Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Well I Just Bought This
Apparently, I dont own enough cupcake paraphernalia because I found myself inexplicably filling the cupcake-pop-mold VOID in my life by purchasing this mere moments ago:
Read More..
For only $5.95, the My Little Cupcake cake pop mold will soon be mine. With this mold, recreating Bakerellas viral baked good hit will be a cinch (or at the very least, much easier than crafting little cupcake shapes by hand!).
Seriously, this uni-purpose gadget is absolutely genius in the cupcake world. I cant help but ask myself, yet again, "how come I didnt come up with this?"!!!
{So easy, even the tiny, insignificant hands of a child can do it}
Still, Im pretty excited about this thing. But if the cake doesnt pop out of the mold, there will be hell to pay. HELLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!
Monday, January 13, 2014
CLASSIC BAKED CHICKEN
It seems there are two schools of thought when it comes to baking a chicken. Either you are an "old hand" at it...... OR you have avoided trying it because (even the thought of) touching the raw chicken carcass freaks you out. If the "freaking out" part sounds familiar, this post is for YOU!! It really is easy to do and opens up a whole world of recipes.
First of all, I do admit that it is hard to beat a (deli made) rotisserie chicken for convenience (and they taste pretty good too), but they arent cheap and require ANOTHER trip to the market.
I buy whole chickens when they are on sale and freeze them. It takes 2-3 days to thaw a big raw chicken in the refrigerator, so plan ahead.
I used to bake chickens whole (like you would a turkey), but I was GROSSED OUT by the empty chicken cavity that filled with unappetizing-colored mystery juices as it baked (shudder). To remedy that, I split the chicken open, removing the backbone so the chicken could lay flat while it baked.
Start off with a whole chicken that is 3 to 4 pounds. Remove it from the wrapper and use SHARP kitchen scissors to cut down along each side of the backbone (neck to tail) of the chicken. You can do this step with a sharp knife, but it is safer and easier with kitchen shears. Remove the backbone and discard (or see note).
Once the backbone is removed, rinse the chicken thoroughly in running cold water, rubbing down all parts of the meat then dry with paper towels.
At this stage, the chicken still wont want to "lay flat" like in the photo below. To get it to do that, turn the chicken over so you can see the breast bone; make a small cut at the center-top of the breast bone and flex that bone with your hands, it will easily lay out flat. Sounds complicated (but it isnt) and it just takes a second to do.
Brush the chicken skin, lightly, with butter and sprinkle with a little onion powder and dry (and crushed) rosemary (see note) then generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Surround with favorite veggies if you like (but not necessary). If you have a nice big roasting pan, leave out the veggies and bake TWO of these fat hens at the same time. Youll have enough chicken on hand (for sandwiches, salads, quick dinners, etc.) for the whole week, not to mention lots of broth for gravy!!
Bake, uncovered, in pre-heated 375° oven for 1½ hours (for a 4 pound chicken). Remove from oven and cover loosely with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes. This produces very tender and juicy chickens.
CAUTION: It doesnt matter where you get your chicken from or what brand you buy; you still need to be very careful about cross-contamination when it comes to chicken.
ANYTHING that touches raw chicken (from your hands to utensils, to cutting boards, to dish towels and sinks) needs to be washed thoroughly with warm soapy water before you touch ANYTHING else. I go a step farther and use a bleach based kitchen cleaner on all surfaces after preparing chicken. Personally, I worry about this step being ignored when it comes to deli roasted chicken.
NOTE: The backbone that you removed makes GREAT chicken stock. Keep a re-sealable bag in the freezer and throw the backbones in there. When you get half dozen or so, you can make a fantastic chicken stock by throwing them into the crock pot with 2 quarts of water and some onion, celery, carrots and peppercorns; let it cook on low all night. The next morning, strain and let it cool and skim off any fat. You can either use this right away or freeze it. It is WORLDS BETTER than canned chicken broth!!
NOTE: Rosemary goes wonderfully with baked chicken, it sort of tastes like stuffing to me. It looks like hard pine needles, so I crush mine up before I put it on the chicken.
Read More..
First of all, I do admit that it is hard to beat a (deli made) rotisserie chicken for convenience (and they taste pretty good too), but they arent cheap and require ANOTHER trip to the market.
I buy whole chickens when they are on sale and freeze them. It takes 2-3 days to thaw a big raw chicken in the refrigerator, so plan ahead.
