Fennel Marjoram White Wine Basted Grilled Pork Chops

I usually marinate pork when I grill. But these past few weeks, I decided to change it up a bit.  Instead of marinating the pork, I decided to just liberally season them an hour before I get the charcoal going and then baste the pork while on the grill.

Since it is the weekend… I thought I’d shared this with you in case you want to treat your mom or wife to a home cooked meal instead of taking her out to a crowded restaurant.  But then again, most women love to go out. We want to take a break from cooking and washing dishes at home.  And, because we want a whole new experience. We like to experience new things and new places. We have to engage all our senses to feel alive.  And Awaken our emotions. So… just in case, she really is serious about staying home for mother’s day and chill out at home with you… Then you’ve got an easy recipe that is tasty and full of flavors.

By the way… you can also use this marinade as baste for steaks.  The rib-eye or New York strips would be a great choice for grilling because of its fat content.

Allow one chop per person.  Two if you have a good appetite.

Serve this with baked or oven roasted potatoes and grilled Asparagus on the side. And maybe a glass of wine. Or cold beer. Or margarita on the rocks. Whatever she likes to drink.

I understand that there more pork chops in here than the recipe calls for. That’s because I only grill on weekends. And I want to maximize the use of the hot charcoals… So I grill enough pork chops to last several days during the week.

I always have this on hand. Already mixed. So it is handy whenever I need to seasoning.

Season the pork chops liberally with the Seasoning and Spices Mix.

Instead of marinating the pork chops, I basted them with this while cooking on the grill.

I used hardwood briquettes. These are the best charcoal I’ve used. They are a little over a dollar more than the popular brand. But I find that they last longer and I use less briquettes.

My hands are small, so it took a bit of getting used to using these. But these tools are perfect for grilling. I also have grill brush (not shown in photo). I bought them as a set.

Juicy. Succulent. Flavorful grilled pork chops. Grill away my friends!

Fennel Marjoram White Wine Basted Grilled Pork Chops

Serves 3 – 6 people

Ingredients:

6 thick rib end chops – each chop should be about 1 pound each

Season pork chops with the following:

1 cup kosher salt

1 TBSP. ground black pepper

2 tsps. cayenne

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cloves

Mix kosher salt and spices in a small bowl.

Liberally season pork chops on all sides. (Use about 1 teaspoon of seasoning per pound of meat.)

Store remaining seasoning and spices in a tightly covered container for future use.

Fennel Marjoram White Wine Marinade:

½ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup light olive oil

2 TBSPs. white wine – I used Chardonnay

2 TBSPs. Worcestershire

2 tsps. Liquid smoke – hickory or mesquite

2 tsps. kosher salt – I used coarse sea salt

1 tsp. fennel seeds – crushed or ground

1 tsp. dried marjoram leaves

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. ground black pepper

2 bay leaves – torn into small pieces

6 garlic cloves – crushed and minced

Whisk marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Fire up your grill as you normally would. I am biased towards charcoal grill over gas grill.  I think meats grilled on charcoal are best.

Get your grill to at least 350°F.

Place three to six chops on the grill, depending on how large is your grill.

Baste each chop with the marinade.

Put out any flares with squirts of water. Then close your grill top and adjust air ventilation to minimum. (You want to maintain the heat at around 350°F and keep all the smoke.)

Grill one side for 8 – 10 minutes.  Baste the chops before flipping to the other side.  Baste the chops again. Close the grill top continue grilling for another 8 – 10 minutes or until done.

NOTE: Check the chops after 7 minutes just to be sure they’re not burning.  Baste them if needed. Continually check for flares so as not to burn them.

Remove grilled chops onto a covered dish.  Keep the pork covered for at least five minutes before serving. Serve hot.

After eating these grilled pork chops, you would never want to eat pork chops any other way.  And if you do these with rib eye or New York steaks… oh my god!

Enjoy and Happy Grilling!

Tess

Tess’ Grilling Secrets:

1. To infuse those smoky flavors in grilled meats… soak at least 6 large “Mesquite Cookin’ Chunks” in water one to two hours before firing up the grill. Add 5 chunks, one in each corner and one in the middle, over the hot charcoal, right before placing the pork chops on the grill. This will create plenty of smoke and will give the pork chops great smoky flavors.
2. I have grilled sausage links (Johnson’s) this way too. Only I grill them last. After I’ve grilled all the other meats. And when the charcoals have cooled down a bit down to around 300°F – 325°F.  Again, right before I place the sausage links on the grill… I’d add several mesquite chunks that have been soaked in water.
3. I buy a Rib End Roast that’s about 6 pounds and cut them myself.  This saves me almost a dollar per pound.  And if I am grilling steaks.  Sam’s Club has the best steaks for the price.

