Buttermilk and herb fried chicken

Another entry that I started back in February.  This was quite tasty, a very good fried chicken recipe indeed.  I cannot recall now how exactly it compares to the other recipes I've tried for fried chicken, so I'll have to make it again and report back!

Link to original recipe:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/buttermilk-and-herb-fried-chicken.html

Ingredients:

1 qt. buttermilk
1/3 c. plus 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1 T. red hot-pepper sauce (I used Tabasco)
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. dried rubbed sage
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled
around 3 lbs. chicken drumsticks (or other bone-in pieces)
1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
canola oil for frying

Instructions:

1. In a large, nonreactive bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, 1/3 c. salt, hot sauce, marjoram, thyme, and rosemary.

2. Add the chicken drumsticks to the buttermilk mixture, submerging them completely.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, up to 8 hours.

3. Heat oven to 400°F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

4. In a shallow bowl (or pie dish), whisk together flour, baking powder, remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper.  Remove chicken from the buttermilk mixture and dip each piece in flour mixture to coat.

5. In a large, heavy fry pan (preferably cast iron--which I used) over medium-high heat, add oil to a depth of 1/2 inch and heat until very hot but not smoking.  Add chicken pieces, being sure not to crowd, and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Transfer pieces to prepared rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until instant-read thermometer registers 160°F when inserted in thickest part of the chicken piece.

6. Drain chicken pieces on a paper towel, then serve and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs

This post was started clear back in February--that really was quite a time ago!
I was really excited about trying this recipe due to its simplicity and being a 'fix it and forget it' one--easy peasy, right?  Indeed it is and I would make it again--with some tweaks.  Hands down, the meatballs are perfectly amazing.  The sauce, however, is lackluster; I believe it needs, at the least, some sugar.  Not sure why it didn't occur to me to that there wasn't any in it/that I should add some.  Nearly every red pasta sauce from scratch contains it; pretty sure it's the missing key to this one.  This is not to say that it was all bad by any means; my husband and I both enjoyed it just fine.  When I get around to attempting it again, I'll be sure to post an update.  For now...

link to original recipe:
http://www.laurengreutman.com/slow-cooker-spaghetti-and-meatballs/

Ingredients:

2 cans (28 oz. each) crushed tomatoes
1 lb. ground beef (80/20)
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1/3 c. breadcrumbs
5 cloves garlic, pressed or minced, divided (I minced them)
2 T. dried basil, divided
2 T. dried parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided
1 egg

Instructions:

1. Combine crushed tomatoes, 2 cloves of the garlic, 1 T. of the basil, and 1/4 tsp. of the black pepper in a slow cooker.  

2. In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients, using your hands to thoroughly mix the meat with everything.

3. Form meatball mixture into golf sized balls.

4. Add meatballs to slow cooker gently, pressing down slightly to submerge in sauce (I submerged mine after taking pic, obviously).

5. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours (I cannot recall which I tried for sure, but I am fairly certain it was low for 8).

6. When ready to serve, prepare desired pasta according to package directions and top with sauce.  Enjoy!

Filipino Chicken Adobo Bites

And again, I'm trying to finish off posts I started but for various reasons did not get around to completing.  This one is also from last month (August), which now seems like a long time ago for some reason (probably the distance thing :)).  Anyhow, the original recipe is for threading this chicken onto skewers--which I would have done, if it were part of the cooking process.  It's not, though--it's apparently just for serving.  Since it was just me and my husband that were going to have this, I opted to just serve it as is, in bite-sized pieces, over a bed of rice.  It was good, but quite salty, despite using low-sodium soy sauce.  The original amounts in the recipe are for serving 16-20 (!), so I reduced to just 1/3 of that, giving us some leftovers.

Link to original: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/filipino-chicken-adobo-skewers

Ingredients:

1 lb 6 oz. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 1/3 c. water
1/3 c. low-sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed (I used press)
1/3" peeled fresh garlic, sliced thinly
1 small/half bay leaf
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. light brown sugar (I think it could have used more)
1/4 c. unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 T. canola oil

Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan, combine chicken thighs with water, soy sauce, garlic, giner, bay leaves, peppercorns, and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to maintain simmer for 15 minutes.

2. Add vinegar and simmer for additional 10 minutes.

3. Transfer chicken to a plate.  Strain the liquid into a heatproof bowl, then return it to saucepan, discarding the solids.

4. Boil over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce is syrupy, around 25-30 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

6. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over moderately high heat until shimmering.  Add chicken and cook until browned and crisp on outside, around 3 min.

