Wednesday, January 29

Tarragon Potato Salad

Its almost the end of January here in southern Arizona meaning its now warm enough to bbq, grill, and have great fun with food before the summer comes. You definitely DO NOT want to be outside grilling anything in the summer here. Sounds backwards I know. The other day we were grilling up some sausages on the bbq, and thought I would try a new potato salad. It was great! My own potato salad (a bit heavy on the pickle, mustard, and mayo), that I adore, has some new competition. This vinegar/mayo french version was a fun twist. The potato salad also highlights tarragon - something I have been obsessed with for a few months now.  See this fried chicken recipe and this baked chicken recipe and this wonderful chicken soup recipe for more lovely tarragon filled recipes.  This is a great bbq side dish, picnic, and potluck salad. Easy and yummy. Can be made a few days ahead if needed. If its still snowing where you are - trust me I would trade you. I love snow. Just store this one away for memorial day :) 

Note: When you read the recipe below and see the two types of onions - don't omit one. They layers of flavor within the salad. Look at all the beautiful colors together. 




Tarragon Potato Salad
Prep + Cooking + Cooling time: 45 minutes - 1 hr 
Recipe adapted from: Ina Garten (food network)


Ingredients:
6 red potatoes (skin on or off your choice - I think its prettier on - wash them well)
1 stick of celery finely diced
1 thick slice of red onion diced (approx 3 Tb)
2 green scallions - green and white parts sliced
3/4 cup of mayo
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs white wine vinegar or tarragon vinegar if you have it
3 Tbs fresh tarragon (1/4 of a small pkg from the store), sliced
1 tsp dried dill (use fresh if you have it)
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried pepper
kosher salt to taste (try 1 tsp then increase in 1/2 tsp increments)


5 Easy Steps:
1. Boil the potatoes over medium 15-30 minutes depending on the size - should be fork tender. Not so cooked though that it falls apart. Let them cool afterwards unless you are in a hurry (like I was and had to use a towel).  
2. While potatoes are cooking mix up the dressing. Combine the vinegar, spices, and mayo.
3. Cut the potatoes into nice round slices without burning yourself- some will smash but most of them should be slice able. Toss them immediately with the dressing so the potatoes may start soaking it in. 
4. Slice up the onions and celery. Stir them in. Taste & adjust seasonings as needed.
5. Refrigerate the salad for 20-30 minutes for it to cool & let the flavors blend. 

Saturday, January 25

Grilled Garlic Chicken Avocado Burgers

These. Juicy. Flavorful. Healthy. Delicious. Easy Chicken Cheeseburgers were what we had for dinner tonight. 



Wow. I cannot believe I got so much flavor out of basically 5 ingredients plus salt and pepper. If its still freezing where you're at and you can't fire up the bbq just yet - you can make it indoors on a grill or using a grill pan. I know in Arizona bbq season is off-set from everyone else. I am still getting used to it myself. Something I don't have to get used to.... these burgers. This is way better than the standard cheeseburger!! 

I have seen this recipe multiple places on pintrest and other blogs but all sources were vague about how long to cook and how much of each spice. When I recreated this dish I increased one of my favorite flavors, garlic, because even ground chicken is a blank canvas when it comes to flavor. 

Cook + Prep time: 10-12 minutes
Serves 3

Ingredients: 
1 lb or so lean ground breast chicken 
1 clove of garlic finely diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs
1/2 avocado carefully sliced into chunks
slices of cheddar & swiss cheese
1-2 tsp oil veg or olive
burger fixings: I kept mine simple with mayo and lettuce, and my kid only wanted ketchup. The meat is so flavorful you don't need to add much if anything. 

Directions:
1. Heat up your grill or bbq 

2. Mix all the spices and breadcrumbs into the meat. 

3. Fold in the avocado into the meat mixture. Do not smash it. I sure it'd taste just fine if you did but it looks so neat having those green pockets of goodness all over the place. 

4. Form it into 4 patties. Brush the tops with a bit of oil to help prevent sticking. Put them oil side down on the grill or bbq. Mine took 5 minutes on the first side then I flipped it and grilled it with the lid down for a minute to make sure the insides were 100% getting cooked - this is chicken we are talking about - no rare meat allowed. Then topped the burgers with cheese. So the cheese had time to melt for about 3 minutes. Each I put one piece of swiss and one piece of cheddar or just cheddar for my kiddo. I love the contrasting flavors and colors! I bet pepperjack cheese or a smoked or cheddar or smoked provolone would rock on this burger. 

