Italian Pesto Chicken

Italian Pesto Chicken

1¼ lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

5 oz Jimmy Dean Italian bulk sausage

¾ cup smoked almond pesto (recipe below)

1 cup Italian style bread crumbs

2 slices provolone cheese

1 egg, beaten

Salt and pepper

Sauté sausage until no longer pink, drain grease and set aside to cool.

Pound the chicken breast to 1/8 of inch thickness.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.  Spread pesto over chicken, layer one slice of cheese on each breast.  Roll chicken breast tightly, secure with toothpick if needed.  Cut each breast in half.  Dip in egg mixture, then in bread crumbs.  Place in lightly greased baking dish and cook at 350° 35-45 minutes. 

Smoked Almond Pesto

4 cups fresh basil leaves

4 cloves garlic

½ cup smoked almonds            

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ tsp ground pepper

½ tsp kosher salt

Blend above ingredients in food processor until smooth.  Stir in 1¼ cup parmesan cheese.  Makes 2 cups and can be stored in refrigerator in tightly sealed container for up to two weeks.

© Crackerberries 2013

Rosemary Lemon Cookies

Rosemary Lemon Shortbreads

 

¾ cup butter flavored Crisco

1¼ cup sugar

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

¼ tsp salt

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp fresh lemon balm leaves

1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves

Preheat oven to 375°.

Mince the lemon balm and rosemary leaves.

Cream together Crisco and sugar and beat until fluffy.  Add eggs, lemon juice and leaves and beat until well blended. 

Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt, and mix well then add to creamed mixture and blend well.  Dough will be thick. 

Use a small ice cream scoop to drop on ungreased cookie sheets. 

Bake at 375º for 14 minutes.  YIELD: 4 dozen

© Crackerberries 2013

Tomato Pie

Tomato Pie with Sage Pie Crust

Pie Crust:

4 fresh sage leaves, snipped very fine

1½ cup all purpose flour

¼ tsp kosher salt

5 tbsp butter flavored Crisco

5-6 tbsp ice water

Stir sage leaves and salt into flour.  Add Crisco and cut in until it resembles small pea size crumbs.  Add water, one tablespoon at a time and stir until small ball forms in bowl.  Roll out and line a pie dish with dough, crimping the edges.  Prick the dough all over the bottom and the sides with a fork.  Cover bottom with a piece of aluminum foil and place dry beans over to prevent crust from bubbling.  Bake at 400° for 20 minutes.  Remove beans and foil and bake another 5-7 minutes until crust is golden brown.  Cool completely on wire rack.

Filling:

2 pounds of Roma tomatoes (more or less…I chose more because I ate a lot of them while I was slicing)

1 medium onion, diced

4 fresh basil leaves, snipped

1 cup Duke’s light mayonnaise

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 oz fresh mozzarella cheese

1 tbsp bacon bits

Wash, core, and slice the tomatoes about ¼ inch thick and place in a single layer on paper towels and sprinkle with 1 tsp. kosher salt.  Let stand ten minutes.  Do not skip this step.  It rids the tomatoes from excess juices and the pie will be nice and firm and not a soggy mess.

Sauté onion in olive oil and a little salt and pepper just until onion is tender, 3-5 minutes. 

Combine mayonnaise and cheddar cheese in small bowl, reserving a little of the cheddar to sprinkle on the top.  Pat tomatoes dry with a paper towel and creating two layers place tomatoes, onions, basil in pie crust.  Spread mayo/cheese mixture over top and place mozzarella slices sporadically over top.  Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese and bacon bits. 

Shield pie crust edges with aluminum foil to prevent burning.  Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes, until lightly browned.  Let stand at least 15 minutes before slicing; this may be served hot, room temperature or cold. I’m serving mine with oven fried chicken.   A store bought crust can also be used.

© Crackerberries 2013

Boston Butt

Smoked Boston Butt w/ Sweet Tangy Marinade

½ tbsp liquid smoke

½ cup brown sugar

½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp thyme leaves

½ tsp ground marjoram

1 tsp onion powder

¼ cup teriyaki sauce

¼ cup cider vinegar

Place all ingredients in large zip lock bag and squeeze to blend well.  Add ¼ Boston Butt to zip lock back and let stand at least 4 ½ hours or overnight. 

Start a fire to get a good bed of hickory wood coals going in smoker grill.  Wrap meat loosely in aluminum foil.  Cook 2-2 ½ hours or until internal temperature is 165°.  Un-wrap the foil for last 15-20 minutes to brown up the Boston Butt and let stand 10 minutes before slicing or just pulling meat.

