Best (indoor) Burgers

Griddle Burgers

  

These burgers are my absolute favorite to make year round. I'm not big on the super thick home-made style burger full of onions and spices. I like my burger meat thinish and tasting like meat. 

Then I cover it with mustard, ketchup, relish, mayo, tomato and sometimes dill pickel. Maybe I'm not such a purist after all.

Bo was nervous the first time I said I was making these, but he was a quick convert. Sure, we still BBQ in the warm weather for a change sometimes, but it snows here a lot, and who wants to go 6 months without a decent burger! Did I mention that this will taste just like the burger from that little mom and pop dinner that's been in business for 80 years? It will. The key is to steaming it for the last couple of minutes, and getting a few crispy pieces on the edges from cooking on top of it's own fat. Ignore how gross that sounds and remember: crispy edge bits!

If you want to be really adventurous you could sauté some onions on the griddle first, then cook the burger on top of that. I haven't done this yet because I like having one meal that I can do from start to finish in less then 15 minutes. On day though :)

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutse
Serves: 4

Ingredients:


1lb lean ground beef
4 cheddar cheese slices
Salt
Pepper
4 Burger buns, buttered and lightly broiled to toast

Directions:


1. Pre-heat your griddle (or frying pan) to medium-high heat. Roughly split the ground beef into four equal portions.

2 portions shown.

2. Roll each portion out between plastic wrap until about ½" thick. Generously salt each side with salt and pepper.

3. Put the burger on the griddle and cook for 3 minutes on the first side. Flip. Cook for 1 minute on the second side, then top with cheddar cheese and cover for another 1 to 2 minutes.

3 minutes on first side.

Flip, then cook for 1 minute.

Add cheese slices.

Cover to steam and cook for 2 minutes.

Done!

Enjoy!

Chicken with 40 Cloves

Chicken with 40 Cloves 

This is one of Bo and my favorite "nice" dinners. By "nice" I mean better then meatloaf and not cooked often enough. Really though, it's so easy to make, and now that I've figured out a version with chicken pieces as an alternative to a whole chicken when you're in a bit more of a rush? Well, it's pure gold! Keep this is the back of your mind for company too, it looks quite impressive with no effort past the initial 10 minutes on the stove top!

Also, do NOT be scared by the name, even if you're not a garlic person. The flavor added to the chicken is so mild and delicate because the garlic turns sweet from slow roasting in the braising liquid.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1hour 10 minutes (chicken pieces) or 1 hour 40 minutes (whole chicken)
Serves: 4

Ingredients:


1 whole chicken (whole, or cut into 8 pieces. you can also just buy chicken thighs or breasts, bone-in, skin on)
4 large garlic heads worth of cloves, peeled (this will net you around 40 cloves)
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup chicken stock (sub water if you don't have stock on hand)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 large sprigs of fresh thyme
salt
pepper

Directions:


Pre-heat your oven to 350°F and generously sprinkle your chicken with salt and pepper on all sides.

In a dutch oven over medium-high heat melt the butter together with the olive oil until searing hot. Add your chicken and brown on all sides (about 3 minutes per side). Remove chicken to a plate.

 
Drain all but 1 tbsp of accumulated liquid from the pan, then add garlic cloves and cook for a couple of minutes, until starting to become fragrant but not browning.

Turn off the heat and add your chicken back to the pot, on top of the garlic. Pour the chicken stock and lemon juice evenly over the top of the chicken, then add the thyme sprigs. Cover with the lid and bake until the thickest part of the thigh registers 180°F (a whole chicken will take about 90 minutes, chicken pieces about 45 minutes).

Let the chicken rest on a plate for ten minutes, tented in foil, before carving.

Enjoy!

Note: Do not throw out the garlic from the bottom of the pan after cooking. If you do this I will have to come to your house and call you nuts! Slice up and lightly toast a baguette, then spread the soft, sweet roasted garlic cloves on it. Or, mash some up and make a quick vinaigrette out of it. Or, mash some up and mix with some extra virgin olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese, a splash of balsamic vinegar, salt and Italian seasoning, then dip some bread in it. Your options are endless.

The only option I won't let you have is to throw it out!

Show Stopper Roast Chicken

I call this my show stopper because is tastes like I put hours of planning and effort into figuring out the perfect combination of accouterments to highlight the bird, when really, I got lucky about 5 years ago on my first shot and haven't looked back. Sure, I've tried variations, but I always come back to this.

Unless it's summer time.

