Buttermilk Oven "Fried" Chicken

While I love homemade fried chicken (two recipes on my blog so far for it), the mess and unhealthiness of it are something I don't wish to do very often.  This, on the other hand, I could see working as a substitute any time I have a craving for the messy/fatty version.  It's wonderfully tasty, juicy, and crispy!

Original recipe link:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/buttermilk-oven-fried-chicken-51252460

Ingredients:

--brine--
around 3 1/2 lb. chicken drumsticks
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 c. buttermilk
1 T. fresh lemon juice

--breading--
1 1/3 c. panko
1 c. crushed cornflakes (I think it was around 2 1/2 c. before crushing)
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 T. kosher salt
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 T. paprika
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder

Instructions:

1. For the brine: place the chicken in a large bowl.  Combine all seasonings in a small bowl, then sprinkle over all chicken pieces (I actually rubbed on each).

2. Pour the buttermilk and lemon juice over the drumsticks and cover bowl.  Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight (I did overnight).

3. Heat oven to 400°F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and place racks on sheet.  Spray with non-stick spray.  (The aluminum foil is not part of original recipe; I found that the cleanup was not easy on my beat up baking sheet, despite the spray, so the foil/paper route will happen next time!)

4. For the breading: in a shallow dish, combine all ingredients.

5. Remove chicken from buttermilk and dredge in the breading mixture.  Place chicken pieces onto racks.  **When I did this stage, I ended up with a lot of breading mixture leftover, so I dipped the drumsticks in the brine again and dredged a second time in the breading mixture.  Will do this again next time.**  Spray tops of pieces with non-stick spray.

6. Bake for 50 minutes or until done.  (I had to go 70 minutes to get mine to correct temperature.)

7. Serve with desired side and enjoy!

Oversized Oatmeal Cream Pie/Sandwich

For my hubby's birthday, since he's not much of a cake person, I wanted to make him a big cookie instead.  As I was searching for a recipe, I came across this and knew it was perfect.  If you've ever had (and enjoyed) a Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie, this treat is for you.  The one I made came out bigger than the original blogger's version; I think it spread a bit more than hers did, which may be the fault of the egg I used or it may have needed slightly more flour (I believe the latter, as the dough seemed on the 'wet' side).  It was still amazingly delicious and made for the perfect little birthday cookie pie :)  P.S. the cookie piece tore off this way, I hadn't eaten any yet!

Original recipe:
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/02/03/1-giant-oatmeal-creme-pie/

Ingredients:

--cookie dough--

1/2 c. + 1 T. all-purpose flour (possibly more)
1/2 c. quick oats
3/8 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. light or dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

--cream filling--

3 T. unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c. powdered sugar
1 T. heavy cream (or half & half, and may need slightly more)
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract (clear, if you have)
pinch salt


Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. For the cookie dough: in a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, and cinnamon.  Set aside.

3. In mixing bowl of stand mixer, beat butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute.

4. Add brown sugar and beat until combined.

5. Add the egg and vanilla extract, beat until combined.

6. Add the dry ingredients mixture.  Mix on low until just combined; the dough will be sticky, but should hold shape (if not, add a little more flour).

7. Scoop half of dough onto one corner area of parchment and other half onto opposite corner area.  Form each into ball/round shape.

8. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until lightly browned at edges.  (I went for 22 and forgot to check towards the end, thus mine got a bit darker than intended.)

9. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to rack.  (Since mine was a little past the golden point, I only left it on for a couple of minutes before transferring parchment to cooling racks.  I removed from the parchment after it had cooled the rest of the way.)

10. For the filling:  in stand mixer bowl (or bowl for handheld mixer, like I used), add butter and beat for 1 minute.

11. Add remaining ingredients and beat together until combined.  If mixture is too thick, add very small amounts of cream until it is just thick enough to be a creamy spread.  (I did not have to add any.)

12. Spread filling on one layer of cookie and top with other to make sandwich.  Tear off a piece and enjoy!

Beef Enchilada Casserole

Can't believe I haven't done a blog of this one--it's a favorite of mine that I make fairly often! Typically when I try a recipe the first time, I read the reviews first; in this case, I had clipped the recipe out of a magazine and just adapted it to suit my needs. Though my version is slightly less healthy than the original, according to the reviews, the original is not great, so I think it's best to stick with mine (or modify as you wish).

