TURKEY MILANESE

8 turkey cutlets, pounded down to about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thickness
Salt and black pepper
1 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1 cup panko crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons butter
Oil for frying

  • Generously season the turkey cutlets with salt and pepper and set aside.
  • Sift together the bread crumbs, panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil oregano and parsley until well blended.
  • Set three shallow bowls side by side on your counter.  Fill the first one with the flour, the second one with the beaten eggs and the third one with the bread crumbs mixture.
  • Dredge cutlets, one at a time, first in the flour, then in the egg and finally, in the bread crumb mixture. Shake off any excess crumbs and reserve on another plate.
  • Chill the cutlets in the freezer for about 15 minutes.  This will help the coating stay intact when you fry it.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add enough oil to come up about 1/4-inch high.  Add butter.  Add cutlets and fry until cooked through and golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.  Do NOT crowd the pan.  If necessary, do this step in batches.  As each cutlet is cooked, transfer to a platter.   You can keep the cutlets warm in a low oven.
  • Serve with rice pilaf, mashed potatoes, buttered parsley noodles or some lemon wedges.
  • Top with minced parsley.
  • Serves 4.

TURKEY MILANESE

8 turkey cutlets, pounded down to about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thickness
Salt and black pepper
1 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1 cup panko crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons butter
Oil for frying

  • Generously season the turkey cutlets with salt and pepper and set aside.
  • Sift together the bread crumbs, panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil oregano and parsley until well blended.
  • Set three shallow bowls side by side on your counter.  Fill the first one with the flour, the second one with the beaten eggs and the third one with the bread crumbs mixture.
  • Dredge cutlets, one at a time, first in the flour, then in the egg and finally, in the bread crumb mixture. Shake off any excess crumbs and reserve on another plate.
  • Chill the cutlets in the freezer for about 15 minutes.  This will help the coating stay intact when you fry it.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add enough oil to come up about 1/4-inch high.  Add butter.  Add cutlets and fry until cooked through and golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.  Do NOT crowd the pan.  If necessary, do this step in batches.  As each cutlet is cooked, transfer to a platter.   You can keep the cutlets warm in a low oven.
  • Serve with rice pilaf, mashed potatoes, buttered parsley noodles or some lemon wedges.
  • Top with minced parsley.
  • Serves 4.

STRAWBERRY BANANA DACQUIRI CAKE ~ Save Room for Dessert

I subscribe to Lagniappe, the free email newsletter of Louisiana Cookin’ magazine.  It’s published each Friday, and typically contains 3 Louisiana-centric recipes.  Friday’s newsletter contained this recipe, and I knew I had to make it, even though I had already written today’s post.  But, as strawberries are in season, I decided to share this recipe with you all.
The flavor is lovely, although the texture was a little moist.  No one seemed to mind, however, and the cake was the perfect ending to a delicious grilled meal on the patio.  I think it would be perfect for a Memorial day cookout, as it’s quick to whip up and if you’re like me, I find it quite nice to have something on my menu that takes little thought and prep.  Be sure to save room for dessert when you make this delicious cake… 

Strawberry-Banana Daiquiri Cake

1 Strawberry Cake Mix
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 eggs
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon light rum (did not use, I increased lime juice to 3 tablespoons)
Lime Glaze (recipe follows)
  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Grease and flour a Bundt pan; set aside.
  • In large bowl, combine the cake mix, berries, banana, eggs, and lime juice.
  • Beat for 2 minutes at highest speed.
  • Pour batter into the prepared pan.
  • Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • Prepare glaze while cake is baking.
  • Cool cake upright for 25 minutes before inverting onto serving place.
  • Spoon glaze evenly over cake. Garnish with lime zest, if using.
Lime Glaze
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon butter
Powdered sugar
  • Microwave lime juice and butter until butter melts. 
  • Whisk in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.

SPICY CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

Spicy Chicken Spaghetti adapted from So Are You To Me
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts; diced
8 oz. uncooked spaghetti
1/2 OF an onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Hot Rotel
1 can cream of mushroom soup
6 oz. Velveeta
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Mean while, saute diced chicken breasts, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in olive oil over medium high heat until chicken is no longer pink, drain and set aside.  Drain the pasta and return to pan. Stir in diced Velveeta, Hot Rotel, cream of mushroom soup, and the cooked chicken mixture. Season with salt and pepper.  Pour into a baking dish and top with sharp cheddar cheese. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.

Modifications:
-I used cream of chicken soup.

Here’s what you’ll need:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Dice up a green pepper, mince 2-3 garlic cloves, and dice up 1/2 of an onion

Cut up the chicken breasts and cook in olive oil.  Add the green pepper, garlic, and onion (forgot to take a picture)

Cook the spaghetti until al dente.  Drain and add the cut up Velveeta.
Add the soup.

Add the can of Ro-Tel.

Add the chicken mixture.

Put the spaghetti mixture in a greased 9×13 baking dish.  Spread the cheese over the top and pop into the oven.
What you’ll end up with:

This dish was so good . . . how could it not be?  It has Velveeta and Ro-Tel so it is basically cheese dip with spaghetti.  YUMMY!

