Nuggets, Nuggets, All Around...

Good evening fellow bloggers! I come to you all with more chicken tonight, but not the typical whole chicken or chicken wings. I come to you with the proposal of delicious chicken nuggets. Yes, I said chicken nuggets. Think of that delicious white meat, tender and juicy... I'm sure when most of you think chicken nuggets, your mind automatically goes to McDonald's or some other fast food joint with their processed food and "fake" chicken. Well, not tonight folks. We are serving up something real. Something that will have your taste buds screaming for more. So, if you are all with me, we will begin!

Honey Mustard Panko Chicken Nuggets

You will need:

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup yellow mustard
• 2 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 to 3 pounds of chicken tenderloins or chicken breast, cut into chunks
• olive oil cooking spray
• 1/2 cup whole wheat or flour all-purpose
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups coarse dry whole-wheat Panko bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoons salt, divided

Are you ready to get cooking? Me too!

1. Combine the honey, mustard, orange juice and garlic in a bowl and whisk until combined.
2. Pour the mixture into a storage bag, add the chicken and marinate 30 minutes to a few hours.
3. When you are ready to bread the chicken, preheat oven to 450 degrees and prepare the baking sheet by placing a cooling rack on it.
4. Create the following assemble line: A shallow bowl containing the flour, a lightly beat eggs in the second shallow bowl, and the breadcrumbs in a third shallow bowl.
5. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the bowls containing the flour and the one containing the breadcrumbs and mix well.
6. Spray the cooling rack with the cooking spray.
7. Coat each nugget in flour, shaking off any excess.
8. Dip the chicken in the egg and let excess drip off.
9. Then roll in the breadcrumb mixture and place the nuggets on the prepared rack.
10. Bake the tenders for 18 to 20 minutes depending on thickness of the chicken.
11. Serve and enjoy!

Voila! we have a dinner that will satisfy anyone, including children. I hope to see you all tomorrow. Have an excellent night!

Chicken Marsala Friday!

Good afternoon fellow bloggers! We are going to have a fun day today. I hope you all enjoy mushrooms (yes, we are definitely making those today) and chicken. Chock those two items together with a little sauce and you have a wonderful chicken marsala. That is our agenda today. Are you all ready to get in the kitchen and have a little cooking fun? I sure am! Come on, let's go!

Chicken Marsala

You will need:

• 2 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup  olive or vegetable oil
• 8 ounce container of mushroom, sliced and cleaned
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup sherry or dry white wine

You ready?

1. Split each chicken breast through the middle to make 2 pieces.
2. Place plastic wrap over them and pound each one flat using a meat tenderizer until they are about a quarter inch thick. 
3. Season a good amount of salt and pepper on both sides of each piece. 
4. Place some flour on a plate and and dredge each piece of chicken in it.
5. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and when the oil is hot fry each piece of chicken for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown (this may require you to do this in 2 batches).
6. Remove chicken and place them on your serving platter covering them with foil.
7. Reduce the heat to medium and add butter and mushrooms. 
8. Saute mushrooms for 4 to 5 minutes making sure to season them with salt and pepper lightly. 
9. Add marsala wine, sherry, and chicken stock allowing the liquid to reduce slightly – approximately 3 minutes. 
10. Pour mushrooms and sauce over chicken and serve. 

Tada! You have a fantastic dinner to serve up to your mother this upcoming Mother's Day, or your boyfriend or whom-ever you so choose. Have a great evening and I will see you tomorrow! Good night!

"Czech" This Out!

'Ello, 'ello, 'ello my fabulous bloggers! Today, we have a special treat. We are visiting a country we have yet to discover something wonderful from. I hope you all clued into where from the title of this blog entry. If not, it's Czechoslovakia. We have a wonderful comparison to the American dish: Chicken and Dumplings. But, this meal does not contain chicken. I will be schooling you on how to make dumplings along with the rest of the meal. So, grab that shopping list and let's go!

Veprova Pecene S Knedliky

(Roast Pork with Dumplings)

You will need:

(For the Roast)

•  4 to 6 pounds pork loin
•  Salt
•  3 teaspoon caraway seeds
•  1 teaspoon marjoram
•  1 cup water
•  1 cup stock or water
•  2 tablespoons flour

(For the Dumplings)

• 4 cups flour
• Salt
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 egg yolks
• 5 slices stale white bread

Have we got everything? Excellent! Let's start with our dumplings.

