Thursday, September 19, 2019

Chicken Prosciutto Pin wheels in Wine Sauce

Having that guy or that girl over and you really want to impress them?  How about trying this recipe that I can barely pronounce...(I'm not Italian, sue me!)

INGREDIENTS:


6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)

 6 thin slices prosciutto or deli ham

6 slices part-skim mozzarella cheese

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup Italian-style panko

(Japanese) bread crumbs

1/2 cup butter, cubed

1 shallot, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups Madeira wine


DIRECTIONS:


Pound chicken breasts with a meat mallet to 1/4-in. thickness; layer with prosciutto and mozzarella. Roll up chicken from a short side; secure with toothpicks.

Place eggs and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in eggs, then roll in crumbs to coat. Cut each chicken breast crosswise into three slices; place in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, cut side down. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°. Remove chicken from refrigerator; uncover and let stand while oven heats. In a small saucepan, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add shallot and garlic; cook and stir until tender, 1-2 minutes. Add wine. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced to 1-1/2 cups. Pour over chicken.

Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer reads 165°, 30-35 minutes. Discard toothpicks before serving.

 ENJOY!

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Sweet and Tangy Meatballs

I'm always on the hunt for something different to make for dinner...Here are my sweet and tangy meatballs...


INGREDIENTS:


2/3 cup quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup crushed Ritz crackers

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean)

SAUCE: 

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup orange marmalade

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 to 2 tablespoons Louisiana-style hot sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat air fryer to 380°.

In a large bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients.

Add beef; mix lightly but thoroughly.

Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls.

In batches, arrange meatballs in a single layer in greased air-fryer basket.

Cook until lightly browned and cooked through, 12-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine sauce ingredients.

Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Serve with meatballs.

ENJOY!

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Meringue Topped Pecan Custard Pie

Hey babies...This is your secret weapon recipe... The one you you pull out for special occasions..

It's an amazing variation on the pecan pie everyone knows—the filling is a custardy delight, and the meringue gives the whole thing a lightness that's the perfect ending to a multi-course feast.

INGREDIENTS:


Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1-3/4 cups 2% milk

6 tablespoons butter, cubed

3 large egg yolks

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

MERINGUE:

3 large egg whites, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

6 tablespoons sugar

DIRECTIONS:

On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate.

Trim to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge.

Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°.

Line unpricked pastry with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake on a lower oven rack until edges are light golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake until bottom is golden brown, 3-6 minutes longer.

Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven setting to 350°.

In a large heavy saucepan, mix sugar and flour. Whisk in milk and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in pecans and vanilla.

For meringue, in a large bowl, beat egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until soft glossy peaks form.

Transfer hot filling to crust. Spread meringue evenly over filling, sealing to edge of crust. Bake until meringue is golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Cool 1 hour on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving. Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches): Combine 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 tsp. salt; cut in 1/2 cup cold butter until crumbly.

 Gradually add 3-5 Tbsp. ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.


DON'T SWEAT THE TECHNIQUE:


 Let pie weights cool before storing. Beans and rice may be reused for pie weights, but not for cooking. 


And there you have it...Eat well my friends!

Friday, September 13, 2019

Turkey Chilli




Hey guys...I know it's been a long time since I posted on this blog...but I'm back...So check this out..Frugal turkey fans will love this simple chili recipe that uses $6 of canned tomatoes and beans, $4 of ground turkey, and $2 of spices and cooking oil to make a large batch that serves eight. The total cost is $12, which leaves plenty of room in the $20 budget for fixings like chips, rice, salad, and avocado.

Check it out..

INGREDIENTS:

 tablespoon vegetable oil +

1 pound ground turkey

+2 (10.75 ounce) cans low sodium tomato soup

+2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained

 +1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

+1/2 medium onion, chopped White Onion, Large See Store for Price Buy on AmazonFresh

+2 tablespoons chili powder


+1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

+1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

+1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

+1 pinch ground black pepper

+1 pinch ground allspice

+salt to taste

Add all ingredients to list

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Place turkey in the skillet, and cook until evenly brown; drain. 2 Coat the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray, and mix in turkey, tomato soup, kidney beans, black beans and onion. Season with chili powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, allspice and salt.