5. Heat up your buns and serve the burgers hot once the cheese is melted. Great side dishes such as coleslaw, green salad, potato salad, crunchy sliced veggies, and/or chips and salsa will complete your meal.

UPDATE *Made this again recently and substituted regular plain breadcrumbs for the panko - bad choice. It changes the flavor too much. Chicken avocado burgers taste awesome with smoked cheddar cheese on top. Just wanted to share :) 

Enjoy! From my kitchen to yours 
Stephanie

Other related posts:

Friday, January 24

Bacon Parmesan Cheeseburgers










Two weeks ago I did a massive shopping trip and baking weekend in hopes of getting through 3 weeks without having to go to the store. We have been super busy and I just wanted to take some of the pressure off. My new years resolution of a more relaxed year with has already plummeted into the dirt. Between my husband's work, college, homework, orchestra, all my son's activities, and my doctors appointments every 3 days, its no wonder I wanted a more relaxed year. Although with all those things already scheduled I think I could've foreseen this resolution not getting far. But it was a nice daydream while it lasted for 3 minutes 27 seconds. 

So... how are your new year's resolutions going? 

Two lessons learned from my big shopping trip are deli sliced cheese gets eaten about the same rate no matter how much I buy (disconcerting), and also that a good chunk of parmesan cheese keeps really well and no one tries to snack on it. I heart cheese of any kind but I knew when I saw this recipe for Bacon Parm Burgers that this would be something tasty that I could shop for in advance and make later. Bacon keeps well in the fridge and freezer, parmesan cheese keeps well, and buns can be frozen then defrosted. Cheers to eating well even not right after you shopped. I will have some more fun ideas in the next week or two with other recipes that work well from your pantry, fridge, and freezer. Stay tuned. 

Note the recipe isn't mine I wish I could take credit for this genius idea. These juicy cheesy burgers were amazingly good! Nevertheless checkout Center Cut Cook blog for some other great ideas. Burgers + weekend = good times. 


Bacon Parm Cheeseburgers

prep + cook time: 20 minutes
serves 3 adults - recipe doubles easily
recipe from Center Cut Cook (wonderful blog)




Ingredients
1 lb of beef
1/4 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbs melted butter
3 pieces of bacon, cooked your fav way
1/2-3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
hamburger buns or rolls
cheseburger fixings: mustard, ketchup, pickles, onions, lettuce, tomato, ect. 

Directions
1- Preheat your grill or bbq

2- Bake up some bacon and set it aside on some paper towels to rest while everything else finishes up. I had some leftover from another meal that I saved. 

3- Melt the butter.

4- Stir together all the seasonings in a small bowl. Scoop out 1/2 tsp of the combined mix and whisk into the butter.

5- Form three large patties with the beef - pushing a thumb indent in the middle of each one so it doesn't form a hill while it cooks. 

6- Season each patty by sprinkling each side with the remaining spices

7- Grill the beef - approx 5-7 minutes over medium for each side or until your meat is cooked to your preference. Be sure to use foil or oil if needed to prevent sticking. Don't press down on the meat to make it cook faster or the natural juices will run out and your burger will dry out. I cooked mine for 4-5 minutes over medium and then flipped them over to the non heated side of the grill for a few minutes with the lid down to make sure the insides were well done and then moved them back over to the flame side to finish up and melt the cheese. LOL we like well done burgers in my family. 

8- Bacon & Cheese: Once the burgers are half way done - top each one with cheese and bacon. My bacon was cold from the fridge so I thought it was a clever way to reheat it and crisp it up. If you are baking bacon fresh for this its up it to you when you put the bacon on. My son didn't like how crispy the bbq made the bacon. I loved the extra crunch and smokier taste that bbq gives food. 

9- Buns: after putting the cheese and/or bacon on the burgers spread the melted seasoned butter over the buns and throw them on a grill or bbq to toast up. Garlic and other Italian flavors really compliment the cheese and bacon well. Your mouth and stomach will rejoice over this flavorful easy dinner.

