Caramelized Baked Chicken

Ingredients:

One whole chicken, cut into pieces

3/4 Cup of honey

1/2 Cup of Soy Sauce

1/4 Cup of Ketchup

2-3 Cloves of minced garlic

Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (180 C).  Place the chicken legs in a foil-lined baking dish.  The foil just makes the clean up easier, it is not essential.  Lay the chicken pieces out and give them a good sprinkling of salt and pepper on both sides.  In a bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce and the ketchup.  Stir well and then add the minced garlic and stir again.  If the mixture does not combine well, microwave it for 30 seconds and then stir again.  Pour the honey mixture over the chicken.  

Put the pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.  Take the chicken out of the oven and rotate it so that the bottom that was in the sauce is now on top out of the sauce.  Put the chicken back in the oven.  Raise the heat to 425 and bake until the sauce is bubbly and starts to caramelize on the chicken.  This should take about 15 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the oven and let it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe Credit:   http://www.blessthismessplease.com/2012/11/chicken-legs.html

Potato Skins

This is a comfort food for me !!  It's fairly easy & reminds me of appetizers at restaurants in the States.  We make it as a dinner meal around our house.

Ingredients:

8 potatoes, scrubbed clean

4 Tablespoons of oil

Salt to Taste

2 Tablespoons of Butter, melted

1 1/2 Cups of Cheese (I like to use Mama's Cheddar when I can get it, otherwise I use provolone)

8 slices (or more) of bacon, fried and chopped

1 small onion, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the whole potatoes on a cookie sheet and brush them with a good coating of oil.  Sprinkle them with salt & bake them for 35 to 45 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the skin is starting to crisp. 

When the potatoes are done, slice them potato in half lengthwise.  Then use a spoon to scoop out the middle of each potato - making sure to leave a rim around the edge of each half.  Scoop out the insides.  You can store them in a plastic container in the fridge for another use (like potato salad??).  Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees.  Brush the skins on the inside with the melted butter, then put them back in the oven for 3 minutes.  After that, use tongs to turn the skins to the other side.  Brush that side with more butter and return the skins to the oven until crisp, 3-4 minutes.  Remove them from the oven.  Fill the skins with a small amount of cheese and place them in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese.  Sprinkle on the bacon and onions.  Serve immediately!  Enjoy!

Recipe Credit - The Pioneer Woman Cooks - A Year of Holiday's -  Page 36

Hummus - Our new favorite hummus recipe

My husband found this recipe online & I don't know what website he found it on so I don't know the recipe credit.  This has become our new favorite "Go To" hummus recipe!  It's great for snacks, for an all veggie/hummus dinner, etc.  

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Tahini

1/2 Cup Lemon Juice

2 cloves of Garlic (chopped)

4 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon Salt

 2 Cans of Chickpeas (Garbonza Beans)

Optional - 1/2 teaspoon Chipotle Chili Powder (if you like a kick to your hummus)

Add the tahini and lemon juice to the food processor (or blender) and power for 1 minute.  Add the minced garlic cloves, olive oil, cumin and salt to the mixture and process this for about one minute.  Scrape the sides and then process it for another minute.  Drain the chickpeas, then add half of them (1 can) to the processor and mix it for 1 minute.  Scrape the sides and then add the second can of drained chickpeas.  Process the mixture for 2 minutes.  Scrape the bowl and add 6 Tablespoons of water while the mixture is running.  Add the chipotle chili powder (if you want a kick) and mix it for 1 more minute.  

Stick it in a container or put it on a plate or bowl with a little olive oil drizzled on top.  

This makes a lot & it is great for a quick healthy snack!

Caramel Apple Sweet Rolls

These rolls take a bit of time to make, but it is time well spent!  YUM !!  I tried these out because I wanted something similar to cinnamon rolls but without the big cinnamon taste (my oldest child is not a big fan of cinnamon).  These definitely hit the spot & my entire family loved them!

Ingredients:

1/2 Batch of this Basic Dough

FILLING:

4 Apples

1/2 Cup of Butter

1 Cup of Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup of Cream

1 teaspoon cinnamon

CARAMEL ICING:

1/2 Cup of Butter

1 Cup of Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup of Cream

2 Cups of sifted powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

First make the caramel apple filling.  Dice the apple finely.  Put it in a skillet and cook them over medium-high heat.  Stir them around as they cook.  After 3-4 minutes, when they are nice and golden brown, remove them and put them aside on a plate. 

Throw 1/2 Cup of butter and the brown sugar into the same skillet and stir it around until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved.  Pour in the cream.  Then stir it around and let it bubble up and thicken for about a minute. 

