I am pleased to announce that I will be appearing on Chicago Tonight tomorrow evening alongside Dana Joy of Real Food Rehab and Natalie of Bake and Destroy. January 28th, at 7:00 p.m., WTTW channel 11. I’m so looking forward to a lively discussion with these creative ladies! Hope you can tune in!
Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
Posted by on January 27, 2010
This is a house favorite. It’s very simple to put together, and the ingredients are very basic. This recipe is one of the first cookies I mastered as a 12 year old. I believe the recipe is out of one of my Grandma’s cookbooks, which did not have a cover it was so worn. There is nothing like the smell of peanut butter cookies in the oven, enjoy!
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup melted butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
2 eggs
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1) Preheat oven to 375’. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2) In medium mixing bowl, combine flour, salt & soda. In a large mixing bowl combine melted butter, peanut butter, sugars and eggs, mix well.
3) Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture, mix well. Roll into 1” (or larger) balls and press with fork to make cross hatch marks in cookies.
4) Bake 10-12 minutes. Allow to set for 5 minutes before removing from parchment paper.
Unbelievable Oven Fried Chicken…..
Posted by on January 25, 2010
This chicken is excellent. I love it because it has amazing flavor and isn’t deep fried. Marinating in the buttermilk gives the chicken great flavor and very moist chicken. You can also use chicken pieces with skin and bone, just increase the baking time to one hour. You will have enough of the spice mixture to make the chicken 3 more times, very convenient.
Spice mixture:
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon cayenne
Mix all ingredients together and store in an air tight plastic container. Yields ½ cup.
For the chicken:
2-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons spice mixture
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1) Place chicken breasts in a large zip bag, add buttermilk & marinate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
2) Preheat oven to 375’. Line a cookie sheet with Reynolds non stick foil and coat foil with about 2 tablespoons canola oil.
3) In a medium size bowl, mix all dry ingredients together and blend well. One piece at a time, allow buttermilk to drain off chicken and dredge in spice/flour mixture making sure to coat well. Place on prepared cookie sheet.
4) Drizzle about one tablespoon canola oil over chicken pieces. Bake for 30 minutes, with a pastry brush blot chicken pieces with drippings from the bottom of the pan. Bake another 10 minutes.
Happy Birthday to Jen!
Posted by on January 24, 2010
Jen’s husband, Steve, decided he wanted to give her a very special birthday gift….a girl’s night out, at home. How fabulous is that?! I had the privilege of planning the menu, preparing and serving her special guests on her special night.
Here is what my son Christopher and I served:
Oven roasted asparagus wrapped with prosciutto
Baba ghanoush with warm flatbread
Arugula & red leaf lettuce with warm breaded goat cheese rounds
and reduced pear necatar and walnut oil dressing
Gaucho steak with 4 herb chimichurri (Guy Fieri’s recipe) http://www.foodnetwork.com/
Parsley pesto pasta
Warm bananas foster bread pudding with vanilla icecream and homemade caramel sauce
I would highly recommend the steak recipe. The steak is marinated in tequila, lime, cilantro and garlic. The chimichurri sauce is very flavorful and simple to make, you just put it all in the blender and give it a whirl. Delicious!
More party pictures…..
Posted by on January 24, 2010
What fun! I must tell you that my son Christopher, was absolutely fantastic. He helped with much of the prep work, the serving, cleared the dishes and helped with all of the clean up. I don’t want to do another event without him. On the way to the party he’d expressed to me that he may want to become a chef…..can you imagine the feeling in my heart? Whatever he chooses as a profession, he will be wonderful!
Thank you Steve and Jen, we had a wonderful night.
Angie
Hungarian Goulash
Posted by on January 18, 2010
I acquired this recipe from my neighbor Mary, who acquired the recipe from her sister Kate. Thanks for sharing! This is soooooo delicious and incredibly simple to put together. I suggest you double or triple the recipe and put into the freezer for later use. The meat is incredibly tender and if you have “onion-phobes” in your family, not to worry, they disintegrate into the delicious sauce. You could also serve this over spaghetti squash as well for an alternative. In addition, you have the beautiful smells wafting through your house….it’s the ultimate comfort food, enjoy!
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ lbs. onions, coarsely chopped
1 ½ lbs. stew meat
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
3 6 oz. cans of water
1 12-16 oz. package large noodles
1) Preheat oven to 325’.
2) Heat 2-3 quart dutch oven over medium heat add oil and onions, cook for about 5 minutes. Add stew meat and cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.
3) Add salt, paprika, and tomato paste, mix until well blended. Add water and mix well.
