Chicken Curry

Dear stomach. Your craving has been satisfied! Oh, the warming smell of delicious Chicken Curry - fresh spices all mixed together. It's amazing what wonders are created and what food can turn into. Incredible. It was far too long a wait to finally have a taste of this perfect, 30 minute meal. Quick, easy, and simply satisfying. The smell always takes me back to my incredible adventures in South Africa and the wonderful meals we enjoyed.

Chicken Curry

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp curry powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp paprika

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger root

1/2 tsp white sugar

salt to taste

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 cup plain yogurt

3/4 cup coconut milk

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until lightly browned. Stir in garlic, curry powder, cinamon, paprika, bay leaf, ginger, sugar, and salt. Continue stirring for 2 minutes. Add chicken pieces, tomate paste, yogurt, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove bay leaf, and stir in lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Simmer 5 more minutes.

Serve over Basmati or Jasmine rice.

Fried Mozzarella Sticks

I know exactly what you all are thinking... aren't you trying to eat better? Yes, you're right, WE are. This post is about a month late. Please acccept my apologies. But I had to share with you how awesome these Fried Mozzarella sticks are. They are perfect party/guest appetizers and I guarantee they will disappear in a flash - at least, that's what happened in this household - and they're simple to make too! Actually, a bit entertaining because who makes Fried Mozzarella sticks in their own home? You do. Enjoy! Have a great day!

Fried Mozzarella Sticks

String Cheese (cut in half)

Small bowl of flower

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

2 tsp. dried parsley

Panko Crumbs

Add the parsley to the crushed panko crumbs. Add any other kind of seasoning you'd like, or simply keep it simple! In a separate bowl whisk together the milk and eggs.

Step 1: roll a mozzarella stick in the flour mixture until lightly covered.

Step 2: Dip into the egg mixture.

Step 3: Place it into the seasoned panko crumbs and evenly coat. 

Step 4: Place on a clean tray.

Put the tray in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. This helps the Mozzarella from melting too quickly while frying. 

Pour about an inch to an inch and a half of oil into a frying pan and heat it up on medium high. Carefully add a few sticks to the hot oil. Once those cheese sticks are in the process will move quickly! Once they're nice and golden remove them from the oil and place on a paper towel to dry. 

Serve it up with some marinara sauce or ranch! Delicious!  

Pita Bread

I love that my talented cousin, Carly Lisonbee, also loves to cook and that we love to try out one another's recipes. I was thrilled to put this Pita Bread recipe to test and stuff it with delicious vegetables and lean meats. It couldn't have come out of the oven as a greater accomplishment and a yummier meal! The steps are simple and easy, even allowing time to do a workout while the dough set. I hope you find this as fun and eventful as Carly and I did! Carly has a wonderful blog as well @ www.carlyskitchen.blogspot.com! Enjoy.

Start out with:

1 1/4 cup luke warm water

1 Tablespoon yeast

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Let is rest for about 15 minutes until the mixture has bubbled. You always have the choice to throw all ingredients in the bread machine as well - I simply prefer to do it step by step.

Add In:

3-4 cups flour

1/2 tsp Salt

The dough will be thick/dense. IT'S OKAY! Break the dough into 8-10 round balls. Place dough ball on a lightly floured surface, pat it into a circle, and begin rolling it out. Don't make it too thin. Before you place it on a baking sheet, make sure both sides are floured. Place your first Pita on a baking sheet, and continue with the rest.

Let the Pita's rise for about 30 minutes. Before placing them in the oven flip them over.

Cook for 5 minutes!

We were creative with ours: Avocado, Lettuce, Cheese, Garlic, Onions, Mushrooms & Turkey.  Before we stuffed, we lightly sauteed the Garlic, Onions, Mushrooms, and Turkey. It was delicious!

Peanut Butter Balls

Disclaimer: despite the fact these are absolutely crave worthy, they'll kill you if you aren't careful!

Ingredients

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups peanut butter

(recommend Adam's Natural Peanut Butter)

1 package chocolate chips

wax paper

Directions

(FYI: I halved the recipe and still filled up a cookie sheet and a half).

