Sesame Chicken and Roasted Broccoli

As stated in previous posts, like this one:

http://hotsouthernmessblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/chinese-food-at-home.html    

I only like Chinese food if I make it myself.  I like being able to control the ingredients in my food.  This is a recipe I did not include in the previous post on Chinese food so I thought I'd share it.  My recipe for Sesame Chicken is really good and easy.  Plus, I "oven-fry" the chicken so it's a little bit better for you.  Also, I'll share how I get my family to eat broccoli!  You heard me right, they eat broccoli.

SESAME CHICKEN

Chicken:
2 boneless chicken breasts, cubed
1 egg
1 cup corn flake crumbs (zip in food processor or smash in a zip bag)
season salt
flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a plate with flour.  Line a second plate with corn flake crumbs seasoned with season salt.  Crack the egg into a bowl add a little bit of water (about a tablespoon or so) and beat.  Dredge cubed chicken in flour, then egg wash, then seasoned corn flake crumbs.  When they are all coated, place them on a cookie sheet and bake in the preheated 400 degree oven for 5 minutes.  Flip them over then bake for 5 minutes more.  Meanwhile, make the sauce.

Sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 TBS cornstarch
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup water
2 TBS apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
2 TBS low-sodium soy sauce
1 TBS sesame oil
1 TBS canola oil
1 tsp ketchup
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
sesame seeds

In a saucepan, mix together sugar and cornstarch.  Stir in the chicken broth, water, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, canola oil, ketchup, hot sauce, red pepper flakes and garlic.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

When chicken is done, toss it with the sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds (as much or little as you like).  Serve over hot rice.  Garnish with green onions, if desired.

Here is my secret for getting my family to eat broccoli.  Roast it!  That's it.  So simple, but it completely changes the taste.  Delicious!

ROASTED BROCCOLI

1 head broccoli, cleaned and cut into florets
oil
salt/pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place the broccoli on a cookie sheet and toss it with a little oil (a couple of tablespoons or so - not too much!)  Then season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir it around to make sure it's evenly coated with oil and seasoning.  Put in the oven and roast for about 10-15 minutes or until edges are just starting to crisp up.

Who knew Chinese at home could be so quick, easy and healthy, too!  I hope you give these recipes a try.  And maybe you're picky eaters will like broccoli, too?  It could happen.

Make Middle Eastern Food at Home

My daughter and I love this restaurant called Albasha.  It specializes in Greek and Lebanese food.  We especially love the falafel and tzatziki sauce there.  We order it every time we go, which isn't often because my old-school Italian husband and pickiest-eater-ever son would sooner go hungry than try something new.  However, when she and I sneak away by ourselves, we choose Middle Eastern fare.  Because we go so rarely, I decided to try and make our favorite middle eastern food at home.  I'd been putting this off because I figured I'd have to go buy a bunch of weird ingredients or spices.  But, after a little research, I found that I could make these dishes with everyday ingredients I already had on hand.  Ya know what?  They came out great!  Here's how I did it:


FALAFEL 

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 green onions, chopped
1 small clove garlic. coarsely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
a pinch of red pepper flakes
2 TBS chopped parsley
2 TBS chopped cilantro (I was out of cilantro so I just used 4 TBS parsley)
1 egg
2 TBS lemon juice
a big pinch kosher salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup flour (plus more for forming patties)
Oil to fry them in

In a food processor, combine chickpeas, green onions, garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes, parsley, cilantro, egg, and lemon juice.  Pulse to combine.  Season with salt and pulse again.  Mixture should not be totally smooth; it should still have some chunks in it. Add in the baking powder and 1/4 cup flour and pulse just to combine.  Remove to a bowl and cover.  Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

 It will look light green.  That's from the parsley.

  
After chilling the dough, remove it from the fridge.  Meanwhile, put enough oil in a large skillet to reach halfway up the side.  Heat on medium-high heat until hot.  Here's how to tell if it's ready.  Throw a pinch of flour into the oil.  If it sizzles, it's ready.  

While the oil is heating, drop balls of the dough onto a plate of flour.  Roll the balls around in the flour and gently press to form patties.

Fry in batches (don't overcrowd the skillet) for about 3 minutes per side.  Drain on paper towels.

These are so flavorful!  Especially when dipped in the Tzatziki sauce.

TZATZIKI SAUCE

1 cup plain yogurt
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 TBS olive oil
2 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp dried dill
1 clove garlic (if yours are small, use 2)
salt/pepper to taste

In a blender, combine yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, dill and garlic.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Blend until well combined.  Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the flavors marry.

This sauce is not only a great dip for falafel or veggies, it makes a wonderful salad dressing!

So, I hope you give these Middle Eastern dishes a try.  As you can see, they're easy to make with ingredients you probably have on hand.  Enjoy!

