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Saturday, November 18, 2017

One-Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

One-Skillet Chicken Pot Pie Servings: 4-6

Recipe from buzz feed's Tasty

INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon olive oil 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed ½ white onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup gold potatoes, cubed 2 cups frozen peas and carrots 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 4 tablespoons butter 2 cups chicken broth Salt, to taste Pepper, to taste 1 store-bought pie crust, thawed if frozen (we use the cook's country pie dough recipe) PREPARATION 1. Preheat oven to 400˚F/200˚C. 2. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and heat oil over a cast-iron skillet. Add the cubed chicken, cooking until no longer pink. Remove chicken and set aside. 3. To the same skillet, add the onions and garlic. Sauté until translucent. 4. Add potatoes and sauté about 5 minutes. 5. Add peas and carrots, and stir again. 6. Add the butter to the vegetable and allow to melt. 7. Sprinkle the flour, covering the vegetables, and quickly stir to avoid lumps. 8. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil to thicken sauce. 9. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. 10. Place pie dough over the chicken and vegetable mixture, and seal along the edges of the skillet with your fingers. 11. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. 12. Enjoy!

Saturday, October 21, 2017

{Non Cakey} Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

{Non Cakey} Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sorce: chelseasmessyapron.com

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
  • 1 large egg yolk discard whites or save for another recipe
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla 
  • 1/3 cup canned pumpkin NOT pumpkin pie filling; not an entire can
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon each ground cloves and nutmeg
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cups and 1/2 white all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Place the butter in a microwave-safe large bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds or until the butter is completely melted.
  2. Whisk in the white and brown sugar until completely combined.
  3. Make sure the mixture isn't too hot (don't want to cook the egg!) and then add in the egg yolk (I believe organic eggs add so much flavor and that is what I recommend/used.)
  4. Add in the vanilla (if you have Mexican vanilla it is AWESOME) and canned pumpkin. Make sure your canned pumpkin is high quality and not watery. If it is watery your cookies will be more cakey. Drab the pumpkin with some paper towels if needed. Whisk until well combined.
  5. Add in the salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice (add amount to your desired preference). Here's where you can adjust seasonings to preference. Add less or more depending on how you usually like your baked goods.
  6. Whisk in the baking soda with 1/2 cup flour.
  7. Add the remaining 1 cup of flour and stir it in with a wooden spoon.
  8. Please note as you measure your flour that packing in too much flour will also lead to cakey cookies. I spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level it at the top with my finger without pressing it down. Too little flour and your cookies will spread way too much and too much flour and they will be cakey. If experiencing either of these problems, you likely measured your flour incorrectly.
  9. The mixture should pull away from the edges once all the flour is added. Stir in the chocolate chips (I use and prefer milk, but use what you like!).
  10. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour. This is a crucial step and if skipped your cookies will likely spread like a pancake.
  11. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  12. Once the dough has been chilled, line a baking mat with a nonstick liner (or parchment paper).
  13. Roll two small balls of dough and the press one ball on top of the other and mesh together into one tall piece without flattening. This forms a tallish, almost vertical rectangle shape - this is how I get the cookies to look like they do and have that crisp exterior + chewy interior. Basically the bottom of the tall rectangle cookie cooks first and then the top section cooks next but for slightly less time. So that is why this shape is so important to getting your cookie to look like the ones I have pictured and have the texture described).
  14. Once you've rolled about 6-8 balls of dough, chill on the cookie sheet in the fridge for another 10-15 minutes. (I only put 6-8 cookies on a cookie sheet as they spread quite large depending on the size)
  15. While one batch is chilling you can work on rolling out another one.
  16. Take the tray right from the fridge and place it in the oven.
  17. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until very lightly browned at the bottom. The key to these cookies is slightly under-baking - that will keep them soft and chewy in the inside.
  18. Remove from the oven and allow to "cook" for another 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a wire cooling rack. This is optional but huge for appearance: I press in 5-6 additional chocolate chips into the tops of each of the cookies as soon as I remove them from the oven.
  19. These cookies taste even better the next day -- the spices and pumpkin flavor have definitely intensified by then!

