Cornflake Chicken

So I have this big box of cornflakes left over from the holycraptheseareamazing cookies burning a hole in my pantry (metaphorically speaking, of course). What to do? Cornflake chicken, of course.

Cornflake Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups Cornflakes, crushed. (I start with about 2 cups and add more as needed. I hate to waste perfectly good flakes.)
1 egg,
Flour for dredging
Vegetable oil for frying

1. Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts.
2. Set up a little 3 part breading station for yourself:
a. Flour. (depending on the meat involved I either use a shallow pie pan or the ol’plastic bag method wherein you coat it shake n’ bake style)
b. Egg wash. Beat one egg with about 3 tablespoons of water in a separate shallow dish.
c. The breading – cornflakes in this case, also in a shallow dish.
3. Go thru the breading process – coat the chicken with flour, dip into the egg wash and then roll it around in the cornflakes, pressing down so that they stick well.
4. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan or cast iron skillet.
5. When the oil is hot, carefully place the chicken breasts in the pan.
6. Allow the chicken to cook at least 4 minutes on each side or until the flakes are golden brown, the chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

Serve with greenish looking mashed potatoes :)

A Dip for Mr Dennis - Country Pork Spareribs

Yes, it’s an AB sort of weekend. I wanted to make these country pork ribs on the grill. Typically I do ribs one of several ways. I either par-boil them and then baste with sauce on the grill (like my daddy showed me) or else I’ll brine them. Today was a brine day. Why brine? Visit here for a complete scientific explanation. Alton Brown, King of the Briners had a great visual example of the brining process using Barbie dolls, but I can’t find it online. Anyway, he has an interesting brine for pork in his James Beard award-winning cookbook “I’m Just Here for the Food”. This is a great cookbook that is also a “how-to” and “why-to” of cooking. Can you say SCIENCE?! Along with the recipe, he shares that “Mr. Dennis” is a euphemism for the family pig.

A Dip for Mr. Dennis
Adapted from Alton Brown’s “I’m Just Here for the Food”

Software:
Target cut of pork
1 tablespoon juniper berries
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
10 whole cloves
1 ½ cups kosher salt (I cut it by half to ¾)
½ cup molasses

Hardware:
Tea ball or paper coffee filter and string
Medium stockpot
2-gallon plastic bucket

Combine spices in tea ball or tie them securely into a paper coffee filter and place in pot with salt and molasses. Add water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Remove tea ball and discard the spices; pour the liquid into the bucket and add the meat. Allow the meat to brine for at least 6 hours or as long as 12 hours. Remove the meat from the pan, pat dry and immediately cook as desired.

Since I was only using about 5 large “ribs” I cut the amount of salt way back and marinated for about 2 hours. I rinsed the meat off before cooking as well. Grill over med-high heat until juices run clear. Lip-smackin’ pork goodness.

Black Bean Taco Pasta

As usual, I lost track of time and had nothing planned for dinner. I wanted something pasta, something fast (!), something not necessarily low fat/cal but something that had protein but not meat per se as I’m trying to scale back on the amount of that I use on a weekly basis. Back from my Weight Watchers days, I remembered I had a recipe for Taco Soup (supposedly a “One Point” recipe for those of you in the know). I modified my original recipe to be kid friendly – they liked it, but next time I need to only use a tablespoon or so of the taco seasoning instead of the whole pouch. (Mommy, this is a little “spicy”.)

Black Bean Taco Pasta
Serves 4

EVOO for sautéing onions/garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Taco seasoning (pouch)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
½ cup sour cream
Kosher salt
Fresh parsley, chopped
½ - ¾ pound uncooked gemelli pasta

Boil pasta according to package directions. In the meantime, in a large skillet, on medium high heat sauté the onions and garlic in the EVOO until soft. Add the taco seasoning and stir briefly until powder is absorbed. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, corn and beans, deglazing the pan if needed. Bring mixture to a simmer. Add sour cream and stir thoroughly. Cook for about 5 minutes for flavors to meld and sauce to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss cooked gemelli pasta with sauce, sprinkle with parsley, serve and enjoy.

“Quick” Quiche

I can only assume they were referring to the prep time. That was a snap. Cooking/actual time from oven to plate was 45 minutes to an hour later. The name is definitely misleading but very tasty and so well worth making. I made two so the next time I needed a "quick quiche" I could have one almost instantaneously.