Combine confectioners' sugar, butter, and peanut butter in a bowl and mix together until smooth. Place in the refridgerator for a few minutes. This allows the dough to set a little, helping to make rolling into small balls much easier. Take out a cookie sheet and line with wax paper. Roll small balls, whatever size fits you best, and place on the wax paper. Once it's filled, put it in the freezer for about thirty minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, slowly melt your chocolate in a microwave safe bowl beginning with 1 minute, then alternate stirring and cooking every 12 seconds until the chocolate is liquified.  Pull out your balls, and dip the ball into the chocolate, knocking off any extra on the sides. Place your plan back in the fridge or freezer until ready to serve! 

 I froze the extras and put them in a ziploc bag. 

Chocolate Truffle Kisses

Happy Valentines Day! You'll find these delicious and easy chocolate truffles to be a favorite, not only amongst friends and family, but a melting taste you can't stop eating!

Ingredients

1 box Oreo Cookies

1 8oz Cream Cheese

1 pkg. Chocolate Bark

Directions

Crush the cookies in a blender or ziploc bag until fine and crummy. In a small bowl mix together cookie crumbs and softened cream cheese. Blend well. Form small balls and place on a waxed cookie sheet. Once all your balls are formed put the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes. I find it's easier to mold this way so the dough doesn't stick to your fingers. Take out the cookie sheet and form each ball into a small kiss. Place back in the freezer until hard.

Meanwhile, prepare your chocolate. Place chocolate bark in small microwavable bowl for two minutes. Take it out a stir. Continue to cook in the microwave until creamy, stirring every 10-12 seconds. Do not let it overcook. 

Once your kisses are hard and chocolate is ready, take each kiss, place it on a spoon, and dip it in the chocolate, knocking off any extra. Place on the wax paper and put back in the freezer or refrigerator! Enjoy.

Honey Wheat Bread

Growing up it was my job to make bread every week. This wasn't for your average sized family with two to four children. I have 10 siblings and bread did not last us very long! I used a big silver bowl, my hands, and the largest bread pan I've ever seen to this day; a 12x4 three strap bread pan. You can imagine the amount of dough I had to work with! 

Now, nine years later, I'm back to making my own bread twice a week. And it's simple, just two small loafs. I tried a few and decided to stick with what I grew up doing, just minimized the recipe a bit and used Triticale Flour instead of whole wheat, giving it a healthy, lighter look.

There is nothing like walking into our small country home with the aroma of fresh bread right out of the oven. Hand me some butter and honey!

Honey Wheat Bread

makes two loaves

3 1/2 cups warm water

1 1/2 tsp yeast

1/4 cup honey

Place in a measuring bowl or mixing bowl and let the yeast proof, or rise and bubble. 

Mix In:

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

and let it sit for a few minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups more of whole wheat flour and mix well. Let is sit for 15 minutes. The dough should be sticky and stretchy. After it rests, divide the dough in half and kneed with plenty of flour slowly forming into loaf. Put your dough into the prepared bread pans, lining with tin-foil or wax paper for easy release, and let it rise until the dough has risen slightly above the edge of the baking pans. 

Bake the bread @ 350° for 35 minutes.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

After giving in to the constant begging from my husband, I finally decided to whip up a batch of one of his favorite cookies. Call them what you may, Whoopie Pies, Oreo Cookies, Sandwich Cookies, they still taste the same and would make for a perfect Valentine's Day gift with pink frosting! Why didn't I think of that before? They taste wonderful! Here's the simple recipe. Enjoy!

Homemade Oreo Cookies

Cookie Ingredients

1-package devil's food cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

Directions

Heat oven to 350°. Add oil and eggs to cake mix and blend together. Roll dough into balls. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on sheet.

The rest is pretty explanitory! Spread and smash!

Cream Cheese Filling

1 stick butter

1 8oz package philly cream cheese

3-4 cups confectioner's sugar

1 tsp vanilla

(food coloring if desire)

Garden Pasta

I love budget meals! February was completely planning with weekly meals all fitting into our budget plan. It worked great and I found some wonderful recipes that incorporate healthy eating as well! This recipe was simple and delicious, taking less than an hour to put together. I had enough time to come home from work and have dinner on the table by 5:30 and the wonderful thing is half the ingredients were in storage from last years garden! Excellent & definitely a budget meal.

Garden Pasta

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 med. zucchini, diced

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 small carrot, chopped

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup chicken broth or stock

1 cup crushed tomatoes

Salt & Pepper

Directions

Heat a deep skillet or pot over medium heat. Add the Extra Virgin Olive Oil and garlic and saute until garlic sizzles. Add zucchini, onion, carrot and bay leaves. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the zucchini is tender and onion are translucent. 

