Strawberry Sorbet
Strawberry sorbet is a wonderful dessert to keep around, especially in summer. It is sweet and a little tart and very refreshing. It is such a pretty color.
You can play around with adding other flavors. I sometimes add fresh herbs, like mint or lavender. Extracts, like vanilla, can be added, too.
Sorbets can be served on their own, with cake, or drizzled with chocolate sauce. I sometimes add a scoop of sorbet to a glass of lemonade or ice tea on a hot day. So refreshing. Sorbet can be a fun topper in cocktails, too.
You can make sorbet in an ice cream machine, if you have one, but you don’t need to. I don’t. It really is simple. As an added bonus, once your sorbet is made, you have it on hand whenever you need a dessert. The secret is to blend the sorbet a couple of times after it is frozen, if you can. Each time, the sorbet gets smoother and creamier. I use my food processor.
Strawberry Sorbet
1 1/2 lbs strawberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 c. sugar, or to taste – you could also sweeten with honey, if you prefer, or use no sweetener
1 T. lime or lemon juice
Wash and stem berries. Place in food processor with juice and blend until smooth. Sweeten to taste, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Place in a container with a lid and freeze. Once frozen, remove strawberry mix from freezer and sit it on the counter to soften a little bit. This is really the important part. You don’t want it to thaw, but you do want it soft just enough to break into chunks. Place chunks in food processor and blend it again. It will actually start to look a little creamy and lighter in color. You can serve it right away- or put it back in the freezer to serve later. At this point the sorbet is ready- but you can repeat the soften/process step once more, if you like, for even creamier sorbet. Makes 3-4 cups.
Strawberry Liqueur
This strawberry liqueur is like summer in a bottle. I make a lot of different liqueurs and strawberry is one of my absolute favorites. It is wonderful for sipping or over ice. It is also a fun addition to any number of cocktails. A friend adds it to ice cream with extra berries and blends it up for an adult strawberry milkshake.
With strawberries in season, this is the time of year to enjoy them. I want to preserve some for later, too. I made strawberry jam and dehydrated some. I will also freeze some.
Another way to preserve strawberries, is by making a liqueur with them. It is pretty simple. Just combine berries with vodka and a small amount of powdered sugar. I use half gallon canning jars for this, but you could use any food safe container with a tight fitting lid.
Let the mixture steep long enough for the berries to infuse the alcohol with their flavor. You can sweeten it later on, or even leave it unsweetened, if you prefer. I like to sip the liqueur as is, or serve on the rocks with a splash of club soda.
Strawberry Liqueur
3 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced
3 T. powdered sugar
3 c. vodka
1 c. simple syrup*
Sprinkle powdered sugar over berries and let dissolve. Pour over vodka and let steep 2 weeks. Crush berries and strain then filter through cheesecloth or coffee filters. Add sugar syrup and mature 1 week. Makes 5 cups.
*Simple syrup is made from 1 cup of sugar and ½ cup of water. Bring to a boil, then cool. You will have 1 cup of syrup. You can sweeten your liqueur with honey, if you prefer. Watch when you substitute honey for sugar, as it is sweeter and stronger flavored. Better to use orange or clover honey. Add to suit your taste.
Minty Butter Cookies
These cookies can be made with fresh or dried mint. You could use frozen mint as well. They have a delicate, almost cake-like texture. The mint adds a subtle flavor. I used a little lemon extract- mint extract would give them a more intense mint flavor.
We made these in an herb cooking class recently. Everyone enjoyed the cookies. It is also a great way to use mint. If you grow mint, you know it can be a bit invasive.
Minty Butter Cookies
1 c. butter
½ c. sugar
½ c. brown sugar
1 egg
1-t. almond or lemon extract – you could also use mint
2 ¼ c. flour
¼ c. dried mint leaves or ¾ c. loosely packed fresh mint leaves, chopped fine
1 t. baking powder
1 t. cream of tartar
¼ t. salt
Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg and extract. Stir in dry ingredients until well mixed. Chill dough 30 minutes. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on ungreased baking sheet 2- inches apart. Bake at 375 for 7-9 minutes. Makes about 6 dozen.