7. Add sauce to skillet, stir to combine, remove from heat, and serve as desired (I went with basmati rice).  Enjoy!

Farmhouse Buttermilk Cake

And now to finish a few entries I started prior to my departure to France!  Just before leaving, I made this because I wanted to leave my hubby with a treat he'd enjoy munching on while I was away.  He loves pecans, I had buttermilk to use up--it worked out well lol.  In all seriousness, I will make this one again for sure--it is really, really delicious and not overwhelming like some cakes can be.

Link to original recipe: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/farmhouse-buttermilk-cake-recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 c. unsalted butter
2 c. light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 c. buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3 c. all-purpose flour

6 T. melted butter
1 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. milk (I used skim)
1/8 tsp. salt
2/3 to 1 c. diced pecans (I believe I used 1 c.)

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Lightly grease a 9" x 13" cake pan.

2. Beat butter and brown sugar until smooth/creamy.

3. Add eggs, beat until smooth.

4. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla extract.

5. Add the baking soda, salt, and flour to the wet ingredients, stirring until thoroughly combined.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and transfer to oven.

7. Bake for 35 min.  Towards the end of baking time, prepare the topping.

8. In a medium sized bowl, stir together butter and sugar.

9. Add milk, salt, and pecans, stirring until combined.  The mixture will be thick but pourable.

10. Pour topping over the cake and return to oven for additional 10 min.

11. Remove cake from oven.  Note: the topping will still be runny in the middle--this is ok!  You'll need to wait for it to set for a few minutes before trying to cut/eat.  (I waited until the next day just to be sure that it was fully set.  Next time, I will bake the cake just a couple minutes longer, as the very center was a little too moist for my preference.)

12. Cut into pieces and enjoy!

Brownies from scratch...in France

Hello all...or shall I say bonjour?! That's right, I'm in beautiful, wonderful France, staying here for a few weeks to help out my friend with some babysitting.  We (my son and I) are lucky enough to have a kitchen to use, so you know I would end up cooking at least a few things here, right?  Only thing is, baking here is a bit different.  I hadn't realized just how different until last year when I was here and wanted to make an American-style cookie bar for my friend.  When I went to buy ingredients, I found all that I needed except one: brown sugar.  I'd already read about the different flours and stuff like that, had converted the recipe to metric, but had not counted on not finding this ingredient, one so common in the states.  Anyhow, long story short, the cookie bars turned out great and I decided next time I'd bring some brown sugar along with me.
My friend's birthday was a few days ago and I wanted to make her a treat as a present.  I don't have any cookie sheets in this kitchen, so a cake or bar cookie would have to be it.  Brownies, yes, I thought, I bet I could do that!  At home in the states, I will admit I do not make brownies from scratch, as I find the Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate mix ones are fantastic (and super fast/easy), so this was slightly new territory.  I found ingredients that would work, but forgot one thing: there are no measuring cups nor scale in this kitchen.  Oops.  I don't have a car and don't really want to buy a scale just for a couple of uses here, so I went MacGyver: used a drinking glass that looked to me like it was approximately 1 cup.  And guess what?  The brownies turned out pretty good :) When I return to the states, I plan to try the recipe again and compare.

Link to original recipe:  https://sugarspunrun.com/brownies-from-scratch/

Ingredients (that I used in France):

175g (12 T.) unsalted butter, cut in small chunks
100g bar of dark chocolate (70% cacao)
*1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
*3/4 c. granulated sugar (sucre en poudre)
*3/4 c. (packed) light brown sugar (from the states)
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
*1 tsp. vanilla extract
*1/2 tsp. salt
*1 c. flour (type 55)
100g bar of dark chocolate, broken into "chips" (chocolate chips are quite pricey here, so this is the better option :))

(*=approximation, no idea if accurately measured here)

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 175°C (350°F) and prepare a baking dish/pan--either line with parchment or grease sides and bottom (I did the latter).  It's supposed be a 9"x9" or 13"x9", but all I have here is an oval dish of unknown measurements (it looked about the right size :))

2. Combine butter and 100g of dark chocolate in a large, microwave-safe bowl (mine wasn't so large, as again, I'm limited on equipment here).

3. Microwave at 700W for 30 seconds.  Stir, then microwave for 15-20 seconds and stir again, repeating process until a smooth melted mixture is obtained.

