Beef Stew with Bourbon

I made this recipe for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It's easy to make and it tastes terrific. The piece de resistance ingredient is the bourbon. Fifteen minutes after I added the bourbon, I opened the lid to sneak a peak. The steam that hit me in the face smelled like I stuck my head in a still. I was worried that the bourbon would be too overpowering and ruin the dish. My concerns were unfounded. After the full 30 minutes the aroma was tempered, and the flavor was perfect.

Serve the stew over brown rice or egg noodles.

Ingredients
3 Tbs unsalted butter
2 1/2 lbs beef stew meat (such as boneless beef round) cut into 1" cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 fat carrots, chopped
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 Tbs tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup bourbon whiskey
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. In a large casserole, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the beef from the casserole with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add the onion and carrots to the casserole and cook until the onion is translucent and sticks to the bottom, 7 to 8 minutes. Return the beef, with its accumulated juices, to the casserole and let the juices deglaze the casserole for a few minutes, scraping the bottom.
3. Add the beef broth, wine, and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to very low. Cover and simmer until the meat is very tender, about 4 hours.
4. Add the bourbon and cook for 30 minutes more. Check the seasoning, stir in the parsley, and serve.

from Real Stew by Clifford A. Wright.

Blueberry Cobbler

I recently was looking for a quick and easy dessert recipe and stumbled upon this one. With only four ingredients, and two of them sugar and butter how can this be bad? The homemade flavor is terrific, and it can bake while you're eating dinner.

I would recommend using a 1 1/2 quart baking dish instead of a 2 quart. I think the 2 quart dish spreads the top crust too thin, causing the blueberry filling to bubble through the top excessively.

Make sure you serve this warm, and top it off with a dollop of whipped cream.


Ingredients
3 cups fresh blueberries
1 plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup self-rising flour

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Pour the blueberries into a 2-quart baking dish and sprinkle 1/2 cup of the sugar over them.
2. In another bowl combine the melted butter, the remaining 1 cup of sugar, and the flour. Mix well to form a pastry. Pour this over the blueberries and bake for 45 minutes.

Yields 8 servings

from "The Blue Willow Inn Bible of Southern Cooking"

Cheddar Corn Bread

I'm not a big fan of traditional true-blue Southern cooking. I usually find it to be:

a) Dry
b) Overcooked
c) Flavorless
d) All of the above

I prefer my Southern cooking to be "Yankee-ed Up". For example, take the classic "corn bread". I find eating traditional cornbread as appealing as dining on a cardboard box. Hands down, my favorite cornbread comes from the "3-for-a-dollar" Jiffy box mix. It just has the right balance between sweet and bland for my pallet.

So imagine my surprise when I was flipping through my "Blue Willow Inn Bible of Southern Cooking" cookbook, and found the following recipe. This hallowed Georgia restaurant makes cornbread with Jiffy mix too. The recipe is no more difficult than the one on the box, and it is 1000% better. The texture is more like a moist cake, and the flavor is twice as good. I have all the ingredients in my pantry, and can't wait for the occasion to make it again.

Ingredients
2 (8.5 oz) boxes of corn bread/muffin mix
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 (14.5 oz) can cream-style corn
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. In a bowl combine the corn bread mix, eggs, milk and yogurt until blended. Stir in the corn and cheese.
2. Pour into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut into squares. Serve warm.

from the "Blue Willow Inn Bible of Southern Cooking"

Chris Berman's Baby Back, Back, Back, Ribs

I have made this recipe several times for family and friends, always to rave reviews. The meat is as tender as meat can be and not be in a stew. The sauce is simply spectacular.

I like to serve this recipe with Alton's Brown Baked Beans. If you have only 1 oven available, you have a small problem. Alton's bake beans call for an oven temperature of 250 degrees. Chris's ribs calls for an oven temperature of 350 degrees. I have a solution. I cooked the ribs with the beans at 250 degrees however I increased the cooking time from 3 to 4 hours. The ribs were just as juicy and tender as all the times I have made this before.

This recipe comes from my extremely manly "The NFL Family Cookbook". ESPN's Chris Berman's rib recipe is fairly tame. Here are some of the wilder recipes this cookbook offers:

Bud Grant's Pheasant and Wild Rice Casserole

Robert Kraft's Superbowl Chili (it serves a whopping 35 people, and calls for 10 lbs of meat!)

John Elway's Hamburger Soup

Manu Tuiasosopo's Kalua Pig Roast

Ty Detmer's Fried Venison Backstrap

Bud Grant's recipe actually calls out a bow and arrow in the ingredients list!

