Crockpot Chicken Curry

Crockpot Chicken Curry
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
16 thin slices peeled fresh ginger (about 1 ounce)
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
2 packages green peas (10 oz. each)
2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup toasted cashews (optional, for serving)
1/4 cup cilantro leaves (optional, for serving)

In a 5-quart slow cooker, toss chicken, onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, coriander, and cumin to coat. Season with 2 teaspoons salt. Cover, cook on high setting until chicken is fork-tender, about 4 hours (do not uncover while cooking).

Stir in coconut milk and peas; cover, cook until peas are heated through, about 20 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a large bowl; shred with fork. Return to pot; toss with sauce.

Serve over rice, garnish with 1/2 cup toasted cashews and 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, if desired.

I've never had curry and I don't like coconut so I wasn't sure how I would like this. There was a bit too much cumin for me but it was very good! Never made anything like this before. I halved this recipe and it was plenty for our family.

Link: https://www.marthastewart.com/341088/chicken-curry

Garden Turkey Melt

Garden Turkey Melt
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
2 8-oz. loaves Ciabatta, French or Italian bread loaves (not baguettes), halved lengthwise
6 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese (8 slices)
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
Red onion slices
8 ounces sliced smoked turkey

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Combine mayonnaise, rosemary, and garlic in medium bowl. Add spinach and artichokes and stir to combine.
2. Remove bread from each half to create a 1-inch shell. Lay each bread half on a baking sheet. Line each with mozzarella, tearing to cover as necessary. Spoon the spinach mixture onto each bottom shell. Top with tomato, onion, and turkey
3. Bake for 10 minutes or until toasted and heated through. Put sandwiches together and cut each in half.

Delicious!!!! It was like eating at Kneaders. I love the garlic rosemary mayo!! Definitely making these again!

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/overgrown-garden-turkey-melt/

Salisbury Steak

Salisbury Steak
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups beef broth
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons water

Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, chopped onion, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl until evenly mixed. Shape beef mixture into 4 patties, about 3/4 inch thick.

Fry patties in a large skillet over medium heat until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes. Add beef broth, onion, and mushrooms; bring to a boil. Reduce head to low, cover, and simmer until patties are no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes more. Transfer patties to a platter and keep warm.

Bring onion mixture to a boil. Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl; stir into onion mixture. Cook and stir until gravy is thickened, about 1 minutes. Pour over patties to serve.

Lasagna

Lasagna (from Worldwide Ward Cookbook: Mom's Best Recipes)
1 lb. ground beef
1 T. olive oil
1 tsp. hot pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 13-oz. can tomato paste
2-3 T. sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 28-oz. can whole tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated, plus 3 T.
1 16-oz. container of cottage cheese (or ricotta)
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 pkg. oven-ready lasagna noodles

In a skillet, brown beef; drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine oil and hot pepper flakes. Cook about 1 minute. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add tomato paste and 2 1/2 cans water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add sugar to desired sweetness and salt and pepper to taste. Process tomatoes tomatoes in food processor until smooth and add to saucepan. Add onion. Cook for about 30 minutes, until sauce starts to thicken. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and ground beef. Cook another 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

Place small layer of sauce in 9x13-inch casserole dish. Place 5-6 lasagna noodles in dish. Cover with sauce. Sprinkle half the cheddar and mozzarella cheese over sauce. Place another 5-6 noodles over this layer. Spread sauce over noodles and top with the cottage (or ricotta) cheese. Spread evenly. Place another layer of 5-6 noodles and spread with remaining sauce. Top with remaining cheddar and mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with 3T. Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour, or until bubbly and noodles are soft. Allow to cool before cutting. Makes 12 servings.

This turned out great! It was fun making my own meat sauce. Although I didn't like the amount of sugar I added. I would half that amount next time. I also didn't have oven-ready noodles so I had to cook those. I'm always afraid the oven-ready noodles won't cook all the way!

Cafe Rio Recipes

Chicken
5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 small bottle zesty Italian dressing
1 T. chili powder
1 t. cumin
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Mix all ingredients together in a large crock pot. cook on high 5-7 hours. Remove chicken and shred with fork. Reserve a small amount of juice and pour over shredded chicken to keep moist. Keep warm.

Pork
5 lbs. pork roast
1 small bottle honey BBQ sauce
1 T. honey
1 liter Dr pepper or Coke
Place all ingredients in large crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove pork and shred with fork. Place the meat back in the crock pot and leave it on low.

Lime Rice
In a sauce pan saute:
2 T. butter
1 yellow onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
In a large pot bring the following to a boil:
6 2/3 cup water
8 tsp. chicken bullion
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tsp. cumin
2 small cans diced green chilies
2 T. lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
Add onion and garlic to boiling water. Add 3 cups long grain rice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Pico de Gallo
4 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. pepper
Comibne ingredients in medium bowl.

Cilantro Lime Dressing
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing dry mix
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
1-2 tomatillos, peeled
1 garlic clove
1/3 bunch cilantro
1/2 tsp. lime juice
1/2 small jalapeno, seeds removed
Blend ingredients together in a blender. Add additional mayonnaise if dressing is too thin. Keep refrigerated.

Serve in the following order:
Tortillas, shredded cheese, Chicken or Pork, Black or Pinto beans, Lime rice, Red and Green leaf lettuce (shredded), Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Parmesan Cheese, Cilantro Lime Dressing.

Enjoy!

Wow, this was amazing! It was a lot of work but totally worth it. And this makes a TON of food. For us we didn't like all that cilantro so I would maybe add it to one component next time and that's it. It's very strong. It was so fun to cook with new ingredients! Like tomatillos. That dressing is so good. Would be delicious on a taco salad or burritos. The pork wasn't as sweet as from the restaurant but I've seen lots of different recipes that use brown sugar. Six Sisters' Stuff has a good one.

Fried Rice

Fried Rice
1/2 c. finely diced cooked ham, chicken or pork
1/2 bag frozen peas and carrots
2 T. oil
1 finely chopped green onion
2 cups cold cooked rice
2 T. soy sauce
1 egg

Fry ham and vegetables lightly in oil. Add onion, rice, and soy sauce. Fry over low heat for 10 minutes. Add one well-beaten egg; cook and stir 5 minutes more. If color isn't dark enough, add a little more soy sauce. Makes 6-8 servings.

Savory Crock Pot Beef Pot Roast

Savory Crock Pot Beef Pot Roast

3-5 pounds chuck pot roast
1 pkg. brown gravy mix
1 pkg. Italian dressing mix
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1/2 - 1 cup of water

Place roast in crock pot. In a bowl combine the mixes together. Sprinkle on top of the roast and rub it in all over. Pour in water and cook on low for 6-7 hours. For the gravy, pour the liquid from your crock pot into a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Thicken with cornstarch and water mixture or brown gravy mix.

Oh. My. Goodness. This is the best roast recipe ever. Roast and mashed potatoes is my favorite meal and this is so comforting and delicious. There are so many delicious flavors and the meat is tender. The gravy is the best. Drool.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
10-12 oz penne pasta
2 cups coocked and chopped chicken
3/4 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/3 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Melt butter in sauce pan, add flour and stir to combine. Once you have your roux, add milk. Stir constantly until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in garlic salt, onion powder and ranch dressing until well combined.

Add chicken, bacon and cheese to sauce and stir evenly to combine.

Bake in 9x13 baking dish at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.

I really enjoyed the flavor of this dish! It's always good to try new flavors and this did not disappoint. I wasn't sure how well this would turn out but I loved it!

Kid-friendly Chicken Lo Mein

Kid-friendly Chicken Lo Mein

1 can (20 ounces) unsweetened pineapple chunks
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T minced fresh gingerroot or 1-1/2 tsp dry ground ginger
3 T canola oil, divided
2 medium carrots, julienned
1 medium green pepper, julienned
8 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
3 green onions, sliced
1 T cornstarch
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup of your favorite teriyaki sauce 
1 T sesame seeds
Cilantro, for garnish- optional

Drain pineapple, reserving 1/3 cup juice (discarding remaining juice or save for another use); set pineapple aside. In a large skillet, cook the chicken, garlic and ginger over medium heat in 2 tablespoons oil for 6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in the carrots, green pepper and pineapple. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in spaghetti and onions. 

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, soy sauce, reserved pineapple juice and remaining oil until smooth. Gradually add to chicken mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in teriyaki sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds & fresh cilantro.

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Declicious recipe! And a good change up from the things we normally eat. I used half a bag of frozen peas and carrots. My mom has used cabbage in it and that was delicious. Broccoli would good in this too. You could easily adapt this to whatever you've got in the pantry.

Hawaiin Ham and Cheese Sliders

Hawaiin Ham and Cheese Sliders
3/4 cup melted Butter
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Poppy Seeds
2 tsp Dried Minced Onion
12 King’s Hawaiian Dinner Rolls
9 oz thin sliced Deli Ham
8 oz thin sliced Swiss Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. Combine butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, poppy seeds, and dried onion.

3. Slice the rolls to make sandwiches. Remove tops and set aside.
4. Place the bottom pieces into the prepared baking dish.
5. Layer the ham onto the rolls. Top the ham with the Swiss cheese.

6. Place the tops of the rolls onto the sandwiches. Brush or pour the liquid mixture evenly over the rolls.

7. Bake 20 minutes or until the rolls are lightly browned and cheese has melted.
8. Separate into individual sandwiches to serve.

These are so, so, so good. Something I wouldn't normally try making but my MIL made these at a family party a while ago and we fell in love!

Cheesy Hamburger Soup

Cheesy Hamburger Soup

• ½ pound ground beef ( I used 1 pound)
• ¾ cup chopped onion
• ¾ cup shredded carrots
• ¾ cup diced celery
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 16 oz, of Velveeta cheese, cubed or- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1½ cups milk
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Brown the ground beef in 3 quart saucepan. Drain and set aside.
2. In the same saucepan add 1 T butter and add onion, shredded carrots, parsley flakes, basil and celery. Saute until tender.
3. Add the broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. In small skillet melt remaining butter (3 T) and add the flour. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
5. Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.

Mmmm. Delicious soup! Very comforting and homey. A feel good soup for when you're sick, too. I originally found the recipe here but found out from the blogger that it's a Taste of Home recipe which I found here. Awesome! ToH is my favorite. This makes a ton of soup and I think will keep well in the freezer. Definitely a keeper!

Oh, the title of the soup turned me off a bit so I changed it for my own purposes :)

Cheesy Rigatoni Bake

• 1 package (16 ounces) rigatoni or large tube pasta
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and salt until smooth; gradually add milk and water. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
• Drain pasta; place in a large bowl. Add eggs. Spoon into two greased 8-in. square baking dishes. Layer each with one can of tomato sauce, half the mozzarella cheese and half the white sauce. Sprinkle each
• with half the Parmesan cheese.
• Bake casseroles, uncovered, at for 30-35 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.
• Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

This was a very interesting meal. It seemed weird that there were eggs in this. Not quite sure the purpose they served. But Brandon loved this. He gobbled it right up. I'm still on the fence about it. It was good but not a meal that I would crave. I felt like it needed Cheddar cheese in there somewhere. It's very kid friendly, though. :)

Easy Pasta Carbonara

Easy Pasta Carbonara

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman.
Ingredients:
1/2 pound bacon or pancetta
1 whole small onion
5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup white wine (or chicken or vegetable stock)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 bunch parsley
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
1/2 pound linguine pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon black pepper

1) Slice bacon into thin slices and cook on stove top until cooked. Drain bacon from grease on paper towels and set aside. Reserve some grease for cooking onions in step 2.

2) Chop onion finely and cook diced onion in a reasonable amount of bacon grease (1 or 2 tablespoons) for 2-3 minutes over medium-high constant stirring to avoid burning.

3) **Slice the garlic and add it to the onions. Cook garlic and onion together for 2 more minutes and remove them from the pan, using slotted spoon. Discard the grease.

4) Place the same pan (where you cooked onion and garlic in bacon grease) back on high heat, pour in the white wine (or stock) to de-glaze the pan. Stir, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock. Return bacon, onion and garlic back to the pan. Let simmer covered over low heat, do not let too much liquid (chicken stock) to evaporate.

5) Chop the parsley. Crack eggs into a large bowl. Add Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley to the eggs. Leave a little Parmesan and parsley out for a garnish. Mix well with a fork.

6) Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to pasta instructions, al dente. Drain the pasta and add very hot pasta to the egg mixture and mix thoroughly. Then add bacon, onion, and garlic mixture to the pasta, mix again. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to mix. Salt and pepper to taste and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Makes 4 servings.

This meal gets 1 million stars! Seriously soooo good. And easy. It tastes like Alfredo but there's no cream in it and it's just delicious. Eve the kids gobbled this up. Definitely read through the whole recipe before you start, though.  And go to the original source from The Pioneer Woman. She has step-by-step instructions with pictures which was very helpful for me. It was so fun for me to try a new recipe and new techniques (like deglazing)! I will be making this again!!

**I used my garlic press for the garlic and reduced the time the garlic cooks with the onions because I didn't want it to burn or overcook. Bitter garlic is the worst.

Baked Ravioli

Baked Ravioli
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 medium onion, chopped 
3 garlic cloves, minced 
Coarse salt and ground pepper 
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, or oregano 
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes 
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes 
2 pounds store-bought ravioli 
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
DIRECTIONS 
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a large 
saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and 
season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, 
until softened, about 5 minutes. Add thyme and tomatoes. 
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, breaking up 
tomatoes with spoon, until sauce is thickened and reduced 
to about 5 1/2 cups, 20 to 25 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted 
water just until they float to the top (pasta will continue to 
cook in oven). Drain pasta; return to pot. 
3. Toss sauce with pasta. Pour pasta into a large gratin 
dish or 9-by-13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle with 
cheeses. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly 
before serving. Serves 6-8

This was great! I wasn't a fan of the whole tomatoes but that's just me. Easily changed. This is a great meal for kids too! And nice to find a good meatless meal.

Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Mini Chicken Pot Pies
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 of a 16-oz. package frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
Flour
1 package (12 oz.) refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Spray 10 muffin-pan cups with non-stick cooking spray. Stir chicken, soup and vegetables in a medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle the flour on a work surface. Roll or pat the biscuits to flatten slightly. Press the biscuits into the bottoms and up the sides of the muffin-pan cups. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture into each biscuit cup. Lightly press the chicken mixture down so it's level. Top each with about 2 teaspoons of cheese.
3. Bake for 15 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown and the cheese is melted. Let the pot pies cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

These were so good! So easy to make and just look how cute they are! I told the kids they were Chicken Muffins. Anything is good if it has the word muffin in it and they liked it too.

Restaurant Style Steak

Restaurant Style Steak

Ingredients:

• filet mignon - 2, 8 ounce filets
• kosher salt - 4 teaspoons
• freshly cracked pepper - 4 teaspoons
• butter - 1 stick
• olive oil - 1 tablespoon
• garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
• parsley - 1 tablespoon, chopped
• thyme - 1 tablespoon, chopped
• lemon zest - 1 teaspoon

Instructions:

1. Take 1/2 stick of butter, softened, and mix well with the peeled, chopped garlic, the chopped herbs, and the lemon zest.  Form into a log and refrigerate.  Generously season the filet's with salt and pepper, approximately 1 teaspoon of seasoning per side.

2. Heat the remainder of the butter (1/2 stick) and the olive oil in a cast iron skillet to a screaming hot temperature. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.   Sear the filets in a screaming hot pan for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until a nice brown crust has formed. While the steak is searing, continue to spoon the residual butter in the pan on top of the meat while it's cooking.  Once both sides are seared, place in the center of the oven for about 6-8 minutes, depending upon how thick your steak is.  

3. In the last minute of cooking, take the log of compound butter and slice a nice thick piece to place on top. Your steak will be ready when it is approximately 135 degrees in the center, or when you push lightly on the top center of the steak and it gently and slowly bounces back.  (Note, this is medium rare. 150 degrees is medium. 170 degrees is well done.)

Mmmm. Steak. We used 12-oz. New York strip steak. It really made a difference to pan sear the meat first. It was so juice on the inside. We didn't make the herbed butter, though. That was a little much for us.  Sean always wants his with A1 and I always want ranch dressing with mine. But I'm sure it would have been delicious.

I don't have a cast iron skillet so we transferred the meat to a cookie sheet lined with foil. Worked just fine.

Slow Cooker Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Slow Cooker Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

4 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard or 1/4 teaspoon of bottled mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Boil the macaroni in water for six minutes and drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Heat over medium high heat and stir until the cheese melts. Spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Combine cheese mixture, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper in your slow cooker. Add the drained macaroni and stir again. Cook on low for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally (I cooked mine for about 2 hours and stirred it twice and it was perfect).

The kids gobbled this up! Fun for me to try a new recipe, too!

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

• 1-1/4 pound Ground Chuck
• 1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
•  Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 1-1/4 cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
• 1/2 cup Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
• 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

Serve with crusty French bread.

I obviously didn't take this picture. I forgot last night and now it's in a tupperware container looking not as pretty as this one. Anyway, we all really liked this meal. Such simple ingredients making very kid friendly, in my opinion. I bet this would freeze well too. Make a whole batch and freeze half of it. We ate ours with garlic toast. Mmmm.

Chicken Fried Chicken with Country Gravy

Chicken Fried Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
oil

Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets heavy-duty plastic wrap and flatten to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Season with half the salt and pepper. Set aside.
Combine cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, and remaining salt and pepper. In a separate bowl whisk together milk and eggs. Dredge chicken in cracker crumb mixture; dip in milk mixture; dredge in cracker mixture again. Pour oil to a depth of 1/2-inch in a large skillet. Over medium high heat fry chicken 5 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove to wire rack in a cookie sheet. Keep chicken warm in a 225*F oven.

Country Gravy
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat  until browned, about 5-10 minutes. Gradually stir in milk so that no lumps form, and continue cooking and stirring until thickened. If gravy becomes too thick, add more milk.

This has always been one of Sean's favorite meals and tonight was my first time making it. It's so satisfying to cook food you know people will love.  And then watch them enjoy it. Ahhhh. The chicken was delicious! That crust is awesome and the chicken was moist and tender on the inside.
Unfortunately I burned the gravy a little. I used the left over oil from frying the chicken and I think that was a mistake. It was already over cooked and it just didn't turn out. So, for the gravy I would suggest using a new batch. of oil. Next time I'll know how to make it better!

I got the recipe for the chicken here. The gravy recipe wasn't making sense to me so we found a different recipe for that here.

Homemade Copycat Big Mac Recipe

Homemade Copycat Big Mac Recipe:

(Makes 4 burgers)

Ingredients:Burger:4 sesame seed hamburger buns
4 additional bottom halves of hamburger buns
Special sauce (recipe below)
Shredded lettuce
2 pounds ground beef, split into 8 patties and grilled/cooked
Dill pickle slices
8 slices cheddar cheese

Special Sauce:1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons French dressing
4 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
1 Tablespoon minced white onion
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:Mix all sauce ingredients together until combined and let chill in the fridge.  To assemble, starting from the bottom:  bottom bun, special sauce, shredded lettuce, hamburger patty, two dill pickles, slice of cheese, additional bottom bun, special sauce, shredded lettuce, hamburger patty,  two dill pickles, top bun.

WOW!!! De-freaking-licious! I can't believe how good these were. That sauce tastes exactly like the real stuff. Sean chose this for his special birthday dinner. It was amazing. We obviously chose not to add the extra bun and burger patty and I think it would have been way too much for us if we had. 

You HAVE to use shredded lettuce and cheese singles or this won't taste nearly as good. Will be making these again!!!

Who need's McDonalds?!