10- Serve them up with all your fav fixings. I kept mine simple with mustard, ketchup, and pickles.

The obvious and fun sides to any burgers are fries, chips, fresh crunchy veggies, potato salad, any steamed veg, ect. 
Enjoy from my kitchen to yours

Saturday, January 18

Chicken Taquitos (a favorite & delicious freezer staple)

Homemade chicken taquitos. I repeated the title again. Could it work? I asked myself. Maybe. I had store bought frozen ones before years ago at a friends house. I knew what they were supposed to taste like. Crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Yummy right? 



One night not long after, I had patiently waited for a night my hubby was at work in case the recipe flopped, and tried out it out. Every once in awhile a recipe flops, and its a bit easier to deal with when its just me and the kiddo. Much to my delight and surprise the healthy, baked taquitos were delicious! 

My next question was if they were freezable and reheatable? AND how good did they taste after reheated? Serious questions here.... I love reheatable food I can send overnight with my hubby to work. Cold lunches like sandwiches don't seem to taste as good for lunch in the middle of the night - if you are up you want something warm and comforting especially in winter. Wanting to make sure I could maintain that great crunchy texture, I froze a bunch, waited a month, and tried them again. Blogging and testing recipes out are so time consuming! My stomach doesn't seem to mind though. 

The results: Yum! They are great freshly made and baked. You can't tell that you used greek yogurt. I love it that they only need a small amount of leftover chicken. They bake really quickly and you don't miss the white flour tortilla at all. When reheating the best is if they are frozen unbaked and the baked when you want to eat them. Reheating them after baking them the next day, in the microwave gave soggy results with no crunch - felt like a bad tiny burrito. The frozen ones I didn't thaw before baking. They were just as good, crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside, as the first night we made them fresh. 


Healthy Crispy Chicken Taquitos
prep + cook time: 20-25 minutes
adapted from: Tasty Kitchen
Serves 5 people (3 each)
This is what they look like after baking straight from my freezer

Ingredients
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/3 cup salsa verde
1 Tbs lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder (*double for spicy taquitos)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried or 1 tsp fresh chives
1/2 tsp dried or 1 tsp fresh parsley
2 Tbs fresh chopped cilantro
1 cup of leftover cooked chicken, shredded
(this was 2 leftover bone in chicken pieces from another meal)
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
15 whole wheat flour tortillas
1-2 tsp sea salt


Directions:
Mix everything together in a very large bowl. Get your kid(s) involved with this. My son loved helping and it was easy since everything was the fridge. No worry about dealing with sharp or hot things. Dump, pour, mix. 

If you are baking these right now preheat your oven to 425 degrees, and line a large baking sheet or two with foil. Spray the foil with nonstick spray. I didn't spray the foil one of the times I baked them and they stuck a bit. Don't forget this step for easy cleanup. 

Spread the torillias out how over many you can fit on your counter or kitchen table. Put 2 Tbs full in the center of each one and roll them up tight by tucking the ends in first so the filling cannot fall out. Let them rest on the counter seam side down until you are finished with all of them. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling until they are all rolled. 

 If freezing for a make ahead meal pack up the taquitos into good quality freezer bags quart size or gallon sized. Write the baking instructions on the bag for easy meals or snacks or football games.  Be sure to use your oven for good results. 

When baking line up the taquitos so they aren't touching. Then spray some nonstick spray on the tops of each and sprinkle them with some sea salt. 

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes - they should be golden, crunchy, and look delicious. Let it sit a few minutes especially if you have kids - the filling inside is hot. 

So next time you have some extra chicken (wink) try this healthy freezer favorite of my family and take the night off from the kitchen.  This would taste with dips such as: guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. Great sides would be tortilla chips, rice, and corn on the cob. 



From my kitchen to yours!




Wednesday, January 15

How to Make Your Own Staples Instead of Buying Them

January for my family usually means getting on track with savings and finances for the new year. Shopping and making some staples (like chicken broth) at home really helps with cutting our food bill down to size... no more christmas cookies to spurge on. Is it just me or does your grocery bill start expanding around late October/early november and then by December 31 it's an animal all its own? 