Cooking with Rosemary
I love cooking with rosemary. It adds such a wonderful, unique taste to foods. Rosemary has a spicy flavor with pine notes. It is a strong flavor, though, and needs to be used with a light hand. Subtle is the key to successfully cooking with this herb.
I must admit, I had to learn to love rosemary. The first time I cooked with fresh rosemary, I used too much. I ended up with lamb chops that tasted like menthol cough drops. I decided I didn’t like rosemary. Eventually, I tried it again and decided I had been too quick to dismiss rosemary.
Rosemary pairs well with lamb and pork. I like it in tomato sauce and it goes great in breads and baked goods. It also goes well with poultry and is an ingredient in poultry seasoning.
I grow rosemary in pots and bring the pots in for the winter. I live in a climate where rosemary may- or may not- survive winter. I don’t take the chance. It is easier to just bring the potted plants in for winter. I keep them in the basement, under grow lights. That way I have the added bonus of enjoying fresh rosemary year round. If you live in a more temperate area, you can plant rosemary right in the ground. It needs a fair amount of sunlight and well drained soil. Rosemary really is easy to grow.
So here are a few of my favorite rosemary recipes.
Rosemary Oatmeal Bread
5-5 ½ c. flour
1 package active dry yeast
3 T. fresh rosemary or 1 T. dried, chopped
1 ½ t. salt
1 1/3 c. water
¼ c. milk
¼ c. molasses
¼ c. butter
1 egg
1 c. old fashioned oatmeal
In large bowl mix 1 cup of the flour with yeast and salt. In small pan heat together next 4 ingredients until warm. Pour into bowl with flour mixture and beat 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup additional flour and egg and beat 2 minutes longer. Stir in oatmeal and 1 cup more flour and stir, adding enough flour to form soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead, adding flour as needed until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough on a greased bowl, turning to grease top and cover, allowing to rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Grease a large baking sheet and set aside. Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into a ball and place on prepared sheet. Cover with towel and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until done. Loaves are done when they sound hollow when tapped lightly. Makes 2 loaves.
This versatile dough can also be shaped into loaves and places in 8×4-inch greased loaf pans. Baking time will remain the same. Dough can also be divided into 24 equal pieces and shaped into dinner rolls. Bake rolls at 375 for 15 minutes.
Rosemary Biscuits
3 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1 ¾ c. biscuit mix, like Bisquick, I use homemade.
½ c. milk
2 t. minced fresh rosemary or ¾ t. dried
In mixing bowl cut cream cheese into biscuit mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk and rosemary and stir until soft dough forms. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough holds together, about ten times. Shape dough into a 6-inch square and cut into 4 3-inch squares. Cut each square in half diagonally and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until light brown. Makes 8.
Cranberry-Rosemary Vinegar
This is a favorite food gift of mine. It is so festive and it tastes good, too.
All you need are bottles with corks or screw top lids. If using corks, be sure they are food grade. You’ll also need cranberries, bamboo skewers, fresh rosemary and vinegar- 5% acidity. I use red wine vinegar. Other vinegar will work, too. If you use white vinegar or cider vinegar they will pick up color from the berries and turn a pretty reddish shade. Not as red as with the wine vinegar, but still very pretty.
Since I bring my rosemary plants inside for the winter, I have access to fresh rosemary. Your local grocery store probably has some in the produce department. You can use other herbs, if you can’t find rosemary.
Make sure the skewers will fit in the bottles. Cut them down to fit, if needed. Skewer the berries on the skewers leaving a little room on the top of the skewer. If your cranberries are really big, test to make sure they will fit the neck of the bottle. The skewers keep the berries from floating around.
Place a few sprigs of rosemary in each bottle and then add the berry- filled skewers. Pour in the vinegar, leaving a little room for the cork. Sometimes you need to add a little more vinegar the next day as some will absorb into the cranberries and the skewers. I make decorative labels and give them as gifts. Ready to use in a week.
Poultry Seasoning
¼ c. dried parsley
3 T. dried marjoram
3 T. dried rosemary
3 T. dried thyme
2 T. dried savory
1 T. celery seed
1 T. dried sage
2 t. dried oregano
2 t. dried basil
1 t. ground allspice
1 t. fresh ground pepper
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Store in a cool, dry place to maintain freshness.