WEEKLY MENU

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

 DATE BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNER
Monday 5/23 YOGURT SANDWICHES AVOCADO TURKEY SANDWICHES
Tuesday 5/24 TOAST LEFTOVERS MODERN PATTY MELTS
Wednesday 5/25 YOGURT SOUP CRY BABY BURGERS
Thursday 5/26 FRUIT CHEESE & FRUIT AVOCADO CHICKEN BURGERS
Friday 5/27 OATMEAL C.O.R.N. PRETZEL CRUSTED CHICKEN
Saturday 5/28 KAHLUA BENEDICTS leftovers CHICKEN VESUVIO
Sunday 5/29 COUNTRY BENEDICTS ??? CHICKEN DIVAN

MY GRANDMA’S GRANOLA RECIPE

This month for Cultural Connection I am staying right here in America. I am bringing you my grandmother’s recipe for granola, I think she just called it dry cereal when I was a kid. She raised a family during the depression, and because of that was very frugal. She even used to make her own cracked wheat bread, where my grandma and grandpa had use an old (well it’s old to me) glass jar coffee grinder to crack the wheat in.. My dad used to love getting store bought bread as a kid because it was a special treat for him. We never could get that recipe from her, because she didn’t use one (of course, many grandma’s recipes are not written down).

I had to check to see if granola was in fact an American discovery and indeed it is. You can read the long version or check out a brief history of granola (the brief is through the eyes of Crapola-a granola company)…but in short it was JH Kellogg who came up with granola in 1863, and it might of fallen into obscurity, but was rediscovered and popular once again by the health food movement of the 1960’s.
There are many was you can make granola, but this is my grandma’s recipe the way I grew up eating it.
Ingredients:
4 cups rolled oats
1 cup oat bran (she used bran flour)
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut (I use the wide flakes)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey

The nice thing about granola is there has to be one for everyone and there are many way you can make it: Add some cinnamon and apple or pumpkin pie spice, or nutmeg and ground cloves, or leave out the coconut or sunflower seeds, add some pepitas or other nuts…it is endless….  I added chopped crystallized ginger in this one (I’ve been on a ginger kick lately) I have also used dried cherries or cranberries, but you can use other dried fruit you might like. My grandma didn’t use dried fruit in hers, but as always…you can add what you like.
It’s really simple, just dump and mix! A large bowl works best and I start with a wooden paddle spoon and end up using my hands!
Then spread it on one or two cookie sheets pressing it down in the pans. I use my stoneware bar pan it’s large, I also used my medium size bar pan.
Toast at 350° for 10-12 minute then stir and turn. Continue to toast it for another 10-12 minutes until the desired golden toasted, crispy, goodness. If you are adding dried fruit add that and mix it in when the granola comes out of the oven, that way it doesn’t get too hard and chewy.
You can eat it in a bowl and add milk or just snack on it as is. Use it as a topping for ice creams, yogurts or desserts. I have been making my own granola for years and really have a hard time eating any store bought granola…it’s just not the same. I like how mine is not too sweet, and you can control all the good stuff that goes in it!

Thanks for stopping by on this beautiful Saturday!

ACHIOTE PASTE – YUCATAN STYLE SAUCE

Yesterday while I was volunteering at my local Christian ministry my friend tossed me a brand new box of this Achiote Paste and said “here, you’re the cook – figure out what to do with this”.  I was intrigued and set out to do just that.  Now that I know what it is, I’ll search out some recipes to go with it.

Annatto Seeds
Commonly known as annatto seed in the States, the correct term for the seeds of an annatto tree is achiote seeds. Native to South America, they have been used to color food and cosmetics. These seeds have a peppermint scent and a slightly peppery taste with just a hint of bitterness. This seed grows on the annato tree. It is used primarily in Mexican and Caribbean cooking to impart a rich yellow/orange color. Annato seed makes a good substitute for saffron’s golden coloring, at a fraction of the cost. It does NOT, however, duplicate saffron’s unique flavor!
The seeds can be ground and added to soups and stews or made into a paste to be spread on fish or pork before grilling. It’s a tough process to work with annatto, as the dried seeds are very hard and quite difficult to grind.
Another popular use for annato seeds is to make achiote oil. Cook the seeds in hot oil until their skin dissolves. When the oil turns bright yellow, discard the seeds and use the oil for cooking.
To make paste:
Cover seeds with water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat for 3 minuts. Remove from heat and let stand for a couple of hours. Drain and pat dry using a paper towel so as to not stain a clothe one. Transfer to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind to a paste.
The seeds can also be ground with garlic and any variety of chili peppers for adobo paste.
Annatto seeds have been used as a dye for fabrics and body paint since pre-Columbian times.
 Annatto Paste Recipe

In a small to medium saucepan, heat the olice oil over medium heat. Add the annatto seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until the oil becomes a rich, orange-red color, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool

Strain the annatto oil into the bowl of a food processor or blender, and add the lime juice, oregano, garlic, salt and cumin. Process the mixture on high to form a smooth paste. Pour into a glass jar and keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

I found this great recipe from In the Kitchen with Mary Sue and Susan:

Achiote Sauce

This sauce is a key ingredient in our Guatemalan Tamales, but it is also a flavorful liquid to use when poaching scallops, fish, or eggs.

Makes 2 1/2 cups

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons achiote paste*, crumbled
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons white vinegar

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook the onions until soft and translucent, 12 to 15 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and tomato and achiote pastes and cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chicken stock, salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring and skimming frequently, 12 to 15 minutes.
Add the vinegar and cook for a final 2 to 3 minutes. Puree in a blender or food processor. Store in the refrigerator 2 to 3 days.
* Achiote paste is a bright orange seasoning paste from the Yucatan made of ground annatto seeds, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, pepper and cloves. It is often thinned with vinegar or citrus juices for marinades and sauces and should always be cooked first to remove any chalkiness. This is what produces the bright orange color often found in Mexican food, so be sure to wash off any utensils that touch it or they just might remain orange. The paste is sold in bricks and can be kept well wrapped in the refrigerator for a long time.