Perfect Mocha at Home

Creamy… Rich and Smooth. Most of all – chocolatey!

Make your own perfect mocha. Creamy… Rich… and smooth. Most of all – chocolatey! I can’t even taste the coffee… but I certainly can taste all the cocoa goodness from Lindt 90% Cocoa Supreme Dark chocolates.  This is my daily treat… every morning. Or noon… And it is so easy to make!

Ingredients:

1 tsp. instant coffee granules

2 squares Lindt 90% Cocoa Supreme Dark, broken into pieces

3 packets Stevia in the Raw

2 tsps. Sugar in the Raw

2 cups boiling hot water

2 coffee Creamer singles

Combine all ingredients in a cup as listed.

Enjoy piping hot!

Note: Of course you can sweeten this as you wish with any sweetener you preferred. I don’t like to crash after a few hours, so I minimize the sugar content.

Enjoy!

Tess

Spicy Curried Chicken Salad

Herbed and Rosemary Crackers served with Spicy Curried Chicken Salad

This chicken salad is a great relief from the old boring, plain salad.  And you can serve it anyway you want… Great with garden salad or serve it with your favorite crackers and of course as sandwiches!

Note:  If you are short on time… you can buy whole roasted chicken from the grocery store or at Sam’s Club.  You’ll save a dollar or two if you buy it at Sam’s Club.  Or you can also use canned chicken chunks.

The skins of these roasted chicken are great to eat – crunchy, when they first came out of the oven.

Shred or chop roasted chicken…

What you need to make Spicy Salad Dressing…

Make the dressing…

Mix the chopped chicken and dressing…

Serve Spicy Chicken Salad over a bed of garden salad…

Serve Spicy Curried Chicken Salad with your favorite crackers.
These are Herbed and Rosemary Crackers served with Spicy Curried Chicken Salad…

Spicy Curried Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts halves (about 2 pounds) – roasted, skinned, deboned, and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

½ of small red onion – diced

2 TBSPs. hot banana pepper rings – chopped

Curried Chicken Salad Dressing:

½ cup mayonnaise

1 TBSP. no sugar added sweet relish

1½ tsps. hot madras curry powder

1 tsp. kosher salt (less if using regular table salt)

¾ tsp. smoked paprika

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 TBSP. spicy brown mustard

½ tsp. hot sauce (optional)

In another bowl, combine dressing ingredients.

Pour curried dressing mixture over the chicken.  Stir to mix until dressing coats the chicken pieces.  Add the chopped celery, red onion and hot banana peppers.  Chill in the refrigerator before serving.

Serve over garden salad, with crackers, and as sandwiches.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Upgrade Your Sandwich: From Mayo to Greek Yogurt

This is Ramon’s great idea of a sandwich. Turns an ordinary sandwich to a more nutritious sandwich by using Greek Yogurt instead of mayonnaise.

The traditional Greek Yogurt really made a difference in taste plus all the goodness that yogurt has to offer. You can add any veggies you want such as spinach, sliced green bell peppers, sliced cucumbers, sliced onions, sliced banana peppers, etc. And of course serve it with your favorite chips on this side.

Ingredients:
Slices of bread: white, Italian, 7-grain, wheat, etc.
Deli Meats: ham, turkey, corned beef, roast beef, etc.
Traditional Greek Yogurt Veggies: spinach, chopped olives sliced green bell peppers, sliced cucumbers, sliced onions, sliced banana peppers, etc.
Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Potato Chips, Corn Fritos, etc.

Generously spread Greek yogurt on the slices of bread.

Line bread with a combination of your favorite veggies.

Line 3 or 4 slices of deli meats.
Sprinkle kosher salt and ground black pepper. And place another sliced piece of bread with Greek Yogurt on top.

Serve with your favorite chips.

Enjoy!

Tess Harris

Dairy Free Pudding with Banana Slices

Creamy pudding with perfectly ripe slices of banana.

