Chicken thighs two ways

 I planned to make some chicken thighs that Charlie said he made when he was living in Seattle. It is an easy recipe. He just dumped a can of mushroom soup over some chicken and baked them.  I mix Cream of Chicken soup with sour cream and add some onion soup powder.  This morning Charlie told me he found a chicken teriyaki restaurant here that tastes the same as it did on the West Coast and brough home a bottle of the sauce.  So while the dump chicken was in the oven, I grilled the rest of the thighs with the sauce.  We had both. I wasn't very hungry and just had a taste of each

Dump Chicken

1 can of Cream of Chicken soup, undiluted

2 Cups of sour cream

1 package of Knoors French Onion soup,  Sprinkle with paprika.

Place chicken in baking dish, dump

 mixture over and bake at 350 until done (165º)  Sprinkle with lemon zest and serve with rice

Teriyaki chicken, brush with teriyaki sauce and grill until done.

 

Dinner today was grilled steaks, roasted potatoes and strawberries with angle food cake.

Roasted potatoes:  Peel and cut potaoes into thirds.  Boil in salted water 5 min. Let sit and steam dry, add salt and pepper and coat with oil. Bade @ 400º 20 minutes, turn and cook another 20 min or until browned and crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside.

American-Irish dinner on THE day.

 

I wanted to vary somewhat from the   St Patrick's Day dinner I usually make.  I made Irish roasted potatoes instead of boiled and cabbage fritters instead of boiled.  I made Irish Soda Scones instead of Irish Soda Bread.  The corned beef was brined for 4 weeks instead of my usual 1 1/to 2 week.  It made it a little saltier than usual. I won't do that again but the Brisket was on sale in Feb. and I didn't won't to take a chance that it would go up as it usually does in March.  The butter in Irish Whisky Butter and the stuff in the tea cups is Irish pot de créme. 

Homemade Corned Beef 

Here, the traditional Irish meal of corned beef and cabbage is supplemented with turnips, carrots, and boiled potatoes. Serve it with a loaf of freshly baked Irish soda bread.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 8.

• FOR THE BRINE

• 2 quarts water

• 1 cup coarse salt

• 1 tablespoon pink curing salt

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed

• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, crushed

• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

• 1 cinnamon stick, crushed

• 4 dried bay leaves, crushed

• 8 whole cloves

• FOR THE CORNED BEEF

• 5 pounds flat-cut beef brisket

• 1 medium onion, halved

• 1 medium celery stalk, halved

• 1 medium carrot, peeled, halved

• 1 pound baby turnips, peeled, trimmed

• 1 pound baby carrots, peeled, trimmed

• 1 medium head cabbage, cut into 8 wedges

• 1 pound small red potatoes

• Dijon mustard, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the brine: Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add salts, sugar, and spices; remove from heat, and stir until salts and sugar dissolve. Let cool.

2. Make the corned beef: Place brisket in a nonreactive container just large enough to hold it. Pour cooled brine over meat. Place 2 small plates on top to keep meat submerged; cover, and refrigerate for 2 weeks.

3. Rinse brisket; discard brine. Place in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Add onion, celery, and halved carrot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Cabbage Fritter "Batter"  

• 16 oz shredded cabbage
• 2 med-small carrots - grated
• 1 medium onion
• 3 large eggs
• 4-5 tbsp flour - see notes for gluten free or grain free
• 2 cloves garlic - minced

Seasonings

• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper - ground
• 1/2 tsp paprike - or smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp coriander - ground, optional
• 3-4 tbsp fat for frying - ghee or oil of your choice

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare the ingredients (wash and cut)

• Shred the cabbage  or chop fine (for fine uniform shreds). You will need 16 oz, about 7 packed cups. Or about 1/3 of a medium head of cabbage.
  
• Thinly slice  onion.
  
• Grate the carrots with a box grater.
  
• Mince the garlic .
  

Combine all the ingredients

• In a large bowl add all prepared ingredients and toss lightly to combine and coat everything with egg. You can use your hands. 
  
  Don’t use force while mixing, you don’t want to draw too much water from the cabbage.
  
• Note: The cabbage mixture might look like a slaw at first, without much hope for sticking together, but don’t worry, the fritters will hold together once fried. 
  

Shape the cabbage fritters and fry

Note, make cakes small so you can turn them easily with a spatula.

Irish Soda Scones

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter 
• 1/2 cup dried currants 
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds 
• 1 cup cold buttermilk 
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar 
• 2 tablespoons whole milk 
• 1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

Directions

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, and salt.
  
  Step 2 Cut butter into small pieces; work into flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter until dough resembles coarse meal. Add currants, caraway seeds, and buttermilk; stir until just combined.
  
  Step 3 Scoop 1/3 cup-size mounds of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced 3 inches apart. Bake until bottoms are golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on sheet.
  
  Step 4 Meanwhile, combine confectioners' sugar, milk, and orange zest. Drizzle over scones; serve.

• Irish Pots de Crème 

Irish Pots de Crème is the ultimate in simplicity and luxurious chocolate taste, taking less than 5 minutes to put together.

Prep Time 5 mins Cooling in Refrigerator 2 hrs Total Time 2 hrs 5 mins 

Ingredients

• 1 cup (6-ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips (See Tip 1)
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 large egg, room temperature (See Tip 2)
• 3 Tablespoons Irish Cream Liqueur (See Tips 3 and 4)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (8-ounces) heavy cream (See Tip 5)

Instructions

• 1. Place chocolate chips, sugar and salt in blender. Process on low for 30 seconds or until chocolate is finely ground. (See Tip 6)
  2. Add egg, Irish Cream Liqueur and vanilla extract. Process on low for 10 seconds or until well mixed.
  3. Heat cream over medium-high heat until just before it reaches a full rolling boil; it should be bubbling vigorously around the edges, with larger bubbles rippling across the interior. The temperature should be at least 205°F. (See Tip 7)
  4. Remove center of blender top; replace center with a small funnel. (See Tip 8)
  5. Turn on blender to low speed. Allow to run for about 10 seconds. Slowly add the hot cream. Increase the speed to high and process for 30 seconds more or until mixture is creamy smooth.
  6. Pour mixture into cups. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the mixture to set. (See Tip 9)
  7. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream. Yield 4 to 6 servings. (See Tip 10)
  Notes

1. I used Ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips. However, for a less intense flavor, you could use semi-sweet chocolate chips.
2. To quickly bring an egg to room temperature, let it sit in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. For variety, you could use Grand Marnier, Kahlúa, Chambord or Godiva Chocolate Liqueur in place of the Irish Cream Liqueur.
4. You can omit the liqueur if you like. Just add an additional 3 tablespoons of heavy cream.
5. You can use half and half in place of the heavy cream.
6. May use a food processor instead of a blender.
7. I've tried heating the cream in the microwave. However, it tends to bubble up too much and make a mess!
8. The funnel makes it super easy to add liquid to the blender without making a mess. Also, it minimizes the blender ingredients from spewing everywhere!
9. May be made in advance and refrigerated for 3 to 4 days.
10. For the most intense flavor, remove from refrigerator 30 to 40 minutes before serving. Garnish just before serving.

Irish Whisky butter

dissolve 1 Tbsp of sugar in 3 T. Irish Whisky while butter is softening. Add whisky to butter and blend together with hand held beater.

 Italian breaded Pork Chops

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 
• 4 pork chops
• Directions
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).
• In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. In a separate small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and parsley.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook until lightly browned. Remove garlic, reserving for other uses.
  
  Dip each pork chop into the egg mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating evenly. Place coated pork chops in the skillet, and brown abut 5 minutes on each side.
  
  Place the skillet and pork chops in the preheated oven, and cook 25 minutes, or to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

Asparagus was steamed seasoned with butter & salt

Gravy was flour, butter, hot chicken broth, a dash if cream & salt, pepper, nutmeg and some Cajun seasoning... not much though

we also had dinner rolls and Irish whisky butter. It was made for Friday but there is plenty 

Mashed Potatoes were instant..Saving potatoes for Friday.  I chose Pork Chops today because they are cheap compared to steak and St. Paddy's day will be expensive.

Chicken and dumplings and chicken salad

I got a large stewing hen for chicken and dumplings, cut off the legs and thighs and used the rest of the chicken to make chicken broth with onions, carrots and celery.  It made a lot more than I needed and I froze the rest.  I cooked the chicken thighs and legs with regular chicken thighs,  in the broth instead of the water in the recipe. The chicken left over after the broth was made was was used to make chicken salad.  I used Ree Drummond recipe as a start but made some changes.  I used up some Japanese style mayo and Dukes mayo instead half mayo and half  yoghurt, and added some apricot jam instead of grapes.  

Chicken and Dumplings

ALISON ROMAN YIELD 6 serving  TIME  2 hours

Heartier than chicken soup, this classic comfort dish is decidedly more stew like, thanks to a golden-brown roux, a densely flavored chicken broth, and, of course, the dumplings. Think of them as a biscuit meeting a matzo ball: fluffy little clouds made from a quick mixture of flour, baking powder, buttermilk, butter and an egg for springiness. They’re cooked right on top of the chicken stew, partly poaching and partly steaming.

FOR THE CHICKEN: 

• 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 6 medium carrots (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more as needed
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced

FOR THE DUMPLINGS AND ASSEMBLY:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ½ cup parsley, tender leaves and stems, finely chopped (optional)
• ¼ cup chives, finely chopped (optional)

PREPARATION

1. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches if needed, sear chicken, skin-side down, until deeply golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Flip chicken and continue to cook until it is browned on the other side, another 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer chicken to a large plate, and pour off all fat into a measuring cup. (You should have about 5 tablespoons, depending on the fattiness of the chicken.)
2. Leaving all the browned bits in the pot, return 2 tablespoons of fat to the pot. Add onions, celery and half the carrots. Season with salt and pepper and cook on medium heat, stirring to scrape up all the bits on the bottom of the pot. Cook until vegetables start to soften, about 4 minutes or so. Return chicken to the pot along with thyme and 8 cups of water. Simmer, uncovered, until chicken is completely tender and liquid has reduced by about 1/4, about 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Transfer chicken to a plate or cutting board to cool. Strain the stock (you should have about 5 cups; if you have less, you can add water to make up the difference) and wipe out the pot.
4. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons chicken fat along with 1 tablespoon butter (if you don’t have enough chicken fat, use enough butter to equal 4 tablespoons of fat) over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and stir constantly until it’s all a pale golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Slowly whisk in reserved chicken stock until no lumps remain (it will thicken considerably at first) and bring to a boil. Add leeks and remaining carrots, season with salt and pepper and lower the heat to simmer.
6. Remove and discard the skin and bones from the chicken. Shred the meat and add to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is nicely thickened and carrots and leeks are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
7. Make the dumplings: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg and add to dry ingredients, followed by melted butter. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir just to combine. (Do not overmix.)
8. Using a spoon, drop generous quarter-size dollops of the dumpling dough into the pot (they should just sit right on top; they will not sink), spacing them apart as much as possible (it’s O.K. if they touch). Cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Cook, undisturbed, until the dumplings are puffed and totally cooked through, 18 to 22 minutes. (Test a dumpling by cutting it in half; it should look slightly biscuity, but with no raw bits of dough. If it needs more time, continue to cook.)
9. Remove lid and divide among bowls; sprinkle with parsley and chives, if using.

 Chicken Salad

By Ree Drummond  May 27, 2021

This is chicken salad the way I like it. The great thing about this recipe is you can use the steps and ingredients as a basis for your own unique recipe, adding and subtracting whatever makes your skirt fly up. 

YIELDS:6 servings PREP TIME: 0 hours 20 mins COOK TIME:1 hour 0 mins TOTAL TIME:1 hour 20 mins

Ingredients

1 whole cut up fryer chicken

2 stalks (to 3 stalks) celery, chopped

3 whole green onions, chopped

2 c. (to 3 cups) grapes, halved

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1/2 c. plain yogurt or sour cream

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp. (to 2 tablespoons) brown sugar

Kosher salt to taste

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Small handful of fresh dill, minced

Cayenne pepper, to taste

1/2 c. slivered almonds

Directions

-Rinse chicken thoroughly and place in a large pot of water.  Turn on the heat and bring to a boil

-Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is done-(about 45 minutes to 1 hour.) Remove from pot and pull the meat off the bones and  chop into bite sized pieces.

-Chop all fruits and vegetable and place in bowl with chicken

.

-In another bowl, mix mayo, yogurt, lemon juice, brown sugar; salt and pepper to taste.

Bahn mi sandwiches

Banh Mi

 

"This version of the popular Vietnamese bahn mi sandwich has sweet and tangy pickled vegetables and broiled chicken breast, served on a toasted French baguette."

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup carrot, cut into 1/16-inch-thick

matchsticks

1/4 cup white (daikon) radish, cut into 1

/16-inch-thick matchsticks

1/4 cup thinly sliced white onion

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half

garlic salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

1 (12 inch) French baguette

4 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/4 cup thinly sliced cucumber

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves

1 small jalapeno pepper - seeded and cut

into 1/16-inch-thick matchsticks

1 wedge lime

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Place rice vinegar, water, and sugar into a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil, and stir until the sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute. Allow the mixture to cool.

2.

Pour the cooled vinegar mixture over the carrot, radish, and onion in a bowl, and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes. Drain off the excess vinegar mixture after the vegetables have marinated.

3.

While the vegetables are marinating, preheat the oven's broiler, and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Lightly oil a slotted broiler pan.

4.

Sprinkle the chicken breast with garlic salt and pepper, and broil on slotted broiler pan, turning once, until the center of the chicken breast is no longer pink and the surface has browned, about 6 minutes per side. Remove the broiled chicken, and slice into bite-size pieces.

5.

Slice the baguette in half the long way, and pull the center of the bread out of the baguette halves, leaving a cavity for the filling. Place the baguette halves under the broiler to lightly toast, 2 to 3 minutes.

6.

To assemble the bahn mi sandwich, spread each half of the toasted baguette with mayonnaise, and fill the cavity of the bottom half of the bread with broiled chicken, cucumber slices, pickled carrot, onion, and radish, cilantro leaves, and jalapeno pepper. Squeeze a wedge of lime over the filling, and top with the other half of the baguette.