December 6 is the Feast Day of Saint Nicholas. (And yes, Virginia, there really is a Saint Nicholas. His is a story for another time). For those of you who might not know it; Kiddo is our grandson. Hubby and I have raised him since he was an infant. Although “raised” as an only child, we wanted to provide him the experiences of large family whenever possible.
Slow-Cooker Asian Inspired Orange-Walnut Chicken
Just when you thought we were putting the crock pot away, out comes another great recipe. I could not resist yet another Asian Inspired Chicken Dish. I don’t know about you, but it seems I always have plenty of nuts to work with during the holidays. But enough about my guys, let’s get to cooking!
Continue reading “Slow-Cooker Asian Inspired Orange-Walnut Chicken”Making Sunday Supper Special
So often, we reserve certain “traditions” for particular days. Turkeys at Thanksgiving and Ham at Easter are two great examples of this. Why Ham at Easter? There are all sorts of theories – most of which aren’t very flattering to the Christian believer who eats ham at Easter.
Deck the Halls with a Red and Green Tree Trimming Supper
Tis the season to be jolly. While tree trimming can be time-consuming, it can also be a great reason to gather a few close friends and make a party of it. Parties mean delicious foods, good company and plenty of laughter.
Continue reading “Deck the Halls with a Red and Green Tree Trimming Supper”
Duck Dynasty Cast Iron Biscuits
The weekend is coming! Yeah – the weekend is coming! I’m getting excited . . . come Sunday, it’s going to be a great Country Feast – with old fashion Skillet Biscuits and plenty of Fruit Preserves. Who knows, I might even have to break out a checkerboard table-cloth!
For me, breakfast is a big deal. If I had it my way, the table would be lined with all sorts of things – big fat sausage links, spicy sausage patties and mounds of bacon. Fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, and pancakes and waffles and let’s not forget fresh fruits. Oh, I’m getting excited just thinking about breakfast. I would eat breakfast for lunch and dinner, too. Variety – endless breakfast variety. My guys like breakfast; but don’t need much – some eggs, a little toast and maybe some bacon (Hubby could easily skip the bacon, so that would be just Kiddo and I). I could go on and on – can’t you tell? Yeah, I love breakfast.
Duck Dynasty Cast Iron Biscuits
2 cups Biscuit Mix, plus small amount of additional mix
1 cup sour cream
½ Cup Sprite or 7-Up
½ stick butter
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Using a pie or pastry blender, mix Biscuit Mix with sour cream and Sprite or 7-Up to create the dough. DO NOT over-work, combine until just blended.
Sprinkle extra biscuit mix onto a pastry sheet or wax paper. Plop dough onto sheet and press down, shaping dough into 1/2 inch or so thick disk.
Use a biscuit cutter to cut biscuits. Set aside until ready to bake. Reshape any remaining dough and cut into biscuits. You should get about 8 biscuits.
In a small iron skillet, melt butter. Dip cut biscuits in melted. Then arrange biscuits in a large cast iron skillet (at least 12″) or cookie sheet.
Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with your favorite fruit preserves.
Cheesy Baked Tortellini Casserole
This wonderful recipe was inspired by my blogger-friend Jan over at Mommermon, who received her inspiration from no.2 pencil. Giving credit where credit is due; I have included links to both sites below.
Chicken Parmesano Vino Bianco
Chicken Parmesano Vino Bianco, also known as Chicken in a White Wine Parmesan Cream Sauce over Linguine. I know I have mentioned this like a zillion times, but what’s one more? My favorite, absolute gotta have favorite cuisine on the planet is Italian. And not just any style of Italy, but that which reflects the greatest Northern influence.
Continue reading “Chicken Parmesano Vino Bianco”Asian Inspired Broiled Pork Tenderloin
Faults – we all have them. Inner conflicts, struggles and sometime out right declarations of war inside our heads. I am a creative person. I also tend to over think things, and that clashes with my creative, spontaneous side. When I take the time to make a list of pros and cons, the con column tends to outweigh the pro side. If I think about something for too long, chances are I’ll talk myself out of things. To avoid such situations, I tend to leap without looking. Hubby and I had our first date on a Monday and we were married that Saturday. Over thirty years later and I’ll have to admit that sometimes leaping without looking over the ledge is a good thing. Just to make sure, we had three weddings. The first was eloping in Lake Tahoe, the second was a renewal of vows in Glacier Bay with a few friends, and the final, over the top wedding was to renew our vows yet again on our 15th anniversary in the company of over 200 of our closest friends and family present. How could I resist? Hubby’s such a great man, with a twisted, nutty sense of humor. He always makes me laugh in spite of myself.
