Old Fashioned Onion Rings

We're a bar food kind of family.  We like burgers and wings and french dips and philly cheesesteaks.  What do the traditional bar food items usually get served with?  French fries.  But honestly (I have a hard time saying this seeing as potatoes are one of my favorite things EVER), sometimes I get a little sick of fries on the side.

Next best thing?  Onion rings!  Yes, I've tried the store bought ones, but they were...how do put this...awful.  The "onion" part barely seemed like real onion and the breading left a lot to be desired.

So, as usual when I'm dissatisfied with the packaged stuff, I set out to make my own homemade version.  I tried a few recipes, but none worked for me.  I was disappointed when the breading came right off, the flavor wasn't quite right, or they were kind of limp and soggy.

Then, I found this recipe.  Not only were they delicious and flavorful, they were super crispy.  It takes a little bit of time in the preparation department, but the results are so worth it. 



Ingredients

• 1 large onion, sliced into ¼-½ inch rings
• 1¼ cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• ¾ cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 quart oil
• salt to taste 

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a deep fryer or deep skillet to 365°.
2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt.
3. Separate the onion slices into rings and dip into the flour mixture to coat.  Set aside the onions.
4. Whisk the egg and milk into the remaining flour mixture.  Dip the floured onions into the batter an lay out on a wire rack to drain until the batter stops dripping.  (I use cooling racks and line them underneath with either plastic wrap or foil for easy cleanup.)    
5. Dip the battered rings one at a time into the breadcrumbs and scoop the breadcrumbs over them to coat completely.  Shake off any loose bread crumbs.
6. Deep fry the onion rings a few at time until crispy and golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.  Drain on paper towels and season with salt.

Notes

• Source:  allrecipes.com

Gruyère Chicken

Rewind to, oh, I don't know...probably about a year or so ago.  At that time, there was absolutely no chance I would have tried this recipe.  

None.  Nada.  Zilch.  No way in.....well, you get the idea.  The reason, you ask?  

Mushrooms.  I hated mushrooms.  It wasn't necessarily the taste that I didn't like, because honestly, they don't have that strong of a taste at all.  I always blamed it on the texture.  But that wasn't really the problem either, if I'm going to be honest here. 

The truth is, I hadn't put a mushroom in my mouth for as long as I could remember.  It wasn't until I was at a Japanese Steakhouse (you know, one of the ones with the super fun hibachi tables) when I decided to give the dreaded mushroom the good old 'Two Bite Club' try.  Frankly, I felt a little silly picking through the mound of fried rice that was just put on my plate in hopes of trying separate out all of the little buggers.  

I put on my brave face and popped one into my mouth.  Wouldn't you know it, I actually liked it!  Imagine that!  And to think, I had been ruling out so many delicious meals (like this one!) just because I thought I didn't like mushrooms.  

This recipe tastes so elegant, yet was so super easy to make.  I got the thumbs up from my husband and, I'm happy to say, my daughter ate hers, too.  I promise you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients   Serves 4

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• ½ tsp dried dill
• 5 tbsp butter, split
• 8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced (also known as baby bellas!)
• 1 onion, sliced
• ½ cup white wine
• 2 oz Gruyère cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Slice chicken in half lengthwise to make four thin pieces of chicken.  In a shallow dish, combine the flour, parsley and dill.

 3. In a cast iron skillet (or stainless steel skillet) melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat.  Make sure it's not too high or the butter will burn!  Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and place into the skillet.  Brown the chicken on both sides until nice and golden.  Remove the chicken from the skillet and place into a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.

 5. Melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter in the same skillet and add the mushrooms and onions.  Saute until soft and golden.  Add the wine to the onions and mushrooms and simmer for about three minutes or so.

6. Top the chicken breasts with the onions and mushrooms and pour the remaining pan juices over the top of the chicken.  Cover and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.  After the first 20 minutes of cooking time, remove from oven and top each piece of chicken with about a ½ ounce of the shredded cheese each and return to the oven an bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.

7. Indulge!  Simple, elegant and oh, so delicious!

Notes

• Source: Adapted from a recipe on allrecipes.com.