I used to bake chickens whole (like you would a turkey), but I was GROSSED OUT by the empty chicken cavity that filled with unappetizing-colored mystery juices as it baked (shudder). To remedy that, I split the chicken open, removing the backbone so the chicken could lay flat while it baked.
Start off with a whole chicken that is 3 to 4 pounds. Remove it from the wrapper and use SHARP kitchen scissors to cut down along each side of the backbone (neck to tail) of the chicken. You can do this step with a sharp knife, but it is safer and easier with kitchen shears. Remove the backbone and discard (or see note).
Once the backbone is removed, rinse the chicken thoroughly in running cold water, rubbing down all parts of the meat then dry with paper towels.
At this stage, the chicken still wont want to "lay flat" like in the photo below. To get it to do that, turn the chicken over so you can see the breast bone; make a small cut at the center-top of the breast bone and flex that bone with your hands, it will easily lay out flat. Sounds complicated (but it isnt) and it just takes a second to do.
Ready for the Oven
Brush the chicken skin, lightly, with butter and sprinkle with a little onion powder and dry (and crushed) rosemary (see note) then generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Surround with favorite veggies if you like (but not necessary). If you have a nice big roasting pan, leave out the veggies and bake TWO of these fat hens at the same time. Youll have enough chicken on hand (for sandwiches, salads, quick dinners, etc.) for the whole week, not to mention lots of broth for gravy!!
Bake, uncovered, in pre-heated 375° oven for 1½ hours (for a 4 pound chicken). Remove from oven and cover loosely with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes. This produces very tender and juicy chickens.
CAUTION: It doesnt matter where you get your chicken from or what brand you buy; you still need to be very careful about cross-contamination when it comes to chicken.
ANYTHING that touches raw chicken (from your hands to utensils, to cutting boards, to dish towels and sinks) needs to be washed thoroughly with warm soapy water before you touch ANYTHING else. I go a step farther and use a bleach based kitchen cleaner on all surfaces after preparing chicken. Personally, I worry about this step being ignored when it comes to deli roasted chicken.
NOTE: The backbone that you removed makes GREAT chicken stock. Keep a re-sealable bag in the freezer and throw the backbones in there. When you get half dozen or so, you can make a fantastic chicken stock by throwing them into the crock pot with 2 quarts of water and some onion, celery, carrots and peppercorns; let it cook on low all night. The next morning, strain and let it cool and skim off any fat. You can either use this right away or freeze it. It is WORLDS BETTER than canned chicken broth!!
NOTE: Rosemary goes wonderfully with baked chicken, it sort of tastes like stuffing to me. It looks like hard pine needles, so I crush mine up before I put it on the chicken.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
MAX’S IRRESISTIBLE HAM and VEGGIE PASTA SALAD
 |
A wonderful pasta salad for potlucks, ‘game day’, get-togethers, or just because... |
Servings: (8-10)
Prep: 10 Mins.
Cook: 15 Mins.
INGREDIENTS
½ lb. elbow pasta, cooked and cooled
--(Max prefers Barilla due to ridges in the macaroni)
2 cups cooked and cubed ham
5 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
6 radishes, thinly sliced
3 green onions, finely sliced
2 tablespoons chopped dill pickles
--(Max prefers Nalley Baby Dills)
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
1 cup mayonnaise
--(more or less to your desired moistness)
1-1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon old bay seasoning
½ teaspoon garlic granules
½ teaspoon onion granules
½ teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
METHOD
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain in colander while running cold water over noodles to quickly cool. Pour drained pasta in a large bowl, and add the remaining ingredients. Gently fold to combine. Let stand, covered, for a minimum of 1 hour in refrigerator for flavors to meld, then serve. ~ Enjoy!