1. Combine flour and salt.
2. Use a wooden spoon and little by little, beat in the milk and mix with water.
3. Beat the egg yolks into the mixture.
4. Keep beating until the dough is well mixed and pulls away from sides of bowl.
5. Dice the bread and fold into the batter.
6. Divide into 3 pieces and shape each like an oblong sausage.
7. Heat plenty of salted water in a large deep pot.
8. When the water boils, put in dumplings.
9. Do not cover, but let the water simmer very gently.
10. Cook for half an hour, then drain.
11. Cut into slices with strong thread.

Now onto our actual roast...

1. Score the fat with a sharp knife, rub with coarse salt, sprinkle with caraway seeds and marjoram.
2. Put a cup of water in your roasting pan (pork doesn't need fat for roasting, only a little water).
3. Put in pork and roast very slowly, in a 250 degrees oven until meat is tender (about 2 and 1/2  to 3 hours).
4. Baste frequently to obtain a crisp, crackling fat on top.
5. Thicken the pan gravy with flour, dilute with stock or water.
6. Slice pork and pour gravy over.
7. Garnish with Bread Dumplings.

And there we have a Czech recipe. I hope you all enjoy it. Share the culture and the love. Leave me some comments about what you would like to see, or what you already like from the blog. I hope to see you all tomorrow. Thanks for joining in. Love to you all!

Tacos Anyone?

Welcome to a late night edition of Everyday Meals. I'm your host, Mandie. Tonight, we are going to be making tacos. No, not browned meat tacos, but slow cooker tacos. I don't eat too many tacos, however, since I am in the South, they are a staple in most communities. I enjoy a really great barbacoa taco or bean and cheese taco. As a matter of fact, I'm not too picky when it comes to tacos. So, grab your slow cooker and let's get cooking!

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos

You will need:

• 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds beef (boneless chuck roast)
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 cup beef stock
• 2 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
• 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Flour tortillas
• Favorite taco toppings

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. 
2. Meanwhile, combine the chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika in a small bowl.
3. Rub the spice mix into the beef, covering each side evenly.
4. Once the oil is hot (it will shimmer a bit in the skillet), place the beef in the skillet and sear on each side.
5. Remove the beef from the skillet and place in the bottom of a slow cooker. 
6. Leave the pan on the heat, and add in the beef stock to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. 
7. Add the tomato paste and minced chipotle and whisk into the pan sauce.
8. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
9. Add the diced onion and minced garlic on top of the seared beef in the slow cooker. 
10. Pour the pan sauce down over the onions, garlic, and beef. 
11. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
12. Remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. 
13. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions from the slow cooker, and mix into the shredded beef.
14. Serve the beef in the flour tortillas, topped with your favorite taco toppings.

 

 

 

 

 

And we have tacos! I hope you enjoy them. I will see you tomorrow for another exciting dinner recipe. Keep sending in those requests and thank you for being loyal to E.M.E.F. You rock! Good night.

Yom Tov Tzimmes with Brisket

Good evening fellow bloggers! Welcome to a brand new edition of E.M.E.F. Today, I scoured high and low for an international meal that I thought you would all approve of. Well, we've covered the basics: Chinese, Mexican, American, and so forth. Today, I decided we are going to try Jewish food, or Hebrew. However you choose to say it. Our meal today is called "Yom Tov Tzimmes". It literally translates to "Good Day Meal". A tzimmes is is often part of the Rosh Hashanah meal, however, we will not be celebrating that today since it of course, is NOT Rosh Hashanah. In Hebrew, Jewish holidays and festivals, depending on their nature, may be called yom tov. A "Yom Tov" has similar obligations and restrictions to Shabbat, with the exception that you can cook, carry, and transfer fire (from a pre-existing flame). With that being said, let's get our grocery list and meet back in the kitchen shortly!

Yom Tov Tzimmes with Brisket

You will need:

• 3 to 5 pounds brisket
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 3 cups hot water
• 1 cup orange juice
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 4 or 5 carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled,  cut into 2 inch chunks
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, cut into 2 inch chunks
• 8 ounces pitted prunes (about 2 dozen)
• 5 ounces dried apricots (about 20 large apricots)
• Cornstarch and cold water

Are you ready? Excellent!

