Old Fashioned Fried Onion Rings Recipe

Old Fashioned Fried Onion Rings Recipe

Saturday, April 05, 2014 / No Comments

"These are very delicate and the best I have had. My ex was a fanatic when it came to onion rings, and thought this recipe to be the best he ever had. Have also made other veggies in this batter. Can be refrigerated or frozen, then reheated in oven or microwave. Carbonated water can be substituted for beer in this recipe."

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg 
• 1 cup milk, or as needed
• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• Seasoned salt to taste
• 1 quart oil for frying, or as needed

Fried Onion Rings Recipe

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
2. Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated; set aside. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then place on a wire rack to drain until the batter stops dripping. The wire rack may be placed over a sheet of aluminum foil for easier clean up. Spread the bread crumbs out on a plate or shallow dish. Place rings one at a time into the crumbs, and scoop the crumbs up over the ring to coat. Give it a hard tap as you remove it from the crumbs. The coating should cling very well. Repeat with remaining rings.
4. Deep fry the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Season with seasoning salt, and serve.

Homemade Mac and Cheese - Recipe

Homemade Mac and Cheese - Recipe

Thursday, April 03, 2014 / No Comments

• 

  Homemade Mac and Cheese

  PREP: 20 mins
• COOK: 30 mins
• READY IN: 50 mins
• SERVINGS: 4 Persons

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 cups milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 pinch paprika

  Directions:

• Cook macaroni according to the package directions. Drain.
• In a saucepan, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Stir in enough flour to make a roux. Add milk to roux slowly, stirring constantly. Stir in cheeses, and cook over low heat until cheese is melted and the sauce is a little thick. Put macaroni in large casserole dish, and pour sauce over macaroni. Stir well.

Triple Decker Chicken Sandwich - Recipe

Triple Decker Chicken Sandwich - Recipe

Tuesday, April 01, 2014 / No Comments

Mouthwatering layers of tender chicken, bacon, beefsteak tomato, and red onion are anchored into this triple-decker sandwich with a slathering of homemade wasabi mayonnaise.

Ingredients

• 8 strip(s) Applewood smoked bacon
• 1 pound(s) boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon(s) sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) wasabi powder
• 1 teaspoon(s) lemon juice
• 1/2 cup(s) mayonnaise
• 12 slice(s) (thin) pullman bread, toasted
• 1 bunch(es) watercress
• 1/4 red onion, sliced into rings
• 1 medium beefsteak tomato

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Fit a wire rack on a baking pan and place bacon strips in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes, turn bacon strips, and continue to cook until brown and just crisp -- about 5 minutes more. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease.
3. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and place on a lightly oiled baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F, turn the meat over, and continue to bake until internal temperature at the center of the breast reaches 167 degrees F -- about 15 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let the meat rest for 15 minutes before slicing into 1/2-inch-thick strips.
4. Stir wasabi powder and lemon juice together until a paste forms. Blend in the mayonnaise, and evenly spread on the toasted bread. Place the watercress, chicken slices, and red onion on bread. Cut the beefsteak tomato into eight 1/4-inch-thick slices. Top with a slice of toast, then layer tomato and bacon. Top with remaining slices of bread, insert toothpicks, and cut into quarter triangles. Serve sandwiches immediately.
   Note:

Chopped Greek Salad with Chicken - Salad Recipe

Chopped Greek Salad with Chicken - Salad Recipe

Wednesday, March 26, 2014 / No Comments

Chicken turns this Greek-inspired salad into a substantial main course. Feel free to substitute other chopped fresh vegetables, such as broccoli or bell peppers, for the tomatoes or cucumber. Use leftover chicken, store-roasted chicken, or quickly poach a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts while you prepare the rest of the salad. Serve with pita bread and hummus.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup(s) red-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh dill or oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon(s) garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
• 6 cup(s) chopped romaine lettuce
• 2 1/2 cup(s) (about 12 ounces) chopped cooked chicken (see Tips & Techniques)
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1/2 cup(s) finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup(s) sliced ripe black olives
• 1/2 cup(s) crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. Whisk vinegar, oil, dill (or oregano), garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add lettuce, chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, and feta; toss to coat.
   Carb Servings: 2 vegetable, 3 1/2 lean meat, 2 fat. Carbohydrate Servings: 1. Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (140% daily value), Vitamin C (45% dv), Folate (31% dv), Potassium (19% dv), Calcium (15% dv).

7 Steps To Becoming A Professional Amateur Chef

7 Steps To Becoming A Professional Amateur Chef

Tuesday, March 25, 2014 / No Comments

7 Steps To Becoming A Professional Amateur Chef

1. Love Food

If you don’t love food you should stop right now. If you want to become a professional amateur chef the first ingredient is time. You need to spend some serious time in the kitchen. I’m not telling you it requires years and year of work, but it will just take longer than opening a box and microwaving those take-out meals, ya know?

