Mojitos

My aunt gave me some recipes for a shower that she gave me for my wedding.  One of those recipes was for these mojitos.  They are almost a little too delicious!  And very easy to drink!

ingredients:

3 sprigs mint 
1/2 lime 
1/2 cup lime simple syrup, recipe below 
1-1/2 shots light rum 
splash of club soda 
mint and lime for garnish 

Simple Syrup ingredients: 
3/4 cup fresh lime juice 
1/4 cup water 
1 cup superfine sugar

For the simple syrup.  Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes. cool.

Divide the mint and lime among the glasses and muddle. (My aunt gave me a wooden muddler, but you could use the end of a wooden spoon to break up the mint and lime).  Add the simple syrup, rum, club soda and a few ice cubes. Garnish with lime and mint.

Serves 4

Herb Fried Chicken

My husband's favorite birthday dinner is always herb fried chicken, a childhood favorite, and this year was no exception.  The chicken stays nice and moist and we only pan-fry the chicken and then finish it in the oven so it's not too greasy.  It sounds like a lot of work but it is actually very easy and a definite crowd pleaser.  

ingredients:

6 chicken breasts, pounded
eggs, start with 2 and add more as needed
¹⁄₂ cup beer
2 cups flour
¹⁄₂ cup oats
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¹⁄₄ cup parsley, finely chopped
6-8 sprigs fresh sage
1 sprig fresh rosemary
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
5-6 fresh basil leaves
canola oil

Heat the oven to 425°F.  Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet and set aside. 

Combine, flour, oats, spices and herbs in a food processor.  Pulse until to mix and break up oats and herbs (you still want to see them).  Set aside.

Mix eggs and beer and place in a shallow dish.

In a deep sauté pan pour in the canola oil so that there is about 1 inch of oil.  Heat the oil on medium high heat until the oil is hot, about 325°F.

Dip the chicken pieces in the egg/beer batter and then dredge through the flour mixture.  Shake off any excess.  

Place the floured chicken pieces in the hot oil (make sure to leave space between them - you can fry in batches if neccessary) and pan fry until golden brown on the bottom (about 5-7 minutes).  Flip and fry on the other side until golden brown.  (you will need to adjust the heat as you go along so they don't start to burn).  Once both sides are golden place the chicken on the cooling rack/baking sheet and place them in the oven until cooked through.  The easiest way is to check with a meat thermometer (your thermometer should tell you what temperature your chicken should be at).

Serve immediately!

Serves 6

R's mom's versions of Herb Fried Chicken, adapted from, Lynn Alley's, "COOKING WITH FRESH HERBS"

Artichokes and Garlic Olive Oil

Artichokes are one of those winter vegetables that we love.  The kids gobble them up so fast that we have to watch them to make sure they aren't eating the whole leaf!  We steam them until the leaves are tender (or for a real treat we partially steam them, cut them in half and finish them off on the BBQ!) and then we dip them in garlic olive oil! 

Artichokes:

Steam until tender (about 40 minutes)

Garlic Olive Oil:

Good olive oil
sea salt
several cloves of garlic (more or less depending on how much garlic you like)

Fill a ramekin with some olive oil (about 1/4 of a cup).  Minch several garlic cloves and add them to the oil.  Add a pinch (or 2) of salt, to taste.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I LOVE brussel sprouts.  We eat them several times a week when they are in season.  They make for a very tasty and easy vegetable.

ingredients:

1 lb brussel sprouts
olive oil
sea salt
black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Trim the ends off the brussel sprouts. Either quarter them or thinly slice them from the top to the bottom (see picture).  Generously coat them with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Cook for 30-35 minutes.  The brussel sprouts should be soft and starting to brown.  Serve before you eat them all yourself!

Serves 4

BBQ Chicken Salad and BBQ Sauce

We make a lot of salads at our house.  We have one every night with dinner, but my favorite is our BBQ'd Chicken Salad with homemade BBQ sauce.  I know it's weird but I LOVE BBQ sauce!  I have made several different recipes, but lately I have been making one that comes from a Fine Cooking recipe for barbecued chicken.  