Seriously, this recipe is a home run. Make this for your next dinner party, and you will be a legend. The smells are wonderful, the presentation is spectacular, and the taste never disappoints.

Ingredients
6lbs baby back back pork ribs
2 cups water
SAUCE:
4 cups tomato ketchup (32 oz bottle)
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs. lemon juice
3 Tbs. rum
3 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs. liquid hickory flavoring
2 tsp. Louisiana pepper sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut the rib slabs in half, leaving 6-8 ribs per section. In a large roasting pan, arrange the ribs evenly, then add the water. Cover pan tightly with a lid or foil to prevent steam from escaping. Bake for 3 hours.
3. About 2 hours into baking time, make the sauce. In a large saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients. Simmer over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
4. Prepare the coals or gas grill of the barbecue. Remove the ribs from the roasting pan. Discard the water.
5. Cover the ribs with sauce, saving about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce for later use at the table. Grill the ribs on the barbecue for about 5 minutes per side, or until slightly charred. Serve with the reserved sauce.
   

Alton Brown's Baked Beans

A long time ago, I searched high and low for a good baked bean recipe. I finally found this one from "The Food Networks" Alton Brown. I've made this recipe several times and I am hooked. I can't tell you the last time I bought a can of baked beans.

While not a must, I do recommend the use of a cast iron Dutch oven. The cast iron does a superb job of evenly heating the beans. The heavy lid seals the pot firmly, and the nipples on the inside collect and uniformly distribute the moisture. But if you don't have a cast iron pot, don't worry. A regular pot will work fine. Just make sure you have a tight fitting lid.

The recipe calls for two jalapenos peppers. You can adjust the "heat" of the dish by how much of the peppers you use. I typically use one entire pepper and discard the seeds and veins of the second.

When adding the reserved bean water/vegetable broth, I've done it many different ways. I've used just bean water, just vegetable broth, and various combinations of the two. In my opinion, no one mixture came out better over the other. I believe that the reserve bean water contains the bi-products which result in beans causing gas, so use the bean water at your discretion!

This recipe is great at building anticipation. It makes your kitchen smell great for the entire day. I love to make it on a lazy Sunday afternoon so I can hang around the house and enjoy the wonderful aromas.

Ingredients
1lb dried great northern beans
1lb bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
Vegetable Broth
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. kosher salt

1. Place great northern beans in a plastic container, and cover with just enough water to submerge. Let soak overnight.
2. Heat oven to 250 deg. F.
3. Place a cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat and stir in the bacon, onion, and jalapenos until a enough fat has rendered from the bacon to soften the onions, about 5 minutes.
   
4. Stir in the tomato paste, dark brown sugar, and molasses.
5. Drain the beans and reserve the soaking liquid. Add the drained beans to the Dutch oven.
   
6. Place the soaking liquid in a measuring cup and add enough vegetable broth to equal 4 cups liquid. Add the liquid to the Dutch Oven and bring to a boil over high heat.
   
7. Add in cayenne, black pepper, and salt. Give them a stir and cover with the lid.
   
8. Place the Dutch oven in the oven for 6 to 8 hrs, or until the beans are tender.
   

From the Food Channel Website

Roman-Style Fettuccine with Chicken

This is another terrific Italian dish from Giada De Laurentiis. I grew up thinking that if you were going to serve pasta, you had to smoother it in either a tomato or heavy cheese sauce. Oh what a sheltered life I lead! I have made this dish many times, and it's always a crowd favorite. When I tell Julie I'm making this for Sunday dinner, it always makes her smile.

The recipe calls for 1 1/2 lbs of pasta. Since pasta is only sold in 1 pound boxes, I usually go ahead and cook the full 2 pounds and include a little more chicken.

Giada lists this recipe as making 4 to 6 servings. My experience is it makes 8 servings, and more if you up the quantity of ingredients. Even if you invite friends over you'll still have plenty of leftovers.

If you don't have fresh herbs, it's OK to use dried, but just reduce the amount by 1/3 to 1/2.

I recommend serving this dish with a nice Chardonnay. It's a great one-dish meal to serve on a cold winter night.

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
3 oz prosciutto, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs. fettuccine
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley.

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the bell peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
   
3. Add the tomatoes and their juice, wine, thyme, and oregano. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the broth, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta, stir and cook until tender per the directions on the package.
5. Remove the chicken and let it cool slightly on a cutting board. Using a fork and knife, gently shred the chicken. Return the chicken to the pan Stir in the parsley.
6. To serve, spoon the pasta into serving dishes and top with the chicken and sauce.

