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Food is our common ground, a universal experience.

Chicken Chow Mein

My daughter told me her favorite meal is now chow mein so I thought I would give the homemade version a try. I looked through my Jamie Oliver Food Revolution cookbook and sure enough he had a healthy version of chow mein. She liked this dish so much that she asked me to make it every night...success! I changed a few things to our liking from the original recipe.

Picture and recipe taken from Jamie's Food Revolution cookbook and website.

  • a thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic
• ½–1 fresh yellow chilli, to your taste
• 1 large skinless chicken breast
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a small bunch of fresh cilantro
• 4 oz chow mein noodles
• peanut oil
• 1 heaped teaspoon cornflour
• 2–3 tablespoons soy sauce

These are the ingredients I left out if you want to add them for more flavor; 2 scallions, 1 baby bok choy, 4 shitake mushrooms, 1 x 8 ox can of water chestnuts, 1 small lime.

To prepare your stir-fry
• Put a large pan of water on to boil
• Peel and finely slice the ginger and garlic
• Finely slice the chili
• Slice the chicken into finger-sized strips and lightly season with salt and pepper
• If using, cut the ends off your onions and finely slice
• Pick the cilantro leaves and put to one side, and finely chop the stalks
• If using, halve the bok choy lengthways
• If using the mushrooms, either tear into pieces or leave whole

To cook your stir-fry
• Preheat a wok or large frying pan on a high heat and once it’s very, very hot add a good lug of peanut oil and swirl it around
• Stir in the chicken strips and cook for a couple of minutes, until the chicken browns slightly
• Add the ginger, garlic, chilli, cilantro stalks, mushrooms (if using) and half the onions
• Stir-fry for 30 seconds, keeping everything moving round the wok quickly
• Add your noodles and bok choy to the boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, no longer
• Meanwhile, add the cornflour, water chestnuts and their water to the wok and give it another good shake to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom
• Remove from the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• Halve the lime, squeeze the juice of one half into the pan and mix well
• Drain the noodles and bok choy in a colander over a bowl, reserving a little of the cooking water
• Stir in the noodles and bok choy with a little of the cooking water to loosen if necessary, and mix well
• Have a taste and season with more soy sauce if needed

To serve your stir-fry
• Use tongs to divide everything between two bowls or plates, or to lift on to one large serving platter
• Spoon any juices over the top and sprinkle with the rest of the spring onions and the coriander leaves
• Serve with lime wedges 

Delectable Marinated Chicken Thighs

I was looking for a marinate for the boneless, skinless, chicken thighs I wanted to BBQ later and I came across this one on Allrecipes.com I did not have the smoke flavoring or sesame seeds and my son dislikes teriyaki sauce so I omitted all three ingredients. Also, I used olive oil instead of canola oil. The children devoured the chicken and my son's friend, who joined us for dinner, asked me to let him know the next time I am making these so he can join us again. It was a hit. Picture and recipe from allrecipes.com.


Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

Directions

1. Mix together Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, liquid smoke, and molasses in a resealable plastic bag until the molasses has dissolved. Add sesame seeds, brown sugar, paprika, garlic salt, garlic pepper, minced garlic, and canola oil; mix well. Coat chicken thighs with the marinade, seal, and marinate for 4 hours in the refrigerator, redistributing the chicken in the marinade occasionally.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat.
3. Remove chicken from marinade and shake off excess. Grill on preheated grill until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), and is firm and opaque, about 12 minutes per side. Discard any remaining marinade.

Best-Ever Barbecued Ribs

I use to bbq ribs so tender, I never needed to bake in the oven or boil to start, the good old days. For some reason, lately, all my ribs are turning out dry. So I tried this recipe found in the July 2012 issue of Bon Appetit and damn! They are tender and good. Give this recipe a try. Recipe and photo from Bon Appetit; July 2012 issue.


2 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp dry mustard
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 lb baby back pork ribs (Okay, I admit, I did not make this many ribs, make enough for however many people you are feeding)
low salt chicken broth
1 1/2 cups store bought or homemade bbq sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degree. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Place each rack of ribs on a double layer of foil. Sprinkle rub all over ribs. Wrap racks individually and divide between 2 baking sheets.
Bake ribs until tender but not falling apart, about 2 hours. Carefully unwrap and pour juices into bowl, reserve. Let ribs cool completely.
Build a medium hot fire in a charcoal grill. Add broth to rib juices to make 1 1/2 cup. Whisk in bbq sauce to blend. Grill ribs with direct heat, basting with bbq sauce mixture and turning frequently, until laquered and charred in places and heated through, 7-10 minutes. Serve with additional bbq sauce.

