Best Oven Baked Drummers

FAVORITE SO FAR. I'm serious. 

All of us loved this and agreed that we could maybe have eaten three of them. Jack loves drumsticks. I've never known how to cook them because each time I have them they are KFC style- or in buffalo wing form. So I found this great recipe and it is a new family favorite. Good with ANY vegetable. 

Yield: 4

Ingredients

• 2lbs Raw chicken drumsticks
• ¼ cup avocado oil
• ½ tbsp. salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• ½ tbsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil
3. Brush chicken with oil on both sides
4. Sprinkle with sea salt both sides
5. Sprinkle all other ingredients on both sides (I shoved some under the skin.)
6. Bake 30 mins, turn over
7. Bake another 30 mins.

Sheet Pan Flank Steak

This is a very simple, inexpensive meal. The whole family enjoyed it. YAY! Success.

Ingredients

• 2 Pounds of Flank Steak
• 2 Pounds of Small Red or dutch Potatoes
• 2 Cups of Broccoli/Cauli
• 1 Medium Onion, sliced
• 4 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup of Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons of ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon of dried oregano
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to "high" in broil mode.
• Add cooking spray (or olive oil) to sheet pan.
• Separately boil the potatoes with salt for 20 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine 2 cloves of garlic, the olive oil, the cumin, the oregano, and salt and pepper. Mix well and add the broccoli, the onions, and boiled potatoes and then add to the sheet pan.
• Season the flank steak with pepper, salt, and the rest of the garlic, and cut into thin slices and add to the sheet pan.
• Cook in the broiler for 5 - 7 minutes and then flip the meat and continue cooking on broil for 5 - 7 more minutes until cooked to your desired level of doneness.

Chick-fil-A chicken!!

Can it be done? Yes, yes it can. And it's delicious.

Ingredients:

2-3 large organic chicken breasts (cubed)

PICKLE JUICE FROM A JAR.
(About 1 cup.)

1/2 C. Milk
1 egg, beaten

1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. Almond flour
1 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. Onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Avocado Oil for frying the chicken in.

Directions: 

Marinate your chicken  in the pickle juice in the fridge for at least 2 hours. When read to prepare, mix the wet ingredients (egg, cashew milk) in one bowl, and mix all the dry ingredients in another. Set bowls next to the stove so you can transfer chicken easily.

Drain chicken, then dip in the egg, then the flour and start frying. I fried on a medium heat, then transferred them to a rack to drip and cool.

Serve with sweet potato fries!!

Christmas Stollen

Christmas Stollen is a german treat that I made in 2014 on a whim. It was so delicious, and such a hit at my family Christmas party, that I make it every year now. I'm tired of tracking down my recipe through files on my computer so I've decided to put it here and share it with everyone.

German

Christmas

Stollen

Recipe adapted from various internet findings and developed by Lisa.

READ THROUGH ENTIRE RECIPE BEFORE BEGINNING

 Dough

·          2 1/4 cups flour (I did half all-purpose flour and half almond flour)

·          1/2 cup granulated sugar

·          1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

·          1/2 teaspoon salt*

·          1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) cold butter

·          1 cup ricotta cheese, part-skim milk type

·          1 large egg

·          1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·          1 1/2 teaspoons Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor*

·          3-4 drops of (doTerra) lemon oil

·          ¾ C dried cherries, chopped up

·          1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted and cooled ( I also chopped these a bit)

·          Candied orange peel (I made these, didn’t let them dry, chopped them while warm and threw them in.)

·          Almond Paste to line the inside (I got mine at Fresh Market)

·              *Truly- this stuff is amazing and I’ve never heard of it, but I found my buttery sweet dough flavoring at Orson Gygi, I also got my almond butter there.

   Topping

·               6 tablespoons butter, melted (to spread on top after baking)

·               3/4 cup confectioners' sugar (I did half powdered and half granulated)

 

Directions

      1. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.

      2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.  

      3. Cut the cold butter into small chunks, then blend it into the flour mixture to form uneven crumbs.

      4. In a separate bowl, mix together the cheese, egg, vanilla, and flavors.

      5. Toss the fruit and almonds with the flour mixture until evenly distributed. Then combine the wet and dry ingredients, mixing until most of the flour is moistened.

      6. Lightly flour your hands and separate dough into two balls.**

      7. Roll each piece of dough into an 8" x 7" oval about 1/2" thick. Line the inside with almond paste.  

      8. Fold each piece of dough roughly in half**, leaving the edge of the top half about 1/2" short of the edge of the bottom half. Use the edge of your hand to press the dough to seal about 1" in back of the open edge; this will make the traditional stollen shape. It's also the familiar Parker House roll shape, if you've ever made them.

