Category: MISC

MENU PLANS

Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie

DATE BREAKFAST DINNER DESSERTS
MON
5/3
CAST IRON SKILLET ROAST CHICKEN with ROASTED CARROTS & BRUSSELS SPROUTS
TUES
5/4
BUNLESS BURGER NIGHT with BLEU CREAM CHEESE MAYO and CARAMELIZED RED ONIONS
WED
5/5
T-BIRDS aka ROAST CHICKEN, TOMATO with BLEU CREAM CHEESE MAYO and CARAMELIZED RED ONIONS BANANA BITES
THU
5/6
CHICKEN WELLINGTONS
FRI
5/7
TOMATO PANCETTA SPAGHETTI
SAT
5/8		 BACON & EGGS POTATO BOATS
SUN
5/9		 PANCAKES PRESLEY SANDWICHES  STRAWBERRY KIWI BUTTERMILK SHORTCAKE

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CAST IRON SKILLET ROAST CHICKEN with APRICOT MAPLE PINEAPPLE GLAZE

Do you like those rotisserie chicken from the market?  I do, but on average they are only 2-3 pounds and cost anywhere from $5-$8 or even more.  My local grocer ran a unadvertised special the other day and I got this 5.86 pound beauty for 97 cents a pound.

I love my cast iron skillet too!  There is nothing better for even cooking heat!  I like to roast my chicken in there so the sides are always radiating an even heat to whole chicken.

CAST IRON SKILLET ROAST CHICKEN
1 5-6 pound roasting chicken
4 tablespoons butter, softened
salt & pepper
1/2 onion, wedged small
1 cup apricot pineapple preserves 
1/4 cup PURE maple syrup
  • Wash chicken and dry.
  • Spread butter along the inside of the cast iron pan and all over the chicken.
  • Generously salt and pepper the chicken.
  • Place onions along side the chicken.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the preserves and syrup.  Set aside and allow to come to room temperature.
  • Roast at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.
  • With a pastry brush spread preserve mixture all over the chicken every 10-15 minutes until skin is crisp and chicken is cooked through. This should be from 30-45 minutes based on the actual weight of your chicken.

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CAST IRON SKILLET ROAST CHICKEN

Do you like those rotisserie chicken from the market?  I do, but on average they are only 2-3 pounds and cost anywhere from $5-$8 or even more.  My local grocer ran a unadvertised special the other day and I got this 5.86 pound beauty for 97 cents a pound.

I love my cast iron skillet too!  There is nothing better for even cooking heat!  I like to roast my chicken in there so the sides are always radiating an even heat to whole chicken. 

CAST IRON SKILLET ROAST CHICKEN
1 5-6 pound roasting chicken
4 tablespoons butter, softened
salt & pepper
1/2 onion, wedged small
1 cup apricot pineapple preserves 
1/4 cup PURE maple syrup
  • Wash chicken and dry.
  • Spread butter along the inside of the cast iron pan and all over the chicken.
  • Generously salt and pepper the chicken.
  • Place onions along side the chicken.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the preserves and syrup.  Set aside and allow to come to room temperature.
  • Roast at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.
  • With a pastry brush spread preserve mixture all over the chicken every 10-15 minutes until skin is crisp and chicken is cooked through. This should be from 30-45 minutes based on the actual weight of your chicken.

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Fire Day Friday – Grilled Lettuce Wraps

Welcome to the inaugural Fire Day Friday!


Yes, I know, not a very original concept for me, “Gee, Chris is going to cook something on a grill? I’m SOOOOOOO shocked!” [sarcasm inflection]

But I am going to take a different approach with this theme than on Nibble Me This. There I’m just having fun on my grills without regard to whether someone else could replicate it. Sometimes I am cooking something on a grill to prove it can be done (like recent spaghetti).
Fire Day Fridays are about cooking something with live fire that anyone else can make on any other type of grill. No Big Green Egg required. No special equipment. Fire Day Fridays are about inspiring and getting people to use their own grills.
So it is Friday night, you have gotten home from work and you are ready to relax. You want to enjoy the evening in your back yard spending quality time with your favorite adult beverage, not spend all night in the kitchen, right? Here’s a quick and very easy “Friday night bites”.
Grilled Lettuce Wraps
source: Chris of Nibble Me This
Ingredients
3 ea chicken breasts or thighs, boneless, skinless, cut into 1″ cubes
bbq skewers (if using wood, soak for 1 hour in advance)
8 oz can whole water chestnuts
1 cup Mr. Yoshida’s sauce (or sub a teriyaki sauce)
6 Tbsp chunky peanut butter
2 ea dried red chili pepper (sub 1 Tbsp of red pepper flakes)
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 head bibb lettuce, leaves separated and washed
2 cups cooked sweet jasmine rice
Instructions
Whisk together the Yoshida’s sauce, peanut butter, sesame seeds and chili pepper. Don’t be afraid of the pepper, it isn’t really that hot in the final product. Divide the sauce into 3 portions. You will use them for a marinade, a glaze, and a dipping sauce.