Scottie's Fatty Cheese Lasagna

This is my boyfriends's lasagna recipe and it is super cheesy and delicious. He changes it up each time but this is the basic recipe. The difference from many lasagna recipes is that you slice, not shred, the cheese. Also, you add Monterey jack into the mix.

1 pound ground beef
1/2 yellow and 1/2 red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 jars of your fav spaghetti sauce or make it homemade (see spaghetti n meatball recipe)
1 pnd mozzarella cheese, sliced
1 pnd Monterey jack cheese, sliced
1 pnd part-skim ricotta
1 small can black, pitted, olives, sliced
Salt
Pepper
Italian seasoning
1 pnd lasagna noodles

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat olive oil and sauté onion until tender in large sauté pan. Add ground beef with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook until browned. Dispose of grease and add spaghetti sauce. Meanwhile, boil noodles as directed on package. Mix ricotta cheese with olives and season to taste. Layer the lasagna by starting with sauce, noodles,  a layer or ricotta mixture, noodles, sauce, mozzarella cheese slices, noodles, sauce, Monterey jack cheese slices, noodles, sauce.....until lasagna is complete. 

Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes, uncover and bake for another 25 minutes.

Grilled Lobster Tails

Picture and recipe from
http://www.savoryreviews.com/
This is a delicious grilled lobster tail recipe I found online. Enjoy!

• Lobster tail(s)
• Skewer(s) – one per lobster tail
• 1/4 stick of butter per lobster tail
• 1 clove of garlic per tail
• 1 tsp of lemon juice per tail
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)

Light your grill, you want to cook the tails over indirect heat.Then  make the garlic lemon butter.Melt the butter, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon together. Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut a slit down the back of the lobster tail all the way to the tail fan. Flip over the lobster tail so that it is on its back. Making sure that the lobster is flat, insert a skewer right underneath the tail fan. Then push it through the center of the meat to the other end. Place the tails cut side down on the grill right on the edge of the heat zones. Right between the hot and cool sides of the grill. Cook for 7-8 minutes and then flip the tails. Move them over a bit just until they are not directly over the coals. Cook with the lid closed. Next baste the tails with the garlic lemon butter. Make sure to get a lot of the butter into the sliced portion of the shell. Cook for another 3-5 minutes. Cook with the lid close. When the meat is opaque, it is done. Remove from the grill. Baste one more time with the butter and cover with aluminum foil. Let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Jamie Oliver's Chicken Fajitas

I finally bought my first Jamie Oliver cookbook. I choose the Food Revolution because it was the only soft cover, therefore the cheapest. This is the first recipe I made from it and it was so simple yet very good. You will see in the directions that it is copied directly from his book as well as the picture posted above. Looking for an easy recipe, this is it.

1 red bell pepper
1 medium red onion
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
A small pinch of ground cumin
2 limes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/16 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 x 8-inch flour tortillas
½ cup plain yogurt
2 ounces Cheddar cheese

For the salsa
½–1 fresh red chile, to your taste
15 ripe grape or cherry tomatoes

about ½ cup a small bunch of fresh cilantro

1/16 teaspoon sea salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 lime

For the guacamole

a small handful of cherry tomatoes

about ¼ cup

½-1 fresh red chile

a few sprigs of fresh cilantro

½ ripe avocado

1 lime

·         Put your grill pan on a high heat. Halve and seed your bell pepper and cut it into thin strips. Peel, halve, and finely slice your onion. Slice your chicken lengthways into long strips roughly the same size as your bell pepper strips.

·         Put the bell peppers, onion, and chicken into a bowl with the paprika and cumin. Squeeze over the juice of half a lime, drizzle over a lug of olive oil, season with the salt and pepper and mix well. Put to one side to marinate for 5 minutes or so while you make your salsa.

·         Finely chop your chile. Roughly chop your tomatoes and the cilantro, stalks and all.

·         Put the chile and tomatoes into a second bowl with the salt and pepper and the juice of 1 lime. Then stir in your chopped cilantro.