From Giada De Laurentiis Everyday Pasta

Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon and Rosemary

Of all the recipes I have posted on this blog, this may be my favorite. If you love a hearty tomato soup, you absolutely must make this recipe. It's very easy, has simple ingredients, and it's packed with lots of flavor. I made it on a rare week night when I cooked. I'm not an exceptionally speedy cook, and it took under 1 hour including clean up.

This soup is also very healthy. Many tomato based soups use heavy cream as a thickening agent. This recipe uses cannellini beans. The beans are packed with nutrition and give the soup a nice texture. I would recommend using a low-sodium chicken broth. It cuts down on the salt, and you won't sacrifice any flavor.

This recipe is from From Giada de Laurentis' Giada's Kitchen New Italian Favorites. Another bonus for this recipe, Giada is easy on the eyes!


Ingredients
2 tbs unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can (16 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can(28 oz) crushed tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup plain yogurt
zest of 1 lemon

1. In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary, and the red pepper flakes. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes covered.
2. Puree the soup in a blender in batches, being careful to remove and discard the bay leaf. Return the soup to the pot and keep warm over low heat. Season with salt and pepper.
3. To serve, place the soup into bowls, dollop each with the plain yogurt. Sprinkle the top with the remaining fresh rosemary and lemon zest. Serve immediately.

From Giada de Laurentis' Giada's Kitchen New Italian Favorites

Chocolate Bourbon Cookies

This past Sunday we attended the annual Nottingham Gate Subdivision cookie exchange. For the very first time in the 7 years we have lived in the neighborhood, we enthusiastically RSVPed "yes" and attended. Prior years required each person to bring a whopping 6 dozen cookies. I don't think we ever had 6 dozen cookies in our house at one time ever! Really, what would we do with so many cookies? This year the rules were modified and inclusion in the exchange only required 3 1/2 dozen home baked, from scratch cookies. The rules strictly forbid anything store bought.

I attended with Julie, and predictably other than the host's husband, I was the only man in attendance. No matter, I had a good time conversing, and sampling the cookies.

We picked this recipe for one reason; it has bourbon! Surprisingly these cookies didn't have a boozy taste. The bourbon flavors married quite nicely with the chocolate.

Yields 50 cookies

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tbs cocoa powder unsweetened
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, firm pack
1/2 cup bourbon (Woodford Reserve)
1 cup mini chocolate chips, semi-sweet
2 egg whites
2 tbs water
3 cups pecans, finely chopped

1. Combine the flour and cocoa powder, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside
2. Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until creamy and sooth. Beat in bourbon until well blended.
3. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
   
4. When ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 350 F. Grease w large cookie sheets. Beat together egg whites and water and set aside. Using 1 level tablespoon, shape dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Roll each ball first in the egg whites then in the chopped nuts. Arrange the balls 1/2 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. If the dough gets to soft, periodically return the dough to the refrigerator.
   
5. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until they are still soft but have a light crackled crust. Cool cookies on the cookie sheets for 2-5 minutes. Carefully remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
   

Alton Brown's Pot Roast

I made a couple of small modifications from the original recipe found on the Food Channel's website. Alton's ingredient list included 1 cup of chopped cocktail olives. I absolutely hate olives, and I omitted them. He also had the oven temperature set at 190-200 degrees. I was afraid with such a low temperature and after 3 1/2 hours of cooking, the meat would be still raw in the middle. I raised the temperature to 225 degrees.

I was very pleased with this recipe and my changes. I would certainly make this again. The meat was so tender, you could cut it with a spoon. The flavors were very unique. The rub gave the meat a slight bite. The raisins gave the sauce a hint of sweetness. The dish had a very elegant, sophisticated flavor, but nothing was overpowering. The spice rub and gravy complimented each other very nicely.

I was fooled by this recipe. One of the items I liked was the tin foil pouch. I thought clean up would be a breeze. I was wrong. While I could just throw away the tin foil, I could not throw away the blender nor the cooking pan! I'm not a good "clean as you go" cook to begin with, so I rely heavily on the dishwasher. Unfortunately our dishwasher was broken and everything had to be cleaned by hand.

Ingredients

• 1 (2-pound) blade cut chuck roast
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt.
  
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• Vegetable oil
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 to 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 cup tomato juice
  
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup dark raisins

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Place a wide, heavy skillet or fry pan over high heat for 2 minutes.
   