I Cannot Tell a Lie. I Love Cherries!

Cherries remind me of summer.  I absolutely love eating fresh cherries when they are in season.  However, I can get that great cherry flavor year-round thanks to dried cherries and cherry preserves.  If you know how to use these two ingredients, you can make some delicious cherry recipes.  Here are a couple:

CHERRY ALMOND MUFFINS

Muffins:
1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup cherry preserves

Topping:
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter (cut butter into cubes & put on a plate in fridge to get cold)
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix muffin ingredients together with mixer on medium speed until blended well.  Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.  Fill cups about 2/3 full with batter.

In a separate bowl, mix oats, flour, both sugars, and cinnamon.  Cut in the cold butter with a fork or pastry blender.

Stir in almonds.  It should look like this:

Sprinkle a little of this topping over each muffin.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

These are so good!  You can't even tell you started with a box of cake mix.  They are perfect for breakfast or brunch and even dessert.  And they look like they came from a bakery.  My husband asked where I bought them.  Pretty and Delicious!

The next recipe is one that I dreamed up one night when I couldn't sleep.  How pathetic right?  I'm laying there, trying to sleep, but instead I'm thinking about how to put cherries in a cookie.  But, for once, my insomnia paid off!  These cookies are phenomenal!  My family went crazy for these!


WHITE CHOCOLATE CHERRY PECAN COOKIES

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 degrees if you're using a dark or non-stick cookie sheet).  Cream the butter, both sugars, egg and vanilla with a mixer until fluffy.  In a separate bowl, sift flour, soda and salt together.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until blended.  Gently stir in the white chocolate chips, cherries and pecans.  Drop from a teaspoon 2 inches apart (they will spread a little) onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown.  Cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a rack and cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.

So, there are a couple of ways to get that great cherry flavor anytime you want it.  I hope you give these recipes a try.  If you are a cherry fan, they are a must!  Enjoy!

Chocolate Toffee Squares

Did you ever have a Skor candy bar?  They are my favorite candy bar, hands-down!  Crispy toffee covered in chocolate, oh yeah.  Well, this easy recipe tastes a lot like that candy bar.  And you'll be surprised at the crazy ingredient in this one.


CHOCOLATE TOFFEE SQUARES

24 saltine crackers (yep, crackers)
1 stick butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup (heaping) chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate-your preference)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a large cookie sheet (with sides) with foil.  Spray the foil with cooking spray.  Arrange the saltines salt-side down in a single layer.

In a small pot, melt the butter and brown sugar.  Boil until it turns a caramel color.  This does not take long, just a few minutes.

Pour this mixture over the crackers, covering them evenly (it will spread in the oven, but try to get all the crackers covered).

Bake for 3-5 minutes, or just until it starts to bubble (watch it carefully).  The toffee spreads all over but don't worry, that's why you use the foil and cooking spray.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.  (I used mini chips, but regular-sized works, too)

Let them sit for a minute or two to get melty, then spread over the crackers with a butter knife or spatula.

Put the cookie sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes or so (until completely cold).  Break them apart into squares.  Enjoy! (store leftovers in the fridge)

If you like toffee, you'll like these.  These little goodies are crisp and sweet with a hint of saltiness.  They remind me so much of a Skor bar!  Hope you like them!

Potatoes!

Maybe it's the Irish in me (my Mama's ancestors are from Ireland), but I just love potatoes.  Fried, mashed, boiled, baked, smothered, it doesn't matter how you fix 'em, I'll eat 'em!  So, I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite potato recipes.  Here they are:

This first recipe uses potatoes, but it's not entirely Irish.  It's Cajun, too and not only because of the spices used.  It was created using two standard Cajun guidelines:  Don't waste anything and make something delicious out of something meager.  Irish or Cajun?  It's kind of like me, a mixture of the two.

CAJUN HASH

2 links smoked sausage, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
6 medium-size Idaho potatoes, cut into small cubes (clean and dried)
1 cup chicken broth added to 1 cup water (you may not need all of this liquid)
salt/pepper
Cajun seasoning (I like Tony Chachere's)
oil
fresh parsley or sliced green onions for garnish

Brown sausage in a large pot (with a tight fitting lid).  Make sure some sticks to the bottom of the pot.  This is called "gratin".  It gives the dish great flavor!  Remove sausage and set aside.

