Chicken Paprikash

Made this earlier in 2013 and only now am getting around to printing and publishing the recipe. Feedback is welcome, because I can't remember anything but that the dish turned out well.

Chicken  Paprikash

Serves 4

8 small chicken thighs (2 ¼ pounds total), rinsed and patted dry

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium onions, finely chopped

½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste

2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, drained

½ cup low-sodium chicken stock or water

1 ½ teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon water

3 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Remove chicken skin and reserve.
2. Heat olive oil in 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until hot. Add skin and cook until it renders about ¼ cup fat. Remove skin with a slotted spoon and discard.
3. Add onions and salt to pot, increase heat to moderately high, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if necessary, until onions are tender but not browned, about 5 minutes.
4. Add paprika and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
5. Stir in tomatoes and chicken stock. Add chicken. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Uncover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is just cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes more.
7. Stir flour into 1 tablespoon water. Then stir this mixture into pot.
8. Simmer, stirring until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Season with salt to taste. Sprinkle servings with parsley.

NOTE:  Serve over egg noodles or rice with additional sour cream on     side.

Five boneless chicken thighs weigh about 1 pound.

Cinnamon Roll Custard Oats

You probably know I regularly participate in a couple monthly blog events.  Both of these events expose me to new food blogs, and who doesn't enjoy perusing new blogs?  ;-)

Taste & Create is a fun one, (created by my friend Nicole who passed the torch to me when she opened her own bakery/cafe in Germany), in which participants are randomly partnered up and tasked with creating a recipe from each other's blog.  (click the link above and email me at cowgirlmin07[at]gmail[dot]com if you'd like to join us!)


The Secret Recipe Club is interesting too, participants are assigned blogs and make recipes, but there are no partners, everyone is in sort of a daisy-chain of food.  (click on the logo at the bottom of this post to get on the list for this one)

This month, the blog I was assigned for Secret Recipe Club was:

Fit Mama Real Food

One look at Heather's blog was all it took for me to realize I really wanted to try one of her "custard oats" recipes.  But which one??  Well, I decided to try her Cinnamon Roll Custard Oats out on my boys, who LOVE the oatmeal that I make for them.  I love custard, I love oats, I love cinnamon rolls!

I'm sorry to say the boys did not love this oatmeal. I didn't have any cream cheese, and since they usually don't have toppings, I didn't add any.  I don't know whether that would have made a difference.  It was plenty sweet, they usually like a bit of brown sugar on top of oatmeal but they didn't ask for any of that either.  I guess when you have a winner for before-school breakfast, you just need to stick with it!

As for me, I really enjoyed the flavor, but there was a texture issue.  (this is no one's fault, I have trouble eating an entire container of yogurt b/c of the texture!)  Number One isn't an oatmeal fan from the start, so he didn't try it.  I may play with this recipe more and see what happens, or try one of Heather's other variations.  I am still intrigued by the whole idea!!  If you try it, let me know what you think!

*Incidentally, I doubled the recipe below and had more than enough oatmeal for the three of us, so just keep that in mind.*

Cinnamon Roll Custard Oats
from Fit Mama Real Food
Serves 1

1/2 cup oats
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup milk or water *(I was running low on milk, so I used half & half and water in equal measure)
1 egg
heaping 1/16th tsp sea salt

Toppings: 1 tbsp cream cheese mixed with 1/2 tsp maple syrup, walnuts and raisins

In a small pot over medium heat add all ingredients except the toppings. Whisk together and continue to whisk every 2 or so minutes as the oats cook. (lower heat and whisk more if the oats start bubbling and splattering)  Once thickened up, about 5 minutes or so, remove and top with cream cheese frosting, walnuts and raisins if desired.

 

MARINATED MOZZARELLA BITES

Among other things my daughter and I brought to a 2013 community Thanksgiving potluck was this appetizer.