Lovage – How to Grow, How to Use
Lovage is one of my favorite herbs. I feel like it doesn’t get enough attention. So many people have never even heard of lovage. Its leaves taste just like celery leaves, so it is very useful in the kitchen. As an added bonus, lovage is easy to grow- and it is a perennial.
I love celery in so many foods. I don’t think you can make a decent stock without it. I especially like using celery leaves. Problem is, often the celery I see in the store has few, if any, really nice leaves. The solution? Lovage.
Lovage leaves can be used in any dish you would use celery leaves: soups, stews, stocks and salads. The seeds can also be used as a substitute for celery seeds in recipes.
Lovage grows to a height of 2-3 feet, except when it is in bloom. When blooming, lovage sends up stems that can reach 6 feet!
The stems of lovage are tough, almost woody. While they can’t be used chopped like celery, the stems are hollow and can be cut to size and used as straws in drinks like Bloody Marys or vegetable juices.
I’ve never seen lovage sold as a fresh herb. As far as I know, the only way you can enjoy this lovely plant is to grow it yourself. It thrives in sun, but will tolerate some shade. For a little effort you can have fresh “celery” leaves whenever you want. I also freeze plenty for use throughout the year.
Here is a favorite recipe of mine using lovage. Perfect for Spring.
Fresh Pea Soup with Lovage
2 T. butter or oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 c. fresh English peas, pea pods (sliced), or sugar snaps (sliced)
¼ –½ c. fresh lovage leaves, chopped fine
3 c. chicken stock or veggie stock
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. sour cream
Heat butter or oil in medium saucepan. Sauté onion until tender. Add peas, lovage, stock, and salt and pepper. Cook until peas are the desired tenderness, about 3 – 7 minutes. Puree soup in batches until smooth. Place sour cream in a small bowl. Ladle 1 cup of hot soup into the sour cream, and stir to smooth. Pour this mixture into the soup and cook, barely simmering, until soup is heated through, about 2 minutes. To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with lovage sprigs. Serves 3 – 4.
Note: You can also serve this soup cold.
A Dozen Summer Salads
If you are looking for a salad for the holiday weekend – or any time – I think you will find one here that you and your family will enjoy.
Between cookouts and picnics, it seems there is always a need for more salads. Maybe, something you haven’t made before. And of course, a recipe that the family will like.
These are some of my favorite salads. Some are pretty traditional. Others are a little different. I am sure you will find one that is just right for your family and friends.
Purple and Pink Salad
1 lb. purple potatoes
1 lb. red onions
1 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
salt and pepper to taste
1 t. celery seed
1/4 c. oil
Bake potatoes until tender. I used the microwave and it took about 7 minutes, but you can bake in a conventional oven, too. While potatoes are baking, peel, then slice onions thin and place in a saucepan with the rest of the ingredients, except the oil. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 5-8 minutes until onions are just tender. Some of the liquid will cook off. Peel and cube potatoes and place in a bowl. Drizzle with the oil. Add the onion mixture and stir gently. Adjust seasonings, if needed. Chill. Serves 4.
Curry Cauliflower Salad
1 head cauliflower, cooked
½ c. chopped green onions
¾ c. mayo – or less or more depending in the size of the head of cauliflower
1 T. curry powder- or to taste
1 t. hot sauce, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 c. peanuts
First break the cauliflower into florets. Cook the cauliflower any way you like. I steamed mine for about 5 minutes. You could roast it, or sauté it in a little oil. You want it tender, but still a little crisp. Don’t cook it to mush. I would also advise against boiling it, as it gets too wet. Once the cauliflower is cooked, let it cool down before proceeding. Combine the cauliflower with the green onions, the mayo and seasonings. It was hard to be exact because your head of cauliflower might be bigger or smaller than mine. I could have said 5 cups of cooked cauliflower- but would that really help? Then you’d have leftover cooked cauliflower. Or perhaps not enough. So add a little more mayo, if needed, and adjust the seasonings to suit your taste and the amount of cauliflower you have. Chill and toss the peanuts in closer to serving time. They are fine, even when in the salad for a while, but the peanuts crunchier when first put in.