2. Meanwhile, rub both sides of meat with the salt and cumin. When the pan is hot brown meat on both sides and remove from pan.
   
3. Add just enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan then add the onion and garlic. Stir constantly until onion is softened. Add the tomato juice, vinegar, and raisins. Bring to a boil and reduce the liquid by half.
   
4. Create a pouch with wide, heavy duty aluminum foil. Place half the reduced liquid/chunk mixture on the foil, add the roast, and then top with the remaining mixture. Close the pouch, and wrap tightly in another complete layer of foil. Cook for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until a fork pushes easily into the meat.
   
5. Remove from oven and rest (still wrapped) for at least 1/2 hour. Snip off 1 corner of the foil pouch and drain the liquid into a bowl or measuring cup. Add some of the "chunkies" and puree with a blender. Slice meat thinly, or pull apart with a fork. Serve with sauce.

Turkey Hash

This recipe is from the Reader's Digest Like Grandma Used to Make Cookbook. It states very matter-of-factly that "Chicken Hash" was Thomas Jefferson's favorite breakfast food, and how this recipe was adapted from the original to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey. I have made this recipe countless times, and have always blindly accepted this to be true. I even took patriotic comfort in this claim. However, is it really his favorite? I decided to investigate. Here is what I have found from Google:

Whitehouse.gov lists pancakes & spoon bread among "TJs" favorites, but does not mention chicken hash. Hmm....

American Library.gov states macaroni and peach flambe' were his favorites and again does not mention chicken hash.

And shockingly I found this website when I googled "Thomas Jefferson favorite hash".....

I still want to believe that this was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson. But could the people at Reader's Digest made a mistake? For all I know this was George Jefferson's favorite! Regardless this is still a very good post-Thanksgiving breakfast. If I wasn't delinquent with this blog entry many of my faithful readers could already have made this dish. My apologies, and I'll try to do better next time. Hopefully you still have some Turkey hiding out in the back of the refrigerator or froze those leftovers. Serve Turkey Hash with a side of scramble eggs. For an extra treat, mix in some cheddar cheese with those eggs.

Ingredients

2 medium-size potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped
1 small green or red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups chopped cooked turkey
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup lower-sodium chicken broth

1. In a small saucepan, cover potatoes with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain.
2. In a 10-inch skillet, melt butter over moderate heat. Add the onion and green pepper and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in potatoes, turkey, rosemary, black pepper and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more or until it has the desired consistency.
   

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients for the chicken:

1lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (5 or 6)
1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves (about 3 pieces)
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt, plus more for the cooking water
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 14 1/2-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
2 Tbs. cornstarch
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
2 cups low-fat milk
3 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

Ingredients for the dumplings:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
2 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, cut in bits
3/4 cup low-fat milk

1. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium; add the thighs. Cook, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Repeat with the breasts, cut the breasts crosswise into thirds.
2. Add the butter to the pot; when melted add the onion, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the broth and thyme; bring to a boil. Combine the cornstartch and flour in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the milk, and whisk the milk mixture into the broth. Boil,whisking until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; return the chicken to the pot.
3. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil; add salt. Add the carrots and geen beans; cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinsing with cold water to stop the cooking. Stir into the chicken mixture in the pot.
4. Prepare the dumpling dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter; cut into the dry mixture until mealy. Pour in the milk, stir with a fork until the dough comes together. Return the chicken mixture to a simmer, and drop the dough by tablespoons on the surface of the stew. Cover; cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. (The dumplings will puff up.) Serve.
   

Per Serving, 442 calories, 12 G fat, 42 G carbohydrates

From The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, The New Classics

Buttermilk Biscuits

If you are going to have a buttermilk theme week of cooking, what better way to close it out then with old fashion buttermilk biscuits. There are no shortages of recipes. This also comes from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, The New Classics. The recipe makes 15 biscuits.





Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup (sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Add the buttermilk; stir just until the mixture comes together, the batter will be sticky. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface; use your floured fingers and rolling pin to pat the dough to 1" thickness. Use a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter or cookie cutter to cut out the biscuits, as close together as possible to minimize scraps.
3. Transfer to a baking sheet; bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven; cool on a wire rack. Serve warm.

Baked Buttermilk Chicken

I had three quarters of a jug of buttermilk in my refrigerator this morning. Searching for recipes over the Sunday paper and a cup of coffee; I settled on this one. It comes from my television girlfriend and real life convicted felon Martha Stewart. It's from her book: Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, The New Classics. This cookbook contains a mammoth 1,200 recipes published in her magazine over this decade. This recipe serves 4, and has 362 calories and 5g of fat per serving.

