French Toast

So what do you do when your apartment complex has a red beans and rice night at the office and they give you 3 loaves of sliced bread that nobody touched when it is all over? French Toast for the freezer of course!


INGREDIENTS


Cooking spray (Optional)
2 Loaves sliced bread
8-10 Large eggs (divided)
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon (divided)
1 tsp Vanilla extract  (divided)
1 tsp Almond extract (divided)
1 cup Cold milk (divided)
Soft butter or margarine (as much as it takes) (divided)


I have a 10" non stick skillet I use for cooking most everything in so it will only fit so much. So I "Just whack it in half!! Just whack it!" for cooking in batches.


DIRECTIONS

Slice and butter all the bread. Set it aside for now and pull out your blender. Add half of everything into the blender and mix at a medium speed. Let it go for a bit and get nice a frothy. Empty it into a dish and start dipping your bread in. Cook on a med/high heat for about a minute or less per side. When the egg mixture starts to get flat, add it back to the blender and froth it up some more, and repeat. keep doing this until all your bread is done.


-TIPS-


-Prep your bread the night before and let it sit out with a towel over it so it gets a little stiff, this will help the butter absorb better and helps when you're drenching it in egg to not tear apart in your hands.

-If you don't want to take the time to butter each piece of bread front and back you can just add the butter to the egg before you blend it all together and that should give you the same results.

-Half and Half, whipping cream, cream cheese (light and small amounts), yogurt, or instant pudding mix is also good to put in instead of milk... will give you lots of depth.

-If you trust your non stick skillet well enough, you don't NEED the cooking spray.

-Vegetarian diets and others like it can sub out so much in this. Bake your own bread, use "Silk" instead of milk, almond, and vanilla. Egg substitute rather than eggs. and a non stick pan to cook in.

-Use a couple paper towels to wipe out the pan every few sets in the pan. You are going to get parts of egg that don't come out and are going to burn, you don't want the next set to pick them up and mess with your flavor.

Blackened Cauliflower Steaks

This one comes from "Men's Health" Magazine. I got the recipe from an article called "A Meat Lover's Guide To Vegetables". It was so good even the kids asked for seconds and even thirds. I have shared it with several people and they all agree it is great!! Just gonna copy and paste the recipe, be sure to check the tips area for any subs I made.


BLACKENED CAULIFLOWER STEAKS WITH WORCESTERSHIRE AIOLI




INGREDIENTS:

3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 large head cauliflower
1/2 Tbsp canola oil, plus more for searing
1 Tbsp blackening seasoning

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. To make the aioli, combine the mayo, garlic, lemon juice, and Worcestershire; set aside.
2. Cut away the green leaves from the cauliflower, but leave the stem intact (it will hold the "steaks" together). Cut an inch off opposite sides of the head. Cut four 1/2-inch "steaks" through the stem, brush them with oil, and then sprinkle both sides with the blackening seasoning.
3. Working in batches, heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet or stainless-steel pan over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Add the "steaks" and sear until blackened on one side, about 1 minute. Flip the cauliflower and place the pan in the oven. Roast until blackened on both sides and just tender in the center, about 10 minutes. Serve the slabs drizzled with aioli.
Makes 4 servings

-TIPS-
-Really look over your cauliflower when you are buying it. You want a really tight head, with little to no give. If the head is loose they wont slice well.

-If it starts to fall apart on you, just continue on and cook them as you had planed. Give those to the kids that don't know how to cut up their food already.

-We didn't drizzle the aioli on we used more like a dipping sauce. Helped with the whole "steak" feeling.

-On some of them we sprinkled on a little cumin, lots of flavor!!

Deep Fried Pork Chops

Tonight we will have a new favorite around here. Fried pork chops. Normally I get flak about this (because of the deep frying) but the last time I made them I got MASSIVELY good reviews from everyone here. So a second coming was inevitable.

See the pictures for how things should look (The first one is frozen, I forgot to take a pic of the one I cooked that was thawed.).

