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Chicken Croquettes

Not to be confused with chicken croquet where you hit chicken balls through a wicket, these chicken croquettes are easy to make a double delicious.  (Okay, don't tell me you've never played chicken croquet! You know, you dress in all white and get your mallet and swing away.)

Look at me in my backyard with my favorite pooch having the time of my life.  Puppy is just waiting to chomp on the chicken croquet.  I realize I'm out of the dress code with my peachy culottes but they looked so stylish with my wedgie heels designed to give me extra lift while I play.  And speaking of extra lift....oh well, I guess I won't go there. 


 
Chicken Croquettes


3 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
dash red pepper
2 cups cooked, finely chopped chicken
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup toasted bread crumbs
oil

Melt butter in medium saucepan; stir in flour.  Add broth and stir until mixture thickens.  Add salt, pepper, celery salt, and  red pepper.  Add chicken;  chill several hours. Shape into balls.  Dip into egg, then bread crumbs.  Heat oil to 365-375 degrees.  Fry chicken until brown.  Drain on paper towels.  Makes about 24.
 


Step 1:  Melt the butter and stir in the flour. 



Step 2:  Add the chicken broth and stir until thick.





Step 3:
  Add the seasonings.






Step 4:
  Add the chicken and mix it all together; chill. 




Step 5:  Scoop out the chicken and place the balls in the egg and then the bread crumbs.










Step 6:
 
Fry in hot oil.  I use vegetable oil which is basically soy bean oil. 





Don't crowd the pan.  If the oil stays good and hot (365 - 375 degrees) the chicken will come out crispier and absorb less oil.  Brown on all sides and then drain on paper towels.






Step 7:
  Enjoy!  The outside will stay crispy and the inside is warm and creamy.  Really good!




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SBX (For those of us over 18, SBX means Spring Break '10)



We were treated to a gorgeous sunset on our first night in Destin, Florida.  This is the view from our deck.  Quite a sight.  The kiddos were pretty excited, too.





We did all the typical beach stuff.  Built a sandcastle...





...went for gokart rides...





...and dodged the jellyfish!




...although some of us were better at dodging than others.  Note to self... get the jellyfish stingy stuff BEFORE you get stung rather than dashing off to the drug store AFTER you get the paralyzing lacerations to the legs. 





Another beautiful sunset.  To quote my Destin neighbor, "Another blissful day."





The next day, we decided to go fishing...



...and fortunately we didn't catch anything!



Looks like a purse to me, or maybe a belt, or some boots!   Go ahead and call PETA.







I will leave you with my two favorite photos from the trip.  The first is a picture of some sea grass outside the house.



And the last is a photo of my favorite sunset over the waves. 

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Pleasant Hill Peanut Butter Cookies



Although I have been to Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, these photos are randomly plucked from the internet for your enjoyment.  I went many years ago before my days of  digital photography and finding those photos would be a chore.  Not impossible, mind you, but not fun so here are some photos courtesy of my Google search.  If you happen on this blog and see your family vacation photos, please let me know so I can give you credit.

So, what is
Shaker Village?  It is a carefully preserved Shaker settlement from the mid 1800's in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky.  Shakers were a protestant religious sect that came to America in the 1700's.  They believed in total celibacy and it is said that they got their name from shaking during relgious fervor. 



You can take a walk back in time and wander through the grounds and buildings.  This house looks a little peanut buttery so I thought I'd share the recipe for peanut butter cookies from their cookbook entitled We Make You Kindly Welcome:  Recipes from the Trustees House Daily Fare by Elizabeth C. Kremer.






Pleasant Hill Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease 2 large cookie sheets.  Cream butter and sugars together; add peanut butter.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Add salt, soda and flour.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet.  Use a fork dipped in sugar to make cross marks on the cookie dough balls and to flatten.   Bake for approximately 10 minutes.  Remove to a wire rack to cool. 



Here is a famous Shaker tune for you to hum while you make these wonderful cookies.


Simple Gifts
by Elder Joseph Brackett, 1848

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'Tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
'Till by turning, turning we come round right.




 Step 1:  Cream together the butter and sugars. 




 My sugar is a bit lumpy. 