Link to my YouTube "making of the recipe" video: https://youtu.be/5J_reTCHuqw

Original recipe credit: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/enchilada-casserole-2

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef (I use either 85% or 88%)
1 small onion, chopped
1 T. butter
1 T. bottled minced garlic
1 1/2 T. all-purpose flour
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 c. reduced sodium beef broth
1 heaping T. taco seasoning (I use McCormick)
4 flour soft tortillas (8 inch size)
shredded Mexican cheese blend for topping (you can vary this amount; I think it is best when it's just covered, not thick)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°F.

2. Brown beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Drain off fat and leave mixture in skillet; set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

4. Sprinkle flour over top of garlic/butter and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

5. Slowly add tomato sauce, stirring while adding to combine.

6. Add beef broth and taco seasoning.  Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 2 minutes.

7. Remove from heat and measure out 1/2 c. of the sauce to reserve.  Pour remaining sauce into skillet with beef/onion mixture and stir to combine.

8. Place one tortilla in a pie plate.  Top with 1/3 of beef mixture.  Repeat process 3 times and end by topping with a tortilla.

9. Pour reserved sauce over the top tortilla and spread to cover.

10.  Top with desired amount of Mexican cheese blend.

11. Bake for 10 minutes.  After removing from oven, let rest for 5 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

These are very tasty and even came out great when I made a slight mistake (will explain in the directions below).  I love that you can start them the night before, let them slow rise in the fridge overnight, then pop in the oven and bake in the morning!  And of course, the bread machine doing all the mixing work helps quite a bit as well :)  The recipe is similar to one that I did before and has me wondering if that one would work with overnight rise instead of countertop.  I used the same icing recipe as in that entry.

Original recipe here:
http://happyhooligans.ca/bread-machine-cinnamon-rolls/

Ingredients:

--dough--
1 c. milk, heated 1 minute in microwave
1/4 c. water at 110°F
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar
5 c. bread flour
1 T. bread machine yeast

--filling--

1 c. brown sugar
5 T. cinnamon
1/2 c. butter, softened/easily spreadable

icing (used basic drizzle icing recipe as mentioned above)

Instructions:

1. Add all the dough ingredients to bread machine hopper according to order indicated in your bread machine manual.

2. Select 'dough' setting and run cycle.

3. When dough cycle finishes, spray work surface with non-stick cooking spray.  Shape dough into an oval and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rest 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, butter a 9" x 13" glass baking dish and set aside.

5. Remove plastic wrap from dough and roll out to form a 15" x 24" rectangle (no, I did not get mine perfectly shaped like this, but I came close, which seemed good enough).

6. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  (Unlike me, do NOT mix the butter with these!  It makes the next step far more work and very messy hands.)

7. Spread the butter over the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture evenly over the butter.

8. Starting with the long edge closest to you, roll up the dough gently (not too tightly--the centers will pop up during baking if you do so).  Close seam by pinching dough together (it sort of stays, but don't worry if it isn't perfect).

9. Mark roll in 1 1/2" increments with a knife.

10.  Using unflavored dental floss (although I suppose cinnamon would be fine), slide the floss under the roll and wrap around where the first knife mark is.  Pull the ends to cross each other and use floss to 'slice' through dough by continuing to close the circle made by the floss.  (This is done instead of cutting to prevent 'squishing' the dough.)  Repeat until all dough roll is sliced.

11.  Place the sliced rolls into the prepared baking dish.  Leave space between the rolls for expansion as they rise and bake.

12.  Cover dish with plastic wrap and place in fridge overnight.

13. When you are ready to bake, heat oven to 350°F.  Original recipe indicated to bake for 20-25 minutes; mine were not nearly done enough at 25 minutes (first picture)--ended up going more like 45 minutes.

14. Top with desired frosting and enjoy!  (As mentioned at beginning of entry, I made a simple drizzle frosting that can be found in the link.)