      9. Place the shaped stollen on the prepared baking sheet.

     10. Bake the stollen till they're very lightly browned around the edges, about 40 minutes. A cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean.

     11.   Remove the stollen from the oven, and transfer to a rack. Brush them each with 2 to 3 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle heavily with confectioners' or non-melting white sugar.

     12.   Plastic-wrapped stollen will keep well for 2 weeks or so at room temperature.

     13.  Yield: two 1-lb. stollen loaves.

**MY dough was sticky, and they suggested “kneading it on a floured surface”- however mine would have stuck to everything. So I floured my hands and dumped a bit of flour over the dough in the bowl, then scooped out half and formed it into the rectangle on the parchment on the cookie sheet. After lining the inside with the almond paste, I picked up the side of the parchment paper closest to me and used it to fold the dough over the paste on top of itself. Then, I did the same with the other half, only formed it on a piece of parchment on the counter. After folding it over, I cut the extra parchment and placed the second stolen next to the one already on the cookie sheet so I could bake them together. J

 

 

                        

Turtle Bay for Life

Welcome, Deborah and Kim.

Yes, this post is for you, because no one looks at this blog unless I send them here :)

I'm going to put my latest Chili recipe on this post because it's fresh in my mind and the "old" chili recipe isn't what I made. Maybe go buy some Beano, and make this chili.

But other favorites on this site are my Chicken Picatta, Jaime Oliver's Chicken and Leek Stroganoff, and I always come here to get my chicken and dumplings recipe because it's soooo dang good and especially at this time of year.

Anyway. Have fun.

CHILI

1/2 lb ground beef (because that’s all I had)

Half an onion diced 

Half green pepper

Clove of garlic

1/2tsp of chili powder 

Sauté all that stuff with olive oil I til the beef is cooked. Then add:

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 can of kidney beans

1 can of black beans

1 can of garbanzo beans

1 can corn

1 “little can” of tomato sauce

1 can of tomato paste

1 TB of worstershire sauce 

1 TB of white wine vinegar

1 TB of balsamic vinegar

Another 1/2 tsp of chili powder

DASH of Cayenne pepper for heat

Salt and pepper to taste 

Simmer for 10 min 

Then I added a half cup of chicken broth because it was thick- and I wanted to loosen it up to simmer it more. 

Then serve with yummy sharp white cheddar. 

Spring Pea Soup

I got this recipe from my sister, who got it from.... I'm not sure. Maybe Food For Thought? Who knows. It doesn't matter. I love it and make it all the time, our whole family eats it up. I don't have a picture of the final, pureed product because I ended up rushing it over to a friend in need. But it's still green. GREAT for St. Patrick's Day..

Spring Pea Soup

2 Cans of chicken broth

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 package frozen peas

1 cup spinach leaves (I usually do two handfuls.)

1/2 cup heavy cream

White Pepper

Salt

Curry powder

In a pot, bring onions, broth and peas to a boil. Add spinach and cook till the spinach has wilted. Let cool for a minute then puree in a blender. Return to pot over medium heat and add cream, and seasonings to taste. If you want it thicker, you can add a small combination of water and flour- but it may slightly reduce flavor.

Aunt Linda's Mushroom Soup

I'm well aware that my aunt found this recipe somewhere and didn't invent it herself, but it will forever remind me of our cozy, Christmas party at her house where I fell in love with this soup.

I don't have an actual picture- it doesn't matter. It's not what it looks like that makes it appetizing. But here are some cutie mushrooms that will soon be soup:

Mushroom Soup

5 TB butter, divided
2 leeks, rinsed and chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
6 C chicken broth
2 tsp dill (dried is perfect)
2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 lbs of potatoes, peeled, rinsed and cubed
1 lb fresh mushrooms rinsed and sliced
1/2 C heavy cream
1/4 C flour

Melt 3 TB of the butter in a large sauce pan over med heat. Mix in leeks and carrots, cook for 5 minutes or until softened. 
Pour in the broth and season with dill, salt and pepper. Add bay leaf and potatoes and cover, cook for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. 
While that is cooking, saute the mushrooms in the rest of the butter and season with a bit of salt. Add the mushrooms to the soup and cook for another 5 minutes. In a small bowl mix the cream and the flour till smooth, stir it into the soup and serve very warm. 
Garnish with dill.

