Author: Belinda Thayn

Italian Oven-Fried Chicken

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This take on parmesan crusted chicken comes out wonderfully juicy every time. It is delicious on it’s own or on a bed of pasta and marinara sauce. Use bone-in chicken thighs, or go boneless and skinless, it works well with both. Just mind the cooking time for boneless.

Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
1/2 C. margarine or butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 C. dry bread crumbs
1/4 C. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 C. finely chopped almonds
2 T. chopped fresh parsley (or dry)
1 tsp. thyme leaves
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
6 chicken thighs
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. In a 13×9 inch pan, melt margarine/butter with garlic.
2. In a medium bowl combine bread crumbs, cheese, almonds, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper; mix well.
3. Dip chicken pieces in garlic butter, then coat with crumb mixture on all sides. (use the “shake n’ bake method….Ziploc bags work great!)
4. Place skin side up in pan containing garlic butter. Bake at 400 degrees for *1 hour or until chicken is tender, basting occasionally with pan drippings.
*If you are using boneless, skinless chicken thighs, bake for 40 minutes.
Source: My collection of old family recipes

Wiener Schnitzel

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This is a German dish my father learned how to make on his mission to Austria. I ate it frequently at my house as a child, and recently rediscovered it.

Serves 6
Ingredients:
6 pork loin cutlets (or boneless pork chops)
1/4 C. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 T. milk
3/4 C. dry breadcrumbs
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. shortening
Directions:
1. Pound pork thin to about 1/2 to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut small slits around the edges to prevent curling as it cooks.
2. In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt, and pepper.
3. In a second dish, combine the egg and milk.
4. In a third dish, combine the breadcrumbs and paprika.
5. Coat both sides of the pork cutlets with flour mix, then egg mix, then breadcrumb mix.
6. Heat the shortening in a large skillet on medium heat. Cook the coated cutlets in the skillet 2-3 minutes each side. Remove from pan and serve immediately.
Source: My father, who has been known to wear a lederhosen.

Sugar Cookies with Marbleized Icing

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A good sugar cookie can be hard to come by. Who wants to eat cookies that are to floury, cakey or dry? This is a great basic sugar cookie recipe that is sure to be a hit! Crunchy on the outside and tender in the middle.

Ingredients:
1 C. real butter
1 C. sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 t. vanilla or almond extract
3 C. flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
Directions:
1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add in egg and extract and mix until incorporated.
2. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined.
3. Separate the dough into 2 balls and wrap each in waxed paper or plastic wrap. Flatten to speed up chilling time. Place in the fridge to chill about 1-2 hours.
4. When the dough is properly chilled, sprinkle a small amount of flour on a work surface and roll dough out with a rolling pin. Roll to about 1/4 inch thick. (don’t use excessive amounts of flour while rolling. It toughens the dough.)
* lets take a break for some sugary cuteness!
5. Use cookie cutters or a paper pattern and knife to cut out your cookies to desired shapes.
*So easy a toddler can do it!

6. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F. for 8-12 minutes. The longer you bake, the crunchier your cookies will become. For soft cookies, go for about 7-8 minutes. Remove from pan to cool completely on a wire rack.

Now let’s get to the marbleized icing technique! The icing is a powdered sugar glaze, which stays bright and slightly glossy when it dries. Gorgeous!

Ingredients:
1 lb. powdered sugar
6 T. whole milk
6 T. light corn syrup (gives it that nice gloss)
1 t. vanilla or almond extract.
food coloring of your choice
Directions:
1. Wisk sugar and milk until smooth. Then stir in the corn syrup and extract. Glaze should be slightly thin and slowly run off a spoon.
2. Separate glaze to desired containers before adding different food colorings. If you want to have brown icing, use a spoonful of cocoa powder.
To marbleize the icing, start by spreading a base color all over the cookie.
Lightly drizzle a second color in a random stripes or dots on top of the base color. Then, run a toothpick through the glaze in several stripes diagonally, then again in the opposite direction diagonally. The glazes will run together and make a marbleized effect.
Let the icing dry completely, about 2-3 hours before trying to package them. Have fun and be creative!!
Sources: www.ourbestbites.com and Martha Stewart

Hawaiian Tuna Melt

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A delicious twist on the old grilled tuna! This makes for a great lunch at home. I recommend using a thicker bread for this sandwich, so you can pile on the ingredients. A wheat ciabatta bread is pictured here, but you could use a hoagie roll, english muffin or thick sliced french bread.
Servings: 3-4
Ingredients:
2 (5 ounce) cans Tuna, drained and flaked
2 T. mayonaise
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 C. crushed pineapple
1/2 t. salt
1/4 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
Your favorite bread
1 T. butter
Directions:
1. Combine tuna, mayonaise, celery, green onion, pineapple, salt, and lemon pepper in a bowl.
2. Spread tuna mix over bread slice and sprinkle with cheese. Spread a small amount of butter on the top slice of bread.
3. Broil 6 in. from heat for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted and top slice of bread is toasted. Serve immediately.
Source: my variation of an allrecipes.com recipe

Shrimp Tacos

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Simple, yet extremely delicious is what I like in a recipe. This quick dish is one of my favorites! I can’t get enough of these and eat way more than my share. You may want to consider increasing the quantity so everyone at the table can pile on the ingredients!! The recipe calls for avocado, which isn’t pictured here, but adds great flavor to the dish. I leave it out when avocados get too expensive.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 mango, diced
1 ripe avocado, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, diced
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. lime juice
1lb uncooked shrimp, deveined and tail-off
2-3 T. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t. parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
8 soft flour tortillas (taco size)
1. Toss the mango, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, onion, garlic, salt, and lime juice together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and parsley. When it starts to sizzle add the shrimp. Cook, stirring constantly, until the shrimp are pink and opaque, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. To serve, place a few shrimp onto a warm tortilla, top with mango salsa and fold up.
Source: allrecipes.com

Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries

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I would eat these fries for breakfast, lunch and dinner if it was allowed. This is one of my all-time favorite foods! Don’t get confused and buy yams. Though tasty, yams will get too mushy when cooked.
2 large sweet potatoes makes about 4 servings.
1. Wash the sweet potatoes, and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Using a very sharp chopping knife, julienne the potatoes into thin fries. Try to make them as uniform in thickness as you can, it will help with baking them evenly.
3. Place the fries in a microwave-safe bowl and submerge them in water. Cook for 5 minutes in the microwave. This will soften the potatoes up just a bit and speed up cooking time.
4. Dry the fries off on a paper towel and then place them on a baking sheet.

5. Drizzle the fries with vegetable or olive oil, and stir to coat evenly.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
OR for a sweeter version sprinkle with a cinnamon and brown sugar mix.
7. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring once after 10 minutes.
Source: My own trial and error.

Pizza Casserole

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Most people would define their dutch oven as something they stub their toe on while cleaning the garage, but in our house, it’s a kitchen staple. We cook in it so often I sometimes forget I live in 2011. Wether you use a dutch oven, or a glass casserole dish, this simple casserole is sure to satisfy! (This is especially true if you really ARE camping and using your dutch oven. Just remember the charcoal!)

 
Ingredients:
1 pkg. Jumbo shell pasta
1- 1 1/2 jars pasta sauce
1 Kielbasa sausage
1 pkg. pepperoni
1 C. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
 
Directions:
1. Cook pasta shells as directed on the package.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. (If using a dutch oven, preheat it in the oven as well)
3. Slice the kielbasa into 1/4 inch slices.
4. Mix all the ingredients in the casserole dish or dutch oven. Cover with foil or lid.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
 
Source: Family
 

Chicken Rolls

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This dish takes me back to my childhood, sitting around the dinner table with my family. It is a comfort food for me. As they bake, they fill the house with a wonderful, warm aroma.

Ingredients:
1/3 C bread crumbs
1/4 C finely chopped walnuts or pecans *optional*
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. chives
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1 C cooked chicken, chopped into small cubes
1 can (8 count) of Pillsbury crescent rolls
3 T. butter, melted
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and nuts (if using), and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, chives, lemon pepper, and 2 T. of the butter. Mix well, then stir in the chicken pieces. Set aside.
4. Separate crescent dough into 8 triangles and drop a heaping spoonful of chicken mixture onto the wide part of each triangle.
5. Roll up, start at the wide end of the triangle and roll to opposite point. Tuck the sides and point under to seal completely.
6. Dip each roll in remaining melted butter, then in the bread crumbs and place on baking sheet.
7. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
8. Serve topped with chicken gravy.

Lime Chicken Tacos

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Dust your crock pot off, and try this super simple recipe that will satisfy your craving for Mexican food!



6 Chicken Breasts (thawed or frozen, it doesn’t matter)

1 pkg. Taco Seasoning
1 15oz can chicken broth
1 C. salsa of your choice
2 limes sliced into wedges
Hard taco shells
Taco Fixin’s (e.g. chopped tomato, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, etc.)


1. Pour chicken broth into a crock pot and stir in taco seasoning.
2. Add salsa and mix well.
3. Place the chicken in the crock pot with the liquid and cover with lid.
4. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours or until the chicken can be shredded.
5. Remove the chicken breasts from the pot, shred the chicken with a fork and place back in the pot with the juices.
6. Serve in hard taco shells with lime slices to drizzle over the meat.


Source: Janet Brown


Indian Naan

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Last week I talked about loving naan, so I thought it would be appropriate to share how to make it in your own oven. Traditionally naan is made in a tandoori oven like in this video:

 
To cook naan in your home oven a *pizza stone will substitute for the tandoori oven.
You can eat your naan with any indian main dish, hummus, dill yogurt dip, honey butter, or make it into flatbread pizza.

Naan
1 tsp. active dry yeast
3/4 C. warm water
2 C. flour
1 tsp. salt
1. tsp. sugar
pinch of baking soda
2 T. oil
2 1/2 T. plain yogurt
 

 
Directions:
1. Dissolve active dry yeast in warm water (100 degrees F) and let sit for 10 min or until it becomes frothy.
2. Mix flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
3. Add the oil and yogurt and mix. Dough will be crumbly like this:
 

4. Add the water/yeast mixture and make into soft dough.
5. Knead in bowl until the dough is smooth. (this will be a very sticky endeavor!)

6.Cover and keep in a warm place 3-4 hours. The dough will almost double in volume.
7. Pre-heat oven and pizza stone to 500 degrees. Then, set the oven to broil.
8. Dust the counter with flour and knead the dough for about 2-3 minutes. Divide the dough into six equal parts.

9. One at a time, roll each piece of dough into an 8-inch oval. (Use a dusting of flour to help prevent sticking.

10. Before putting naan in oven, lightly wet your hands, take the rolled naan and flip it between your palms and place on the pizza stone. (this will moisten the dough and stretch it out a bit more)

11. Bake 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly on top.
12. Remove from oven with a spatula or tongs and continue until all the dough is cooked.
13. Brush with butter, and enjoy!
 

*Check what kind of temperatures your stone can withstand, some stoneware can crack in extreme heat.

Source: An Indian woman on YouTube, but now I can’t find her. I am pretty sure she can cook naan blindfolded though.