INGREDIENTS:

Deep fryer
Pork chops
Oil
Seasoned salt and pepper
All purpose flour (2-2.5 cups)
Eggs (2 or 3 large should be fine)
Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning

DIRECTIONS:

This will actually start a few days in advance, as long as you give it time to freeze and thaw. When you buy your meat and you separate it into meals for freezing, season the pork somewhat liberally. Then arrange it into your bag in a single layer and vacuum seal it up using the moist setting on your vacuum sealer. Toss in the freezer and it will be ready whenever you need it.

Thaw your pork chops overnight in your fridge and about an hour before cooking pull them out and put them on the counter to come to room temp.

Turn your fryer on to 350-365 setting and let it get hot. While it is heating up put about 2.5 cups of flour in a smooth sided bowl and grab a whisk. Season the flour to taste with the season salt and pepper and whisk it all together not just until it is mixed, but until the flour mixture is also light and fluffy. Crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk until combined, but not until frothy.

Now (carefully, this mixture is going to send a plume of flour all over your kitchen if you drop it in with too much gusto) dredge your pork chops 1 or 2 at a time (depending on how big your fryer is) and then bathe in the egg, quickly whisk the flour a couple times to get it fluffy again and go back into the flour. Remove and go right into the hot oil. Cooking time will vary depending the chops (boneless, thickness, ect...), I just watch them and when they float I wait about a minute or so and pull them. Set on a paper towel covered plate to drain in  a single layer.









-TIPS-

-Make sure you whisk (fluff) the flour mixture every time you go to put a chop in.

- Don't wait longer than 5 to 10 minutes after pulling the last chop to serve, Letting a meat rest is essential to cooking, letting it get cold is not.

-The kind of oil might matter, Canola is "better" for you than vegetable but the cook is different. Canola takes longer to heat, is harder to keep at temp, and just does not taste the same. So I stopped using it. Use it if you want, but my mother used vegetable, her mother used vegetable and her mother before her (she actually might have used lard *even I can't bring myself to this*)... So umm who are we to mess with tradition?

-Dipping sauce for this is apple sauce (don't call me a yankee for this one, it is actually good). However you can use your favorite condiment. I think the apple sauce will help to create a false sense of healthy here, and allow you to justify eating the deep fried food.

-I broke our fryer a couple weeks ago so I am going to try this in a pan tonight. Will edit later to let y'all know how it turns out.

Apartment BBQ Chicken - No Grill

This one is a good choice for us, it really does offer that "off the grill" flavor without needing to have a grill in the apartment. The ingredients are an important part of the meal, but the method is where you will get the BBQ feel from. You are cooking on medium so things will cook slower, but in the end you get a very tender and juicy chicken.

INGREDIENTS:


Chicken (any cut, any amount)
Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet and Spicy (This is a personal preference. Any SBR BBQ sauce will do)
*Grill Mates BBQ Seasoning
*Grill Mates Smokehouse Maple
1/2 tsp Artificial smoke flavoring (Optional, I don't use it but I think it could add a touch more "grilled" flavor.
*You cannot skip this, nor have I found a proper substitute. It goes on sale every now and then STOCK UP!


DIRECTIONS:


Defrost your chicken overnight (don't power thaw it)
Rinse clean, and dry your chicken with some paper towels (trust me table napkins are NOT the same thing !! lol)


Transfer to a large bowl or dish (Here is where you would toss with the liquid smoke) and very generously cover with Grill Mates BBQ Seasoning. and liberally with the Grill Mates Smokehouse Maple Don't over do the Smokehouse Maple it WILL burn!


Toss this until everything is coated well and it will start to smell awesome already.

Let this sit covered on the counter for about 20 minutes.


Get a skillet that your chicken will cover without a lot of open space and heat it on medium heat just until a drop of water will dance on the surface. Now add your chicken skin side UP. It will do MOST of it's cooking on the meat side. Partially cover with the pan's lid and let it sit untouched for about 10 minutes. Flip and cook another 6 or 7 minutes, being very careful as the skin will stick and burn easy.
Start to preheat your oven to 350 as soon as you flip the chicken over.
Pull your chicken out and put it on a paper towel covered plate. DO NOT LET IT REST FOR LONG!! Just get the excess oils and grease off... Transfer over to a baking dish that will hold your chicken loosely, brush on (both sides) the BBQ sauce THEN sprinkle on some more of the Grill Mates Smokehouse Maple but don't brush this in, just let it sit on as a topper. Then throw it in the now preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes or until it has reached an internal temp of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Pull it out and serve.