Curry Cauliflower Salad
Succotash Salad
Cauliflower and Broccoli Salad
Sweet Potato Salad
Multi Bean Salad
Cucumber and Carrot Salad
Pesto Potato Salad
Cucumber and Carrot Salad
This refreshing salad combines carrots and cucumbers in a simple dressing. So easy and fast. Perfect side for your picnic or barbecue.
4 cucumbers, peeled, leaving strips of skin
1 c. coarsely shredded carrots
1 c. thin sliced sweet onion
1/3 c. vinegar- I like cider vinegar in this dish
2 T. Balsamic vinegar
¼ c. oil
1 T. sugar
1 ½ t. salt
Fresh ground pepper
Slice cucumbers. Combine vegetables in bowl. Combine dressing ingredients and pour over the vegetables, tossing to coat well. Chill at least 1 hour before serving, Spoon over lettuce, if desired. Serves 4-6.
Cornbread Salad
A little different- people always seem to like this salad. A nice way to use up stale cornbread, too. ?
4 c. crumbled cornbread or corn muffins
1 c. shredded mild cheese
1 sweet red pepper seeded and diced
1 c. diced celery
½ c. diced green onion
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
¼ c. chopped parsley
1-1 ½ c. mayonnaise or salad dressing, sometimes I use potato salad dressing or even slaw dressing
2 c. diced fresh tomatoes
1 c. toasted pecans
paprika for sprinkling on the top, optional
Place cornbread and next 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in dressing until desired moistness is achieved. Chill and stir in tomato and nut just before serving. Sprinkle with paprika if you like. Serves 6.
Note: You can add whole kernel corn also if you like.
Sweet Potato Salad
A nice twist on potato salad.
3 large sweet potatoes
2 c. corn kernels, fresh off the cob preferred but frozen is O.K.
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 sweet onion, diced
1 c. sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
2-3 T. fresh parsley
1/3 c. oil
1 t. Dijon mustard
3 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
½ c. cashews
In medium saucepan boil or steam potatoes until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and place in a large bowl of ice water. Add corn to saucepan and cook until just tender about 2-3 minutes. Drain corn and add to ice water with the potatoes. Once the vegetables have cooled down drain them and peel and cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Place potatoes and corn in a mixing bowl with remaining vegetables. Combine remaining ingredients, except cashews, in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well before pouring over the sweet potato mixture. Toss to blend and chill until ready to serve. Add cashews just before serving. Serves 6.
Multi- Bean Salad
1 lb. cooked green beans, sliced
1 can lima beans, rinsed and drained
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. oil
2 T. Italian seasoning- or whatever herb blend you like
1 T. hot sauce, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine beans with onions and parsley in a medium bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the bean mixture. Stir well and chill a couple of hours before serving. Serves 8.
Pesto Potato Salad
2 lbs. Boiling potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 c. basil leaves
3 T. pine nuts, walnuts or pecans
3 T. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
Cook potatoes until tender. Cool. In blender combine remaining ingredients, except 1 tablespoon of the nuts. Pour blended mixture over potatoes and sprinkle with the reserved nuts. Chill. Serves 6-8.
Just in Thyme Potato Salad
2 lbs. boiling potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces*
½ c. olive oil
¼ c. red wine vinegar
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t. fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook potatoes until tender. Drain and toss with the rest of the ingredients and serve right away or chill to serve later. Serves 6-8.
* You can really use any potato you like. I often bake the potatoes whole and then peel and cut up. Cook them any way you prefer.
Mustard Potato Salad
4 lbs. potatoes- I used Klondike Rose and I did not peel them
4 hard cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
1 c. mayo- maybe a little less
1/4 c. prepared mustard
salt and pepper to taste
dash of hot sauce
Bake whole potatoes until tender and allow to cool. Cube potatoes into large bowl and combine with remaining ingredients. Chill until ready to serve. Serves 8.