What that means is you need to taste all sorts of foods. Start by trying out one new food at a time. Find out what you like & what you find goes well together. If you want to become expert enough at anything, you need to be willing to love it (or at least the process), because there’s no way to do what you need to do in the kitchen without really getting into food.

Love food – there’s no way around this one folks. This leads directly to the next key.

2. Experiment Constantly

When I go to the grocery store I always come home with one to two different items I’ve never seen or tried before. Experimentation is key because there’s no other way I’ve found to be able to taste the difference between using cilantro and basil to make pesto than actually using those ingredients and tasting their differences. You can sit on your butt and watch Top Chef, Gordon Ramsey or any other daytime cooks on TV all you want, but until you get your butt in the kitchen and test out how long it really takes for chicken to cook, you can’t really call yourself a cook let alone an amateur chef.

Experiment constantly. If you’re trying to eat paleo, start with a solid paleo food list, and try to find foods you haven’t tried yet. And don’t worry, just because you’re experimenting, doesn’t mean things will go poorly. Here’s two quick experiments you can try off the bat to help you get started and pique your curiosity.

• Add a common fruit to liven up a simple salad, like I did with this Tastes Like Purple Plum Salad
• If your typical go-to side dish is mashed potatoes, try mashed parsnips or a new vegetable you’d typically not mash, in it’s place.

3. Know Your Substitutes

Part of cooking paleo meals is knowing what foods don’t work for you. Once you’ve nailed that down you’ll need to know what ingredients you can substitute into a typical SAD recipe to make it paleo-ready. For example, when I see milk on an ingredient list, I automatically think coconut milk. And when I see wheat flour I think coconut, almond or tapioca flour.

This doesn’t happen automatically. It takes times to see normal recipes and understand how to play with them to turn them into paleo recipes, but over time, you’ll get better and faster. A few awesome paleo substitutes that you can use on a regular basis to help you get started.

• Choose sweet potatoes or squash in place of white potatoes
• Choose spaghetti squash or zucchini in place of pasta
• Drink club soda or kombucha in place of soda
• Use grassfed butter in place of margerine
• Serve meals over a bed of lettuce, on a lettuce wrap or with a fork or spoon instead of bread
• Use honey or pure maple syrup as a sweetener in place of table sugar

Note: If you’re not eating paleo, that’s totally fine, but know what works for the type of cuisine you’re preparing and act accordingly.

Guinness Beef Stew - Recipe

Guinness Beef Stew - Recipe

Sunday, March 23, 2014 / No Comments

Ingredients

- 3-4 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1 inch chunks

Guinness Beef Stew - Recipe

- Salt and pepper

- 3 tablespoons olive oil

- 2 onions, chopped

- 2 tablespoons tomato paste

- 1/4 cup flour

- 3 cups beef broth

- 1 1/4 cups Guinness Draught

- 2 tablespoons brown sugar

- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme

- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

- 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat and add onions. Stir until they are starting to brown, about 5 minutes.

3. Add tomato paste and stir until well-combined. Stir in flour, and then whisk in broth, 3/4 cup Guinness, sugar and thyme. Simmer for 3 minutes.

4. Add beef and stir. Transfer the pot to the oven and cook uncovered for 90 minutes.

5. Add potatoes and carrots to the pot, stir and continue cooking until the meat and veggies are tender, another 60 minutes.

6. Add remaining Guinness, stir and add salt and pepper as needed. Sserve on warmed plates, garnished with parsley.

Oma’s Fabulous Matzo Ball Soup - Recipe

Oma’s Fabulous Matzo Ball Soup - Recipe

Saturday, March 22, 2014 / No Comments

Ingredients:

• 2 (10 ounce) packages matzo crackers
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 6 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 2 onions, minced
• 5 ounces matzo meal
• 96 ounces chicken broth

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
2. Break matzo crackers into small pieces, and place in a large bowl. Add water to cover; allow to soak for a few minutes, until soft. Drain off excess water.
3. Melt margarine in a large skillet over medium heat and stir in drained matzos; stir until mixture is dry and slightly brown. Remove from heat, and mix in eggs, salt and pepper to taste, parsley and onions.
4. Mix in just enough matzo meal to make mixture hold together. Roll one golf ball-sized matzo ball. Place matzo ball in the boiling water to test the mixture. The ball must rise to the top of the water and not break apart. If it does not rise, then too much matzo meal was added. In this case, add another beaten egg to the mixture and try again. When desired consistency is reached, roll all of mixture into golf ball-sized spheres.
5. In a large saucepan, bring chicken broth to a slow boil over medium heat; add balls to broth. Serve soup as the balls rise to the top of the broth.