·         Use a pair of tongs to put all the pieces of bell pepper, onion, and chicken into your preheated pan to cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the chicken is golden and cooked through. As the pan will be really hot, keep turning the pieces of chicken and vegetables over so they don’t burn – you just want them to lightly chargrill to give you a lovely flavor. Give the pan a little love and attention and you'll be laughing.

·         To make the guacamole squeeze a handful of cherry tomatoes on to a board. Finely chop up the flesh with ½ -1 red chile and a handful of cilantro leaves, including the top part of the stalks.

·         Halve the avocado, leaving the side with the pit for another use. Then squeeze the one side of the avocado over a board so the flesh comes out of the skin. Discard the skin. Squeeze over the juice of 1 lime and chop everything together until fine. Taste and adjust the flavors if needed.

·         Warm your tortillas up in a microwave or a warm dry frying pan. Divide your warmed tortillas between your serving plates.

·         Halve your remaining lime and squeeze the juices over the sizzling pan. Serve with bowls of plain yogurt and guacamole alongside your Cheddar, a grater, and your lovely fresh salsa.

Chicken Marsala

I had forgotten to look up a recipe for dinner and wanted to try something new so I just got onto my epicurious app and found this gem of a meal. Very delicious and rich in flavor. I had never tasted marsala wine and, of course, a chef must taste the vino they are putting into the recipe. It has a very unusual consistency, almost like a liqueur.

• 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 10 oz mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (2 lb total)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry Marsala wine
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 200°F.

Bring broth to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over high heat, then boil, uncovered, until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 20 minutes. Cook shallot in 3 tablespoons butter in an 8- to 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until shallot begins to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, 1 teaspoon sage, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
Put flour in a wide shallow bowl. Gently pound chicken to 1/4 inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap using the flat side of a meat pounder or a rolling pin.

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour, 1 piece at a time, shaking off excess. Transfer to sheets of wax paper, arranging chicken in 1 layer.

Heat 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté half of chicken, turning over once, until golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer cooked chicken to a large heatproof platter, arranging in 1 layer, then put platter in oven to keep warm. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and cook remaining chicken in same manner, then transfer to oven, arranging in 1 layer.

Add 1/2 cup wine to skillet and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, about 30 seconds. Add reduced broth, cream, and mushrooms, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons wine and 1/2 teaspoon sage.

Serve chicken with sauce.

Wine Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc

Brussels Sprouts Braised in Butter

I know, I know, brussels sprouts blahhhhh....but try these before you turn your nose up to this vegetable. Anything braised in butter is good! This recipe is from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

-brussels sprouts

-water

-salt

-butter

-wax paper

Trim the base of each Brussels sprout with a small knife and pierce a cross in it for quick cooking. Remove any wilted or yellowish leaves. Drop the sprouts into a rapidly boiling pot of water 1 ½ tsp salt per quart, bring to boil for 6-8 minutes, drain.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and smear butter inside a casserole or baking dish. Arrange the sprouts heads up in the casserole dish; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, and with 2-4 tbls melted butter.

Take a round of lightly buttered waxed paper and lay it over the sprouts. Cover and heat on top of the stove until vegetables begin to sizzle, then place in middle level of oven and bake for 20 minutes or until tender.

Breast of Chicken with Duxelles Stuffing

I bought my first $50.00 app on my ipad the other day. The Professional Chef which is the Culinary Institute of America's textbook. I am very pleased with it and this is the first recipe I tried. Mouth watering delicious! I had no idea what duxelle was until I attempted this recipe. I have a feeling this app will be teaching me a lot.

4 boneless chicken supremes

2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 lb duxelles stuffing (recipe follows)

5 oz all-purpose flour

6 fl oz egg wash (recipe follows)

12 oz dried bread crumbs

24 fl oz clarified butter or oil, or as needed

Trim the chicken supremes and remove the skin if desired. Butterfly each breast portion and pound between sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap to even thickness.

Blot dry the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Spread each breast with a portion of the duxelles stuffing and roll the breast around the stuffing. Overlap the edges to form a seam.

Apply a standard breading: dredge the chicken in flour, dip in egg wash, and roll in bread crumbs.

Heat about 1/2in/1cm butter to about 350 degrees in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the chicken to the butter, seam side down first, and pan fry until golden brown and crisp, 2-3 minutes. Turn once and finish pan frying on the second side until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 170 degrees, about 3 more minutes. Finish cooking in a 350 degrees oven once the crust is properly browned, if preferred.