The salad is pretty versatile and you can add whatever vegetables you have.  Ours has different ingredients every time we make it.  And there really are no exact measurements - just put in the amount you want.  Remember less is more!  It's easy to add extras!

It's also great deconstructed for the kids.  L & M gobble this stuff up - especially when there is blue cheese involved.  (Yes, blue cheese and BBQ sauce make for an amazing combination.)

salad ingredients:
head of Romaine lettuce, chopped
1 bone-in breast barbecued chicken (or for the quick, easy version....rub the chicken breast with olive oil, salt, pepper and a bit of BBQ sauce.  Bake it in a 400°F oven until 165°F.  Let it cool and pull apart. Set aside.)
¹⁄₂ cup corn
¹⁄₂ - 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
black olives, chopped
green beans, briefly cooked or steamed
artichoke hearts, quartered
¹⁄₂ cup cooked quinoa
tomatoes (I like the strawberry sized ones)
avocado
cilantro
onion
blue cheese
salt and pepper to taste

dressing:
equal parts bbq sauce and olive oil
balsamic vinegar, to taste 
salt and pepper

bbq sauce:
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
¹⁄₂ cup cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. pure maple syrup
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¹⁄₂ tsp. hot sauce, such as Tabasco
¹⁄₂ tsp. kosher salt
¹⁄₄ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

To make the sauce: in a medium saucepan, boil the apple juice and vinegar over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium low and add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

The bbq sauce can be made ahead and will keep in the refrigerator for about 1 week.

To make the salad: Mix the dressing ingredients in small jar with a tight fitting lid.  Shake vigerously and set aside.  Toss all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl.  Add the dressing to taste and serve.

The salad may be made several hours in advance.  Simply keep out the tomatoes, avocados and dressing until you are ready to serve.

Serves 4

The barbecue sauce recipe is from Fine Cooking, June/July 2013.

Crustless Quiche

This quiche is a quick, easy and delicious idea for dinner.  As long as you have milk and eggs you add just about anything to it.  The one I made below is diced ham, leek and cheddar, but any meat, veggie, cheese combo will work too!

ingredients:

6 eggs
1¹⁄₂ cups 2% milk
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
2 leeks, white and light green parts chopped
1 cup diced ham
dash of tabasco sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil for the leeks

Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Lightly whisk the eggs and milk and set aside.  Sauté the leeks in some olive oil, over medium heat, until soft.  About 5 minutes.  Add the leeks and the rest of the ingredients to the milk and eggs.  Pour into a 9 inch pie/baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until puffy and golden brown on top.

If you using other vegetables either roast or sauté them before mixing them in with the eggs.

Serve with some toast and a big green salad.

Serves 4

Weekend Waffles

Every Saturday and Sunday morning in our house is the same: waffles or oatmeal?  L loves oatmeal, I love waffles.  L usually wins, but occasionally she wants waffles too! 

These are delicious!  They stay crispy in the oven and are good with just about anything served on top!

ingredients:

¹⁄₄ cup whole wheat flour
¹⁄₂ cup all-purpose flour
¹⁄₈ cup quick oats
¹⁄₂ chopped pecans
¹⁄₄ cup cornstarch
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking powder
¹⁄₄ teaspoon baking soda
¹⁄₂ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk (we make our own: mix 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice.  Let sit for 15 minutes.)
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg, separated
1 tablespoon sugar
¹⁄₂ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 200°F and preheat a waffle iron. Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large bowl and mix.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil and egg yolk.  In a third bowl, whip the egg white until soft peaks form.  Add the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form, then beat in the vanilla.  Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk together until just incorporated.  Gently fold in the egg white. 

Pour a generous 1/2 cup of the batter onto the waffle iron.  Close the waffle iron and cook until well browned and cooked through, 5-7 minutes. As each waffle is cooked, set it directly on the oven rack to keep warm while cooking the rest of the waffles.  Do not stack the waffles or they'll be soft, not crispy. Once the waffles are all cooked, serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit.  The waffles are also delicious with a dollop of whole milk, plain yogurt!

Serves 4

Adapted from Celebrate the Rain. A Junior League of Seattle cookbook.