Quick Quiche Recipe
courtesy Elizabeth Gilroy, Food Network

4 eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup real mayonnaise (aka Hellman's :))
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup minced onions
Salt and garlic powder
8 ounces shredded Swiss or sharp cheddar cheese
1 package frozen chopped spinach
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Hand whip eggs, half-and-half, mayonnaise, and flour in a medium mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into an unbaked 9-inch, deep pie crust. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the top is golden brown.

makes 1 quiche

Chicken and Lettuce Wraps?

We were getting into a bit of a rut with our chicken dinner selections, and I wanted to change things up a bit and to see if there was anything else in the world that No Thank You Boy would eat. A friend and I went to see Mamma Mia! and then went out for appetizers afterwards. We had chicken lettuce wraps and I thought I'd try to recreate them after a fashion. My thought was that it's fun, different, and you could eat with your hands (ok, that part appeals more to Messy Boy rather than No Thank You Boy). I had all the basic ingredients on hand (um, like chicken and lettuce). I have to limit the number of blatantly obvious ingredients so that I can slip some others in under the radar, so this is a pretty stripped down version. I did manage to sneak in water chestnuts without "anyone" noticing and prep was easy. It was a mess to eat but everyone liked it.

Chicken and Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:
Filling:
Rotisserie chicken, meat stripped off bones and roughly chopped
1 can water chestnuts, sliced and roughly chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
½ small onion chopped
4-6 leaves of lettuce, rinsed and dried
2 tablespoons olive oil

Sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup water
Dash sesame oil
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Create sauce by mixing ingredients in small bowl and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine chopped chicken and water chestnuts. Add garlic and onion. In a medium pot, heat the olive oil. Add the chicken mixture, stir in the sauce ingredients and combine thoroughly to coat and heat through. Remove from heat. Place one lettuce wrap on each plate and place a small scoop of the chicken on each. Roll up, forming a small pocket or envelope.

Eggplant

(cranky voice coming from the direction of the kitchen) "Hey. Hey! Remember ME? I'm the eggplant that you HAD to buy even though nobody likes me but you! Well, sistah, get cooking 'cause I ain't getting any prettier sitting here on the counter looking at you looking at me. The boys are gone to a Braves game and it's just you and me and the Little One who's happy as a clam eating Kraft Mac n Cheese with hot dogs cut up in it. A complete No Risk situation. What are you waiting for? Get on with it, girl!"

Sigh. So here I go with the eggplant. I love eggplant. Always have. I loved it even more when I got the full scoop on it on Food Network. Ah, I remember like it was yesterday.... (insert sparkly fade out to black here) ... January 2002: my very first Good Eats episode. DH went out to the store for something one evening and I actually got to sneak in and watch TV, fiendishly changing the channel from some blah blah talking head political blah blah blah station to Food Network. I found Good Eats. Alton was finessing eggplants. I was hooked at first sight. MacGyver meets Julia Child meets Einstein meets Thomas Dolby. le sigh. When my unwitting DH returned, there I am, on the sofa, in his spot, holding the remote and looking completely enthralled but in a semi-crazed way. Excitedly, I blurted out "Did you know that there are Boy eggplants and Girl eggplants and that you can tell the difference between them?" Wordlessly, and never taking his eyes off me, he slowly backed out of the room. I don't think he's ever left the house at night since. That'll teach ya. Anyway, I'll save my AB ramblings for other posts.

No purging the eggplant (with salt) tonight, as I'm short on time so I'm pretty sure I need another tactic in order to salvage this poor pod. I read on RecipeZaar or somewhere (Sorry, I'll post the link when I find it again) about preparing eggplant without salting or frying the heck out of it in greasy oil. I decided to try it since I didn't have anyone to ruin make this for but me. It turned out ok. Yeah, just ok. I used premade sauce since I didn't have any homemade stashed in the freezer. I think that the jarred stuff was too... bright? Too young? Is that a valid description? When I think of eggplant parm, I think deep, rich and simmered with melded flavors and all gooey with cheese. This was, well, not that. It was bright and cheerful. Good qualities in girl scouts, sunflowers and kindergarten teachers, but not eggplant parm. I am not daunted though as I will go back to Square One and make my own sauce or follow AB's recipe for Eggplant Pasta the next time a lone eggplant talks it's way into my cart, as the basic prep technique here was surprisingly successful but the sauce blew it. (Note: next day, The Messy One had a bite and sort of liked it. Of course he did. Like Mikey, he eats almost everything. He is not however, like THAT Mikey - yet.)

