Cooking with KP

Oven Fried Pepper Jelly Chicken

I adapted this recipe from one I found on thespruceeats.com. They used ground stuffing mix to bread their chicken thighs, but I found that too salty, so I changed it to this recipe below. Also, the recipe calls for using just chicken thighs, but you could use any piece of chicken; you will just have to adjust the cooking time a bit.

10-12 chicken thighs with skin and bones
3/4 cup hot pepper jelly
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon Dijon or other gourmet mustard (I like grainy Creole mustard best)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 cups of Italian Seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup of Panko crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a baking pan with aluminum foil and either butter or spray it very well. You can also use a cooking rack to help keep chicken from sticking. Place cooking rack on top of foil line baking pan. Spray cooking rack very well.
In a small saucepan, heat jelly, butter, and mustard until jelly is melted. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.
While sauce is cooling, rinse chicken in cool water and remove excessive fat and skin. (You could remove all the skin, but the chicken will not be as crispy). Pat dry with paper towel.
In a large platter or bowl, hand mix bread crumbs, Panko, garlic powder and pepper.
Once jelly mixture is cool to touch, dip chicken piece into jelly or brush all sides of chicken with the jelly. Roll in bread crumb mixture and place on baking pan/cooking rack.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until meat registers 170 on meat thermometer and there are no pink juices.

Amazing Peanut Butter Pie

I admit it! I am a chocoholic. Add that to the fact that everyone in my family loves peanut butter and you have a dream come true with this decadent dessert. The pie is creamy and rich, and it is so worth the calories in one small slice. We adapted this recipe from one found at http://www.kevinandamanda.com.

1 chocolate graham cracker crust

1 stick of butter, softened (very soft is best)

1 ½ cups of creamy peanut butter

2 Tablespoons of creamy peanut butter

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 cup dark chocolate chips

½ cup heavy whipping cream

In a mixing bowl, add the softened butter, 1 ½ cup of peanut butter, and 1 cup confectioner’s sugar. Beat on low speed until smooth and creamy. Make sure all the butter has been thoroughly mixed in and you don’t have any lumps. Spoon the peanut butter mixture in the pie crust. Smooth out the top. Place in the freezer while making chocolate topping.

Place chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter in a small glass bowl. (Must use glass). In a saucepan over medium heat, bring heavy whipping cream to a rolling simmer. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and peanut butter in the small bowl. Let hot cream melt the peanut butter and chocolate chips for 5 minutes, and then whisk until completely smooth. Pour the chocolate layer over the peanut butter layer. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hours until ready to serve.

Cheesy Bacon Chicken with Honey Mustard Sauce

This is not my recipe at all. A friend posted it on Facebook. It comes of Iamhomesteader.com. The only thing we changed is the cooking times. I felt the chicken needed more time to cook than she posted. It is a copy cat version of Alice Springs Chicken from Outback without the mushroom. It is easy to prepare and wonderful tasting.

MUSTARD MARINADE

1/2 cup yellow mustard

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

CHICKEN

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

8 slices bacon, cooked

1 teaspoon pepper

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Marinade

In a medium bowl, combine mustard, honey, oil, and lemon juice. Using a fork or small whisk, mix for about 30 seconds or until all ingredients are well mixed. Place chicken in a large container with a tight lid. Pour 2/3 of the marinade over the chicken. Do not let the remaining 1/3 of the marinade touch the chicken to avoid contamination. Cover chicken with lid and place in fridge for at least 2.5 hours. Chill the rest of the marinade for later.

BACON

Place 8 pieces of bacon on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees F. When bacon is done (slightly crispy but not burnt, you will be baking it more later) remove from oven and set aside to cool. (This can be done well in advance)

CHICKEN

When you are ready to prepare the chicken, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Place skillet on stove over medium-high heat and pour in oil. Cook the chicken in the pan for 5 minutes per side or until golden brown. (seared- you will be baking it more)

Turn heat off and remove chicken to large baking pan.

Pour a half of the reserved marinade in a small cup. Brush each seared chicken breast with a little of the marinade.

Stack two pieces of cooked bacon on each chicken breast.

Spread 1/2 cup of Monterey Jack cheese into each breast.

Bake chicken for 15-25 minutes or until the cheese is thoroughly melted and chicken juices run clear.

Put the remaining marinade into a small bowl and microwave for 1 minute and serve on the side.