Step 2:   Add the peanut butter and then the egg next.  The moisture from the egg helped reduce my lumps.   Then, add the flour, salt, and soda to make a soft cookie dough.




Step 3:  Use a scoop to place the balls of dough on a greased cookie sheet.





Step 4: 
Criss cross with fork dipped in sugar.




Step 5:  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  These don't look all that special in the photo but I have to tell you they are really good.  They are lighter than most peanut butter cookies I've tried.  The generous amount of sugar in this recipe makes them chewy and not as dense as traditional peanut butter cookies.  This is truly my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe. Hope you enjoy it, too.





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Mint Shortbread Tea Cookies

We needed a bit of green for today so I made these mint tea cookies.  




They are a buttery shortbread with a great minty flavor.  I took way too many photos of these cookies so you're going to have to play my little St. Patrick's Day quiz as we wander through the cookies.



True or False   St. Patrick was an Irish leprechaun.



Double false.  St. Patrick wasn't a leprechaun and he wasn't Irish.  He was born in Wales in AD 385. 




True or False   St. Patrick's real name was Maewyn.



True.  He was born a pagan and was sold into slavery.  He changed his name to Patrick after he had become converted during his time in slavery.




True or False    Patrick became a Catholic and helped establish monasteries in Ireland.  The trade of each of these monasteries was to make green beer.





Really false.   Patrick did help establish monasteries in Ireland but they didn't make green beer.  That tradition started at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1952 or so says Wikipedia which we know could never possibly be wrong!



Mint Shortbread Tea Cookies

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon peppermint leaves, finely chopped
pinch of salt

Cream the butter and sugar.  Beat in the egg and extracts.  Gradually mix in the flour.  Stir in the mint leaves and salt.  The dough will be soft.  Divide the dough into 3 parts.  Using waxed paper or plastic wrap to shape the dough, roll each part into a cylinder about 1 1/4 inch in diameter.  Chill the rolls for 1 or 2 hours.  Remove the waxed paper and slice the dough into 1/4 inch rounds.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Makes about 4 dozen.

Frosting

4 tablespoons butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
green food coloring

Mix all ingredients together.  Add more milk if necessary to make spreading consistency.

Chocolate Drizzle

1 1-ounce square baking chocolate
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

In a small pan, melt the chocolate and butter together.  Stir until smooth.  Add the powdered sugar and stir until lumps are gone.  Add the peppermint extract.




Step 1:  Mix together the butter and sugar.  Add the egg and extracts.





Step 2:   Add the flour.  If your butter is soft enough, it makes a really creamy dough.





Step 3:  Chop the mint and add it to the dough.  If you don't have mint in a bottle, you can use  the mint from a mint tea bag! 











Step 4:  Roll the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate OR take the speedy way out and scoop out balls of dough right out of the mixing bowl with a small scoop (melon ball size).  Your choice.  They taste the same.




Slice and bake...





...or scoop and bake.  (Looks like mashed potatoes with parsley, doesn't it?)



 
Step 5:  Let cookies cool on a wire rack but be sure to sneak a few while they are still warm.  Here is what they look like if you slice them. 

 


Here they are scooped.




Either way, eat them quickly because I understand real leprechauns have an affinity for mint and these cookies will be disappearing quickly!


Going...


going...


gone.  Perfect size for a leprechaun.

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Reuben Casserole for St. Patrick's Day

There are lots of stories about when the first Reuben sandwich was served.  The most popular version is that it was first made for Charlie Chaplin's leading lady Annette Seelos in 1914 by Arnold Reuben in New York City.  Annette was hungry after a performance and wanted something to eat.  The owner put together meats, sauerkraut, swiss cheese and a large slathering of his famous Russian dressing.  The Reuben sandwich was born.  Now that St. Patrick's day is nearing, I thought you might like this recipe to get  your corned beef and cabbage in one tasty casserole.

Why is it called corned beef?  Is there corn in the beef?  Were cows fed corn to make the beef different?  None of the above.  The corning refers to the preservation of the meat.  Beef was rubbed with large pieces of salt about the size of a corn kernels.  The name has stuck over the years even though now corned beef is made by a liquid brining process and not with dried salt.


