Apple Cider Chicken dinner with sprouts

1 whole fryer chicken, thawed
1 bottle Apple Cider (I used Angry Orchard Crisp Apple)
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 onion
chicken stock (i used 1 tbl of concentrate)
beer can chicken aparatus
a can
oil
salt


pat dry the chicken, insert it onto the can full of garlic, chicken stock concentrate and apple cider. fill neck opening with onion
rub chicken down with oil and sprinkle with kosher salt

bake or grill

the flavor of this was really good but my oven is wonky and wouldn't hold the temperature I wanted. will retry on the grill.

Brussels sprouts

I'm usually not a fan of the little fartballs but these are great!

1 bag frozen brussels sprouts
4 rashers bacon
1 6-8 oz container blue cheese
chicken stock.

cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces and fry
when the oil is rendered out of the bacon add the sprouts (cut in half) fry until edges start to brown
add blue cheese, stir until melted. add stock and heat through until cheese and stock makes a sauce.

Ez Peasy Chinesey!

it's no secret that I like asian foods... well at least the Americanized ones i can find in my desert town.
but one of the problems I have when I get food out is my husband. He has a very negative reaction to Bell Peppers. even one peice of it touching another vegetable frozen together in a package will have terrible effects.

                                                                         The face of Evil


Recently we had a problem when I sprung for local Chinese take-out. something had been contaminated in an otherwise great record. I think someone stirred two different dishes with a bell-pepper-touched-deathspoon.

but now i know how to make one of my favorites at home. Mushroom Chicken!


to begin:

4-5 chicken thighs, relieved of skin and bone (oh the humanity)
2-3 zucchinii 4 if you really like it. sometimes i do!
1 container of mushrooms cut into quarters
1 can baby corns
1 can water chestnuts
1 tsp corn starch
3 tsp rice wine vinegar
cooking oil to coat your pan
1 tsp fresh ginger. i'm lazy and buy the 'fresh' in a jar stuff. powdered ginger will work in a pinch
1 tsp garlic. same as above

1 tbl soy sauce (i used teriaki sauce because its what i have!)
1 tbl oyster sauce
1 tsp sugar (brown sugar is nice here)
1/8 tsp sesame oil
ground pepper to taste


chunk the chicken, toss in a bowl with cornstarch and vinegar. let it chill out a while.

heat up your wok or pan, get the oil going. add ginger then the chicken and cornstarch goo.
when chickens about half cooked at zucchinii and mushrooms.  let them give up their liquid to the sauce. add the soy sauce mixture. add the canned veggies.
server over rice and be amazed!

Bread Head

You might say i've been a little... obsessed with making my own bread lately.

My Mom In Law, the Yoda of Yard Sales bought me a lightly used bread machine... I love it. and while it -is- a unitasker its one i can say im using and not stashed away in the cabinet *looks at the icecream maker*

and I usually have all the ingredients on hand for either basic bread or Egg-honey bread. which i'm going to share with you all because it is yummy.

In a large measuring cup/bowl

3/4 C of warm water
1 tablespoon of sugar
3 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon of active dry yeast
3 tablespoons of unsalted sweet cream butter
3 medium or large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

in the bread machine chamber:

3 cups of bread flour

mix the wet with the dry with a spoon in the chamber of the machine, i didn't get it premixed once in my machine and ended up with a brick of flour with spongy mush on top, not good. just a quirk of my own machine, yours may be different. I did it in the chamber instead of a bowl because... i could and didn't want to make more dishes.

a lightly sweet, dense bread. I find the yeasties are very very happy in this recipe and have lifted the lid on my machine every time i make it! so you've been warned.. IT'S ALIVE!!! *cackles like a mad scientist* 

i found once it was cut open it dries out fast but I live in a dry climate. but that was a rare occassion where the loaf wasn't devoured in a day. 

Cold weather is starting to make its way in, so I have an excuse to make indoor food now so will update breads, dinners and whatever I feel like sharing from my crazed kitchen

Fish Heads, Fish Heads, Rolly-polly Fish heads

Yes fish heads. go ahead and run away if you need to. I understand.

this one is a little... soapboxy. just letting you know.