Dairy Free Pudding with Banana Slices

This dessert requires very little effort. Extremely easy and no fancy ingredients.  Most of all it is soy and dairy free. And can be done in 15 minutes… of course, you still have to cool it in the fridge.

I came up with this pudding when I had plenty of egg yolks in the fridge and had to figure out a recipe without using milk or butter. At that time I also had plenty of bananas, but no vanilla wafers or cookies.  But I thought “Hey, why not make pudding and just serve it with slices of bananas?!” And thus this recipe was born.

½ cup + 2 TBSPs. granulated sugar

½ cup + 2 tablespoons flour

¼ tsp. kosher salt

5 large egg yolks, beaten

1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk + water to make 3 cups

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

 

5 – 6 large ripe bananas (ripe but no brown spots) – peeled and sliced

Note:  I used Chaokoh (brand ) coconut milk for this recipe.  (This brand is available at Wal-Mart.) This brand of coconut milk is rich and thick that’s why I mixed it with purified bottled water to make 3 cups.  If you are going to use another brand, use two cans and add enough water to make 3 cups.

Combine flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in 3 quart pot.

Turn on the stove to medium heat.

Gradually whisk in coconut milk and water mixture.  Keep whisking until mixture is smooth and no lumps. (This will take about 3 minutes.)

Slowly pour beaten egg yolks over the flour mixture.  Again, keep whisking until the mixture thickens and comes to a full boil.  Immediately reduce the heat to low.  Keep whisking for another minute.

Remove pan from the heat.

Add vanilla extract and whisk until vanilla extract is well incorporated with the pudding.

Pour pudding into a large glass bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Serve pudding in a glass or bowl with slices of bananas at the bottom and on top.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Gourmert Burgers at Home

I really do feel guilty for haven’t been posting here.  I feel like I have abandoned you guys… And you know I haven’t.  I usually post my blog with step-by-step photos… however, this method of posting is very time consuming. And that is what I do not have much of these days… time! So… you’d have to forgive for having only a few photos for this post.  At least you get an idea of what these burgers look like… So here it is…

Gourmet Burgers at Home

Serves 6 people

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef 90% lean

1 pound ground pork – lean

¼ medium red onion – minced

4 garlic cloves – minced

4 teaspoons coarse sea salt or 2 ½ tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. cayenne or to taste

1½ tsp. smoked paprika

½ tsp. ground coriander

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

¼ tsp. ground cumin

1 TBSP. steak sauce

1 TBSP. Worcestershire sauce

1 TBSP. spicy brown mustard

2 tsps. Liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients, as listed, in a large mixing bowl.  Mix until meats and spices are combined well.  Form into 6 large patties.  Set aside while you cook the bacon slices.

Other Ingredients, Toppings, Condiments and Sides:

6 Ciabata breads or Kaiser Rolls – halves

1 pound thick slices bacon, cooked and broken each slice into halves crosswise

2 large red onions, halves and sliced crosswise – caramelized (see below)

Thick slices of large tomatoes (about 3 large tomatoes)

Romaine Lettuce leaves – washed and dried

Mayonnaise

Extra Crispy Fast Food Fries (Ore-Ida) – Cook as directed on the package

Heat a large skillet and cook the bacon slices until crispy.  Drain on paper towels.  Set aside.  Remove all but 3 tablespoons bacon grease.  (Keep bacon grease in a bowl or small jar).  Keep the heat on medium.

Cook burger patties, 3 at a time, depending on the size of your skillet, in the bacon grease. Cook burgers, about 4 minutes on each side, depending on how well done you want your burgers.

Place cooked burgers in a large plate and wrap with aluminum foil to keep them warm.  Continue cooking the remaining burgers.

Once all the burgers are cooked.  Suit the sliced red onions in the burger drippings until onions are soft and caramelized.  About 5 minutes.  Place all the burgers back in the pan and top each patty with the caramelized onion.

In the meantime, heat another skillet or pancake griddle and grease with butter or a tablespoon of bacon grease. Toast the cut sides of the Ciabata breads or Kaiser Rolls.

Smear the toasted breads or rolls with mayonnaise.  Line with romaine lettuce leaves and top with 1 or 2 tomato slices.  Place one burger patty with the caramelized onion over the tomato slices.  And place 2 or 3 slices of cooked bacon over the caramelized onion.  Finish the burger by placing other toasted bread halves on top.