TIPS:

- Removing the skin will help with the fat, and cholesterol of the chicken.

- Baking the chicken is about making sure it is done, but it is just as much about the BBQ sauce you just slathered on. Turn on the broiler for a few minutes as the chicken goes into the oven to really make that BBQ sauce gel up like it has been on the grill for a few hours. Careful this will burn easy, keep your oven cracked open so you can let the extra heat out and watch it closely!

- This can be done with pork the exact same way (without dealing with the skin of course).

- I use a food saver to freezer marinate my foods. If you have one, try washing and cleaning and seasoning with the BBQ seasoning while you are portioning out your chicken/pork and then vacuum seal it and freeze it.

- The best baking dish I have found to finish this out has been a broiler pan. It will reflect the heat cooking your chicken the rest of the way and let the last bit of grease fall out.

Garlic Cheese Flatbread

I will come back and edit if need be. I am currently letting it rise will post later tonight on how it tastes and looks. For now check out what tips I have added at the bottom of the post to see what I have learned so far with this one.
EDIT: 
This did not quite turn out "flat" per say. It was more like a cake shaped bread that (if cut properly) would have mimicked biscotti. However it was very good, and lasted a good bit before starting to dry out.


    GARLIC CHEESE FLATBREAD


DOUGH
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
3 tablespoons olive oil (plus additional for drizzling into the pan)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
4 teaspoons Pizza Dough Flavor, optional (I just made my own with italian seasoning and garlic powder)

FILLING & TOPPING
2 cups diced cheese — cheddar, Monterey Jack, flavored cheddar, or your favorite (separate some for the last few minutes of baking)
4 to 8 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
pizza seasoning or your favorite dried herbs, to sprinkle on top

DIRECTIONS

1) Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, and drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom.

2) Combine all of the ingredients except the cheese and garlic, and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 60 seconds.

3) Add (some of the) cheese and garlic, beating gently just to combine.

4) Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan, cover the pan, and let it rise at room temperature for 60 minutes, till it's become puffy.

5) While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.

6) Sprinkle the dough with pizza seasoning, and/or the dried herbs of your choice, if desired.

7) Bake the bread till it's golden brown, 35 (add some cheese to the top, then continue) to 40 minutes.

8) Remove it from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

9) To make crunchy bread sticks: Cut day-old bread into 1/2" slices. Lay the slices on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake them in a preheated 350°F to 400°F oven till they're a light golden brown and crunchy, 15 to 25 minutes or so; keep your eye on them, as they brown quickly towards the end.

Yield: about 12 to 18 servings bread.

TIPS

-DO NOT USE A STAND MIXER. Use a -hand mixer or do it by hand.
-When you have to turn the dough out into the pan wet your hands with warm water.
-the directions don't say to spread it out after you turn it out, but it did not seem to be filling the pan on it's own so I helped.
-I also cut the dairy in half here (again for Sara) and it does not seem to hhave hurt the dough in the slightest, I saved 25% of the cheese I did use (1 cup) to give a light sprinkle on top at the last 5 minutes of baking.
-Even though it said to use instant yeast, I used dry active yeast. I am not sure      of the difference but I would cut back on this next time, maybe by half just to see how it works out.

Launch Day Dinner in a Box

Launch Day!!

I guess it is kinda fitting to launch this blog and then get up and go make Hamburger Helper. I don't think I will bore you with my "dinner in a box" meal. Other than to say Sara is lactose intolerant so I generally follow the box instructions to a degree. I brown the meat, add the noodles, then sauce packet, stir it all up, slowly add the water, and splash a little milk in just to create a slight creaminess.

Most of the time this works out ok for me. Sometimes it really screws everything up. All I can say is, give it a shot, and play with it some...

Enjoy!!