Leg Quarters Anyone?

The thing about leg quarters is that few people really want to buy them. I've had people tell me that they are too hard to cook or that they are "grill" food. However, I'm here to tell you that leg quarters is a great way to feed a large crowd inexpensively. And, believe it or not, is always a pleaser! I use leg quarters a lot actually. Sometimes I'll cook them down in a large pot and debone the chicken. And sometimes I'll make the following recipe. This one is a family favorite. :)

What you'll need:

1 package leg quarters (1.50 - 2 pounds)
1 stick of butter
garlic
salt/pepper
Season All

(Seriously, that's it)


I use a large cast iron dutch oven for this recipe. I've found that the cast iron ovens really helps keep the meat nice and moist while letting it crisp up on the outside. This recipe literally tastes like it was cooked outside on the grill!

All I did here was melt the butter in the dutch oven. While it's melting and getting nice and hot I pulled the skin off and seasoned the chicken on both sides really well. (Chicken needs all the help it can get) When the butter is bubbling really well I carefully placed each piece of chicken in the butter. Turned the heat down to medium and I put the lid on leaving a little lip for ventilation. Left it alone completely for about 10 minutes...turned and repeated. When juices run clear it's done. :)

After first turn...

After about 2 turns. I like mine crispy on the outside :)

Chocolate Mousse

The ingredients, you ask? Ohhhh, so simple. The next time you're at the grocery store just grab 6 regular Hershey bars and a pint of heavy whipping cream. Yep, that's it. No eggs, no weird difficult steps. Simple.

Melt your chocolate. Now, you can do this several ways.

1. in the microwave. Just remember while you're killing yourself with those micro waves to stir frequently or you are likely to burn your chocolate. As in every 20 seconds or so. ;) 2. In a double boiler (which I recommend) again stir frequently. Someone even suggested using a hair dryer to melt the chocolate. I say whatever works. *laughing*

Once it's melted set it aside to cool a bit while you whip your heavy cream. I do this in my KitchenAid as it whisks it faster than I could do by hand. Whisk until stiff peaks form.

Fold melted chocolate and whipped cream in together then whisk for about 1 minute.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (2-4 is even better). Serve with strawberries. Enjoy!

Creole Jambalaya

Jambalaya is one of those foods that makes ya want to kick back, prop your feet up and hug your Mama. Just about everyone I know makes it a little differently, too. Shoot, I have several different jambalaya recipes. It's hard to make a bad jambalaya, too...seriously!! *laughing* As long as you don't burn your roux, it'll always be worth it! :)

I made this one on New Years Eve and loved it... I got this recipe from a wonderful southern cook, Mary Foreman . Thanks Mary!!

http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2008/10/jambalaya-with-chicken-smoked-sausage.html

Stuffed Bell Peppers

4 bell peppers (cut tops off and clean out)

1 1/2 lbs ground sirloin

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cups cooked rice

salt/pepper

mild cheddar cheese (shredded)

In a skillet brown ground sirloin, draining the grease when done. In a large bowl combine ground sirloin, can of diced tomatoes, cooked rice, salt pepper about 1-2 tsp of each. Mix well. Place bell peppers in an oven safe dish. Fill hollow peppers to the top. Place extra stuffing mixture around peppers. Top with shredded cheese. Bake on 350 for for about 1 hour 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Skillet Squash

Can you believe that squash was one of those veggies as a kid that I refused to eat? It's one of my absolute favorites now. I'll make skillet squash like the one pictured, stuffed squash, squash casserole... the list goes on and on! LOL This one pictures is great and easy. All you do is slice the amount of squash you want to cook. Toss it with salt and pepper. Throw a couple tablespoons of butter in a skillet and toss in your squash. Let cook on medium heat for about 10-13 minutes for a large skillet of squash. Depending on how thick the slices are. This is one where the cook gets a taste test! Lovely addition to just about any main dish.

