The Charmed Kitchen

Skillet Barbecue Chicken

This dish tastes so good and requires very little effort to put it together. The secret is using three ingredients that each bring plenty of flavor to the table: Barbecue sauce, apricot preserves and spicy mustard. Start to finish, Skillet Barbecue Chicken is ready in little more than 30 minutes- less if you use boneless chicken. It’s a great dinner when you want homemade- but don’t have a lot of time.

Skillet Barbecue Chicken

Oil
3 lbs. Chicken drumsticks or thighs
1 c. barbecue sauce
½ c. apricot preserves
1 T. spicy mustard
In large skillet cook chicken in oil until lightly browned. Cover and cook over medium low heat until cooked through, about 25 minutes. Turn chicken occasionally to prevent burning. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Heat until bubbly. Serves 4-6.

Chicken in Hot Tomato Vinaigrette

I like chicken with tomato sauce but wanted to do something different than my usual marinara. By adding a couple of different vinegars, some citrus, herbs  and a little heat I ended up with a sauce that is sort of…. well….more like a salad dressing. At least the flavors remind me of salad dressing.  I used my home canned tomatoes, but you could use store canned. It took only a few minutes to put together. Honestly, the hardest part was remembering how to spell vinaigrette.

Chicken in Hot Tomato Vinaigrette

1 can (14 oz.) tomatoes, stewed, diced or whole, large pieces broken up, if needed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. lemon zest
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes – or to taste
salt to taste
1 T. chopped fresh basil or 1 t. dried
1 T. chopped parsley or 1 t. dried
1½-2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken, cubed
1 T. oil
1 T. butter
Parmesan cheese and additional parsley for garnish

Combine first 7 ingredients and simmer together until thickened, about 20 minutes. Add salt to taste and herbs. Simmer 5 minutes longer. Meanwhile heat oil and butter in skillet and sauté chicken about 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Add sauce and simmer about 2 minutes longer. Serve alone or tossed with rice or pasta. Garnish with cheese and a little more parsley. Serves 4-6.

Candied Orange Peels

During the winter months, when citrus is in season, I find myself eating a lot of oranges. I also find myself with a lot of orange peels. I dry some and powder it up for use in baking and cooking.  But there is always more. A dear friend of mine loves candied orange peel so I am sure to make her at least a couple of batches this time of year. It’s a pretty easy thing to make and a nifty way of turning something that might otherwise be discarded into something tasty. You can also candy other citrus peel this way like grapefruit or even make candied ginger by using slices of fresh ginger. Best to use organic oranges, since you are eating the peels.

Candied Orange Peel

2 large oranges ( you can also use 1 grapefruit or 3 lemons)

or 1 lb. of ginger root*

¾ c. water

¾ c. sugar, plus extra for rolling

3 T. light corn syrup, optional

Remove peel from fruit using a sharp knife. Try to get the peel off in 4 pieces. Cut the peel into ¼-inch wide strips. Place peel in a pot with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute, drain and rinse under cold water. Repeat process 2 more times. Return to pan with fresh water and boil 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Bring ¾ c. water and ¾ c. sugar to boil in sauce pan with the corn syrup. Boil 2-3 minutes and then add the peel. Simmer, stirring occasionally until all but a spoonful of the syrup is left. This should take about 10 minutes. On a wax-paper lined baking sheet sprinkle 1 cup of sugar and arrange the peels on top of the sugar. Toss the peels around until cooled adding more sugar if needed.  Place peels on a drying rack for 24 hours before storing. Once dried you can also dip one end of the peels in dark chocolate. Makes ½ pound.

* If making the candied ginger root peel and cut into 1/4- inch slices. Then cut the slices into 1/4-inch thick strips

Ham and Cheese Strata

I really love this dish when I have company coming over. It is easy to make and always goes over well. Since it is assembled ahead of time you can make it the day before and then just bake it when you want it. What is a strata? The simple answer is that it just means layers. Strata is a dish that can be made so many ways with all sorts of ingredients. In this strata you make sandwiches, top them with a mixture of egg and milk and then bake it up. I used rye bread, ham and Swiss cheese, but you can use different bread, cheese and meats (or even no meat)  to make any number of combinations. I have made a Reuben strata with corned beef, Swiss, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing.

Ham and Cheese Strata

12 slices bread, crusts removed if desired – I used rye
6 slices cheese – I used Swiss
1/4 c. diced green onions
1/2 c. chopped sweet pepper
2 c. diced cooked ham or turkey ham
3 eggs
2 c. milk
1 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper

Place six slices of bread on bottom of 2-quart oblong casserole. Top each slice of bread with a slice of cheese. Top cheese with the onions, peppers and ham. Top with remaining bread and cut each “sandwich” in half diagonally. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over sandwiches. Cover dish and let stand several hours or overnight in the fridge. Bake uncovered in a 350-degree oven for 40-45 minutes, or until puffed and set. Serves 6.