When I plan ahead a little and maintain these kitchen staples in my freezer and pantry, saves me room in my shopping cart, it saves me money, and gives me the comfort of knowing exactly what is in the food I am eating and feeding to my family. I love the spice isle at the grocery store. I love the huge amount of packets we can add to meats and veggies and create huge flavor. I grew up on sloppy joe seasoning packets and taco packets. But trying to be healthy and looking out for my family I have noticed there are so many convenience types foods that we add to our recipes that have vague ingredients such as "spice", "spices" or "flavorings". Those ingredients make me nervous. 

Some many think eliminating these processed foods from their diet means cooking all day in the kitchen, creating a long complicated substitute, or giving up recipes they have been cooking for years, but I assure you it doesn't. Start with one or two of these easy homemade staples, and you'll find yourself getting into the pattern of keeping them on hand because of the convenience of not needing to add them to a list. Saving a $5 bill here and there. Those pesky cans of cream of whatever add up. These homemade staples that we all use in our cooking can be safely stored for months or even up to a year in the pantry or freezer and ready for when you need them. 


4 of my favorites homemade staples:









1.Cream of Celery Soup 
2.Flour Free, Sugar Free Easy Enchilada Sauce
3.Pizza Dough (freezable & customizable)
4.Flour-Free, Corn-Free, Sugar-Free Taco Seasoning Mix

Another staple is how to make homemade chicken broth. Chicken broth is easy and affordable. You can save yourself some sodium and cash at the grocery store by doing it yourself with a little planning. They both freeze beautifully for months! You can even make it in a crockpot!

In my chicken broth I use 3 vegetables (celery, carrot, onion), a whole chicken, a large pot of water, salt, pepper, and a lemon or lemon juice in a pinch. That's it. No mystery ingredients. Here let me show you: 

one whole chicken 3-4 lbs - I am removing the stuff in the cavity



I put the chicken in a very large pot of water with salt & pepper

2 stalks of celery in very large pieces
one whole lemon sliced in large chunks
one or two cloves garlic and one whole onion cut into 4 pieces 
Chop up 2 carrots. Scrub them good and you don't even have to peel them. Put all the veggies into the pot and turn it on to boil - its like a hot tub party
I added a handful of fresh parsley. Let it boil on medium high.
Then reduce and let it simmer with a lid on for an hr or up to 2 hrs depending on the weight of your bird. The chicken should be cooked through at temp 165 degrees.
Once I determine the chicken is done.... Let everything cool down. 

First I use a slotted spoon and a bowl to "fish out the cooked and softened vegetables" and disgard them. They are mushy and are of no use to anyone. Second I remove and shred the chicken meat into 1 lb portions. I store this in the fridge knowing I can always throw it in the freezer later if I don't have a use for it. This wonderfully moist chicken doesn't stand a chance though. Then I strain the broth. This takes awhile as it is ALOT of broth. Once I have it just as clear liquid I can store it in bowls in the fridge overnight.

The broth's fat will rise to the surface in a solid white form. I will remove most of the fat the next day and then store the chicken broth in freezer bags in 1 cup and 2 cup servings for later use.

This chicken gave me over 12 cups of chicken broth plus 3 lbs of meat for different lunches and meals throughout the week. Not bad for a $7 whole chicken. That would've been 3 boxes of "broth or stock in a box" from the store..... the math is astounding. 

Meals you can make with the shredded chicken:
Chicken Pizza
Chicken Soft Tacos
Chicken Salads
Chicken BBQ Sliders
Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas
You can add Chicken to Mac & Cheese

Making your own staples to use while cooking can save you money and is easy as pie. Most recipes just need 10-15 minutes of hands on attention. 

From my January 
"getting back on track" kitchen 
To yours




Saturday, January 11

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Chip Oat Muffins


I think I am in love. These muffins are amazing. They are light, delicious, easy to make, freezable, with a beautiful golden crunchy top (thanks to some turbinado sugar). If you haven't ever heard of this delectable sugar let me take a moment to introduce you. It will change your life. A small sprinkle takes mundane things like oatmeal, muffins, cookies, and turns them into magic. No it's not fake sugar a sugar substitute. No it's not low fat. It's just fun. Because turbinado sugar is made up of crystallizing sugar cane juice that have been spun in turbines (thus the name turbin - ado), the sugar looks like tiny crystals, giving a dynamite crunch and sparkle to anything it lands on. The best time to add this to muffins or cookies is right before you put them into the oven. I haven't experimented with adding into things in the place of white or regular brown sugar, but that seems like a logical next step.... while I think about that I think I shall munch on another one of these amazingly healthy & tasty muffins. 


