10-19-2011 Hoshana Raba in the Sukkah

Atlast! The never ending holidays are coming to a close. Even I, who loves copious menu planning and cooking, am happy to get back to normal.

Tonight starts Hoshana Raba, and then we have Shemini Artzeret, and lastly Simchat Torah, it's the final marathon of the holidays.

We eat dinner tonight in our sukkah for the last time. All I have to say is, King Hock better take our sukkah down as soon as possible, I'm cracking the whip. I swear last year (2010) he didn't get our sukkah down until March 2011. Ask our neighbors to verify.

My menu tonight is filled with recipes I got from one of my closest friends. She got the recipes from her shul in Baltimore's cookbook "America Cooks Kosher." 

Here is the menu:

1. Whole wheat challah
2. Maple Glazed Salmon, recipe below
3. Crunchy Romaine Toss, recipe below
4. Assorted Sushi (for my 4 year old sushi addict)
5. Chicken Matzah Ball Soup
6. Peachy Persian Chicken, recipe below
7. Boring Rice
8. Boring Asparagus
9. Hummingbird Bundt Cake, recipe below

Here are the recipes:

Crunchy Romaine Toss

Love, love, love this salad, and you will too.

1 C. walnuts, chopped
1 (3 oz) package Ramen noodles, uncooked, broken up, discard flavor packet
1 T. olive oil
1 T. dark brown sugar
1 bunch broccoli, coarsely chopped
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped in small pieces
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup Sweet and Sour Dressing (see recipe below)

Brown walnuts and noodles in olive oil over the stove. Cool on paper towels.
After sauteing, sprinkle on 1 tbsp of dark brown sugar to walnut-noodle mixture.

Combine noodles and walnuts with broccoli, romaine and green onions.

Pour dressing on top and toss to coat well.

Sweet and Sour Dressing

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of black pepper

Whisk together all dressing ingredients. Can be made in advance and refrigerated.

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Salmon with Maple Balsamic Glaze

This delicious salmon goes well with anything. My friend serves it with horseradish mayo which is a great accompaniment.

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp pepper or to taste

1/2 tsp salt

1 pound salmon filets or steaks

In a small saucepan, mix maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, orange juice and garlic together. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until mixture is reduced. Remove from heat and stir in oil. Chill. Divide marinade in half.

Marinate salmon for 10 minutes in half of the marinade. Remove from marinade and discard marinade. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Liberally brush with remaining half of marinade.

Broil or grill 4 to 5 inches from heat on an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 12 minutes per inch of thickness.

For filets, baste again halfway through cooking time. For steaks, turn halfway through cooking time and baste with marinade.

Serves 2-4

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Peachy Persian Chicken

I know first glance at this recipe, and you are probably thinking that it looks nasty. It is absolutely delicious, a bit out of the ordinary, and I think you will like it. King Hock devours it.

3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
oil for sauteing
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup minced fresh celery
3/4 cup shredded carrots
8 ounces tomato sauce
16 ounces canned peaches, drained, reserve juice
2 T. brown sugar
1 tbsp dry tarragon leaves, crushed
1 1/2 tsp chili powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine flour, oregano, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Shake flour mixture with chicken pieces in bag to thoroughly coat. Brown chicken on both sides in a pan with some oil. Pat dry and place in a single layer in a 13x9x2 inch baking dish; set aside.

Saute onions, garlic, celery, and carrots in oil for about 10 minutes until just soft. Turn the heat to low and add the tomato sauce, peach juice, brown sugar, tarragon and chili powder. Heat, stirring often to just boiling.  Pour over chicken.

Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes. Add peaches, either thinly sliced or cut into chunks, baste with some sauce and bake 10 minutes longer.

Serves 4-6

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Hummingbird Bundt Cake

This phenomenal recipe is one that I adapted from the cookbook, The Cake Mix Doctor. I love making bundt cakes, they come out of the pan looking beautiful, and they don't require the extra step of icing. You can eat this cake the next day for breakfast, or have it with some coffee.