Serve burgers with Fast Food Fries.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

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Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

1. For each pound of meat, use 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.  Use ½ teaspoon more for each pound of meat if using coarse sea salt.
2. Use 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper for each pound of meat.
3. To save time, buy a bag of romaine that’s already been washed and cut.  And ready to serve.
4. By the way… these burgers are excellent grilled over charcoal.

burger, caramelized onion and toasted ciabatta bread.

burgers on toasted kaiser rolls, over a bed of lettuce and tomatoes, topped with caramelized onions and thick slices of bacon

definitely better than what you can buy at Fast Food chains… these are real foods!

Chicken Turkey Meatballs

Gingery and garlicky.  The best thing is – I did not fry them in the pan.  I don’t like frying meatballs.  Because I don’t like oil splatters and I especially don’t like it when the splatter lands on my arms.  So… I always like to bake my meatballs.  Always! Easier this way.  And no splatter.  Simple and hassle free.

These meatballs are loaded with flavors.  And can be served as appetizer by itself or with brown gravy over noodles.  Really.  You can serve these meatballs anyway you want.

Here’s what you need…

Ground chicken and ground turkey.  Or you may use chicken only or turkey only.  Your choice.  You could even use ground beef or pork if you like.  Of course the the seasonings and spices.  They’re what make these meatballs tasty.   Then you’ll need ginger, garlic, onion, green onion, cilantro (not in the picture) and carrot.

I almost forgot… Ground cumin is one of the key ingredients for these meatballs.  The spice alone dictates the taste for this dish!

Peel and finely chopped ginger.  Smash, peel and minced garlic.  Chop onion and green onion.  Peel and shred the carrot.

Then… we need to mix these all up!

In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken and turkey.  Then add the seasonings and spices.  Drizzle Worcestershire sauce.  Stir to mix using a long handled spoon or spatula.

Add ginger, garlic, onion, cilantro, green onions and shredded carrot.  (When I made this batch of meatballs… I did not have cilantro on hand.  That’s why it’s MIA from this photo.  So don’t be like me.  Remember the cilantro!)

Mix well with your hands.

And form the mixture into balls.

Place the meatballs on the aluminum foil lined baking sheet.  Be sure to have a bit of space in between the meatballs.

Bake 375°F for  45 – 50 minutes.

And there you have it.

Chicken and turkey meatballs.  Serve warm.

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Chicken Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chicken

1 pound ground turkey

½ – 1 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsps. cumin powder

1 tsp. smoked paprika

3 tsps. coarse sea salt or 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

1 ½ TBSPs. worcestershire sauce

1 inch piece peeled ginger – finely chopped

5 cloves garlic – smashed, peeled and minced

¼ medium onion – finely chopped

¼ cup cilantro – finely chopped

2 stalks green onions – finely chopped

1 medium carrot – peeled and shredded

Preheat oven at 375°F.  Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken and turkey.  Add the seasonings and spices:  cayenne pepper, cumin, paprika, ground black pepper and salt.  Stir with long handled spoon to mix well.  Drizzle worcestershire sauce over the mixture.

Add ginger, garlic, onion, cilantro, green onions and shredded carrot.  Mix well with your hands.

Lightly oil your hands and make the meatballs according to your preferred sizes.  Mine are about 1 ½ inch balls.  Not too small and not too big.

Place meatballs on the aluminum foil lined baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F for  45 – 50 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve meatballs warm.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

1. Making meatballs can be a messy business.  So I have 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a saucer.  Lightly oil the spoon and your hands before forming the patties.  I also wear disposable gloves to keep my hands clean.   (I always keep a box of non-latex gloves in the kitchen.  And they are much cheaper at Sam’s Club – $9.99 for a box of 100 gloves.)
2. You can use ground beef or pork for this recipe in place of chicken or turkey.

Spicy Chicken Tenders with Garlic Butter Dipping Hot Sauce

Forget Church’s.  Forget Popeyes.

Make chicken tenders better than these two popular fried chicken depots!

Crunchy on the outside… Tender and juicy on the inside…

That’s exactly what these babies are!

My family loves chicken tenders… And we often buy them at Popeyes Chicken or Church’s Chicken… But after countless visits to these places… And after eating hundreds of chicken tenders, which most often were overly breaded.  Over fried… and stale… I had to figure out a way to make chicken tenders at home.

I have experimented with different recipes for chicken tenders.  My goal was to exceed or at least come close to what Popeyes and Church’s sells.

