Don't be turned off by the name of the chicken, I beg you. This is a recipe of my Gram's, and we used to call it this because it made the house smell SO. GOOD. I talked to my Grammy today and was thinking of her when I was going through recipes for this post. This is perfect for summer - fresh herbs, and such a delicious and unique taste. Try it today! You and your family will love it!
1 to 1.5 pounds chicken pieces (you can use boneless breasts, or bone-in pieces like wings, legs, etc - up to you)
Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt, allspice, and cinnamon. Brown the chicken pieces in a deep pot in 3 tablespoons of oil. Once the chicken pieces are browned, add:
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped
1 teaspoon thyme, finely chopped
1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped
1 large vine ripe tomato, chopped into small chunks
1/2 cup dry white wine (whatever you would feel comfortable drinking)
Mix the herbs, tomato, and wine well with the chicken, cover and cook slowly until tender (45 minutes to 1 hour).
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Hot Crab Dip
When it's summertime, I always think of eating seafood. It's delicious, summery and light. This is the perfect summer appetizer that will rival any crab dip that you would order at a restaurant. It's also great for holidays as well. This is my aunt's recipe, and she always brings it to my grandma's house for Christmas. It's gone in about two seconds. So here it is...my gift to you! Think of it as Christmas in July!
1 can crab meat (6 oz)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon finely minced onion
grated parmesan cheese for the topping
Combine all ingredients (except for the parmesan cheese) and pour into a shallow baking dish. Top with a layer of grated parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees until brown and bubbly.
1 can crab meat (6 oz)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon finely minced onion
grated parmesan cheese for the topping
Combine all ingredients (except for the parmesan cheese) and pour into a shallow baking dish. Top with a layer of grated parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees until brown and bubbly.
Monday, July 18, 2011
More S'mores, please!
This recipe is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Everyone loved these and I thought they looked absolutely adorable.
First off, use the graham cupcake recipe from my key lime pie cupcakes. Fill these little guys with marshmallow fluff (from a jar, because you know I'm not making homemake fluff. Please.) Then frost them with my sent-from-the-heavens chocolate ganache frosting.
I decorated these with mini marshmallows, a piece of Hershey's chocolate bar, and then drizzled them with some of the liquid chocolate ganache. Gorgeous!
First off, use the graham cupcake recipe from my key lime pie cupcakes. Fill these little guys with marshmallow fluff (from a jar, because you know I'm not making homemake fluff. Please.) Then frost them with my sent-from-the-heavens chocolate ganache frosting.
I decorated these with mini marshmallows, a piece of Hershey's chocolate bar, and then drizzled them with some of the liquid chocolate ganache. Gorgeous!
Key Lime Pie Cupcakes
Key Lime Pie Cupcakes
Because Key West is calling my name but I’m dirt poor, I opted to bring a little bit of the Keys to me. There’s nothing like a cool, refreshing key lime pie on a hot summer day. And because I’m the local cupcake dealer and my coworkers are cupcake junkies, I modified this classic treat into a portable delight. Like most of my cupcakes, there are 3 parts to this recipe – the cupcake, the filling, and the frosting. These were absolutely delicious. Just a few tips – they were better on the first day, so make these right before you plan to eat them. They were fine as leftovers, but the filling sort of soaked into the cake and just…eh…eat em while they’re fresh. Also, if you have to refrigerate them and then serve, make sure they come back to room temperature. They are definitely not as good while cold. The flavors are so much more pronounced when you let them warm up a bit. Who needs Margaritaville when there’s cake?
Graham Cupcakes
Makes about 3 dozen
1 cup softened butter
2 cups sugar
6 eggs, room temperature
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
2 cups flour
3 cups graham cracker crumbs (do yourself a favor and just buy the box of crumbs – it would take forever to smoosh graham crackers into a powder. However, if you’re feeling angry and need an outlet, this might be a perfect project for you.)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Break out the Kitchenaid (you’ll need it – there’s a lot of wet batter and it’s kinda messy) and mix the butter until it’s creamed. Add the sugar a little at a time and mix for another couple of minutes until it’s nice and fluffy. Slowly add one egg at a time, mixing thoroughly between each one. Incorporate some of the dry mix into the butter/sugar/eggs, then add some of the milk. Switching back and forth, add the flour mix and the milk, a little at a time, ending with the dry. Continue to mix until it looks like it came together nicely.
Scoop into cupcake liners and bake for about 16-18 minutes.
Easy Peasy Citrus Curd
While that’s baking, you can make your “Why the Heck Have I Painstakingly Been Using A Double Boiler and Timing It Precisely For Years” Key Lime Curd (remember this when you want to make lemon curd, you hear that, self?! Don’t be a dummy - do it the easy way!)