Marinated  Mozzarella  Bites

Serves 8

¾ cup good-quality olive oil

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, thyme, oregano, and parsley

1 teaspoon black or rainbow peppercorns

2 bay leaves

Peel from half a lemon, thinly sliced

Splash of sherry, red wine, or balsamic vinegar

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

1 pound drained whole bocconcini, whole ciliegine, or other fresh mozzarella cut in large bite-sized pieces

1. Heat olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until bubbling gently. Then remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

2. Stir in herbs, peppercorns, lemon slices, and bay leaves.

3. Add sherry, red wine, or vinegar. Add red pepper flakes. Add salt to taste

4. Put the mozzarella in an airtight container and pour the olive oil mixture over the cheese.

5. Refrigerate and allow to marinate up to two weeks but at least overnight. Stir occasionally if cheese is not completely covered by marinade.

6. Bring to room temperature before serving.

NOTE: Can be served alone or can be served on an antipasto platter with cured meats, marinated artichokes, roasted pepper, olives, and crusty bread. On you can put a chunk or ball of drained cheese between a cherry tomato and a pitted Kalamata olive on a toothpick for a beautiful and delicious appetizer.

Feta or goat cheese can be substituted for mozzarella. 

Wendy's Pumpkin Walnut Bread

'Tis the season! Made a half-recipe tonight. Turned out so well that I'm sorry I didn't have enough pumpkin in my pantry to make a full batch.

Making half a batch left me enough batter to make a couple of mini loaves in addition to a 9x5-inch loaf. Use your judgment. If you do find you have extra batter, you could bake it as muffins probably for 25 to 30 minutes.

Wendy’s  Pumpkin  Walnut  Bread

Serves 16

1 1 /2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

1 29-ounce can or 2 15-ounce cans pumpkin

3 cups granulated sugar

1 1/3 cups vegetable oil

1 1/3 cups water

4 large eggs

Zest of 2 oranges

1 tablespoon baking soda

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour

4 cups all-purpose flour

1. In large dry skillet, toast walnuts on stove over medium heat just until you can smell them.

2. In large bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, water, eggs, and orange zest. Stir until well-combined.

3. Stir baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves through small strainer into bowl. Add toasted walnuts. Stir until evenly distributed.

4. Add whole-wheat flour and stir just until combined.

5. Add all-purpose flour and stir just until combined.

6. Distribute batter between three greased 8x4-inch loaf pans or between two greased 9x5-inch loaf pans or between about 15 greased mini loaf pans.

7. Bake loaves in 350°F. oven for 60 to 75 minutes for larger loaves or about 35 minutes for mini loaves. Remove from oven when loaves pass toothpick test.

8. Transfer pans to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before removing loaves from pans to rack to cool completely.

NOTE: If using lots of mini loaf pans, place them on baking sheet to ease handling.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

I thought I'd tell you:  I regularly participate in a couple monthly blog events.  

Taste & Create is a fun one, (created by my friend Nicole who passed the torch to me when she opened her own bakery/cafe in Germany), in which participants are randomly partnered up and tasked with creating a recipe from each other's blog.  (click the link above and email me at cowgirlmin07[at]gmail[dot]com if you'd like to join us!)


The Secret Recipe Club is interesting too, participants are assigned blogs and make recipes, but there are no partners, everyone is in sort of a daisy-chain of food.  (click on the logo at the bottom of this post to get on the list for this one)

This month, the blog I was assigned for Secret Recipe Club was:

On The Move-In The Galley

I was initially tempted by Dee's various apple recipes...Apple Pie Swedish Pancakes led to Apple and Walnut Coffee Cake and Apple Skillet Pancake and
Apple Almond Crostata and...and...and...

Somehow, I ran across this recipe for a savory, spicy little treat called Jalapeño Three-Cheese Swirls.  And at that moment, I had chosen.  Or so I thought!

When I had gathered the ingredients and the time came to make the Jalapeño Swirls, I clicked over to Dee's pizza dough recipe, where I stumbled across THIS. 