Artichoke and Edamame Salad
1 lb. edamame (fresh soybeans)*
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 c. cooked corn
1 c. chopped sweet onion
1/3 c. olive oil
1/2 c. cider vinegar
1 t. sugar, optional
fresh chopped parsley
fresh chopped basil
salt and pepper to taste
To prepare edamame steam them, in their pods, until tender, about 8 minutes. Place in cold water. Once cool enough to handle slip the edamame out of their pods. Discard pods and place edamame into a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir to mix well. Chill until ready to serve. Serves 4-6.
* A lot of stores have them in the freezer section. They are in the pods. The pods are not edible. If you don’t have edamame you can substitute fresh lima beans.
Cauliflower and Broccoli Salad
1 small head cauliflower, trimmed and broken into bite- sized pieces
2 broccoli crowns, cut into bite- sized pieces
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
1 c. shredded cheese- I used a sharp cheddar
8- 10 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
1/2 cup of mayo – or more according to your taste
salt and pepper to taste
Steam the cauliflower and broccoli until just tender/crisp. About 5 minutes in a microwave steamer, 6 minutes in a conventional steamer. Place in a bowl to cool down then combine with remaining ingredients and stir to combine well. Adjust seasonings, if needed. Serves 6-8.
Smoky Succotash Salad
1 lb. lima beans, cooked and cooled
4 c. corn off the cob, cooked and cooled
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
1-2 c. cooked ham, diced
Dressing:
2/3 c. sour cream
3 T. apple cider vinegar
2 T. sugar
1 t. grated ginger
1 t. hot sauce, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Combine veggies with the ham in medium bowl. In small bowl stir together dressing ingredients until smooth and toss with the veggie mixture. Chill until ready to serve. Serves 6.
Pink Velvet Cupcakes
Thought I would share this fun recipe for cupcakes, using beets. I already make a chocolate beet cake- which has red tones from the beets. I wanted a lighter texture for cupcakes, with more chocolate flavor, so I made some changes to the beet cake recipe and ended up with these cupcakes.
Rich, but light, with a very subtle blush of red. I decided to call them Pink Velvet. I topped them with cream cheese frosting, but a dusting of powdered sugar would work well, too, or a favorite buttercream.
Here is the recipe. I hope you will give them a try.
Pink Velvet Cupcakes (Chocolate Beet)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
¾ c. cocoa powder
1 c. butter, softened
1½ c. sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1½ cups grated, cooked beets
Powdered sugar, optional
Preheat oven to 350°. Line 24-28 muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl; set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Slowly beat in dry ingredients until well mixed; stir in beets. Spoon batter into prepared tins, filling about 2/3 full. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until cupcakes spring back when touched lightly or when toothpick, inserted into cupcakes , comes out clean. Cool before frosting. You can dust with powdered sugar in place of frosting, if you prefer. Makes 24-28.
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 stick, (½ cup butter) softened
2-3 c. confectioners’ sugar
1T. vanilla
Beat all ingredients together until smooth and fluffy. Store in the fridge.
Cream Scones
I must admit that for me, the difference between a scone and a biscuit is sometimes hard to see. Both use the same ingredients, for the most part. They can be rolled and cut out the same way, too. I often say that scones are like biscuits, but with more stuff in them. Scones are often sweeter, too.
This recipe is a tough call for me. I was given the recipe by a friend a long time ago. She called them Cream Scones. I could easily see calling them Cream Biscuits, instead. Whatever you call them, these little gems are tender, flaky and super easy to make. We made them in class a few days ago. They were a big hit.
You can make variations with all sorts add-ins. I recently made some with mini chocolate chips and orange zest. They also are great for shortcakes!!
Cream Scones
2 c. flour
1 T. sugar
½ t. salt
1 T. baking powder
1 c. heavy cream
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients and gradually add cream to form soft dough. Knead lightly on a floured board until dough sticks together. Roll to ½ – ¾ –inch thickness and cut with 2-inch biscuit cutter. Re-roll scraps and continue cutting, handling dough as little as possible.* Place on baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes or until golden. Makes 8-10.
* Instead of rolling them out and cutting into rounds, I pressed the dough into an 8-inch square. I cut the square into 4 smaller squares. I then cut and “x” across each of the four squares, making 4 triangles (16 in all). Bake as directed above.
