Oven Fried Chicken

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, March 28, 2009
Oven-Fried Chicken

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half or 1 drumstick and 1 thigh)

Ingredients

  • 1  cup  low-fat buttermilk
  • 2  large egg whites, beaten
  • 1  cup  all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
  • 1/3  cup  cornmeal
  • 1  teaspoon  salt, divided
  • 3/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
  • 2  chicken breast halves, skinned (about 1 pound)
  • 2  chicken thighs, skinned (about 1/2 pound)
  • 2  chicken drumsticks, skinned (about 1/2 pound)
  • 2  tablespoons  canola oil
  • Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°.

Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine buttermilk and egg whites in a shallow dish; stir well with a whisk. Combine flour, cornmeal, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and red pepper in a separate shallow dish; stir well. Sprinkle chicken evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Dip chicken in buttermilk mixture; dredge in flour mixture.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet; lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Source:  Cooking Light

Lemon Shaker Pie

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, March 28, 2009
Featured Recipe

Ingredients

Makes one 11-inch pie

Directions

  1. Wash and cut 2 of the lemons into paper-thin slices. It is very important to slice the lemons as thinly as possible; use a very sharp knife or an electric meat slicer, if on is available. Remove peel and pith of remaining lemons; slice the flesh very, very thinly, and put it with the other slices in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar, and toss well to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let the mixture rest overnight, stirring occasionally.
  2. The next day, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Press one circle of pastry into an 11-inch pie plate and chill.
  3. Add beaten eggs to the lemon mixture, and mix well. Turn mixture into prepared pie shell, neatly arranging some of the lemon slices on top. Cut long, even slashes 1 inch apart in the other pastry round, and place on top of filling. Crimp edges of the pie to seal. Brush top and edges with egg-white glaze. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and shiny. Let cool on a rack before serving.

Source:  Martha Stewart Living

Key Lime Coconut Angel Cake

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, March 20, 2009
Key Lime Coconut Angel Cake

1 box Betty Crocker® white angel food cake mix
1 1/4 cups cold water
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup Key lime or regular lime juice
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
1 container (12 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 cup flaked coconut
Sliced kiwifruit and strawberries, if desired
Print these coupons...
1. Make cake mix as directed on package, using cold water. Cool cake completely. Cut cake horizontally into 3 layers. Place bottom layer, cut side up, on serving plate.
2. In large bowl, beat milk, lime juice and lime peel with wire whisk until smooth and thickened. Fold in whipped topping.
3. Spread 1 cup lime mixture evenly over top of first layer of cake. Place second layer of cake carefully on bottom layer; spread evenly with 1 cup lime mixture. Top with remaining layer of cake.
4. Frost top and side of cake with remaining lime mixture. Sprinkle with coconut. Garnish cake with kiwifruit and strawberries.

Source: Betty Crocker

The BEST french bread, EVER!!!

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, March 12, 2009

ab

I was a huge fan of Abby Mandel in the 80’s.  I bought all of her cookbooks, poured over all of her recipes again and again, and never made anything of hers that wasn’t totally awesome.

I had just gotten my Cuisinart, which I thought, and stlll think, is the greatest workhorse in the kitchen,and was always looking for new ways to use it.  Hubby bought me the largest size Cuisinart made, oh what an extravagance it was... 

The year was 1978, I was a young mother, twenty-eight years old, with two sweet little boys and I loved to cook for my family. We were on a Christmas shopping trip to Cincinnati with Charlie and Nisha, and  I was so thrilled when he bought it for me, so excited that I still remember it vividly to this very day!  I can’t remember exactly how much he paid for it, but it was expensive, I’m thinking around two hundred twenty-five dollars,  so it was quite a major purchase for us. I still have it, sitting proudly in my kitchen, front row center, and I use it all the time 

Oh my, it’s over thirty years old now, much loved, and still runs like a champ.  LC has asked me repeatedly if I wouldn’t like a new one, no way, I ADORE my old Cuisinart, and if it ever quits working, I’ll just have it repaired.  I have wonderful, wonderful memories using it, no way would i ever replace it.

This recipe for french bread is from my favorite of all her books, Abby Mandel’s Cuisinart Classroom. It became an instant hit in our family and I’ve made it again and again. The boys make it also, in fact, John made it just a few weeks ago.  I’m showing the recipe as she published it, but the Notes show the changes I made to it.  It’s a wonderful bread, especially if you braid it.  Veronica’s family loves it, also, V has learned to make a great looking braid from her dough over the years.

