Seasoned Flour

Happiness is a cast-iron skillet full of chicken, bubbling and frying away. So, if you have 3 of them going, it must be happiness beyond all reasoning....well, anyway, I fried some chicken (lots) and made seasoned flour to coat it.
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
dash of paprika

Chicken Parmasen

I guess technically I should call this Chicken "Mozzarella", as the chicken pieces are topped with mozzarella instead of Parmesan, but you could sub it around so that it was the other way if you wanted to. This was wonderful, and I will make this again.

Chicken Tenders
Flour
Egg
Italian Style Bread Crumbs
Margarine
Spaghetti
Spaghetti Sauce

1. Dredge chicken pieces in flour.
2. In a medium sized bowl, beat egg with a little water. Dip each of the chicken pieces in the egg, then coat the chicken pieces with bread crumbs.
3. Melt a little margarine in a skillet. When the margarine is melted, add the chicken pieces. Allow to brown fully before turning and browning other side.
4. Transfer chicken pieces to a baking pan. Top each piece with a generous amount of spaghetti sauce. Bake in oven at 375 degrees about 15 - 20 minutes. Toward the end of the time in the oven, top with mozzarella cheese.
5. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Add spaghetti sauce and stir until heated through.
6. Serve chicken with pasta.

Bread Baking!

I have a bread machine. It is a good little machine, and I have used it to make bread before, but I don't like the way the bread comes out when it's finished. For some reason, even though the machine does all the work and I measure the ingredients carefully, my bread never comes out the way I think it should. So, I prefer to make bread the old fashioned way: with my hands. Today I tried a very basic bread recipe from The James Beard Cook Book. The dough was beautiful and it was nice to work with. And, the top didn't sink in.
I halved the recipe so it would only make 1 loaf. The full recipe was for 2 loaves.

Basic White Bread (makes 1 loaf)
1-1/4 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water + 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1 Tablespoon sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
2 Tablespoons butter


Put the lukewarm liquid in a large bowl and add yeast. Add sugar and salt and stir well (until yeast dissolves).
Add the flour 1 cup at a time and stir in with a wooden spoon. As soon as you have a smooth dough, melt the butter and mix it into the dough. Then add the rest of the flour. Continue stirring or mixing until the dough is blended.
Turn the dough out onto a floured board, cover it with an inverted bowl and let it rest 10 minutes. Knead until smooth and satiny.
Allow the bread to rise in a bowl until doubled (1-1/2 to 2 hours). Then punch the dough 2 or 3 times to deflate the dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 3 minutes. Shape into a loaf and put into a well greased loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake in a 375 degree oven until nicely browned and done (40 - 45 minutes).

Tuesdays with Dorie Post Number 3: Apple Cheddar Scones

This week's recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Karina of The Floured Apron. The recipe is Apple Cheddar Scones, which made me happy because there are many wonderful scone recipes in Baking: From My Home to Yours and I have been eager to try them.
This recipe was also perfect for another reason. A good friend of mine recently returned from a trip to England, and brought me a scone cutter from Greenwich, England. I was so excited about the scone cutter, and then when the next recipe ended up being scones....well...the happy dance was in order.
The dough came together very well, and the scones baked up nicely. I loved the flavors from the apples and cheese, and the cornmeal in the recipe gave the scones a nice crunch. I made these over the weekend, and had a wonderful lunch and breakfast.
I do think I will need to go back to cutting the recipes in half again though....I made the full batch and ate too many of them :)

Chicken Pita Pockets

I have recently discovered Kraft's Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette. It is wonderful on salads, used as a marinade, and as a dressing in salads. The bottle touts that it is free of preservatives etc., and has only 60 calories in 2 Tablespoons, so it is guilt free as well as flavorful. I used the dressing in the chicken salad for these pita pockets, but you could sub any of your favorite dressings in its place.
2 pita pockets
3 oz chicken, chopped
2 Tablespoons Kraft Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
finely chopped broccoli
shredded carrot
finely chopped onion
salt and pepper

Combine chicken, broccoli, carrot, onion and vinaigrette in a bowl. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let mixture chill for a few hours. When ready to enjoy, stuff chicken salad into warmed pita pockets.

Experimenting with Corn Cakes

If you have been reading any of the recipes on this blog, you will know how much I love pancakes. I got to thinking about playing with my pancake recipe again, and this time I decided to make corn cakes. I substituted corn grits for the flour, and added chopped jalapenos and corn to the batter. After the corn cake cooked (I made one big one), I topped it with a mixture of taco meat, peppers, onions, mushrooms and corn seasoned with cumin and chili pepper. On top of all of this I added salsa. It was delicious, and the corn cake had a nice crunch to it.