My first few were good but not quite the chicken tenders I had envisioned.  And then one day, I finally got it!

I finally came up with chicken tenders that are crunchy on the outside… tender and juicy on the inside… Perfectly cooked.  Perfectly breaded.  And spicy!

My husband is absolutely thrilled about my new concoction… He simply loves these chicken tenders… and so does my son…Goodbye Popeyes.

Goodbye Church’s.

Hello… Finger Lickin’ Spicy Chicken Tenders!

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NOTE:  If you expect the same result as I have gotten… You must use chicken tenderloins and NOT chicken breasts.  They are a bit pricy – around $3.40 per poun.  But it’s cheaper to make them at home than buying them at these fast food chains which they charge about $1 a piece!…

Here’s what you need and the recipe…

4 pounds chicken tenderloins.

seasoned flour. (see recipe below)

canola oil.

Garlic Butter Hot Sauce. (see recipe below)

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How To Make ‘Em and Fry’em

First you need to make the hot sauce…

two bottles hot sauce.

combine two bottles of hot sauce in a medium size sauce pan.

sea salt, cayenne pepper, ground black pepper, granulated garlic, ground, coriander, ground cumin, and ground ginger.

add sea salt and spices to the hot sauce.

mashed garlic.

add the mashed garlic to the hot sauce. mix them up.

And then…

measure exactly one cup of the hot sauce and set it aside.

add butter to the hot sauce mixture and simmer hot sauce over low heat…

And while the sauce is simmering…

place the chicken tenderloins in a ziploc bag.  and remember that cup of hot sauce you measured and set aside… ? pour that over the chicken tenderloins.

Close the bag and shake ‘em around so the sauce will coat the chicken tenderloins.   Have this bag sit while you season the flour…

combine the flour, kosher salt, spanish paprika, granulated garlic, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander.

take out those happily marinating chicken tenderloins from the ziploc bag and coat them with the seasoned flour.  four or five pieces at a time.

place the coated chicken tenderloins on a platter for about 3 minutes before frying them in hot oil…

fry the chicken tenderloins in hot oil 350°F (for 6 – 7 minutes or until cooked and crispy.

drain on paper towels and serve…

btw… you can also use chicken wings, if you like wings…

Please note:  if using bone in wings, fry the wings 8 – 10 minutes or until cooked.

The RECIPE…

Spicy Chicken Tenders with Garlic Butter Dipping Hot Sauce

Ingredients:

4 pounds chicken tenders

Seasoned Flour – see recipe below

4 – 5 cups canola oil

Garlic Butter Hot Sauce:

1 bottle (17.5 ounces) Texas Pete Buffalo Style Barbecue Sauce

1 bottle (12 ounces) Luisiana Hot Sauce

6 cloves garlic – peeled and minced

2 tsps. cayenne pepper

1½ tsps. ground black pepper

2 tsps. coarse sea salt + 1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. granulated garlic

¼ tsp. ground coriander

¼ tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

¾ stick unsalted butter

In a medium size sauce pan, combine hot sauces, garlic, cayenne, ground black pepper, coriander, cumin and ground ginger.  Stir until smooth and free of lumps.  (You will add the butter later.)

Place chicken tenders in a gallon ziploc bog.

Measure exactly 1 cup of the hot sauce mixture and pour over the chicken tenders.

Close the freezer bag and shake or toss the toss until chicken is well coated with the hot sauce.

In the meantine, place the sauce pan with the hot sauce mixture on a stove over medium low heat.  Add the butter.  Simmer sauce until boiling, stirring occassionally.

Turn off heat.

Seasoned Flour:

2 cups all purpose flour

3 tsps. kosher salt

2 tsps. Spanish paprika

1 tsp. granulated garlic

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. ground coriander

In a deep dish or bowl, combine flour, salt and spices.

Dredge chicken tenders, one piece at a time, with the seasoned flour.  Place dredge chicken tenders in a large plate and allow them to sit for 5 minutes.  This process allows the breading to stick to the meat.

Using a deep heavy bottomed pot or large skillet, heat 4 – 5 cups canola oil until it reaches 350°F.

Fry chicken tenders, 5 or 6 pieces at a time, for 6 to 7 minutes or until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels.