Molasses Pot Roast

1. Beef roast (this recipe is for a 3-4 lb roast)
2. 1/4 - 1/2 cup molasses
3. 1 tsp of the following, cumin, fennel, coriander, chili and paprika, salt, pepper
4. 2 tsp tomato paste
5. 1 onion, chopped
6. 5 cloves garlic, mashed and chopped
7. 1 can cream of mushroom soup (optional for those who eat mushrooms)

Rub molasses all over roast. Allow to marinate over night if possible. Using a hot skillet (sprayed with olive oil) or a dutch oven (I recommend) brown roast on all sides. Should be VERY brown, dark, burned looking is GREAT actually. :) Remember you put molasses all over it. LOL Combine all your spices and rub into roast. Add about 1 cup water. **If you have a slow cooker you can cook this on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 without adding any water.**

Remove roast from pan, leaving juices in the pan add the tomato paste, cream of mushroom soup, onion and garlic. Add roast and Cook down until onion is transparent. This is also wonderful without the tomato paste added if you want a brown gravy instead of a tomato gravy. :)

Homemade Butter

One word...delightful. Oh man. Homemade butter is just simply devine. And so crazy easy to make it isn't even funny. All you need is heavy cream. Really. Ok, and an airtight container. Oh....and little people. I definitely use my little people to make butter cause they get a huge kick out of it. *laughing*!! :)

Seriously, these are things they will remember! :) Pour a box of heavy cream in your airtight container. Close the lid well! And shake. And I mean really shake for about 20 minutes. First, you'll get a whipped cream...keep shaking...butter!

Add honey for honey butter or garlic for garlic butter. You can also add some kosher salt for salted butter (although to be honest I find the homemade butter is just SO delicious without the added salt, and I am a lover of salt).

I would suggest making different kinds. Wrap it up really well in freezer paper put in a clean airtight container and freeze for up to 8 months!

Adding herbs like, rosemary, basil or thyme makes for a really pretty (and tasteful) butter! :)

Lemon Pepper chicken

I love that my kids are active members of our kitchen! LOL We try new things and we make old favorites. I always tell my kids "If I make something and you don't like it tell me! If not i'll just keep making it thinking you like it. And I may be able to mess around with the recipe and see if there's something I can change to your taste".

There are all these chances to learn so much more than food or cooking in our kitchen. It's a special place for our family.

Here's another family favorite. Lemon peppery goodness. I mean, Lemon pepper chicken. I have made this a million times and every single time it's a huge hit. I always give my kids a few lemons while I'm doing prep work and let them roll them around as hard as they can (without squishing...cause my oldest son did prove to me once that he can squish one hahaha!) to loosen the juices inside the lemon. This makes them nice and juicy when you cut them.

I take two packages of chicken tenders and dump them in a large bowl. I add about 1 tablespoon of sea salt. Then I get my hands in there and rub the sea salt all over the chicken. Cut two lemons in half and squeeze each half all over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. This is awesome done overnight though.

In a large skillet add 2 tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle 1 tsp of pepper in melted butter. Add chicken tenders. Remember not to overcrowd your skillet they won't brown properly. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice and brown on both sides. Remove from heat and place in serving dish then continue with the uncooked chicken that's left. Add 2 tsp of butter and add pepper each time you add a skillet of chicken. When I do this it can easily take 4 skillets of chicken. I have a huge skillet but I like to spread them out and not overcrowd.

This is really great served with Angel hair pasta with basil and grape tomatoes sprinkled with EVOO. Enjoy!!

Slow cooker BBQ Chicken

Doesn't get easier than this! I put about 8 chicken breasts (and they were frozen!) in the slow cooker, poured 1 bottle of bbq sauce over it turned it on low and let it cook all day. So yummy! I served this with jasmine rice and a salad. Enjoy!

Fruit Pizza

Easy as pie. :)

2 rolls of "sugar cookie" cookie dough

1 container of fresh strawberries

4 Kiwi

1 small package of blueberries

1 package cream cheese

1 small container of sour cream

1/2 c. sugar

Press cookie dough down evenly onto cookie sheet. Bake for 13-16 minutes. Allow to cool completely. In mixing bowl whip together cream cheese, sour cream and sugar. Refrigerate until ready to use. Slice fruit kind of thinly but not paper thin. Evenly spread cream cheese mixture onto cooled cookie dough. Layer fruit and refrigerate until ready to eat! Enjoy!

Grilled Flank Steak

I love making Flank Steak. Mostly because it makes Joe happy when I do. Let's face it, men love good food. :)

Take your steak out of the marinade and put it on a plate. Doing that gives it a chance to rest before cooking. Spray some olive oil on your skillet or grill. Get your skillet as hot as you can before putting the steak on it. Grill steak undisturbed for 3 1/2 minutes on each side. Immediately take off heat and place on cutting board.