 
 Cover, and cook 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High.


And there you have it...Inexpensive and yet good..Enjoy!  Eat well my friends!

Food Safety Tips
Protect yourself against food-borne illnesses.


1. Use a "refrigerator thermometer" to keep your food stored at a safe temperature (below 40 degrees fahrenheit).

Cold temperatures slow the growth of bacteria. Ensuring that your refrigerator temperature stays at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of food-borne illness. You can buy a refrigerator/freezer thermometer at appliance stories, home centers (i.e. Home Depot), and kitchen stores including online ones, such as Cooking.com.

2. Defrost food in the refrigerator, the microwave, or in cold water... never on the counter!

Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter for longer than two hours because, while the center of the food may remain frozen, the outer surface may enter the Danger Zone, the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly. If you’re short on time, use the microwave or you can thaw meat and poultry in airtight packaging in cold water. Change the water every half-hour so it stays cold and use the thawed food immediately.

3. Always use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/fish and cooked foods/fresh produce.

Bacteria from uncooked meat, poultry, and fish can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. An important way to reduce this risk is to use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/ fish, and cooked foods/fresh produce.

4. Always cook meat to proper temperatures, using a calibrated instant-read thermometer to make sure.

One effective way to prevent illness is to use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, and egg dishes. The USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures are as follows:

* Beef, veal, and lamb (steaks and roasts), fish - 145 degrees fahrenheit

* Pork and ground beef - 160 degrees fahrenheit

* Poultry - 165 degrees fahrenheit.

Cook meats like roasts and steaks to lower temperatures, closer to medium-rare, so that they retain their moisture. It is recommended that those who are at high risk for developing food-borne illness (i.e. pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, or certain chronic illnesses) should follow the USDA guidelines.

5. Avoid unpasteurized/raw milk and cheeses made from unpasteurized milk that are aged less than 60 days.

Raw milk is milk from cows, sheep, or goats that has not been pasteurized (heated to a very high temperature for a specific length of time) to kill harmful bacteria that may be present. These bacteria, which include salmonella, E. coli and listeria, can cause serious illness and sometimes even death. The bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems or chronic illnesses. Raw milk cheeses aged 60 days or longer are okay, since the salt and acidity of the cheese-making process make for a hostile environment to pathogens.

6. Never eat "runny" eggs or foods, such as cookie dough, that contain raw eggs.

Even eggs that have clean, intact shells may be contaminated with salmonella, so it’s important to cook eggs thoroughly until both the yolk and the white are firm. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160 degrees fahrenheit and you can use an instant-read food thermometer to check. Eggs should always be cooked fully and those who are at high risk for developing foodborne illness (pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems or certain chronic illnesses should follow the USDA guidelines. If you can’t resist runny eggs or sampling cookie batter, use pasteurized eggs. They’re found near other eggs in large supermarkets.

7. Always wash your hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before handling food and after touching raw meat, poultry, or eggs.

You can pick up a lot of bacteria out in the world, so it’s important to always wash your hands before you eat or prepare food. You should also wash your hands after touching any uncooked meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, as the bacteria from these foods can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. Use soap and warm water and wash thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

8. Always heat leftover foods to 165 degrees fahrenheit.

The USDA recommends heating all cooked leftovers to 165 degrees fahrenheit in order to kill all potentially dangerous bacteria.

9. Never eat meat, poultry, eggs, or sliced fresh fruits and vegetables that have been left out for more than two hours or more than one hour in temperatures hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you leave perishable foods out of the refrigerator or freezer for more than two hours they may enter the Danger Zone—the unsafe temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly.

10. Whenever there’s a food recall, check products stored at home to make sure they are safe.

You should discard any food that’s been recalled because it’s associated with the outbreak of a food-borne illness. But, according to a survey conducted by Rutgers University during the fall of 2008, only about 60% of Americans search their homes for foods that have been recalled because of contamination. For more information on food recalls, visit the website Recalls.gov






Cavier & Vodka
Courtesy of The Lady (Bug) of the Household