Suggested by Rachael - Huli Huli BBQ Chicken

Huli Huli BBQ Chicken

1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger (I always sub powdered ginger )
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste (I left this out)

Whisk all ingredients together. Marinate chicken in half of the mixture in a large resealable plastic bag for one hour. Reduce remaining mixture in a saucepan over med-high heat until thickened, 5 minutes. Set aside for basting.

The recipe calls for grilling the chicken but I am going to bake it in the oven, basting often.

Suggested by Rachael - Crispy Fried Chicken

I am trying a fried chicken recipe from allrecipes.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Crispy-Fried-Chicken/Detail.aspx

1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour for coating
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying

Take your cut up chicken pieces and skin them if you prefer. Put the flour in a large plastic bag (let the amount of chicken you are cooking dictate the amount of flour you use). Season the flour with paprika, salt and pepper to taste (paprika helps to brown the chicken).

Dip chicken pieces in buttermilk then, a few at a time, put them in the bag with the flour, seal the bag and shake to coat well. Place the coated chicken on a cookie sheet or tray, and cover with a clean dish towel or waxed paper. LET SIT UNTIL THE FLOUR IS OF A PASTE-LIKE CONSISTENCY. THIS IS CRUCIAL!

Fill a large skillet (cast iron is best) about 1/3 to 1/2 full with vegetable oil. Heat until VERY hot. Put in as many chicken pieces as the skillet can hold. Brown the chicken in HOT oil on both sides. When browned, reduce heat and cover skillet; let cook for 30 minutes (the chicken will be cooked through but not crispy). Remove cover, raise heat again and continue to fry until crispy.

Drain the fried chicken on paper towels. Depending on how much chicken you have, you may have to fry in a few shifts. Keep the finished chicken in a slightly warm oven while preparing the rest.

I am using thighs and drumsticks and I am brining the chicken first. We are going to have green beans and something else that I haven't decided yet with it.

Tomato Salad, from Jenifer

Tomato salad:
Tomato (We have some from the garden, but cherry tomatoes work well as well), chopped
Fresh chives, chopped
fresh garlic, minced
olive oil
Homemade Ital. Seasoning
fresh ground salt and pepper

~ dry chopped tomatoes and place them in a bowl.
~Add garlic and chives
~season them with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and toss.
~drizzle with olive oil. toss
~chill

~slice mozzarella ball
~dust with just a tiny amount of salt and garlic powder

~slice open roll
~layer mozzarella
~spoon tomato on top
~serve immediately


For my balsamic vinaigrette I use olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard (sometimes brown sugar) fresh minced garlic and salt/pepper to taste. I shake it up in a jar or whisk it in a bowl to combine.

Kid Friendly Variant of Chicken Cordon Bleu, by Jenifer

Kid Friendly variant of Chicken Cordon bleu:

boneless, skinless split chicken breast

white wine
worcestershire
garlic powder
fresh ground pepper
fresh ground salt

Homemade breadcrumbs
organic flour
1 egg
virgina ham
swiss cheese
toothpicks
parmesean
garlic powder
homemade Italian seasoning
fresh ground salt
fresh ground pepper

half and half
corn starch
salt, pepper

I fork pierce the breasts on all sides and place in a bowl. I cover them with white wine and add the worcestershire (I like the one designed for poultry but will use either), garlic powder, salt and pepper. I allow this to marinate all day (if possible).

In a shallow, wide bowl I place some flour. I season this with salt and pepper and sometimes the garlic powder. In another shallow bowl I place my home made breadcrumbs (that I have ground fine for this recipe). I season this with grated parmesean, italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In a final shallow bowl I lightly beat an egg and add seasoning (sometimes a dash of the wine...always salt and pepper...sometimes garlic and italian seasoning).

~Dredge the breast in flour. This will seal the moisture in while the breast bakes and make a crunchy top coating.
~Drdege floured breast in egg mixture
~coat breast in bread crumb
~place a small rectangle of swiss on breast near narrow end. top with small piece of virginia ham and more swiss cheese
~roll breast and keep closed with toothpick.
~Place seam side downon baking sheet
~Bake at 400-425 (you know your oven best) until cooked through (will vary by oven, but generally 20-30 minutes tops)

While cooking make the sauce for topping each breast:
Exact measurements depend upion how much sauce you want- for the two kids I make a small amount
1/2 c 1/2 and 1/2
1/2 lb swiss cheese, sliced then crumbled
salt
pepper
corn starch