1 yellow cake mix, Duncan Hines
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple
2 medium/large or 3 small/medium bananas, mashed
3 eggs
1/2 C. water
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan heavily with non stick spray.
Mix together all of the above ingredients in a large bowl with a hand mixer until moistened. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and then mix on medium for 2 minutes.
Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until done.
Let cool in pan for 15-20 minutes, and then remove from pan onto a cooling rack.

Optional:
Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar before serving. Can also spread icing (duncan hines white whipped) over the top and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

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Enjoy the remainder of the holidays. Have a nice weekend. Pin It

10-12-2011 Sukkot Meals

I know I've been slacking on the blog lately. These holidays are taking their toll. I feel as though I am constantly pressed for time, and I haven't been able to cook as much as usual. (Excuses, excuses!)


I did make an excellent dinner before Yom Kippur, but didn't have time to blog it. Bummer. I made a spinach salad, chicken marsala, mashed potatoes, and asparagus. I'll post the chicken marsala recipe the next time I make it.


Over Sukkot, I am going to be cooking a few different meals here and there, and we will be going to some friend's houses as well.


For lunch one day, I am going to make Neiman Marcus's Tuna Pecan Salad. I've been eating this tuna from their restaurant my whole life, it's one of my favorite tunas. They always serve it with a side of corn relish, and black eyed pea relish, both of which are just as good as the tuna. I'll post the tuna and corn relish recipe below, definitely give them a try, they are amazing.


For one of the Dinners, here is the menu:


1. Challah
2. Salmon Croquettes
3. Asian Spinach Salad
4. Chipotle Butternut Squash Soup, recipe below
5. Roasted Chicken
6. Baked Potatoes with all the fixings
7. Green Bean Casserole, recipe below
8. Chocolate Cake and Fruit


Also, a friend of mine asked me what she should make for a Sukkot dairy dinner. I suggested, Cornflake Tilapia with a Greek Salad, both of those recipes I'm posting below as well.


Here are a bunch of recipes! Hopefully that will make up for the lack of over the last several days.


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Neiman Marcus Tuna Pecan Salad

3 cans (6 oz. each) chunk white albacore tuna in spring water, drained

1/2 C finely diced celery

1/2 C sliced (1/4 inch) water chestnuts, drained

1 C. mayonnaise

3/4 C. coarsely chopped pecan pieces, toasted

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, break up the tuna with a fork.

Add the celery, water chestnuts, and mayo, and stir well to combine.

Fold in the pecan pieces, and season to taste with salt, pepper. If you like a little bit more zing, add a few drops of fresh squeezed lemon juice.


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Neiman Marcus Corn Relish

4 C. Corn Kernels, fresh or frozen 

1 1/2 C. Onion, finely diced

1/2 C. Red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1/2 C. sugar

1 C. cider vinegar

1 1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. celery seed

1/2 t. mustard powder

2 T. parsley, chopped (flat-leaf preferred)

Place the corn, onions, and bell pepper in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, vinegar, salt, celery seed, and mustard powder until the sugar and mustard are dissolved.

Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables in the pan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

 Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour, until the liquid has just evaporated and the relish has an attractive sheen; be careful not to allow it to burn.

Let the relish cool. Add the parsley and mix well. Serve immediately or cover the bowl and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

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Chipotle Butternut Squash Soup

I got this recipe from Fresh Everyday by Sara Foster, it looked yummy, although I can't guarantee it will be good, this is my first time to make it. If it isn't great, I will remove it from this post.

1 butternut squash (2 to 2 1/2 pounds), halved and seeds removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons margarine
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 chipotle chiles in adobo, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, or to your liking
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted and salted, for garnish, optional

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet with sides. Add 1 cup water and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan and roast the squash until it is soft to the touch, 40 to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the margarine and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil together in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onion is very soft and light brown. Add the carrots and bell pepper and continue to cook and stir until the carrots are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes, until it is fragrant but not brown.

