Tuesday, November 18, 2008

TT: Oven Fried Chicken

It's that time again. Time to figure out what the heck I'm going to do with all the food in my freezer. I got emailed this recipe a while back from a friend of mine, and it looks pretty good. I have to giggle at the use of both oil and butter, but I bet that makes this really tasty - this friend has yet to send me a bum-recipe. She uses chicken pieces with the skin still on, but says that it's
'still good' with skinless chicken pieces.

Oven Fried Chicken

  • 1/3 c. vegetable oil
  • 1/3 c. butter
  • 1 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. black pepper
  • 2 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. garlic salt
  • 1 tsp. dried marjoram
  • 1/4 tsp. chili powder (optional)
  • approx. 9 pieces chicken

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Place oil and butter in a shallow oven-safe cooking pan (such as cast-iron) and place in 375 degree oven to melt butter, set aside.
  3. In a large paper sack, combine dry ingredients.
  4. Roll the chicken pieces 3 at a time in butter and oil, then drop into a sack and shake to cover. Place on a plate until all pieces are coated.
  5. Leave any excess butter and oil in pan. Place chicken in the pan skin side down or its just as good if you remove all the skin first.
  6. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
  7. Turn chicken pieces over, and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until crust begins to bubble.
  8. Serve with corn bread or biscuits, and your favorite veggie.

This sounds so good! Dinner seems too far away!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

TT: Baked Brie en Croute

The first Friday of every month, my friends and I all gather together to have dinner together. This month's theme is appetizers. Hubby and I were discussing what to bring last night, and he reminded me of this recipe I used to make years back. It's really elegant looking, and incredibly simple, as well as delicious.

I use Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets because they're easy to find, but you can use any brand. Sometimes I used to get creative, and cut out shapes with the remaining dough to decorate the top of the brie.

Baked Brie en Croute

  • 1 sheet puff pastry
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp. water
  • 1/2 cup apricot or raspberry preserves or jam (I have boysenberry in my cupboard right now, so I'm debating using that)
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries (my sister once suggested using diced dried figs, but I'd soak those first to soften them)
  • 1/4 cup toasted sliced almond (I have a ton of pine nuts right now, so I'm going to substitute those)
  • 1 (13.2 ounces) Brie cheese round (Costco has these for a good price)
  • crackers

  1. Thaw the pastry sheet until it's easy to work with - about 30-40 minutes at room temperature.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  3. Mix the egg and water in a small bowl.
  4. Unfoldthe pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 14-inch square. Cut off the corners of the sheet to make a circle, and save scraps.
  5. Spread preserves on the dough to within 1-inch of the edge. Sprinkle the cranberries and nuts over the preserves.
  6. Place the cheese in the center of the dough. Brush the edge of the dough with the egg mixture.
  7. Fold 2 opposite sides over the cheese. Trim the remaining 2 sides to 2-inches from the edge of the cheese and fold them up onto the cheese. Press the edges to seal.
  8. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Decorate the top with the pastry scraps, if desired. Brush with the egg mixture.
  9. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Let stand for 40 minutes - 1 hour.
  10. Serve with the crackers.

Enjoy!

 
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