Author: maggie black

Chicken Tenders and Mashed Potatoes

dinner

This was really good, but make with a different sauce next time. I’m including it only for comparison for new sauce ideas.

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 1 pound chicken fillets (or 1lbs chicken breast cut into long strips)
  • 1 cup panko crumbs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 egg

Sauce (don’t use this, find new sauce)

  • Juice + zest of one lemon
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup honey

Mashed Potatoes

  • 1.5 – 2 pounds red potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half (or part heavy cream part milk)
  • black pepper, as needed for seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon chopped chives if desired

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven. Preheat oven to 425F. Place rack in top third of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or use a good non-stick one).
  2. Boil potatoes. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Cut potatoes into chunks of similar size (quartered or so), rinse, and then add to boiling water. Cook until tender.
  3. Prepare and bake chicken. Prepare two bowls: one with panko crumbs and one with the egg and milk (whisk the egg & milk together). Dip each piece of chicken one by one into the liquid bowl (let excess drip off) and then the panko. Place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they’re cooked through.
  4. Prepare potatoes. Add well-drained potatoes back to the pot and use a potato masher to lightly break them down until smooth. Add butter and gently fold in. Then, microwave half-and-half for 45 seconds until warmed, about 120F. Whisk together half-and-half and ½ teaspoon salt. Gradually fold into potatoes in three additions, until the half-and-half is absorbed. If needed rewarm the potatoes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chives and pepper./
  5. Prepare sauce. Meanwhile, add the lemon juice + zest, vinegar, garlic powder, honey, and salt & pepper to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let it bubble away for about 5 minutes, until it thickens and reduces.
  6. Once the chicken tenders are cooked, dip them in the honey lemon glaze (tongs or your fingers will work). Serve immediately with potatoes..

From: https://www.saltandlavender.com/baked-sticky-lemon-chicken-tenders/
And: https://www.jessicagavin.com/mashed-red-potatoes/

Caramelized Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

dinner, mexican

ingredients

for the pork:

  • 18 ounces boneless pork loin, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 shallot or 1/2 a yellow onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water

for the pineapple salsa

  • 1 cup chopped pineapple
  • 1 cup chopped cucumber
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion or shallot
  • a squeeze of lime juice
  • a pinch of salt

for serving

  • 6 tortillas (or 8 would work as well)
  • cilantro and lime for serving

for the chili sauce

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • a few squeezes of srichacha

instructions 

  1. For the pork: Heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic, and jalapeño – saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Turn the heat to high and add the pork and the fish sauce – stir fry for a few minutes until the pork is no longer pink. With the heat very high, add the sugar and water and stir once – then let the pork caramelize by not stirring it for about 1 minute. Repeat this process until the pork is nice and golden brown.
    –
  2. For the salsa: Toss everything together in a medium bowl.
    –
  3. For the tacos: Warm the tortillas quickly in a skillet with a little bit of oil. Arrange the pork between 6 tortillas and top with the salsa and the chili sauce.

From https://pinchofyum.com/caramelized-pork-tacos-with-pineapple-salsa

Hamburger/Hot Dog Buns

bread

ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons shortening
  • 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons non-fat milk powder
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
    –
  • 1 egg white (whisked with 1 tablespoon of water)
  • optional: 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (or poppy seeds)

instructions

  1. Add liquid then dry ingredients (and finally yeast) to the bread machine (except the egg white and seeds).
    –
  2. Run using the Dough Cycle setting of bread machine.
    –
  3. When the dough cycle finishes, turn the dough out onto a floured board and punch it down. Knead 4 or 5 times; add a little more flour as you knead if necessary to keep it from sticking to your hands or the surface.
    –
  4. Cover the dough with a clean dishcloth and let rest for about 30 minutes in a draft-free place.
    –
  5. Lightly grease a large baking sheet; sprinkle with cornmeal. Alternatively, line the baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal. 
    –
  6. Press the dough into a circle and cut into 8 even wedges; form each wedge into a ball then flatten into a smooth and fairly even circle. Alternatively, shape each wedge into long, narrow shapes for a hot dog or sausage buns, or cut each wedge in half and shape into smaller buns for sliders or party sandwiches.
    –
  7. Arrange the dough pieces on the baking sheet and let rest for about 20 minutes. 
    –
  8. Brush the buns lightly with the egg wash (egg and water mixture). If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds poppy seeds.
    –
  9. Heat the oven to 375 F (190 C/Gas 5).
    –
  10. Bake the buns for about 18 minutes, or until the buns are nicely browned.

From https://www.thespruceeats.com/bread-machine-hamburger-hot-dog-buns-3051749

French Bread

bread

ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or olive oil)
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons dry milk
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups bread flour
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
    –
  • 1 egg white whisked with 1 tablespoon cold water

instructions

  1. Add liquid then dry ingredients (and finally yeast) to the bread machine (except the egg white).
    –
  2. Use the French Bread setting of your machine, but remove the dough before the baking cycle begins.
    –
  3. Spray or lightly oil a large cookie sheet; sprinkle with cornmeal.
    –
  4. To form loaves: Transfer dough (it will be soft) to a lightly floured board. Sprinkle with a little flour; cut dough into 2 portions. Roll each portion into a rectangle about 12 to 15 inches wide (add more flour as needed). Starting at long end, roll up; pinch seams well. Repeat with next roll.
    –
  5. Place loaves on prepared cookie sheet; cover with clean dish towel and let rise another hour.
    –
  6. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place a pie plate on the lower rack of the oven; add about 1 inch of boiling water to the pie plate.
    –
  7. Bake bread for 15 minutes; lower heat to 350 F. Bake for another 25 minutes.
    –
  8. About 5 minutes before loaves are done, brush with the egg white and water mixture.