Add the broth, chipotle chiles, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bring the soup to a low boil over medium-high heat. While the soup is coming to a boil, scoop out the squash flesh with a large spoon. Discard the skin and add the flesh to the soup. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes.

 Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the rosemary. Allow the soup to cool slightly before pureeing. Working in batches if necessary, pour the soup into the bowl of a food brocessor fitted with a metal blade and puree until it is smooth, or puree the soup directly in the pot using an immersion blender. Reheat if necessary and serve warm, garnished with toasted, salted pumpkin seeds.

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Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole is a classic American recipe, and it is usually made with canned condensed mushroom soup, which isn't kosher. Here is the kosher parve version I created.
 

3 T. margarine

1/2 small onion, finely chopped
8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 T. flour
1 C. soymilk, unsweetened and unflavored, can also use non dairy creamer
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 pinch salt (more to taste)
1 pinch pepper
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans French style green beans, drained
1 C. French-fried onions

Melt margarine over medium heat. add onion and sauté until translucent. Add mushrooms and sauté until soft. Stir in flour. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Add the soy milk or non dairy creamer little by little, letting the flour-mushroom mixture absorb it. You should now have what looks similar to a creamy mushroom soup.

 Remove from heat and mix in garlic, salt, pepper, and green beans (be sure and taste it to check the seasoning, you want it to be tasty). Place green beans in a greased 8 inch square baking dish. Pour over the mushroom mixture. Mix to combine a little bit. Top with French fried onions. Bake at 350 uncovered for 30 minutes, watch to make sure the onions on top don’t burn

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Corn Flake Tilapia

This is my sister Ashley's recipe, so easy, so good.
 

1 C. plain cornflake cereal

2 T. flour

1 T. Cajun Seasoning

1 pinch dried dill

1 T. margarine, I use tub smart balance

4 thin tilapia fillets

Fresh lemon

Pour the cereal flakes in a large Ziploc bag.  Crush them with a rolling pin to make fine crumbs.  Add the flour and cajun seasonings and dried dill, shake well to mix.

Melt the margarine in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the fillets to the bag one at a time, close the bag and shake to coat with crumbs.  Add each coated fillet to the pan.

Cook the fish until it is golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side.  Squeeze fresh lemon juice on top just before removing from the pan.  Serve with lemon wedges.

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Greek Salad

This recipe is adapted from the well known restaurant Longhi's in Lahaina Maui. I got it from my sister who makes this salad all the time.

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 English Cucumber, thinly sliced
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 green bell pepper, sliced in thin strips
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
handful of Kalamata olives

dressing:
2 T. lemon juice
2. T red wine vinegar
4 oil-packed anchovies
1/2 C. crumbled feta cheese (you will only use 2 T. in the dressing itself)
1 t. oregano (dried)
Fresh ground black pepper
12 T. olive oil

Place lemon juice and vinegar in large wooden salad bowl, and whisk to mix well. With a fork mash the anchovies into the lemon juice and vinegar. Add 2 tablespoons feta cheese, the oregano, and pepper and mix well. Whisk in the olive oil.

Add the chopped lettuce, veggies, and olives. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with the remaining feta cheese. Serve immediately.

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I hope you have a very Happy Sukkot!

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10-4-2011 Mini Carrot Snack Muffins

So we were hanging out at home this afternoon at 4:00 p.m., when the inevitable happened, the boys were hungry and wanted a snack. Sometimes, I let them eat junk like chips, pretzels, cookies, etc. And sometimes, I give them healthy snacks, like carrot sticks, apple slices, apple sauce, or Mini Carrot Snack Muffins.

These little muffins are so delish, you and your kids will love them. I ate mine smeared with Justin's Almond Maple Butter, yum!