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we in general are weird about food that looks at us.


as with a lot of what I get for my family, Price is a major consideration, the recession isn't moving along at any pace near 'gone' BUT I also try and stay away from a lot of processed food... aside from sausages and hot dogs and mac and cheese. even I have 'those nights' and need the comfort of junk.

So yesterday I sauntered up to my Winco fish counter and started up a conversation with the worker... doesn't everyone do this? I have a relationship with my check out lady, the pizza department and the meat counter. I believe everyone needs some niceness in their every day job. especially one as thankless as food retail.

and there staring back at me where some HUGE fish heads. salmon... I like salmon. Hubby LOVES to get salmon collar when we get sushi. ooh a dollar a pound... lets see the filets... $9/lb damn.

pretty obvious who wins there. the heads. three heads total weighing in at 7 pounds.


so the plan is to broil or grill these bad boys, cut in half and basted in teriaki sauce with some jasmine rice and a side of miso soup. mmmm .


will update with pictures when I cook it up.
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 the subject. I was very happy to find the heads had the collars. yay

 Lets take a look. gills are bright red and the fish smells like a day at the beach, this is good fish.

 first head. the moon shaped pieces are the collars and the head in the upper left. just a note, i discovered the gills had little teeth at the front, be careful.because of the slippery nature of the head I would probably hold it down with a small washcloth or towel as you saw through the cartilage. a cleaver would have been good too but I don't have one.

 one head split in half, salted liberally and the 6  collars

 the remaining two heads would take up a sheet pan of their own so they were stashed in a bowl for another night. a nice soup probably.

the pan after salting both sides of the fish was then parked in the fridge to let the salt  pull up some extra moisture and proteins which will make a great crispy skin.
I just find myself now in want of Miso to go with this. but we work with what we have.

 All done, about eight minutes per side. drizzled with teriaki sauce. good, fatty though but its those Omega-3s they kept squackin' about so might as well enjoy it!

Andrew's Chicken and noodles

3 chicken breasts, cut into pieces
2 heads Broccoli, cut into Florettes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 c milk or half n half
salt and pepper to taste

egg noodles

throw everything but the milk into the pan, cook on medium high, when the chicken is nearly cooked through add the soup mix. when it becomes liquidy add the milk and cover to steam the broccoli.

mix it up and serve over noodles, tada its dinner baby!

porkageddon:

spring, bring on the porkchops, hams and roasts because right now, they're on the cheap side!

what i've made so far:

gyros
asian pork kabobs
garlic and thyme grilled pork chops


but tonight is ground turkey...

skewers (metal helps as it helps to cook it from inside out)

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 handfull cilantro leaves, chopped fine
1 mexican green onion chopped fine
3-4 tsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp rice vinegar
4 tsp brown sugar
1/4 c soy sauce

lump mixed meat mixture onto the kabobs and place in a long dish (they wont make it to the grill without help)

place on a hot grill, cook until done

serve with rice and butter lettuce  or rice and salad

All is right with the world

after an eternity my Refigerator is alive again! (its been awhile actually just been busy with Life... it creeps up on ya)

I managed to pry one of my Dear Mom-in-law's recipes that everyone requests from her fingers... well okay i just said 'Hey mom, can i have the recipe for Paklava?'

a quick note: Paklava...with a P, its Armenian. not to be confused with Greek Baklava

Regionality aside, this stuff is delicious and it Never lasts hehe

Mam-ma's Paklava

1 Package Phyllo Dough, 16 oz
1 pound walnuts, Chopped
1 pound unsalted butter, melted

For Syrup
¾ C water
1 C sugar

Lay out phyllo dough, cover with damn cloth to avoid it drying out while working.
Brush bottom of pan with melted butter. Lay first sheet of phyllo dough, brush with butter; Continue for 5 sheets then sprinkle walnuts. Continue until finished.

Cut into 1” diamonds, bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes
pour remaining butter into pan to make 'sizzling' sound
in a pan combine sugar and water, let boil for 2 minutes then let cool

bake another 15-20 minutes, drain off excess butter by removing one corner piece and tilting pan.

Pour syrup over paklava, let cool and watch it disappear!!