Why do we eat corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day?  In Ireland, corned beef and cabbage is served to American tourists and not necessarily a dish that originated in Ireland.  As the story goes, when Irish immigrants came to America and Canada in the late 19th century, beef and salt were less expensive than in Ireland.  The new immigrants would soak the inexpensive corned beef in water to draw out the salt and boil with with cabbage and bay leaves.  In Ireland this same dish would contain a more expensive  "bacon joint" instead of corned beef.  So, basically we eat corned beef and cabbage because we think Irish people eat corned beef and cabbage but they really don't. How's that for bursting your shamrock?

But if you are a fan of Reuben sandwiches like I am, you will like this recipe whether the custom of eating corned beef and cabbage is authentically Irish or actually Irish-American.


Reuben Casserole
(Better Homes and Gardens)

6 slices rye bread, toasted
12 ounces deli corned beef, chopped
1 14-ounce can sauerkraut, rinsed, drained, and snipped
1  10 1/4 ounce can condensed cream of celery soup
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (4 ounces)
3 tablespoons bottled Thousand island salad dressing
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon butter, melted


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut 4 slices of the toasted bread into cubes.  Toss bread cubes with the corned beef; spread in the bottom of a greased 2-quart  baking dish.    In a medium bowl combine sauerkraut, soup, swiss cheese, Thousand Island salad dressing, and the water; spoon over corned beef and bread.  Tear the remaining 2 slices of bread and place in a food processor or blender.  Cover and process or blend  until coarse crumbs form.  Toss crumbs with melted butter;  sprinkle on top of sauerkraut mixture.  Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until heated through. 


Step 1:  Cut the toasted bread into cubes.  Cut the meat into small cubes, too.







Step 2: 
 Mix together the bread and meat and place in the baking dish.





Step 3: 
Mix together the sauerkraut, soup, cheese, salad dressing and water.  Spoon this mixture over the bread and meat. 





Step 4: 
Top with the remaining bread crumbs and melted butter.




Enjoy!



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Happy Birthday Sherri!

It was a dark and stormy night and someone was having a birthday!  First, we started with some outdoor celebratory streamers. (Where is Roxie when you need her?) It's a bad photo but it's all I've got!  I didn't even get a photo of the Birthday Girl.  We went late at night and she was ready for slumber and consequently I was forbidden from taking photos of her.   Imagine that!





However, I did take a picture of the cupcakes.




The cupcakes are chocolatey and cute.  Exactly what the Birthday Girl likes! I used cupcake toppers from here. They have the really fun baking stuff.




Each cupcake had a different pan or dish on top. This photo looks like a churning sea of chocolate with flotsam cupcake tins and pans.  I never get good pictures at night, but when birthdays happen, you gotta be there.




All boxed up and ready to go.  Happy Birthday, Sherri!  (Oh, and sorry about the rain and all the tiny pieces of celebratory streamers in your yard.  I'll send my clean up crew!)


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Almond Crusted Chicken

Get your chompers ready because this crispy chicken is indeed crispy and good!   





Almond Factoids for Today!
Most of the almonds grown in the world come from California - 80% to be exact.  40% of those are surfer dudes while a whopping 60% are Valley Girls.  Okay, I made that last  part up but this next fact is true.
Almonds are one of two nuts specifically mentioned in the the Bible - Jeremiah 1:11.  Can you guess the other nut mentioned in the Bible?  I couldn't, but now I know because I obviously looked it up!  The other one is pistachios - Genesis 43:11.

This recipe got two chicken wings up in my house (get it?....two thumbs up...two wings up...I'm probably only cracking myself up here).  It was good to eat cold from the refrigerator the next day, too.

Almond Crusted Chicken

3/4 cup finely chopped almonds
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into slices


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a baking pan.   Mix together the almonds, cornstarch, paprika, and salt.  Place in a dish.  In another bowl whisk together the egg and milk.  Pour into a flat pan or dish.  Place the chicken slices in the milk mixture and then roll in the almond mixture.  Place in the prepared pan.  Bake uncovered about 40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. 


Step 1:  Mix together the almonds and dry ingredients.