Mini Carrot Muffins

makes 18

The tools you need for this are: mini muffin pan, box grater (I prefer Oxo), bowl, and whisk

1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 jar carrot baby food (4 oz.)
1/4 C.+ 2 T. vegetable oil
1 egg
1 carrot, peeled and grated

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin with non stick spray, and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add the carrot baby food, vegetable oil, egg, and grated carrot. Mix until combined. Scoop into the muffin tin, filling each 3/4 full. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until done.

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These muffins would be good if you doubled the recipe to serve at Break Fast. Tomorrow, I'm hoping to post some more good Break Fast recipes.

Have a good night! Pin It

9-28-2011 Rosh Hashanah is here!

Yes, I know I had promised to post my cinnamon sugar challah recipe yesterday, but I never got around to it. Yesterday was loco. I was planning on doing some cooking in the morning, but I decided to get a manicure and pedicure and go out to lunch instead. By the time I got home at 2:30, I was exhausted.

I tried to lay down and take a nap, which was a very bad idea because Prince Hocks were running around. I thought they would just relax on the bed with me and watch t.v. while I slept. I first dozed off and woke to them breaking into a honey cake they had made at school, crumbs in my bedroom everywhere!

I dozed off again, and was woken when I heard Prince Hock #2 saying, "the eraser is not working." I mumbled, "what are you talking about?" He said it again, I could tell he was in my bathroom, and I couldn't figure out why an eraser wouldn't be working in my bathroom. I had to get up and check it out.

There he was in my bathroom, drawing a mural on the wall with a dry erase marker. AHHHHH! I then sped around investigating if he had colored the whole house. Phew, he only colored 2 other walls (3 in total)!

After the whole mini Picasso fiasco, we had a 5:30 soccer game. From the soccer game we went out to dinner. We didn't get home until almost 9. After putting the boys to bed, all I had time for was making challah dough.

So, I am truly sorry. I will have to share my cinnamon sugar challah recipe with you another time very soon. To make it up to you, I am going to give you the recipe for the cake I made tonight, Coffee Crunch Cake, it's amazingly awesome.

Coffee Crunch Cake

cake:
1 yellow cake mix, Duncan Hines
1 box Jello pudding, vanilla
4 eggs
1 C. water
1/2 C. oil

icing:
1 carton, non dairy whip topping

coffee crunch:
1 1/2 C. sugar
1/4 C. coffee, use strong freshly brewed
1/4 C. light corn syrup
1 T. baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a tube (angel food) baking pan with  non stick spray.

Mix together the cake mix, pudding powder, egg, water, and oil. Mix for 30 seconds until moistened. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into the pan, and bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack.

To make the coffee crunch:
Generously oil a sheet pan with vegetable oil, and set aside. Sift the baking soda onto a small piece of parchment. In a medium pot, mix together the sugar, coffee, and corn syrup over medium low heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally.

When the mixture begins to boil, increase the heat to medium high, and put a candy thermometer on the side of the pot. Stir occasionally until the temperature reaches 290. Be sure to stir frequently once the temperature reaches 270.  Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda, caution the mixture will furiously foam. Pour the mixture onto the baking sheet, do not spread. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour, do not disturb it. After 1 hour, break into small shards (use a meat mallet it works great). If you want to make this crunch part in advance, store in an air tight container until ready to use.

To assemble the cake (best if done just before serving), whip up the whip topping with an electric mixer until fluffy and whipped. Spread this over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with the coffee crunch shards.  Store in the refrigerator if you are not going serve immediately.

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I made it! My table is set, the food is almost all prepared, now I need to go tame my hooligans and get them ready for synagogue. Wish me luck convincing them to put on their finest clothes, they only want to wear super hero shirts and gym shorts, this will be interesting.

Wishing you and your family a very Happy New Year! Pin It

9-26-2011 My Menu

I will admit that I'm a lunatic, I have been agonizing over my menu for Wednesday night (imagine me waking up in the middle of the night for the last two weeks pondering). For Shabbat dinners I like to make a decent menu, but for Rosh Hashanah, it has to be extra special, I want it to be perfect. It must be perfectly rounded, sweet but not overly sweet, elegant, delish, and EASY! I wonder if it's possible.