Remove from stove and add the stock. Stir up any good gunk from the bottom of the pot. Add the tomato, salt and pepper, and parsley. Let it boil for 2 minutes. Done.

Valentine Desserts

Anybody getting ready for Valentine's Day? As far as delicious desserts go, I am on board! I'm excited to share a few recipes and get your minds rolling on what to prepare for your special someone in just a few weeks from now! Along with desserts, I'll add in few delightful, healthy meals, all in time for Valentines Day and before you start your monthly shopping! 

Cinnamon Love Knots
Yield: 3 dozen

 

Ingredients:

2 pckg active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup warm milk

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar 

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp salt

4 1/2 to 5 cups flour

Topping:

2 cups sugar

2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup melted butter

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water Let stand for 5 minutes. Add milk, butter, sugar, eggs and salt. Stir in enough flour to form stiff dough. Turn into a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down; divide into three portions. Cover two with plastic wrap. Shape one portion into 12 balls, Roll each ball into an 8-in rope. 

Combine sugar and cinnamon. Dip rope into melted butter, then coat with cinnamon-sugar. Tie into a knot. Tuck and pinch ends under and place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375° for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Gorilla Bread

Delicious. Divine. Dangerous. 

Basically, this sums up how wonderful this recipe is! I skipped monkey bread all together this year and tried out Paula Deen's delicious Gorilla Bread. I love the taste of cinnamon, brown sugar, nuts, & butter all mixed up together with a touch of cream cheese! Now you know why I call it dangerous. The New Year hadn't quite rang in yet, so I didn't feel quite as guilty. It's simply irresistible! Easy to make and smells heavenly. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 (8-ounce) package of cream cheese

2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count)

1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon. In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside. Cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and sugar. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan. Place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup of nuts. Layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

The Classic Christmas Cake

When my husband and I lived in South Africa one of our favorite holiday desserts was Fruit Cake. Pamella Mitchell-Innes would begin baking months ahead and feed the cake with brandy until Christmas. It was moist and delicious! Several times I found myself having to fight my cravings and cut another piece! This Christmas Tyler and I wanted a bit of South Africa with us here in Oklahoma, so Pam was kind enough to send the recipe and I started baking! It turned out great - now to find people to share it with! Fruit Cake is much too large for two people :)

*Note: All ingredients are UK and might need to be converted.

I realize the post is quite late for anybody to do anything with it! But there is always next year - besides, fruit cake is never out of season. :)

Ingredients

1 lb currants

6 oz sultanas

6 oz raisins

2 oz glace cherries, rinsed, dried and finely chopped

2 oz mixed and candied peel, finely chopped

3 Tbsp brandy

8 oz plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground mixed spice

8 oz unsalted butter

8 oz soft brown sugar

4 eggs

2 oz almonds, chopped

1 tsp black treacle

the grated zest of 1 lemon

the grated zest of one orange

4 oz whole blanched almonds

(only if you don't intend to ice the cake)

Icing

(optional)

1 lbs 2 oz icing sugar, sifted

3 large egg whites

1 tsp glycerine 

Cake Directions:

You need to begin this cake the night before you want to bake it. All you do is weigh out the dried fruit and mixed peel, place it in a mixing bowl and mix in the brandy as evenly and thoroughly as possible. Cover the bowl with a clean tea cloth and leave the fruit aside to absorb the brandy for 12 hours.

Next day pre-heat the oven to gas mark 1, 275°F (140°C). Then measure out all the rest of the ingredients, ticking them off to make quite sure they're all there. The treacle will be easier to measure if you remove the lid and place the tin in a small pan of barely simmering water. Now begin the cake by sifting the flour, salt and spices into a large mixing bowl, lifting the sieve up high to give the flour a good airing. Next, in a separate large mixing bowl, whisk the butter and sugar together until it's light, pale and fluffy. Now beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add them to the creamed mixture a tablespoonful at a time; keep the whisk running until all the egg is incorporated. If you add the eggs slowly by degrees like this the mixture won't curdle. If it does, don't worry, any cake full of such beautiful things can't fail to taste good!

When all the egg has been added, fold in the flour and spices, using gentle, folding movements and not beating at all (this is to keep all that precious air in). Now fold in the fruit, peel, chopped nuts and treacle and finally the grated lemon and orange zests. Next, using a large kitchen spoon, transfer the cake mixture into the prepared tin, spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon and, if you don't intend to ice the cake, lightly drop the whole blanched almonds in circles or squares all over the surface. Finally cover the top of the cake with a double square of silicone paper with a 50p-size hole in the centre (this gives extra protection during the long slow cooking).