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

The Best Ever Chicken Marinade



The Best Ever Chicken Marinade


From www.momontimeout.com



Ingredients
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil 
  • ½ cup balsamic vinegar (or other vinegar) 
  • ¼ cup soy sauce 
  • ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce 
  • ⅛ cup lemon juice 
  • ¾ cup brown sugar 
  • 2 tsp dried rosemary 
  • 2 tbsp Dijon or Spicy Brown mustard 
  • 2 tsp salt 
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper 
  • 2 tsp garlic powder 
  • 6 chicken breasts or 3.5 lb chicken 




Instructions

Combine all ingredients, except for chicken, in a large Pyrex measuring cup or mixing bowl and whisk together. 

Remove a half a cup of marinade and reserve for basting the chicken later. 

Place chicken in a large, ziploc bag and pour marinade over the top. Close securely. 

Marinate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.


To grill
Preheat grill to medium high heat and lightly oil the grates.
Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off.
Grill chicken for 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
Baste the chicken occasionally with the reserved marinade.
Remove chicken from grill and tent with foil. Let chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before serving


Optional.
If you bring the reserved marinade up to a boil, let simmer until slightly reduced, it makes a wonderful sauce to go on top of the chicken.



Notes


I've marinated my chicken for as few as 30 minutes and the chicken was still phenomenal. Basically, the longer you have to marinate the better but don't worry if you don't have a lot of time.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Frontier Pies Cornbread



The Frontier Pies Cornbread

written down from a source I cannot recall


1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
4 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
3/4 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cups milk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Cream the butter, sugar, and honey together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, allowing each egg to be completely absorbed before adding the next. Whisk together dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then gently add dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Stir in the milk until just combined. Pour into a greased 13x9 pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Easy Basic Pancakes

Easy Basic Pancakes

from MarthaStewart.com


Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil


Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees; have a baking sheet or heatproof platter ready to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.


In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter (or oil), and egg. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not overmix; a few small lumps are fine).


Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. Fold a sheet of paper towel in half, and moisten with oil; carefully rub skillet with oiled paper towel.


For each pancake, spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter onto skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round (you should be able to fit 2 to 3 in a large skillet).


Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and keep warm in oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter. (You'll have 12 to 15 pancakes.) Serve warm, with desired toppings.

PANCAKE VARIATIONS


BUTTERMILK: In step 1, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to dry mixture. In step 2, replace the milk with low-fat buttermilk.


YOGURT: In step 1, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to dry mixture. In step 2, replace the milk with 2/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt and 1/3 cup milk.


WHOLE-GRAIN WITH YOGURT: In step 1, replace the all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour, 1/4 cup each cornmeal and wheat germ, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. In step 2, replace the milk with 2/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt and 1/3 cup milk.

Monday, June 12, 2017

Best Ever Chewy Brownies

Chewy Brownies

adapted from handletheheat.com


Ingredients

1 1/4 cups (249 grams) granulated sugar
5 tablespoons (71 grams) unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (75 grams) dutch processed cocoa
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup (63 grams) all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (128 grams) semisweet chocolate chips


Directions


Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 8 by 8-inch pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar together. Stir until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the oil and cocoa powder.

With a rubber spatula, stir in the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt until combined. Do not over stir! Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan. Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the brownies are set and a toothpick inserted into the center has moist crumbs attached. Do not overcook. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Best Ever Buttermilk Belgian Waffles

Belgian Waffles
from the kitchenwhisperer.net
Ingredients
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk (has to be buttermilk)
  • 1/3 cup melted butter, unsalted
  • 1 egg, room temperature and separated
  • 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Instructions
  1. In a bowl beat the egg white until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking 
    powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well.
  3. Add the milk, butter, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla and mix 
    just until combined. Do not overmix as you do not want 
    air in this. Some lumps are OK.
  4. Gently fold in the egg whites until combined. Do not deflate 
    the egg whites. This is what will give your waffles that 
    light texture.
  5. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.
  6. Heat a waffle iron.
  7. Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles.
  8. Serve immediately hold in a 200 degree oven, directly 
    on the rack. I would not recommend stacking them as they 
    are heavy and may get smushed or soggy on the plate.
Notes
To freeze, allow to cool completely and wrap individually in plastic wrap.
To reheat just place frozen in the toaster.

We personally like a sweeter waffle so when I make them I like almost a 1/2
cup however you can certainly add the lesser amount