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Chicken Olive
Chicken Olive
Ingredients
- Chicken breast 2
- Oil 2 tbsp
- Butter 2 tbsp
- Onion chopped 1
- Garlic chopped 3 – 4 cloves
- Capsicum chopped 1
- Button mushroom chopped ½ cup
- Boiled tomatoes 2
- Worchester sauce 1 tbsp
- Vinegar 1 tbsp
- Green olives ½ cup
- Fresh cream 3 – 4 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Crushed black pepper ½ tsp
- Parsley chopped 2 tbsp
Method
- Cut chicken into layers and keep aside.Heat oil and butter in a wok, add 3-4 cloves of chopped garlic. Sauté till golden brown.Add in sliced chicken breast, also add 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped capsicum, chopped mushrooms, chopped green olives and 2 boiled chopped tomatoes. Cover and cook on medium flame for 6 – 8 minutes.Now remove lid, add in salt to taste, ½ tsp crushed black pepper, fresh cream, Worchester sauce, chopped parsley and fruit vinegar.Now fry well on high flame till water dries.Dish it out and serve hot.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Salsa Chicken
2 lbs chicken breasts
6 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 jar of your favorite salsa
couscous
sour cream
shredded cheese
Cut chicken into 1" cubes and put in a gallon Ziplock bag. Add seasoning and shake until coated. Dump contents of bag into Crock Pot and pour jar of salsa over the top (I personally love to use Archer Farms Organic Chipotle salsa!) Cook on low for 7-9 hours. Serve over couscous and top with sour cream and cheese if desired
Posted by Kylie
6 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 jar of your favorite salsa
couscous
sour cream
shredded cheese
Cut chicken into 1" cubes and put in a gallon Ziplock bag. Add seasoning and shake until coated. Dump contents of bag into Crock Pot and pour jar of salsa over the top (I personally love to use Archer Farms Organic Chipotle salsa!) Cook on low for 7-9 hours. Serve over couscous and top with sour cream and cheese if desired
Posted by Kylie
Thursday, January 9, 2014
SANDRA’S SWEETLY SPICED CANDIED PECANS
 |
Candied pecans are fantastic to eat as a snack, are a great addition to salads, and feel free to top desserts with these yummy morsels... |
Yields: 2 cups
Prep: 5 Mins.
Bake: 30 Mins.
INGREDIENTS
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole pecans
½ cup granulated sugar
1-½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon fine-grain kosher salt
METHOD
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with oil, and set aside.
Pour sugar, cinnamon, and fine-grain kosher salt into a plastic bag, and shake to mix.
Place egg white, water, and vanilla extract into a medium bowl, beat with a hand mixer until slightly foamy, and add pecans; tossing to coat well. Lift pecans out of bowl with a slotted spoon (or spider used in Asian cooking and stir-fry recipes) and place them into the bag of sugar and spices. Shake pecans in bag making sure they are well coated.
Place the coated pecans so they are separated and in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, while tossing with a fork 15 minutes into the baking process. Let cool completely before serving. ~ Enjoy!
Dum Bhurji
Dum Bhurji
Ingredients
- Boiled egg 4
- Oil ¼ cup
- Potatoes ½ kg
- Chili powder ½ tsp
- Turmeric ½ tsp
- Cumin powder 1 tsp
- Coriander powder 1 tsp
- Crushed red pepper 1 tsp
- Mustard seeds ½ tsp
- Fennel seeds crushed 1 tsp
- Onion chopped 1
- Ginger chopped 1 piece
- Garlic chopped 3 – 4 cloves
- Cinnamon 2 sticks
- Black cardamom 2 – 3
- Cloves 4 – 5
- Green chilies chopped 2
- Boiled tomatoes 2
- Salt to taste
- Water 1 - 1 ½ cup
- Coriander leaves ¼ bunch
- Cauliflower ¼ piece
- Peas boiled ½ cup
Method
- Remove skin of boiled eggs, heat ¼ cup oil in a wok, add in boiled eggs and fry till golden brown. Remove and keep aside.In the remaining oil add ½ kg potatoes cut into cubes. Fry till golden brown.
- Now turn the flame low, add 1 chopped onion, ½ tsp chili powder, ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp crushed red pepper, ½ tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp crushed fennel seeds, 3 – 4 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 chopped piece of ginger, 2 chopped green chilies, 2 – 3 black cardamoms, 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 – 5 cloves and salt to taste.
- Fry for 1 – 2 minutes.Now add 2 boiled chopped tomatoes, fry well.Add in 1 – 1 ½ cup water, cover and cook till potatoes are tender.In another pan boil ¼ piece of cauliflower with a little water, cook for few minutes.
- Now add boiled cauliflower with ½ cup boiled peas and ¼ bunch of chopped coriander leaves to the pan.Mix well on high flame.Also add boiled egg and mix well. Dish it out and serve.
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