Marinade the chicken with one portion for an hour. If you’re in a hurry, you can skip the hour marinade time, just toss the meat in the mixture.

Skewer 3 pieces of chicken, a water chestnut, and 3 more pieces of chicken. Repeat. TIP: If using thick round skewers, you might split the water chestnut if not careful. Spin the skewer as you push into it so it drills rather than pierces.

Preheat your grill to 350f. If you are using a gas grill, that’s about medium. Place the skewers over the direct heat for 2 minutes. Turn them 1/4 turn, and cook another 2 minutes (4 total so far).

Turn and cook another 2 minutes (6 total so far). Brush with sauce and cook another 2 minutes (8 minutes total cooking time).
Remove from the grill. (You could serve these just as kebabs at this point with the rest of the sauce as a dipping sauce.)
Serve each kebab with a bibb lettuce leaf filled with about 1/4 cup of rice, dice the water chestnut, and top with some rice noodles. Serve with the rest of the dipping sauce.

Then sit around on your patio or deck and enjoy the evening with your family and friends as you eat these. They are a bit messy to eat after the third bite so have plenty of napkins on hand!

The Last Hurrah: Lovin’ From the Oven/What Did You Bake Today

This is my farewell post here on Our Krazy Kitchen.  Life in the Harried Homemaker’s world has gotten busier than ever and although I hate to do it, I am cutting back on my “extra curricular”  activities.  Please continue to visit me over at my blog.  I so enjoy the friendships that I have made during my sojourn here.
As my swan song, I am simply posting pictures of all of the recipes I have posted here.  You can find them under either of the titles I have used for these Friday posts (Lovin’ From Your Oven or What Did You Bake Today).  Happy Baking, Friends!!!

Banbury Tarts:
 
Clover Leaf Rolls

Whole Wheat Flax Bread 
 
Monkey Bread
Banana Bread

Southwest Biscuit Casserole

Blueberry Muffins
Apple Pumpkin Muffins

Autumn Cake
Molasses Cake
Chocolate Chip Cookies
 
Mummy Cookies

Spoon Rolls
 
Bread Pudding w/ Caramel Sauce

Lemon Pudding
 
Lemon Meringue Pie

Chicken Bundles
 
Crockpot BBQ Turkey Breast

Yellow Cupcakes
 
Banana Cake

Lazy Daisy Oatmeal Cake
 
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
 
Donut Muffins
Raspberry Muffins

Easy Strawberry Shortcake
Deep South Caramel Cake

Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Pizza Casserole

DRUM ROLL PLEASE…

CSN stores has been exceptionally generous to all of us here in the blogosphere.  It is my pleasure to announce the winner of the CSN stores giveaway here at 3 Sides of Crazy is…..

Congratulations!  I have forwarded your email address to them and they will be contacting you.

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APPLE RAISIN NOODLE PUDDING

NOODLE PUDDING

2 cups dry wide egg noodles

2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup sugar
8 ounce crushed pineapple, drained well
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup golden rum
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup milk
1 GALA apple, peeled, cored and grated

  • Cook and drain the noodles
  • Combine all other ingredients together
  • Fold into warm noodles
  • Generously spray an 8×8 baking dish with PURE
  • Gently spread entire mixture into dish evenly
  • Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes
I remember the first time I had NOODLE PUDDING – my little Jewish neighbor brought it over as a welcome to the neighborhood back in 1986. She called it noodle pudding. It was so delicious. I wanted to ask her for the recipe, but I’d just met her and I was young and shy. I made her my floating fruit cake in the same pan she’d brought over and returned it to her to ask for the recipe. I remember how hard she laughed at me. She said it was a Jewish custom to always return a plate, bowl or dish full and of course I could have the recipe.   

I’ve adapted it to suit my families tastes over the years and cut back on the amount of sugar but it is still a favorite!  I’ve also found other versions that have helped me repeatedly adapt it into what it is today.  My neighbor and I  became fast friends and shared LOTS of cherished family recipes before I moved from the neighborhood in 15 years later.

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STRETCHING a side dish for two to a SNOW PEA MEDLEY FOR FOUR

Greetings again…  Occasionally, I have a dish that is so good, I can not wait for Thursday to roll around so that I can share this with all the OUR KRAZY KITCHEN folks.  This dish was the best thing I made this week.  And the surprise came because it was a “need to do something” dish.

OK, let’s start with my problem… I screwed up.

Not uncommon.

This week, we had friends from home visiting.  It has been a week of menu planning, showing off a bit and dining out a couple of times!  But, one evening, I discovered I had screwed up… I planned on a simple sautéed snow peas as a compliment to a Rum Braised Mahi Mahi (the fish so nice they named it twice).  I thought the contrasting colors would make for a nice plate.  My problem was the brain fart I made when shopping.  I can buy these by weight instead of pre-packaged.  When I was shopping, I am so used to shopping for just Jackie and myself, I only bought 1/3rd of a pounds worth.  Just enough for two.  But I had to feed 4 people, and the 4 mile round trip walk to get more was not really an option, due to time restraints and laziness (you decide).

