Honey Fried Chicken

I love fried chicken! But, I know that I can't have it as much as I would like. This past weekend we tried to trim a few calories from the chicken by frying it without breading. This is one of those dishes that my hubby stops eating, looks at me, and tells me how much he loves me! I think that this may have become a quick favorite!

Ingredients
2 whole (bone-in) chicken breasts
2 tbsp honey
Vegetable oil
Chicken seasoning (recipe follows)

Directions
Heat your oil to 350 degrees. Pat your chicken dry. Do not season it at all. Put your chicken breasts in the fryer and cook at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oil. Sprinkle the chicken seasoning over the top of the chicken and put back into the oil to fry for another 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Once your chicken is cooked, it will have a nice crust on the outside. At this point, you will want to mix 2 tbsp of honey with 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and 1 tbsp of your chicken seasoning. Spread over the outside of your chicken and serve.

Mrs. T's Chicken Seasoning
2 tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. onion powder
2 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar

Reposted from The Crazy Life of the Pantry Cook

Golubtsy, a Russian Comfort Food

One of my husband's favorite foods is cabbage, so I am always on the hunt for new ways to cook it.  My husband's favorite cabbage dish would have to be golubtsy, or cabbage rolls.  Golubtsy is a Russian dish that consists of meat wrapped in a cabbage leaf and then stewed.  I have come across many versions of this dish, each one tasting as delicious as the other.  Here is how I make it:

Ingredients

Head of cabbage

Ground beef

Rice

Onion

Tomato paste

Can of beer

Paprika

Worcestershire sauce

For my recipe, I use 8 big leaves from a head of cabbage.  Boil the leaves until tender. 
*To make this easier, I boil the whole head and peel the 8 outer leaves.  This leaves me with the rest of the head which I continue to cook and save for another meal.

Chop and saute your onions until translucent.  

In a bowl, mix together 1 lb of ground beef, 1 cup of cooked rice, 1 tbsp of paprika, 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce, and the cooked onion.

Spoon mixture into the center of each leaf and roll (into a burrito shape).

In a separate bowl, mix together a 1/4 cup of water, 1 can of tomato paste, and 1 can of beer.  This will be your sauce.

In the bottom of a Dutch oven, spread a spoonful of sauce to create a bed for the rolls.  Place your rolls seam side down.

Pour the remainder of your sauce over the rolls.  Cook over medium-high heat for about 45 minutes, the meat will have steamed inside of the rolls.  Serve with the sauce and a spoonful of sour cream.  This recipe serves 4-8 people (depending on how hungry your bunch is...my family had one per person).

Here is a Dutch oven I would recommend for those of you who would prefer to not cook with a cast iron one.  This is a very reasonable price and it is great quality.  You can use your Dutch oven for many different types of dishes.  This is honestly one thing I could not live without in my kitchen, I cook everything in mine!

Re-posted from The Crazy Life of a Pantry Cook

The Crazy Life of a Pantry Cook: Homemade Dog Treats

Pictured: apple dog treats

Check out this post I did today on homemade dog treats!  So far I've made bacon, cranberry, and apple. My dog has loved all three flavors (and her cousin and best friend did as well!!!!)  The base recipe if gluten free and organic, just in case you were wondering!

The Crazy Life of a Pantry Cook: Homemade Dog Treats: I know, this isn't a snack you can actually eat, but we can't leave man's best friend out, can we?  It seems like it has become harder to find healthy snacks for dogs....

Recycling Lettuce

My new growth after one week.

Most of you may remember my post on recycling green onions, well this is the same concept, but with romaine lettuce.  As long as the rot stump is in tact you can place it in a shallow bowl of water and watch it regrow!  I've had my stump in water fir about a week now.  I love food that you can regrow and get a second life out of; it helps you stretch your food budget!  What types of produce do you like to "recycle"?

Yahoo post on regrowing vegetables.

The Crazy Life of a Pantry Cook: Canning Tomatoes: My First Attempt

If you head over to my other blog, you'll get to see my first attempt at canning tomatoes.  Do you think I failed or succeeded?  The Crazy Life of a Pantry Cook: Canning Tomatoes: My First Attempt: I am still fairly new to canning, so bear with me on this one.  Summer is canning season simply because that is when fruits and vegetables ...

Summer's Harvest: Blueberries & Strawberries

When I think about summer, I think about BBQ and fruits.  Summer brings us a variety of fruits and vegetables.  Two of my favorites are strawberries and blueberries.  Not only do they scream summer, but they are full of vitamins and antioxidants.  Their sweet flavor makes them perfect to enjoy in desserts, for breakfast, or even just by themselves.  Too often are they overlooked as being a delicious ingredient during your summer cooking.  Here are some recipes that I have found that help bring out the delicious flavor of these fruits!



Blueberry BBQ Sauce
Pickled Blueberries
Spinach, Goat Cheese, and Strawberry Salad
Almond Chicken with a Strawberry-Balsamic Sauce
Blueberry and Cranberry Relish
Strawberry Balsamic Dressing
Blueberry and Peach Chutney

New York Strip with Blueberry-Port Sauce
Ingredients
2 tbsp minced shallots
1 cup frozen (thawed) or fresh blueberries
1 1/2 cups of Port
1 cup beef broth
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tbsp unsalted butter
4 (8 ounce) New York strip steaks
2 tbsp canola oil
Salt and pepper

Directions
In a saucepan, combine the shallots, blueberries, port, broth, and sugar.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Boil for about 1 hour, until reduced to 1/2 cup.  Remove from the heat and stir in the rosemary and butter.  Keep warm.
Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat your electric or gas grill to high.  Pat the steaks dry, brush both sides with the oil, and season to taste with the salt and pepper.  Place on grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare.  Remove from the heat and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.  To serve, drizzle each steak with 2 tbsp of sauce.

Originally posted on The Crazy Life of a Pantry Cook.

Joys of Motherhood

So here I am, trying to get my 22 month old son to sleep who will fight you to the death if you give him anything but a bottle of milk to fall asleep with.  I want to hold my ground, but the poor guy fell down the stairs two days ago.  Yep, he somehow got over the gate and opened the basement door as I went down to grab the laundry.  Besides the bruise and scraps, he's been such a trooper.  He even smiled and said "hi Mom" when I frantically ran over to pick him up.  Guess that's what you get when you have a son!  Then there is my 7 year old daughter, who is my everything.  She has been really into this video game for the past week.  Today I told her it was time to play with something else and give the TV and video game a break.  After the stomps and door slam, I notice a sign placed outside her bedroom door.  "Do not disturb."  Between my little man giving me heart attacks with his dare devil acts and my daughter's new found snotty attitude, I have myself wondering how I'm going to survive the next 16 years!  (Maybe put them in the closet so no one gets hurt!)  However, I do get lots of laughs (and plenty of hugs and kisses).  I guess this is what they mean by the joys of motherhood.