Duxelles Stuffing:

6 oz minced shallot

2 oz butter

2 lb small dice mushrooms

1 tbsp salt

2 tsp ground black pepper

8 fl oz heavy cream that has been reduced by half

8 oz bread crumbs

1 tbsp chopped parsley

Sweat the shallots in the butter in a sautoir over medium-high heat until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté them until dry to create a duxelles. Season the duxelles with some of the salt and pepper.

Add the cream, breadcrumbs, and parsley and mix well. 

Egg Wash:

5 eggs

5 oz milk

Pinch salt

Combine using a wire whip.

Chicken Cacciatore

I just wanted to try something new for the children and I was not sure they would eat chicken with a tomato sauce. My son had his friend over and I served this dish. His friend asked me to give the recipe to his mom and my son said "please make this again." Success! Even my daughter, who is a picky eater, ate dinner that night. This recipe is very easy and found in the February 2012 issue of Food and Wine magazine.

2 tbs olive oil

2 pnds skinless, boneless chicken, cut into 2 inch pieces

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

8 oz cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 tsp finely chopped rosemary

2 tbs tomato paste

1 can peeled Italian tomatoes, pureed, 28 oz

¼ cup water

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

Crusty bread for serving

In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to skillet and cook over high heat until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add the onion, garlic, mushrooms, and rosemary to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and cook until softened and lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the pureed tomatoes and ¼ cup of water. Add the chicken and any juices and bring to a boil.

Cover partially and simmer over moderately low heat until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and serve with crusty bread.

Wine pairing: Earthy, spiced Chianti: 2009 Coltibuono RS Chianti Classico.

Braised Pork with Cherry Gravy

Picture found on foodandwine.com

This dish would be my first try at an overnight marinade dish and all I have to say is "wow." The pork was so tender you could cut through it with a fork, that is the way pork is meant to be. The flavor is delicious. This dish is worth the effort to make. Both of my children loved it. Recipe by Michel Nischan and found in the February 2012 issue of Food and Wine magazine.

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, tied

Salt and freshly ground pepper

5 tbs vegetable oil

6 celery ribs, coarsely chopped

2 carrots, coarsely chopped

3 large onions, coarsely chopped

¼ cup tomato paste

1 cup dry red wine

6 cups chicken stock or broth

1 cup dried sour cherries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the pork with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, brown the pork in 2 tbs oil. Remove the pork; pour off the fat. Add 2 tbs of the oil to the pot. Add the celery, carrots, and 2 onions and cook over moderate heat until golden, 15 minutes. Add the tomato paste, wine, and stock; bring to a boil. Add the pork and cherries, cover and braise in the oven for 4 hours. Cool, refrigerate overnight.

The next day, skim the fat from the liquid and remove the pork. Boil the gravy until reduced to 1 ½ cups, 26 minutes. Strain the gravy into a saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Untie the pork and slice into 6 medallions.

In nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbs oil, add the pork and brown well. Serve with the gravy.

Wine pairing: Tart cherry-scented, medium bodied such as Chianti: 2009 Selvapiana.

Fried Rice

This is my own version of fried rice adapted from the foodnetwork.com and courtesy of Tyler Florence.

My daughter came home from her friends and said she loved fried rice. I had never made it before so I found a recipe online and served it to her. She said "yuck peas",so a couple weeks later I tried again, but this time I replaced the peas with mushrooms, which she loves. This version turned out great but I took the cabbage and shrimp out of Tyler's Shrimp and Egg Fried Rice with Napa Cabbage recipe. The nice thing is you can add whatever veggies you like and include or omit shrimp and/or chicken.

6 Tbs peanut oil

2 shallots

1 (2in) piece ginger, peeled and grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

6-8 oz mushrooms, sliced

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

4 cups cooked rice, preferably cooled.

3 tbs soy sauce

¼ bunch scallions, sliced for garnish

½ cup chopped peanuts, for garnish

Heat 2 tbs of the peanut oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium high. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the shallots and ginger stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add 2 more tbs of peanut oil, add the garlic and saute until fragrant, saute mushrooms until tender, set aside.

Add remaining oil in wok and when hot, crack the eggs into the center. Scramble the egg lightly, and then let it set without stirring so it stays in big pieces. Fold the rice in and toss with egg until well combined.  Return all other ingredients to dish and season with salt and soy sauce, heat through. Garnish with scallions and peanuts.