I've been wanting to make Soft Pretzels for years, and never bit the bullet.  The Time Is NOW.

I was really intrigued with the sausage-wrapped pretzel option, but I'm all out of sausages of any sort.  Next time.  For now, I'm just going with a classic Soft Pretzel.  And I am SO EXCITED!!!

The dough is super easy to mix up.  The trickiest part is getting the pretzels OUT of the simmering water...I used a slotted spoon, but was wishing for a flatter utensil which must be down at the ranch!  Take it from me, tongs definitely do NOT work!  ;-)

The other tip I would add:  roll the pretzel "snakes" long and skinny, then form.  We shaped ours not taking into account the rising they would do, so they turned out more like rolls than a classic pretzel.  Not that I'm complaining!

For some reason our first pan also came out a lot lighter than Dee's...I baked the second pan a few minutes longer, and they browned right up.  I may actually prefer the lighter, softer pretzels as opposed to the crunch of the darker pretzels.  I think I'll need to keep making and eating more pretzels to "perfect" this recipe!  ;-)  Delicious with a dab of Dijon!  Can't wait to try them with sausage inside.

  

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Recipe adapted from On The Move, via Growing Up Gabel

1 cup warm water
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon salt
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
 

12 cups water
¼ cup baking soda
 

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon water
Coarse salt, to taste

In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, and sugar.  Add 1 cup flour.  Add in oil and salt and 1 more cup of flour. Stir to combine.

Add enough flour to make a smooth, elastic dough, slightly tacky is fine. (At this point, I hadn't realized that the "enough flour" was about 2 3/4 cups, so I think I only used about 1 additional cup--it seemed to match the smooth, elastic, slightly tacky description...Fingers crossed!)  Knead dough a few times in the bowl.  Cover bowl and let dough rise until doubled (about 1 hour).

Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees. Grease baking sheets. (I used parchment paper instead)

Bring the 12 cups of water to a boil in a large stock pot. SLOWLY add in baking soda (slowly to minimize foaming). Keep water simmering.

Gently punch down dough and divide in to 6 or 12 pieces (depending on size of pretzel you want).

Roll each piece of dough out to an 12-18″ rope. Shape in to pretzel shape and pinch ends to close up. OR, use a dough rope to wrap up a link or smaller piece of sausage, encasing it completely and pinching the ends to secure. Repeat with remaining dough and sausages.

Boil each pretzel for 10-15 seconds, making sure all sides are boiled.  Place pretzels on greased baking sheets, 1 inch apart.  Cover pretzels and let rest for 5 minutes.

Whisk together egg yolk and water and then brush on top of pretzels. Sprinkle salt on pretzels.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Clam Chowder Darling

After a bad experience with restaurant clam chowder on Friday, I dug out a tried-and-true recipe for Monday's dinner at home. Here it is with thanks to Renny Darling and The Joy of Eating.

Clam  Chowder  Darling

Serves 4

8 strips of bacon, optional

4 medium-sized red potatoes, peeled and finely chopped

3 tablespoons butter or bacon fat

2 small onions, very finely chopped

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 6-ounce cans minced clams, undrained

2 cups bottled clam juice

1 teaspoon dried basil

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup heavy cream at room temperature

1 cup regular whipping cream at room temperature

Salt and white pepper to taste

Parsley, snipped, for garnish

1. If using bacon, sauté bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Then transfer to a double thickness of paper towels to drain.

2. Boil chopped potatoes in water for about 4 minutes. Use 4- or 5-quart pan, but only use as much water as you need. When finished, drain potatoes and remove from pan. Wipe pan dry to use for next step.

3. Melt butter or bacon fat in the same pan used for the potatoes.

4. Sauté onions on medium heat until tender.

5. Stir in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes.

6. Crumble the cooked bacon into the pot. Also add undrained clams, clam juice, basil, thyme, heavy cream, regular cream, and cooked potatoes.

