Cheesy Skillet

Cheesy Tomato-Chicken Skillet

Made: August 27, 2011

Ingredients:

- 2 cups uncooked pasta nuggets or radiatore
- 3/4 pounds chicken breast strips for stir-fry
- 1can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 1/2 chopped plum (Roma) tomatoes (4-5 medium)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

Directions:

- Cook pasta as directed on package.
- Drain & cover to keep warm
- Heat non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken; cook 4-6 minutes, stirring frequently, until chicken is no longer pink in center.
- Reduce heat to medium, stir in soup, tomatoes, milk & basil.
- Stir in cooked pasta.
- Cook about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bubbly and thoroughly heated.
- Sprinkle with cheese; remove from heat.
- Cover, let stand until cheese is melted (2-3 minutes)

I did a couple of things differently. I used elbow macaroni instead of the nuggets/radiatore pasta and I used normal sized tomatoes. I also sprinkled with Basil in afterward as my Mom and Granny don't care for it. However, next time I may add corn into the mix. :) I thought it came out well. I also chopped the chicken into cube like pieces to cook better as my main fear is serving raw chicken. :( But it came out perfectly :D

(Recipe from: Pillsbury)

A modern touch to fried chicken

Buttermilk pan-fried chicken

Made: August 18, 2011

Ingredients
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 cup flour
- 3 tablespoons oil

Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F
- Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray
- Season both sides of the chicken 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- Stir together the buttermilk and egg in a shallow dish
- Combine the flour with the cayenne and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 pepper
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat
- Dip the chicken in the buttermilk mixture and then coat in the seasoned flour
- Carefully place the chicken in the hot oil
- Cook for 2 minutes on each side
- Remove from the pan and place on the baking sheet
- Bake until cooked through but still juice (155 F); 6-8 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken
- Drain on a paper towel lined plate

I have to work on my breading and frying, but these turned out pretty well for my 2nd attempt at fried chicken. :D I thought the buttermilk made them super creamy and moist, but the breading kept on coming off when I was flipping the chicken and moving it into the pan. :/ But overall, I was concerned about the doneness of the chicken. My first piece was still pink on the inside and I didn't think that it would cook all the way through in the couple minutes in the oven.

So I put it back in the pan for an extra 2 minutes per side and it seemed to work out better with the doneness throughout the chicken breast. I also cooked them in the oven for 10 minutes to make sure. They were still nice and juicy and perfectly done in the middle! :D

(Recipe from: Modern Hospitality)

Smashed potaotes

Creamy mashed potatoes

Made: August 18, 2011

Ingredients
- 3 large baking potatoes
- salt
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
- 1 stick unsalted butter; melted
- 3/4 cup cream
- pepper

Directions
- Peel the potatoes and cute into 10inch cubes
- Combine the potatoes and water to cover by 1 inch in a large saucepan
- Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the 1 teaspoon butter to the water
- Bring to a biol, then immediately reduce to a gentle simmer.
- Cook until the potato cubes are fork tender (20-25 min)
- While the potatoes are cooking, heat the cream over medium heat until warmed through (not boiling)
- Drain the potatoes
- Use a food mill or ricer to cream the potatoes into a bowl.
- Stir in the melted butter
- Then stir in the cream (add more cream if you desire a thinner consistency)
- Season with salt & pepper to taste

I used 4 potatoes, but they came out so creamy I can't wait to make them again. I think they needed a tad more butter but they were quite delish as is. :D And they were so soft, my masher barely had any work to do. :)

(Recipe from: Modern Hospitality)

Sufferin' succotash!

Creole Succotash

Made: August 18, 2011

Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh slices (1/2 in thick)
- 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 cup fresh or frozen lima beans
- 1/2 cup corn kernels
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon black better
- 15 grape tomatoes, halved
- Salt & ground pepper

Directions
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil
- Boil the okra sliced for 1 minute.
- Drain & rinse the slime off the okra.
- Bring more water to a boil in the pot & repeat the boiling and rinsing process; set aside.
- Melt the butter in the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the lima beans, corn, onion, garlic, okra & pepper to the pan & cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent & the beans are tender (5 min)
- Add the tomatoes and cook for 1 minute to heat through.
- Season to taste with salt & pepper.

I didn't use okra or the garlic. Rob is the only one who eats that, so I used lima beans, corn & onions only. I didn't feel like I cooked the lima beans enough, but they did give a crunchy contrast instead. :D I also used Roma tomatoes since I love the taste of them. They're bigger than the grape, but also gave it the extra flavor. :) I do have to limit the onion flavor, it's all I smelled when I cooked it.

(Recipe from: Modern Hospitality)

Salty Birthday

Parmesan & Garlic Potato chips

Made: August 16, 2011

Ingredients

- Oil (for frying)
- 3 Potatoes
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

- In a deep dryer filled halfway with oil, heat the oil to 350 F
- Slice potatoes using a mandolin into thin slices
- In a bowl, mix together the cheese, garlic powder, parsley & black pepper.
- Add a small amount of the sliced potatoes at a time into the oil.
- Fry until they are golden brown (2 minutes)
- Drain the chips on a paper towel lined plate.
- Once drained immediately add the Parmesan mixture.

Cathy isn't one for sweets; so for her birthday I attempted a salty treat for her instead :)

I didn't really follow the exact measurements for the cheese mixture. I went by taste to see if it's overpowering but enough to cover the amount of chips I wanted to make. I also didn't feel like digging out the fryer; so I used a frying pan with a thin layer of oil. My first batch was extremely soggy, but the taste was good; so I knew I had the coating down. (I also added a dash of garlic salt). I'm not 100% pleased with these ... so I do plan to try again. But the 2nd time will be with a different kind of equipment that requires minimum oil. So we'll see :D

(Recipe from: Food Network)