Step 2: 
Cut the chicken into strips.  You'll notice I'm using a Christmas present from my mother.  It is a "as seen on TV" ceramic knife.  Now you may be wondering if we have Bumpits, Popeil Pocket Fisherman, and the Ab Circle.  No, I do not although I could probably use the Ab Circle.  I still have my Health Rider.  It was also seen by me on TV and purchased in the 1990's. 


Although it looks like a novelty health and fitness machine, I find it to be quite a workout, that is when I can find the time to use it after dinner made on my George Foreman grill while wearing my Snuggie.  Makes me want to get a dog so I can buy a Snuggie for it, too.  Do you think dogs really like Snuggies?  I guess it is important to keep those paws free so they can dig through garbage and such before going to lie down on their memory foam mattresses.  Well, I digress.  Here is the chicken with my Christmas knife in the background.  Oh...I must say that I love the knife.  Sharp as a...well.. a knife.  No really.  They are incredibly sharp and do indeed slice through tomatoes like some kind of laser beam from Mars.  Call now and they will send you two of them for the price of one.  Seriously!




Step 3:  Dip the chicken in the milk and egg mixture.  You can also cut the pieces into nugget sizes instead of strips. 





Step 4:  Stop, drop and roll in the almonds.   Then, place the pieces in a generously. greased pan.  I cooked my strips for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees although they were probably done much sooner.  I forgot about them (watching TV I guess) so, you might want to check them in about 30 minutes.   





Step 5:  Enjoy!     I'm going now to listen to my Barry Manilow Mega Collection - not available in any stores!




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Apple Clafouti

I am always looking for good apple recipes and I found this one for Apple Clafouti.  I had heard of a clafouti although the fruit used is traditionally cherries and not apples. Some adventurous chef was thinking "outside the pan" so I thought I would give it a try.

What does clafouti mean?    The dish's name derives from  clafotís, from the verb clafir, meaning "to fill" (implied: "the batter with cherries"). Clafoutis apparently spread throughout France during the 19th century. 

I think I just found a new word, "Hey, can you clafir my glass?  I'm thirsty."  Or, go to the gas station, "Clafir it up!"

 
What is a clafouti?  It's not a pie, not a cake, not a crumble, not a pandowdy, or not a slump. It really has a texture  different from any of these desserts. With the eggs and milk in the filling it has somewhat of a custard-like filling but with the addition of the flour, it becomes thicker.  I personally loved it although it got mixed reviews in the house.  I think because the texture is different from other apple desserts they have tried, no one knew quite what to think.   Maybe I'll make it again with cherries so I can be authentically French, merci beaucoup, and everyone won't try to compare the clafouti to apple pies or apple crisps. 

Time to shut my "pie hole" or should I say "clafouti" hole and cook!


Apple Clafouti

4 cups peeled, sliced apples
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter or grease a 10-inch deep dish pie plate or baking dish.  Arrange apple slices in the pan.  Combine the milk and eggs using a blender or food processor.  Add the flour, sugar, and vanilla.  Mix about 30 seconds more.  Pour the batter over the apples.  Bake for 60 minutes or until custard forms and inserting a toothpick comes out clean.  Serve warm.  (Optional:  I melted one tablespoon of apple jelly and brushed it over the cooked clafouti to make it shiny on top.  Serve with cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon if desired.)

Step 1:  Peel and cut up 4 cups of apples.





Step 2:  Blend the eggs and milk.  Add the sugar, flour, and vanilla.  Blend for 30 seconds more.


 


 Step 3:  Pour the batter over the apples and place it in the oven.




Step 4:  When it is out of the oven, brush with one tablespoon of melted apple jelly, if desired. 




Step 5:
  Serve your clafouti warm from the oven with a little cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon.  I really liked it.  Let me know if you give it a try. I would love to hear what you think about it, too.   Enjoy! 


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Pumpkin Whoopie Pies



For those of you that just can't get enough Whoopie Pies, here is another variety to try.  This recipe is from the Libby's pumpkin people so when the recipe is done it tastes exactly like their pumpkin roll that you see on the cans only it is waaaay easier to make.  I love the pumpkin roll but what a chore lining the jelly roll pan, dumping the baked cake onto a powder sugar linen towel, rolling it up warm, unrolling it and putting on the filling and then rerolling.  Whew.  I'm tired just thinking about it.  