Here is the cut out version made in class last week
Mom’s Breaded Chicken
With picnic season here, I thought I would share this recipe again. It always brings back great memories of childhood picnics/cookouts with my family. I love this recipe and I hope you do, too.
I looked forward to the big family picnics we had when I was a kid. My Dad and I would go early in the morning to pick out our favorite location, and get tables arranged. Then he would start a fire in the grill and make us bacon and eggs in the cast iron skillet.
Everyone started arriving soon after that. Well, not everyone. My Mom, and one of my aunts, would always come a little later. That is because they were finishing up the breaded chicken that was always a part of these picnics. She wanted it to be served nice and warm.
It would have been breaded the day before. My mom felt that when you breaded the chicken ahead of time, it seemed to help the breading to stick better. I do it the same way today.
This isn’t fried chicken. The breaded chicken is lightly browned in a skillet, then finished off in the oven. It is crispy on the outside and nice and juicy inside. It is also a lovely memory for me of time spent with family. Here are the directions for how she made it.
Mom’s Breaded Chicken
Chicken pieces, I often use a whole bird, cut into pieces, or just thighs and drumsticks.
salt and pepper to taste
flour
Parsley
Paprika
Garlic powder
eggs
Milk
Bread crumbs
oil
Pat chicken pieces dry. Season with salt and pepper. In a bag, combine flour- about ½ c. per 8 pieces of chicken should be about right. Season flour with a little salt and pepper. In bowl combine milk and eggs with the rest of the seasonings, including more salt and pepper. I use 1 egg with enough milk to make a thin batter for every 4-5 pieces of chicken. Keep in mind that the size of the pieces matters. Wings will need less batter than legs or breasts. Place bread crumbs in a shallow dish or in a plastic bag. Place a few pieces of chicken in bag with the flour and shake to coat, dipping off the excess. Then dip chicken pieces (1-2 at a time) in egg mixture, turning to moisten completely. Then place chicken in crumbs and turn or shake to coat evenly. Repeat with remaining chicken until all of it is breaded.
At this time you can cover and refrigerate the chicken for several hours or overnight if desired. You can also go ahead and cook it right away. Mom suggested you bread the chicken the night before so it will stick better, but hey, you’re an adult, do what you want.
To cook the chicken, heat ½- inch of oil in a heavy skillet and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Foil a roasting pan and then place a rack inside. Once the oil is hot, brown the chicken pieces several at a time, turning to brown evenly. Place the browned chicken on the rack in the baking dish and continue to brown remaining chicken. Place chicken in oven and bake until chicken is cooked and juices run clear when chicken is poked. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the pieces, how much you browned them and how many you are cramming in one pan. Baking time will be about 45 minutes. Check a large piece of chicken, near the middle of the pan to be sure.
This is a real summer favorite and the baking on the rack helps fat to drip off, giving you fried chicken flavor with fewer calories. This chicken can be served hot, warm or cold.
Barbecue Pinto Beans
I made this recipe for friends at a barbecue last fall. Everyone liked it. With the Memorial Day weekend fast approaching, it would make a great side dish for your holiday meal. It really is simple. Once the pinto beans are cooked and tender, you add the rest of the ingredients and let them simmer together until the flavors blend. You could use a slow cooker, if you like.
This recipe doesn’t call for any meat. You could certainly add some bacon. So here is the recipe. Enjoy!!
Barbecue Pinto Beans
1 lb. dried pinto beans
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves minced garlic
1 bay leaf
3/4 c. ketchup
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. spicy mustard
2 T. chili powder
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. paprika
2 t. hot pepper sauce
1 1/2 t. dried thyme
Rinse beans and place in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes and remove from heat. Allow to stand 1 hour. Drain and return beans to pot. Cover with fresh cold salted water and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, until beans are tender, about 1 hour. Drain and return to pot with remaining ingredients adding a cup of water. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook over low heat, covered 30 minutes or longer or until mixture is thickened and flavors have blended. Add more water if needed. Season with salt to taste. Serves 6-8.
Note: After the beans are tender you can throw the whole dish into a slow cooker and let it simmer for 1- 2 hours or you can bake them in the oven.