I liked the consistency and spiciness of the coating. It had a little bite, but wasn't over the top spicy. Julie didn't care for this recipe. She said it tasted like cornflakes on chicken!

Ingredients
Olive oil cooking spray
4 chicken drumsticks (about 1lb), skins removed
2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 3/4lbs), halved
2 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
4 cups cornflakes, finely crushed
3/4 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Lemon wedge, for garnish (optional)
Flat-leaf parsley sprig, for garnish (optional)

1. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Transfer to a medium bowl. Pour the buttermilk over the chicken. Cover and let marinate 1 hour in refrigerator.
2. Preheat the oven to 400F. Generously coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, set aside.
3. Toss the cornflakes, Old Bay, thyme, basil, and cayenne in a large bowl. Remove 1 piece of chicken at a time from the buttermilk, letting excess drip back into the bowl; dredge in the cornflake mixture.
4. Transfer the pieces to a baking sheet; lightly coat each with cooking spray. Bake, turning the pieces once, until crisp and cooked through, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a platter, garnish with lemon wedges and parsley.
   

Chicken Burritos

This recipe comes from my favorite cookbook: Reader's Digest Great Recipes for Good Health. This recipe serves 4. A single serving has just 379 calories and 3 g of saturated fat.

Ingredients
1 Tbs. corn or peanut oil
4 boned chicken thighs, skinned and cut into 1/2" cubes (about 1lb)
1 large yellow onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. flour
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup buttermilk
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, drained
2 tsp. low-sodium tomato paste
8 6-inch flour tortillas

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a heavy 10-inch skillet, heat the corn oil over moderate heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until no longer pink on the outside -- about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a bowl.
2. In the same skillet, cook the onion and garlic, uncovered, until soft -- about 5 minutes. Blend in the flour, chili powder, and cumin, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
   
3. Stir in the chicken broth, buttermilk, chilies, and tomato paste. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 4 to 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Return the chicken to the skillet and stir.
4. Place a scant 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture on the lower third of each tortilla, and roll it up like a cigar. Place seam side down in an ungreased 13"x9"x2" baking pan.
5. Bake, uncovered for 5 minutes.
   

Calzones

This is a very popular dish from Cuisine Magazine. When making for guests, we make the dough ahead of time, and let everyone form and build their own calzone. Below are the fillings we used this Sunday. Be creative and post your own filling ideas in the comment section below.

The recipe calls for a starter dough. Don't skip this step. It only takes 5 minutes to makes, and the flavor and texture of the dough will suffer if you don't use it.

Calzone Dough

for the Starter:
1/3 cup + 1 Tbs all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
3 Tbs cold water

for the Dough:
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs warm water (85 - 95 F)
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 Tbs olive oil
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt

Egg Wash:
1 egg
2 Tbs milk

Filling Options:

Chicken, Roasted Red Peppers, & Artichoke Hearts Calzone:
1 lb chicken tenderloins, cooked
1 jar cooked artichoke hearts, drained
1 jar, roasted red peppers, drained, and chopped
mozzarella cheese
ricotta cheese

Pizza Filling Calzones
8 oz, Pepperoni, sliced thin
1/4 lb frozen meatballs, thawed
1 medium onion, sliced thin and sauteed
1 medium green pepper, sliced thin and sauteed (with onions)
mozzarella cheese
ricotta cheese



Starter:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Pour liquid over flour and stir with a fork.
2. Stir until all flour is incorporated. Mixture will be a stiff, heavy blob. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature.
3. After fermenting for 15-24 hours, the starter has grown and is ready for the final dough. It's bubbly and smells yeasty.

Dough:

1. Whisk the yeast in warm water (85 - 95F). After foam appears (about 5 minutes), whisk in the oil. In separate bowl, combine flour and salt.
2. To loosen the sponge, pour the liquid yeast mixture around the edge. Stir it lightly. The sponge will begin to pull away from the bowl.
3. Add dry ingredients to the sponge mixture and stir until allt he flour is moistened. The dough will be sticky and full of lumps.
   