7. Bring to a gentle simmer. Gently simmer for about 10 minutes.

8. Season with salt and white pepper.

9. Serve hot with a bit of snipped parsley sprinkled on the top.

Pumpkin Streusel Bread

(marks on top are from turning out onto rack)

I saw a recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Walnut Bread floating around facebook the other day.  Since I've learned the hard way not to trust "recipes" on facebook, I tracked down an original version from 2009 by Joy the Baker.  I was fully prepared to follow the vegan recipe, but then I decided I just didn't want to.  There is no reason at all for me to forgo eggs and butter and dairy products, especially when the tradeoff is a cup or two of vegetable oil.  I asked in a comment what the substitutions would be...to get the recipe back from vegan.  Well, that was four days ago and I'm still waiting for an answer.  (I know the post is four years old, but still!  Don't I try to answer all your comments here, no matter how old the post?)  Anyway, I do hope I get an answer some day but I just couldn't wait any longer! 

So I did some more searching.  Shell has a recipe on here for Pumpkin Bread.  I found several other recipes around the internet too, each calling for different ingredients (sour cream, milk, oil, butter, etc.) and different spices in different proportions.  I decided to pick and choose the ingredients I wanted and equalize the proportions to make two loaves of pumpkin bread.  I also naturally wanted to use my own roasted pumpkin puree that I had in the freezer.  (directions for roasting pumpkin are within my Fresh Pumpkin Pie post--which the boys requested when they saw the pumpkin thawing!)  Unfortunately I didn't have walnuts, so I went with a streusel topping instead.  Next time I will definitely add walnuts along with the streusel topping, so they are listed below. 

This recipe worked perfectly for me!  I have two beautiful loaves of Pumpkin Streusel Bread cooling right now, although the boys have tasted it and proclaimed it delicious.  The bread is tender and the texture is just right.  I'll definitely be making this one again, and I'm so glad I have two whole loaves!  Okay, a loaf and a half...

 

Pumpkin Streusel Bread

makes 2 loaves

4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground ginger (I am out of ginger at the moment, but I fully intend to add it next time)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar

4 large eggs

4 cups fresh roasted pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 tablespoon lemon juice + milk to equal 1 cup)

2 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Streusel topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°F.

Butter two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans.

 Stir dry ingredients together in a medium bowl, set aside. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light, about 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually beat in brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla.

Whisk sour cream and buttermilk in small bowl. Beat flour and sour cream mixtures alternately into batter in 2 additions each. Fold in 2 1/2 cups of nuts. Spoon batter equally into pans; smooth tops.

For streusel topping, stir together flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon.  Cut in butter, stir in walnuts.  Sprinkle tops of loaves with streusel topping. Bake bread until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Loosen edges with a butter knife, turn out onto rack and cool.

Kaali Daal (Creamy Black Lentils)

My latest favorite recipe, modified from an Indian cookbook my teenage son gave me for Christmas a few years ago.

Kaali  Daal  (Creamy  Black  Lentils)

Serves 6 to 8

1 ½ cups (12 ounces) whole black lentils, soaked 6 to 24 hours

½ cup (4 ounces) split red lentils, rinsed

Water

1 cup heavy cream

7 to 8 ounces plain Greek yogurt, preferably Fage Total

2 teaspoons cornstarch

4 tablespoons ghee, vegetable oil, or butter, or a combination, divided

2 onions, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

6 to 8 serrano or jalapeño peppers, seeded, pithed, and diced

5-inch piece of fresh ginger, finely grated with microplane

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon or more salt, divided

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

Cilantro leaves for garnish

Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream for garnish

1. Drain the black lentils and place in heavy 5-quart pan with the rinsed red lentils. Add water to pan until it is about 1 inch above lentils.

2. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover pan, and simmer until lentils are tender, approximately 1½ hours. Check occasionally to make sure the pot is simmering. If water seems low, add a cup of water.

3. Meanwhile, in medium-sized bowl, mix together cream, yogurt, and cornstarch. Set aside.

4. In small frying pan, heat remaining 1 tablespoon ghee over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds and stir until fragrant but not burnt. Set aside.