Then it's all about the beer can.

Or the rotisserie!

Did I mention that this is a breeze to pull together too?

No?

It's a breeze to pull together!

Show Stopper Roast Chicken

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 2 hours +/-
Serves: 4, but they'll fight over it

Ingredients:


1 lemon, sliced into ¼" rounds
8-10 sprigs fresh rosemary (just buy a pack at the store and use it up)
1 medium sweet onion, sliced in half, then each half into 4 chunks
6 tbsp butter, softened
garlic powder
salt
pepper
olive oil

Spice Rub:
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp old bay seasoning



Directions:


1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and mix together your spice rub.

2. Rinse your chicken, then pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the cavity of the bird liberally with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stuff the cavity with 1 tbsp of butter, 3 sprigs of rosemary, and some lemon slices and onion chunks (roughly 2 of each).

3. Loosen the skin from the breast meat and the legs. Rub ½ tbsp of butter under the skin of each leg, and 1 tbsp of butter under the skin of each breast. Rub the remaining two tbsp of butter all over the outside of the skin. Finally, rub the spice rub over the buttered skin. Yumm.

4. Place the remaining onion chunks, lemon slices, and rosemary sprigs around the perimeter of your roasting pan. Place the chicken, breast side up, onto a roasting rack in the pan. Sprinkle a bit of kosher or fresh ground sea salt over the top of the chicken.

5. Bake at 350°F until the thickest part of the breast registers 180°F on a thermometer. Half way through baking (1 hour in), drizzle some olive oil over the top of the chicken (1-2 tbsp). Be sure to let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving or else the meat will lose its juices and you'll be eating dry bird.

Pizza Rolls

Pizza Rolls (aka Pizza Fingers)

These were my favorite things to order at a restaurant called Melanie Pringles in the town I grew up in (I think it's still there). When we moved, I found them at M&M Meats, but then they stopped making them. I had no choice but to figure out the recipe on my own. Lucky me it was ridiculously easy, and they freeze well. Woot!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:


1 package large won-ton wrappers (16 count)
1 package pre-sliced pepperoni
Motzerella cheese, grated
2 small cans of pizza sauce
Any other toppings you want
1 tbl cornstarch mixed with ½ cup of water

Directions:


1. Pre-heat your deep fryer to high, or get a couple of inches of oil in a deep pot (If using a pot, prep the rolls first, then heat your oil and cook, never leave hot oil with your back turned).

2. Lay out 4 won-ton wrappers at a time. Ust a basting brush to brush the water/cornstarch mixture around all four edges, about ½" wide (this helps the edges stick). Place pepperoni, about 1½ tbsp sauce and 2 tbsp motzerella onto the center of each won-ton.

3. Now it's time to roll them up. First, fold the two corners in where the filling is. Flatten the edge as much as you can. Then roll one of the remaining corners over, and press it down along the edges. Finally roll up, and pinch any edges/ends that you can. FYI - There's usually a diagram on the back of the won-ton wrapper to follow (I'm sure I haven't done a good job of describing it here!)

Note:  You can cook right away, or just cover them with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until you're ready to cook. I usually prep them the morning that I'm going to cook them, so that it's nice and quick later on. You can keep them in the fridge for up to a day, any longer and I would cook/freeze.

4. Fry the rolls in three batches of 6 (in a deep fryer) until golden brown, 3-5 minutes. Let cool 5 - 10 minutes before eating, the filling will be VERY hot. I like to dip them in the leftover pizza sauce, but it's gotta be warmed.

Oso Buco

Classic Osso Buco

Want to know what I recipe is without a picture...Here's your chance! Sorry about that by the way, I never took one the last time I made this a couple of years ago, but it's been on my mind so I dug out the recipe and am planning to make it in the coming weeks. I just figured I'd post the recipe now that I've typed it all out.

It is SO good!

Prep Time: Can't remember, will update when I make it again

Cook Time: I think it was pushing 2 hours, 30 minutes, again, will update

Serves: 4

Wine Paring: Medium Red (look at me, getting all fancy)

Ingredients:

4 large meaty pieces of knuckle of veal, cut crossways with the bone and marrow in the centre

3 tbsp good-quality olive oil

1 large or 2 small onions, finally chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 tsp plain flour

2 tsp tomato purée

340g / 12 oz ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped

150ml / ¼ pint dry white wine

290ml / ½ pint chicken stock (veal stock would be fantastic, so if that's your thing, go for it)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bouquet garni (a sprig each of fresh parsley and thyme, 1 stick of celery and 1 bay leaf, tied together with string)

To garnish (Gremolata) 

1 tbl chopped fresh parskey

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Directions:

1. Put 1 tbsp of the oil into a saucepan, add the onion and carrot, cover with a well-fitting lid. Cook over low heat without browning until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Remove with a slotted spoon.