I have my own brand of crazy going on, although more quiet and hidden from most of the world. One of my crazy obsessions is with labels and categories. I have this need to have everything categorized, labeled and organized. This need to categorize includes all my recipes. Just because a recipe sounds good or tastes good doesn’t mean I can figure out how to “share” it properly, how to mark the proper boxes of categories and tags. Marking this as a pork dish is obvious. But is it American? What is the subcategory? What side dishes can be served? What are the predominant influences of the dish . . . and so on until I get all tangled up in analyzing and so on and oh my – my head is spinning! Soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar – I finally settled on Chinese-Asian. What a weight off my shoulders! That settled, the perfect side dish would be Spicy Asian Stir-Fry Spaghetti. Another delicious choice would be Sesame Soy Green Beans.
Finally I can share this wonderful pork with you. The port is so wonderful. Sweet and salty and oh so moist. Hope you enjoy this supper as much as we did.
Asian Inspired Broiled Pork Tenderloin
Marinade
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons rice wine
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Butterfly pork lengthwise. Place in a zip lock bag.
In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients. When combined, pour the marinade over the tenderloin. Refrigerate for a 8 hours or overnight (best).
Pork
3 lbs pork tenderloin
Turn on your broiler to its HIGH setting. Remove the tenderloin from the marinade, letting any excess drip off. Place the tenderloins on a baking sheet covered in foil (think ahead – easy clean up), cut side up. Drizzle a little marinade over pork.
Broil the meat for 7-8 minutes. Turn tenderloin cut-side down. Drizzle marinade over pork. Continue to broil meat about 8-10 minutes or until 160 degrees.
Remove from oven, cover to keep warm and let rest about 5 minutes.
Slice pork against the grain. Transfer to a serving platter. Pour pan drippings over pork and enjoy.
Forty-Cloves Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken Legs
What can I say – love all those French garlic rich chicken dishes. I adore chicken kissed with wine. I love playing around with new recipes. So here we are; with a new recipe to play with from Eat At Home Cooks.com. She has a great take on the Forty-Clove chicken – utilizing legs and cooking everything up in a slow cooker. The only changes I’ve made is to include warm baguettes and create a sauce of sorts using the chicken juices that accumulate in the pot reduced with a little white wine. Let’s face it, just about everything is elevated when wine is added to the dish. This recipe is a blend of her awesome crock pot method and my rendition of French Country Forty-Clove Garlic Chicken.
Continue reading “Forty-Cloves Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken Legs”
Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Wraps
My guys love BLTs – any way you slice them, they gobble ’em up. Here’s a great way to make an American favorite as a wrap. Great while watching your favorite game on the TV or as part of a buffet table. Stack ’em and wrap ’em in foil for your next picnic or outing. Maybe you’re just looking for a light meal. Serve these wraps with a little deli salad (such as potato) or some chips. These are so versatile and oh so easy to make, assemble and serve.
BLT Wraps
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
8 (10-inch) flour tortillas
1 large head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 medium onion, thinly sliced (optional)
16 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Combine mayonnaise and tomatoes in a small bowl. Set aside until ready to use.
Fry bacon, drain on paper towels. Once cool enough to handle, crumble bacon into a bowl. Set aside until ready to use.
Warm Tortillas on a flat griddle sprayed with a little cooking spray. This will soften tortillas and make it easier to roll. Stack warm tortillas on a plate.
Working with the top tortilla, spread the mayonnaise-tomato mixture evenly over one side of the tortilla, leaving a 1/2-inch border.
Layer lettuce, onions, and bacon evenly over tortilla; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roll tortilla about a quarter turn; fold end toward center and continue to roll. Cut wrap in half diagonally, and secure with wooden pick.
Transfer to a serving platter. Repeat until all the tortillas have been filled. Serve and enjoy. These are great “on the run” as they are easy to wrap in foil and take it along wherever you go.