(Baked) Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients
1 c Parmesan cheese, grated
1 lg Eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2" rounds
1 c Bread crumbs
Mayonnaise for coating
1 1/2 c Tomato sauce, (homemade is best)
8 oz Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425. Brush both sides of the eggplant rounds with a thin layer of mayonnaise. Combine 3/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese with the breadcrumbs in a shallow pan, and press the eggplant slices into it, both sides, pressing firmly to be sure the crumbs adhere well. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray (or on a silicone mat) and bake for 10 minutes, flip to other side and bake for another 10 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Remove from oven, take slices and lay them in a 9x13 casserole dish lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Overlap them so the whole bottom is covered. Add tomato sauce, top with mozzarella and the remaining Parmesan cheese. Lower heat and bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until cheese melts.

Asparagus Among Us

I went a little crazy last week at Harry's/Whole Foods. I just can't help it. I go in and the sight of all those colorful fruits and veggies just makes me feel healthy and makes me want to cook with each and every item there. Among the things I bought that day was asparagus. Lovely thin and slender stalks, just saying "please, take me home". So, I heard and obeyed. A week later, the asparagus is not eaten and is now crying "Please put me out of my misery. Tomorrow I will be slimy and gross. Do something with me tonight or your 4 bucks will have gone down the drain..."

So, yes, my little green friends. I will make something with you but please understand that I will need to pick you out for the Little One and No Thank You Boy. Don't take it personally. The sundried tomatoes are also not on the guest list for those two either.

Penne and Asparagus with Sun Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 lb. penne pasta

splash olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

1 bunch asparagus, woody stems removed and cut into 2" segments

1 cup sundried tomatoes, cut lengthwise into strips

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook penne according to package. While pasta water is boiling, saute garlic in olive oil in non-stick pan. Add asparagus and sundried tomatoes and heat until slightly softened. Remove to separate plate. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk, heavy cream and wine until blended. Add the parmesan cheese. Heat this mixture in pan until warm and the cheese starts to get a little melty, but not clumpy. When pasta is done, drain well, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Toss pasta with asparagus mixture and add the sauce to coat all. If sauce turns out too thick once it gets to the pasta, add a little of the reserved pasta water. Salt to taste.

When the stars make you drool ...

justa like Pasta Fazoool, that's A-moraaaaay. We love Dean Martin. (Have you seen the Armstrong flooring magazine ads? Makes you look twice. What a great campaign!)

We also love "Pasta Fazool" (aka Pasta e Fagioli). This is a great quick and dirty recipe - my favorite kind. I get a big bang for almost no effort in 15-20 minutes and leftovers to boot. The kids don't like the "fazool" (beans) part, so we leave that out and for tonight I threw in ready made frozen meatballs for a little protein and to make it a little heartier, of course counting out the total number of meatballs so each kid gets his appointed share of the loot at serving time. Kroger makes a frozen version of mirepoix (carrot, onion and celery) that's pre-chopped. When I have a few mintues more and none of the "Mommmmm, I'm hungry" (this from The Messy Eater), I use mild Eye-talian sausage. I have a great herb garden so I always have fresh rosemary and thyme that I send the boys out to pick.
Adapted from Rachel Ray's first cookbook, 30 Minute Meals.

"Pasta Fazool"

4 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) EVOO
3 small carrot, peeled and chopped *
2 ribs celery, chopped *
1 medium onion, chopped *
*I use a whole bag of frozen mirepoix (carrots, onions, celery) noted above for the previous 3 ingredients if I'm totally rushed. Just rinse under warm water to slightly defrost before adding to pan)
2 (4 to 6-inch) sprigs rosemary, left whole
Several (4 to 6-inch) sprigs thyme with several sprigs on it, left intact
3 cans (15 oz each) chicken broth
Coarse salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups uncooked ditalini noodles
Crumbled mild Italian sausage, removed from casing and browned (or frozen pre-cooked meatballs in a pinch!)
Grated Parmigiano or Romano, for the table
Crusty bread, for mopping

Preparation
Heat garlic in olive oil over medium heat in a deep pot over medium-high heat. Add herb stems and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Lower heat, cover pot and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While this is cooking, in another pan, brown sausage over medium-high heat until cooked through. Add broth to the veggie pot, raise heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the ditalini and sausage (or meatballs - still frozen is ok). Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 10 minutes or until noodles are al dente.
Serve immediately with a generous amount of cheese and crusty bread for bowl mopping.

Feeds up to 4 (although with my junior crew, there are usually some leftovers for me the next day.)