Bake the cake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 4½-4¾ hours. Sometimes it can take up to ½-¾ hour longer than this, but in any case don't look till at least 4 hours have passed. Cool the cake for 30 minutes in the tin, then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling. When it's cold 'feed' it – make small holes in the top and base of the cake with a cocktail stick or small skewer, then spoon over a few teaspoons of brandy, wrap it in double silicone paper secured with an elastic band and either wrap again in foil or store in an airtight container. You can now feed it at odd intervals until you need to ice or eat it.

Icing Directions:

Place the egg whites in a bowl, then stir in the icing sugar, a spoonful at a time, until the icing falls thickly from the spoon. At this stage, stop adding any more sugar and whisk with an electric whisk for 10 minutes or until the icing stands up in stiff peaks, then stir in the glycerine.

Now spread the icing all over the top and sides of the cake as evenly as possible using a palette knife. Switch to a broad-bladed knife (or smaller palette knife) to 'spike' the icing all over to give a snow-scene effect. Leave the cake overnight for the icing to dry out before placing it in a container till needed.

Gingerbread Cake with Caramel Sauce

Last week I was able to spend time with family back in Utah. The one thing on my mind was baking something delicious for everybody - unfortunately the night I picked hardly anybody was home, more goodies for the rest of us! This Gingerbread Cake was scrumptious! I absolutely loved it and it has become my new favorite, year-round, recipe!

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
6 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup boiling water


Directions:
Grease an 8 inch square pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Mix the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices together. Cream the butter, gradually add the brown sugar and cream thoroughly. Stir in molasses.
Beat egg until thick, and beat into the creamed mixture. Stir in the vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture a third at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Gradually add boiling water, stirring after each addition. Turn into prepared pan.
Bake for about 50 minutes. Serve warm with lemon sauce.

Caramel Sauce
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cream
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix all the ingredients together in a sauce pan and simmer for about 5 or 6 minutes. Serve over warm gingerbread, and butter pudding, apple pie, ice cream, and more!

White Chocolate Oreas with Peppermint

Christmas came too fast this year! I found myself running up against the clock with a fun, cute, yummy treat to give to friends and neighbors & was so relieved when I came across this great idea, dipping oreo cookies into white chocolate and sprinkling with crushed candy canes! I dipped a whole pan in about five minutes and had them bagged and ready to deliver. Merry Christmas!

Ingredients Needed:

White Almond Chocolate Bars
Oreo Cookies
Crushed Candy Canes



Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for two minutes. Remove and stir. Put back into the microwave for 12 second intervals, stirring after each one. Once chocolate is liquid enough to dip, start dipping the oreos.

Place Oreo's on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with candy canes. Place in the freezer for one hour.

Fried Ice Cream

I've always wondered how fried ice cream was made and always thought about someday attempting to try. Finally, I felt I needed some challenge and variety to my desserts, so I went searching and came across this amazing recipe! The first time around I learned the hard way - my oil wasn't hot enough and my ice cream started to melt! Disaster. The second time around was a success and absolutely a blast to make! AND it's delicious. So, learn from my mistake and make sure your oil is hot, hot, hot. You will come out with amazing results and a very fun recipe for friends/family. Good Luck!

Fried Ice Cream

Prep Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Serving Size: 1 fried ice cream ball

1 quart vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
4 cups CornFlakes cereal, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tablespoon milk
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
caramel and chocolate syrup, or honey, for topping (optional)


Directions

Spoon four ice cream scoops onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Place the pan into the freezer and allow to firm up for 1 hour. Meanwhile, place the crushed CornFlakes cereal into a bowl and mix with the cinnamon. Mix the eggs and milk in a separate bowl; set aside.

Remove the frozen ice cream scoops from the freezer and use your hands to mold them into uniform sized rounds. Working with one at a time, roll an ice cream ball into the crushed cinnamon cereal to coat and place back on the wax paper. Repeat with remaining ice cream.

Roll each round into the egg mixture, then coat again in the cereal and place back onto the wax paper lined baking sheet. Return to the freezer for about an hour.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet to 365°F – 375°F. Remove the ice cream from the freezer and fry each coated ice cream round for 20 to 25 seconds, turning to fry evenly. Transfer to a paper towel then quickly place on individual plates and drizzle with caramel, chocolate or honey.

