Crunchy Chicken Tenders

No matter how old we get, chicken nuggets or chicken tenders will always be comfort food. I don't know if it's the ease with which you can vociferously consume these morsels with no concern for bones, or the fact that it's easy finger food; either way, there's nothing quite like a freshly fried, perfectly moist and tender yet crunchy piece of chicken. This recipe is based off the typical "dip in egg then flour then fry" method, but added some spices and sesame seeds to bring some crunch and more hearty flavor. 

Ingredients:

- 2 chicken breasts, sliced into whatever size pieces you want

- 1/2 cup flour

- 1/4 tsp garlic powder

- 1/4 tsp chili/cayenne powder if you are brave

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp pepper

- 1 Tbl sesame seeds

- 1 egg + 2 Tbls water

- Vegetable oil for frying

Heat the oil on the stove to medium-high. Mix together the dry ingredients, and beat together the egg and water in a separate bowl. Dip the chicken first in the egg wash, then coat with the flour mixture. When the oil is hot, fry until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove and place on a paper towel to drain. 

Serve with steamed asparagus and rice, and your favorite dipping sauce. 

Perfect Pie Crust

I finally made pie today. I know apple season has been in full swing since ages ago, but I just haven't gotten around to it until now. But alas, I have fixed the error of my ways. 

Pie crusts have always been the single deterrent to me making pies more often. I don't know if it was because my mom always complained about making pie crusts, or if her inclination to always use whole wheat flour just made it way more difficult than it needed to be, or if I just never really liked the taste of what resulted in my dry, hard, sandpapery pie crusts. 

Either way, I've experimented with several recipes, and I think I found a keeper. I've gathered from all the different recipes I've read that 1) butter is the only way to go and 2) everything must be cold cold COLD in order for it to be flaky. When the butter is able to keep in it's little clumps, this is what creates the little airpockets of layers of crispy goodness once the butter melts in the oven. 

All that being said, here goes. 

Ingredients:

- 2 1/2 cups flour

- 1 Tbls sugar (I use raw sugar and really liked being able to see the large flecks)

- 1 tsp salt

- 2 sticks cold butter (I place them in the freezer about 5 minutes before I am ready to use them)

- Egg white wash and 1 Tbls water, whisked together (optional)

- Fill a 1 or 2 cup measuring cup with cold water and drop in a few ice cubes. You will only use between 1/2 and 2/3 cup of this water. 

- Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl (big enough to get your hands into the mix), and then remove butter from freezer and cut into small (1/2-3/4 inch) cubes. Add that butter to the flour mixture, and cut with a pastry cutter until an average size piece of butter is about the size of your pinky finger nail. It won't be consistent, but that's okay; don't overwork it. 

- Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of the cold water over the top, and use a stiff spatula to work it in. Continue adding a little bit of water at a time (1-2 Tbls) until it all pulls together. You shouldn't need more than 3/4 cup total. 

- Pull together and knead until it holds itself together; divide into two, wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. 

- Take one piece out of the fridge at a time to roll. Another note here: don't be afraid to be generous with the flour on the counter and rolling pin. If the dough is cold, it won't absorb too much and it won't get too dry and hard. To keep the dough from sticking, roll it out straight in front of you, then turn the dough about three hours counterclockwise. Roll straight again, then turn etc. This will keep you from having to scrape it off when it comes time to put it in the pie pan, while helping you keep it round. 

After getting it into the pie pan, place it back in the fridge or freezer while you are rolling out the top piece. Again, keeping the dough cold is essential and will make a huge difference, I promise!

After assembling your pie, slice slits in the top, and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with raw sugar, and bake as directed by your pie recipe.

My husband is serious about his personal apple pie. 

The Best Sweet Potato Fries

I never used to like sweet potatoes, but this is obviously because I haven't fried them to smithereens before. I seriously could not stop eating them... a little sweet, a little salty, a little crunchy...mmmm so much goodness. 

I also haven't really had too much success with making the perfect crunchy fry. I've tried baking them before, but they either come out burnt on the outside and raw inside, or just end up being like baked potatoes in strips. If I am ever too lazy or feeling overly health conscious, I will probably stick to the baking method. However, this double fry method really makes these babies perfect. 

I know there are some pretty nifty contraptions that can be used to cut potatoes into fry-like pieces. However, I don't have one and here is a little trick I have figured out after cutting myself (or having a close call) many times. 