2. Brown the meat on all sides, one or two pieces at a time, in the remaining tbsp of oil in a large saucepan. Remove to a plate as they are browned.

3. When all are done, sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir well. Add the tomato purée, cooked vegetables, tomatoes, wine, stock, salt and pepper and bring to the boil.

4. Replace the veal, immerse the bouquet garni in the liquid and cover the pan. Simmer for 1½ hours, or until the veal is very tender but not quite falling off the bone.

5. Take the veal out and place on a warmed serving platter with a fairly deep lip. Cover with kitchen foil and keep warm while you boil the sauce rapidly until thick. Stir frequently and watch that it does not catch and burn at the bottom.

6. Remove the bouquet garni. Push the sauce through a sieve and boil until syrupy. Pour over the meat. Sprinkle with the gremolata (parsley and grated lemon zest).

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Home Made BBQ Sauce

You want to know what can take these from "Oh my god these are fantastic" all the way to "OMFG if I stop shoveling this into my mouth I will die" in two seconds flat? Garlic  toasted buns. That's right folks. Slather some garlic butter onto the buns before you toast them, maybe a hint of garlic salt and some parsley flakes too, then load them up with BBQ sauce smothered pulled pork and dip them into the extra sauce. I did it. All the cool kids are.

This pork is just all torn up over something. Groan.

BBQ Sauce


To make this sauce for the pulled pork you have to multiply it by 4. You can always just head off to the grocery store and use your favorite brand.


Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Makes: 1.5 cups 



Ingredients:


2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp chili powder

¼ tsp cayenne powder

1 cup ketchup

5 tbsp molasses

2 tbsp dark cider vinegar

2 tbsp Worcestershire

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp Franks red hot

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the oil until shimmering the add the onion and cook until translucent and softened. Stir in the garlic, chili powder and cayenne and cook until fragrant, it only takes about 20 seconds.

2. Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cool to room temperature before serving (if you're using this on the pulled pork you don't have to cool it before pouring it into the pot).

3. The sauce can be refrigerated for 1 week, or frozen up to 2 months.


NOTE: When pairing with the pulled pork, I always make the sauce on the weekend. This makes for a really easy week night meal, just dump the pork and the sauce into the slow cooker, turn it on, and go to work. It's ready when you walk in the door. I'm wondering why I didn't do this today now :(


Pulled Pork

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 7-8 hours on low, 10-11 hours on high
Serves: 8 - 10 people 



Ingredients:

1 6lb - 7lb boneless boston butt, cut in half

6 to 7 cups BBQ sauce (anything store bought works just as well as the homemade sauce above)

Salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions:

1. Season the pork with salt & pepper and place it in the slow cooker. Pour the bbq sauce over it, cover, and cook (low for 7-9 hours or high for 10 to 11 hours) until fork tender and falling apart.

2. Transfer the meat to a large bowl and let cool. Let the cooking liquid settle for 5 minutes, then skim off the fat. Season with a little dash of cider vinegar and Frank's Red Hot sauce if you want to.

3. When the meat is cool enough to handle, shred it using your fingers, discarding any excess fat. Toss the shredded meat with 1 cup of the cooking sauce and serve on toasted buns. Keep extra sauce for dipping.

I grabbed these from my go-to kitchen bible of the moment, America's Test Kitchen Family Favorites. Get it. Right now. 

Teriyaki Chicken - Best Ever

Best Ever Teriyaki Chicken

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 4



Ingredients:

8 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
2 tsp vegetable oil
½ cup soy sauce (use the low sodium if you can)
½ cup sugar
2 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes


Directions:

1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season generously with pepper. Heat the oil in a deep 12” non-stick skillet over med-high heat until just smoking.

2. Add the chicken, skin side down, then weigh down with a large pot (the largest you can fit inside the skillet. Cook until the skin is a deep mahogany brown and very crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. (The chicken should be moderately brown after 10 minutes. If it’s very brown at 10 minutes, turn down the heat, if it’s still pale, increase the heat).

3. Remove the weight and flip the chicken over. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, without the weight, until the second side is brown and the chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, whisk the soy sauce, sugar, wine, ginger, garlic, cornstarch and pepper flakes together.

5. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Pour off all of the fat from the skillet. Whish the soy mixture to recombine, then add to the skillet and return to medium heat. Return the chicken to the skillet, skin-side up, and spoon the sauce over the top. Continue to simmer until the sauce is thick and glossy, about 2 minutes longer.

NOTE: Here's a picture of the chicken after the pot comes off for the flip. This is the colour that you're aiming for before you flip them.

Chevapi and Crostini

This is an absolute favourite of Bo's, being that he's Croatian/Serbian it's basically a staple. There's a little butcher shop about a 45 minute drive from here that you can get them at, but they aren't hard at all to make, it just comes down to how lazy I'm feeling, lol.

Chevapi

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs ground pork
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 lb ground lamb (or ground pork if you can't find lamb)
1 egg
4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tbl Vegeta (a Serbian jarred spice mix, optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your grill (if using)

2. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix with your hands until well combined.

3. Roll into rectangular mini sausages, 3" long and 3/4" in wide.

4. Place all of the chevapi in a single layer in a disposable foil baking pan and place onto your preheated grill on med-high heat. You can also cook these on a griddle, or in a large frying pan in a couple of batches (try to cook them all at once though, because it takes a bit of time). Turn the chevapi about every 7 or 8 minutes, once that side is well browned and has a slight crust. Be careful not to over cook though.

Note: These are fantastic on there own, but equally good dipped into ketchup or tzatziki sauce. Bo likes to load a bunch into a bun sometimes too for a sand which of sorts.

Make Ahead: After you've formed the chevapi you and just wrap them as a batch in plastic wrap, then put them in a zip-lock bag and freeze them for later. I like to do this on a weekend, make a huge batch of them then just pop them out of the freezer whenever we want!

Crostini

This is the easiest way to make brilliant little toasts to accompany a dinner

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Bakes Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 6 - 8

Ingredients:

1 baguette or Parisian loaf
olive oil
Fleur de sel (or sea salt)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees

2. Slice your baguette into 3/8" think (1cm) slices and place on a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet

3. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt.

4. Bake for 10 minutes and removing from the baking sheet immediately.

Glazed Roast Peameal Bacon, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Sweet Carrots

You all may think, my god, could that roast be any sweater???

Well, no, probably not, but it's only the outer crust that is coated with sweet carmel goodness, so it's really not that much when you eat it. Unless you're like me and hog both the ends. Yumm! I also pour the meat sauce over my mashed potatoes, it's heaven!

Glazed Peameal Bacon

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Bake Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Serves: varies depending on size of the roast, expect three ¼" slices per adult.

Ingredients:

1 peameal bacon roast
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tsp ground mustard

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Place your roast in an oven proof baking dish (yeah corning ware!), making sure that it's big enough to leave 1 or 2 inches around the roast.

3. In a small bowl mix together 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup orange juice, and 1 tsp of ground mustard. Pour this over the top of the roast, then put the roast in the oven. Use a turkey baster to baste the meat every 15 minutes.

4. When the roast reaches 110 degrees (about 30 minutes into cooking) mix together the rest of the glaze (1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup orange juice and 1 tsp ground mustard). Use this to bast the meat with every 10 minutes until it's finished cooking (the internal temperature is 170 degrees)

5. Remove the roast from the pan and let rest for 15 minutes, tented with foil. Pour and of the juices back into the pan with the glaze "sauce" and use to pour over the meat if that floats your boat.

Enjoy!

 Out of the oven

Resting

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

6 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chucks (the size of a golf ball)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/8 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 tbl grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place potato chunks into a large pout and cover with water.

2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Drain the potatoes in a colander.

4. Use a potato ricer with fine holes, and rice the potatoes back into the pot (not over any heat). If you don't have a potato ricer, just put them back in the pot and mash them.

5. Add the sour cream, milk, butter, garlic, salt and pepper to the pot and mix well with a wooden spoon, making sure that the garlic is evenly incorporated through the potatoes. If they still seem a little dry, add a but more butter and milk.

Enjoy!

NOTE: Instead of using the butter and garlic, you can just use some of my garlic butter if you have it on hand in the fridge!.

A NOTE ON POTATO RICERS:
I was a huge skeptic on potato ricers, I thought they were a waste of money, I thought it would be faster to just mash the potatoes, or drag out the hand mixer and beat them into submission. I was wrong though. Walking through the grocery store one day I saw one on sale with 2 disks (different sized holes) for $10. I figured ok, I guess I'll try it. It is SO much faster then mashing by hand, and the texture can not be beat. They turn out so fluffy and so smooth. I really do highly recommend getting one.