Japanese Glazed Chicken Drumsticks
Kiddo has always been a fan of all things Japanese. When he was younger, we took “pretend” trips to other countries via Imaginary World Travels. When asked “which country would you like to visit”, his initial response was “Japan!” Kiddo was disappointed when I would remind him we had already visited Japan, and the point of our Imaginary travel was to visit a different country during each school break. Needless to say, the title of this recipe alone made it an automatic hit with him. It’s very similar in taste to Filipino Chicken Adobo, but with a thicker, sweeter sauce.
The first time I made Japanese Glazed Chicken Drumsticks, I made a mistake, which turned out to be a good thing. (Don’t you just love it when that happens?) I had transferred the chicken to a serving bowl, and was allowing the sauce to thicken just a little more when something happens (can’t remember what) that needed my immediate attention in the backyard. I turned down the heat, and had Kiddo stir the pot while I ran outside to help Hubby. It took a little longer than planned, and I hadn’t set a timer or instructed Kiddo to remove the pot after 5 minutes. The sauce became this wonderful, thick ultra-sticky glaze.
Note: Looking for something a little different in the Chicken Wing Appetizer Department? Both Adobo Sauce and Japanese Glaze are excellent alternatives. Just remove the chicken from the sauce using a slotted spoon. The wings will be awesomely delicious while still in the sticky-finger game.
Japanese Glazed Chicken Drumsticks
12-16 chicken drumsticks
1/2 Cup Water
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup Japanese soy sauce (Kikkoman’s)
2 1/2 tablespoons ultra fine sugar
4 garlic cloves, peeled and bruised
1 small hot chili peppers, slit open, seeds removed
2 Green Onions, chopped for garnish (Optional)
Peel and bruise garlic. Chop hot chili peppers and green onions. Set aside until ready to use.
Place all the ingredients except green onions in a saucepan over a high heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 40 minutes.
Increase the heat, turning the drumsticks frequently in the liquid, and cook until the liquid has reduced to a thick glaze, about 20 minutes.
Remove chicken from glaze, keep warm. Lower heat and continue to allow glaze to reduce and thicken, about 15 to 20 minutes longer, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Return chicken to the pot, coat well with glaze.
Arrange the chicken on a serving platter. Remove the garlic clove and chili from the glaze, then spoon any remaining the glaze over the drumsticks. Garnish with chopped green onions just before serving.
Serve with steamed rice or Spicy Asian Stir-Fry Spaghetti.
Amazing Stir Fry Beef While Winging It
Everyone’s been there, done that – had life go crazy-nuts. And not in the good kind of crazy, what a hoot kind of way. You know how it goes, take a week’s vacation and come back to the insanity of work piled up everywhere. It’s amazing what you accomplish in a week – it’s even more amazing what doesn’t get accomplished while you were gone, right?
Compound that by three. Once upon a time, Hubby, Kiddo and I all worked for the same Event Rental Company. When we took a vacation, it meant three people “gone”. Hubby was (and still is) upper management, I was his assistant and Kiddo was a department lead – that’s three key positions. You can imagine the workload we came home to – unbelievable! A few years back we all took time to explore Wyoming. While vacations are great, there’s the down sides of late nights of playing catch up. My amazing stir-fry dish was born during one of those crazy nights.
One of the meals I had planned was Pepper Steak Stir-Fry over Steamed Rice. I even went so far as to take the meat out of the freezer the night before to thaw in the fridge for the next day. The next day came and went with no home cooking. The following day, same thing. What a dilemma! I had meat in the fridge that needed to be cooked or thrown out. Yeah, After Work Pepper Steak would have been a good plan – even a great plan, but it just wasn’t in the cards.
At last we managed to stagger home just as the last threads of amber light caressed a brilliant evening sky. My guys were hungry and I found myself staring blankly into the refrigerator only to have a package of round steak and some leftover Pork Fried Rice from an earlier take out staring back at me.
“I’m going to cook.” I announced to no one in particular. There were a few spent moans from the other room. It was my kitchen staff in exhausted protest. “I promise, it will be quick and I’ll try my best not to make a big mess.”
