Making Tuesday Tasty-Crispy Baked "fried" Chicken

It's the new year so I'm trying to post some interesting, tasty, healthy choices! Enjoy

Ingredients

8 chicken pieces (preferably 2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 legs and 2 wings)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups cornflakes
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground sage

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a rack in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet.

Rinse the chicken in cold water; pat dry. In a wide bowl or on a plate, season the flour with salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Dredge each chicken piece through the flour so it's fully coated, tap against the bowl to shake off excess flour and set aside. Discard the flour.

Here comes the part kids like best: Crush the cornflakes by placing them in a big resealable plastic bag, carefully pressing the bag to push out the air. Seal up the bag (with as little air inside as possible) and run over the flakes with a rolling pin. Open the bag and pour the crushed flakes into a wide bowl or onto a plate.

In a large bowl (big enough to dredge the chicken pieces), mix the buttermilk, mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika and sage. Give each floured chicken piece a good buttermilk bath and then roll in the cornflake crumbs.

Arrange the chicken pieces on the rack and place in the hot oven. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, lower the heat to 375 degrees and cook for another 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through and crispy. The juices should run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife. Serve with Easy Greens.

Per serving: Calories 520; Fat 22 g (Sat. 6 g; Mono. 9 g; Poly. 5 g); Cholesterol 136 mg; Sodium 1,040 mg; Carbohydrate 41 g; Fiber 1.5 g; Protein 40 g

*recipe courtesy of Foodnetwork.com*

Making Tuesday Tasty-Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Kids love these. A nice contrast of salt and sweet and full of vitamins. Baking of course leaves this a way healthier option as a side dish for a great meal! If you want to make it a little fancier, add the herbs.

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-wide slices, then again into 1/2-inch-wide strips

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1 garlic clove, minced

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Preparation

Preheat oven to 500°F. Spray large baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. Toss sweet potatoes with oil in large bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer sweet potatoes to platter.

Mix parsley, thyme and garlic in small bowl. Sprinkle over sweet potatoes.

*recipe courtesy of epicurious, photo credit recipetips.com*

Making Tuesday Tasty-Baked Potato Salad

OK, so I'm going to try to make as close to the measurements as possible. If you feel it needs tweaking, be my guest! I make this as a quick snack and addition to my meals from time to time and I love it. Simple to make and simple ingredients.

Please adjust recipe to how many people you are serving. This probably does 3 to 4 servings.

Ingredients

4 or 5 medium russets or your favorite potato

1/2 C mayonnaise( I use Best Foods/Hellman's)

2 to 3 Tbsp of Spicy Brown Mustard

1 shoot of green onion or 1/4 of a medium onion chopped finely

1 whole Claussen dill pickle

Preparation

Wash your potatoes and cook until tender in your microwave. Mine on high takes about 4 to 5 Min's.

Chop your onion and your dill pickle finely. set aside.

Once the potatoes are cooked, set them aside to cool. Once cool, peel the peels off with your fingers and cut away any brown bits from the potato. Chop the potato into bite sized squares and put into bowl.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Add your mayo and mustard to the bowl. Once that's added, add your onion and dill pickle. Mix altogether and taste for any adjustments needed. If it's too dry or bland add more mustard and mayo to adjust. Chill and eat!

As with all recipes, you can adjust this to your liking. If you want egg, boil some egg and throw it in. If you want something else added in there, go ahead.

I put in the specific brand of ingredients because I feel these really make a difference int he outcome of flavor! And using the spicy brown instead of the yellow mustard changes the flavor and gives it a bite that really complements the onion and dill.

Enjoy!

Making Tuesday Tasty-Orange Muffins

I made these for our brunch on Sunday. I liked them because they weren't overpowering with orange flavor. A nice hint of orange. To be honest though, they came out a little dry after trying to keep them warm so, I might have taken these out a couple of minutes early. You may have to check them often depending on how hot your oven cooks. This is listed as an old Mennonite recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

2/3 cup orange juice

1/2 cup melted butter

2 eggs

1/2 cup ground walnuts (optional)

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, white sugar and grated orange peel. Stir in orange juice, 1/2 cup melted butter, eggs and chopped nuts.
Pour into 12 muffin cups.
Blend 1 tablespoon melted margarine, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on top of each muffin. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot.

Making Tuesday Tasty-High Heat Turkey

It's November so I'm gonna start things out right! A classic Turkey prepared and cooked on high heat. Whenever I cook poultry on high heat it turns out succulent and delicious. As long as you cover it properly in the beginning, make sure there's water at bottom of the pan and, and let it rest, you're going to have one beautiful bird! Not to mention shaving off precious time in the cooking process.