1/4 cup corn grits
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1/4 cup milk
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup corn
jalapenos, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Pour mixture onto a hot griddle to create a corn cake. Let the corn cake cook well before flipping....be gentle with it as it will fall apart. After the cake has cooked on both sides, top with taco meat etc.
Meat mixture:
taco meat
onions
green peppers
mushrooms
canned corn
jalapenos
cumin
chili pepper
salt and pepper

Combine in a frying pan, and brown in a little olive oil.
After I put the meat mixture on top of the corn cake, I topped it with salsa and a little sour cream.

Couscous Salad

This made for a quick lunch today. The idea came from a recipe posted on allrecipes.com . I followed it pretty closely, but didn't add the cucumber, and only used 1/4 cup of cranberries instead of 1/3 cup.

1/3 cup couscous
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
2 teaspoons balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
salt to taste

Add couscous and dried cranberries to a bowl. Pour hot water over the ingredients. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let stand for 5 - 10 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork, and add remaining ingredients, mixing well. Enjoy!

Note added June 19, 2008-- Today I fixed this for lunch and added half a cucumber, diced. Wonderful! Try it- it's good!

Note added June 22, 2008--Added some chopped onion today. I combined couscous, cranberries, and finely chopped onion in the bowl, then poured the hot water over and followed the rest of the recipe (I also had the cucumber in the salad). Very delicous!

Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

1 large tomato
salt and pepper
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
green onion, chopped
1/8 cup + 2 teaspoons Parmesan cheese
1 egg white

Cut the tomato in half and scoop out the insides using a melon-ball scoop. Season the insides of the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Mix the rest of the ingredients together well and divide between the tomato cups. Bake in a preheated oven (450 degrees) for 20 minutes, or until tops are golden.

Lime Chicken with Spaghetti

This came together rather quickly, and was delicious! I think the next time I make it, I will toss in some steamed broccoli or cauliflower.

2 (or more) green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon oil
6 oz chicken, cubed
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tablespoons minced parsley (or more)
½ teaspoon seasoning salt
¼ teaspoon lemon/ pepper seasoning
4 oz spaghetti

In a large skillet, saute onions& garlic in oil until tender.
Stir in the chicken and cook for a few minutes. Add lime juice, parsley, seasoned salt and lemon-pepper. Saute for 15-20 min or until chicken juices run clear and chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Add to chicken mixture& toss.

Makes 2 servings

Butterbur's Taco Salad

1/4 cup taco meat
1/4 cup canned beans (black beans, pinto beans etc.)
1 garlic clove
lettuce
tomato
onion
salsa
grated cheese
sour cream or yogurt cheese
green onion

1. In a pan, heat taco meat, beans, and garlic together, mixing well.
2. Toss lettuce, wedges of tomato, and sliced onion in a bowl. Add salsa, and using a spatula, work it into the salad.
3. Top lettuce with meat and bean mixture, and sprinkle grated cheese over the top. Top with sour cream and chopped green onion.
4. Enjoy!
Makes 1 serving.

Butterbur's Open Faced Tomato Sandwiches

Ah, tonight I had a veritable feast of foods! A bowl of left-over corn chowder, romaine salad tossed with balsamic vinegar, and open faced tomato sandwiches. Pure contentment!

1 serving
1 English Muffin
1 wedge Laughing Cow Cheese
fresh Basil
fresh Oregano
thinly sliced onion
thinly sliced tomato
freshly ground black pepper
freshly ground sea salt

1. Cut English Muffin in half. Toast the two pieces.
2. Divide the Laughing Cow Cheese in half. Spread half a wedge on each Muffin half.
3. Press fresh Basil and Oregano leaves into the cheese.
4. Top with onion slices.
5. Top with tomato.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Corn Chowder

It was unseasonably cool outside today, and when I went outside in the late afternoon, the only thing I could think was "soup". So today was the day of Corn Chowder. This recipe comes from The Joy of Cooking. I have included both the original recipe, and then the changes that I generally make.

Saute slowly until lightly browned:

1/2 cup chopped salt pork
Add and saute until golden brown:
3 Tablespoons chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 Tablespoons chopped green pepper
Add and simmer:
1 cup diced pared raw potatoes
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 bay leaf
When the potatoes are tender, in about 45 minutes, combine until blended, bring to the boiling point, and add to the above:
3 Tablespoons flour
and:
1/2 cup milk
Heat about 5 minutes and add:
1-1/2 cups hot milk
2 cups whole-kernel corn
Reheat but do not boil the soup. Serve it sprinkled with
Chopped parsley

* * *

My changes:

• I like to use bacon in this recipe. I saute 4-6 pieces in the bottom of a large dutch oven. Then I add green pepper, onion and a garlic clove. I always add way more onion to this soup.
• I usually omit the celery (if I feel too guilty about that, I add celery seed sometimes).
• If I have lots of time, I add the raw potatoes as called for. If I don't, I partially cook them in the microwave and throw them in with bacon when it is browning.
• I enjoy adding grated cheese to the soup after it is done cooking.
• Canned corn works well in the recipe, but frozen or fresh is awesome!

