Buffalo wings, chicken parm, tomato soup and Italian sour dough bread

I made Buffalo wing for dinner today. I actually used Picante Bufalo sauce, SourDough bread made with an Italian bread recipe, Martini chicken modified with bread crumbs as well as parm. cheese and mozzarella on top. I made both the chicken wings and chicken parm because Cassie does not care much for food with bones in it.  Served with linguine and alfredo sauce and Italian tomato soup.  Giada De Laurentis recipe.  I made it a couple times a long time ago and thought it was good but wasn't excited about it today.  We threw the left overs out. 

Crispy Baked Chicken Wings Recipe

yield: SERVES 2-4 prep time: 15 MINUTES cook time: 40 MINUTES total time: 55 MINUTES

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken wing pieces

salt

3 tbsp Frank's hot sauce

2 tbsp butter

dash of worcestershire sauce

ground cayenne pepper to taste, optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Heat up a big pot of boiling water. Season the water like you would for cooking pasta (taste the water, it should taste a little repulsively salty, like sea water).

Boil the chicken wings for 7-8 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack so the excess water can drain off. Let them drip dry a little bit, then dry them well with a paper towel.

Place the chicken wings directly on a sheet pan. Bake the chicken wings for 25-30 minutes on one side, then flip the wings and bake for another 5 minutes on the other side. The wings should have crispy crackly golden skin on the side that was in contact with the sheet pan.

In a small saucepan or in the microwave, heat up the hot sauce, butter, worcestershire sauce and cayenne pepper, if using, until melted and combined. Toss the hot wings in the sauce, and serve immediately. Gobble them up while they're still crisp, and coated with sauce. Enjoy!

Note After tossing them in sauce I put them back in the oven for a few minutes to dry them out. I used Bufalo sauce and worcestershire sauce about 5 to 1, not heated, no butter, no cayenne.

Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon and Rosemary

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

See this recipe on air Monday Jan. 07 at 1:30 PM ET/PT.

2 tablespoons butter 

1 onion, peeled and chopped 

2 carrots, peeled and chopped 

2 cloves garlic, chopped 

1 15-ounce can cannellini (white) beans, drained and rinsed 

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes 

3 cups chicken broth 

1 bay leaf 

1 sprig of fresh rosemary, plus 1 teaspoon, minced 

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

3/4 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

2/3 cup creme fraiche 

Zest of one lemon

In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.

Puree the soup in a blender in batches, being careful to remove and discard the bay leaf. Return the soup to a soup pot and keep warm over low heat. Season with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl fold in the lemon zest and the remaining teaspoon of rosemary to 2/3 cup creme fraiche. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and dollop each bowl with the lemon rosemary creme fraiche. Serve immediately.

Recipe Summary

Difficulty: Easy 

Prep Time: 10 minutes 

Cook Time: 35 minutes 

Yield: 4 to 6 servings 

User Rating:

No Rating

Episode#: EI1109

Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Breast of Chicken, Martini-Style

This recipe for breast of chicken, martini-style, is from "Two Meatballs in the Italian Kitchen," the cookbook by chefs Pino Luongo and Mark Strausman.  Note: I added mozzarella to the top of the cheese before it went in the oven and used half panko and half grated Param cheese for the coating instead of all parm. cheese.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4.

• Coarse salt

• 8 ounces green beans or haricots verts, trimmed

• 4 carrots, cut into thin strips, about 2 inches long

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each), tendons removed

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 3 large eggs, beaten

• 1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

• 2 cups safflower or corn oil

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 3/4 cup dry white wine

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Add carrots to boiling water and cook until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain and transfer vegetables to ice-water bath to cool. Drain and set aside. Repeat process with green beans.

3. Place each chicken breast half between two sheets of plastic wrap on a cutting board. Using the flat side of a meat mallet or the back of a skillet, pound chicken breasts until they are 3/8 inch thick.