Chicken Pot Pie

My affection for chicken pot pie really made an appearance when I had a bite of Josh's when he ordered it at "Good Thymes Bistro" in Park City. The top was super flakey and the mess inside was different than most pot pies. They are usually yellowy, soupy and seem like a can of condensed soup. Now, that being said, this recipe has condensed soup in it, but it is the WHITE, CREAMY consistency that I was looking for, and achieved. Like so:

Now I have NEVER made pot pie before. So this was a risk altogether. And what I learned is this: dough does not rise when it is sitting on top of a moist, dense mixture. So although this puff pastry had the potential of being tall and flakey, it did not make it there for whatever reason. So if I were to make a change, it would be to bake the puff pastry SEPARATELY and then place it on top of the pie when the pie has about 5 min left. I had to turn the broiler on to get it crispy and even then, it was kind of the consistency of dumplings. Still good- but not what I was looking for. If anyone has suggestions on this, I'd love to hear them.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 1/2 lbs of skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1/2 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 pkg frozen peas

1 pkg frozen corn

2 carrots thinly chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Garlic salt*

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 package of puff pastry dough, (from the frozen section of the grocery store)**

Preheat oven to 400.

Unwrap the dough and let it defrost (about an hour will do.) While it is resting, put the sour cream, heavy cream, peas, corn and carrots into a bowl. Add the seasonings.

Spray a large skillet with non-stick spray or throw a pat of butter in. Stir in the chicken and the chopped onion, salt and pepper it a bit and cook through. Add the chicken mixture to the bowl of creamy vegetable mixture. Mix thoroughly. Spoon into a small casserole dish, 13X9 is fine..

*I added a clove of garlic to the chopped onions in replacement of the garlic salt.

OKAY- now this is what I did from this point, I cut stars out of the defrosted puff pastry and lined the dish with over-lapping layers and egg washed the pastry, and baked for 25-30 min. Again, it turned out fine, after broiling it a bit to get it cooked more, but here is what I would do instead...

**Follow the directions on the pastry box to cook the pastry BEFORE you cook the pot pie, cook it till it is ALMOST done, take it out and set aside. Put the pie in the oven and begin baking- when the pie is 5-10 mins before being done, take it out and add the pastry and finish baking.

I shouldn't give directions that I have not yet tried, but you better bet that this is the way I'll do it next time.

"Chocolate" Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

So I had my usual recipe for Pumpkin Bread lying around and gave it to a neighbor. Then, that neighbor posted on her facebook saying "Thank you Lisa for the Chocolate Pumpkin Bread recipe!"

Immediately following were many comments asking for the "Chocolate" pumpkin bread recipe, so I thought I should deliver.

"Chocolate" Pumpkin Bread

5 eggs
1 Big can of pumpkin
3 1/2 C. sugar
1 C. oil
1 C. applesauce
4 1/2 C. Flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. soda
4 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. cloves
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ginger
12 oz. chocolate chips

ADAPTATION to make it CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN BREAD:
12 MORE oz chocolate chips and 1/2 C. heavy cream.

Mix all wet ingredients, then in a saucepan over a warm heat, melt the chocolate chips* and cream together till smooth. SLOWLY pour into the pumpkin mixture and incorporate quickly as to temper the eggs... now your batter is chocolate pumpkin!

Then mix in all dry ingredients then the OTHER bag of chocolate chips and bake at 350. Small loaf pans call for 45-50min, and large loaf pans call for 60-70 min. Fill about 2/3 full. It's trial and error, as everyone's ovens are different and they fill the pans up different amounts. So use the "knife in the middle" method and when it comes out dry they should be done. DO NOT OVER BAKE!!

Good luck.

*you could use 3/4 of the the bag of the chips to melt and mix into the batter, and use the rest to sprinkle on top of a couple of loaves....

Chicken and Dumplings

Oh man. There is no better time of year for this. I've made this a few times, I'm just so busy scarfing it down, I always forget to take pictures. So finally- here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 Rotisserie chicken (you can opt out of this and use cooked chicken breasts, but the roasted chicken flavor is SO MUCH BETTER.)

2 carrots

2 stalks of celery

3 small yukon gold potatoes

1/2 yellow onion

1 clove garlic

2 T olive oil

2 boxes of Chicken Broth

Salt & Pepper for seasoning

(optional) 1 Chicken boullion cube

For Dumplings:

2 C. flour

1 tsp. salt

3/4c-1 cup of ice water

Chop your vegetables into bite sized cubes and chop the onion finely. In a large dutch oven pot or soup pot, heat the olive oil over med-high heat and saute the onion and garlic till fragrant. Add the carrots, celery and potatoes and stir around for a few minutes. Don't them burn..

Pour in the broth and bring to a subtle boil, then simmer for about 10-15 minutes, till the vegetables have softened. Then add the shredded chicken and simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Flavor with salt and pepper, and check to see if you want the boullion cube. I added because my family likes lots of flavor and though it was fine, I know Josh would have asked for the salt. So I added the cube, and it was fine. No requesting the salt shaker.

