Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:

• 1/4-ounce package yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup scalded milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter or shortening
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour


Filling:
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened

 Icing
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

 In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 30-45 minutes.

Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Double Chocolate Cookies

Note: This makes 12 very large cookies. I cut the recipe in half and ended up with what you see above..... and they were bigger than they look.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1¼ cup sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup dark cocoa powder
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

* You can use 2 cups of any combination of chips you like. I just used what I had on hand. I'm sure white chocolate or peanut butter chips would have tasted good also.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix in the cocoa powder until well blended. Add the flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead briefly by hand to be sure the ingredients are well combined.

Spoon dough on cookie sheet in sizes proportionate to the size cookies you would like. Due to the fact that cold butter is used (and they are so full of goodies) they do not expand too much. Bake 10-12 minutes or until the tops are firm. (It's ok for cookies to still be gooey in the center. They will continue cooking on the baking sheet after you remove them from the oven.) Let cool on the baking sheets 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Blueberry Jam

I found a great recipe for blueberry jam. I made my first batch this week. It was easy and it turned out great.  For the recipe and great pictures to help you along follow this link:

http://afewshortcuts.com/2011/07/tide-you-over-tuesday-blueberry-jam/

Smack Yo' Mama Mac & Cheese

*** FEEL FREE TO CUT THIS RECIPE IN HALF ***

Ingredients:

1 lb box elbow macaroni cooked

Blond Roux (White Sauce)

1 stick butter

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Cheese Sauce

6 cups milk

1/2 cup blond roux (made in advance)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup diced onion (about 1 large onion)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

5 cups white cheddar cheese

2 cups grated Parmesan cheese (reserve 1 cup for topping)

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

Blond roux:

Melt 1 stick of butter in small saucepan. Add 3/4 cup of flour. Blend well. Cook while stirring constantly, about 3-5 minutes, until flour and butter are well blended and start to dry slightly. Reserve for cheese sauce.

Cheese sauce:

In a large saucepan, bring milk to simmer over medium heat. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the roux. Continue to whisk over heat until smooth and sauce begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. Saute diced onion in oil over medium heat until soft. Add onion to roux. Next add Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk to incorporate all ingredients. Begin to add cheddar cheese, gradually, in small amounts. Whisk constantly to help dissolve. Add remaining cheddar and 1 cup of Parmesan. Whisk until smooth.

Mix cheese sauce with cooked macaroni. Place in a large buttered oven-proof dish. Top with breadcrumbs and remaining 1 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until hot. To brown, place under the broiler until top is evenly browned; watch carefully.

Blue Hawaii

How to make your very own Blue Hawaii... The distinctly-colored beverage also shares the name with the Elvis movie from 1961. Cheers!

1 oz. Vodka or Rum
1 oz. Blue Curacao
3 oz. Sweet and Sour Mix
1 cup Ice
Splash of Pineapple Juice

Combine all ingredients with ice in a blender, blend until smooth and firm. Pour into 14 oz. glass and garnish with pineapple and orchid. Voila!

Mama Lisa's Pizza Pie

Ingredients:

1 pizza crust (store bought or homemade)

1 jar of sauce (store bought or homemade)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups mozzarella cheese

Italian Seasoning

Toppings of your choice

For homemade sauce (which is worth the effort) watch this video:

In my world, homemade pizza crust is a lot of work and I typically stick to store bought. You can buy the kind in the can in the refrigerated section of the grocery store or they sell packets of dry mix on the baking aisle close to the jiffy cornbread. I usually use the kind in the can for calzones and stick to the flat crusts that they just have hanging up by the peperoni. If I use store bought sauce, I prefer the Boboli that comes 3 packs to a box. It is much easier to use and keeps longer than the jars, however, I have not found them in all stores.

