Crispy Oven-Fried Fish

The hubs found this one, and I must say it's one of my new fave ways to cook our fish.

Ingredients

1 lb. fresh or frozen skinless white fish

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup dry bread crumbs (ours are Italian bread crumbs. More flavor the better I always say!)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp dried dill (We used this the first time. I like it much more without.)

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp butter, melted

Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. Cut into 4 serving size pieces, if necessary. (If using filets, not necessary) Place milk in a shallow dish. Place flour in another shallow dish. In a third shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, dill, and pepper. Add melted butter, stir until combined.

Dip fish in the milk; coat with flour. Dip again in the milk, then in the bread crumb mixture. Place fish on a greased baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, in a 450 oven for 4 to 6 minutes per 1/2 inch thickness. The thicker the fish, the longer you should let it go. Should flake easily when done.

I'm pretty sure the second time the hubs made this one, he might have spiced up the seasonings bowl. It's so easy to do. So add some garlic powder if you're a garlic fan, or maybe some onion. Or a multi-seasoning.

Roast Chicken with Fiery Lemon Glaze

I got this recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens January 2010 issue.  I've only made it once but I love it.  I'll give you the recipe as is and then tell you the changes I'll make next time.

Ingredients:

1 4-5 lb whole roasting chicken

4 to 6 small lemons

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp snipped fresh parsley

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup honey

2 to 3 small lemons, halved or quartered (optional)

Remove giblets from chicken, if present.  Place chicken in plastic bag set in shallow dish.  Slice 2 of the lemons; add to bag.  Finely shred 2 tsp peel from the remaining lemons; set aside.  Squeeze lemons to yield 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons juice for glaze.

For marinade, in bowl combine the 1/2 cup lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, garlic, 1/2 tsp of the cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper.  Pour over chicken; turn to coat.  Seal bag.  Refrigerate 8 to 12 hours; turn occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375.  Let chicken stand at room temperature 15 minutes.  Drain chicken and set aside lemon slices; discard marinade.  Pull neck skin to back and fasten with skewers.  Tie drumsticks to tail.  Twist wing tips under back.

Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.  Cover with lemon slices.  Arrange lemon halves or quarters on rack around chicken.  Roast on lowest rack, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in small saucepan, combine honey, shredded lemon peel, the 2 tsp lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper.  Bring to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat, set aside.

Cut string between drumstick and reposition any lemon slices that have slid off of chicken.  continue roasting 30 to 60 minutes more, or until drumsticks move easily in their socket and chicken is no longer pink, (180 degrees), occasionally brushing with some of the honey mixture during the last 20 minutes of roasting.  If lemons begin to darken, tent loosely with foil.  Remove chicken from oven.  Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing.  Pass remaining honey glaze.





 I forgot to put the quarted lemons around the chicken while cooking, so I added them at the table for eye candy.

The glaze.

Now, when they say "Fiery" Lemon Glaze, they mean it.  Next time I will probably take the cayenne in the glaze down from 1/2 tsp to 1/4, maybe even 1/8 if I'm not in a spicy mood.  Other than that, this was a delicious chicken.

Angel Food Cake

This one caused me quite a bit of trouble, but in the end I was uber pleased with it. I made it for my mother in law's birthday. I'm not very informed on angel food cake. At the time, I was a bit preoccupied, and didn't pay much attention to it while I ate it. It was a few days later, when I ate some of the leftover cake, completely plain, that I thought "This is really, really good." It took some effort, but if I hadn't made the mistake I did, it wouldn't have been as bad, and it was definitely worth it.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups egg whites (10-12 large)
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar (yes, I sifted it before I put it in)
1 cup sifted cake flour or sifted all-purpose flour (I had cake flour in hand, and yes, I sifted it too)
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar

In a very large mixing bowl allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, sift powdered sugar and flour together three times; set aside. (Yes, I did this three times. It took a while. I did most of it while sitting infront of my computer watching a movie. Made the time go by faster.)

Add cream of tartar and vanilla to egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. (Soft peaks are when the peaks curl when you lift the beaters up.) Gradually add granulated sugar, about 2 tbsp at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. (Stiff peaks are when the peaks stand straight up when you lift the beaters up.)

Sift one-fourth of the powdered sugar mixture over beaten egg whites; fold in gently. Repeat, folding in the remaining powdered sugar mixture by fourths. (Folding is not stirring or beating. You just gently mix it in with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Use big circle arm motions.) Pour into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Gently cut through the batter to remove air pockets. (Gently cut through the batter with a butter knife.)

Bake on the lowest rack in a 350 oven for 40-45 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert cake pan; cool throughly in pan. Loosen cake from pan; remove cake.

I followed all the instructions pretty directly, not leaving out a single step, because I've heard this is difficult to make and wanted it to turn out perfect. I think I did a really good job. It was really yummy. The darker crust part you see in the picture was a really sweet, crunchy crust. It was really yummy. This ended up being a lot of work because my first (emphasis on first) batch of egg whites got knocked over on my stove while it was sitting for 30 minutes. So I had to separate another dozen egg whites. The sifting was hard work, but if I hadn't spilled my egg whites, it wouldn't have been too bad at all.