Here's what the "gratin" on the bottom of the pot should look like:

Add a little oil and saute the onion, celery and bell pepper until cooked down and brown like this:

Add a little of the broth/water mixture to the pot and quickly put the lid on to steam for a few minutes.  Remove the lid and, using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom the the pot.  This will help lift the "gratin".  Remove the sauteed vegetables and set aside.  Add a little more oil and turn up the heat to medium-high.  Fry the potatoes (make sure they are dry!) until a little brown on the edges like this:

Season well with salt/pepper/Cajun seasoning.  Add sausage and sauteed vegetables back to the pot.  Stir well.  Add some more of the broth/water mixture, then quickly put the lid back on to smother the potatoes.  Let smother for a few minutes, then remove the lid and stir.  Repeat this process until the potatoes are soft and cooked through.  You may not use all of the broth/water.  Check for seasoning, adding more if desired.  Garnish with fresh parsley or sliced green onions.

Here's what the finished dish looks like:

Delicious!


The next recipe is one I saw on a t.v. show and had to try.  I love potatoes au gratin, but I used to make it with a boxed mix (for shame!).  Not anymore!  I thought it was such a hard thing to make, but it's so not!  It's super easy, but it does takes time in the oven.  If you've got the time, make this!  It's so yummy!

POTATOES AU GRATIN

1 TBS butter, softened
4 large Idaho potatoes, clean and dry
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk (you can use all milk, but the cream makes it incredibly good)
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 green onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Butter a 9x13 baking dish with the softened butter.  Slice potatoes into 1/4 inch slices or dice them, whichever you prefer.  I sliced them.  Place potatoes in the buttered dish.  In a bowl, combine cream, milk, flour, salt, and pepper(as much as you like).  Whisk together well.  Pour this over the potatoes.  Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake another 15-20 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle cheese on top.  It will melt from the heat of the dish.  Then sprinkle the green onions on top.  Done!  See, I told ya it was easy.  Pretty, too.

So, there are a couple of my favorite potato recipes.  Embrace your inner Irish (or Cajun/Irish) and eat some potatoes!

Classic Lemon Squares

I love anything made with lemon!  It's so bright and tart.  Yum!  I must get it from my Mama because she loves all things lemon, too.  When she came over the other day we decided to bake something together.  So, of course, it had to be something made with lemons.  We chose the old-fashioned favorite, Classic Lemon Squares.  These are great because I usually have all of the ingredients on hand.  No special trip to the grocery store required.   They go great with a cup of tea, too!  Maybe you could make these for your Mama on Mother's Day this Sunday, along with a nice cup of tea?  Here's how my Mama and I did it:


CLASSIC LEMON SQUARES

1 cup + 2 TBS flour, divided
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 stick butter, softened
2 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 TBS lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix 1 cup of the flour and powdered sugar together.  Cut in the butter.  Mix until it resembles pie dough.

Press the dough into an 8 inch square baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Beat together eggs, granulated sugar, 2 TBS flour, lemon juice and lemon zest for at least 1 minute (use an electric mixer).  Pour the mixture over the baked crust (it will be thin, that's ok).

Bake another 20-25 minutes, or until the lemon topping has set.

Let it cool, then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Cut into small squares.

These are sweet and tart, so good!  Keep leftover squares in the refrigerator.

*Tip about zesting a lemon:  Use a small grater and only take off the yellow part of the rind.  The white part is bitter, you don't want that.

*Tip about juicing a lemon:  Roll the lemon on the counter before you cut it and juice it.  That will brake up the juice sacks and you'll get more lemon juice when you squeeze it.

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there!  Enjoy your day (and maybe a lemon square or two)!

Won Ton Wrapper Cups!

This is such a cute idea!  I saw it on a cooking show and had to try it.  You use won ton wrappers to make little crispy cups that you can fill with almost anything.  Chicken salad, tuna salad, taco fixings, fried rice, etc.  They are perfect for party appetizers because you can make them ahead of time then just fill them at the last minute.  Plus, they are really easy to make.  Here's how you do it:


WON TON WRAPPER CUPS

won ton wrappers
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.  Place one won ton wrapper into each cup of the mini muffin tin.  Push down to form a cup.  Spritz a little cooking spray on top of the cups.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 5 minutes or until light brown and crispy.  Be careful not to burn them!

Fill them with whatever you like.  I used them for taco shells and made little taco appetizers.  I filled half with seasoned ground beef and half with seasoned black beans (I just added a little taco seasoning to a can of black beans).  Then, I sprinkled on shredded cheese, tomatoes, green onions, etc.  My kids loved these!

You could also season the cups.  After you spritz them with cooking spray (before you bake them) just season them with salt and pepper or taco seasoning or Italian seasoning, etc.  Use whatever compliments your filling.

For a sweet variation:  Sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar before baking.  When done, fill them with warmed apple pie filling and whipped cream!

As you can see, the possibilities are endless.  That's why I love this idea.  Hope you do, too!

*Note:  If you have trouble finding won ton wrappers, try the produce section of the grocery store.  They have to stay refrigerated so a lot of stores keep them there.