Did I mention we had a muffin crisis the first time I made these? We accidentally ate a whole batch in 2 days. We couldn't keep our hands off of them! Healthy eating in 2014? Not a problem. Moderation and portion control meh we'll get to that next year. 


Whole wheat Pumpkin Chip Oat Muffins
original recipe from: jensfavoritecookies.com
prep + baking time: 25-30 minutes
batch easily doubled


Ingredients
6 T butter unsalted organic, softened
1/4 cup apple sauce, unsweetened 
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp vital wheat gluton
3/4 cup heaping pumpkin
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup quick oats
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup chocolate chips


5 Easy Steps:
1. Cream the butter, sugar, and pumpkin over medium speed with a mixer
2. Add in everything else except choc chips.
3. Once everything else is fully mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
4.Divide the very thick batter evenly among 12 muffin lined cups. I found it best to lightly spray the muffin cups but I may be just paranoid about things sticking. 
5. Bake these wonderful things at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool a bit before eating and the complements start to flow. No one will even guess they are "healthy". 


Thursday, January 9

6 Ingredient Crunchy Parmesan-Garlic Chicken

If you know me, you know I usually have my finger in a cookbook,  have a recipe open on my phone, or laptop, or all three periodically throughout the day. I love finding new ways to make food. One of the places I find good recipes is allrecipes.com. This fun website interacts and plays so with others it would get an "A+" in kindergarten. Two words. User friendly. It allows the viewers, other cooks, to search, add an unlimited amount of recipes/content, and "publish" reviews on other people's recipes for free. This is valuable because unlike a recipe in a cookbook, in which often times you only have the recipe's picture, your own experience with the listed ingredients, and faith in the author/chef, that the food will taste good the first time. This wonderful online source takes most of that guess work out for you. 

Honestly I have still made a recipe flop even though the reviews were outstanding. I am talented like that. Seriously, in exchange for a little research (taking 10 minutes to read some reviews), you get to skip over the part where you spend time & money grocery shopping, cooking, before you know if the recipe will be a success. I have spent money on ingredients for recipes that flopped, and then spent more money on pizza afterwards. It's not the best feeling in the world. The interaction at allrecipes.com is the only spot I have found that has just as many critiques as there are recipes. For a busy mom this is like calling in a life line...the more reviews you can find, the more your reassurance builds, and you can know that these are recipes that work. 

6 Ingredient Parmesan Garlic Chicken. 

This original recipe found at allrecipes.com is titled, garlic chicken, and has over 3,316 reviews. Now...if you want to find good food, find something that has this many people making it! I just watched all three Back to the Future movies with my hubby over our weekend (Monday & Tuesday). Let me tell you, reading those reviews for the chicken recipe, was like jumping into the delorean and finding out what would happen if I made it. My mouth was watering after only reading the first 10 reviews! I would time travel if you promised me more parmesan garlic chicken. It was delicious after I tweaked it of course (wink). 



Ingredients: 
2 tsp crushed garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup of fresh grated parm cheese
1 tsp dried tarragon
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
salt 
pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 425

2. Grab a pan and heat the olive oil and crushed garlic on the stove for a few minutes over med-low heat. So the garlic will flavor the oil but not start to simmer or bubble up - we aren't frying anything. 

* Love this idea of making homemade infused garlic oil. I am going to repeat it with fish next week! 

3. Set up a breading station for your chicken with breadcrumbs, tarragon, a pinch of pepper, and a sprinkle of salt in one flat dish, and a baking dish. 

Note: the pan the I used without cooking spray in it (to prevent sticking) got the outside of the chicken crisp and crunchier than the one that I used cooking spray on. So I don't recommend using cooking spray. Or you could eliminate all of that and do it on a rack above a baking sheet. 