But first, preheat a pan of vegetable oil to a low frying temperature (300*). 

Meanwhile, after you peel the potato, cut it in half the long way down the narrowest side. Take one half and lay it with the flat side down. Cut it down the center the long way again. Flip this quarter onto the side it isn't already on, and then slice that quarter the long way into fry-width pieces. Flip the stack back, so that the slices are piled on top of each other. Take the top rounded piece off (so that your knife does slip off the rounded surface). Slice again into fries, and slice the rounded piece by itself. Repeat with all four quarters. 

Fry the pieces, in batches if necessary, just until the pieces are soft, about 2 minutes (not until they are brown; that will come later). Remove from oil, and fry the second batch. After removing the second batch, raise the heat of the oil to 400*. Fry each batch again, until they are brown and crispy (another 2-3 minutes, depending on how big the pieces are). Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Salt generously, and eat your heart out. 

Frosted Pumpkin Cookies

I know it's kind of cliche, but seriously. Fall is the best time of the year. I don't know if it's the relief from constant heat and humidity, or the almost unnatural wheel of colors that end up on the tips of trees. Or maybe it's the promise of holidays that are just around the corner, and their fond and strong memories that have accumulated over the years. Maybe it's the crisp mornings that make you shiver just a bit and remind you that you're human and need warmth to survive, or cuddling up with a loved one while sheltered from the frost outside. Whatever your reason, I will go one step further and say Fall wouldn't be Fall without pumpkin. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin scones... and of course pumpkin cookies. (with frosting of course). These little treasures are the softest, lightest, moist-est cookies I've ever had; they are literally like mini pumpkin cakes. I used probably more pumpkin than most recipes call for in the flour-to-pumpkin ratio, which made them actually taste like pumpkin rather than just being orange cookies. It also makes them incredibly moist and fluffly.

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice OR 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 16-oz can pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix the first six ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Cream the butter, sugar, and maple syrup together; add the egg, and beat till incorporated. Mix in the pumpkin and vanilla, then add the dry ingredients and mix till the batter is combined.

Drop tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets and slightly flatten. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the bottoms are brown and the cookies bounce back when tapped.

To make the "frost":

Mix together - 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 Tbls melted butter, and 3 Tbls milk. Mix together and add more or less milk to reach your desired consistency. Use the back of a spoon to spread on the tops and serve with a steaming cup of coffee.

Beef Lo Mien

This is what happens when I have nothing planned for dinner, and a few select ingredients that I need to use up. Today's Chopped-esque episode is brought to you by Buckwheat Japanese Soba noodles, red bell peppers, stew beef, and green onions.  

I knew that the stew beef would be somewhat chewy and tough, so I got that marinating right away in a mixture of the following: (I did not measure these things, so the amounts are a rough estimate. Basically you want the sweet to balance out the sour, and the sour to balance out the salty, and so on and so forth...)

- 1/4 cup rice vinegar

- 1/4 dark soy sauce

- A few dashes of fish sauce

- 3 Tbls brown sugar

- Chili paste to taste, depending on your heat tolerance

Then, get a pot of water on the stove to boil your noodles. 

Dice 2 Red Bell Peppers and 3 or 4 green onions/scallions and saute in a wok with a bit of oil. When they are thoroughly softened, remove from the heat and set aside (leave in wok). 

Throw your beef pieces into a frying pan, then after they have browned on the edge, add all the juices from the marinade. Cover (to keeps the juices from evaporating), and cook over medium till done. 

Boil noodles as directed. Drain, and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking more, then toss with a bit of olive oil. Set aside. 

After the beef finished, I spooned the pieces out and chopped them up into smaller bite-sized pieces. My suspicions were confirmed (that stew meet is just that, and not very tender), so I wanted to make sure they were palatable. 

Throw everything into the wok and toss together over medium/high heat, turning and flipping constantly so the noodles don't stick. 

Serve with a cold Sam Adam's Oktoberfest in a freezer-chilled cup, and enjoy!

Cinnamon Twist Challah Bread

Growing up, my mom had a fascination with Jewish culture. We are not Jewish by any means, but we would go to Shabbat services, along with yearly celebrations of Pur'im, Rosh Hashannah, Yom Kippur, Passover, and (my favorite) Hanukkah to name a few. Though each of these celebrations have very different remembrances and meaning, one thing that they all had in common was this: there was ALWAYS food. Always. (I probably shouldn't say that that was my only favorite part about it all, but it wouldn't be too far from the truth.)