This makes about 2 cups and you’re going to need…
1 cup sugar
3 eggs (the whole egg, not just the yolks as most other recipes have)
1 cup citrus juice (I used key lime, but you can use lemon, lime, orange, meyer lemon…mmm)
1/2 cup melted butter
In a large microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth and thoroughly combined. Whisk in citrus juice, and then a little bit of the melted butter. You don’t want the eggs to scramble, so incorporate the melted butter slowly.
Cook in the microwave in one minute intervals, stirring after each minute. The timing will depend on the strength of your microwave, but mine took 4 minutes. You will know the curd is done cooking when it coats the back of a metal spoon. I tasted this while it was still hot, and I wasn’t very impressed. There was just something off. Wait until it’s cooled off and you’ve refrigerated it for at least an hour before you taste test. It thickens up and has a nice tang to it. Yummy!
My Go-To Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Beat one package of cream cheese (8 oz) with 5 Tablespoons of softened butter and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract until combined. Very slowly (seriously, this is going to puff out of the mixer like it’s snowing) add 3 cups of powdered sugar. Mix until it’s nice and creamy and delicious looking. Since I was putting this on a key lime pie cupcake, I added about 2-3 Tablespoons of key lime juice to the frosting. It was very subtle but tasty.
Because Key West is calling my name but I’m dirt poor, I opted to bring a little bit of the Keys to me. There’s nothing like a cool, refreshing key lime pie on a hot summer day. And because I’m the local cupcake dealer and my coworkers are cupcake junkies, I modified this classic treat into a portable delight. Like most of my cupcakes, there are 3 parts to this recipe – the cupcake, the filling, and the frosting. These were absolutely delicious. Just a few tips – they were better on the first day, so make these right before you plan to eat them. They were fine as leftovers, but the filling sort of soaked into the cake and just…eh…eat em while they’re fresh. Also, if you have to refrigerate them and then serve, make sure they come back to room temperature. They are definitely not as good while cold. The flavors are so much more pronounced when you let them warm up a bit. Who needs Margaritaville when there’s cake?
Graham Cupcakes
Makes about 3 dozen
1 cup softened butter
2 cups sugar
6 eggs, room temperature
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
2 cups flour
3 cups graham cracker crumbs (do yourself a favor and just buy the box of crumbs – it would take forever to smoosh graham crackers into a powder. However, if you’re feeling angry and need an outlet, this might be a perfect project for you.)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Break out the Kitchenaid (you’ll need it – there’s a lot of wet batter and it’s kinda messy) and mix the butter until it’s creamed. Add the sugar a little at a time and mix for another couple of minutes until it’s nice and fluffy. Slowly add one egg at a time, mixing thoroughly between each one. Incorporate some of the dry mix into the butter/sugar/eggs, then add some of the milk. Switching back and forth, add the flour mix and the milk, a little at a time, ending with the dry. Continue to mix until it looks like it came together nicely.
Scoop into cupcake liners and bake for about 16-18 minutes.
Easy Peasy Citrus Curd
While that’s baking, you can make your “Why the Heck Have I Painstakingly Been Using A Double Boiler and Timing It Precisely For Years” Key Lime Curd (remember this when you want to make lemon curd, you hear that, self?! Don’t be a dummy - do it the easy way!)
This makes about 2 cups and you’re going to need…
1 cup sugar
3 eggs (the whole egg, not just the yolks as most other recipes have)
1 cup citrus juice (I used key lime, but you can use lemon, lime, orange, meyer lemon…mmm)
1/2 cup melted butter
In a large microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth and thoroughly combined. Whisk in citrus juice, and then a little bit of the melted butter. You don’t want the eggs to scramble, so incorporate the melted butter slowly.
Cook in the microwave in one minute intervals, stirring after each minute. The timing will depend on the strength of your microwave, but mine took 4 minutes. You will know the curd is done cooking when it coats the back of a metal spoon. I tasted this while it was still hot, and I wasn’t very impressed. There was just something off. Wait until it’s cooled off and you’ve refrigerated it for at least an hour before you taste test. It thickens up and has a nice tang to it. Yummy!
My Go-To Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Beat one package of cream cheese (8 oz) with 5 Tablespoons of softened butter and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract until combined. Very slowly (seriously, this is going to puff out of the mixer like it’s snowing) add 3 cups of powdered sugar. Mix until it’s nice and creamy and delicious looking. Since I was putting this on a key lime pie cupcake, I added about 2-3 Tablespoons of key lime juice to the frosting. It was very subtle but tasty.