4. Dip the chicken into the heated oil with tongs and then into the panko mixture. Coat both sides and then place on the baking tray. Repeat three more times. 

5. Bake for 30-35 minutes My chicken seemed cooked at 30 minutes but it wasn't very crunchy and golden brown so I increased the temp to 450 for 5-6 minutes. Turned out wonderful. The breading really locks the moisture in and it wasn't dry or overcooked. 

6. Taste a bit of it and double check the salt and pepper. I was surprised that salt wasn't listed in the original recipe. It really needed salt at least 1/2-3/4ths tsp. 

My kiddo loved this chicken recipe and gobbled it down without a second glance. Boys know how to gobble good food. I actually was praying that would turn out because I doubled the recipe on a whim going with another viewers suggestion. It sounded like it would be a wonderful sandwich dinner later in the week with chipotle mayo, cheese, lettuce, tomato on a bakery style bun with chips & salsa or something. I heart chicken sandwiches and the ones that fast food places always disappoint. 

Suggested sides for this meal are endless... almost everything tastes good with chicken. You can do mashed potatoes, rice, spaghetti and top the pasta & pasta sauce with the chicken. The parmesan and garlic flavors would complement any Italian sides. You could go healthy and make a green salad, or steamed broccoli, roast off some asparagus or cauliflower. Roasting veggies are easy, hands free, and the nuttiness would complement the nutty cheese flavor that shines through on the chicken. 

I hope you enjoy this EASY six ingredient meal 
as much as I did. 
From my kitchen to yours
Stephanie

Saturday, January 4

Crispy Tarragon Fried Chicken

Golden, crunchy fried chicken was a staple in my home growing up.  It was a very special staple, which subconsciously drags me back in time every time the food is mentioned. Fried chicken was served sporadically usually for that big Sunday sunday dinner after church. I can remember noisily playing and running through the house with my siblings (making quite a racket), while my parents were inside. My mom would be in the kitchen frying up some chicken in that cast iron frying pan, making biscuits on the counter, her apron bleached with flour, but "church clothes" miraculously stunning, and looking absolutely beautiful. To this day I still never understood how she stayed so clean while cooking such big dinners for all of us. Moms are amazing. 

When I found this recipe in Jenny Flake's cookbook The Picky Palate, it immediately and happily reminded me of my mom. I knew I had to make this recipe! It was delicious, crunchy, tangy from the buttermilk, and the pieces that weren't burned were awesome! P.S. This cookbook is awesome. If you have kids, or don't have kids, you should  get this book! It is filled with great recipes & pictures.



So how the chicken got burned: I don't fry things very often maybe every six months or so to calm those fast food cravings. Do you get those? I used to have a thermometer but have lost it in a move. So these days I just guess the heat level and dive in. For first few minutes everything seemed fine. Then I noticed the meat was getting really dark and there was more than half the time left. The cripsy parts were starting to burning and smoke filled my kitchen. Did mention even when my mom cooked, the house smelled divine with food, and she always smelled nice like flowers and perfume? She did. I smelled like smoke and grease after the first few chicken pieces were done.  I took one for the team and ate the burned food charred food.  Even the burned pieces had juicy, & tender meat inside. Amazing. Maybe thats some of that special mom ability starting to work in my life too. You can't go wrong with bone-in meat dipped in buttermilk and double dipped into flour mix. The tarragon, my fav spice of the the last few months, is just icing on the cake. 



Real life... this is fried chicken and probably isn't on your list to make for the new year if your new year's resolution is to lose a few pounds. It is a common resolution that most are able to keep for at least a couple months and those rare few to make to half a year or a whole year. This year I was unable to make that resolution. The hormones I am taking to hopefully help us have a baby are making my weight unpredictable and unstable. It is not even about what I am eating, its how my body is reacting and responding to the food + meds + how much I sleep + how much water I can get in. If you are in the same boat where meds or something is keeping you from losing weight from beyond your control, please know I completely understand. So keeping a good face most days my aim is for moderation than sticking to anything real hard and fast. Which means yes fried chicken is in but only a piece or two and lots of veggies on the side for a special dinner not a weekly occurrence. 

Thanks for reading my longer post this time. I miss my mom, she lives far away. I hope that if reminds you of your mom too. Mothers are very special people. 