If this book intrigues you also, you can usually find it for sale on eBay.

Basic French Bread, Abby Mandel's Cuisinart Classroom, 1980

GLAZE:

1 large egg
1/2 tsp. salt
Process with metal blade and salt for 2 seconds, reserve.  Do not clean work bowl.

Note:  I only use egg whites, I think using a whole egg gives it too much of an eggy taste.

BREAD:

1 package yeast
1 teaspoon sugar, optional (I add 2 tablespoons additional sugar, because we like it sweet)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
2 cups bread flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup all purpose flour )

NOTE: I use 3 cups bread flour, no all-purpose

-----------------------------

Stir the yeast and sugar into the water in a small bowl and let the mixture stand for 10 minutes or until foamy.  If you omit the sugar, the mixture will not foam.

Metal Blade: Put the flours and salt in the work bowl and turn on the machine.  With the machine running, add the yeast mixture through the feed tube.  Process it for 40 seconds or until the dough is uniformly moist and elastic.  If it is too wet, add flour, 1 teaspoon at a time, processing after each addition until the dough is of the proper consistency.  Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and rotate it to coat the surface with the oil.

Preheat oven to the lowest temperature for 2 minutes and turn it off.  Cover the bowl with a damp towel and put it in the oven, cushioning the bottom with a potholder.  Let the dough rise for 1 hour or until it has doubled in bulk.

Put the dough on a heavily floured board and work in enough flour so that it is easy to handle and no longer sticky.  Divide it in half and roll one half into a rectangle.  Starting at the short side, roll up the rectangle into an oblong loaf.  Pinch the ends and seam tightly, Put the dough seam side down into an oiled double French bread pan sprinkled with cornmeal.  Roll and shape the remaining dough in the same manner.  Cover loaves with a damp towel and let them rise again, for 45 minutes or until almost doubled, following the instructions for the first rising.  Remove pan from oven.

Adjust the oven rack to the middle level and preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Make several slashes in the tops of the loaves, brush them with the reserved glaze, taking care not to drip the glaze on the pan.  Bake the loaves for 28 minutes or until they are deeply colored and sound hollow when rapped on the bottom.  Remove the loaves from the pan and le them cool on a wire rack.  Makes 2 french loaves.

For bread that stays fresher longer and has a softer texture, decrease water by 2 tablespoons and add 2 tablespoons of butter to the dough after you add the yeast mixture.  Knead dough as directed.

For sesame seed bread, add 1/4 cup sesame seeds to the flour

For herb bread, mince 2 tablespoons of parsley, 1 teaspoon of snipped chives, 1 large scallion, and 2 teaspoons of dried dillweed.  Add them to the flour and reduce the liquid by 1 tablespoon.

For wheat germ bread, add 1/4 cup wheat germ to the flour.

For cheese bread, use 2 ounces of chilled cheddar, swiss or mozzarella cheese or 2 ounces of parmesan cheese at room temperature  Shred it with the shredding disc using light pressure and add to the flour.

NOTE: I bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, then add glaze, and bake another 10-15 minutes.  I think the 425 oven is too hot.  To make braid, divide dough into 3 pieces, roll into 3 logs, starting to braid in the middle of the loaf, not at the edge, start in middle, braid to one end and tuck end under, sealing with a bit of water, then go back and do the same with the other side.

If you are using 2 french bread pans to make 2 loaves, it needs to be a baguette size, if you have a regular french bread pan, I just make it into one loaf.

I also never use a whole egg, , I just whip an egg white and brush the bread with it, then sprinkle it with sesame or poppy seeds.

This is a wonderful recipe, it sounds a bit complicated, but it isn’t.  It’s well worth the 3 hours you spend to make it.  I usually add the butter to it, as we like it soft.

If you want it really crispy, just omit the butter, and toss a few ice cubes on your oven floor periodically as it bakes. The ice will melt, create steam and help to crisp the bread.

~ jan

Perfect scrambled eggs, the Julia Child way…

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, March 09, 2009

Scrambled Eggs

2 eggs

1 pat of butter

1 Tbsp (or thereabouts) of whole milk or cream

Salt and pepper to taste

  1. Heat a medium pan (preferably nonstick) over medium-low heat.
  2. In a separate bowl, scramble your eggs enough to break the yolks and mix the whites in, but not enough to make the mixture frothy. In other words, don’t over mix.
  3. When the pan is heated, reduce the heat to low and add the butter. Once the butter melts along the bottom of the pan, add your eggs and let them sit for a bit in the butter. Don’t stir too quickly. You want the heat to permeate the bottom of the eggs and start to cook them.
  4. When you can see that the bottom of the eggs have begun to heat through, stir the eggs and then add the cream or milk, which will instantly froth a bit. Mix the milk or cream into so it integrates into the eggs and makes them custardy.
  5. Continue cooking on low heat until the eggs are slightly firm (but not so long that they are actually firm).
  6. Remove from the pan and serve immediately with salt and pepper to taste.  Add an extra pat of butter if you want to really indulge.

