Chris' Recipes

Bon Appetite!

Zesty Sweet and Sour Chicken, by Jennifer

Written By: Chris - May• 16•12

Post by Jen!

My kids and John are crazy for Sweet and Sour Chicken.  I have been messing around with the size of the bites and a batter that will not make a mess when you fry it!  This is moist, tender and hits the flavors that you look for when you head out to your favorite Chinese restaurant!  I have never been able to find the sauce recipe that is “IT!”  A hint of garlic help made it happen.  So, after trial and error…

Here it is springerlink gesamtes buch downloaden!

 

Ingredients

4 Large Chicken Breasts
1/2 of a Red Pepper – slice in 1/4 slices and then in half
1/2 large Vidalia Onion – same as above
2 cups 1 inch cubes of Pineapple
2 cups vegetable oil

Sauce
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1/3 cup White Sugar
1/3 cup Rice Vinegar
1/3 cup Ketchup
1/2 teaspoon Soy Sauce
2/3 cup of Water
2 cloves of Garlic minced fine stream program.
2 teaspoons Cornstarch mixed with 4 teaspoons of  Water for thickening

Batter
1/2 cup Flour
1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons Cornstarch
1 cup of  Water
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder

Slice Red Pepper, Onion and  Pineapple facebook eigenes video herunterladen. (or use canned)

Batter – Mix together Batter ingredients in medium sized bowl until smooth – no lumps.  Set aside.

Sauce – In 2 quart saucepan, mix all ingredients over medium high heat. (except the 2 teaspoons of Cornstarch and 4 teaspoons water, mix these in small bowl.  Set aside.) Stirring the entire time until brought to a low boil.  Add Cornstarch mixture and continue to simmer for 1 minuet.  Remove from heat.  Keep in saucepan and reheat when you are done frying chicken adobe photoshop cs5 gratis downloaden nederlands.

Cut off fatty parts and membranes off of chicken.  We cannot have anything other than pure meat in this one!  Cut  into 1 1/2 inch chunks herunterladen.

In Wok (or large pot) Heat 2 cups of vegetable oil. ( I use Wesson. You know the oil is ready when you take a wooden spoon and bubbles dance rapidly around the base when dipped in the oil.) Working in batches of about 8-10, dip chicken into batter, get the chicken good and covered and lift chicken out with your hand, give it a shake and gently put into wok.  Separate chicken if needed herunterladen. Fry and flip the chicken until golden brown on all sides.  Remove to Paper towel lined plate and repeat until all chicken is done.

     

Carefully remove all but 2 tablespoons of oil from Wok and heat turned to meduim high.  Add Peppers, Onions and Pineapple.  Saute 1 1/2 minuets stirring constantly.  Add Chicken, stirring quickly and then add your Sauce.  Stir until heated through, about another minuet.  Serve in a large shallow bowl herunterladen.

      

Serve over your favorite rice itunes again!

Enjoy!  Jen

Posted in Chicken, Main Dishes, Recipes, Sauces , | 1 Comment »

Homemade pasta! Sharing my kitchen!

Written By: Chris - May• 10•12

So I splurged and finally bought myself some toys that I’ve had my eye’s on for quite some time…  I did wait until Kohl’s had a sale and was able to use an additional 30% off coupon, but it was still tough to pull the trigger!  These accessories to the mixer cost more than the mixer when combined!  The joy of cooking investments total more than my first car!  But what a thrill when the UPS man dropped the box’s at my front step.  I still have wants… all in time, but we’ll have plenty to play with until then kann man mediathek-beiträge downloaden.

Our friends Heather and Dave came over for a Friday night social and dinner in.  Heather and I have shared kitchens before as she too likes to cook!  We’ll soon be sharing our kitchen in Napa on an upcoming vacation on our rental home, so I thought it would be a fun way to practice as we needed to plan menu’s for the trip anyways,  A good  excuse to get together fluidsim herunterladen.