4. Remove chicken from plastic wrap; season with salt and pepper. Place flour, eggs, and cheese each in separate large, shallow dishes. Coat each chicken breast half evenly with flour, shaking off any excess. Then di !p in egg, followed by cheese to coat.

5. Heat oil in a deep large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is very hot, reduce heat to medium and, working in batches, add chicken. Cook chicken, turning once, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat process with remaining chicken, allowing oil to reheat between batches.

6. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add lemon juice and wine; stir to combine. Pour butter mixture into the bottom of a large baking dish. Arrange chicken in baking dish and top each with an equal amount of beans and carrots. Brush some of the butter mixture over the chicken and vegetables and transfer baking dish to oven. Cook until vegetables begin to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Bread was a typical Italian bread recipe but used sour dough starter as part of the flour and water in the recipe. 

My son and DIL made dinner tonight

Korean food

Roast Beef Dinner with Sourdough

Italian Beef Pot Roast (Crock Pot)  So easy, so good.

1 - Chuck Roast (*wait until they're on sale)

1 pkg. Brown Gravy Mix (dry)

1 pkg. Ranch Dressing Mix (dry)

1 pkg. Italian Dressing Mix (dry)

Open and mix all the packages of dry mixes. Put chuck roast into the crock pot (no need to sear or brown), sprinkle all the dry mix on top, pour 1/2 c. water around edges, cover and cook on low for 8 - 12 hours (or high for 4 - 6 hours). 

Charlie loves this salad

Ingredients

1 (10 to 12-ounce) package baby spinach, washed and dried Used mixed greens

1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted   Used pecan pieces

1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced

Dressing:

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar  Used pineapple balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Directions

In a large salad bowl, add the spinach, almonds, strawberries, and cucumber and toss together.

For the dressing:

In a small glass bowl or jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, oil, and poppy seeds. Whisk together in the glass bowl or shake if using a jar.

Dress the salad right before serving.

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Carrots peeled and put in water to cover with about 3 or 4 Tbls. honey for a few hours then boiled for about 10 minutes.

Peas nuked from frozen

Mashed Potatoes

about 10 red new potatoes, peeled, boiled then mashed with butter, milk, salt and pepper and sour cream. About 2 T. butter 4 T. sour cream and 1/4 C. milk.

Gravy

Pan juices with butter, flour and water to make about 1 1/2 C. plus additional Better than Beef to taste.

This is the recipe I started with but used less flour and didn't use cornmeal

SOURDOUGH BREAD WITH YEAST

1 1/2 CUPS LUKEWARM WATER

5 1/2 TO 6 1/2 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR

1 TABLESPOON SUGAR

1 TABLESPOON SALT

1 TABLESPOON ACTIVE DRY YEAST

1 TABLESPOON VEGETABLE OIL

1 CUP SOURDOUGH STARTER

CORNMEAL TO SPRINKLE ON PANS

Making the Sponge:  In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water.  Let this sit for 10 minutes or so until bubbly.  Add the starter and stir.  Gradually add 3 cups of flour, stirring until well mixed and smooth. 

Cover this sponge and set aside in a warm, draft free place for 4 to 5 hours.

Making the Dough: Stir down the sponge. Stir in 1 cup of flour, the salt and oil.  Gradually add flour until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl.

Turn out the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 3 to 4 minutes. let the dough rest while  you clean and grease your bowl.  Continue kneading another 3 or 4 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Add only enough flour to the board to keep the flour from sticking.  Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

Shaping and Baking:  Knock the dough down and shape it into two long French or Italian style loaves.  Place them on a cornmeal-sprinkled baking sheet and let them rise for another 1 to 1/2 hours.  

Toward the end of the rising period, place a baking pan on the oven bottom (or the lowest rack) and preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. 

Just before baking, slash the tops diagonally every couple of inches, about 1/4 inch deep, and brush with cold water.

Pour 2 or 3 cups of water into the pan, put the loaves on the rack above the steaming water and bake for about 25 minutes.