Allow to rest a minute or two before cutting. Enjoy! :)

Flank Steak marinade

Ok, flank steak is one of those cuts of meat that is almost too good to be true. My mouth waters just thinking about it. And there are so many different things to do with it! Everyone has their own marinade that they swear by - here's mine.

1 flank steak

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup worcestershire sauce

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ginger

3 T. honey

2 T. olive oil

Mix everything together with a whisk and pour into a container large enough for the steak. Allow to marinade at least 6 hours...12 hours is possible! It's worth it!!!

Zucchini Casserole

4 slices of bread cubed

1/2 cup melted butter

2 eggs

2 tsp garlic salt

1/4 onion, chopped

1 tsp pepper

4 cups zucchini cubed

2 cups monterey jack cheese

Pour butter over cubed bread and bake for 3-5 minutes on 350 degrees. In casserole dish, add zucchini, eggs, garlic salt, pepper and onion. Mix toasted bread in with other ingredients. Sprinkle with cheese. (Some people like to add cheese to the mixture as well as the top). Bake for 30 minutes covered then another 20 minutes uncovered.

~Chocolate covered Cherries~

Some friends of ours are getting married and we're throwing a party tonight for them at our home. I'm so excited! I love cooking for lots of people. I don't have time, though, to blog everything that I'm making for tonight so I'll take pics as it gets done and I'll post them tomorrow sometime. But I absolutely could NOT wait til tomorrow to post the cherries. I love cherries. And not the tiny little red ones but the big luscious juicy ones like these above. YUMMNESS. ;)

~Lunch on a snow day~

I don't know what to call this sandwich. I don't usually name everything that I cook, until now. I find myself going through possible names while trying to go to sleep. On the one hand it doesn't need a name, but on the other hand in order to make it easier to find, it may just need a name after all. Wow, life is full of hard decisions. *giggle*I make several different variations to this sandwich also so that makes it harder to name. We'll call it the no name sandwich for now. *laughing*

You'll need the above ingredients. 1 cut of beef...I used little breakfast steaks (cause that's what I had on hand and yeah, I left them out of the pic...sorry)1 bell pepper, 1 shallot, mayo, favorite mustard, and cayenne pepper. Ok, so I didn't get the little jar of cayenne in there very well. My stomach was growling and Joe and the kids made go me outside in the snow and I still hadn't thawed out. That's my story, at least. *giggle*

Ok, so cut up your bell pepper and shallot in moderately thin slices. It's going to be a sandwich after all - so they doesn't need to be front and center in big chunks. In a medium skillet add about 2 T. extra virgin olive oil. Add your veggies and salt/pepper them. They will look like this....or something close to it.

In the meantime, take your meat out of the package and pat it dry. Patting it dry is really important so it will brown. Ever have a problem getting meat to brown up real pretty? Probably needed to pat it dry first. Pat them dry, then season them well then toss them in the skillet. Be careful not to overcrowd the skillet!

When the veggies are done, put them in a small bowl and place skillet back on the heat. Add your pieces of meat. For this cut of meat it only took about 1-2 minutes per side. While the meat is on the stove, combine your mayo and mustard in a small bowl. Mix well and add cayenne pepper. There really isn't a recipe I follow for this. I just add about 4 tsp or so of mayo and maybe the same amount of mustard. Then I add cayenne pepper to taste. I like it spicy. I love that cayenne kind of has an after kick....it doesn't taste hot when you bite into it - but just wait, it'll come.

Yummy spices in that spread. And look below at how juicy and tender that tiny cut of meat turned out. Oh. Yeah. These sandwiches are gonna knock Joe's socks off!

I'm using Ciabatta Buns. Mostly because they are my favorite buns for sandwiches and partly because I need to use them up before they go bad. Butter them and toast them in the same skillet you used for the veggies and the meat.

Generously layer the spread on both slices of the bun. Pile your meat and veggies in there and enjoy!

