Monday, September 16, 2013

Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs

This is my "go to recipe" when I need to take a meal to someone. It is fast, makes a lot, and frugal! 


Ingredients:

1 package chicken thighs
1/2 c any mustard (I use spicy brown)
1/4 c maple syrup
1 T vinegar
1 T rosemary

Instructions:

Line a 9x13 pan with foil. Marinate Chicken in mustard, syrup, & vinegar mixture for 30-24 hrs. Place chicken along with marinate in the foil lined pan. Bake at 450 for 40  min. 

Oven Roasted Srimp

This is a VERY good & EASY way to prepare incredible shrimp! 

 

Ingredients: 

1 stick of butter, melted
1 lemon, sliced in thin slices
1 bag of frozen shrimp, thawed
1 pkg. Italian dressing seasoning.

 

Instructions:

Pour butter on a cookie sheet. Place lemon slices on top of butter. Place shrimp on top of lemon slices. Sprinkle shrimp with dressing packet. Bake at 350 for 15 min.

Note: The drippings in the the pan from the butter, lemon and shrimp is VERY tart. It is best to serve shrimp without any of the drippings. 


Friday, September 13, 2013

The Best Waffles

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon. baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup milk
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg, separated
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Heat the oven to 200°F and heat up the waffle iron.
Mix the flour, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Measure the buttermilk, milk, and vegetable oil in a measuring cup and stir in the egg yolk. Set aside.
In another bowl, beat the egg white almost to soft peaks. Sprinkle in the sugar and continue to beat until the peaks are firm and glossy. Beat in the vanilla.
Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until just mixed. Drop the whipped egg white onto the batter in dollops and fold in with a spatula until just incorporated.
Pour the batter onto the hot waffle iron (My Belgian waffle maker takes 2 1/2 ice cream scoops of batter, but your mileage may vary) and cook until the waffle is crisp and brown.
Set the waffle directly on the oven rack to keep it warm and crisp. Repeat with the remaining batter, holding the waffles in the oven (don't stack them). When all the waffles are cooked, serve immediately.

Source: Buns In My Oven

Grilled Pork or Turkey Tender Loin

Ingredients:
1⁄2 cups olive oil
1⁄3 cup soy sauce
1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tsp dry mustard
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1-lb. pork tenderloin

Directions:
Combine all marinade ingredients and reserve 2-3 Tbsp. Place the pork tenderloin and marinade in a Ziplock bag and let marinate for at least 3-4 hours. Grill.

Source: Adapted from For The Love of Cooking

Best Steak Marinade EVER:

I found this on Pintrest and it truly is the best stake marinate we have ever used!

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice,
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
3 tbsp dried basil
1 1/2 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp minced garlic

Marinate for 30min or 2 days
This is great on chicken too

Broccoli & Cauliflower Bake


1/2 c bread crumbs
1/4 c parmesan cheese
2 T butter, melted
1 1/2 t. Italian Seasoning 
Combine and set aside.

16 oz , chopped Broccoli
1 head  chopped Cauliflower
Set aside.

2 T butter
1 onion, chopped
Melt butter in sauce pan, saute onion. 
Add
2 T flour

Stir in the rest of the ingredients
1t. garlic salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/4 c milk
4 oz cream cheese

Cook on med heat until cream cheese is melted and sauce is thickened. Grease a 9 x13 baking dish. Add veggies, toss with sauce and sprinkle with topping. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 more minutes. 


Yellow Cake Mix

Ingredients

2 c sugar
2 3/4 + 1 T flour
3 T cornstarch
1/2 c dry milk
1t. salt
2 sticks butter, cut into small sliceses
1 T vanilla
1 T baking powder

Instructions


Process sugar, flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a food processor for 15 seconds to combine.
Add butter and vanilla and pulse till mixture resembles coarse meal. (much finer than pie crust)
Use right away or store in a ziploc bag in your freezer for up to 2 months
 

To make the cake:

Beat cake mix, 1 1/4 cups of warm water and 2 large eggs till smooth, about 2 minutes
Bake at 350 degrees
13x9- 30-35 minutes
2- 9 inch round 25-27 minutes