Magic Cookie Bars

There is nothing better than being able to put together an all time favorite dessert recipe in less than 5 minutes! Growing up my Dad always made these and substituted the graham crackers for oats. In keeping tradition, I love the yummy taste of these Magic Cookie Bars! They are good right out of the oven with ice cream or put them in the fridge and serve them cold later on - which is what I prefer. There are no tricks and no possible way you can mess up. Enjoy!

 

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs or oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 (14-ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of 13x9-inch baking pan.

Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumbs. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly with fork.

Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Chill if desired. Cut into bars. Store covered at room temperature.

RECIPE VARIATION

Substitute 1 cup butterscotch flavored chips, peanut butter flavored chips or white chocolate chips for 1 cup semi-sweet chips and proceed as directed above.

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Craving cookies tonight. After another long weekend I wasn't feeling up to it, but this recipe sounded worth it and after I threw in a few twists it was definitely satisfying. They are soft, fluffy, and melt in your mouth. It only took me max, 10 minutes, to have this whipped up and into the oven! You will love these!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, softened

2/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking  soda

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups rolled oats

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

*chocolate chips are optional, but will definitely do the trick if you're craving chocolate and the husband wants oatmeal raisin.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375° F. 

In a large bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually beat into butter mixture. Stir in oats and raisins and chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Cool slightly, remove from sheet to wire rack. Cool Completely.

*I've found mixing with electrical mixing bowls tends to make the cookies less fluffy and soft. You beat out all the air. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula and don't beat the ingredients to death - guarantee you'll have better cookie turnouts!

British Cooking 101

When my husband and I were living in South Africa one of our favorite Christmas desserts was the South African, Traditional Fruit Cake. Pam Mitchell-Innes, the mastermind behind this delicious dessert, is an amazing cook and we always looked forward to dining at her beautiful home on Blanerne Farm. Now that we're back in America, we've thought much about South Africa, especially this time of year, and wanted to have a taste of South Africa here with us this Christmas. Pam was gracious enough to send me the recipe and I've had a very good learning curve the past few days as I've tried to figure out what most of the ingredients are! Goodness, have I learned a lot. 

 Maybe I'm still new to this "cooking" world, call me nieve, but I had no clue what any of the things on this list were:

Currants

Sultanas

Mixed Candied Peel
Glacé Cherries

and

Black Treacle

So, the searching began and my education was heightened! I think in the end it was simply the different countries calling food my different names. 

Dried Fruits used in British Cooking

Raisins: dried, black grapes. They are dried to produce a dark, sweet fruit. 

Sultanas: dried white grapes but from seedless varieties. They are golden in color and tend to be plumper, sweeter and jucier than other raisins. Also referred to as Golden Raisins in the US.

Currants: dried, black, seedless grapes. They are dried to produce a black, tiny shriveled - yet packed with flavor - fruit.

Candied Mixed Peel: is the thick peel of citrus fruits preserved in sugar

Glacé Cherries: cherries, again preserved in sugar solution, as the cherry usually loses color in the process, coloring is added making them a distinctive, bright red.

Black Treacle: any syrup made during the refining of sugar. Used chiefly in cooking as a form of sweetener or condiment.  

(I could not find any in the stores surrounding, so the substitute for Black Treacle is Molasses, Excellent! I have that). 

-There you have it! Hopefully everybody learned something new today. xoxo

Baked Fried Chicken

I was so excited when I realized this recipe didn't call for any deep frying - although we all know that can taste mighty delicious - but was baked in the oven! It quickly became one of my favorite recipes and tastes just like KFC, but far better. Thank you Amy Lindstrom from Your Life Uncommon for sharing this hearty recipe! She nailed it right on - baked instead of fried and you don't have to deal with the seasoning on the skin, which we all pull off anyway! You can enjoy all the flavors this recipe has to offer without worry about it being unhealthy. Enjoy!

Place thawed chicken breast tenderloin strips in a bowl of milk. Let soak for 20-30 min.

