Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts

  

4 Large chicken breasts

Place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and using a meat mallet, pound the meat to an even 1/2 inch thickness. Alternatively, you can slice the breasts by placing them flat on a cutting board and using a very sharp knife to slice them into halves horizontally.

Sift together:

2 cup flour
4 tsp salt
4 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp ground ginger
2 tbsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp ground thyme
2 tsp ground sage
2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper

NOTE: This flour and spice dredge mix is sufficient for two batches of this chicken recipe. You can store the leftover mix in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for the next time you make this recipe...and there will be a next time.

Make an egg wash by whisking together:

4 eggs
8 tbsp water

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then dip the meat in the flour and spice mixture. Dip the breast into the eggwash and then a final time into the flour and spice mix, pressing the mix into the meat to get good contact.

Heat a skillet on the stove with about a half inch of canola oil covering the bottom. You will want to carefully regulate the temperature here so that the chicken does not brown too quickly. The thinness of the breast meat practically guarantees that it will be fully cooked by the time the outside is browned. I find just below medium heat works well. I use a burner setting of about 4 1/2 out of 10 on the dial and fry them gently for about 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy.

Drain on a wire rack for a couple of minutes before dipping the cooked breasts into the Honey Garlic Sauce. Serve with noodles or rice.

Honey Garlic Sauce

In a medium saucepan add

2 tbsp olive oil
3 – 4 cloves minced garlic

Cook over medium heat to soften the garlic but do not let it brown. Add:

1 cup honey
¼ cup soya sauce (low sodium soya sauce is best)
1 tsp ground pepper

 Watch this carefully as it simmers because it can foam up over the pot very easily

Simmer together for 5-10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. 

KERRY-BERRY COBBLER

Kerry- Berry Cobbler

 Blueberries are in season! I’m growing them in my backyard. I love the simple recipes you can assemble in minutes. This one is great with vanilla ice cream. 

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons Plus 1 cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 “  pieces

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sour cream

6 cups fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk 1 ½ cups flour, 3 Tbsp. sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter; using your fingertips, incorporate until only pea sized lumps remain. Gently mix in sour cream. Knead in a bowl until biscuit – like dough forms.

Combine remaining 1 cup sugar, remaining 3 Tbsp. flour, berries, juice, and zest in a large bowl. Toss to coat. Pour into an 8x8x2” glass dish. Tear biscuit topping into quarter- size crumbles and scatter over berries.

Bake cobbler until juices are thick and the topping is cooked through about 40 minutes. Let cool for a least an hour. 

MELON-MINT VODKA

Infuse your booze!!

Combine cantaloupe and mint into a clean jar with lid add Vodka. Store in the refrigerator and shake daily until infused, then strain and discard solids. Enjoy!!

THREE BEAN PASTA SALAD

Three Bean Pasta Salad


Summer sides are spectacular with this three bean pasta salad.

3 Bean Pasta Salad

6 ounces small pasta shells
3/4 greens beans cut into pieces
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4 scallions(white parts only) sliced thinly
5 stalks celery thinly sliced


In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to the box directions in the last 3 minutes and the green beans. Drain and rinse with cold water.


In a medium bowl, combine mustard, vinegar, honey and oil. Add pasta mixture, pinto beans, chickpeas, scallions and celery; toss gently season with salt and pepper.

CHOCOLATE SELTZER CAKE

Chocolate Seltzer Cake

Decadent and Dreamy!  It so simple, a kid can make this. My son and I made this last night. He loves cake. We left out the eggs and oil.  Added the seltzer and we were amazed with the result. We cut the calories and enjoyed this moist chocolate treat!

Chocolate Seltzer Cake

Ingredients:

1 box of your favorite cake mix

I used Betty Crocker Chocolate (pudding in the mix)

1 can of seltzer

Mix together and place in a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees until done.  Enjoy!!

MATZO-ALMOND CROCCANTE

Matzo-Almond Croccante

The stores are giving free Matzo this time of year. So what do you do with them? This idea is artfully done, delicious and easy. You can make this brittle and it keeps for 2 days.



Matzo- Almond Croccante

Nonstick spray

5 sheets Matzo

1 ¾ cups sugar

¾ cup margarine

¼ cup honey

1/3 sliced almonds, lightly toasted

5 ounces semisweet chocolate

¼ cayenne Pepper

1 ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; coat with nonstick spray. Place matzo on the sheet in a single layer, breaking as needed and overlapping slightly, leaving no gaps.

Stir sugar, margarine, honey and ¼ cup water in a saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and boil without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides.  Cook until caramel turns a deep amber color. 13 – 15 minutes. Pour caramel evenly over matzo. Immediately sprinkle almonds over. Let cool.

Drizzle melted chocolate over caramel. Sprinkle cayenne and salt over. Let stand until chocolate sets. Break into pieces and enjoy.

ROAST BEEF ON THE GRILL

Roast Beef on the Grill

This was something I always wanted to try. The beef was juicy and delicious. It came out perfect. I roasted the vegetables outside too. The best part was there wasn’t much to clean up. I’m going to do it again soon.

Roast Beef and Veggies on the Grill

• 1 3-4 lb Rump  roast
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 (13 by 9-inch) disposable aluminum roasting pan

Pat beef dry with paper towels. Brush all over with olive oil then season liberally with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine rosemary, thyme, and parsley. Sprinkle all sides of roast with herb mixture, using hands to pat into beef. Wrap beef tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate

Place beef on the hot grill and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.

Move beef to aluminum roasting pan and place on indirect heat on the grill. My weber has 3 burners so I set it ( low-off-low). Cover, and cook until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the beef reads 125 for medium-rare or 130 for medium, about 40 to 60 minutes more. Remove from grill to carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Carve and serve.