's mom has had the very same style crock on her stove for years. I guess they are popular in Finland. Sure gets used a lot!

Normally, you only see cooking successes on my blog. Here was a disaster. This was a supposed fast-to-make treat using refrigerated crescent rolls and cinnamon coated marshmallows. Doesn't work in my oven as you can see. I even had the temp 25 F less because I thought this might happen. Everybody liked the flavor of the failures, but I guess we'll just go back to Monkey Bread. Yes, folks, I have TOSSED a recipe!

Cutting Up Watermelon

I learned how to cut up a watermelon on Food TV a few years ago. Easy and fast. I use the same technique for cantelopes and melons as well. Watermelon is relatively cheap right now and oh so delicious! Well, so are cantelopes. Here's what to do. Tools: Knife, large cutting board, paper (to place your rind it for easy removal) and large bowl for watermelon cubes. I find a long knife works better than anything else. In this case, it's a Chicago Cutlery knife--they are thick and don't bend which always scares me with other knives. I'm just waiting for the day one snaps while cutting! Mostly though, they tend to get stuck halfway through halving the melon. OK, First, cut your watermelon in half. Then cut the end off. You want that pink stuff showing!

Start slicing down the side, curving slightly with the shape of the melon. Cut away all the white pithy stuff.

To get even chunks, slice down evenly. Then slice those strips into even chunks. Now do the other half the same way. You are done. Place in a big bowl.

If your watermelon isn't at the tip of sweetness, sprinkle on a little salt. There you have it. My method. Takes about 5 minutes for each half. If you are only serving a few people, leave the other half intact until ready to use. Keeps the watermelon fresher.

Spaghetti Sauce

I never watched the Sopranos, but did happen across the Sopranos Family Cookbook at the library. Since the recipe seemed similar to the spaghetti sauce recipe I wanted to try from an Italian cooking show on PBS, I chose that first. I don't like shredded meat, so next time would substitute using spare ribs, italian sausage, and hamburger and I would use less because my final result was too meaty. The full quantity of ingredients in the original recipe would not fit into my 5 quart crock pot, which is the only non-reactive large pot that I had, so we used Mom's 6 quart Caphalon Dutch oven (great pans, but they are ugly). The adaptation below uses less meat, but consider draining more juice and adding back after the tomato has cooked down so that your pot doesn't overflow. I wouldn't hesitate to use fresh tomatoes. I found it easier to puree the tomatoes (with juice) in a 2 quart pitcher in batches using my hand blender. The original recipe required that you take out the meat and set aside for another time. Naw, I don't think so. Also, while the original uses fresh basil, I only have that if my sister grows it. She didn't this year. So, I go with dried.


This is what the original reciope looked like while cooking.

Sopranos Sunday Gravy (Stephanie's adaptation)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound spareribs, cut apart
1/2 pound hamburger
1 pound bulk, fresh italian sausage
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste (I used all of a small can)
Three 28 to 35 oz. cans Italian peeled tomatoes or 6 lb. can diced tomatoes OR diced fresh or frozen
salt and freshy ground pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp. dried basil (divided)

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Place the pieces of the spare ribs in the pot and brown, turning occasionally for about 15 minutes or until nicely browned. Transfer to plate. Brown hamburger and sausage. Set with the pork.

Drain off most of the fat from the pot. Add the garlic and cook about a minute or until golden. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Drain tomatoes until you have 1 cup of juice. Puree tomatoes with remaining juice using hand blender (or in stages using blender) and pour into pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 tablespoon dried basil. Add meat. Stir. Bring sauce to a simmer. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 2-4 hours (6-8 if using open crock pot). If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little of the leftover juice or water. 15 minutes before done, add 1 tsp. dried basil and mix. Serve over spaghetti or use for lasagna.

If you really like that Dutch Oven, you can buy it at Amazon. It's called Calphalon Everyday Nonstick 6-Quart Dutch Oven.