1. In a 6 quart Dutch oven with lid, heat oil over medium heat and brown the meat well, draining off excess grease.
2. Combine water, juice, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger; pour over meat.
3. Cover and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 and 1/2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
6. Arrange carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, prunes and apricots around the meat.
7. Cover pot and place in hot oven.
8. Bake for 1 and 1/2 hours.
9. Uncover and bake for 1 to 2 hours more, or until the meat is fork tender.
10. Remove the vegetables and fruit to a serving dish.
11. Remove meat to a carving board and slice against the grain.
12. If the sauce in the pan is too thin, combine a tablespoon of cornstarch and cold water and whisk it into the sauce to thicken.
13. Simmer until it reaches the desired consistency, or about 15 minutes to cook the cornstarch.
14. Serve sliced meat topped with sauce and surrounded by fruit and vegetables.

I hope you all enjoy this meal and leave some love if you'd like to see something else International. I live for ideas to share and new recipes to try. Thank you all for being such loyal readers! Have an amazing day!

Easter Dinner Ideas Day 7

Good evening bloggers. I welcome you all to our final Easter dinner idea blog entry. Obviously, today is Easter and I want to wish you all a very happy day (or evening, since it is actually evening). I decided to go with a recipe that I think screams Easter. Back in the day of Jesus, everyone ate lamb or fish. This recipe is indeed fish. Salmon to be exact. Let's get started so we can enjoy our final meal for this week.

Roasted Salmon with Orange Butter Glaze

You will need:

• 4 leeks trimmed of dark green stem, sliced in half lengthwise
• 4 oranges
• 1 whole salmon about 8 pounds, head and tail on, scaled, cleaned
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 red onion cut into 1/8 inch thick rounds
• 6 sprigs fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup dry white wine

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Strew bottom of 12 by 16 inch half-sheet pan with leeks and set aside.
3. With a sharp knife, cut away the peel, pith, and outer membranes from 2 oranges.
4. Slice orange flesh into 1/4 inch thick rounds and set aside.
5. Rinse salmon under cold water, making sure cavity of fish is completely clean.
6. Pat fish dry with paper towel.
7. Cut 3 shallow slits through salmon’s skin, about 3 inches apart, on each side of fish.
8. Season salmon cavity with salt and pepper.
9. Stuff cavity with cilantro sprigs, reserved orange rounds, and onion rounds.
10. Drape a large piece of cheesecloth over leeks in bottom of roasting pan.
11. Place salmon on top of cheesecloth.
12. Squeeze juice from remaining 2 oranges into small saucepan and place the pan over medium high heat, and bring juice to a boil.
13. Add butter, and stir until melted then remove pan from heat.
14. Brush salmon with the orange juice mixture.
15. Place the roasting pan in oven, and roast salmon, basting every 10 minutes with orange juice mixture, until the skin is crispy and dark golden brown and meat is pink and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. If the head or tail of the fish becomes too dark, gently fold aluminum foil over them.
16. Remove the pan from the oven and pour wine into pan to help loosen salmon.
17. Using cheesecloth to help lift fish, carefully transfer to a serving platter.
18. Gently remove the cheesecloth from under fish, and serve.

I hope you have all enjoyed your Easter, chocolate bunnies and Easter baskets chocked full of an amalgamation of candies. I will see you all tomorrow for an all new recipe! Good night everyone! 

Easter Dinner Ideas Day 6

Good afternoon bloggers. I just wanted to post a quick blog before I begin my evening coloring Easter eggs with my best friend and sister, Jessica. I'm sticking with the original Easter meat idea and today we are working with lamb chops. Lamb is the most common Easter meat, dating back centuries. I hope you enjoy this meal. Here we go!

Lamb chops with Eggplant Caponata

You will need:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 small eggplant, diced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon capers
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
• 12 to 16 lamb loin chops
• Arugula, for garnish

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and garlic; cook 3 minutes.
3. Add the eggplant, season with salt and pepper and cook until the eggplant begins to soften, about 3 more minutes. Add the rosemary, tomato and vinegar and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the capers and pine nuts; set aside to cool slightly.
5. Place a large skillet over high heat.
6. Season the lamb chops with salt and pepper.
7. Working in batches, place the lamb chops in the pan, fat-side down, and cook until the fat begins to render, 4 to 5 minutes.
8. Turn the chops onto their sides and cook until crisp and brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare.
9. Divide the eggplant caponata and lamb chops among plates and garnish with arugula.

Well, this was an easy meal. I will see you all tomorrow for our final and most delicious Easter meal. Have a fabulous evening and I will see you all tomorrow! Good night!