4. Stir in cocoa powder.

5. Stir in sugars until completely combined.

6. Stir in vanilla extract.

7. Sprinkle salt over batter and stir to combine.

8. Add flour, stirring until completely combined.

9. Stir in chocolate "chips". (yep, I had to change bowls)

10. Spread into prepared baking dish and transfer to oven.

11. Bake until brownies jiggle only slightly in middle when you gently move dish back and forth.  For the dish I used here, this was 24 minutes.

12. Cool, cut up, and enjoy!

Stuffed Shells with Italian Sausage

Oh. my. goodness.  This is soooo very yummy! The original recipe was huge, easily enough for 8-10 people.  We did not need anywhere near that, so I halved it.  The amounts shown below are what I used.  Enjoy!

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/-ufdsPv1t5I

as of 16 July 2023, this link does not work; if/when the recipe is re-posted to their site, I will update it

Link to original recipe:  http://www.johnsonville.com/recipe/shells-with-italian-sausage-and-ricotta-stuffing.html

Ingredients:

jumbo pasta shells *I used pasta armando basket-shaped shells, which were amazing (purchased at Meijer)--took 12 of them for this recipe
1/2 T. extra-virgin olive oil (I think I actually used much less than this, see below in step 4)

2 links hot Italian sausage (used Johnsonville brand), casings removed
1 jar Prego Three Cheese pasta sauce
1 large egg
7.5 oz. ricotta (I used part-skim)
2 1/2 c. shredded Italian cheese blend (I used some Lucerne 6 cheese and Kraft 5 cheese, as I had some on hand), divided
2 T. fresh basil, chopped (or 1/2 T. dried--I opted for fresh, as my mom had given me some from her garden!)
1/4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

2. In a 10 in. skillet, cook the sausage on medium heat, crumbling it into small pieces as it cooks, until it is 'done'.  Set aside to cool.

3. Heat oven to 350°F.

4. Rub/coat sides and bottom of an 8" x 8" x 2" glass baking dish with olive oil (*I believe I used a paper towel and just rubbed all over for this, meaning I did not use all that much.)

5. Pour half of pasta sauce into baking dish and spread evenly over bottom.  Set aside.

6. In a large bowl, beat the egg.  Mix in the ricotta, 2 c. of the cheese blend, basil, ground pepper, and the cooked sausage.

7. Fill each shell with sausage-cheese mixture and then place each in the sauce in the baking dish.  Once all shells are filled and placed, top with remaining sauce, followed by remaining cheese blend.

8. Cover dish, bake for 40 min.

9. Uncover dish and bake for additional 5 min.

10. After removing from oven, let stand for 5 min.  Serve and enjoy!!

Zucchini, Bacon, and Gruyère Quiche

This is very, very yummy--yep, we're back in 10 out 10 land!  I cannot rave about it enough, honestly :)  It's quite easy, too!  I'd say it's my favorite quiche ever, but that doesn't say much since I've not had nor made many lol.

Link to original recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/zucchini-bacon-and-gruyere-quiche-233259

Ingredients:

1 refrigerated pie dough round (9 in.--be sure to follow package directions about bringing to room temp)
1/4 lb. sliced bacon, coarsely chopped
2 medium zucchini (3/4 lb. total), halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/8" thick slices
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
3/4 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. whole milk (I didn't have any on hand and use skim this time--still worked, but I'd recommend whole instead)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 large eggs
2 oz. Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated

Instructions:

1. Place oven rack in middle position and heat oven to 450°F.

2. Fit pie dough into pie plate and lightly prick all over with a fork.  Bake according to package directions, then place on cooling rack to rest (as you continue remaining prep).

3. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

4. Cook bacon in a heavy 12" skillet over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until just crisp--around 6 minutes.

5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel lined plate, reserving rendered fat in skillet.

6. Add zucchini and 1/4 tsp. of the salt to the rendered fat in skillet and cooking, stirring occasionally, over moderately high heat.  When zucchini is tender and starting to brown a little, stop cooking and remove from heat.

7. Heat cream, milk, pepper, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt in a small saucepan until mixture reaches a bare simmer, then remove from heat.

8. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk eggs together, then slowly/gradually whisk in hot cream mixture until just combined.

9. Stir in bacon, zucchini, and cheese.

10. Pour mixture into prepared pie crust and bake until filling is just set, around 25-30 minutes.  (I actually went 35 this time, as mine didn't look quite set.  I think this may have been due to the skim milk instead of whole.)

11. Transfer to cooling rack (still in pie dish) to cool at least 20 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!  **Be sure to refrigerate within 2 hours of cooling for food safety.**