Dawn's Tri-tip Marinade and Seasoned Red Potatoes

My best friend, Dawn, had been watching my children one day so that I could go to work and I came home to this delicious meal. My response was "when can you move in?" She is a fantastic cook and throws things together without recipes. These are both her creations and as far as measurements, well, you will have to add to taste.

Dawn’s Tri-tip Marinade

Montreal steak seasoning

Olive oil

Soy sauce

Worcestershire sauce

Red wine vinegar

Cut tri-tip into 1 inch slices and grill or bake to preference.

Seasoned Red Potatoes

Cut potatoes into bite size  pieces.

Put in bowl and stir in olive oil, French seasoning, and pepper to taste.

Spread in one layer on cookie sheet and sprinkle seasoning salt on top

Roast for 30 minutes at 450 degrees

Broil last few minute to crisp and brown tops.

Beer Braised Beef with Onion Dumplings

I bought this new cookbook a couple months ago because it was on sale. This is the first dish I made from it and it was very good. I felt it was a little too sweet because of the allspice and cloves, I would recommend a slight reduce on these spices if you don't want it tasting too sweet. I also omitted the dill from the dumplings because I have not found a taste for dill in recipes yet. The dumplings and the braised beef with beer is delicious.

Beef:

4 Tbls vegetable oil

3 pnds boneless chuck (fatty rather than lean), cut into 1 ½ inch chunks

¾ cup all-purpose flour

2 pnds onions, coarsely chopped

½ pnd carrots, thickly sliced

3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

½ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp ground allspice

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 bottle (12ozs) dark beer

1 tbls tomato paste

1 tsp salt

Dumplings:

6 tbls unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

½ cup buttermilk

2 tbls chopped fresh dill

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

½ cup fine fresh bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 5-7 quart Dutch oven or heavy bottomed saucepan, heat 2 tbls of the oil over medium-high heat. Dredge the beef in the flour, shaking off the excess. Working in batches (this is so the meat browns, rather than steams), cook the meat until browned all over, about 5 minutes.  Transfer the meat to a bowl.

Add the remaining 2 tbls oil to the pan along with the onions, carrots, and garlic. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the thyme, allspice, cloves, beer, tomato paste, salt, and 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Return the meat to the pan. Cover and place in the oven. Bake for 1 ½ hours, or until the meat is tender. Place the pan on the stovetop.

Dumplings:

In a small skillet, heat 1 tbls of the melted butter. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the buttermilk, dill, and 2 tbls of the melted butter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the buttermilk mixture. Stir the dumpling mixture gently until moistened.

In a shallow bowl, stir the remaining 3 tbls melted butter into the bread crumbs. One at a time, drop the dumpling mixture by rounded tablespoon into the crumb mixture and turn to coat. Drop the dumplings onto the simmering stew, spacing them evenly. Cover the pan and simmer the stew until the dumplings are tender and cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Spicy Oven Fried Chicken

My best friend Dawn gave me The bon appetit fast easy fresh cookbook for my last birthday.

My favorite recipe in this book, that I have tried, is this Spicy Oven Fried Chicken. It is very simple to make and bursting with flavors. My children love the taste. I have used boneless chicken breast with or without skin. You can reduce the cayenne pepper if you want it less spicy; it does have a kick. Don't omit the melted butter because that adds crisp to the final dish.

1 ¼ cups buttermilk

2 tbs Dijon mustard

4 garlic cloves, pressed

2 tsps salt, divided

1 ½ tsps cayenne pepper, divided

12 chicken pieces with skin and bones (4 breasts, 4 thighs, and 4 drumsticks)

1 cup unseasoned dry breadcrumbs

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup all purpose flour

2 tsps dried thyme

½ tsp paprika

3 tbls unsalted butter, melted

Whisk: buttermilk, mustard, garlic, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp cayenne in large bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 3 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Place: 1 rack on each of 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Mix breadcrumbs, cheese, flour, thyme, paprika, remaining 1 tsp of salt, and ½ tsp cayenne in medium bowl. Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Working in batches, add chicken to breadcrumb mixture; turn to coat. Arrange chicken pieces, skin side up, on racks. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat: oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle butter over chicken; bake until crisp, brown, and cooked through, about 50 minutes.

Wellesley Fudge Cake

I bought a new magazine a couple weeks ago. Chocolate Desserts from Cook's Country TV Show.  I've made the fudge, brownies, and chocolate cake recipe and the only one worth posting so far, in my opinion, is the Wellesley fudge cake. The frosting is so good and the cake moist.