** If using a whole Boston Butt make the recipe times 4.  We only cook a quarter of the butt at a time. 

© Crackerberries 2013



Fig Preserves

Old Fashion Fig Preserves

So the fig tree is in full bloom with tons of figs.  I bet there are two three pounds every day.  It is not a problem, I love figs.  But as I was making room in the freezer, I came across 8 pounds (yep, eight pounds) of frozen figs from last year.  Nice problem to have, don’t you agree?  I figured I better get busy so here we go.  This preserves recipe is just as good frozen as it is using fresh figs. 

8 pounds figs, washed, stems removed, and quartered

¼ cup lemon juice

5 cups sugar

2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed

Place all ingredients in large preserving pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Simmer on medium-high to high heat, stirring often for 1 ½ - 2 hours, until thick.  Everyone talks about the gel stage being 220° but I don’t think the preserves made it much more than 205°.  You will be able to tell as it thickens. 

Once it is to the desired thickness, remove from heat and spoon into hot sterilized jars.  Process in hot water bath for five minutes; yield 8 ½ pints or 17 - 8 oz jelly jars

© Crackerberries 2013

Tomato Jam

Bread Machine

Jamming Tomatoes

 

I love my bread machine for quick experimental jams.  That's right, tomato jam...tomatoes, after all are a fruit.  This one is a definite keeper, although I am hoping it gels up a little more in a few days.

14 Roma tomatoes, cored and peeled (2 ½ cups mashed)

½ cup finely chopped cranberries (I mostly used these for the vibrant red color)

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp allspice

3 Tbsp lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1 3oz package liquid pectin (my bread machine recipe calls for 2 oz of powdered pectin, but I didn’t have any so used what I had)

Place all ingredients in bread machine and select jam option.

Yield: 5 4oz jars

Note: this is not a breakfast jam for English muffins or biscuits, but more of a hot sausage sub condiment to tone down the spiciness of the hot sausage.  I believe it will also be good on meatloaf and pulled pork sandwiches. 

© Crackerberries 2013

Piccalilli

Piccalilli

What better way to pay tribute to National Hot Dog Day than to make a homemade batch of relish? 

6 cups small cucumbers, finely chopped, seeds discarded

4 cups diced onions

4 cups green/banana peppers, finely chopped, seeds discarded

4 cups green tomatoes, finely chopped, seeds discarded

2-3 red Chile peppers (optional – I just happened to have some and thought they would add to the color of the relish.

Soak chopped cucumbers overnight in ice water.  The next morning, drain and add the remaining vegetables and mix well.  Sprinkle with ¾ cup canning salt, place dish towel over container and let stand at room temperature for 4-6 hours.  Rinse, drain, squeeze out excess liquid.

1 quart apple cider vinegar

5 cups sugar

1½ tbsp mustard seed

½ tbsp celery seed

½ tbsp tarragon leaves

½ tbsp whole cloves

½ tbsp whole all spice

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp ginger

1 tbsp red pepper flakes

Tie the mustard seed, celery seed, tarragon leaves, cloves and all spice in a cheese cloth and add to vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil.  Let it boil for five minutes then add veggies, turmeric, ginger and pepper flakes.  Return to a boil and simmer 15 more minutes.  Spoon into hot sterilized jars and process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes; yield: 7 pints

© Crackerberries 2013

Three Bean Salad

Lucky Number 7 Bean Salad

 

This was always my favorite summertime salad.  I’ve doctored it up a little, added a few more beans and gave it a little kick.  Try it out and see what you think.

½ cup red kidney beans

½ cup great northern beans

¼ cup soldier beans

¼ cup black beans

¼ cup pinto beans

¼ cup lima beans

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1 bay leaf

½ tsp black pepper

Combine above ingredients in slow cooker/crock pot and cook on high for four hours.  Do not remove cover during cook time unless more water needs to be added.  Drain, discard bay leaf, rinse and cool completely (about 3 hours in fridge). 

Measure 5 cups of beans and place in large bowl.  Sprinkle with ½ tsp kosher salt and toss.

*2 cups pickled green beans cut into 1 inch pieces, drained, reserve liquid

1 tsp minced garlic

1 cup largely diced onion

3-5 sliced Chile peppers

½ cup reserved pickled green bean broth

½ cup Italian salad dressing

2 Tbsp sugar

½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp parsley

¼ tsp celery seed

Combine pickled green beans, onion and peppers in bowl with mixed beans and toss gently.  In small bowl combine garlic, dilly bean broth, sugar, pepper, parsley and celery seed and mix well.  Slowly add Italian salad dressing while whisking.  Pour mixture over beans and toss to coat.  Let stand in refrigerator for an hour to chill and incorporate flavors before serving.

© Crackerberries 2013

*Note: usually I would use my own dilly beans but I tried making this recipe from BHG and didn't care for them much by themselves, but they are perfect for this recipe.

Frozen Yogurt

This is the easiest frozen yogurt recipe ever!  Take your favorite container of yogurt, pop it in the freezer for at least 6 hours and voila, instant frozen yogurt.  I tried it this morning with my favorite Great Value yogurt.  Just stir with a spoon and enjoy. 

** Just a note ...if you over freeze, let it sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.

Scones

Whole Wheat Blueberry Scones

w/Cranberry Glaze

1¼ cup whole wheat flour

1½ tbsp sugar

½ tbsp baking powder

Scant salt

2 tbsp butter flavored Crisco

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup half and half

¼ cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven 400°

In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix; using a fork, cut in Crisco until mixture resembles small crumbs.  Make a well in the center of the mixture.

In a small bowl combine egg with half and half; pour mixture into well of flour mixture all at once.  Stir just to moisten.  It will be sticky.  Fold in blueberries gently.

Turn dough onto floured pizza stone or cookie sheet and roll and pat into 6-inch circle. Cut into six wedges and gently spread apart slightly.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Let cool slightly and drizzle with cranberry glaze (½ cup confectioner’s sugar mixed with ½ tbsp cranberry juice).

*This recipe can be easily doubled to make two six inch rounds of scones.  

© Crackerberries 2013

Bread & Butter Squickles

Bread & Butter Squickle Pickles

This is Mimi’s old fashion Bread and Butter Pickle recipe with a new take of adding summer squash to the mix.

12 cups sliced cucumbers and summer squash

Place in ice water over night

Next morning drain and create three layers in large container with 2 cups sliced onions, and ¼ cup canning salt, ending with salt on top.  Cover with cloth and let stand at room temperature 3-4 hours.  Drain off liquid that forms.

3½ cups vinegar

1¼ cup water

2 cups sugar

3 tsp celery seed

3 tsp mustard seed

1 tsp curry powder —or—

(Note: I did not have curry powder but I did some research in an old spice book and found out that curry is actually a blend of six or more of the following spices: cumin, coriander, fenugreek, turmeric, ginger, pepper, dill, mace, cardamom, cloves.)

1/8 tsp of each: cumin, turmeric, ginger, dill, cardamom, ground cloves, mace & cayenne pepper.

Combine vinegar, water, sugar and spices in preserving pot and bring to a boil.  Add veggies and bring to a boil again, reduce heat and simmer for five minutes.  Pack into hot sterilized jars and seal covers according to instructions and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.  Yield: 8 pints

© Crackerberries 2013



Pork Chop Stroganoff

Spicy Pork Chop Stroganoff w/Mushroom Sauce & Peas

1¼ lb pork chops

2 cups plain potato chips, pulverized until the oil is coming out

2½ cups corn tortilla chips, pulverized

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

¾ tsp ground black pepper

½ cup whole wheat flour

¾ cup half & half

1 can cream of mushroom soup

½ cup water or chicken broth

2 cups egg noodles

¾ cup frozen peas

Oil for frying

Cook and drain noodles according to package directions.  Set aside.

Cut pork chops into 1½-2 inch pieces, remove bone if present.  Soak in half and half for ten minutes.

In shallow bowl combine potato chip crumbs, tortilla chip crumbs, cumin, and chili powder; toss to combine.  In a zip lock bag combine flour, garlic powder and pepper and shake to combine. 

Remove pork from half and half shaking off liquid back into the bowl.  Add pork to flour mixture and shake until all pieces are coated well.  With a few at a time dip back in half & half mixture to coat well.  Roll in chip crumb mixture.

Cover the bottom of a cast iron fry pan well with canola or corn oil and heat until hot on medium high.  Cook pork for three-five minutes per side until crisp and brown. 

Meanwhile combine mushroom soup with water or chicken broth in medium sauce pan.  Heat until it just starts to bubble and add peas and noodles.  Place mixture of noodles on plate, top with pork and serve.

© Crackerberries 2013

Zucchini Lasagna

Tall Cool One says "Don't tell anyone how good this is."  So I'm not telling you, just quoting what he said.  This is the ultimate noodless lasagna.  

Zucchini Lasagna

2½ cups zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 2 medium)

¾ lb ground beef

½ Vidalia onion, chopped

1½ cups pasta sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup chopped celery

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 eggs

1 cup cottage cheese 

½ cup parmesan cheese

4-6 slices Colby jack cheddar cheese

Directions:

Fry burger, garlic, celery, and onions until meat is brown and onions and celery are tender; drain fat. Add sauce, Italian seasoning and pepper.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered 10 minutes.

In small bowl slightly beat eggs and add cottage cheese, and half of the parmesan cheese.

In (1½ -qt.) baking dish spread a little sauce on the bottom and layer with 1/3 of the zucchini slices.  Top with half of the meat mixture, then 2-3 of the cheese slices.  Repeat layers two more times.  Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese and bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for 30- 40 minutes.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.                                  

© Crackerberries 2013