Crispy Tarragon Fried Chicken 
serves 4-6  
prep + cook time: 45 minutes (unless you have two pans frying chicken at the same time)

ingredients
2 tsp dried tarragon
1tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
2 cups of whole wheat white flour
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tsp kosher salt, divided
2 pounds of chicken thighs - this was 8 for me 
veg oil
1 cup of buttermilk or 1 cup of milk + 1 tsp lemon juice

directions:
1. heat some vegetable oil in a dutch oven or large heavy pan over medium heat. The original recipe says the heat should be 350. It also said to use 64 oz of oil which I did not. I used closer to 20 oz or so. I did a shallow fry so only half of the chicken was covered. 

2. while oil is heating set up your work station with 3 flat dishes or bowls.

3. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper use hands or tongs to put the chicken seasoned side down into the first bowl or dish and season the other side with the same amounts. 

4. In the second bowl or dish put the buttermilk. Put the first batch of chicken in the this bowl after they are seasoned. I put 4 pieces in this bowl and left the rest of the chicken to hang out for the second batch. 

5. In the third bowl combine the flour & spices (leaving 1 tsp of salt to sprinkle on after they are done cooking). 

6. Using tongs take the first piece of chicken in the buttermilk and turn it over so it is fully coated. Then put into the flour mixture and coat it fully. Then put it back into the buttermilk turning it over once. Let the extra drip off and put it back into the flour. So it will have been dunked into buttermilk twice and flour twice. Let it hang out on the side of the flour bowl/dish while you do the second one. Once the second one is done check your oil and carefully set them into the hot oil. It should bubble right away. If it doesn't your oil isn't hot enough. If the chicken becomes dark right away turn it down just a bit. I timed my chicken at 8 minutes per side.  

7. Once all of the first 4 pieces are in the oil frying happily away. Let the first batch soak up the buttermilk and hang out in there. Then repeat the dredging process when the cooking chicken's time is almost up. 

8. Have a large plate or platter lined with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to put the finished chicken. Sprinkle on the remaining salt and let the chicken cool for approx 5 minutes. 

Thats it. It. Is. The. best. fried. chicken. I have ever had except my mom's of course (wink). Chicken is great served with fun sides like rolls, mashed potatoes, and salad. We had corn on the cob and potato salad with our chicken. Had it been warmer it would've been a picnic! 

The leftovers were just as good as the first night. I created a fried chicken salad with spicy arugula, defrosted peas, avocado, and simple homemade olive oil dressing. Yum! I might make this again just for the salad (wink) Don't miss this great recipe. 


From my kitchen to yours
Stephanie



Wednesday, January 1

Chicken Wings & Happy New Years Day

Happy New Year's Day to you. Hello January 1, 2014. It feels weird typing that. I was just getting used to typing/writing 2013. What can you do? Nothing exactly. Well you could finish off some chicken wings with me. They are awesome. I took the same sauce I used on some regular sized chicken and used them on wings instead. It was right before we sent the kiddo to bed, proceeded to drink too much, and stay up watching like 10 episodes of "How I Met Your Mother". Yeah I am exhausted.  It was legend wait for it airy. So back to the chicken wings.... you know the Superbowl is coming up. You are going to need to have some good snacks/apps. Just sayin'. 






















Asian Chicken Wings
prep + bake time: 1hr & 5 minutes* if wings are already divided the wing from the tiny drumstick

Ingredients: 
raw chicken wings, divided at the joint if they aren't done already - I used half the tray so like 12 maybe
1 Tbs veg oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbs lime juice
1 Tbs chipotle ketchup
3 Tbs hoisin sauce

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375. 

2. Mix the chicken, oil, salt, and pepper in a large ziplock bag or equivalent. Make sure the wings are coated.

3. While the oven is preheating mix the lime, ketchup, and hoisin sauce in a large bowl for tossing the wings in later. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Spray a rack with nonstick spray. Put the rack over the foil for good air and heat circulation (ie...the perfect crispy baked chicken wing). 

4. Bake the wings for 50 minutes - 1 hr and then toss them with the sauce. 

5. Serve immediately & eat while still warm like this cutie munching away at his new years eve feast :)





Enjoy 2014
Happy Jan 1 to you & your family