Washington All-Purpose Flour Biscuits

I was looking for something quick to throw together to have with corn chowder, and found that this recipe worked perfectly. These biscuits are nice and salty, and went well with the soup!

• 2 cups sifted flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Place in bowl. Stir to blend.

• 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons shortening)

Add. Cut into flour until crumbly.

• Scant 2/3 cup milk

Add gradually; stir to make a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface. Knead gently 6 to 8 strokes. Roll or pat to one-half thickness desired in baking biscuits. Cut with floured cutter. Place on baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Curry Chicken

This recipe came in handy tonight as I had some broccoli in the fridge that needed to be used. I've not done much with curry, so it was a nice and tasty change of pace.
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 Tablespoon reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1 cup sliced fresh carrots
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fresh broccoli florets
4 green onions, thinly sliced

1. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, curry and red pepper flakes. Stir in broth and soy sauce until smooth; set aside. In a large nonstick skillet or wok coated with nonstick cooking spray, stir-fry chicken in 1 teaspoon oil for 5-6 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.
2. In the same pan, stir-fry carrots and garlic in remaining oil for 1 minute. Stir in broccoli; cook 2 minutes longer. Add onions; cook 1-2 minutes longer.
3. Stir broth mixture and stir into vegetables. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Return chicken to pan; heat through.

Yield: 4 servings
Calories: 1 cup equals 194 calories
Butterbur's Notes: I used cauliflower with the broccoli, and used left-over cooked chicken

This recipe comes from The Taste of Home Cookbook.

Biscuit Adventure

OK, I had some chicken salad in the refrigerator, and wanted something to eat it with that wasn't store bought bread. Here is the recipe that I found in The New Basic cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins.

Roasted Red Pepper Biscuits
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
pinch of sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cold
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 red pepper, roasted and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes, and using two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Add the half-and-half, and stir to blend well. Then incorporate the roasted pepper.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it for about 30 seconds. Pat it out until it is 1 inch thick, and cut out rounds with a 2-inch cookie cutter.
5. Arrange the biscuits on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake until puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack and allow them to cool.
Yield: 6 biscuits

That is the base recipe, but of course, I had to play with it. Here are my changes to the recipe:

• cut the recipe down so that I was only making 1/4 of the dough. I ended up with 2 biscuits
• used whole wheat flour
• used skim milk instead of half-and-half
• used jarred roasted red pepper- next time I will cut it into smaller pieces then recommended
• used a hamburger patty shaper to make large, flat biscuits
• baked for 10 minutes

Once the biscuits had cooled, I topped one with chicken salad. Yum!

Yours humbly, Butterbur

Butterbur's Broccoli Chicken Wrap

What to do with leftover roast chicken? Hmmmm....tortillas.....
1 serving

1 wedge of Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese
1 Tablespoon chopped onion
1 Tablespoon chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh chives
Large piece of broccoli (fresh)
3 oz roast chicken
salt and pepper

1. Combine cheese, onion, green pepper, garlic and chives in a bowl. Mash together to make a paste. Salt and pepper to taste.
2. Cut broccoli so that you have have the florets to work with. Chop into tiny pieces. Add to the cheese mixture and mash together until combined. I like to go heavy on the broccoli, so that the mixture in the bowl is mostly broccoli coated with the cheese.
3. Spread the mixture in the middle of the tortilla. Top with sliced roast chicken. Season with a little more salt and pepper.
4. Wrap the mixture with the tortilla, then chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour to allow the flavors to combine.
5. Enjoy.

Butterbur's Quick Fix Garden Patch Pizza

Ah, veggies. A nice diversion for the palate.

Makes 1 serving.

• 1 slice whole wheat or other whole grain bread
• 1 wedge of Laughing Cow Cheese (Swiss)
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1- 2 Tbsp chopped red onion
• 1- 2 Tbsp chopped green pepper
• A couple of broccoli florets, chopped into tiny pieces
• Chives
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Salt and Pepper
• Olive Oil

1. Toast bread. Spread cheese evenly on bread.

2. Combine all veggies in a bowl. Add a splash of vinegar and oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and chives.

3. Top toast and cheese with veggie mixture and spread evenly.

4. Vegify.