This recipe involves plopping the scoop of batter on a greased pan, baking for 10 minutes and cooling.  It's that easy and they taste great.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1stick) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup Libby's Pure Pumpkin (NOT the pumpkin pie mix - it already has the spices in it)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease baking sheets.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a medium bowl.  Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add pumpkin and vanilla extract; beat until smooth.  Stir in flour mixture until combined.  Drop by heaping tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets.  Bake for 10 - 13 minutes or until springy to the touch.  cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Filling

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablepsoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in small bowl on medium speed until fluffy.  Gradually beat in powdered sugar until light and fluffy.  Spread filling onto flat side of one cookie; top with another cookie.

Step 1:  Beat together butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time.



Step 2:  Add dry ingredients. 




Step 3:  Place heaping tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes.  Cool and fill. This is a very easy recipe. Enjoy!




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Whoopie Pies




If you've never had a Whoopie Pie, they are large, cake-like cookies with a fluffy marshmallow filling.  Very good and very rich.  Beware...you will have a lifelong craving for them once you try them.





The first time I had a Whoopie Pie was at a church function about 15 years ago.  Miss Opal made dozens and brought them to a tag sale for the youth group. She was about 85 years young and didn't miss an opportunity to support any part of the church - from the nursery crew to the other seniors in the church.  I don't think many of the Whoopie Pies she brought that day got sold to benefit the tag sale because we knew the reputation of Miss Opal's cooking and the tray of Whoopie Pies was pretty much gone before the sale began.  Everyone kept sneaking by and grabbing one or two as they worked to get the sale ready.   Miss Opal moved to Minnesota to live with some family members but I was able to get the recipe from her to include in a church cookbook.  Here is her recipe.

Miss Opal's Whoopie Pies
2/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup Nestles Quik chocolate flavored mix
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk 

Filling
3/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together shortening and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients alternately with the milk.  Drop by teaspoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Let cookies cool for 2 - 3 minutes before removing to a wire rack.  While cookies are cooling, cream together butter, sugar, marshmallow creme and vanilla.  Spread marshmallow mixture between 2 cookies making a cookie sandwich.



Now, recently on the day my family desperately decided we needed some Whoopie Pies, I didn't have any Nestles Quik so I found this recipe for Whoopie Pies.  It was good but a little bit crumbly.  I would have liked the cake to hold up better with the heavy filling (the marshmallow makes for a dense filling.)  Nevertheless, the taste was rich and chocolatey and this recipe is a keeper, too.


Whoopie Pies #2

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
1 dgg
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk

Filling
3/4 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
2 cups marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon vanilla


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease baking sheets.  In a large bowl, cream together shortening, sugar, and egg.  In another bowl, combine cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the shortening mixture, alternating with the milk mixture; add vanilla and beat until smooth.  Drop batter by the 1/4 cup onto prepared baking sheets.  With the back of a spoon spread batter into 4-inch circles, leaving approximately 2 inches between each cake.  Bake 15 minutes or until they are firm to the touch.  Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Step 1:  Mix together the shortening and sugar.



Step 2:  Add the egg.



Step 3:  Add the dry ingredients alternating with the milk.  Add the vanilla.  You will have a creamy and thick batter.




Step 4:  Use a scoop to drop the batter onto a greased cookie sheet. 





Step 5:  Mix together filling.  Now, some Whoopie Pie purists will say that the filling should be made from vegetable shortening instead of butter.  I tend to agree with Miss Opal and use butter in my filling.  But, if you want to be a Whoopie Pie snob, you will need to substitute the butter in my recipes for Crisco. (Some REALLY traditional Whoopie people even use lard!!!)  The Whoopie Pies you get from bakeries will most decidedly use shortening instead of butter, but I just can't quite make myself eat a glob of shortening between two cookies.  I know, I know... grease is grease.  Butter is a fat and so is shortening, but I must admit I like the taste of butter better and I just have never really made many kinds of frostings or fillings with a shortening base. Maybe I'm a butter snob.   

So, with that said...scoop whatever filling you decide between two cooled cookies.  Enjoy!


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