Friday, July 15, 2011
A Triumphant Return
Hey...remember that one time when I used to post pictures every friday? And I even had a name for that "weekly" posting? Photo Friday? Any takers?
Yeah, I hardly remembered myself. But, I'm bringin it back, baby!
Here is a shot from a drive earlier this spring on the Blue Ridge Parkway here in the lovely mountains of North Carolina. No leaves on the trees yet...but I loved how the sun looked in this photo.
Enjoy your weekend, everyone!
Yeah, I hardly remembered myself. But, I'm bringin it back, baby!
Here is a shot from a drive earlier this spring on the Blue Ridge Parkway here in the lovely mountains of North Carolina. No leaves on the trees yet...but I loved how the sun looked in this photo.
Enjoy your weekend, everyone!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Raisin Bran Muffins
I'm craving carbs like crazy today, and I was digging through recipes to post...these sounded delicious. I forget where my mom and sister actually got this recipe (maybe a newspaper), but I DO remember the dozens of muffins that this recipe made. The recipe is for 6 dozen muffins (yes, you read that correctly), but obviously you can split it if you want less. The great thing is that because this recipe uses buttermilk, it can keep in your fridge for up to 6 WEEKS. Now, that sounds a bit weird to me, but that's what the recipe says. Here's what you'll need:
4 eggs, beaten
1 quart buttermilk
5 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups sugar
5 cups unsifted flour
1 cup cooking oil
15 ounce box of raisin bran flakes
Combine all ingredients well and refrigerate the batter at least overnight. Batter will keep up to six weeks (see, I told you. You can make the entire batch or make just enough for the week or even make some each morning if you want). Spoon the desired amount of batter into greased muffin tins (or you can use those cute little cupcake liners). Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
4 eggs, beaten
1 quart buttermilk
5 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups sugar
5 cups unsifted flour
1 cup cooking oil
15 ounce box of raisin bran flakes
Combine all ingredients well and refrigerate the batter at least overnight. Batter will keep up to six weeks (see, I told you. You can make the entire batch or make just enough for the week or even make some each morning if you want). Spoon the desired amount of batter into greased muffin tins (or you can use those cute little cupcake liners). Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Stuffed Shells
My sister and I were talking the other night about our upcoming family reunion (fondly referred to as "The Italian Picnic" by family members). We were discussing what to make, which prompted me to dig this recipe out. If you've had stuffed shells before and disliked them, I PROMISE that you will love these. If you've had stuffed shells before and liked them, you will like this recipe even more. And if you haven't had a stuffed shell ever in your life, well...you haven't lived.
These shells have the perfect cheese-to-spinach ratio and they are absolutely delicious. They are easy to make and they feed a boatload of people. My mom taught my sister and I to make these a long time ago...we used to take them to parties, at Christmas or for potlucks. Other moms begged us for the recipe. People have confessed to daydreaming about these stuffed shells. But that's another story. Here's what you'll need:
one 12 oz box of jumbo pasta shells
24 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 to 3 eggs, beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
10 oz box frozen spinach, cooked and drained (squeeze as much of the water out as you can)
1 tablespoon parsley
garlic salt to taste
1 jar pasta sauce (avoid watery marinara varieties)
Cook pasta shells al dente according to directions on the box and after draining, rise in cold water. Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with a layer of sauce (I use a 9x13 inch glass pan). Mix together cheeses, eggs, spinach, salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic salt in a large mixing bowl. Fill the shells with the cheese/spinach mixture and line them up in the baking dish. Spoon more sauce over the tops of the filled shells and along the edges of the baking dish so that the shells don't dry out while baking. Bake at 350 degrees for at least 1 hour, until bubbly.
These shells have the perfect cheese-to-spinach ratio and they are absolutely delicious. They are easy to make and they feed a boatload of people. My mom taught my sister and I to make these a long time ago...we used to take them to parties, at Christmas or for potlucks. Other moms begged us for the recipe. People have confessed to daydreaming about these stuffed shells. But that's another story. Here's what you'll need:
one 12 oz box of jumbo pasta shells
24 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 to 3 eggs, beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
10 oz box frozen spinach, cooked and drained (squeeze as much of the water out as you can)
1 tablespoon parsley
garlic salt to taste
1 jar pasta sauce (avoid watery marinara varieties)
Cook pasta shells al dente according to directions on the box and after draining, rise in cold water. Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with a layer of sauce (I use a 9x13 inch glass pan). Mix together cheeses, eggs, spinach, salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic salt in a large mixing bowl. Fill the shells with the cheese/spinach mixture and line them up in the baking dish. Spoon more sauce over the tops of the filled shells and along the edges of the baking dish so that the shells don't dry out while baking. Bake at 350 degrees for at least 1 hour, until bubbly.
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