I considered making a cornbread, but I had my heart set on snow peas (a favorite).

So, after spending several minutes staring into an open refrigerator (for the cool breeze, I know what is in my fridge), I pulled out some extra veggies to make a melange…

So, another “not really a recipe”, more of a technique post…

Here’s what I did…

I had…

 1 Red Pepper (diced to the size of the snow peas)
1 Sweet Vidalia Onion (diced to the size of the snow peas)
1/3rd pound of Mushrooms (diced to the size of the snow peas)
1/3rd pound of Snow Peas
5 cloves of Garlic (minced)
2 TBS Olive Oil 

First step is to heat your oil with the minced garlic.  Olive Oil will burn easily, you do not want this too hot.  I set my electric burner to 5.  It takes about 10 minutes for the garlic to infuse the oil.

Now, I was lucky enough to find true Vidalia Onions recently.  they are sweet as is, and when gently sautéed, they get even sweeter.  If I used a “standard” onion, or a red onion as I prefer, I would have sautéed the onions for as long as 40 minutes to caramelize them.  With the sweet Vidalias, there is no need to sweeten them up.

The onions and the peppers are a bit more dense than the peas and mushrooms.  It would take a bit more time to get them heated throughout than the peas and mushrooms.  So I put them in first and flipped them around to get them coated with the oil for only about 5 minutes…

Then I added the snow peas and the mushrooms and continued to flip and coat for another 5 minutes.

Gentle heat and a short cooking time, and they have a great snap to them.  Do not over cook, or they get mushy soft.

No seasonings, didn’t need to add any extra tastes… just the veggies in oil… and the verdict was…

WOW, did this all work well together.  Some night soon, Jackie and I will just dive into a big bowl of this as a main course.  Snappy al dente texture, different vegetable tastes, plenty of flavor from the garlic oil.  I watched everyone eat, and this was the dish that disappeared from everyones plate first.

It was an accident and a rush to compensate for a shopping mistake.

What a lucky accident!  No one knew I was making it up as I went along.

Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. What a shock … I CAN COOK THAT! Anyone can!!! And anyone can make this winner…

1-2-3 Chocolate Mousse without Eggs

Get loads of recipes at Comfy Cook and My Sweet and Savory

Don’t miss Giveaway at Comfy Cook – CSN – choice of  4 items

For the longest time, I looked for a chocolate mousse without raw eggs and could not find one.  Recently, I am seeing some popping up, and I will have to try them.  The first one I came across was from Nigella Lawson and I adapted that not only to be a chocolate mousse but to transform into many flavors.  There is no end to the variety of desserts you can get from this recipe.

Instant Chocolate Mousse or Ice Cream
This recipe takes minutes to make and it has no raw eggs which is very important to me. The secret of its success is the Marshmallow Creme or Marshmallow Fluff and a few miniature marshmallows.
Ingredients

  • 3 cups mini marshmallows (I used 2 cups marshmallow fluff and 1 cup marshmallows since kosher marshmallow retain their shape. In the end, it looks nice, this way.
  • 1/2 stick margarine softened
  • 9 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
  • 1/4 cup hot water from a that had recently been boiling
  • 1 non dairy whipped topping or whipping cream  (8 ounces)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method
Put the marshmallows, marshmallow fluff, margarine, chocolate and water in the microwave.
Stop your microwave every 30 seconds and stir. I used a low to medium setting.
Meanwhile whip the cream with the vanilla until thick and then fold into the cooling chocolate mixture until you have a smooth, cohesive mixture.
Pour or scrape into 4 or 6 glasses or small dishes and chill until you want to eat. The sooner the better!

IT’S GIVE AWAY TIME!

I was recently made aware that there is a wonderful online shopping experience available right from your desk top. Whether you are looking for TV stands, dining room furniture or cookware, they have it all.
Remember all these wish list posts I did about all the wonderful quality kitchen dreams and wishes I have? Well, all the items I’m dreaming about to complete my dream kitchen are available from these sites from CSN stores and so are yours!


Seriously, you really need to go check out these sites
www.racksandstands.com
www.allmodern.com
www.diningroomsdirect.com
www.cookware.com
www.moremailboxes.com

Maybe you need a new spice rack like this one? How can you get it for free? By joining in on this giveaway of course!

The winner receives a $60 gift certificate to use
as they wish on any of the CSN.stores websites.

Kamenstein 16 Jar Acadia Wood Spice Rack

THE RULES
  • Answer one question – What is your favorite kitchen tool?
  • You can earn an extra entry by blogging about this contest. Come back and leave a 2nd entry with the link.
  • You can earn another entry each by becoming a follower here at 3 Sides of Crazy, at ALWAYS EAT ON THE GOOD CHINA and/or OUR KRAZY KITCHEN. Come back and leave a comment for each.
  • No entries after 11:30 pm Pacific Time Tuesday, 4/27.
  • Winners will be selected at random and announced Wednesday.
  • Good luck!
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Disclosure: I did not receive any type of compensation for this post. CSN stores is sponsoring this giveaway and will handle prize fulfillment. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced to post them.