From https://www.thespruceeats.com/bread-machine-crusty-french-bread-3051757

Creamy Lemon Asparagus Pasta

dinner, mediterranean, pasta/grains

ingredients

  • 8 ounces uncooked pasta
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup broth or salted water
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice + zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 8.8 ounces cream cheese (one block Philly) softened
  • 1 dash Italian seasoning
  • 1 bunch asparagus ends trimmed
  • For serving: chopped parsley optional

instructions

  1. Cut up the cream cheese into cubes and let sit out to warm up a little.
    –
  2. Boil a salted pot of water for pasta.
    –
  3. Cut the ends off the asparagus and discard them, and then cut the asparagus up into pieces.
    –
  4. Add the oil and butter to a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic in once it’s hot and cook for 30 seconds.
    –
  5. Add the water/broth, lemon juice + zest, cream cheese, and Italian seasoning to the pan. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce is smooth.
    –
  6. Add the asparagus and cook until it’s tender-crisp (5-15 min depending on thickness of asparagus) and the sauce has thickened to your liking. If the sauce becomes too thick, and some more chicken broth. Season the sauce with salt & pepper as needed.
    –
  7. Drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese and/or parsley if desired.

From https://www.saltandlavender.com/creamy-lemon-asparagus-pasta/

Mexican Street Corn Soup

dinner, mexican

ingredients

Makes 6-8 servings

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small white onion chopped
  • 1 jalapeno minced
  • 5 cloves garlic crushed
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 4 cups salted water
  • 6 cups frozen corn kernels
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, half and half, or milk
  • 1 cup freshly chopped cilantro, set aside a few tbsp for topping
  • cojita cheese for topping

instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat.
    –
  2. Add in the onions and minced jalapeno and sauté for about 5 minutes.
    –
  3. Then, stir in garlic and cook an additional 1 minute.
    –
  4. Stir in the flour, cumin, and chili powder and cook 1-2 minutes.
    –
  5. Whisk in the salted water until smooth and bring to a boil.
    –
  6. Then, add in the corn, sugar, and salt. Once it returns to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.
    –
  7. Remove from heat. Stir in cream and cilantro. Serve topped cojita and cilantro.

Notes:
– Blended it a bit with immersion blender, don’t do that next time unless you’re gonna completely blend it.
– Dan loved it!

From: https://thestayathomechef.com/mexican-street-corn-soup/
Video at the site on making it

Brioche (in process)

bread

I’m making this recipe https://letthebakingbegin.com/basic-brioche-bread-recipe/

I used 4tbsp sugar (use a lot less next time, it’s too sweet), and milk instead of water. I also used the amount of flour she suggested, by scooping the flour right into the cups (more dense then). It doesn’t really say how to bake this in the machine so I’m just trying the French setting, 2lb, medium and hoping for the best. I’ll add the butter and salt when the machine beeps and report back and see how this went.

On the French setting, the machine will not beep at 10 minutes left in kneading, so simply wait until the machine timer reads 3:15 (signaling that there is about 10 minutes left of kneading time) and slowly add in the butter.

It came out but next time I would cook it on darkness/crust setting “light” rather medium as I think the crust came out a little too dark on medium

Another recipe to try if this doesn’t work out is the WP version https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/all-we-can-eat/post/chat-leftovers-bread-machine-brioche/2012/06/27/gJQAul5k6V_blog.html

Oatmeal Cookies

dessert

ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup coconut oil or butter, melted
  • ¾ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1½ cup whole rolled oats
  • ¾ cup raisins
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts, optional

instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
    –
  2. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, sugar, whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, whisking vigorously.
    –
  3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir in the oats, raisins, and walnuts, if using, folding into a tight batter. Set the dough aside for 20 minutes while the oven preheats.
    –
  4. Scoop into 20 tablespoon-sized balls and roll lightly in barely damp hands to make them round. Spread out onto the prepared baking sheets and bake until puffed, golden, and a touch underbaked-looking, 10 to 11 minutes. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

From https://www.loveandlemons.com/oatmeal-cookies/

Honey Whole-Wheat Bread

bread

ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups water, warm (not too hot or it will kill the yeast)
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, or melted butter
  • 4 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast

instructions

  1. Pour wet ingredients (water, honey, olive oil) into the bread machine pan.
    –
  2. Pour the dry ingredients (salt, flour) over the wet ingredients.
    –
  3. Make a well and place the yeast in the well.
    –
  4. Select the whole wheat option on bread machine and press start

From: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/recipe-honey-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-for-bread-machine/