Strawberry Lemonade Slush/Lemonade

This is a two part recipe. It came out pretty great. It was a spur of the moment thing. It starts out with a lemonade or limeade base and then you add that to the strawberries.

Ingredients for lime/lemonade base
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp finely shredded lemon or lime peel
1 1/4 cups lemon or lime juice
Ice cubes

For a lemonade or limeade base, in a medium saucepan heat and stir water and sugar over meidum heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; cool 20 minutes. Add citrus peel and juice to sugar mixture. Pour into a jar; cover and chill up to 3 days. (For lemonade, combine equal parts base and water in ice-filled glasses; stir.)

Strawberry Lemonade Slush
For each serving, ina blender container combine 1/2 cup fresh or frozen unsweetened strawberries, 1/3 cup lemonade base, and 1 tbsp sugar. Blend until smooth. With a blender running, add 1/2 cup ice cubes, 1 at a time, through opening in lid until beverage is slushy.

Fireside Chili

I made this for our ward chili/bake off. It was something I found from a magazine and it sounded exotic, so I went all out. In the end, I didn't really care for it. It's a specialty chili, I like to call it. It's got a real distinct and unique flavor. I think you either love it or hate it. I was missing one ingredient, but not a crucial one to flavor I don't think. Anyway, it's got a very smoked flavor. So if you like smoked, you'll probably love it. It also has a cumin polenta that goes with it. I forgot to try the polenta with the chili so I can't vouch for it. But I do imagine it's a good addition to the strong flavored chili, so I'll add it at the end anyhow. The picture is deceiving. With the flash from my camera, it came out very bright. This was a dark chili, not bright red. Be not deceived. And I put this in the Mexican label because it has fresh jalapenos and dried chile peppers. To me, that's in the realm of Mexican food. Oh, and despite me saying I didn't really like it, we brought the giant pot home almost empty. So it was getting eaten, no doubt. Which made me feel good, even though I didn't win the cook off.

Ingredients
1 recipe Chili Seasoning Puree (I'll list it further down)
1 1/2 lb. ground beef chuck (which I learned is just plain old ground beef. Why do they make this so hard?)
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 tbsp. smoked paprika (I think this gives it a majority of the smoky flavor. Smoked paprika is very, very strong.)
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground cloves (This I didn't have. But it's such a small amount, I'm hoping it didn't ruin my chili not having it.)
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, cut up (I'd make the pieces about 1 inch or so)
1 1/2 cups water
1 14 oz. can beef broth
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1-2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (optional) (This is one of the things that drew me to this recipe)
1 1/2 cups dried plums or raisins, chopped (chopping dried plums is somewhat tedious. I'd do it before when you're not feeling rushed.)
Cumin Polenta (optional)

Prepare Chili Seasoning Puree. (listed below) In 6 quart dutch oven cook beef, onion, and celery until meat is browned, stirring as needed. Drain fat. Stir in Chili Puree, paprika, coriander, crushed red pepper, and cloves. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in undrained tomatoes, water, beef broth, and tomato paste. Brign to boiling, reduce heat. Add chocolate and plums. Simmer, covered, 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve with Cumin Polenta.

Chili Seasoning Puree
2 dried chile peppers (There are tons of different types [from different regions] so just pick one.)

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

3/4 cup beef broth
5 pitted plums

Place chile peppers in a bowl. Add boiling water to cover. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain; remove stems and seeds. To remove seeds, cut off stem end. Cut a slit down one side and scrape out seeds with a spoon. In food processor or blender combine drained chile peppers, jalapeno pepper, broth, and dried plums. Cover and process or blend until smooth.

Cumin Polenta

2 14 oz. cans reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 tsp ground cumin

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup whole milk (I do think using skim or otherwise will change the quality. I used skim cause it's all we have.)

1 tbsp butter

In large heavy saucepan combine broth and cumin; bring to boiling. Reduce heat; gradually whisk in cornmeal. Cook and stir until thick, about 6-8 minutes. Whisk in milk and butter, Season with salt and pepper. I was told by a friend that you should always stir the polenta in one direction only. It doesn't matter which direction, but you don't stir both directions or do figure eights in the polenta. Just pick a direction and stir it that way. She heard that from a reliable cooking source, so try it.

Pie Crust

This is the recipe I used with the Grape & Pear Pie. It's slightly different from my mom's (my preferred pie crust), but it was fine. If I make a pie during the Christmas season, I'll use the other crust recipe and post it as well. This one uses shortening and my mom's uses oil. I think the shortening crust is supposed to be flakier, but I prefer the flavor of the oil crust personally. But pie crust is a very personal thing, so do what floats your boat.