Ingredients

16-18 lbs fresh whole turkey

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh black pepper, to taste

3 cups as needed chicken broth

Directions
1. Dry a 16 to 18 lb. turkey inside and out with paper towels.

2. Oil the turkey inside and out with any kind of vegetable oil (olive, canola, etc.) using your hands.
3. Cut away any excess skin around the opening of the cavity and wedge a fork inside the cavity to open it further. Leave the fork in to keep cavity open.

4. Rub spices, herbs, or just pepper all over the bird with your oily fingers.

5. Place the turkey, breast side down on a rack in a large metal roasting pan.

6. Cover the top of the turkey, including legs and wings with greased foil.

7. Pour ¾-inch of chicken or turkey broth in the bottom of the pan. As the turkey cooks, check the liquid every 45 minutes and add more in case it evaporates.

8. Cook the turkey at 500° to 525° for 2 hours.

9. Remove foil, stuff the turkey with cooked stuffing and return it to the rack breast side up.

10. Cook the turkey 30 to 45 minutes longer until an instant-read thermometer stuck deep in the thigh reads 175°.

11. Let the turkey rest at least 20 minutes, this allows the meat to reabsorb its juices.

Suggestions to go along with this cooking process. If you salt or over salt you will be taking the juices from the bird. Find a large enough pan to fit the bird in and put it on a rack so it's not "stewing". Allow the heated air to flow around the bird and cook it properly. Don't baste the bird because it breaks down the lovely caramelization on the bird as well as uses up the pan juices that would be later used for gravy. Don't cover with cheesecloth because it prevents browning and color to the bird.

**This recipe I've used is taken courtesy of Recipezaar/kiwidutch. Photo courtesy of Recipezaar**

Making Tuesday Tasty-Sour Cream Enchiladas

I've made these a couple of times. They feed plenty of people and are really yummy.

2 dozen corn tortillas

3 cans cream of chicken

1 bunch green onions

1 pint sour cream

1 can green chilies(the mild, if you want spicy, add whatever pepper you like)

2 lbs shredded cheese(cheddar, or mexican blend)

Mix together the cream of chicken, sour cream, green onion, and green chili together and put half on the bottom of the pan. Warm your corn tortillas or dip them in hot oil and then fill with the cheese. Roll up and nestle into the sauce mixture. Continue until the pan is full. Top with the remaining sour cream mixture and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

I change this slightly by putting cooked chicken in with the sauce mixture. I would say at least a pound of cooked chicken. I sometimes will add taco seasoning to the meat to add some more flavor. You could also add chili powder, cumin, garlic, onion, oregano to the meat as you're cooking it to add flavor. I'm not a big measurer so, I usually season to my liking.

Enjoy!

Gonna Make Tuesday Tasty!

My husband had a real gratin a month or so ago when we went to a restaurant downtown. I've had it before in different ways and I love potatoes of almost every variety so, I of course love them. Hubby fell in love and he's really picky. I found this recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence and it looks delicious. I will probably adjust mine to remove the nutmeg since I'm not a fan. I know it's only supposed to be an essence and to accentuate the cream but, meh.

Easter is coming up, may be a nice side dish to add to your table!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Butter
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for broiling
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a saucepan, heat up the cream with a sprig of thyme, chopped garlic and nutmeg.
While cream is heating up, butter a casserole dish. Place a layer of potato in an overlapping pattern and season with salt and pepper. Remove cream from heat, then pour a little over the potatoes. Top with some grated Parmesan. Make 2 more layers. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Sprinkle some more Parmesan and broil until cheese browns, about 5 minutes

Tasty Thursday-Buffalo chicken wings

I got this recipe from an e-cookbook menu that was forwarded in my email. My husband loves buffalo wings. I alter this type of recipe a little bit. I don't usually add margarine but, I know it makes it better and I usually bake about 12 to 15 wings in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes depending on how hot your oven cooks.

2 lbs. chicken wings (disjointed − discard the tips)
1/4 Lb. Margarine (do not use butter!)
8 Oz. "Frank's" Hot Sauce (also labeled as
Durkee Hot Sauce. NO SUBSTITUTIONS!!!)
Oil for frying
1. Melt margarine in sauce pan until barely liquid.
Add hot sauce, mix, and put aside.
2. Deep fry wings until brown and crispy. Remove
and drain on paper towels.
3. Put wings in a large bowl that has a cover. Pour
sauce over all, cover, and shake to coat the wings.
Serve with celery sticks and Blue Cheese or Ranch
Dressing.
Adjust the amount of hot sauce to your desire.