We created a couple of kinds of pasta and then allowed everyone to choose their own toppings while tossing the pasta with the sauce!  It was fun (messy at times) and enjoyed by all.  Bill was particularly thrilled with this dish as he LOVES Pasta!  That’s what it’s all about anyways…

Pasta Ingredients:

4 Cups White Flour
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
5 Egg Beaters
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

We used my Kitchen Aid Mixer stirring all of the dry ingredients together using the hook tool, rather than the traditional way of creating pasta:

(by placing your flour out on a clean counter surface and then creating a hollow spot n the center, pouring in the olive oil.  Then break eggs into it one at a time, while mixing quickly with a fork until the dough is wet enough to come together bluetooth download op laptop. Knead on a lightly floured surface until the dough is stiff and elastic.) 

We went the easy route using the mixer and it worked just fine!  Slowly pour in olive oil into the flour mixture and add egg beaters 1/4th Cup at a time…  mixing on medium speed until dough is wet and has come together completely.   You may need to remove the dough from the bowl and make sure all ingredients have been incorporated.  Allow the hook to work the dough until stiff and elastic.  Cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to stand for 30 minutes herunterladen.

You may choose to roll out your pasta and cut it,  but since we were working with the new toys (pasta tools) That is what we did.

We didn’t use the large silver pieces this time, rather had fun with the Pasta Extruder-Attachment and a few different shapes of noodles app musik downloaden offline hören!

Make balls about the size of a golf ball.  (I confess, some of them were larger at times and it worked fine!)

Feed the pasta balls into the extruder and place the mixing speed according to the pasta type.  The instructions are in the manual.  We did find that by dunking the pasta into flour before dropping into the hopper was helpful.  Bill also suggested placing the opening of the hopper over the edge of the counter for longer noodles because we were squashing them at first trying to figure out how to get them to our desired length herunterladen.

I chose to make Bucatini, which is a thick spaghetti shaped pasta that is hollow in the center, similar to a thin straw.  Dried noodles that you buy at the store may take up to 9 to 13 minutes.  Fresh pasta takes more like 4 minutes!  Don’t over cook it!   Also, by choosing egg beaters rather than real eggs – although it is good for your diet, it does change the texture somewhat Download gimp for mac.

Heather chose a curly type, but we didn’t think it curled much!

Allow to dry for at least 15 minutes before boiling watchtower library. (Now I’ve got my eye on a pasta drying rack!)

Heather doctored up my go to can of prepared red pasta sauce, by adding some of the chopped peppers and onions, fresh basil, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper!  We also determined she was a much messier cook than I am!  She was tormenting me by splattering my stainless steel canisters with finger prints!  I cleaned up after her almost as quickly as she made the mess!  It really amused her… but it was all in good fun!  In the end, my kitchen was left sparkling as I wouldn’t have it any other way download ps4 in rust mode!

I enjoyed sharing my kitchen with her…

While the pasta is drying, we prepared our toppings:

I had some Pancetta on hand, which is an Italian bacon.  It is pork belly meat that has been salt cured.  I baked the thinly sliced bacon on an oven safe cooling rack at 350 until it was browned and crispy!  We then crumbled it to add a nice crunchy texture to the dish adblock kostenloser.

We cooked some cubed chicken tenderloin in oil with salt & Pepper as well as caramelized onions with red, orange and yellow peppers.  We also sauteed some fresh chopped zucchini with smashed garlic and had fresh spinach!  I also had some toasted pine nuts, and an array of cheeses including soft goat, Parmesan and Italian shredded varieties.

Boil a large pot of water that has been seasoned with kosher salt.  Cook the pasta for 2 to 4 minutes.  It will float when it is fully cooked.

We divided the pasta into eight servings as Michelle & Jacob decided to join us.  As we prepared each persons pasta, they were able to then choose which of the ingredients they preferred in their dish.  The majority of us wanted it ALL! 🙂  What a joy to share the joy of food and good wine!

We enjoyed this meal with a wonderful Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon!  A perfect preparation for the trip to Insignia day next weekend!

Enjoy!

Cheers!
~Chris

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Roasted Chicken, by Jennifer!

Written By: Chris - May• 09•12

Post by Jen!

I have roasted many chickens! I’ve made spice rubs, lifted the skin and placed garlic cloves…  Layered the cavity with oranges, apples and tied them in all kinds of ways.  You get my point!  There are times you want to just get that bird in the oven and to have the wonderful smells that radiate through your home that take you down memory lane.  That is what this recipe does for me!  Brings me back to my Grandparents farm.  Where… warcraft 3 download kostenlos. we butchered chickens when I was a kid.

I hope you find this dish as Easy! Simple! and Delicious as I have!

Ingredients:

1 Large Fryer Chicken, this one is 7 pounds rub ticket herunterladen.
1 stick Butter at room temperature
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt.
2 large Vidalia onions
6 large Garlic cloves – gently smashed
Cooking spray

Remove gizzard/neck packet from cavity.  Rinse inside and out. Remove any feathers that may still be attached download duden.
Pat dry inside and out with paper towels.   Use 1/2 stick (more if needed) generously rub entire chicken inside and out.  This bird must be as dry as possible in order for the butter to stick how to paid apps for free!

Rub cooking sheet with olive oil, butter, or Pam cooking spray and place bird, breast side up, on large heavy grade aluminum baking sheet with 1 inch sides premiere elements.

Sprinkle Kosher salt inside and out of chicken.  Put 1 quarter of the onion inside bird cavity and 1 scattered on baking sheet.  Place 3 cloves of garlic inside bird cavity and 3 scattered on baking sheet lieder direkt von youtube herunterladen.

Pre – Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Bake at 425 for 15 minuets.  After 15 minuets brush bird with room temperature butter and lower your oven temperature to 400 for 15 minuets warzone auf ps4 herunterladen. Baste with butter again and lower temperature to 325.  Check bird every 15 minuets and baste with juices that are on cooking sheet.  Depending on the size of chicken will determine how long you will cook it.  The internal temperature should be 180 degrees kaufda.de free of charge.

When chicken is done, remove to a serving plate. Scoop off onion and garlic from baking sheet and place in cavity of bird. Cover with foil.

How to make the Gravy!  Remove all but 3 Tablespoons of  fat from baking sheet.  With a whisk or spatula (not plastic) work up all the brown bits on bottom of sheet.  Add 3 Tablespoons of butter and 3 Tablespoons of flour to baking sheet typekit font downloaden. Set on stove top put burner to medium heat and whisk all ingredients together.  Cook and whisk for around 5 minuets.

Slowly add 3 Cups of  water to this.  Whisking this together the entire time.  After you get this so there are not any lumps, turn your heat up to medium high.  Keep whisking… don’t stop!  Taste with a spoon and make sure it is seasoned enough.  You may need to add more salt.  Notice there is not pepper in this recipe.  If you pepper your gravy, do so now.  I usually do, however with this recipe it is not needed! 

Bring to low boil.  Once this has happened cook 1 minute and your gravy is done herunterladen!

Pour into serving bowl.  Slice your chicken and serve with favorite sides!  I served Blanched Green Beans and Scalloped Potatoes.

Enjoy Memory Lane!

Cheers!
~Jen

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Grilled Pork Chops & Roasted Onions

Written By: Chris - May• 06•12

I spotted some nice boneless pork chops on sale at the grocery store the other day so I bought them for this simple and delicious dinner!  The weather was really nice outside so we decided to grill.  I had some dry rub left over from the beer can chicken I had recently made, so that’s what went on the chops herunterladen!

Do you like “blooming onions”?  These are an appetizer item usually found at restaurants or steak houses.  They are a big, deep-fried breaded onion and trust me they taste very good!  But… but since we’ve tried to lighten up the diet, we reach for my version of baked onions instead.  I encourage you to give them a try because you will be surprised just how good they are!  We think they are absolutely delicious and have the same rich flavors without all that fat!  When you slow roast them with just a hint of extra virgin olive oil and season them simply with salt and pepper, you’ll enjoy the natural sweetness of the onion!  We just love them unity 5 herunterladen.