Sweet Carrots

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

8 medium to large carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼" rounds
1 tbl honey

Directions:

1. Place the carrots into a medium pot and cover with water. Add 1 tbl honey and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Cook at a rolling boil for 10 minutes, until fork tender.

2. Drain and serve.

Teriyaki Chicken, Roasted New Potatoes and Broccoli

This was a nice and easy meal to make, though it did require a little bit of prep work on the teriyaki sauce.

Teriyaki Chicken

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (you can use any type of chicken though, just adjust your cooking times)

1 tbl cornstarch

1 tbl water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

2. In a small saucepan over low heat, whisk together the cornstarch, water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.

3. Coat your chicken with the sauce and the place it on a cooling rack over a rimmed cookie sheet (if you're like me and dread the clean-up, line the sheet with foil first). Baste the chicken with the sauce every 10 minutes during cooking.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 20 minutes, until no longer pink, juices run clear and the internal temperature is 180 degrees. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes, lightly tented with foil to absorb all their juices.

NOTES: Because Oliver was having a major freak out during cooking, I didn't baste the chicken at all during cooking and it still tasted quite good. I just threw some sauce on at the end and cranked the broiler up for a minute. I've also made chicken thighs like this (boneless, skinless), by putting them in a glass baking dish and just covering with the sauce (no basting) and it was great too.

Roasted New Potatoes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Bake Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 6

 

Ingredients:

 

2 lbs small new potatoes (I prefer red)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tbl salt (I prefer freshly ground sea salt)

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning (this stuff is like gold, check your spice isle)

 

Directions:

 

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

 

2. Slice the small potatoes into halves, and medium to large potatoes into quarters. Just try to make the potato pieces close to the same size.

 

3. Put the potato chunks onto a rimmed baking sheet and top with the oil, salt, Italian seasoning and Old Bay Seasoning. Use your hands to mix it all together, making sure that each piece of potato is well and evenly coated with oil and the spices. Make sure that the bottom of the pan is covered in oil too.

 

4. Arrange all the pieces skin side down. Doing this first ensures that the cut edges cook a bit, and means that they won't stick to the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, and then toss the potatoes so that they're now cut side down. Bake 15 minutes and then toss again.  Bake for a final 15 minutes. 

 

Quick Cook Broccoli
 
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients:
 
3 heads of broccoli, tips cut into manageable pieces and stalks removed
4 tbl butter
salt and pepper to taste
 
Directions
 
1. Add the broccoli and butter to a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir frequently until softened and bright green in colour, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
 
NOTE: A few other tasty additions to this broccoli are minced garlic, slivered almonds, chopped peanuts, sliced bell peppers or red pepper flakes (for some heat)

Buffalo Chicken Bites, Baked Macaroni & Cheese, Garlic Toast, and Garlic Butter

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Ok, so Bo felt like something tossed in my chicken wing sauce, but not chicken wings. He didn't know what he felt like, so I went with chicken bites, nice and easy to make. And they were delicious! They were even delicious the next day warmed under the broiler (though completely different tasting, not as spicy, like a warm spice).

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Bake Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4 (so long as you have something else on the side)

Ingredients:

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut unto bite (or two-bite) size pieces

1/3 cup flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups Italian style bread crumbs (or regular breadcrumbs with some Italian seasoning mixed in)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup butter

1 cup hot sauce (we use and love Franks Red Hot, I highly recommend it)

Directions:

1. Take 3 zip-lock bags. Put the flour, salt and pepper in the first, the eggs in the second, and the breadcrumbs in the third.

2. Toss the chicken cubes in the flour mixture until well covered, then put the chicken pieces into the egg mixture and move around until all the pieces are wet on all sides. For the bread crumbs, toss about 6 pieces at a time, and make sure that you let any excess egg drip off before moving them to that last bag (you don't want to gum up the breadcrumbs). Place the chicken pieces onto a plate, because you're ready to fry.