Slivered Almond Biscotti

Back in early January, I volunteered to bring the snacks for the February meeting of a Mom's Group that I attend.  I was pretty excited because, well, you know, cooking's my thing.

I was pondering what yummy savory brunch item I was going to whip up as I was leaving the January meeting when one of the leaders of my group said, "Oh and by the way, we'll be having a chocolate fountain next month, so we'll need you to bring foods that can be dipped in chocolate."  Foods that can be dipped in chocolate?  All that came to mind was fresh fruit.  How on earth was I going to express my love of cooking with a plain old platter of strawberries?  I had to make this work.  It was my month to bring the snacks, so bring the snacks I would.  I decided to make biscotti to go with all of the fresh fruit I inevitably had to bring.

Only one problem.  I've never made biscotti.

I decided to reach out to my fellow foodies in the Southern Food Bloggers Community I'm a member of on Facebook.  Jessica, a blogger from Kentucky (check out her blog Urban Sacred Garden, it rocks.), shared with me her Cranberry Almond Biscotti recipe.  I didn't have any cranberries, but that didn't stop me.  The biscotti was perfect for the chocolate fountain and was delish dipped in a nice hot cup of coffee.  I also made my Sugar Coated Pecans and Sweet & Salty Popcorn Balls to go along with the chocolate fountain foods.  All in all, my snacks were a success and I couldn't have been happier.



Ingredients

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 2 eggs
• 1¾ cups all purpose flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1½ cups slivered almonds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300°.
2. Combine the olive oil and sugar in mixer.  Add the eggs and continue mixing until combined.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture a little at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary, until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.
4. Stir in the almonds by hand.
5. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Divide the dough in half and shape dough into two logs, side by side, on the baking sheet.  To prevent the dough from sticking to your hands, wet hands with cold water and handle to dough with wet hands.  (The logs should be approximately ¾ inch thick and 4 inches wide.)
6. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time to ensure even cooking.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 275°.  Cut the logs into ¾ inch slices and place back onto the baking sheet with a cut side down.  Bake for 10 more minutes.

Notes

• Store in an air tight container to keep crispy.
• Source:  Adapted from Cranberry Almond Biscotti found at Urban Sacred Garden.

Sweet & Salty Popcorn Balls

When I see the words sweet and salty in the title of a recipe, I know that I'm going to like it.  I've never been a huge fan of sweets, but me and salt?  We're like peas and carrots.  Salted peanuts and a little sprinkle of coarse sea salt round out the sugary goodness of these delicious popcorn balls.  A  treat like this can be transformed into a great gift by wrapping in a clear little bag and tying with a pretty ribbon.  Valentines Day for your favorite people, perhaps?  I know I wouldn't mind a sweet treat like this on Valentine's Day! 




Ingredients

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup corn syrup
• 7 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 10 cup popped popcorn (I used about 12, close is good)
• ½ cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped
• ½ cup toffee bits
• ½ cup peanut butter chips, chocolate chips OR white chocolate chips (you choose!) 
• coarse sea salt

Instructions 

1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Combine butter, sugar and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted.  Bring to a boil and add condensed milk.  Continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
2. Place popcorn in a large bowl,  Pour butter mixture over popcorn, gently tossing to coat completely.  Set aside for about 5 minutes.  Toss in peanuts, toffee and chips.  
3. When mixture has cooled enough to handle, grease hands with vegetable oil or cooking spray and shape into 2 inch balls.  Place balls on cookie sheet and allow to cool completely.

Notes 

• Store in an air tight container at room temperature.  Best if eaten within 2 days of preparing.
• Source:  All You

Jalapeño Cream Cheese Burgers

Jalapeño Cream Cheese Burgers have all the cheesy, spicy goodness of a jalapeño popper stuffed inside of a big juicy burger.

To put it bluntly, this burger ROCKED my taste buds.  Let me break it down.

I love jalapeño poppers.  I love burgers.

Combining the two?  It's like a colossal mash up of ooey gooey, cheesy, spicy goodness.