Honey Butter Biscuits

This is not my recipe. I found it online at www.willcookforsmiles.com. It is an amazingly easy to prepare recipe and it is totally delicious. My grandson and daughter LOVE them.

Biscuits:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
a dash of salt
5 Tablespoons cold butter
2 Tablespoons honey
1 cup cold buttermilk
a little more flour for kneading

Glaze:
2 Tablespoons of honey
3 Tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet or put a sheet of parchment on a baking sheet.
In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low to combine ingredients
Chop cold butter into pieces and add it to the flour mixture. Mix on low, until batter resembles coarse crumbs.
Pour in honey and mix for a few seconds
Pour cold buttermilk into the center of the mixture. Mix until just combined, dough will be sticky.
Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle with a little more flour on top. Knead dough 5-6 times and pat into a ½ inch-think circle.
Using a cookie cutter (about 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter), cut out the biscuits. Rework dough scraps into a ball (kneading it as little as possible) and shape it into a circle again. Cut out more biscuits
Place biscuits on the baking sheet leaving about an inch in between.
In a small bowl, mix melted butter and honey. Using a pastry brush, brush each biscuits with honey butter mixture.
Bake for 10-13 minutes (depending on the size of biscuits), until raised and golden brown.
As soon as you take the biscuits out of the oven, brush them with more honey butter mixture.

Mexican Meatloaf Muffins

I adapted this recipe from several online ones. This is a wonderful party food and a great entrée anytime! And, additional plus, it that it is super easy to prepare

Meatloaf mixture:

2 lbs. lean ground beef (I use 93-7 or you could use half ground turkey and half beef)

1 cup salsa (spicy or mild—you choose)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 medium onion, diced

2 Tablespoons parsley flakes
1 package taco seasoning (I use McCormick)

1 cup shredded taco, Mexican, or Fiesta blend cheese

1- 1 ½ cup crushed tortilla chips (You can use any flavor and plain is great too!)
6 Tablespoons of salsa (to glaze muffins)
6 Tablespoons of cheese (to top at the end)

Toppings:

Shredded cheese, sour cream, black olives, salsa, diced onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray muffin tin with cooking spray. If you have a non-stick or coated muffin pan, spray is optional. Mix the first 8 meatloaf ingredients together in a large bowl until thoroughly blended. Roll into balls a little smaller than a tennis ball. Place one ball into each muffin cup. This should make 12. Lightly press down so that the meat mixture fills the cup. Place muffin tin on top of a cookie sheet in case there is some spillage of grease while baking. Bake for 35 minutes. Top each muffin with a 1/2 Tablespoon of salsa and bit of cheese. Bake 8 more minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes. Remove from tin and top with your preferred toppings. This is great served with Spanish rice and avocado salad.

Oven Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Garlic

Delightfully tasty and wonderfully easy. This recipe is my daughter's and we enjoy it so much!

Two bunches of asparagus, woody ends removed and cleaned.

2 lemons--one juiced and the other cut in thin semi-circles

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons of minced garlic (found in jars in supermarket)

1 Tablespoons fresh cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place cleaned asparagus on long baking sheet. Drizzle and toss with olive oil until fully coated. Add pepper and garlic and toss again. Drizzle the juice of one lemon on top of asparagus. Toss one more time. Lay slices of lemon on top of asparagus. Roast in oven for 12-15 minutes until just tender.

Perfectly Glazed Carrots

I love carrots any way they are fixed. In fact, I love the raw, too. But, my family enjoys them glazed as in this recipe. I created this based upon what I remember my mother doing.

3 pound bag of baby carrots, rinsed
3/4 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 Tablespoon lemon or orange zest
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place carrots in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to boil on stove top. Let them boil for 5 minutes, reduce heat to medium and let continue to cook for 10-15 more minutes or until you reach your desired level of crispness. I like my carrots to have a bit of crunch left, but many people like them very soft. Drain carrots in colander. In a large skillet, melt butter. Add in all other ingredients and mix well. Bring to a boil. Add drained carrots. Mix them around so that the are coated in honey mixture. Reduce temperature to simmer and cook, tossing around occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Cheaper Cuts of Beef Don't Have To Be Tough

Most people avoid the cheaper cuts of beef because they tend to be tough. With 8 children and three adults in our home, my mother had to find ways to tenderize the cheaper cuts of beef. One way to cook "down", as my mother used to say, a tough cut of beef steak is to season both sides of the steak with garlic powder, seasoned salt and pepper. Lightly brown the steak in a large skillet and on top add a diced green bell pepper, medium onion, a bay leaf, parsley flakes, a few dashes of Worchestershire sauce, and a can of diced tomatoes. Cover with lid. Let the steak simmer for 30-50 minutes. Remove lid and thicken juices by cooking 5-10 more minutes. You can also do the same with a cheap beef roast in a crock pot. Add all the ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. The flavor is simple, amazing and great with mashed potatoes.