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening
8-10 tbsp cold water

In medium bowl stir together flour and salt. Using pastry blender, cut in 2/3 cup shortening until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle 1 tbsp cold water over part of flour mixture; gently toss with fork. Push moistened dough to side of bowl. Repeat, using 1 tbsp water at a time, until all the flour mixture is moistened (8 to 10 tablespoons total). Divide dough in half. Form each half into ball.

On lightly floured surface, slightly flatten 1 ball of pastry. Roll dough from center to edges into 12-inch circle. Wrap pastry around rolling pin; unrollinto 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pie plate, being careful not to stretch. Trim even with rim of pie plate. Pour filling into pastry. Roll remaining dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Cut slits in pastry to allow steam to escape. Place pastry on filling; trim to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold top pastry edge under bottom pastry. Crimp edge as desired.

I didn't follow the directions specifically with the water, mainly because it's tedious the way it's described. But it came out fine. Otherwise I did follow the recipe. I didn't do a plain pie topper though, as you can tell from the pie post. If you want lessons on making a weave top, I'll gladly teach how I did it.

Grape and Pear Pie

I did this for a chili/bake off at church. I just found the recipe in Better Homes & Gardens. I was very impressed with this recipe and would totally make it again.

Ingredients

1 recipe for double-crust pie
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp finely shredded orange peel
5 cups whole seedless red or black grapes
2 medium red pears, cored and sliced (2 cups)
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare pie crust. For filling, in large bowl stir together brown sugar, flour, melted butter, and orange peel. Add grapes and pears; toss. Prepare bottom layer of crust. Pour filling into pie. Roll remaining dough over filling. In small bowl, combine egg white with 1 tbsp water. Brush top of pie with egg white mixture. Cover edge of pie with foil. Bake 35 minutes; remove foil. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until top of pastry is golden and steam is escaping from slits in top crust. Remove from oven. Cool 6 hours. Store, loosely covered, in fridge up to 24 hours.

The only additions I would add is to make sure your grapes aren't too big. Mine were huge. It was good, but they were a mouthful. Second, make sure you have enough pears. They're so good. And don't scrimp on the orange peel either. It adds a great flavor. I'll add the recipe for pie crust as well. (I'll add some simple construction instructions for the pie crust part as well, as I left it out in this recipe.) You can always buy it too. Mine was homemade.

Split Pea Sausage Soup

I'll be the first to admit that anytime I read split pea soup I do not get hungry. I even dread making it for like a week before I do it. However, in the end I eat it and think, "Hey, this is okay. I kinda like it." Needless to say, it's a good recipe and I've eaten it many times. It just has a stigma, you know? Poor split peas. Anyway, another make ya feel good for eatin good recipe.

Ingredients
1 pound smoked kielbasa
1 pound dry split peas
6 cups water
1 cup chopped carrots (2 medium carrots)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
½ tsp coarse black pepper
2 bay leaves (I just have chopped bay leaves, so I use about 1-2 tsp.)

Cut sausage in half lengthwise; cut into ¼ in. pieces. Place in pot; add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours or until peas are tender. Remove bay leaves.

Another easy recipe, and it's pretty good for ya. I'm including this in my beans category because I keep my dried split peas with all my dried beans. I don't know if it's actually a bean. Maybe it is.

Blueberry muffins

I ended up making both my lemon zest recipes. These came out great. Straight from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Thanks Mom and Diane. Awesome wedding present!

Ingredients
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 beaten egg
¾ cup milk
¼ cup cooking oil
¾ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tsp finely shredded lemon peel

Grease muffin pan or insert paper bake cups.
In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture; set aside. In another bowl combine egg, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Add blueberries and lemon peel to batter.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes or until golden and a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Lentil and Sausage Soup

Tonight's cuisine was courtesy of the Better Homes & Garden Cookbook. This is one I became acquainted with in Missoula and have since come to enjoy very much.  I must say that it was pretty awesome. It's a really easy recipe and tastes pretty great. I must say that growing up I wouldn't have touched this type of thing. But I have since evolved to eat things like beans, vegetables, and yeah, that's what I used to avoid pretty much. But now I really enjoy these things and I feel good because I know they're good for me.

Ingredients
2 14-oz. cans chicken broth
1 ½ cups water
1 cup red lentils (brown are easier to find)
1 cup sliced celery (2 stalks)
1 cup sliced carrots (2 medium)
½ cup chopped onion
1 tsp snipped fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz. cooked, smoked sausage links
Optional: shredded cheese, saltines or croutons

In a large saucepan combine chicken broth, water, lentils, celery, carrots, onion, dried thyme (if using), red pepper, and garlic. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables and lentils are tender. Stir in fresh thyme, if using, and sausage. Heat through.

I used shredded mozzarella. You could use swiss or monterey or maybe colby jack. I used mozzarella because it's what I had at the time. I prefer croutons to saltines because they can be seasoned and they don't get soggy as fast. I also added a tbsp of flax seed to my soup. One tbsp gives you two grams of fiber and in the soup it was basically tasteless. I'll have more posts about flax seed. It's great to add to different types of things.  I was also liberal with the spices. We prefer our food to be spicy versus bland.  Makes for good soup!