Recipe found at http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/cake/homemade-yellow-cake-mix.html

Bang Bang Shrimp

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 tbsp light mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp scallions or green onions, chopped fine
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
  • 1/2 tsp Sriracha (or to taste)
  • 40 large (12.8 oz) raw shrimp, shelled and deveined (weight after peeled)
  • 2 c flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 c milk
  • coconut oil or canola oil for frying

Directions:

Combine the mayo, scallions, sweet chili sauce and sriracha sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.Toss shrimp in flour, then in milk egg mixture, then toss again with flour. Deep fry battered shrimp in oil until lightly browned and pink. Toss with sauce and serve. 

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar, divided
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 cup milk 
  • 4 cups fresh or frozen peach slices
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Ground cinnamon 

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
  2. Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt; add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over butter (do not stir).
  3. Bring remaining 1 cup sugar, peach slices, and lemon juice to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly; pour over batter (do not stir). Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.
  4. Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve cobbler warm or cool.

Honey Almond Granola

Ingredients
  • 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 1/2 cups raw slivered almonds (or other nuts*)
  • 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 cup melted coconut oil (or olive oil)
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup)
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts, salt, cinnamon and ground ginger. Stir thoroughly to combine.
  2. Stir in the oil, honey and vanilla. Turn the granola out onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, stirring halfway. The granola should be turning lightly golden (keep an eye on it as honey tends to brown). The granola will crisp up as it cools.
  3. Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks, or keep it in the freezer for longer shelf life.
Notes
Yields 5 to 6 cups of granola.
*If you are using large, whole nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc.) follow instructions as directed. If you are using small nuts or seeds (sunflower seeds, pepitas, etc.), wait to stir them into the granola until you remove it from the oven halfway through cooking.

Adapted from http://cookieandkate.com/2013/honey-almond-granola/

Mexican Rice Bake

Ingredients

  • 4 cups Cooked Brown  or White Rice
  • ¾ cups Frozen Corn
  • 15 ounces, fluid Can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
  • 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt (or Sour Cream)
  • 4 ounces, fluid Can Green Chilis
  • ½ cups Salsa
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup Cheddar Cheese, Plus More For Topping
  • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro For Garnish
    Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for cilantro and mix thoroughly to combine. Make sure the yogurt and cheese are stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Add seasonings. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese if you would like. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Cheese Herb Bread

This bread doesn't  just taste incredible it looks beautiful!

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking of soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder (or table mustard)
1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 c grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup green olives, sliced (I omitted)
8 pieces sun dried tomatoes, sliced thinly
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup mixture of spring onion and Italian parsley
2 tsp thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried thyme
2 eggs
2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 cup buttermilk (or use 1 1/4 cup less 1 Tbsp fresh milk + 1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice. Set aside for 10 minutes before using)
Egg wash (optional) made from 1 egg yolk beaten with 2 tsp water
Extra thyme springs and sea salt, for topping

Method:
1) Preheat oven to  350F. Generously butter a large loaf tin (23 x 13 x 6cm) and either line it with butter parchment paper or dust with flour. Set tin aside.

2) Sift flour, baking powder, soda, salt, pepper and mustard powder into a large bowl. Whisk with a whisk to incorporate the dry ingredients. Add both cheeses, olives, sundried tomatoes, spring onion, parsley and thyme and stir them thoroughly together.

3) In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the oil and buttermilk until they are well combined.

4) Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir together to form a thick, sticky batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and spread it out evenly.

5) Brush the top of the batter with the egg wash and then sprinkle some thyme leaves and sea salt onto the loaf.

6) Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until a fine skewer inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean. If the top starts to burn, place a piece of foil to cover the top of the loaf and continue baking. Leave in tin for 5 minutes before turning ot onto a wire rack.

7) This loaf is best served on the same day. Wrap left overs tightly and store in fridge. Gently reheat in oven if serving left overs.
Cheese, Olive and Buttermilk Herb BreadRecipe Adapted from "Mix & Bake" by Belinda Jeffrey