Drumroll please:

0. Apples and Honey, I'm using Honey Crisp and Golden Delicious
1. Cinnamon Sugar Challah, recipe coming tomorrow
2. Spinach Portobello Mushroom Salad
3. Salmon in Puff Pastry with Cucumber Dill Sauce
4. Potato Leek Soup
5. Apple Honey BBQ Roast
6. Carrot Souffle, recipe below
7. Roasted Asparagus
8. Some other side dish undecided, wild rice with dried cranberries? couscous?
9. Dessert-undecided and stressing, ahhhhhhhh

I'm going to make my challah tomorrow, so check back tomorrow for some different and beautiful ways to make round challot. I'll also show you how to make your challah have a cinnamon swirl on the inside.

To make my life easier, tomorrow aside from the challah, I will also make the soup, BBQ sauce, and dessert.

Here is the recipe for the Carrot Souffle

Carrot Souffle

2 lb. bag baby carrots

1/2 C. melted margarine

1/2 C. white sugar (can use up to 1 C. of sugar if you like it very sweet)

3 T. all-purpose flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. vanilla extract

3 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and use an immersion blender to puree, you can leave some texture if you that's how you like it. Can also mash by hand, but won't be as smooth.

To the carrots add melted margarine, white sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla extract and eggs. Mix well and transfer to a 2 quart casserole dish. Bake for 45-60 minutes until set and slightly carmelized on top.

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Talk to you tomorrow. Have a good night! Pin It

9-23-2011 Shabbat with the Fam

King Hock's side of the family is coming for Shabbat dinner tonight in about 1 hour, 8 minutes, and 27 seconds. You may ask how I know so precisely when they will be here, and the answer is simple. Since 3:00 this afternoon, Prince Hock #1 has asked me about a million times how long will it be until his cousins get here. The funny part is that he doesn't really understand time, and he always asks me to show him with my fingers. So at 3:00, I said they would be here in 5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5 minutes. He goes, "that's a long time!"

Here is our menu:

1. Cinnamon Sugar and Regular Challah
2. Colorful Israeli Salad (I used yellow cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, and cucumbers)
3. Israeli Cabbage Salad
4. Smoked Salmon Platter
5. Hummus, and Babaghanoush
6. Cauliflower Soup, recipe below
7. Roasted Chicken
8. Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
9. Steamed Green Beans
10. Honey Cake, recipe below
11. Watermelon

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Cauliflower Soup

I had a craving for this, so I had to make up a recipe. It turned out brillantly.

1 1/2 T. vegetable oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large stalk celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large head cauliflower, chopped
6 C. vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. margarine

In a large soup pot, place the oil, carrots, celery, and onion. Heat over medium heat. Saute until the onions become translucent. Add the garlic, and cook another minute until fragrant. Next, add the cauliflower, and the broth. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat so that the soup is simmering. Cook covered for 30-45 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender. Puree with an immersion blender right in the pot, until very smooth and creamy. Stir in the margarine, and add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with finely chopped green onions.

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Honey Cake

I found this recipe on the blog: www.busyinbrooklyn.com. The writer like myself, is not a fan of honey cakes, but this recipe is the exception. She suggests serving it with carmelized apples, I really had wanted to do that for tonight, but I ran out of time, bummer.

2 eggs
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. oil
1 C. honey
2 C. regular flour
1 t. salt
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 T. cocoa powder
1 C. boiling water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2- 8 inch round cake pans heavily with non stick spray, and then sprinkle with flour. Shake the pan around to ensure the entire pan is coated with flour.