Ingredients:

Boneless pork chops
Dry rub:(left over from my beer can chicken)
2 Tablespoons Salt
1 Tablespoon fresh ground black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Lawry’s Season Salt
2 Tablespoons granulated Garlic
1 Tablespoon Oregano
1 Tablespoon Thyme
1 Tablespoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning
2 Tablespoons Onion Powder
2 Tablespoons Paprika
1 teaspoon meat tenderizer

I was serving baked potatoes that were washed, dried (poke with fork several times) and then rubbed with olive oil, salt & pepper.  These were smaller ones, so they took about 45 minutes at 400 degrees upday.

The Onions are simple!  Place a small amount of olive oil on a cookie sheet, cut the large sweet onions in half and season cut side with salt & pepper.  (I even leave the skins on).  Place cut sides of onions down onto the oil.  Bake with the potatoes for the same amount of time and I also chose to prepared roasted garlic to smash onto the cooked chops fortnite auf dem computer herunterladen.

Allow chops to come to room temperature and season them with the dry rub.  A pork chop that is about 1/2 inch thick should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees command conquer kostenlos downloaden windows 7. These are considered a thin cut and should be grilled quick and hot. No more than 4 to 5 minutes on a hot grill. Thicker cuts should be grilled longer and at a lower temperature though the internal temperature should be the same Download emojis for free.

Allow chops to rest for ten minutes before serving.  Remove outer skin of the onion and discard.  You will know the onions are done when they are cooked through and the bottom side has caramelized nicely.   Place two to four roasted garlic cloves on the chops and top your potatoes with butter and sour cream (Brummel & Brown and Light sour cream) Delicious download pdf mac!

We enjoyed a Caprese salad and a wonderful Cigar Zin from Cosentino gimp kostenlos deutsch windows vista!

Enjoy!
Cheers!
~Chris

 

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Grilled Beer Can Chicken

Written By: Chris - May• 05•12

So the kids were all coming over a couple of weeks ago for our Sunday dinner and I wanted to make something that I hadn’t prepared for them in a while.  My friend Jennifer talks about her beer can chicken often!  I wonder how she prepares hers youtube audio? I found some quality birds at Costco at a very reasonable price, so I decided to give my own version of the birds a try!

Ingredients:

2 Fryer Chickens (about 4 pounds each)
a couple Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
2 cans of Beer

Dry rub:
2 Tablespoons Salt
1 Tablespoon fresh ground black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Lawry’s Season Salt
2 Tablespoons granulated Garlic
1 Tablespoon Oregano
1 Tablespoon Thyme
1 Tablespoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning
2 Tablespoons Onion Powder
2 Tablespoons Paprika
1 teaspoon meat tenderizer

Remove neck and giblets from the chicken.  I place them in a shallow pot of water and boil making a stock for the gravy.  After they have cooked for at least a half an hour, strain them from the stock and discard foto herunterladen instagram. Rinse the chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels.

Open beer cans and either drink about a third to half of the can or pour it out. Rub chicken lightly with oil windows 7 service pack 3 64 bit download kostenlos.

Place the beer scan onto a cookie sheet on a solid surface.  Holding the chicken place the bird cavity over the beer can herunterladen.

Rub the entire outside of the bird with the dry rub ds video herunterladen.

Transfer the birds sitting on a can to your grill balancing them on their tail and legs over the can like a tripod.  Make sure that you can close the cover to your grill.  (I had the birds on the outside close to the front using the middle burner for heat because the top shelf in our grill pushes forward when you close the lid and I hadn’t thought about it until I had oiled hands and learned by trial and error!)   You want the chicken to cook over medium-high, indirect heat (no burners on directly under the bird), with the grill closed for approximately an hour and 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees in the breast area and/or 180 in the thigh download folk music for free.

You can usually tell if the bird is cooked if the thigh juice runs clear when cut with a knife gta 5 rennen downloaden ps4.

Remove from grill and tent with foil allowing birds to rest for 10 minutes before carving.  I served this with homemade mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans and a salad.  The family really enjoyed this

Enjoy cv download word!

Cheers!
~Chris

Posted in Chicken, Grilled, Main Dishes, Recipes , | 1 Comment »
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