I love cultures that center most of their gatherings around food. Maybe it's because I love to eat, or maybe it's because I love to cook... But I mostly love the significance of simultaneously feeding your body while feeding your soul with fellowship with other friends, family, strangers, and acquaintances. 

This recipe is based off of a traditional Jewish braided bread, made for Shabbat and for special holidays. Traditionally, there are 12 strands of the braid to represent the 12 tribes of Israel, and those are divided to make two loaves made of 6 strands each. This represents the double portion of manna that the Israelites would gather before the sabbath when they were wandering through the desert, and it would feed each family for the day it was made, and the next day (the sabbath) when work was not allowed. 

All that to say, this is definitely not a traditional recipe...it's a little bit of this and that, and also based off of smittenkitchen.com's Fig Challah recipe. It is mildly sweet and a little salty, but mostly moist and tender and chewy all at the same time. And it's awesome. 

Ingredients:

- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast 

- 2/3 warm water (110-116 degrees)

- 1/4 cup plus 1 tsp honey

- 1/3 cup olive oil

- 2 large eggs

- 1 1/2 tsp salt

- 4 cups all-purpose to flour

- 1 egg for eggwash

Filling:

- 4 Tbls butter

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1 Tbls cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl, stir together yeast, warm water, and 1 tsp honey. Let stand for 3 minutes, or till foamy. Add and combine remaining honey, olive oil, and eggs. Switch to dough hook (wooden spoon if by hand) and add flour and salt. Mix with dough hook on low for 5-8 minutes, or turn onto a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Transfer dough to a bowl that has been oiled with olive oil, or remove dough, oil the mixing bowl, place dough back into bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for one hour. 

Melt the butter in the microwave. Once the dough has almost doubled, turn out onto a floured surface and divide evenly in half. Roll out the dough in a rectangle roughly 6x12 inches and spread half of the butter evenly and to the edges. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and spread half of that on the rectangle as well. Roll up by the long edge, and press the edge to seal it. Squeeze and stretch the log to as long as it will go without tearing (about 18 inches). Cut the log in half, and press the open edges together to seal as well. Repeat with second half of dough, so that you have four total logs. 

Weave: Place the logs in a tight criss-cross pattern that looks like a tic-tac-toe board, with each log interlaced over the other. Take each piece and lace it over the next clockwise, always folding it over the log that is on top of it. Repeat going counter-clockwise, and keep going until it's all folded in a nice little loaf. It's not rocket science...do it however you like so that it ends up in a nice loaf-ish, and the edges are all folded under. 

(Photo credit: smittenkitchen.com)

Brush with a beaten egg and let rise for another hour on a thick baking sheet, or on a floured pizza peel/wood cutting board if you are using a baking stone. Preheat the oven to 375* about 15 minutes before it's finished rising.

Brush again with the egg wash, and put in to bake for 30-40 minutes.

Bake until the inside is around 190* (ie, at LEAST 35 minutes, most likely 40). If the top gets too brown, cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil. It will allow it to keep baking inside without getting too brown on the outside. But do make sure that it gets the beautiful deep brown crust... ahhh. Delightful. Let it cool (any seeping sugar will be very hot and possibly scald you) and then tear off a piece to enjoy. 

Coconut Milk Tapioca Pudding

For a quick and easy, rich and creamy dessert, one of my favorites is tapioca pudding. If I'm thinking ahead, I love to use the whole tapioca pearls (where you have to soak them overnight). However, Minute Tapioca is not too bad when it comes to compromising quality for convenience.

What makes this recipe even better, richer, and healthier, is to substitute coconut milk in place of regular milk. I am not usually a fan of coconut, but the canned coconut cream is much more mild than coconut flavor or coconut flakes. I typically use the following brand from the asian food store, but you can obviously use whichever kind you wish:

To make, simply use the recipe on the back of the Minute Tapioca box (listed below):
- 2 3/4 (Coconut) milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 Tbls Minute Tapioca
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT vanilla in a saucepan, and let sit for 5 minutes. Cook over medium heat till it comes to a full boil, then remove from heat and add vanilla. Let cool and set for at least 20 minutes, and serve warm or chilled.