4. It's time to knead. Turn dough out onto floured work surface. Lift and fold half of dough towards you. Flour hands and surface as needed.
5. Press down and away from you with heel of hand. Keep hands floured. Give dough quarter-turns; repeat steps 4 & 5. Kead 8-10 minutes.
6. Form 1 large ball. Dust with flour. Cover with plastic. Let rest 20 minutes. Cut into quarters. Tuck into 4 balls. Cover and let rise 2 hours.
7. After dough has rishe 2 hours, flour surface. Flip 1 ball over (keep others covered). Press dough with fingertips to form circle.
8. With both hands at top of dough, grasp the edge and rotate. This stretches the dough. Enlarges to a circle 7-8" in diameter.
9. Lay down the dough circle and check for any uneven spots. With your fingers, gently lift and stretch out any thick spots.
10. Put dough on parchment-lined baking sheet. Place fillings on half of circle leaving 3/4" clean border at edge of dough.
11. Lift edge of unfilled side and pull slightly towards you. This streches dough so you can cover filling to meet edge on other side.
12. Press edges to creat seal. Crimping ensures a tight bond between the two edges. Press each indentation twice to really seal it.
13. Calzones look better with an egg wash. Lightly brush each one with egg mixture.
14. Bake 10-12 minutes in 500 F oven until calzones are golden. Seve with warm marinara sauce
    

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

Here's another recipe from Giada's new cookbook. I made this on Sunday instead of salad. Publix was out of cannellini beans, so I substitued Great Northern Beans with no ill effect. I also substitued 1/4 tsp. of dried, ground sage for the sage leaves.

Ingredients:
2 Tbs unsalted butter
1 Tbs olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 sage leaves, stems removed
2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1. Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally until the shallots are softened, about 3 minutes
2. Add the sage leaves, cannellini beans, and garlic and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth to the pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook gently until the garlic is soft, about 15 minutes.
3. Pour half of the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle a third to half of the soup from the bowl into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Pour the blended soup back into the pot and repeat with the remaining soup from the bowl.
   
4. Once all of the soup is returned to the soup pot, stir in the cream, salt, and pepper. Cover and keep warm over very low heat.
   

TJ's Banana Bread

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
6 tbs. butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)
1 tbs. vanilla extract
1/3 cup walnuts (coarsely chopped)
1/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9" by 5" metal loaf pan. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat sugar, butter, and eggs just until blended. Increase speed to high; beat about 5 minutes until light and creamy.
2. Reduce speed to low. Add mashed bananas, vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup water; beat until well mixed.
3. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended, occasionally scrapping bowl with rubber spatula. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into loaf pan.
4. Bake loaf 50 to 55 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely on rack.

Beef Stew with Basil Tomato Paste

Fall, means football and stew in the Przewoznik/Minor household. Sunday night I made "Beef Stew with Basil Tomato Paste" served with "Homemade Whole Wheat Honey Bread". The recipes for each follow. Bon Appetite!


Beef Stew with Basil Tomato Paste

1 tbs. olive oil
Nonstick cooking spray
1 lb stew meat or bloneless lean chuck steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 can (1 lb) low-sodium tomatoes, pureed with their juices
2 medium-size stalks of celery, sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 3-inch strips orange peel
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. dried basil, crumbled
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crumbled
1 bay leaf
2 medium-size yellow onions, quartered
2 medium-size turnips, peeled and quartered
2 medium-size potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 medium-size carrots, peeled and sliced 1 inch thick
3 tbs. minced fresh basil or 2 tbs. minced parsley plus 1 tsp. dried basil, crumbled
2 tbs. low-sodium tomato paste
6 oz fresh or thawed frozen snow peas

1. Heat the olive oil over moderate heat for 1 minute in a heavy 10-inch skillet that has been coated with the cooking spray. Season the stew meat cubes with the pepper, add to the skillet, and brown for 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the beef to a 4-quart Dutch oven.
2. Add the wine to the skillet and boil, uncovered for 2 minutes, scrapping up any browned bits. Add the beef broth, tomatoes, celery, 3 cloves of the garlic, the orange peel, fennel seeds, basil, thyme, and bay leaf, and bring to a simmer, stirring. Pour all into the Dutch oven, cover, and simmer 1 1/4 hours.
3. Discard the bay leaf and orange peel, then add the onions, turnips, and carrots; cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender -- about 45 minutes.
4. Using a fork, mash the remaining garlic with the fresh basil, blend in the tomato paste and set aside. Cook the snow peas for 1 minute in boiling water, drain, and set aside.
5. Just before serving, stir the basil - tomato paste mixture into the stew along with the snow peas. Heat for 1 minute. Serves 4.

Homemade Whole Wheat Honey Bread


1 1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup honey
3 tbs. butter
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
2-3 tsp. dry yeast.

Place all ingredients in order into baking pan of bread machine. Set machine to 1 1/2 lb loaf, and wheat bread setting. Press start.