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Pancetta

Three cheeses, cream, potatoes.  And pancetta??  And a great spice combo??  Oh yes, I was sold as soon as I read it, I knew I had to make it right away.  So. very. yummy.  Everyone raved about this, it is absolutely a keeper and worthy of special occasions/holiday meals.  If you can, I suggest having a helper for the whisking and adding ingredients parts (thank you to my wonderful 4 1/2 year old for being my sous-chef, as usual :))

Original recipe:
http://www.cookingandbeer.com/2014/11/cheesy-scalloped-potatoes-with-pancetta/

The amounts I used below are halved from the original, as I did not need a 9" x 13" pan full of potatoes.

Ingredients:

--for the sauce--
2 T. unsalted butter
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
salt and pepper, to taste
2 oz. sharp white cheddar, grated
2 oz. Gruyère, grated
1 oz. Monterey Jack, grated  (I used food processor to grate all three together at a time)

--for the potatoes--
1 1/2 lbs. russet or yukon gold potatoes, sliced in rounds (I used yukons)
4 oz. sharp white cheddar, grated
2 oz. Gruyère, grated
4 oz. Monterey Jack, grated
1 T. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c. panko
2 T. Italian-style bread crumbs
pepper, to taste
2 oz. pancetta, diced and cooked until just starting to crisp
parsley, fresh or dried, as garnish (I used dried)

Instructions:

1. For the sauce: in a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes.

2. Whisk in heavy cream, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.  Bring mixture to simmer over medium heat, allowing to thicken as you continue to whisk, cooking for about 5 minutes.

3. Reduce heat to low.  Add shredded cheeses a very small amount at a time (around 2-3 T.) and whisk in until melted and combined after each addition.  Once all cheeses are in, leave sauce in pan over lowest heat while preparing the potatoes.

4. Heat oven to 375°F and spray an 8" x 8" glass baking dish with non-stick spray.  Set aside.

5. Place potatoes in a large pot and add water until they are just covered.  Season with salt and heat over high heat.

6. Bring potatoes to boil, then cook for 5-6 minutes or until just tender, not mushy.  Drain and set aside.

7. If you have not already done so by grating together, combine cheeses in a bowl and set aside.

8. In the prepared baking dish, use around 1/3 of the potatoes to make a layer on the bottom of the dish.  Pour 1/3 of sauce over the layer of potatoes and spread evenly.  Sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheeses.  Repeat layers two more times.

9. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, panko, and bread crumbs.  Sprinkle mixture over top of layers.

10. Sprinkle with black pepper, then place in oven.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and top is brown (I went 35).  Remove from oven and let stand for 2-3 minutes.

11. Top with pancetta and parsley.  Serve with desired main dish and enjoy!!

Filet Mignon with Mushroom Brandy Sauce

Yes, it's yet another recipe for filet mignon--can't help it!  Though this is very good, the side dish I paired with it (3 cheese potatoes with pancetta, will post tomorrow) might have dominated a bit much for me to know how good this is on its own.  I would make it again for sure, though :)

Original recipe link:
http://www.spachethespatula.com/a-valentines-feast-part-1-filet-mignon-with-mushroom-brandy-sauce-and-mashed-potatoes-with-pancetta-and-leeks/

The original was for just 2 people, so the amounts listed below are what I used for 3 people.

Ingredients:

3 T. unsalted butter, divided
1/4 c. minced shallots
4 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced (I think I could have used more, too)
1/2 T. dark brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth (I used about half stock, half broth, since I had some leftover)
3/4 c. low-sodium beef stock
3/4 c. brandy
3/8 c. (6 T.) heavy cream
3 filets mignons
kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Melt 1 1/2 T. of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add shallots and mushrooms.  Cook until tender, about 4 minutes.

2. Add brown sugar and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

3. Add chicken broth, beef stock, and brandy.  Bring to simmer and keep simmering until sauce is reduced to approximately 3/4 cup, around 30 minutes.

 (yes, I had to transfer it to a different pan, as I ended up needing the other one for my side dish)

4. Add cream and stir.  Remove from heat and set aside.

5. Melt remaining butter in large skillet over medium to medium-high heat.  Salt and pepper steaks to taste, then add to pan.  Cook steaks to preferred doneness, then transfer to plate.

6. Pour brandy sauce into the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring and scraping up browned bits, for about 2 minutes.

7. Add steaks back to pan, along with any accumulated juices, and cook one additional minute.  (There are only two in here because I had already finished cooking mine when I remembered to take the picture lol.)

8. Serve steaks with sauce and desired side(s).  Enjoy!