3. Now, I have one of those ridiculously unhealthy but FANTASTIC counter top deep fryers. Bo and I love chicken wings, especially in the winter in front of the TV while we watch a hockey game. I thought it was common for people to have deep fryers, until our cousin Jenny looked at it with pure disgust. So, I get it, you make not have a deep fryer. So, put a couple of inches of oil (I use peanut for deep frying) in a pot (a cast iron one retains the heat best, think Le Creuset or Kitchen Aid who makes a good imitation) and heat it to between 350 and 375 degrees. Drop your chicken in, and fry until deep golden brown, about 8 minutes

4. While the chicken is cooking, it's time for the sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and then whisk in the hot sauce. That's it, we're done.

5. Toss the cooked chicken in the hot sauce and enjoy!

NOTE: When I do a breading like this I usually double bread them because it will give you a ridiculous crunch, this time though it was late and I just didn't have the time. If you'd like to, at this point cover the chicken pieces with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (you can do this for a couple of hours if you want to do most of the prep ahead of time). Then, you repeat the egg and breadcrumb dip, then continue with frying.

   

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

 

I love macaroni and cheese. It's that comfort food for me like no other (those of you for whom soup is your comfort food, I feel for you). I saw this recipe on Cooks Country TV (by America's Test Kitchen). Now, I have a serious hard on for America's Test Kitchen, I have never made a recipe by them that I didn't love, and that didn't turn out exactly as they said it would (and I've got over a hundred of their magazines and almost every cook book they've put out). That said, baked macaroni and cheese is my thing, I immediately saw some tweaks that would make this even better, but I will say that their white sauce base kicked my base's ass. Anyway, here's "our" recipe for baked macaroni...you will love...trust!

 

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Bake Time: 25 to 30 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

4 slices white sandwich bread , torn into large pieces

11 tablespoons unsalted butter , 6 tablespoons melted

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbl + 2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

1 pound elbow macaroni

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk

2 teaspoons hot sauce

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon dry mustard

3 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and macaroni to boiling water and cook until just al dente, about 6 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup macaroni cooking water, then drain and rinse macaroni in colander under cold running water. Set aside.

3. White the macaroni is cooking pulse bread in a food processor until ground to a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and Parmesan and pulse again to combine. Pour breadcrumb mixture into a small frying pan and toast the crumbs until golden brown, stirring almost constantly.

4. Melt the remaining 5 tablespoons butter in the now-empty pasta pot over medium-high heat until foaming. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture turns light brown, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the evaporated milk, hot sauce, nutmeg, mustard, pepper and 2 teaspoons salt and cook until mixture begins to simmer and is slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Off heat, whisk in cheeses and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water until cheese melts. Stir in macaroni until completely coated.

5. Transfer mixture to 13 by 9-inch baking dish and top evenly with entire bread crumb mixture. Bake until cheese is bubbling around edges and top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

MAKE AHEAD: Cooks Country TV has directions for making this ahead of time. I can't speak for how well this works because I haven't tried it, but here is their directions in case any of you want to give it a go. If you do shoot me a line and let me know how it goes so I can let others know.

The macaroni and cheese can be made in advance through step 3; since the pasta continues to absorb moisture, adjustments must be made to avoid a dry filling. To do so, increase amount of reserved pasta cooking water to 1 cup. Pour filling into 13 by 9-inch baking dish, lay plastic wrap directly on surface of pasta, and refrigerate for up to 1 day. The bread crumb mixture may be refrigerated in airtight container up to 2 days (Don't toast the breadcrumbs first though, that's something that I added to get a better crunch from them). When ready to bake, remove plastic wrap, cover macaroni mixture with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle bread crumbs over top, and bake until topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes longer.

Garlic Toast

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Bake Time: 5 minutes

Here's just a quick run down for my garlic toast, which is SO easy to make, and so fantastic to eat!

Ingredients:

Calabrese bread (it's got a nice dense crumb that holds the topping well)

Garlic butter (store bought, or recipe below)

Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Slice the bread into 3/4" thick pieces and spread one side with the garlic butter mix (I usually cheat here and buy it at the grocery store, but it's so easy to make too!)

2. Top with a light sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese, and for this I actually prefer the store bought pre-grated stuff (like Kraft) to the real thing. Go figure.

3. Place on the middle rack of your oven and broil for about 5 minutes, until the top is a little crunchy feeling and starting to turn golden brown. Watch this carefully though, as it can go from golden to burnt very quickly.

Garlic Butter

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground paprika

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together

Notes: This butter is also fantastic on steaks, melted to dip seafood in, and mixed into mashed potatoes. It also stores well in your fridge. Simply roll into a log using plastic wrap and refrigerate, cutting off what you need (example, cut 1/4" rounds and place atop a steak straight off the grill).