Serve warm with Garlic Butter Dipping Hot Sauce on the side.  Or Dunk the fried chicken tenders in the hot sauce before serving.  Serve with potato salad, baked beans, and or red beans and rice.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Adding the hot sauce mixture to the chicken without the butter seasons the chicken well, and allows the breading to adhere to the chicken.

#2 – Fresh garlic, and granulated garlic, gives the sauce a double dose of garlic flavors.

#3 – Ground cumin, coriander and ginger give the sauce a nice surprise.

#4 – If you want them to be restaurant style… dunk them in hot sauce before serving.  But if you want to control the heat… serve the sauce on the side.

#5 – If using wings, please fry them 8 – 10 minutes.  One of the best ways to tell if the wings are cooked… is when the wings starts to float on the oil instead of them being at the bottom.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Baked Broccoli Casserole

The first time I had Baked Broccoli Casserole was 18 years ago.  We were in Jacksonville, Arkansas then.  My husband’s co-worker invited us for dinner at their house.

Back then I was very shy, and was therefore too timid to ask for the recipe.  I did not get the recipe until two years later when we visited my husband’s brother in Sumter, South Carolina.  His wife, Val… is a great cook.  And one of the dishes that she cooked while we were visiting was – you guessed it – Baked Broccoli Casserole.

The contrasts between sharp cheddar cheese (salty) and sweet corn bread is what made this dish luscious.  I usually make a big pan every time… that’s how much my husband and son like it.

Baked Broccoli Casserole is one of those dishes that have almost everything in it – protein (chicken), vegetables (broccoli) and carbohydrates (rice).  So we eat it by itself, unless I have other leftovers that go with this dish…

I know… it looks like a lot of work.  But most of the work is really in the preparation of the ingredients you will need to assemble the casserole.  And once you have the ingredients prepared as detailed below, you’ve done most of the work.

Here’s what you  need:

Steamed or blanched broccoli, cooked rice, cooked chicken, cream of mushroom and cream of chicken, chicken broth, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and cornbread batter.

The key is to have all these ingredients ready.  And once they are ready, then you are ready to assemble the casserole.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large pot over medium heat, combine cream of chicken and cream of mushroom.

Add 2 cans of chicken broth.  I used one of the cans for the cream of mushroom or chicken to measure the broth I need.

Also, this is the broth from the cooked chicken breast…

Whisk mixture until soupy.

Add the chopped or shredded chicken breast meat…

Add cooked rice… stir to combine.

Add the broccoli…

Stir to combine.

That’s why it’s always good to measure the broth.  Because if you’re like me, which I don’t think you are, I am bad when it comes to “eyeballing.”

*** Always have an extra cup of cooked rice to thicken the casserole if there’s too much broth in it. Like this one here…

Butter a 10.5 x 15.5 baking dish

Pour the broccoli and rice mixture into the buttered baking pan…

Add the shredded cheddar cheese on top of the broccoli and rice mixture…

In medium size mixing bowl, prepare the cornbread batter…

And pour this over the cheddar cheese layer.  (I can’t believe I do not have a photo for this step… I don’t know where I was that day.  I know I was in the kitchen, but I can’t guarantee where my mind was…)

Bake Broccoli Casserole for 27 – 30 minutes or until corn bread is golden brown.

Serve warm…

Baked Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:

2 large heads of Broccoli, cut into flowerets (about 4 cups broccoli) – STEAMED

5 – 6 cups cooked rice

1 (10 ¾ ounces) can cream of mushrooms

1 (10 ¾ ounces) can cream of chicken

2 cans chicken stock

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

2 large chicken breasts cooked and shredded (see cooking instructions below)

Herbed Corn Bread – see recipe

*** Below are the ingredients that MUST be prepared before assembling the Baked Broccoli Casserole in a baking pan:

1)      Cut the Broccoli into flowerets or bite sizes.  Steam for 3 minutes.  Or if you don’t have a steamer, blanched in boiling water for 3 minutes.  Remove and drain and set aside.

2)      Cook the rice.  Uncle Ben’s Rice is fine… In my case I use a rice cooker.  I usually cook 3 cups of rice just to be on the safe side. In case I need more rice to thicken the casserole.

3)      Cook the Chicken Breasts.  You could simply boil the chicken breasts.  But I like my chicken to have flavors.  So I boil the chicken breasts along with these ingredients.  And I use the broth for the chicken broth needed.