~On LOW heat warm half and half in small saucepan.
~Add crumbled swiss one slice at a time and stir as you add.
~ remove several tlbs of the heated mixture- add to this 1.5 tsp of corn starch and whisk (you do not want any lumps or bumps)
~return cornstarched milk to pan slowly- stirring constantly
mixture will thicken as it heats- stir as you go along or pass the pot

When you plate your breast, cover it with the yummy cheese sauce. I also put some in a small rameken on the side for dipping

Fresh Bread and Breadcrumbs, by Jenifer

It all starts with the bread. I bake our own breads and will use the ends or last slices of any loaf. I really like the recipes from this website:

http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipe/category.php?cid=1

I have tried MANy of them...but this is my favorite:

http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipe/detail.php?rid=511

That said, for this recipe we had crumbs from this loaf:

( got this from some website, I think called mealmaster)


Multi Grain Bread:
1/4 oz (2 1/4 tsps) yeast
1 tlb sugar
2 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c rye flour
3/4 c wheat germ
3/4 c unprocessed bran
1/2 c dry milk
1/2 c sunflower seeds
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1 3/4 c boiling water
1/2 c bulgur
1/2 c 7 grain mix (I get this from whole foods- you could use millet or even a 7 grain cereal)
1 tb molasses
1 1/2 tbl oil (original calls for safflower but I have used olive, grape seed, etc)

~Combine boiling water with cracked wheat, 7-grain mixture, molasses and oil. Cool to room temperature.
~Add first 10 ingredients in the order listed to the pan, pour in cooled grain mixture, select white bread and press "Start".
~For a milder taste, use honey instead of molasses.
NOTE: Unless otherwise noted all ingredients should be at room temperature. This can be mixed on manual of the bread machine. After Second kneading, remove dough from machine, divide into to equal portions and place in small loaf pans.
~Cover and let rise to double, about 45 min to 1 hour.
~Bake at 350 f. for 35-40 min.

I do the whole thing in my bread machine.


Once I have the bread (not stale bread- just not FRESH- you want it when it is dry, not stale) if it is not dry I dry it in the oven. You can do this by laying the slices on a baking sheet in a SINGLE layer (leave a bit of room between the pieces) and baking at 300 for 10- 15 minutes. Be sure to flip them over about halfway through for even drying. Be sure to let them cool before you make the crumbs. here is the easy part- tear into small pieces and whir in your food processor (I leave mine in a coarse state- that way if I need them more fine- as I did for this recipe I can regrind at that time- but if I need them coarse (as when I stuff peppers) they are all set ) I do not season them so that they can be seasoned at the time of use. If you do not have a food processor, you can always use a hand grater (or my frriend tells me she put the tasted slices in a ziploc and rolled glass over them until they were crumbs). These can be stored in a jar, a ziploc in the fridge or even frozen....

Homemade Italian Seasoning, by Jenifer

Italian seasoning "recipe"

I have two recipes I use so I will include both- we dry our fresh herbs and usually make this blend after that:

3 tlbs dried basil
3 tlbs dried oregano
3 tsps dried parsley
1 tsps garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

I grind all these in my food processor- though i have been told by my neighbor it would taste better if I would invest in a mortar & pestle setup (maybe I will)- in order to measure the amounts. Once I have the measurements, I shake them all together (with the powdered items) in a small jar or ziploc.


Another one:

1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon savory
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon rosemary
Again- for my fresh dried herbs I use my food processor to get the measurements- then I mix in a jar or ziploc.

I wonder if I could just use the herbs fresh?

Suggested by Heather - Giada's Roman Summer Salad

My friend had us over yesterday and made this really nice salad she saw on Giada deLaurentiis' show called Roman Summer Salad. It was really nice - she sent me the recipe:

Roman Summer Salad

1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup pitted green and black olives or calamatta olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 anchovy fillets, drained and chopped (optional)
2 tbsp. capers drained and rinsed
1 garlic clove minced
8 fresh basil leaves shredded
1/2 tsp. black pepper
6 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound vine ripe tomatoes (about 3) sliced 1/4 inch thick

Cook the balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan over low heat until thick, syrupy, and measuring a 1/4 cup, about 20 minutes. set aside to cool.Combine the olives, parsley, anchovies, capers, garlic, pepper, and olive oil in a small bowl and toss to combine.To serve, layer the tomatoes slightly overlapping, on a serving plate. Spoon the mixture over the tomatoes. Drizzle the balsamic sauce over the salad and serve.