It has been a while since I whipped something up without a plan. There are recipes to follow, recipes to inspire and tweak along the way and those committed to memory, having “whipped” them up a time or three before. And then there’s creating on a wing and a prayer, without a clue as to what the end result might be. My only “inspiration” was the fried rice. Whatever I made, it had to have an Asian influence.
This stir-fry beef was amazing. Nothing was measured, so the recipe that follows are “guesstimates”. I gathered a few ingredients and did what I always do when “creating” – I sniffed. I know it sound wacky, but that’s what I do when creating something from nothing – sniff. Yep, if my chosen ingredients smell good together, then I’ll go for it. If not, I’ll keep sniffing until I come up with a scent combination that gets my mouth to water.
Amazing Stir-Fried Beef
1 lb Thin Round Steak
1/4-1/2 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
Salt to taste
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Pub Burger Seasoning (McCormick Grill Mates)
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
Flour, about ¼ cup
Olive Oil
About 1 teaspoon Crushed Roasted Garlic
Place round steak flat on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle LIGHTLY with soy sauce to moisten meat on both sides. Sprinkle with Worcestershire Pub Burger Seasoning and ground ginger, rub into meat.
Place flour in a zip lock bag. Set aside.
Heat a little olive oil in a wok. Cut round steak into thin strips. Toss on the baking sheet to absorb all the seasoned drippings. Place steak strips into zip lock bag, close and shake.
Dump contents of zip lock bag flour and all into wok and stir fry until beef strips are just cooked, about 2-3 minutes. Add crushed garlic, and a splash more soy sauce, toss well. Heat through.
Serve with fried rice.
Simple Tips for Better Oven Fries From the Bag
I know, this seems like a silly post. After all, how difficult can it be to make oven baked French Fries from those frozen bags? In all honesty, it’s not. Heat the oven, dump the frozen sticks of potatoes onto a baking sheet, bake and serve. Simple.
In our house, we like our oven baked fries golden and crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. We like our fries to have a little seasoning without being too salty. Most of all, we like our fries “fried” without the added grease. This is simple to accomplish without sacrificing the convenience of those frozen bags.
First, reduce the heat. Most bags tell you to heat the oven to 450 degrees. At 425, the potatoes still cook through, but the inside is moist while the outside is “crisp”.
Next, spray the baking sheet with a little cooking spray – not much – a light coating is all you need. Spread the fries out in a single layer, then spray the fries themselves lightly with cooking spray such as Pam. The spray will give you that “fried” texture without submerging your taters in oil and it will help the seasonings stay with the frozen spuds.
Yeah, season them. Not just with salt, try using Seasoning Salt. It will give your fries a nice seasoned flavor while adding a hint of golden color.
During the last 5 minutes of cooking, turn the oven off. This serves two purposes – it keeps the fries warm while you finish off whatever else you might be serving, and the fries won’t overcook. That’s all there is to it.
The thing I love about all these “convenient” frozen packages is that the home-cook can always improve them with a few little tweaks of our own.
For those of you who would rather have the tips summed up in a recipe, here ya go:
Perfect Oven French Fries
1/2 Bag Frozen French Fries
Cooking Spray
Seasoning Salt to taste
Heat oven to 425 degrees. While the oven heats, line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray.
Spread French Fries in a single layer on baking sheet. Spray fries with cooking spray.
Season as desired.
Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Turn oven off, let the fries continue to warm another 5 minutes or so.
Here are a few of our favorite “with fries on the side” recipes that are perfect on the griddle, making them year-round burgers:
BLT Burgers with BBQ Ketchup Sauce
Diner-Style Bacon Burgers
Oklahoma Onion Burgers
Smashburgers
Oven Baked Stuffed Tacos With Spicy Meat and Beans
Have you noticed all those Stand and Fill Tacos Shells in the Mexican aisle of the supermarket? The problem with the crisp corn variety is that while filling the shell is easy, one bite and the wide shell tends to crack and fall apart. If you aren’t careful, you will end up with taco meat in your lap! Not a pretty sight.
Continue reading “Oven Baked Stuffed Tacos With Spicy Meat and Beans”Rhodes Curly Dogs
Here’s a fun idea that I picked up from Rhodes Breads – just a cute way to serve up an old family favorite – the hot dog. I served mine with big bowls of Baked Beans. It was fun, whimsical and we all felt like kids again.
Welcome to Rosemarie's Kitchen 