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 2 carrots – cut into 3 or 4 large pieces
• 2 celery sticks – cut into 4 large pieces
• 1 medium onion – quartered
• 4 cloves garlic – cut in half, unpeeled
• 4 sprigs parsley
• 1 large bay leaf
• 10 black pepper corns
• ½ tablespoon salt
• 6 cups cold water – enough to cover the chicken and vegetables.

In a medium size pot, combine chicken, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, parsley, bay leaf, pepper corns, salt, and water.

Bring to a slow boil and simmer for 45 minutes.  Skim any foam that may arise to the top.

Turn the off heat and remove the chicken breasts onto a plate to cool.  Strain the broth to be used later.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones.  Cut the chicken meat into bite size chunks.  Set aside.

4)      Prepare the Herbed Corn Bread mixture – last:

• 1 ¼ cup corn meal
• ¾ cup self- rising flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. thyme
• ½ tsp. marjoram
• 1 tsp. celery seeds
• 1 ¼ cup milk or chicken broth
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 2 extra large eggs – well beaten

In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients.  Add milk and canola oil.  Add the well – beaten eggs.  Stir until thoroughly combine.  (You should have a mixture with no lumps.)  Set aside.

5)      Preheat oven to 350°F.

Assembling all the ingredients:

In a large pot, combine cream of mushrooms, cream of chicken and chicken broth.  Whisk until free of lumps and mixture is soupy.

Add the steamed broccoli, chopped chicken, and rice.  (You should have a thick but NOT dry broccoli casserole mixture.  The rice should absorb most of the liquid.)

Grease a 10 ½ x 15 ½ inch baking dish.

Layer the bottom of the baking dish with the broccoli casserole mixture.   (The baking dish should only be half – filled.  If you have too much broccoli casserole mixture… remove some. Because you’re going to need the remaining space for the shredded cheese and Herb Corn Bread mixture.)

Top broccoli casserole mixture with shredded cheddar cheese.

Pour the Herb Corn Bread mixture over the shredded cheese layer

Bake Broccoli Casserole for 27 – 30 minutes or until corn bread is golden brown.

Serve warm.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Double Frosted Strawberry Ice Cream Cake

I could barely lift this heavy, monstrous ice cream cake.  It serves at least 20 people.  Of course I did not have that many people to feed.  This means we will have ice cream cake for dessert for a whole week!

And the draw back of course, is storage space.  It occupies 75% of the space in our freezer.  Why did I make a cake so big? You’d probably ask…

I have a problem with estimation.  And I have issues with small, miniature things.

I am stuck in some kind of pattern.   I seem to always cook or bake for a large number of people; even though there are only three of us in our family.  And then I get stuck with all these foods, wishing I have friends and family to invite over…

I don’t like waste.  I especially hate throwing food away.  And yet I cook so much that most leftovers end up in the trash.  A vicious cycle I fall into over… and over… again!

Last year, for Ramon’s birthday, I bought a small ice cream cake from Dairy Queen.  The ice cream was good.  But the cake was hard and dry as a cardboard!  So I told myself… I bet I can make ice cream cake better than the ones I bought at the store.  I decided then and there that next year, for Ramon’s birthday, which was last Sunday, I will make an ice cream cake.  And this is exactly what I did.   I made the cake two days before.  Stored them in the freezer and the next day, frosted the layers with strawberry frosting and filled the layers with strawberry ice cream.  The cake stayed in the freezer until the next day for final frosting of whipped cream.

Of all the flavors I could choose from, why strawberry?  That’s because my son loves strawberries and strawberry flavors.  Though he complained that the strawberry icing for this cake is a bit overpowering.  It sorta overpowered the taste of the strawberry ice cream.

OK… so lessons learned.  This is my first attempt at making home made… really, more like semi-home made ice cream cake.  So for next time, I might just double up on the whippped cream frosting and use that in place of the store bought frosting.  But then again, Ramon said he wants a strawberry cheesecake next time.

So… for my next ice cream cake… It’s going to be all about what I want… And I want a French vanilla cake filled with Ben and Jerry’s Heath Bar Crunch and Americone Dream.  Mmmmm!  I can already feel it.  I’m going to have a seizure!

Here’s what you need…

Boxed cake mixes, frosting, and instant vanilla pudding.

Extra large eggs, water and canola oil.

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Mix on low speed for about 45 seconds.

Increase speed to medium and blend for about 2 minutes or until mixture is smooth, creamy and free of lumps.

