Cheater General T'so Chicken

Cheater Chicken Tso

Working and cooking delicious nutritious meals is not as easy as you might think.  Not that nuggets are very nutritious, but we had some leftover from the holidays and I wanted to use them up.  I call this Cheater General T’so’s Chicken.

15-20 breaded chicken nuggets

2 tbsp. dark soy sauce

2 tbsp. dry sherry

¼ cup chicken broth

2-3 tsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger

2 tbsp. minced garlic

EXTRAS

½ cup chopped red onions

1½ cup fresh broccoli florets

5-10 red hot dried chili peppers

Oil for frying

Cook nuggets in oven at 400º for 25 minutes or until slightly crunchy.

Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl, stir well to dissolve the sugar; set aside.

Add 2 tbsp. oil to electric fry pan; once it is hot, add broccoli and stir fry 1-2 minutes; add red onions and  hot chili peppers and stir fry until aromatic (2-3 minutes).  Add chicken and mix everything well.  Push chicken and veggies up sides of wok creating a well in the center.   Pour in sauce and stir constantly until thickened.  Mix in chicken and veggies and serve immediately with rice.                                

© Crackerberries 2015

Cast Iron Fajihta

Cast Iron Fajita

1 cup cooked chicken

¼ cup shredded cheese

2 tbsp. prepared salsa

2 small fajita size flour tortillas

Using the trusty cast iron skillet on the ever popular Coleman propane cooks stove, place one tortilla in bottom of hot pan. Cook until lightly browned on bottom, remove from pan and repeat with second tortilla. Sprinkle bottom tortilla with shredded cheese and chicken and spoon on salsa. Place top tortilla over mixture. Let stand a few minutes, quarter and serve with more salsa and sour cream if desired.

© Crackerberries 2015 

Scandinavian Salmon Pie

Scandinavian Salmon Pie

4 eggs

¼ cup milk

3 tbsp. chopped cilantro

2 tbsp. melted butter

4 fresh onion greens, finely chopped

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. dry mustard

1½ cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

14.75 oz. can salmon, drained, deboned, and flaked

9 inch pie shell, cooked and cooled

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

4 dill pickle spears, finely chopped

1 tbsp. fresh dill

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425º. Beat eggs in large bowl, add milk, 2 tbsp. parsley, butter, green onion, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and dry mustard. Mix well. Fold in cheeses and salmon. Pour into cooled pie crust. Bake 35-40 minutes until set and crust is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Combine yogurt, dill pickle, cilantro, fresh dill, remaining lemon juice and salt and pepper; mix well. Dollop each serving with mixture.

© Crackerberries 2015

Sausage Potato Bake

Sausage Potato Bake

4 Roger Wood Lumber Jack spicy sausage links, casings removed

5 medium potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

Cut sausage in one inch size pieces. Cook in cast iron skillet 5-10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from pan, leaving drippings in pan. Add potatoes and Italian seasoning to hot drippings and cook, tossing often about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and add onions and garlic. Cook while mixing other ingredients together. Add onions to mixture, stir to combine. Pour into baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake 350º 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Cool slightly.

© Crackerberries 2015

Easter Dinner - Crock Pot Lamb Shank

1.64 lb. Lamb Shank

1 sprig rosemary

1 clove garlic

½ lemon, zest and juiced

2 tbsp. cooking sherry

½ tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Combine above ingredients in large zip lock bag and marinade for 24 hours.

Remove from bag, discard marinade. Brown lamb shank on all sides and place in crock pot on top of sliced onions.

½ onion, slice and place in bottom of crock pot

5 cloves garlic, halved, chopped, crushed

½ cup Summer Shady beer

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 pkt. Beef flavored Raman noodle seasoning

10 oz. diced tomatoes with Chile peppers

1 tbsp. basil

1 bay leaf, crushed

Stir remaining ingredients together and pour over brown lamb shank. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove and serve with veggies and broth if desired.

© Crackerberries 2015

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

Avocado Dip

2 Avocados
1 lime
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium tomato, chopped
¼ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. dried cilantro
1 tsp. hot sauce

To determine the freshness of an avocado, gently squeeze in the palm of your hand. Ripe fruit will yield to the pressure of your hand. Using a knife, cut around the fruit, then twist and pull apart; pierce pit with edge of knife and slip it out. Scoop out flesh into bowl and mash with a fork leaving chunks.

Cut lime in half and squeeze 2 tbsp. juice over avocado. Stir in onion, garlic and tomato. Sprinkle with spices and add hot sauce to your liking.

© Crackerberries 2015

* Even though I didn't enter this blog into the A-Z Blog Challenge I thought it might be fun to try and see if I could come up a recipe to match the days. Hence today being Day 1.  Hope you follow with and check out some of the other bloggers too. 

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

Salisbury Steak

Salisbury Steaks

1 lb. ground beef

1 egg                                                                            

¼ cup Italian style bread crumbs

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 pkt. Onion soup mix

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

½ medium red pepper, sliced

1 onion, sliced

Mix beef, egg, bread crumbs, 1 tbsp. of onion soup mixture, and Worcestershire sauce in large mixing bowl. Shape into 6 oval patties.  Place in lightly greased shallow baking dish.

In large measuring cup or bowl, combine remaining onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup. Stir until soup mix is blended in well with cream of mushroom. Layer onions and green peppers over patties and pour mixture over top.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake 350º for one hour.

© Crackerberries 2015

Classic Cornbread

Classic Cornbread

(with a twist)*

4 tbsp. butter

1½ cups cornmeal

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

1 large egg

1¼ cups buttermilk

½ cup creamed corn

Preheat oven to 450º. Place 1 tbsp. butter in 10” cast iron skillet and heat for 5 minutes. Combine cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, baking powder, and baking soda in large bowl. Stir together egg, buttermilk and cream corn and add to cornmeal. Stir just to combine; add remaining butter. Pour into hot skillet. 

Bake at 450º for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 5 minutes and remove from pan.

© Crackerberries 2015

* So it might not actually be classic, but my hubby doesn't really care for cornbread because it's always dry and crumbly. I love it.  I thought I'd see what I could do to make it not so dry and crumbly. Adding creamed corn to the mix was the ticket. I'll never make it any different again.  Of course I might add some Chile peppers and some scrambled pork sausage to the mix, but never again without the corn. YUM!

Pork Chow Mein

Pork Chow Mein

12 oz. pork loin chops, sliced into strips

½ cup chopped carrots

½ cup chopped celery

¼ cup chopped onion

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 can bean sprouts, drained

Fresh cut mustard spinach (optional)

1 tbsp. corn starch

½ cup chicken broth

2 tbsp. teriyaki sauce

2 tbsp. soy sauce

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

Soak the pork strips in the teriyaki sauce and red pepper flakes for about 30-45 minutes (while chopping vegetables). Combine chicken broth, soy sauce, corn starch and minced garlic in small bowl and set aside. Heat oil in WOK until hot and sauté onions, carrots, celery until crisp-tender (5 minutes).  Add the pork and sauté 5 more minutes. Stir in bean sprouts and mustard spinach leaves and cover. Cook for 5 more minutes. Create a well in the center of the vegetables and pour in the broth and stir until thick and bubbly.  Serve with white rice.

© Crackerberries 2015

Pumpernickel Bread

Pumpernickel Bread

1½ cup warm water

1½ tbsp. vegetable oil

2 tbsp. molasses

1½ tsp. salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

¹/₃ cup wheat gluten

¼ cup dry milk

1 tbsp. flax seed

1 tbsp. cocoa (add 1-2 tbsp. more for darker bread)

2 tsp. yeast

Combine all ingredients in bread machine in order given and select dough setting.  Once cycle is complete transfer dough to a lightly greased 9x5 loaf pan. Let bread dough rest while preheating oven to 350º.  Bake 350º45 minutes.  Remove from pan immediately and butter top, if desired.

© Crackerberries 2015

Salmon Croquettes

Salmon Croquettes

1 14.75 oz. can pink salmon, drained

¼ cup finely chopped onion

½ cup cracker crumbs (I used a combination of Ritz sour cream & onion cracker chips and toasted wheat thin pita chips)

1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

½ tsp. lemon pepper

2 eggs

1 tsp. Louisiana hot sauce

Combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix well. Shape into 8 small patties about ½ inch thick. Place in fridge for an hour to firm. Heat oil in electric fry pan or cast iron skillet.  Cook croquettes in hot oil 3-4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and serve with tartar sauce.

© Crackerberries 2015

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

½ cup butter

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

1½ cups all-purpose flour

2 cups rolled oats

¼ cup salted peanuts, crushed

¼ cup vanilla creamer

½ cup raisins

Preheat oven 375º

Cream together butter and peanut butter, then add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cream until well blended.  Add eggs and vanilla creamer, mixing well.  Add flour first and then oats, raisins and peanuts. Once all blended drop by spoonful two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375º for 10 minutes.

Yield 5½ dozen cookies.         

© Crackerberries 2015

Dill Pickle Bread

Dill Pickle Bread

1 cup warm water

¼ cup molasses

2 tbsp. butter

1 cup chopped dill pickles

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup oatmeal

2 tbsp. dry milk

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. yeast

Combine all ingredients in order given in bread machine. Set to dough setting. Once complete, transfer dough to lightly greased bread pan. Cover and let rise while oven preheats to 350º. Bake at 350º for 40 minutes. Remove from pan immediately. Rub with butter and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.

·         This is my first try at making dill pickle bread. I want more pickle taste, although Tall Cool ☺ne says it’s fine just the way it is.  Next time I’m going to add a little more pickle and some dill weed to the batch.

© Crackerberries 2015