While that all simmers on LOW, make your dumplings. Mix the flour and salt and start adding the water while stirring with your fingers. As soon as it is wet enough to form a solid ball, you are done adding water. Flour a clean surface and roll out the dough to about 1/8" thick. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut strips 1-1.5 inches thick, then again across to make little square dumplings. Once cut, turn the heat up to med-high to get it boiling again and add the dumplings. Shove them all down to the bottom with a wooden spoon, and once they are all floating again, they are cooked.

This makes great leftovers. And I hate leftovers.

Back to Business: Quinoa Burgers

I finally buckled down, well- I shouldn't say "buckled down" cause I've been wanting to jump on the quinoa bandwagon for awhile. I just finally did it. I'm not one for salads.. so I opted to make a main dish with my quinoa and found these burgers. It was SO SO good, Jack gobbled them up. Though rough at first, I got the hang of it and they ended up really good. They sound super healthy- but after the cheeses and the frying... who knows. But hey- all that fiber and iron can't be a bad thing, right?

Quinoa Burgers

(adapted from the website: www.eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com, just fattied it up a bit..)

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt*

To cook quinoa:

In a medium saucepan bring the 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil over high heat. Add quinoa and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 18-20 minutes, or until all water is absorbed and the seeds are tender. Allow to cool for a few minutes.

*I'm a carnivore. I added half a teaspoon of chicken boullion. Yep.

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or other variety, if you prefer)

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1/2 small zuchinni, finely grated and squeezed

3 eggs

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 green onions, including white parts

1 /2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Veggie oil (or olive oil) for frying

In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, zuchinni, eggs, flour, green onions, sugar, pepper, cumin, salt, and garlic powder.

Heat a frying pan and a couple teaspoons olive oil over medium-low heat. Measure 1/4 cup and form into patties about 1/2 inch thick - mixture will be more like a batter. (I find it’s easiest to just drop the mixture from the measuring cup into the pan and slightly flatten it out.) Fry until golden-brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Makes approx. 10 burgers. (for real... I should have halved this recipe...)

I served them warm, with sour cream that had a little garlic salt and onion powder mixed in. It was mouth watering.

*follow up note: I made these again and it was a total disaster. They wouldn't stay together, they spread too much when put in the pan, the oil was FOAMING and it was a total mess. I'm not sure what was different; maybe I didn't squeeze the zucchini enough, maybe I didn't drain the quinoa, I forgot the sugar... I don't know. But it was rough. So my advice on avoiding this fiasco, is to not make them too big, or they'll be hard to turn. And DON'T turn them, till you are able to, and what I mean by that is only turn when they are stiff enough to handle it, which means they may need a good 4 minutes at med heat to cook through enough to stiffen them, without burning them.....

Tricky business. Don't be intimidated though, cause they are SO good..

Muffin Day

These days when the light never seems to come, I wake up and it feels like it is 7am- ALL DAY LONG, the rain outside turns to a slushy snow and I can barely find any reason to get dressed....

I like to make these muffins.

What is YOUR "it's raining and gloomy outside, but warm and cozy inside" food?

(*No, it's not raining today. I copied this post from my other blog, and it was raining on THAT day. But- I did make these today. They are still just as good.)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Buttons

The evil these bring. The sweet, sweet evil. They are small and cute and delicious. I was to bring 2/doz cookies to a funeral and thought this would be a good recipe to try. Boy was wrong. But if this is how these cookies are gonna taste, then baby I don't wanna be right.

I found these via a google search for PB cookies. Way to go 17 year old.

Ingredients: 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter 1/2 cup shortening 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 1 egg 3 tbsp milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt Granulated sugar for rolling Chocolate chips (any type) Preheat oven to 350. Mix the shortening and peanut butter till combined. Add the two sugars and mix well. Add vanilla, milk and egg. Combine. In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients then add slowly to the PB mix. Refrigerate for 10 min, then roll into 1/2" balls and roll in the sugar. Place cookies a couple inches apart so they'll cook evenly. Bake for 5-7 minutes (my happy place was 6.5 minutes...) then let cool for a minute before putting the chocolate on them. (Guittard is the best, cause their chips are HUGE and creamy.) Let cool completely before storing. Try not to eat them all. Sheesh.

Post note: Perspective- these are chocolate chips, not Hershey's Kisses. I realized after review, that you can't tell how small they are. And that is important, because when something is cuter, it's fun to eat, and when something is delicious and small- it makes it OK to eat a lot of them. So here's a picture of one in my hand: