Braised and Barbequed Chicken

I saw this recipe on fellow blogger Barbara's blog and thought it looked delicious. Barbara uses chicken thighs, but suggested bone-in chicken breasts for those who prefer white meat. There were no bone-in chicken breasts at the grocery store, so I opted for boneless skinless and it was still moist and delicious. I highly recommend this recipe. It has a nice tangy Asian flavor.

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Braised and Barbequed Chicken

2 tbsp oil
8 - 12 chicken thighs (or 4 breasts)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp minced ginger (I used fresh)
3 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4-8 servings cooked rice
1/4 cup chopped green onions (optional)

Heat oil in a large skillet.
Braise chicken for 6 minutes, turning once.
Combine fruit juice in a large bowl.
Stir together cornstarch and 1 tbsp juice; reserve.
Stir soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, vinegar, ketchup, garlic, and red pepper into juice.
Pour over chicken.
Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 35 minutes, turning after 20 minutes.
Uncover chicken and stir in cornstarch mox.
Cook 5 minutes, stirring until sauce thickens. Spoon rice onto plate. Top with chicken and sauce. Sprinkle with onions, if desired.


Braise chicken for 6 minutes...

...turning once:


Combine fruit juice in a large bowl. Stir soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, vinegar, ketchup, garlic, and red pepper into juice:

Pour over chicken. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 35 minutes, turning after 20 minutes:

Uncover chicken and stir in cornstarch mix:

Serve over rice:

I hope all of you who try this recipe enjoy it as much as we did. Thank you Barbara!

Shrimp Guacamole Wraps

This recipe combines some unusual ingredients and is delicious. You could use a ready-made guacamole to save time if you wanted to.

Shrimp Guacamole Wraps

1 lb raw, peeled shrimp
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp Cavendar's seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup cooked corn
1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
chopped lettuce
flour tortillas

Whisk together avocado, cilantro, salt, and pepper until smooth.
(You could also add jalapeno, onion, tomatoes, and/or lime juice).

Melt butter in a skillet, add garlic, and saute shrimp until done, about 5 minutes. Add seasonings while cooking.

Have your filling ingredients ready:

Warm the tortillas in an ungreased skillet on medium heat for about 15 seconds on each side:

Slather on the guacamole:

Then the lettuce and shrimp:

Then the black beans and corn. I also added a little extra guacamole:

Roll up the tortilla. I didn't fold in each end because I decided to wrap it in parchment paper.
This makes it easier to eat, and is also great if you are taking them somewhere:

Roll as shown:

Then slice in half through the parchment.

Very easy and very nutritious.

Time to Celebrate

I have done several posts about an upcoming baby shower that we were going to have at work. It was for Allison, one of our nurses. Allison is a wonderful person, so we wanted the shower to be really special. This was the main table. Another one of our nurses, Theresa, an expert shopper, found this really cute hat box that we placed in the center of the table. She filled it with several gifts. I used a white matelasse bedspread for the tablecloth. I really like layering on tables, so I bought a blanket that Allison was registered for on top. The instructions for the washcloth lollipops, rice krispie rattles, and basket baby carriage, are already posted under shower ideas in my category tags.

Pictured here is Jennifer (J-Lo), and Allison, the guest of honor:

Everyone came and went as they could, and as their pagers would permit. Here are some of her guests:





Everyone brought food and it was yummy:



She got lots of nice gifts:


Congratulations Allison! We are looking forward to meeting little Davis!

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

Amby tried a new recipe while she was in town a few weeks ago. It is an Ellie Krieger recipe that I had just seen on food tv. It is a tasty crunchy topping for vegetables. I will definitely make it again, but next time I will double the Parmesan cheese.

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

Makes four 1/2-cup servings

Cooking spray
2 medium zucchini (we also used yellow squash)
1 tablespoon olive oil


1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (3/4 ounces)
1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

HEAT oven to 450°. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

SLICE the zucchini into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the oil. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, salt, and a few turns of pepper. Dip each round into the Parmesan mixture, coating it evenly on both sides, pressing the coating on to stick, and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

BAKE the zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove with spatula. Serve immediately.

Nutrition information: Per serving (serving size, 1/2 cup): 105 calories, 6 grams fat (saturated fat 2 grams, monounsaturated fat 2 grams, polyunsaturated fat 0 grams), 5 grams protein, 8.5 grams carbohydrate, 1.5 grams fiber, 1 milligrams cholesterol, 222 milligrams sodium.

Toss the zucchini in the oil and then dip in the Parmesan mixture:

Place the slices onto a baking sheet. We covered it with foil:

Be a good cook and pretty at the same time:

Make sure the topping adheres properly:


Bake at 450 for 25-30 minutes:

Go visit Amby's website, The Knit Owl, to see her creations. She is amazing! And I'm not just saying that because we are related. She is starting a new blog soon, and is open to title suggestions.

Banana Whoopie Pies

This is a recipe from the September issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. It is a delicious banana cookie with a cake-like texture with a sweet cream cheese filling sandwiched in between.

Banana Whoopie Pies

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 large ripe banana
1/2 cup sour cream
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

Filling:
16 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup confectioners sugar, plus more for dusting

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
1.Combine flour baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. In another bowl, combine banana and sour cream.
3. Beat butter with granulated and brown sugars with a mixer on medium high speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, beating until incorporated.
4. Combine with banana and flour mixture in a large bowl.
5. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip. Pipe batter into 1- 1/4-inch rounds on baking sheets, spacing about 1- 1/2 inches apart.
6. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Slide parchment, with cookies, onto wire racks. Let cool. (Unfilled cookies can be stored for up to one day).
7. Beat cream cheese, vanilla, and confectioners sugar until creamy.
8. Pipe or spoon 1 tbsp cream cheese mixture onto the flat sides of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies. Dust with confectioners sugar.

Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and banana and sour cream in another:
Combine sugars, butter, and vanilla and beat until pale and creamy:


Transfer batter into a pastry bag. This gadget came from Williams Sonoma:
Pipe onto parchment covered baking sheets:

This is how they look before and after baking:

A cool Martha trick, which I will do again, is to transfer the parchment onto a cooling rack with the cookies on it:

Spoon or pipe the filling onto the flat side of the cookie and sandwich them together:

Dust with confectioners sugar either before or after the sandwiching process. It will work either way.

Mmmm.... They are yummy.

Basic Creme Brulee

Creme Brulee is a rich custard with a crunchy sugar topping. It is not only delicious, but also very easy to make. This is a Southern Living recipe. I increased it by half again as much in order to fill 7 ramekins. If you are good with a kitchen torch, then use it to caramelize your sugar topping. If you are a pyromaniac like me, then broil it in the oven. I might have set a few of these on fire.

Creme Brulee

2 cups whipping cream
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup turbinado sugar

Combine whipping cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla, stirring with a wire whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture is smooth. Pour mixture evenly into 5 greased round individual baking dishes. Place dishes in a large pan. Pour about 1/2 inch water into the pan.
Bake at 275 for 45-50 minutes, or until set. Cool. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Sprinkle a generous amount of sugar onto the top of each custard. Broil carefully in oven until topping is browned. A torch can be used if desired.


Whisk together whipping cream, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla:

Pour water into the baking dish about 1/2 " deep:

Fill greased ramekins:

Place in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until set. Chill for 8 hours or overnight.

Sprinkle a generous amount of turbinado sugar on top.

Broil for about 5 minutes or until nicely browned. The top should be hard to the touch.

This is a wonderful dessert to serve to company.