Kahlua Chocolate Walnut Squares

Made these in class yesterday and everyone liked them a lot. They are almost brownie like in texture with the wonderful flavor of the Kahlua in both the batter and the brown butter frosting. Nuts and chocolate chips are added to the batter as an added bonus.  It was a class for the University of Mount Union. I always have such a good time there with my friend, Bonnie, the volunteers, staff and of course the lovely people who come to my classes. The class is at their nature center and while it was a very snowy day most everyone was able to shovel out and get to the class.

Kahlua Chocolate Walnut Squares

1 ¼ c. all purpose flour
¾ t. baking powder
½ t. salt
½ c. butter, softened
¾ c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
¼ c. coffee liqueur
1-c. chocolate chips
1/3 c. walnuts
1 T. coffee liqueur (for tops of bars)

Brown butter icing

2 T. butter
1 T. coffee liqueur
2 t. milk
1 1/3 c. powdered sugar

Walnut halves or chopped walnuts

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. In large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg then stir in liqueur, then flour mixture. Fold in chips and nuts. Turn into greased 7×11 inch pan and even out. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes. Top should spring back when touched lightly. Cool in pan 15 minutes then brush with remaining liqueur. When cool spread with brown butter icing and top with nuts. Makes 24 bars.

To make icing:
Brown butter in small saucepan. Do not burn. Remove from heat and beat in remaining icing ingredients. Spread on bars. Allow frosting to set up before cutting.

Shrimp and Bacon Chowder

I love the combination of shrimp and bacon. When I was looking for a quick dinner the other night I knew I would be using them together. It was a really cold night so I decided to go with a chowder. I rooted around my fridge and pantry for the rest of the ingredients and ended up with a very satisfying dinner. Even better because a friend was able to come over and share it with me.

Shrimp and Bacon Corn Chowder

6 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1½ c. chicken stock
1 can cream corn*
½ c. corn- fresh or frozen
1½ c. half and half
½ c. chopped fresh parsley
12 oz. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Dash of hot sauce

In soup pot, cook bacon until almost done. Add onion and continue cooking until onion is cooked. Spoon out most of the bacon fat. Add the carrots, potatoes and stock and simmer, covered, until the veggies are tender. Add cream corn, corn and half and half and bring up to a simmer. Add parsley and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Add shrimp and cook another 5 minutes or until shrimp is just cooked. Adjust seasonings and serve. Serves 3-4.

*I decided to use a can of cream corn as the base. When I was a kid my Mother would make me something she called cream corn soup. She rarely used prepackaged foods and made wonderful homemade soups all the time. I think it was on one of those days when she was just really busy. To make her cream corn soup she would empty the can of corn into a saucepan. Then she filled the can with milk and added that, too. A little salt and pepper and the soup was done. Just before serving she’d put a small pat of butter in the soup. As a kid I just loved it. I must admit I don’t eat cream corn soup anymore, but as a base the cream corn can really make a nice chowder.

Chocolate Tiramisu Doughnuts

For doughnut days this year I decided to play around a little with the tiramisu doughnuts. I ended up adding unsweetened chocolate to my doughnut dough. People seemed to like the chocolate version a lot. Heck, it’s chocolate, what’s not to like? The real secret is the filling, which is a combination of egg custard, marscapone cheese and whipping cream. A little more work, but worth it. Topped with a mocha ganache, it is definitely a winner.

Chocolate Tiramisu Doughnuts

Filling:

5 egg yolks

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. Marsala wine (not cooking wine)

2 c. whipping cream

4 T. sugar

1 lb. mascarpone cheese

Make zabaglione (egg custard). In double boiler, over simmering water, beat together egg yolks and sugar until lemon colored. Stir in Marsala and continue cooking, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and will mound on a spoon. This will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool down. You can place in bowl in fridge 30 minutes or so. Beat together whipping cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Beat in mascarpone and chilled zabaglione. Chill 1 hour.

Dough:

4 c. flour

2 T. sugar

1 t. salt

½ c. butter

1 packet yeast

¼ c. warm water

2 t. sugar

1 c. evaporated milk

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

2 eggs, beaten

Combine flour with sugar and salt. Cut in butter and set aside. Dissolve yeast in warm water and 2 t. sugar and set aside. Heat milk together with the chocolate until chocolate is melted. Cool to lukewarm. Combine milk with eggs. Stir in yeast mixture and add to flour mixture stirring well. On lightly floured surface knead dough until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. Dough will be very sticky. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1½ hours.  Remove dough from bowl and punch down. Using about a third of the dough at a time roll dough out to about an ½ -inch thickness and cut out with a 2½ -inch biscuit  cutter. Re-roll scraps and cut out. You should get about 2 dozen. Place dough circles on a floured surface and cover with a towel until doubled, about an hour. Heat oil in a deep pan until it reaches 375 degrees. Cook doughnuts a few at a time until golden on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels and cool before filling.

Note: You can also refrigerate the dough after kneading it if you would prefer. Just place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Roll and cut dough into doughnuts when cold from the fridge. Allow to rise, covered, until doubled in bulk, about 2-3 hours. Fry as directed.