Mix a gallon size ziploc or large bowl:

1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Tablespoon Season All
3/4 tsp Pepper
1 cup Flour
2 tsp. Paprika


Preheat oven to 400° F. Cut 1/2 stick of butter into a few pieces and place in a 9 x 13 in pan. Melt butter in preheated oven.
Spread melted butter around the bottom of the pan. Lightly spray the pan, if needed, to make sure that there are no dry spots.
Shake excess milk off of chicken and completely coat each piece with the seasoning mix. You can either shake the chicken in the bag, until coated, or dip each piece in the bowl until coated.
Place each piece of chicken in the pan.
Cook for 20 min. Turn each piece of chicken and continue cooking for 20 more minutes, or until cooked through.

Buttery Homemade Rolls

I was assigned to bring rolls for Thanksgiving. Being informed that around 20 would be attending, I calculated around 3 rolls per person (you all know how we eat on Thanksgiving), which totals 60 rolls. Well, I ended up making 96! Oh my goodness that is a lot of rolls, I said the same thing. Turns out the rolls where a HIT and I was able to distribute them out to all the families - thank goodness! These are, by far, the easiest rolls I've ever made and the yummiest I've ever tasted! They aren't exactly on the healthy side side of the "roll" section, but they are delicious. Honestly, I've been too lazy to grind any wheat, which is usually what I cook with before white flour, oh well. Enjoy the savory taste! I found the recipe on How Does She dot Com - a very classy site and one of my favorites - and immediately fell in love with these rolls.

Ingredients

*Makes 48 rolls

1 1/2 cups of milk

3/4 cups + 1 Tbsp Sugar

1 egg

1 Tablespoon salt

2 Tablespoons yeast

2 cups warm water

9-10 cups all purpose flour

1 cup butter

Directions

*Keep Track Of How Much Flour You Add 

Scald 1 1/2 cups of milk, 2/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup of butter, in a microwave safe bowl, for about 2 minutes. Cutting the butter into pieces helps it melt faster. There will probably be some little cubes of butter still floating in the hot mixture, they will melt. 

To cool down the mixture stir in 1-2 cups flour, then add 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon of salt, and leave it to cool for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, in a measuring cup dissolve 2 Tablespoons o yeast in 2 cups of warm ater and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Let it sit for a couple of minutes unti is it bubbly.

Make sure your milk mixture is just warm and add the yeast mixture.

Using a fork or wooden spoon, gradually sit in 9-10 cups of flour (counting the flour you have already added). These rolls turn out better when mixed by hand.

Be sure not to add too much flour. Then smooth the dough out and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave it in a warm place and let it rise until it has doubled in size.

Cover your working space with flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Dump your doguh out and divide it into 4 balls. Eyeball the sizes, then lift them up and feel the weight of each ball. Try to make them even, but they don't have to be perfect. Roll the dough into a circle ona  floured counter. Spread the top with butter from edge to edge. Cut the dough into quarters using a pizza cutter then cut each quarter into 3 pieces. you should end up with 12 triangles.

You will make 3 rows, with 8 rolls per row. This will give you 24 rolls per pan. Two balls of dough will fill 1 pan.. You will get a total of 48 rolls.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Place the pans of rolls in a warm place to let them rise. When they are full in size, place in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Once you have pulled them out of the oven run a stick of butter over the tops of the rolls for a delicious buttery glaze!

Coconut & Chocolate Cream Pie

Welcome to Pie Day! I went against tradition this year and thought I'd bake a few pies that had a great story. My favorite restaurant to stop at, when I get the chance, is the Sun Glow Restaurant in Bicknell, Utah. Yes, small town and definitely worth the drive. They have the most fabulous pies there - Pickle Pie, Oatmeal Pie, Pecan Pie, Pinto Bean Pie, and Coconut and Chocolate Cream Pie. Who would have thought, right? And it's like you're going to be daring enough to try, but you're going to want to try, really bad. It's one of those "you walk away and you'll regret it" moments. Anywho, I was able to get the recipes and I so looked forward to sharing with you this Thanksgiving. Don't be afraid. They are delicious. Enjoy -

Ingredients

3 cups Milk

10 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix

2 cups milk

6 ounces Dream Whip

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup chopped pecans

3 Tablespoons cocoa

Directions

Mix together 3 cups milk and vanilla pudding mis; allow to set until firm.

Beat together 2 cups milk and Dream Whip until fluffy and firm. Comine with pudding mixture.

For Coconut Cream Pie, add coconut and pecans, blend thoroughly. Turn mixture into baked and cooled pie shell. Sprinkle coconut over top. Chill before serving.

For Chocolate Cream Pie, follow directions for Coconut Cream Pie and add cocoa.