Turn the heat down to low and then add the apples back to the skillet and sprinkle on the cinnamon.  Stir the mixture and let it thicken for another 1-2 minutes.  Then spoon it into a bowl to cool.  When you're ready to make the rolls, preheat the oven to 375 and roll out the basic dough (I use this recipe) in a rectangle about 10x30 inches.   

Spoon the caramel apples over the dough and use your fingers to spread them evenly over the surface.   Roll the dough toward you into a nice, tight roll.  Pinch the seam when you get to the end.  Turn the seam over so that it's face down against the counter top.  Slice the dough into rolls 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.

Grease 2 cake pans with butter or oil.  Place half of the rolls in one pan and the other half in the other pan.  Set them aside to rise in a warm place for 20-25 minutes.  Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until they are nice and golden brown.

 

While the rolls are baking, make the caramel icing:  Melt a stick of butter ina  suacepan over medium heat.  Add the brown sugar.  Let it melt, then whisk in the cream. Cook for 2 minutes whisking constantly, then remove from the heat.  Stir in the powdered sugar and salt and stir until you have a smooth icing.

 Remove the rolls from the oven and immediately spoon a good amount of icing over the top.  Use a knife to spread it evenly over the top of the rolls.

Recipe Credit:  The Pioneer Woman Cooks:  A Year of Holiday's

Creamy Lemon Dip

This is my new favorite fruit dip !!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of fresh lemon (or Ethiopian lime) juice

1/4 cup of honey

1 cup of plain yogurt

Lemon Zest for Garnish

Combine the lemon juice and honey in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.  After it has cooled, whisk in the yogurt.  Garnish with lemon zest.  Serve with your favorite fruit.

Recipe Credit:  www.100daysofrealfood.com

Chicken Pot Pie

This is the first time I've ever made a chicken pot pie - mainly because I've never eaten a Chicken Pot Pie that I really loved.  I decided to give this one a try though & it was a winner.  My husband took one bite and said, "This is REALLY good," so I'll definitely be making this again.  It is pretty time consuming, so you either need to prepare parts of it in advance or make a double batch all at one time so it's worth your time.

Start by boiling one chicken & then cut it up into bite size pieces.  Save the broth.

Ingredients:

3 large celery stalks - I used about 8 small stalks

3 medium carrots

1 large onion

1/2 cup of broccoli

4 Tablespoons of butter

2 Cups of cooked chicken - cut into bite size pieces

1/4 cup of flour

2 Cups of chicken broth (the broth you saved when you boiled the chicken)

2 bouillon cubes

1 Cup of cream

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon of salt

black pepper to taste

1/2 recipe of Pioneer Woman's Pie Crust

Begin by finely dicing the celery, carrots, onion and broccoli.   Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrots, celery and broccoli.  Saute until the vegetables start to turn translucent, this will take a couple of minutes.  Add the chicken and stir to combine.  Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and chicken and stir to combine.  Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring gently.  Pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly.  Add the bouillon cubes.  Pour in the cream and stir.  Allow the mixture to cook over low heat, thickening gradually, about 4 minutes.  Season with the thyme, salt and pepper.  Remove from the heat. 

 Pour the chicken and vegetable mixture into a deep pie pan or a small casserole dish.

Roll out the crust so that it's one inch larger than the pan.  Place the crust on top of the chicken mixture and cut small slits in the top.  Press the crust gently into the sides of the dish to seal.  

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.  I put foil under the pie while it was cooking because mine started to boil over a bit.  

Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Credit:  The Pioneer Woman Cooks - pg 126

Pioneer Woman's Pie Crust

I am intrigued by this pie crust - mainly because you can make it ahead of time and freeze it so that it's ready to go when you want to make a pie.  I've only used it once - for chicken pot pie (and it was delicious), but I plan on trying it with a pie soon.  

Ingredients:

3 Cups of flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 Cups of margarine

1 egg

5 Tablespoons of cold water

1 Tablespoon of White Vinegar

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl.  Add in the margarine.  Use a fork to work the margarine into the flour until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles.  This step should take 3-4 minutes.  Lightly beat the egg with a fork & then add it to the mixture.  Next add in the cold water and the vinegar.  Stir the mixture together until it's just combined, then remove half of the dough from the bowl.  If you want to use it immediately, roll it out and place it in your pie pan. Repeat this step for the top layer of your pie.  If you want it for a later date, place it in a large plastic bag & slightly flatten it with a rolling pin.  This makes it easier to roll it out after it's frozen.  Place it in the freezer and repeat with the other half of the dough.

Recipe Credit - The Pioneer Woman