To fill doughnuts use a pastry bag fitted with a long tube tip for filling. I have these handy plastic syringes which are easy to use. Insert tube tip into doughnut and squeeze gently until doughnut is filled with cream (or jelly). Be careful not to overfill or doughnut will split. Once filled doughnuts can be frosted or topped with a sugar glaze. For the Tiramisu Doughnuts I made a mocha ganache.

Mocha Ganache

2 c. chocolate chips

1 c. whipping cream

1 T. instant coffee powder

Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe dish and heat in microwave for 2 minutes. Stir mixture until smooth and return to microwave if chocolate is not fully melted. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds more at a time, stirring after each time until mixture is smooth.  For extra smooth mixture strain before using. Dip the top of the filled doughnuts in ganache.

Jelly Doughnuts

I recently made these jelly doughnuts and have been getting requests for the recipe for the fillings. You can fill them with any number of jellies, jams and cream fillings. I had fresh strawberries and dried apricots so I used them to make both a strawberry filing and an apricot filling. Once fried and filled the doughnuts can be eaten plain or topped with a drizzle of powdered sugar glaze or just rolled in powdered sugar. These were a big hit. They are a bit of work, but well worth the effort.

Jelly Doughnuts

Dough:
4 c. flour
2 T. sugar
1 t. salt
½ c. butter
1 packet yeast
¼ c. warm water
2 t. sugar
1 c. evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
Combine flour with sugar and salt. Cut in butter and set aside. Dissolve yeast in warm water and 2 t. sugar and set aside. Combine milk with eggs. Stir in yeast mixture and add to flour mixture stirring well. On lightly floured surface knead dough until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. Dough will be very sticky. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1½ hours. Remove dough from bowl and punch down. Using about a third of the dough at a time roll dough out to about an ½ -inch thickness and cut out with a 2½ -inch biscuit cutter. Re-roll scraps and cut out. You should get about 2 dozen. Place dough circles on a floured surface and cover with a towel until doubled, about an hour. Heat oil in a deep pan until it reaches 375 degrees. Cook doughnuts a few at a time until golden on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels and cool before filling.

Note: You can also refrigerate the dough after kneading it if you would prefer. Just place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Roll and cut dough into doughnuts when cold from the fridge. Allow to rise, covered, until doubled in bulk, about 2-3 hours. Fry as directed.

To fill doughnuts use a pastry bag fitted with a long tube tip for filling. I have these handy plastic syringes which are easy to use. Insert tube tip into doughnut and squeeze gently until doughnut is filled with jam. Be careful not to overfill or doughnut will split. Once filled doughnuts are topped with a powdered sugar glaze or rolled in powdered sugar.

Apricot Filling

12 oz. dried apricots, chopped up
2 c. water
2 c. sugar, or to taste

Combine apricots with water in saucepan and simmer, covered until apricots are really tender. This will take at least an hour- add more water, if needed. Add sugar to taste and cook until thickened. Puree mixture in a blender.

Strawberry Filling

1 lb. strawberries
1½ c. sugar
½ c. water
3 T. cornstarch

Crush berries and place in saucepan with the sugar. Cook until berries are tender, about 10 minutes. Combine water with cornstarch and add to strawberries. Cook until thickened and bubbly. Cool. , Puree. Makes 2 cups.

Turkey Noodle Soup

Certain foods just bring back memories. For me turkey (or chicken) noodle soup will always remind me of my childhood and my Mother. She would have the soup simmering when I got home from school and the whole house smelled so good. She always cooked the noodles separately so we would spoon some noodles into our bowls and then ladle the hot soup over them.

A big pot of soup almost demands that we share it. I invited a friend and a couple of neighbors to enjoy this soup with me. I think it tasted even better that way.

I made turkey soup this time because I found turkey drumsticks on sale at the store. It turned into a 2 day project. I wanted to make stock out of the drumsticks and use the meat in the soup. I started late in the day so I only got the stock done on day one. I just browned some onions and carrots in a large stock pot then added the turkey to brown a little, too.  I poured water over the meat and veggies and added celery, a parsnip, a few outer cabbage leaves and let the stock simmer away for several hours.  I had half a cup of tomato sauce left over from something else and added that, too. Also tossed in a bay leaf, some parsley and basil. I added salt and pepper later on. Once it had cooked for a number of hours I let it cool a little and strained it out. I let the stock cool down a little more and then stuck it in the fridge. I put the turkey drums in the fridge and discarded the veggies- OK I ate the carrots!

On day 2 I made the soup. I skimmed the fat off the stock and cut the turkey meat off the bones. I also cooked up the noodles. Here is the way I did it.

 Turkey Noodle Soup

Oil*
2 onions, sliced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 ribs celery, sliced
4 qts. Turkey stock
4-5 c. turkey meat, cubed
1 c. chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot pepper sauce to taste
1 lb. wide egg noodles, cooked

Heat oil in soup pot and cook onions until starting to brown. Add carrots and celery and cook a few minutes more. Add stock and meat and simmer, covered, until veggies are tender. Add parsley and simmer 15 minutes longer. Adjust seasonings. Warm noodles and serve on the side so everyone can add as many noodles to their soup as they like. Serves 8.
* Since I had freshly made stock I used a little fat from the stock to cook the onions.