pretzel chicken with mustard cheese sauce

it's been five and a half years since jason and i spent labor day weekend in chicago, and four and a half since we spent the same weekend in cleveland. while it feels like only yesterday we were in both cities it also feels like a lifetime ago. i can still remember - plain as yesterday - walking into the great lakes brewing company in cleveland and having a drink at the bar while we waited for a table. we sat outside and marveled at the fact that we could do whatever we wanted since no, we didn't have any kids in tow. i don't remember what i had for dinner, but jason still dreams of the pretzel chicken he had.

i first recreated it at home three years ago, and while that version was good, this one takes the cake. butterflying the chicken breasts makes them nice and thin so they cook quickly, so you don't end up with burnt pretzels or undercooked chicken. dipping the chicken in the pretzels, then egg, then pretzels again ensures they have a nice, thick coating. and the cheese sauce? takes it over the top.

pretzel chicken with mustard cheese sauce
adapted from taste and tell
30 minutes, serves 2-4

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied (cut thinly in half)
1 cup salted pretzels, crushed with a mallet or a food processor (measure them before you crush them)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup 2% or whole milk
1 tablespoon spicy mustard
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1. put the pretzels in a shallow dish. put the eggs in another shallow dish. scramble the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
2. place a large saute pan over medium heat and coat the bottom generously with vegetable oil.
3. dip each chicken breast piece into the pretzels, then into the egg, then back into the pretzels, pressing to make sure they adhere. cook in the hot oil until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.
4. while the chicken is cooking, make the sauce by melting the butter in a medium sauce pan. whisk in the flour and cook for one minute. gradually mix in the milk and make sure there are no lumps. whisk frequently until slightly thickened. add the mustard, season with salt and pepper, and whisk in the cheese until melted. 
5. serve the chicken with the cheese sauce.

skillet glazed pork chops

monday is one of those days i've been dreading. one of those days that when you schedule it, it sounds crazy, but it's so far off in the future that by the time the day actually arrives, it can't possibly be as bad as you think it is. and the worst part: it's my own fault for scheduling it the way i did. so while everyone else is sitting at home, relaxing or sleeping off their monday in bed, i'll be giving a workshop and driving 4 hours home. and while i'm excited for the workshop - and am not completely dreading the four hour drive - i'm pretty bummed i'll miss tucking baby winn into bed. it's funny how much a baby changes every little thing.



skillet glazed pork chops
adapted from cook's illustrated cooking for two 2011
25 minutes, serves 2

2 one inch thick boneless pork chops
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard
pinch dried thyme

1. combine the maple syrup, vinegar, mustard, and thyme in a small bowl and set aside.
2. coat the bottom of a skillet with vegetable oil and place over medium heat. cook pork on one side, about five minutes, flip and cook an additional eight minutes, or until the internal temperature is at least 145F. transfer the pork to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
3. add the maple syrup mixture to the pan, whisk to combine any browned bits in the pan, and simmer until thick and syrupy, about two minutes. return the pork to the pan and coat in the sauce. serve.

3/12/13 ChefElla's Sunday French Toast

CHEFELLA'S SUNDAY FRENCH TOAST

I have always heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but Sunday breakfast is the most exciting breakfast of the week.  Every Sunday my Mom or Dad makes something fun for breakfast. During the week we always eat something quick and good for us for breakfast like cereal, fruit, eggs or oatmeal, but on Sunday we get something different.  I know that we make something special because we have more time, and it is fun to spend time together in the kitchen, but sometimes I would like to eat Sunday breakfast on another day.  This week I took one of our Sunday recipes to make something that was quick, good for me, and would remind me of Sunday during the week.

For this recipe you will need to use the stove.  If you are not allowed to use the stove by yourself you can have a grown up help.

1.  Wash your hands.

2.  For this recipe you will need measuring spoons, a spatula (pancake turner), a fork or small whisk, a

    bowl and a saute pan.