Homemade pizza is pretty basic. You preheat your oven to 400 degrees, rub the olive oil directly on the top of your crust, spread the sauce on the pizza dough in a circular motion, add the cheese and toppings and bake it. The most important thing is to make sure you season it with either an Italian blend seasoning or oregano. This will make or break your pizza. I season mine on top of the cheese before I add the toppings. Also, when spreading your cheese, spread it along the outside edge first and try to make sure all your sauce is covered, then cover the center. The bake time will depend on your crust so follow the package directions (usually 10-14 minutes).

Tips for success:

* If using thin crust, spread the sauce to the edges, for hand tossed or deep dish, leave one inch around the edge uncovered.

* If using sausage, buy hot (I use Tennessee Pride). Cook the sausage thoroughly and dry on   paper towels before putting in to in the pizza. Pepperoni is greasy and the sausage needs to be as dry as possible.

* Bake pizza directly on the wire racks instead of on a pan for a crispy bottom crust.

* Let pizza sit 3-5 minutes after removing from oven, allowing it time to set, before slicing it.

Here's mine.....

Sweet & Crunchy Honey Nut Chicken

Ingredients:

4 ounces, 2 small packages, honey roasted peanuts,about 2/3 cup

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Seasoning by McCormick)

2 eggs

A splash half-and-half or whole milk

2 teaspoons hot sauce, several drops

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 (6 to 8-ounce) pieces of chicken breast

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Put nuts, bread crumbs and grill seasoning in food processor and pulse grind to combine the nuts into bread crumbs. Pour nutty-breading onto a plate.

Beat eggs and half-and-half or milk with hot sauce in a shallow dish.

Pour flour out on a plastic board or plate.

Dust both sides of the chicken with flour. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture and then coat with the nutty-breading.

Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer, 2 or 3 turns of the pan. Brown chicken pieces 2 minutes on each side in hot oil or until evenly light golden in color. Transfer to a baking sheet and cook in oven until juices run clear and breasts are cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Christmas Breakfast Pudding

I usually don't post a recipe before I make it for purposes of providing a picture that I took but I am going to make an exception today....(I have made it several times, I just do it on Christmas so I don't have a picture) This is a delicious breakfast for Christmas and it can be assembled the night before so all you have to do on Christmas morning is put it in the oven and that makes it EVEN BETTER!!!!!!!!

This recipe serves 10 so unless you have a gang of kids or plan on having guests, I would advise you cut the recipe in half. It makes a FULL 9x13 pan and will bubble over the edges so I usually split it into 2 pans which also give you the option to share or freeze half of it. The recipe looks like its a lot of work but it really isn't and it is definitely worth the time and effort.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup finely chopped yellow onions

1/4 cup finely chopped green bell peppers

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell peppers

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

6 ounces Canadian bacon or baked ham, trimmed and diced

6 ounces hot smoked sausage, chopped

8 large eggs

3 cups whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/4 teaspoons Creole Seasoning

8 cups (1-inch cubes) stale French or Italian bread, or rolls

8 ounces grated Gouda or Fontina cheese (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Lightly grease a 3-quart (9 by 13-inch) baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter and set aside.

In a medium skillet, melt 2 teaspoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, green and red bell peppers, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the parsley, stir, and remove from the heat. Let cool.

In a medium skillet, melt the remaining 1 teaspoon butter over medium-high heat. Add the Canadian bacon and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Add the sausage to the skillet and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain on paper towels and let cool.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk, cream, 1 teaspoon of the Essence, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper and whisk to combine. Add the bread cubes and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the cooked Canadian bacon and sausage, the onion mixture, and the Gouda cheese and stir to incorporate the ingredients. Pour into the prepared dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake until almost completely set, 50 to 55 minutes.

(Alternatively, the bread pudding can be assembled up to this point, covered, and refrigerated 8 hours or overnight, and then baked. Let sit at room temperature while preheating the oven, before baking. )

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, melted butter, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon Essence. Uncover the pudding and sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the top. Return to the oven, increase the heat to 375 degrees F and bake until the pudding is completely set in the center, puffed, and golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.

Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

FYI... this is an accurate picture of what it looks like when it is done.

Sour Cream Chicken

Since so many people asked for this recipe I thought I would post it. It is super easy and can be made a little more healthy if you want to use fat free sour cream. I loved the sound of coating the chicken in sour cream and once I started making it I was so excited for this recipe because it makes a thick and creamy coating and the breadcrumbs stick to it! This chicken is good, fast and doesn't require any additional seasoning.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons of onion seasoning (dry onion soup mix will work - or you can substitute the sour cream and onion seasoning for sour cream and onion dip in the dairy section)

2 cups of seasoned breadcrumbs **

Directions:

1. Mix the sour cream and onion seasoning.

2. Dip the chicken in the sour cream and coat completely.

3. Coat in breadcrumbs.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until juices run clear.

** Another option is to substitute breadcrumbs for crushed sour cream and onion potato chips. I have used this as breading on chicken nuggets and it is good. But my scale tells me that I do not need to bread my chicken in potato chips!

And sorry for not having an actual photo of what I cooked... it was long gone by the time I posted this.

Happy Holidays!

Baked Parmesan Tenders

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken tenders

2 cups Italian breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup milk

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.

2. Combine beaten eggs and milk in medium bowl. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese and seasoning in large bowl.

3. Dip each tender in the egg/milk mix and then toss in breadcrumbs.

4. Place on baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.

Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chicken

1 medium onion

1 green pepper

1 can kidney beans

1 can whole stewed tomatoes

6 ounce can of tomato sauce

1 small can chopped jalapenos (omit for mild chili)

1 1/2 cup water

1 packet of chili seasoning

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (omit for mild chili)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flour

Shredded cheese (optional)

Fritos or cornbread (optional)

Directions:

1. Chop onion and put in large pot with ground chicken. Cook over medium-high heat until chicken is cooked.

2. Stir in remaining items except flour. Cover and let simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes.

3. Stir and reduce heat to low for 45 minutes. About 5 minutes before serving add flour (if needed) to thicken the chili up to your preferred consistency.

Serves 4-6 people.

BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1-3 pounds of chicken

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In large bowl mix all ingredients together except the chicken. reserve 1/3 cup of the sauce; set aside. Add the chicken to the remaining sauce in the bowl, turning to coat.

Arrange the coated chicken on a roasting pan. Cook 40-45 minutes or until cooked through, basting with the reserved 1/3 sauce after 20 minutes.

Leonard's Malasadas

These are sugary donuts with no hole. The WARM chocholate filled ones were hands-down the best thing I have ever eaten in my life!!!!!!!!!! (They are far superior to Krispy Kreme, which I dearly love.)

I saw this place on Food Network and made a point to go there while in Hawaii. It was to die for! Although the chocolate ones were best, I only have the recipe for the plain ones which were also delicious. Don't worry, figuring out how to make the chocolate ones is on my adgenda and it's pretty high up on the list!

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons dry active yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 tablespoon sugar plus 1/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 eggs, well beaten

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Vegatbel oil for frying

Cinnamon-sugar for coating (about 1/4 cup suagr mixed with cinnamon to taste)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the yeast with 1/4 cup lukewarm water and 1 tablesppon of sugar. Mix until the yeast dissolves then set aside for 5 minutes. Stir the milk, vanilla, eggs and butter and reserve.

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the 1/3 cup of sugar, salt and nutmeg. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the yeast and milk mixture into the well. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry, forming a soft, smooth dough. Cover the dough with a clean towel and set aside to rise in a warm place until dough doubles in size, about one hour. (A good place that is warm, is the back portion of your stove top after you have been using your oven. Also, depending on the humidity, it may take them longer to rise. Use your eyes and do not rely on the time alone.)

Punch the dough down, then with oiled fingers, pinch off pieces about the size of golf balls. Place the dough balls on greased baking sheets. Cover the malasadas with a clean towel and set aside to rise in a warm place for about 15 minutes.

In a heavy, high-sided pot (or electric fryer if you have one) heat about 2-inches of oil over medium to medium-high heat until the oil reaches 325 degrees F. Working in small batches, fry the malasadas until they are uniformly golden brown, 7-10 minutes per batch. Drain the malasadas on a plate lined with paper towels just until they are cool enough to handle, then roll in cinnamon-sugar and serve.

To help you, check out the website for photos of them being made....

http://www.leonardshawaii.com/malasadas.html

Recipe courtesy Chef Leonard Rego, Leonard's Bakery - Hawaii

3 Step Quickie Chicky Parm

Have you missed me? I have been so busy getting ready and recovering from my travels that I haven't been cooking (well I did make some pancakes for my lovey in Hawaii.) The good news is, I have some really yummolicious things coming up. I have a new recipe that I got in Hawaii and then lots of Halloween stuff coming up!!

Since I just got back I haven't been to the store so I had to whip something up with what I had in the house. The good thing about this recipe is it is simple but you can also amp it up with gourmet ingredients if you like.

Ingrediets:
4 frozen breaded chicken breasts ( I use Tyson's)
1/2 box of spaghetti noodles
1/2 jar spaghetti sauce
4 slices of mozzerella cheese to melt over chicken

Directions
1. Prepare noodles and mix with spaghetti sauce.
2. Bake chicken brests in oven as directed.
3. Place slice of mozzerella cheese on top of each chicken breast and place under the broiler to melt.

Combine on plate. Serve with vegtables of your choice or a side salad.

Speedy Fettuccine

Ingredients:

9 ounces fettuccine noodles

1 tablespoon butter

3/4 cup of frozen baby sweet peas (or broccoli)

2/3 cup half and half

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Garnish: fresh shaved Parmesan cheese

Optional: Grilled chicken

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.

2. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add peas and next 6 ingredients. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Stir in hot cooked pasta (and grilled chicken, optional) and serve immediately.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Creamy Risotto

Ok so no picture today =( I tried to take one and it just didn't do the recipe any justice. You're just going to have to trust me on this one. It is really straightforward and yummy. Usually I like to double the cheese in recipes because I love it so however, this is NOT one of those recipes. If you double any of the cheeses, especially the cream cheese, it will overpower the dish. You can substitue or add vegtables to this if you are not a fan of zucchini although I suggest you leave the onion. I am not a zucchini fan but will eat it in this and it is a good way to sneak green veggies in. If you do substitute, make sure you use something with a similiar texture.

This is really one of my favorite dinner recipes for 3 reasons:

1. Its delish

2. You only have to dirty one skillet

3. It takes less than 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (divided)

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

4-6 boneless chicken breast (remember you can brine your chicken)

2 tablespoons vegtable oil

1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes

1 can (10.75 ounces) condensed tomato soup

1/3 cup of water

1 1/4 cups 2% milk

1 medium zucchini

1/2 medium onion

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 cups uncooked instant white rice

2 ounces cream cheese, softened

1. Beat your eggs in one dish. Combine bread crumbs, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and black pepper in second bowl. Dip chicken into eggs, then into bread crumb mixture. Sprinkle chicken with any remaining bread crumb mixture. Heat oil in 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until oil is shimmering. Add chicken; cook 3-5 minutes in each side or until internal temp is 165 degrees in the thickest part of the chicken and centers are no longer pink. (I like to beat my chicken flat. It makes the breading stay on much better and it cooks faster.)

2. While chicken cooks, pour tomatoes, water, soup and milk in a bowl and mix well. Slice zucchini lengthwise into quarters, then crosswise into 1/4 inch slices. Chop onion.

3. Remove chicken from skillet and kep warm. Combine zucchini, onion, garlic, salt and pepper flakes into skillet. Cook 1-3 minutes or until fragrant. Add rice and tomoato mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. (If you don't have a cover for your big skillet like me, put a pizza pan or foil on top to keep the steam in so the rice will cook.) Add cream cheese and remaining parmesan cheese; stir until incorporated. Put chicken on top of risotto and serve.

Fudge Pie

This is my favorite thing. This is the best and easiest recipe. It takes less than 5 minutes to mix it up and 25 minutes to bake. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool off so you can eat it. As long as you mix the ingredients in the order stated, you can't go wrong.

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter
3 squares of Bakers semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 9-inch frozen pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Melt butter and chocolate in saucepan over LOW heat.

3. Remove pan from heat and mix in sugar.

4. Next, mix in beaten eggs. (You must add the ingredients in this order.)

5. Pour into pie crust and bake for 22-25 minutes or until pie is set.

Yep, that's it!!

Almond Chicken Stir-Fry & Noodle Cake

This is an easy stir-fry recipe that you will be able to make without looking at the recipe after the first time. Also, the chicken recipe is really good if you want to make chicken for a salad or some other dish. Coating chicken with egg white and cornstarch gives them a light and velvety texture.

Ingredients:

2 packages of Chicken flavored Ramen noodles

1 egg white

2 tablespoons of corn starch (divided)

1 pound chicken tenders

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon ginger root

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1/4 cup silvered almonds (divided)

1 can of chicken broth (about 15 ounces)

2 bags of stir-fry vegetables (I use Birds Eye.)

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1. For the chicken, lightly whisk egg white in a medium sized bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch and one season packet from the ramen noodles. Slice chicken into 1-inch pieces. Toss with mixture and set aside.

2. Place almonds in the skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes or until toasted. These are easy to burn so watch them! Remove from skillet and set aside.

3. Prepare noodle cake (directions follow) and steam bags of vegetables according to package instructions. While noodle cake and veggies cook, add oil to skillet over medium-high heat for 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add coated chicken pieces to skillet. (They will probably all be stuck together so break them up.) Cook and stir for 4-6 minutes or until center of chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.

4. To finish stir-fry, whisk together chicken broth and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Add to skillet and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Add ginger root and garlic to skillet. Heat until fragrant, stirring constantly. Add cooked vegetables and chicken to skillet; simmer 1-2 minutes until heated through. Stir in half of the almonds. Serve over noodle cake and sprinkle with remaining almonds and pepper.

Noodle Cake Directions:

1. Prepare both packs of noodles on stove or in microwave. Drain water off and add remaining packet of seasoning and 1 tablespoon of oil.

2. Lightly spray a 10-12 inch skillet with vegetable oil or non-stick spray; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until hot.

3. Add noodles to pan. Gently press to form a cake. Noodles will need to cook at least 3-4 minutes (if not longer) on each side until golden brown. Lift edges to make sure the first side is done before attempting to flip or it will fall apart. You will need 2 spatulas to flip - or at least I do. Mine typically looks better and is browner than in the picture below. I had to rush because I had a 2-year latched to my leg. Cut into wedges like a pizza and serve.

Taking You to School on Juicy Breasts

I am always in a hurry to get dinner done and am paranoid about my chicken being raw in the middle - because even with a thermometer it has happened before. The miracle fix for this is BRINING!!

Brining simply means soaking something in a salt-water solution, and it noticeably improves the flavor, texture and juiciness of the meat. Without getting into too much science, the salt loosens up the proteins in meat, which allows more water to be trapped in the meat when it’s cooked, making it more plump and juicy.

To make a brine solution, dissolve 1 1/2 tbsp. table salt (or 1/4 cup kosher salt) in 8 cups of cold water inside a zip-top bag. Let the breasts marinate (there’s enough brine for four breasts) for 30-45 minutes in the refrigerator.

The Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon recipe (in another post below) is the perfect recipe to test the brining method. Before you insert the herbs under the skin, brine the whole pieces in a solution of 3/4 cup kosher salt and 1 quart of water for one hour. You’ll never cook chicken without brining again.

Chicken breasts are also fairly uneven in thickness—the top end is usually plump and wide, and the bottom end is fairly narrow and thin—which can cause the breast to dry out in some places before the thicker section is cooked. To remedy this, you can pound and flatten the breast (with a meat tenderizer or a plastic-wrapped mallet) to a more even thickness. Flattening-out the thicker parts also means you can cut your cooking time by a few minutes.

The method you use to cook the chicken will also affect its overall juiciness. Grilling, pan-sauteing, roasting or baking the breast in an open pan allows a lot of the moisture in the meat to evaporate. If you cook the breast en papillote [in pap-ee-yoht], a fancy (but super-easy) French technique of steam-cooking meat inside parchment paper packets (aluminum foil works, too), you won’t lose much moisture. The beauty of this method is that you can throw all sorts of veggies, herbs or steaming liquid (think: wine, vinegar, citrus juice) in the packet with the chicken to make a complete, flavorful meal—with very little clean up.

The basic directions for cooking en papillote: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Season both sides of the brined chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Lay out 12-inch squares of heavy-duty aluminum foil for each breast, and place the chicken in the center of the foil. Bend opposite sides of the foil into a tent over the widest sides of the breast and crimp the edges together. Fold once or twice more to seal. Close the open sides of the packet by folding them over several times (but not so tightly that the meat touches the ends of the packet). Place the packets on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. *Be careful when opening the foil to serve. The steam will be very hot!

Also the recipe for Spicy Southwest Chicken Sandwich (also in another post below) calls for leftover chicken, but you could easily cook a few breasts, lightly coated in some of the adobo sauce mixture, in foil packets. The difference in flavor—between the leftover chicken and the fresh, steam-cooked breasts—is kooky.

Or, customize your chicken en papillote with:

Garlic+freshly grated ginger root+soy sauce

Sliced mushrooms+sliced onions+white wine

Freshly ground black pepper+lemon juice

Dijon mustard+rosemary

Diced tomato+fresh basil

**Another option is to wrap a lose piece of tin foil around a chicken breast (pre seasoned and lightly sprayed with olive oil) and put it on the Foreman to cook (you know how I love the Foreman grill!) Very easy to cook and essentially no clean-up and the foil keeps all the juices in.**

Pan-Roasted Chicken With Lemon and Whole-Grain Mustard

This is a Wolfgang Puck recipe. And if you have ever eaten at a Wolfgang Puck resturant (a real one, not the express crap in Cool Springs) you will know that everything there is DELISH!

Serves: 2-4

 

Time: 45 minutes

 

Ingredients:

1 whole frying chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, butterflied

1 sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley, 2 fresh basil leaves, or 1 small sprig rosemary

Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chicken stock or good-quality canned chicken broth

Juice of 2 large lemons (6 to 8 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into several pieces

1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley or finely shredded fresh basil

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Prepare the chicken. From the neck opening, gently ease your fingertips between the skin and the meat to loosen the skin all over the breast, taking care not to tear the skin. Insert the parsley sprig, basil leaves, or rosemary sprig under the skin. Season the chicken generously on both sides with salt and pepper.

 

Heat an ovenproof skillet large enough to hold the chicken over high heat. Add the olive oil and swirl it in the skillet. As soon as you begin to see slight wisps of smoke, carefully place the chicken skin side down in the skillet. Sear the chicken, undisturbed, while reducing the heat little by little to medium, until its skin has turned golden brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. With tongs, carefully turn the chicken skin side up. Put the skillet with the chicken into the preheated oven and cook until the chicken is deep golden brown and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh meat is pierced with a thin skewer, 10 to 15 minutes more, depending on its size. When the chicken is done, remove it from the skillet with tongs and transfer it to a cutting board.

Pour off all but a thin glaze of fat from the skillet. Return the skillet to high heat, add the chicken stock or broth and the lemon juice, stir and scrape with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan deposits, and boil the liquid until it has reduced by half its volume, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn down the heat, add the mustard, and, stirring briskly with a wire whisk, add the butter a piece at a time to make a creamy sauce. Make sure each piece has been incorporated completely before adding the next. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper and stir in half of the parsley or basil.

 

To serve, spoon the sauce into the centers of two to four heated serving plates. With a large, sharp knife, cut the chicken into two halves or four equal pieces. Place the chicken on the plates, sprinkle with the remaining parsley or basil, and serve.

Recipe from Wolfgang Puck Makes It Easy.