The crust will be very hard when you remove the bread, but in 5 minutes it will be soft and chewy.  To make the crust crisp and chewy, turn off the oven and leave the bread inside for an additional 5 minutes.

Grilled Chicken, Artichokes and Orzo

Chicken grilled, artichokes boiled then grilled and served with clarified butter and aioli and orzo with mushrooms.


Artichoke instructions are from Cat Cora but I made aioli by starting with mayonnaise and adding some lemon juice, red pepper flakes and a garlic clove mashed into a paste with some coarse salt. left out the capers because Charlie and Cassie don't like them. It was good.  Grilling the artichokes didn't add much if any flavor.  I think steamed artichokes will be good for the next time. Cutting them in half and scooping out the inedible heart was a good idea.

Orzo cooked according to package directions, but with chicken stock,  drained, added to a skillet with mushrooms already cooked in butter and tossed over heat to combine. Needed salt.  There wasn't enough salt in the chicken stock.

Chicken breasts store bought already seasoned and ready to grill.

Instructions

1. Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill. 

2. To make the aioli, combine the egg yolks, garlic, and lemon juice in a blender or food processor. Process at medium-high speed to blend, then very slowly add the oil in a thin stream through the pouring tube while the machine is running. When the mixture has thickened, turn off the machine, add the chilies, capers, salt, and pepper, and pulse until well mixed. If the aioli is too thick, add a little water. Refrigerate while the artichokes are cooking. 

3. Fill a stockpot halfway with water and add the 2 tablespoons salt and the lemon halves. Bring to a boil. Add the artichokes, cover, and cook for 35 minutes. When ready, a large leaf should come off easily when gently pulled. Drain and let cool. 

4. Cut the artichokes in half lengthwise and scoop out the center choke (the fuzzy section and the purple leaves). Rub 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice on each side of the halved artichokes. Sprinkle all with the 2 teaspoons salt and the pepper. Place the artichokes on the grill, cut side down, and grill for 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and grill for 1 minute longer. 

5. To serve, place the artichokes on individual plates. Spoon the aioli into small ramekins and give an individual serving to each guest, or set one big bowl of aioli on the table and let everyone dip in.

Ingredients

* 2 Egg Yolks
* 1 Clove Garlic (minced)
* 2 Teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice
* 2¼ Cup Light Olive Oil
* 1 Tablespoon Oil-Packed Calabrian Chilies (chopped, roasted; or 2 or 3 Red Chilies)
* 1 Teaspoon Capers (drained)
* 2 Tablespoon Kosher Salt (plus 3 tsp)
* 1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
* 1 Lemon, Halved (plus 3 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice)
* 3 Large Artichokes (½ inch of woody stem removed, but the rest remaining)
* 6 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

For Valentine's Day: Chocolate Raspberry Torte.

Really rich and chocolately.. No flour

Chocolate Raspberry Torte          12 servings

1 cup unsalted butter

1 pound semisweet chocolate ( 4 bars of Ghirardelli)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch processed is best.. used Droste 

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon almond extract

6 eggs, separated and at room temperature

TOPPING

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam 1 12oz jar Smucker's 

3 cups fresh raspberries -Takes 3 packages

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a 10-inch round cake pan, line bottom with parchment paper, spray oil on the parchment and dust with flour. Over low heat, melt butter with chocolate. Remove from heat. Combine sugar with cocoa and whisk into chocolate. Whisk in sour cream, extract and egg yolks.

In a separate bowl, whip egg whites to soft peaks and fold into chocolate one third at a time. Turn mixture into cake pan, set it in a large roasting pan, and pour in enough hot water to go 1 inch up sides of cake pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 40 to 50 minutes; the center will appear soft and the sides firm. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Refrigerate cake overnight.

The next day, remove cake from pan. Invert a plate on top, then flip pan over. Peel off parchment paper. Spread raspberry jam over top, then smother with raspberries. To make clean slices, use a knife warmed in hot water, then dried with a towel; clean knife and repeat for each slice.