Sausage Soup

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, January 16, 2009

I’ve made this recipe for years now.  The family loves it, it’s total comfort food…

~ jan

1 lb. polish kielbasa, I use Oscar Mayer Turkey Kielbasa, less calories and fat) cut into fat 1/2 inch slices then dice each slice cut into four sections - you can stack these and do several at once with a chef knife
1 large bag shredded coleslaw mix (the kind with carrots)
1 large onion, diced
3-4 large potatoes, diced, or you can use frozen hash browns, real potatoes are much better
1-2 cups chicken stock
4-5 cups 2% milk, part fat free half and half
about 2/3 cup flour to thicken -
big piece of Velveeta cut into small chunks (when I say a big piece, I mean almost half of a 2 lb. loaf)
salt and pepper to taste, I use a lot of fresh cracked black pepper

Simmer kielbasa, onions, potatoes and shredded coleslaw mix  in stock until tender.

Put flour and some milk into a shaker container, shake well and then strain it into the broth so that it doesn’t lump. add the rest of the milk and half and half, don’t boil this, just get it hot and remove from heat.

This will thicken as it heats, I don’t boil it because I’ve curdled it at the last minute by boiling it, now I just get it really hot, the cheese melts and it’s finished.

Note:  Use chicken stock instead of broth (Swanson makes it in a box, it’s next to the chicken broth at the grocers, of course, homemade stock is even better) and don’t use any more stock than necessary to cook the veggies without sticking – check vegetables frequently as this can easily boil dry.  I don’t like to use a lot of broth because it dilutes the soup.  You can make this with 1%  milk, but it isn’t nearly as good, you need the 2% milk for a rich taste.  Add as much fat free half and half to this as you want, I don’t use an exact recipe, as you can see, I’ve made it so many time I just wing it.

Southern Living’s Coconut-Almond Cream Cake for Christmas…

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, December 07, 2008
Coconut-Almond Cream Cake from Southern Living

Prep: 30 min.; Bake: 47 min.; Cool: 1 hr., 10 min.

Brooks makes this cake with the precision of a skilled baker who has made his masterpiece many times. If the tops of the layers are a little rounded, he recommends leveling them with a serrated knife. This is a tall cake, he says, and it needs to be level if you want your friends to admire your work before they devour the cake--as they absolutely will.

Yield

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 2  cups  sweetened flaked coconut
  • 1/2  cup  sliced almonds
  • Parchment paper
  • 3 1/2  cups  all-purpose flour
  • 1  tablespoon  baking powder
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 1 1/2  cups  unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4  cups  granulated sugar
  • 1  cup  firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 5  large eggs
  • 1  cup  whipping cream
  • 1/3  cup  coconut milk
  • 1  tablespoon  vanilla extract
  • 1  tablespoon  almond extract
  • Coconut-Almond Filling
  • Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Garnishes: kumquats, currants, fresh mint sprigs

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Bake coconut in a single layer in a shallow pan 6 minutes. Place almonds in a single layer in another shallow pan; bake, with coconut, 7 to 9 minutes or until almonds are fragrant and coconut is lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

2. Line 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with parchment paper. Grease and flour paper.

3. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a very large bowl.

4. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating until blended. Beat 8 minutes or until very fluffy, scraping bottom and sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition (about 30 seconds per egg). Stir in whipping cream and next 3 ingredients.

5. Gently fold butter mixture into flour mixture, in batches, just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

6. Bake at 325° for 30 to 32 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

7. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate. Spread half of chilled Coconut-Almond Filling over cake layer. Top with 1 layer, pressing down gently. Repeat procedure with remaining half of Coconut-Almond Filling and remaining cake layer.

8. Gently spread Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting on top and sides of cake. Press toasted coconut onto sides of cake; sprinkle toasted almonds on top. Garnish, if desired.

Source:  Brooks Hamaker, New Orleans, Louisiana, Southern Living, NOVEMBER 2008

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