Cake

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¾ cup hot water

½ cup (1 ½ oz) dutch-processed cocoa

16 tbs unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

2 tsps vanilla extract

Frosting

1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

8 tbs unsalted butter, cut in half and softened

½ tsp salt

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions

Adjust oven rack to middle and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 inch square cake pans. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in bowl; set aside. In small bowl, whisk hot water with cocoa powder until smooth; set aside. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and mix until incorporated. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of buttermilk, until combined. Reduce speed to low and slowly add cocoa mixture and vanilla until incorporated.

Divide batter evenly between pans and smooth top with spatula. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, 25-30 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans 15 minutes, and then turn out onto wire rack. Let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Frosting:

Heat brown sugar, ½ cup evaporated milk, 4 tbs butter, and salt in large saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles appear around perimeter of pan, 4-8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture has thickened and turned deep golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Slice remaining butter into 4 pieces and stir in with remaining evaporated milk until mixture is slightly cool. Add chocolate and vanilla and stir until smooth. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar until incorporated. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, 1 hour.

Pot Roast

This recipe is from Julia and Jacques cooking at home show that airs on PBS in my hometown. I have found I need to add more liquid to keep the roast tender and the cooking time will vary depending on the size of the roast. She added a large white turnip cut into pieces with the small onions and carrots but I omitted that because I don't like turnips. I have been attempting to make the perfect pot roast and this one has a delicious flavor and is one of my favorites thus far.

Ingredients:

1 bottom round roast

1-2 tbs Vegetable oil

1 white onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 tsp fresh thyme

5-6 tomatoes, chopped

1 ½ cup white wine (add enough wine and water to cover meat and keep meat covered by liquid at all times)

1 cup water

Salt and pepper

8-10 small whole onions

½ pnd small baby carrots

4 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

Directions:

Cut fat off roast, salt and pepper entire roast. Heat vegetable oil in stock pot that is oven proof. Brown meat on all sides. Add white onion, thyme, tomatoes, white wine, water, and salt. Bring to boil. Cover and place in oven for 3-4 hours at 350 degrees.

Add small onions, carrots, potatoes and return to oven, cook covered in oven 1-1 ½ hours.

Roasted Red Potatoes

Try this simple potato dish that has been a favorite of my parents the few times I've cooked it for them. The skins of the potatoes are left on leaving all the flavor and the cheese gets crunchy on top.

Ingredients:
- 1 pound small red potatoes
- 2 Tbls grated parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbls olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:
Cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices. Toss with oil. Place in a single layer in a greased pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until tender.

The Ultimate Cheesecake

I saw this recipe made on Tyler Florence's Ultimate show, it can be found on foodnetwork.com, which is where the picture was copied from as well. Delicious cheesecake! A must try if you are a cheesecake fan. I did not do the blueberry topping and it still turned out so good. Next time I will make the topping as well. 

 Crust:

• 2 cups finely ground graham crackers (about 30 squares)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
•  

Filling:

• 1 pound cream cheese, 2 (8-ounce) blocks, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 pint sour cream
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 dash vanilla extract
•  
• Warm Lemon Blueberry Topping, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, combine the ingredients with a fork until evenly moistened. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Pour the crumbs into the pan and, using the bottom of a measuring cup or the smooth bottom of a glass, press the crumbs down into the base and 1-inch up the sides. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.

For the Filling:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed for 1 minute until smooth and free of any lumps. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to beat slowly until combined. Gradually add sugar and beat until creamy, for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters. The batter should be well-mixed but not overbeaten. Pour the filling into the crust-lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Set the cheesecake pan on a large piece of aluminum foil and fold up the sides around it. Place the cake pan in a large roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan; the foil will keep the water from seeping into the cheesecake. Bake for 45 minutes. The cheesecake should still jiggle (it will firm up after chilling), so be careful not to overcook. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours. Loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the inside rim. Unmold and transfer to a cake plate. Using a spatula spread a layer of Warm Lemon Blueberry topping over the surface.

Slice the cheesecake with a thin, non-serrated knife that has been dipped in hot water. Wipe dry after each cut.

Topping:

1 pint blueberries 
1 lemon, zested and juiced 
2 tablespoons sugar

In a small saucepan add all the ingredients and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes or so until the fruit begins to break down slightly. Leave to cool before spreading on cheesecake.

Yield: 6 servings