Fall Vegetables for a Healthy You

As the fall approaches, we will all start to stay indoors more hours. This will lessen our vitamins, such as vitamin A, D, and K, which are enhanced by sunlight. Below are a few vegetables you might want to increase in your diet as the fall and later winter days approach. Besides, they are very tasty. In fact, in the next few weeks, I will be posting recipes that incorporate many of these delicious veggies.

Sweet potatoes and yams are very rich in carotenoids, vitamins A, B6, C, potassium, iron and fiber and are delicious when baked and eaten plain (without butter) or used in soups, casseroles or stir-fries.

Bell peppers are great sources of potassium, manganese, fiber and vitamins A, B, C and K. These sweet peppers are flavorful additions to salads and healthy stir-fries. You can choose from a rainbow of colors, including: green peppers,yellow peppers, orange peppers,and red peppers.

Summer and winter squash are rich in carotenoids, vitamins A and C, potassium, magnesium and fiber and can be served alone or added to many dishes.

Just a few tips for you...

Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato- based sauces. No more stains!

Use lifesavers candy to hold candles in place on your next birthday cake! Kids love them.

Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugarcone to prevent ice cream drips!

Zap garlic cloves in the microwave for 15 seconds and the skins slip right off!

If your celery begins to wilt in the fridge, fill a large cup half full of water and place celery in the cup. Put back in the fridge for two hours--it will be crisp. (Learned this from my mother).

Cooking Myth Busted

A Potato Can Save a Salty Soup or Stew. True or False? False. "This is an attractive idea, but it doesn't work because potatoes are not particularly absorbent," says Wolke, who conducted his own soup-and-potato experiment for his Cooking Myth Busters book. "There is no reason they would attract salt." If you remove the raw potato from the soup, the potato will taste salty, but so would a sponge — it has simply soaked up some of the salty liquid. Still, there is hope for salty stews: Adding a bit of vinegar or sugar can "cancel out" the saltiness by giving your taste buds competing flavors.

Super Moist Turkey

If you are looking for a way to get a moist turkey, you might try one of these family hints:

1--bake the turkey upside down--breast down for the first half of the cooking time. It will help the darker meat cook more thoroughly and the fatty juices of the darker meat will drip down to the breast and add moistness. Use a deep roasting pan for this.

2--bake the turkey with the breast up, but rub it with butter, garlic powder and pepper only. Do not salt the skin. Instead, mix salt in a cup of warm water and pour that cup of salted warm-not hot-water inside the cavity of the turkey. The salt water will steam up into the turkey, making it very moist.

3. bake the turkey with the breast up and slice two lemons and one orange in halves. Place the halves inside the seasoned turkey and the juices will steam into the meat, adding moisture and flavor.

Hint of the Week

Here is something I learned from my wonderful Mother, the greatest cook I have ever known. When you have just a small serving of cooked vegetables leftover from dinner, don't throw them away. Keep a large plastic container in the freezer and put the vegetables in the container. Mix them--carrots, corn, green beans, broccoli, etc. When the container is full make a pot of soup or stew. Also, if a recipe calls for 1/2 a chopped onion, chop the whole onion and add the half to the freezer container. My mother made the best vegetable soups from this idea.

Hint for the Week

With Fourth of July quickly approaching, you might be thinking of making Deviled Eggs. If you want perfectly boiled eggs, place eggs in a large pot and completely cover with cold water. Do not layer eggs on top of one another. Bring water to a rapid boil for 2 minutes, reduce to simmer and let eggs simmer 8 minutes, return to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and empty hot water and fill pot with cold water. Let sit for 5 minutes. To peel easily, slightly crush shell in your fist and roll on counter with a firm grip. Of course, you don't want to push through the egg, but by making the shell crack in many small pieces, it is easier to peel. My father saw this on a cooking show years ago and taught me this. It truly works.