5. When lentils are done, drain some of the cooking water, leaving about a cup. The lentils then may be mashed, partially mashed, or neither. Set lentils aside to cool.

6. Heat three tablespoons of ghee in wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Sauté onion, garlic, tomatoes, chilies, and ginger until onion is soft.

7. To onions, add turmeric, chili powder, ground cumin, and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook over medium heat 2 minutes.

8. When lentils have cooled to close to room temperature, stir in toasted cumin seeds.

9. Stir in cream mixture until well-combined

10. Stir in sautéed onion mixture.

11. Stir in 2 teaspoons or more salt to taste.

12. Warm daal over medium heat without allowing it to boil.

13. Serve in bowls and, if desired, place a dollop of yogurt or sour cream on top and a few cilantro leaves.

BRUSCHETTA CHICKEN BAKE

I cannot remember where I found this recipe originally, but it was a good fall/winter night type dish so I filed it and finally tried it with a few modifications.  Hubs loved it and I will be making it again!

BRUSCHETTA CHICKEN BAKE

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1 can diced tomatoes with garlic & herbs, undrained

1 package Chicken Stove Top Stuffing

1 KNORR chicken bouillon gel tub

1 cup hot water

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Gourmet Garden Basil paste

4 slices or 1 cup grated  mozzarella cheese

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Whisk together hot water, bouillon tub, garlic and basil paste until well blended.
• In a mixing bowl mix together the stuffing mix, tomatoes and bouillon mixture until stuffing is moistened.
• In a 9x9 baking dish sprayed with PAM, layer evenly first the chicken, then the cheese and topped with the stuffing mixture.
• Bake 45 minutes - chicken will be cooked through and stuffing will be beginning to crust.
• Cut it like a lasagna and serve with salad.

S'mores Brownies

This month, the blog I was assigned for Secret Recipe Club was:

Smells Like Brownies

Originally I was planning to make Melissa's Peach Ice Cream, but I was going to make it with apricots since my tree was producing a ton and my peach tree wasn't ripe yet.  I didn't get around to it quickly enough, and before I knew it my apricots were no longer in season.  Peaches still aren't in season around here.

So I decided to search for a brownie recipe.  For obvious reasons.  ;-)

I didn't get past the very first brownie recipe in the category before my mind was made up:

S'mores Brownies.

The bottom brownie recipe is a bit fussy, but goes together quickly and turns out delicious!  Easier if you have all your ingredients ready to whisk in ahead of time.  Next time, I will sprinkle the chocolate chips on brownies before adding the marshmallows and graham crackers so they melt a bit more.

The brownies were a hit!  Everyone loved them!

S’mores Brownies

originally adapted from The Science of Good Cooking
makes 24

Brownie Ingredients:
⅓ cup cocoa powder
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water
2 oz. unsweetened Baker’s chocolate, finely chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons. vanilla extract
2½ cups sugar
1¾ cups flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
½ cup mini marshmallows (optional)

Topping Ingredients:
3 cups mini marshmallows
5 graham crackers, broken
½ cup milk chocolate chips

Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13ʺx9ʺ pan with foil and grease the foil.

 Whisk cocoa and boiling water together in a large bowl until smooth. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk unto chocolate is melted. Whisk in oil and melted butter (mixture may look curdled).

Add the eggs, yolks, and vanilla. Continue to whisk until smooth and homogenous. Whisk in the sugar until fully incorporated.

With a rubber spatula, stir in the flour and salt. Fold in the milk chocolate chips and marshmallows, if using.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

Bake 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.

Meanwhile, combine the marshmallows and the graham crackers in a medium bowl.

Pull the brownies out of the oven and sprinkle the marshmallow mixture evenly over the surface. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the marshmallows.

Return the brownies to the oven and bake another 10–15 minutes, until the marshmallows are puffed and golden.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil liner. Set them back on the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Cut into squares and serve.