Please note:  Before you begin mixing the cake, preheat the oven to 350°F and butter two 10 inch cake pans and dust them with granulated sugar.

Pour cake batter into the prepared pans.

Bake cakes in a preheated oven at 350°F for 30 minutes.  Reduce the oven to 325°F and bake the cakes for another 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool cakes in the pan for 1 hour.

Loosen the cakes from the pan by scraping the sides of the pan with a thin knife before freezing.

Freeze cake for at least eight hours before slicing.

Cut cakes in half, horizontally.

Frost the cakes.

Frost each layer with the canned frosting.  I used about half a can for each layer.

Take the tub of ice cream about 10 minutes.  Just so it’s spreadable.

Spread about 1/3 of the ice cream on the first or bottom layer.

SStack the cakes as you fill each layer with ice cream.

Align and press the cake down.  Freeze ice cream filled cakes for 3 hours, unwrap or uncovered.  After three hours, pull the cake from the freezer and cover or wrap with plastic wrap.

Freeze the ice cream filled cake overnight.

Prepare the Heavy Whip Cream Frosting:

Here I have heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.

Whip heavy cream until frothy.

Add powdered sugar.

Whisk for a few seconds.

Add vanilla extract.

Whip heavy cream and powdered sugar mixture until thick.

Take a spatula and generously spread whipped cream over the frozen cakes, from the top down to the bottom.

Like this…

At this point, you can decorate the cake if you like.

I don’t bake this type of cake often, and therefore do not have the tools for decorating pastries, and this cake.  So I left it plain…

Take the cake out of the freezer no longer than 15 minutes before serving.

Slice the cake and enjoy.

The RECIPE:

Please note that I used a stand (Kitchen Aid) mixer to mix the cake.  I’m sure you could manually mix these, it would just take longer.  And if you do, a wooden spoon is a great tool.

Please also note that I used two 10 inch cake pans and took 1 hour to bake the cakes:  30 minutes at 350°F and another 30 minutes at 325°F.

Fail Proof Cake Recipe:

2 (18.5 ounce) box cake mixes, any flavor you like

1 (3.4 ounce) box vanilla instant pudding

7 extra large eggs

2 1/3 cups water

5/6 cup canola oil (a line below 1 cup)

Place oven rack on the third shelf from the bottom.  Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter two 10 inch cake pans and dust them with granulated sugar.

Using the bowl for a stand mixer (Kitchen Aid), combine all the ingredients as listed above.

Using the paddle attachment, mix the cake on low speed for 45 seconds.  Increase the speed to medium and mix the cake for 2 minutes.

Pour batter, equally, into the prepared cake pans.

Bake cakes in a preheated oven at 350°F for 30 minutes.  Reduce the oven to 325°F and bake the cakes for another 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Remove cakes from the oven and cool them in the pans for 1 hour.

Loosen the cakes by scraping a knife all around the pans.

Freeze cakes in the pans, covered with aluminum foil.

Frosting and Filling the Cake with Ice Cream:

2 (16 ounce) cans frosting, strawberry or your favorite flavor

Half gallon strawberry ice cream or your favorite flavors

Remove the cakes from the freezer and cut them in half, horizontally.

Spread half a can of frosting on each layer.

Spread 1/3 of the ice cream on the first/bottom layer.  Do the same with the second and third layer.

Align and press down the cakes after each layer had been filled with ice cream.  Freeze the ice cream filled cakes.

Whipped Cream Frosting:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

½ cup powdered sugar

2 tsps. vanilla extract

Using the bowl for the stand mixer, whisk heavy cream until frothy.

Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract.  Whisk cream and powdered sugar until thick and it clings to the whisk.  This process will take about less than 2 minutes.

Spread whipped cream over the top and sides of the frozen ice cream filled cakes.

Remove the cake from freezer no longer than 15 minutes before serving.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Bake and freeze the cakes two days before you need them.  Slicing a frozen cake eliminates if not reduces the chance of the cakes crumbling.

#2 – To easily remove the frozen cakes from the pan, place the cake pans over hot water for a few minutes.

#3 – To easily and cleanly slice the cake, have a glass jar filled with boiling water.  (Please be sure the jar can withstand very hot water.)  Place a large knife in the hot water.  Slice the ice cream cake with the hot knife.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking.  Or should I say baking?

Tess Harris