In a large bowl beat together the eggs and sugar until fluffy. Add the oil, and honey, mix until fully incorporated. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Mix until combined. Beat in the boiling water

Bake for 40-50 minutes until the sides of the cake pull away from the edge of the cake pan, and the center springs back when lightly touched. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a cooling rack. Serve with carmelized apples.

Carmelized Apples

1 1/2 T. margarine
3 T. sugar (granulated or brown)
2-3 crispy sweet apples
3 T. honey
1 T. lemon juice

Peel and core apples. Slice into 1/4″ wedges. Melt margarine over low-medium heat until bubbly. Add sugar and cook until it dissolves, about 1-2 minutes. Add apples and lemon juice and stir over heat for approximately 25 minutes, until softened and starting to brown. Add honey and continue to cook until apples are very soft and golden, another 5-10 minutes.

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Have a very nice Shabbat and weekend. Pin It

9-21-2011 Dinner for Friends with New Baby

Prince Hock #1 was a monster today. Every so often, he morphs from his angelic self into a booger. The straw that broke the camel's back, was when he snuck my camera to "take" pictures, when I found him with my camera, and scolded him, he threw it on the hardwood floor. Yes, my poor camera is forever broken. Look out Costco here I come to buy a new one.

Luckily, I already took pictures of the food I was making, and you can see those below.  And luckily, I was able to get him to snap out of his bad behavior and we had an enjoyable evening.

This afternoon I made dinner for our friends who just had a baby. They also have a 2 and 4 year old, and I made a dinner that would appeal to them and their parents. My only parameter was to make the meal gluten free because the dad eats a gluten free diet.

I made Chex Chicken Fingers, Baked Regular Sweet Potato Fries, Steamed Broccoli, Salad with Honey Mustard, and Muddy Buddies for dessert.

Here are a few of the recipes:

Chex Chicken Fingers

I had originally planned on making Cornflake Chicken Fingers, but I found out cornflakes are not gluten free because they have malt in them. These turned out excellent! Let your kiddos help you make the crumbs, they will have fun pounding.

6 Chicken Breast, boneless and skinless, cut into 1-1.5 inch strips
8 C. Corn Chex
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1 C. mayonaise
6 T. margarine, melted

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment, and set aside.

Place the Chex into a large Ziploc bag, and seal. Use a meat mallet and crush to form crumbs. Mix in garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Pour onto a large plate.

Place the mayonaise into a bowl. Dip the chicken strips into mayo, coating them. Next, roll the coated strips into the chex crumbs. Place the chicken strip onto the baking sheet, and drizzle with the melted margarine.

Put into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken is crispy on the outside and cooked through (no longer pink) on the inside.

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Baked Sweet Potato Fries

2 large sweet potatoes, unpeeled, cut into thin sticks, about 1/4 thick
olive oil or vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place the potato sticks on a baking sheet. Drizzle generously with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for 15 minutes. Toss the potatoes around, and bake another 10-20 minutes, until browned on all sides, and crisp.

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Muddy Buddies

This addictive treat is sometimes called Puppy Chow because of it's appearance, I think I'll go with Muddy Buddies. This would be fun to pass around during dessert at a Shabbat or Yom Tov meal. It is so so so easy to make.

9 C. Rice Chex
1 C. semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. creamy peanut butter
1/4 C. butter or margarine
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 C. powdered sugar

Measure the cereal and place into a large bowl. In a 1 quart microwave safe bowl, place the chocolate chip, peanut butter, and butter or margarine. Place in the microwave and cook on high 1 minute. Remove and stir. If mixture is not smooth, microwave another 20-30 seconds until smooth when stirred.

Stir the vanilla into the melted mixture, and then pour over the cereal. Mix to evenly coat. Pour into a 2 gallon Ziploc bag. Pour in the powdered sugar, and seal the bag. Shake until well coated. Pour out onto a piece of wax or parchment paper to cool. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

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Well, I just heard back from our friends, and they gave the dinner 2 thumbs up. Their kids cleaned their plates, yay!

Have a good night. Pin It