Ingredients: (This recipe will make 6-8 servings)

4              Large Organic Eggs

1 Cup      Skim Milk

1 Tbl.      Orange Juice

2 tsp.       Vanilla Extract

2 Tbl.      Light Brown Sugar

6-8          Slices, Whole Wheat Bread

1 Can      Pan spray

1 Tub      Light Strawberry Cream Cheese

3.  Crack Eggs into medium bowl.  Wash your hands.  Eggs can carry a lot of germs, and it is good

     to wash your hands after handling them, just in case.

4.  Add milk, orange juice, vanilla and brown sugar to the bowl and mix well.  The mixture will have a

     light yellow color when it is done

5.  Pre-heat your sauté pan on the stove over medium heat.

6.  Spray your pan with pan spray.

7.  Dip one of your pieces of bread into the batter.  Turn the bread over and coat the other side.

     Transfer your bread into the sauté pan.  Wash your hands after putting the toast in the pan.

8.  Let the toast cook for 1-2 minutes.  Use your spatula to lift up one edge of your toast.  

     When the toast has a nice golden brown color it is time to flip it.

9.  Flip your toast over and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.  When the toast is golden brown it

     is done.   Transfer your toast to a plate

10.  Repeat steps 6 - 9 until all of your toast is cooked.

11.  When your toast is all cooked, spread strawberry cream cheese on top and enjoy.

If you do not like strawberry cream cheese, you can top your toast with maple syrup, peanut butter, honey, powered sugar or you can eat it plain.  This recipe is so good and quick you can enjoy Sunday toast on a Tuesday.

Enjoy

-ChefElla

lemon glazed blueberry scones

ugh. that's how i feel about the last month. first i was sick for a weekend. then, later that week, the baby got sick. which meant i soon got sick and so did jason. it was the sickest we've been in a very long time and spent the whole next week eating saltines for dinner. it was rough.



i spent the next two weeks trying to catch up with life that i missed while we were all sick. which brings me to this week. we're finally all healthy and most everything is caught up. except for the eighteen draft blog posts sitting in my computer, waiting for me to catch up.

i've professed my love for scones many times before and these are no different. i have about eight cups of blueberries in my freezer from when i picked them last summer and knew these scones would be a great way to feature them. it didn't hurt that they went to brunch with me, where i spent a couple blissful hours baby free.

lemon glazed blueberry scones
30 minutes, makes 9 large scones

1 3/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon + 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. preheat your oven to 375F. line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.
3. using your hands or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
4. mix in the blueberries.
5. add the milk and vanilla extract and mix just until combined.
6. turn the dough out onto the baking sheet and use your hands to form it into a rough circle or square. cut into as many scones as you'd like.
7. bake for about 15 minutes (smaller scones will take less time to cook, so check them often). transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
8. to make the glaze, whisk the sugar and lemon juice until smooth, starting with one tablespoon juice and adding more until it's the consistency you like. drizzle the glaze over the scones. scones are best eaten the day they are made. if storing, avoid air tight containers as the glaze will soften and get soggy.

Mochaccino Easter Nests

1 packet My Secret Kitchen Mochaccino Cookie Mix
1 packet mini chocolate eggs

Makes approx 16 cookies

An easy way to being an Easter smile to all the family. Prepare the cookie mix as instructed but do not add the packet of chocolate chunks - keep them for another baking project or munch as they are!  Take tablespoons of dough, form into rounds and flatten slightly (each cookie should weigh around 20g). Bake as directed.  A minute or so before the end of cooking, remove the cookies from the oven and push 3 chocolate eggs into each one and return to the oven to finish cooking.  When golden, remove and leave to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack. To serve, dust with icing sugar or cocoa.

secret recipe club: pasta with blistered tomatoes & arugula and iced grapefruit cookies

last march, i made this whole wheat grapefruit cake for my secret recipe club selection and fell in love with grapefruit in baked goods. so this march, when i stumbled on these pink grapefruit cookies at life of a modern housewife for this month's secret recipe club, i knew they would be delicious. it just so happened i had absolutely nothing planned for dinner that same saturday night, so lucky for me while browsing her recipes, i also found this fettuccine with blistered tomatoes and arugula. it's one of my favorite kind of meals - meatless, pasta, and ready in less than 30 minutes. i will definitely be making it again.

while both recipes were delicious, i made a few slight changes. to the pasta, i swapped out fettuccine for bowties and since arugula comes in a 5 ounce bag from my grocery store, i added all 5, instead of the 4 ounces the original recipe called for. for the cookies, i am simply too lazy to roll them out. sure, they would have been perfectly round, but i prefer the slice and bake method to save time and the mess. and instead of sandwiching them, i topped each with some buttercream. and then ate half a dozen or so in one afternoon. fresh cookies are dangerous in my house.

for more information on the secret recipe club, including the list of participating bloggers, featured recipes from members, and instructions on how to join, visit the secret recipe club website!
 

check out my previous secret recipe club posts: mushroom barley soup, scalloped ham and potato bake & andes mint cake, chicken souvlaki with tzatziki, asian pork chops, lemon lime meltaways, blueberry peach crisp, minted lemon ice, white chocolate macadamia nut blondies, raspberry cream filled eclairs, jam swirled cheesecake, whole wheat grapefruit cake, chewy no bake granola bars & carrot cinnamon waffles, cannoli, gingerbread muffins, double chocolate peanut butter chip oatmeal cookies, butterscotch peach cake, whole wheat honey pancakes, minted pineapple lime agua fresca, breakfast tacos, simple almond sandwich cookies, & roasted banana rum cake.

pasta with blistered tomatoes and arugula
adapted from life of a modern housewife
25 minutes, serves 4

1 pound bow tie or other short cut pasta
3 garlic cloves, minced
pinch red pepper flakes
10 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
5 ounces baby arugula
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1. cook the pasta according to the package directions. save 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, drain, and set aside.
2. while the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil and place over medium heat. add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. add tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes soften, about 8 minutes. stir in balsamic vinegar. season with salt and pepper. if the pasta is still cooking, remove from heat.
3. return the skillet to medium heat and add arugula. cook, tossing often, until leaves wilt. add pasta and stir well to incorporate. add about half the pasta cooking water and cook a couple minutes until absorbed.
4. remove from heat and stir in the mozzarella cubes and parmesan cheese. serve immediately.

iced grapefruit cookies
adapted from life of a modern housewife
makes 48 two inch cookies

for the cookies:
grated zest and juice of one grapefruit
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

for the buttercream:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons grapefruit juice

1. with a mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, a couple minutes. add egg yolks and mix until combined. add the zest and mix until combined.
2. with the mixer on low, add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until combined, then add the juice, and cake flour. mix until combined.
3. divide dough roughly in half and turn each half out onto a piece of plastic wrap. using your hands, form into a log about 2 inches in diameter. repeat with the remaining dough. refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
4. preheat your oven to 350F. line a baking sheet with parchment paper. remove a dough log from the refrigerator. slice into 1/8 inch slices and arrange one inch apart on the baking sheet. bake until the edges are golden, about 10 minutes. transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. while the cookies are cooling, make the buttercream. beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. add the honey and grapefruit juice and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. 
6. spread each cookie with a thin layer of buttercream. store in an airtight container.

Mini Croissants with Ham & Jam

Makes 18 mini croissants

1 x 250g can of croissant dough for 6 croissants (find in the chilled section)
150g air dried ham or thinly sliced cooked bacon, cut into 18 equal pieces
75g cheddar cheese, grated
3 tbsp My Secret Kitchen Jumping Jack Chilli Jam
1 egg, beaten
My Secret Kitchen Lemon & Chipotle Spiced Sea Salt to season

Preheat oven 180C and line a baking tray with greasproof paper.

Open and unroll the croissant dough which should be prescored into 6 triangles. Cut each triangle into three smaller triangles so that you end up with 18 pieces of dough. If the triangles are mishapen, you can use a rolling pin to roll them into a more uniform shape.  For each piece of dough, top with a slice of ham, a sprinkling of cheddar cheese and half a teaspoon of Jumping Jack Chilli Jam. Starting with the smaller straight edge, roll the dough tightly towards the point of the triangle to form a log and then curve each end to form a small crescent. Brush each crescent with the beaten egg and season with the Lemon & Chipotle Spiced Sea Salt. Place on the baking tray and place on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden.