Chicken Fried Chicken Sliders

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This weeks entree is a cute little sandwich. Sliders. I just love the name! But, let's not waste time talking. We need to get cooking, 'cause these are good!!

Chicken Breasts

Flour

Egg

Milk

Bread Crumbs

Vegetable Oil

Garlic Powder

Salt & Pepper

Tomato

Mayo

Lettuce

Hawaiian Rolls

Trim the fat off of your chicken, and then cut your

chicken pieces to a size that will fit your bun.

Just eyeball the size.

 Heat the oil in a pan to cook your chicken.

Let's get our assembly line going so we can bread our 

chicken. Whisk together the egg and 2 tablespoons of milk.

Dip your chicken in. Make sure both sides are coated.

Put flour in the next bowl. Dip your chicken in this

bowl next.

After the flour, dip your chicken back in the egg mixture.

 Next, dip the chicken in the bread crumbs.

Make sure both sides are completely covered.

Here are the chicken pieces ready to be fried.
The top two are breaded with Italian  bread crumbs.

The bottom two are breaded with crushed ritz crackers.

Fry the chicken in the pan. It should take about

6-7 minutes per side.

Let your chicken pieces rest on a paper towel

for a few minutes. (a napkin works too :)!

Build your sliders. Add mayo, tomato, lettuce.

They also taste good with very little on them.

Enjoy!

Thanks for joining me today! I hope you will try 

these sliders. You can put the chicken on any type of bread,

but the Hawaiian rolls are really good!

Please join me tomorrow when we will be making this

weeks side dish~mini restuffed baked potatoes.

See you then!!

Green Salad in a Cup with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

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This weeks salad portion of our meal is a fun green salad. I say fun, because we are making the cup that we will put the salad in. Let's start with the vinaigrette first. We want it to chill in the fridge while we put everything else together.

2 tablespoon Olive Oil

3/4 cup Pomegranate Juice

2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

Salt & Pepper

2 tablespoon Sugar

2 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar

Put all your ingredients in a bowl. Whisk after each addition.

This is what it looks like after all ingredients are in,

and they are all whisked together.

Cover with plastic and refrigerate.

Now, let's make the cups and the salad.

Lettuce, cut in strips

Red Onion, diced

Grape tomatoes

Won Ton Wrappers

Place 1 won ton wrapper in a cupcake pan for each salad cup 

you want to make. This is a regular size cupcake pan.

It is not necessary to spray the pan. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.

Take each cup out, and let them cool.

Fill each cup with a little salad, a tomato, and some 

diced onion. Sprinkle each salad with vinaigrette.

Enjoy your mini salad cups!

Thanks for joining me today.

I hope you will try these mini salad cups.

They would be great to serve at a party, or a family meal, 

and they are delicious!

Please join me tomorrow when we will be cooking our entree~

Chicken Fried Chicken sliders!

Red & Yellow Pepper Cilantro Relish on a Mini Cracker

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Sometimes when you are cooking, stuff happens. Today was one of those days. The recipe started out fine. I made one change, and that was that instead of putting the relish on a cracker, I put it on a triangle of toasted pita bread. Minor deal. Both are good tasting, and either one works. Then I made the relish. No problems, except one~as I tasted the relish before I put it in the refrigerator ~I didn't like it. So, I covered it up, stuck it in the fridge, and thought about what to do. It was of course, my own fault. I always usually always make my recipe one time before I serve it to anyone. That way I know if timing is an issue, or if I have a problem understanding the recipe, or if I don't like the way something is tasting. Why didn't I do it today? I don't know. I am busy~Life is hectic.  But now I had a situation I needed to remedy. The brie tastes wonderful. So I cut pieces of brie, added fruit, and it tasted really good. Simple & good! But guess what? I decided to try the relish after the refrigeration period. It was pretty good. The brie really toned down the taste that I didn't like. So I had a couple more. Then I decided to present you with both recipes. Enjoy, and let me know which one you make!

1/2 Yellow Pepper

1/4 Red Pepper

Sesame Oil

Jalapeno Pepper

Handful of Fresh Cilantro

Brie Cheese

Salt

Pita Bread

Coarsely chop both peppers.

Because the recipe calls for a coarse chop, the pieces 

do not have to be the same size. 

Heat your sesame oil and cook the peppers

for 8-10 minutes.

Seed the jalapeno, and chop it into very small pieces.

Put the cooked peppers into a food processor.

Process until chopped.

Chop the cilantro. Take half of the peppers out of the 

processor, and put them in a bowl. 

So, 1/2 of the peppers are still in the food processor.

Combine the cilantro with the peppers in the processor.

Add all the peppers together.

Add 1 teaspoon salt, cover with plastic and refrigerate.

Cut the pita bread into triangles, and toast in the broiler on high.

Cut the brie into small wedges, and the cut the skin off,

and cut the cheese into small pieces.

Place the cheese pieces on top of the pita wedges. 

Broil again in the oven until cheese is melted.

Place a spoonful of relish on top of the cheese, and serve.

To make the recipe the second way, cut a strawberry

into pieces, and add a piece of strawberry and a blueberry

to each piece.

However you make it, I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for joining me today. 

I hope you will join me tomorrow when we make
Green Salad in a Cup w/ Pomegranate Vinaigrette.

See you then, & Happy 4th of July!!!

Grocery Bound with a List in Hand!

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I love everything mini, don't you? It's so cute, and tiny. This week I thought a mini menu might be just the thing to serve, just because it's fun!

Appetizer~ Red & Yellow Pepper Cilantro Relish on a Mini Cracker
Soup/Salad~Green Salad in a Cup w/Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Entree~Chicken Fried Chicken Slider
Side Dish~Mini Rebakes
Dessert~ Key Lime Mousse Shooters

 Grocery List

Appetizer

Yellow Pepper
Red Pepper
Sesame Oil
Mild Red Chili
Fresh Cilantro
Brie Cheese

 Salad
Romaine Lettuce
Grape Tomatoes
Red Onion
Won Ton Wrappers
Olive Oil
Pomegranate Juice
Dijon Mustard
Salt & Pepper
Sugar
Red Wine Vinegar


Entree
Chicken Breasts
Salt & Pepper
Garlic Powder
Plain Bread Crumbs
Oil
Flour
Milk
Egg
Small Hawaiian Rolls
Lettuce
Tomato
Mayo


Sides
Small Idaho Potatoes
Cheddar Cheese
Butter
Bacon
Milk

Dessert
Cream Cheese
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Key Lime Juice
Heavy Whipping Cream
Key Limes

Thanks for joining me for the menu
and grocery list today.

I will see you tomorrow when we make our appetizer~
 Red & Green Pepper Cilantro Relish on a Mini Cracker.

See you then!
Happy 4th of July!!

Culinary Word of the Week-Zester

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This week our culinary word is Zester. What is a Zester? It is a tool used to remove the zest from various fruits, such as oranges, limes, and lemons.  What is zest? Zest is the colored part of the outer skin of the fruits. Under the colored part is a white part. While the colored part of the skin is wonderful smelling, and adds a rich and deep flavor to your recipe, the white part is very bitter, and can ruin a recipe. You never want to use the white part when you need to add zest to a recipe.

You use a zester by lightly scraping the fruit across the 

tiny sharp pieces on the stainless part of the zester. 

The result will be very small pieces of the skin, 

ready for your recipe.  Make sure to wash the fruit first, 

and use the zest right away. It does not hold. You can also 

zest with a box cheese grater or a paring knife, 

or a vegetable peeler. If you do use one of these

to create your zest, make sure you chop it down to 

very small size. The finer the zest, the easier it 

incorporates itself into the recipe.

Thanks for joining me today!

Stop by tomorrow and get

the menu & grocery list for next week.

See you then!

Happy 4th of July Weekend!!

This Weeks Dessert-Pecan Bars!!

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North Carolina is probably one of my most favorite places ever.  My family and I have lived there, it's where my son goes to school, and it is where I feel the most comfortable sense of belonging. I love the people, the natural beauty, and of course the food. When we lived there, my husband and I would go to a different BBQ house every week, attempting to try every one in the state. Ok, it probably wasn't the most realistic or practical goal, but it sure was fun!! My dessert this week is Pecan Bars. Pecans are a large and important crop in the coastal plains of North Carolina, and whenever I eat pecans~I feel warm and fuzzy, like I belong.

Pecan Bars

Crust

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon Confectioners Sugar

1 1/4 sticks Butter

1 Egg White

Pecan Filling

1/2 cup lightly packed Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Sugar

10 tablespoon Dark Corn Syrup

2 Eggs

1/4 teaspoon Vanilla

pinch of Salt

3 tablespoon Butter

1 1/2 cup chopped Pecans

Place the flour in the food processor. If you don't

have a food processor, you can mix the dough in a bowl.

Add the powdered sugar.

Add the butter, and process until the dough comes 

together, about 30 seconds.

Pat the dough into a 13"X9" pan. Come up the 

sides about 1/2". 

Pour the egg white onto the crust.

Tilt the pan so that all of the egg white covers the crust.

Pour the remainder of the egg white out.

Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Take the crust out of the oven, and cool for 15 minutes,

then place in the refrigerator until totally cool.

Now, let's make our filling!

Place both the granulated sugar and the brown

sugar in a bowl.

Add the dark corn syrup.

Add the 2 eggs.

Add the vanilla, salt, and melted butter.

Add pecans and mix everything together.

Pour the topping over the cooked crust.

Once the topping is covering the crust, place in the oven.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.

Set bars on a cooling rack, and let them cool completely.

Cut and Enjoy!

Thank you for joining me today!

I hope you enjoyed the All American Meal this week.

Tomorrow we will feature a Culinary Word of the Week!

See you then!!

Have a safe and Happy 4th of July!!