4) Cover pot and allow to cook in low oven for 2 ½ – 3 hours. Stir once between, add additional water if necessary. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
5) Prepare noodles according to package directions. Serve goulash over hot noodles.
Enjoy!
“UFOs”…..unidentified “food” objects….
Posted by on January 16, 2010
There are two categories of squash, summer and winter. Summer squashes are available year round and the outer skins are edible. Winter squashes have the name because of late summer and early fall harvesting. They will last for most of the winter and their tough skins are not edible.
The pictured “UFO” is spaghetti squash. It is shaped like a small oblong watermelon and the average weight is between 2 and 5 lbs. You will want to pick the most yellow you can find, it will be the most ripe and ready to eat.
I love using this unusual vegetable. It is a nice alternative to wheat pastas. It has a very mild taste so I like to use lots of onions and garlic for flavor. I love the addition of sun dried tomatoes, they add a nice layer of flavor and color as well. Serve this recipe as a delicious side to most any roasted meat or enjoy for lunch the next day.
Spaghetti Squash with Sun Dried Tomatoes & Garlic
Posted by on January 16, 2010
1 medium size spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
1 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
¼ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
½ teaspoon salt
1) Preheat oven to 350’.
2) Carefully cut squash in half lengthwise. Using a large spoon, scoop out seeds & discard. Place halved squash cut side down on a foil lined cookie sheet with sides. Place in oven and pour water into pan.
3) Bake for 45 minutes, the squash should be soft to the touch. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Carefully flip squash over and allow to cool enough to handle. Using a fork, remove spaghetti like flesh from outer shell and place into a medium size bowl, set aside.
4) Heat a medium size non stick pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan, add onions; cook until translucent. Add garlic and sun dried tomatoes; sauté one minute. Add cooked squash; heat through. Add parsley and mix well. Season with salt & pepper. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary.
Family togetherness…..
Posted by on January 14, 2010
Have you ever really thought about the significace of food in your life? How incredibly important it is for your family to sit down together and share in a daily meal to bond, share events of the day, and simply have conversation with one another? How the meal is the center of almost any celebration? When someone is suffering or sick, the thing we most want to do is bring them some comforting food to nourish and keep them? I believe cooking is an extention of our soul and the truest expression of love.
Last evening was one of the first in a week that we were able to all sit down together for dinner. You see, Jack and Chris suffered the loss of their Mom who struggled for many years with an alcohol affliction. This disease is so hard to understand and especially so for children.
During this past week of mourning, I have felt somewhat absent from my life. As you all know, when something like this happens, that’s just the way it is. When the services were over, I very much felt like we needed to sit down together, I did not realize how very much I missed doing this with my family and I wanted to reconnect. Our dinner was very quiet, but I know that this is the beginning of healing. Love and time heals all wounds, and I believe sharing meals together do too. Please take the time to sit together, time is precious.
Have a blessed day.
Angie
Being in touch with nature…..
Posted by on January 9, 2010
Growing up, my Mom was always very in tune with nature. She had the most incredible garden, with plantings specifically to attract humming birds, butterflies, bees (strategically planted at the end of our property) & birds. She had numerous bird houses and feeders. She even made her own suet, which I’m going to do in the next week or so. I will share with you how to make it very soon. It is basically melted (or rendered) beef fat mixed with seeds & nuts. Birds benefit greatly from this high energy snack.
I have a little piece of nature heaven in my back yard. I have three bird feeders and a bird bath with a heating coil, to keep the water from freezing. Birds have a hard time getting enough to drink in sub zero temperatures and it requires a lot of energy to eat snow for hydration. I also put my Christmas tree back there so that the birds have shelter from predators and cold. Presently we do not have any evergreen type plantings…..will have to talk to Mom about what to plant there. I call this “Google Judy.” If she does not readily have an answer to one of my gardening questions, she has a book at hand for quick reference, she is truly amazing.
I have the perfect view from my kitchen window into this little nature haven. I can’t describe how it makes me feel to see the various beautiful birds that come to “Angie’s Buffet.” They seem so incredibly happy and they sing and sing. Regular visitors include Cardinal pairs, Blue Jays, Junkos, House Finches, Purple Finches, Morning Doves, Sparrows, Red Headed Wood Peckers, Hairy Wood Peckers, Chickadees, and I’ve even had a Hawk…..well, you know what he was doing there! Geeze! Anyway, vittles offered to my feathered friends include: thistle seeds, sunflower seeds, corn, peanuts (blue jays love them!) and commercial suet. I mustn’t forget the squirrels, I’ve had 14 at one time! As you may have guessed, their really “chubby.” All are welcome here.
Thank you Mom, for this wonderful gift of appreciation and respect of nature. It is so good for my soul.
Angie
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