Showing posts with label budget bytes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label budget bytes. Show all posts

Friday, August 26, 2011

Friday Foodday!

Happy Friday lovebugs!
Do you have any fun plans for this weekend?  Hopefully they will include great fashion and good food.

Peach and Blackberry Cobbler
c/o Dad
Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup of granulated sugar
5 tbsp unsalted butter
½ cup butter milk
6 quarts of water
8 peaches
2 cups of blackberries
1 tbsp of lemon juice
2 tbsp of cornstarch
¼ cup heavy cream

Directions
COBBLER DOUGH
1.     Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and ½ cup granulated sugar in a food processor.
2.     Pulse this mixture two times.
3.     Cut 4 Tbsp chilled butter into 1/2" pieces.
4.     Place the butter into the food processor and pulse the mixture until the butter is incorporated.
5.     While the food processor is running, slowly add the buttermilk until dough forms. Be careful not to overmix.
6.     Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of one hour prior to use.
FRUIT MIXTURE
1.     Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2.     In a large pot, add the water and bring to a rapid boil.
3.     Butter an 8-cup glass baking dish and set aside.
4.     In a large mixing bowl, prepare a bath of ice and cold water.
5.     Using a paring knife, cut a small “x” into the bottom of each peach.
6.     Drop each peach into the boiling water for 20, seconds then shock in the ice bath.
7.     Once peaches are cool, remove the peel, seed, and cut the peaches into 1” chunks.
8.     Gently combine the chopped peaches, blackberries, lemon juice, ½ cup granulated sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl and mix to combine. Pour ingredients into buttered baking dish and set aside.
9.     On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to ½” thickness and cut biscuits using a 2” diameter biscuit cutter. 

Arrange the biscuits about ½” apart over the fruit mixture.  Brush the biscuit dough with the heavy cream and sprinkle with 2 tsp granulated sugar.  Place the cobbler on a sheet-pan to catch any juices that may boil over during baking.  Bake until the top is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. Serve warm.  

Picnic Potato Salad
 Ingredients
3.5 lbs small red potatoes
8 oz light sour cream
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 bunch parsley
1/4 bunch green onions
2 ribs of chopped celery
1/2 tsp of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
STEP 1: Thoroughly wash the potatoes and cut them into one inch cubes. Make sure the cubes are as uniform in size as possible to assure they cook at the same rate (you don't want some large hard pieces and some small pieces that turn to mush).

STEP 2: Fill a large pot half way with water and add 1/2 tsp of lemon juice. Bring the liquid to a boil then add the potatoes (be careful! you will get burned if it splashes up at you). Set a timer for ten minutes then test the potatoes by piercing one with a fork. You want the fork to slide in easily but the potato chunk should not crumble. If they are still stiff, let them boil longer, checking their consistency at one minute intervals.

STEP 3: Drain the potatoes then spread them out on a cookie sheet in a single layer to cool.

STEP 4: While the potatoes are cooling, clean and finely chop the celery, parsley and green onions. Place all of the chopped vegetables in a bowl. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Stir well, then taste test. Remember, the mixture will be mellowed out by the starchy potatoes after they are mixed. If you like a more vibrant flavor, try adding a little bit of lemon juice (1 tsp or so). You can also add a kick with a few drops of hot sauce.

STEP 5: Once the potatoes have cooled, add them to the vegetable and dressing mixture. Stir well, slightly mashing about 1/3 of the potatoes. I found that my hands worked best for this step. I stirred and "squeezed" to mash 'em up (this was fun!).

STEP 6: Chill the mixture for at least half an hour or until it is chilled through and the flavors have mixed. Enjoy!

Gorgonzola Butter and Corn on the Cob
 Ingredients
1 stick of butter-room temperature
1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
4 strips of bacon, fried and chopped small

Directions
add everything together and slather on your corn on the cob!
































Friday, July 29, 2011

Friday Foodday!

Hey lovebugs!
Happy Friday!  I'm especially excited today because I leave on my family vacation on Sunday for a week!  But don't worry, TCB will still be here for you everyday next week with some fabulous guest bloggers!  Until then, enjoy these great recipes!

Siracha Chicken Strips
c/o Budget Bytes
Ingredients

 2 boneless chicken breasts
1/3 cup  Siracha hot sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 inch peeled and grated ginger
1 clove garlic
1 large egg
1 cup flour
1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs
a pinch of salt and pepper

Directions

STEP 1: In a resealable container combine the Sriracha, rice vinegar, minced garlic and grated ginger. Slice the chicken breasts diagonally into 6 strips each and mix to coat in the Sriracha marinade. Cover the container with the marinade and chicken and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

STEP 2: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Set up your dredging station by getting three bowls. Fill the first with the all-purpose flour, in the second whisk the egg and 1 Tbsp of water and in the third bowl place the panko bread crumbs. Also get a clean plate or dish ready to hold the breaded chicken strips.

STEP 3: Taking one chicken strip from the marinade at a time, wipe off the excess Sriracha then dip to coat in the flour, then the egg and lastly the panko crumbs. Make sure all surfaces of the chicken strip get covered with each. Gently place the breaded strip on the clean plate and move on to the next one. This is messy and your hands will get coated so make sure you won't get interrupted before you begin.

STEP 4: Once all of the strips are breaded, place them on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. After 20 minutes, turn the oven on to broil and broil for about 5 minutes on each side. Watch the strips during the broiling process. When they get golden brown, pull them out, flip them and wait for the second side to get golden (about 5 minutes each side). Let the strips cool slightly before serving!

Chicken Stuffed with Spinach and Ricotta
Ingredients

Olive oil
1 bag of fresh spinach
1 garlic clove, minced and 2 garlic whole and peeeled
Salt
Pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup ricotta
1/4 cup grated cheese
Toothpicks
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add in garlic and spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Stir around the spinach until it is coated. Cover the pan and allow the spinach to cook turning it every so often. Once spinach has wilted remove from pan and set aside.
In a medium size bowl mix together the ricotta and grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut a slit in the chicken breasts to create a pocket. Don’t go all the way through the chicken. Stuff the ricotta mixture inside the slit. Then stuff it with the spinach. You can mix the spinach in with the ricotta too but I wanted a separate layer of spinach. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
Place the egg mixture into a shallow dish. In a second shallow dish place the breadcrumbs. Dredge the chicken in the egg mixture and coat on all sides. Dip the chicken with the egg on it into the breadcrumbs and coat on all sides. Close the pocket up with some toothpicks by placing them in at an angle. Repeat for each piece of chicken.
In a large sautée or fry pan that is oven proof add in the garlic and about 1/4 cup of oil. Turn the heat to medium. When the oil is hot add in the chicken. Brown on both sides. If needed add more oil to the pan. Once browned place the pan in the oven and cook 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Southwestern Black Bean Salad
c/o Skinny Taste
  Ingredients
1 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
9 oz frozen corn, thawed
1 tomato, chopped
1 small hass avocado, diced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 scallion, chopped
1 lime, juice of
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp cilantro
salt and fresh pepper

Directions
Combine beans, corn, tomato, onion, scallion, cilantro, salt and pepper. Mix with lime juice and olive oil. Marinate in the refrigerator 30 minutes. Add avocado before serving.