I seriously think my husband could eat 3 of these. If you've never had Ciabatta bread try it. Seriously. It's soft and soaks up any sauce or juices from your sandwich perfectly without getting soggy. It's the perfect bread for sandwiches. :)

Chicken McDenton

My Mom introduced me to Pepperidge Farm Stuffing when I was a kid. Of course she didn't actually make stuffing with it - way better than that - she made Chicken McDenton. (yessss, she named it after herself) It's awesomely awesome, even better than that - it's fast and easy. A mother's dream! *smiles*

Ok here we go.... take 1 package of boneless skinless chicken breast and cut into cubes. Place in medium bowl and toss generously with salt and pepper (yes, this is due to the fact that chicken has little flavor) Add about half the bag of Pepperidge farm stuffing to the chicken and toss, coating every piece. In your baking dish cut up 1 stick of butter. And lay pieces all over bottom of dish. Add your coated chicken making sure to not to overlap pieces. Spread any mixture from bowl on top of chicken, it should look like this....


Place in a 350 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes. When it's done it should look something like this...

See all that crispy yummy goodness? Oh. My.
Enjoy!!

1 package boneless skinless chicken breast
salt/pepper
1 stick butter
1/2 package Pepperidge Farm Stuffing

Glorious Bruschetta

Oh. My. I really do love tomatoes. I also love bread. Put the two together in just about any form and, well, I'm probably gonna eat it. So, I have this recipe I created for Bruschetta, it's a little different since it has a tiny bit of fresh cilantro in it. But what is a cook who doesn't try new things?!? *laughing*

This is the best I can do for a "recipe". Since I didn't measure anything *hangs head in shame*. I know, I know. Sometimes I just get to throwing stuff together and I taste and throw something else in and taste again. And before ya know it, I have no clue what the recipe is.

In a bowl combine 2 Roma tomatoes, roughly 1 tsp fresh parsley, basil and oregano. Just a smidge of fresh cilantro. Maybe 1-2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Salt and pepper to taste and add a clove or two of garlic, minced. Toss in some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Mix well, taste - my suggestion here if you're a seasoned cook is to season to taste, if you aren't then wait until after you've eaten the finished product to decide what to add or subtract. I tell you this because most things taste differently once cooked. A seasoned cook knows what to look for in the before to get the correct "after". :)

Slice your french bread about 1 inch thick or a little less. Lightly cover with butter or sprinkle with olive oil. Bake until lightly browned on both sides. Top pieces of bread with tomato mixture. Top that with more Parmesan cheese and a bit of mozzarella cheese.

The trick here is to get your oven hot - then turn OFF the heat. Slip your Bruschetta inside the oven quickly closing the door.

The heat will melt the cheese deliciously without overdoing it and burning or "crisping" the Parmesan. It's done when the cheese is melted! Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken

1 whole chicken
4 T butter (softened)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut
1 large onion
1 clove garlic, mashed
2 cups water

Wash and pat dry whole chicken. Set inside crock pot. In a small bowl combine salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper and set aside. Cut onion and place inside chicken cavity. Do the same with the garlic. Rub the butter all over chicken. Take spice mixture and rub all over entire chicken. Cover crock pot and turn on high. Cook for 5 hours. Add carrots 45 minutes before it's done!

Mexican Casserole

1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can chopped green chilies
1/2 cup milk
2/3 c sour cream
12 6 inch flour tortillas
6 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
2 cups cheese (in the dish)
1 cup cheese (on top of dish)

Mix all ingredients together and layer as follows: tortilla's, soup mixture, tortilla's, mixture until all of the mixture is gone. Top with cheese and Bake at 350 45 minutes covered. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes uncovered.

Potato Soup

2/3 cup butter

2/3 cup flour

7 cups of milk

4 large potatoes, baked & chopped

3 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

12 pieces bacon, cooked crisp and chopped (turkey bacon works well too)

1/2 c shredded cheese (doesn't take much with this soup and I'm a cheese lover)

1 cup sour cream (optional, I totally leave this out...hahaha)

Put your potatoes in the microwave to bake. Start your bacon in a skillet. While they are cooking take a large dutch oven and melt your butter. Add flour slowly while whisking into the butter forming a roux. Don't let the roux brown. Once butter and flour are mixed begin slowly adding your milk. Don't stop whisking! Add salt & pepper.Let simmer, stirring occasionally at this point, for 10 more minutes. Add potatoes and sour cream. Stir gently. Add bacon, allow to simmer 5 more minutes. Serve with cheddar cheese on top :)