Barb Painter, Dinner

Ingredients:
One 3-4 pound chicken
2 slices thick-cut bacon
1 mandarin orange and 1 onion for bird cavity

Rub:
Minced rind of 1 lime and 1 mandarin orange
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dill weed
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tsp fresh ground pepper
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil or olive oil

Apricot-Mandarin Orange Glaze:
3 tablespoons fresh mandarin orange juice
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 cloves chopped garlic
Fresh ground salt and pepper

Directions:
Wash the chicken and dry thoroughly, inside and out. For the rub: combine all rub ingredients to make a thick paste. Loosen the skin of the chicken and force the rub and slices of bacon under the skin, particularly over the breasts. Rub the exterior with toasted sesame oil and any remaining rub. Salt and pepper the cavity of the bird. Quarter the mandarin orange and onion, tuck inside the cavity. Using elastic food ties (or new shoelaces), truss the chicken.

Place chicken on spit rods of a rotisserie and cook for about an hour and a half or until meat thermometer inserted into thigh meat registers 180 degrees. Let chicken stand for 20 minutes before cutting.

Note: We made this chicken 2/12/23 at the South Beach Inn, Cocoa Beach, and served with Baked Potato, Sweet Potato, and Roasted Asparagus, Key Lime Pie for desert. Could not find elastic food ties, so we had to use shoelaces to truss the bird.

Dinner

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups rotisserie chicken cut into small pieces
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 and 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped red onion
4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
2 pack of Naan or two pieces of flatbread
1 jalepeno pepper, chopped
1 TBSP melted butter
2 tsp Garlic salt

Directions:
Preheat Broiler on high, do not raise baking racks in oven. Mix chicken, 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, cheese and onion together in a bowl.

Broil Naan or flatbread for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter. top with chicken mixture and sprinkle with bacon and jalepeño pepper, additional shredded cheese if desired. Return to oven, broil a few more until cheese is melted and ingredients are hot.

Dinner

Ingredients:

Approx. 2 pounds thin sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or thicker cuts sliced to thinner cuts.
Eggplant peeled and sliced to 1/4 inch thick slices
2 cups Ritz or Club cracker crumbs
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese (in can)
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
2 eggs
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup fresh grated Mozzarella Cheese
2 cups prepared marinara sauce
Fettuccini or Angel Hair Pasta
Olive Oil

Directions:

Pulverize crackers in a food processor or put them in a food storage bag and crush them with rolling pin. Mix in canned Parmesan Cheese and Italian seasoning.

Pound chicken in food storage bag or between sheets of waxed paper with a mallet to about 1/4 inch thickness or a bit thinner.

Heat about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Dip each chicken cutlet or eggplant slice in egg, then cracker mixture.

Pan fry until both sides are golden brown and chicken is cooked thoroughly. I often cover the skillet for a few minutes if the chicken needs a longer cooking time. Be sure to add more olive oil to the pan as needed. Chicken will be done when you are able to cut it easily with a plastic spatula in the pan.

Prepare a 9 x 18 baking dish with cooking spray, then a thin layer of marinara or other sauce.
Place pan-fried chicken and egg plant in the pan on the sauce. Add more sauce to the top of each piece of chicken and eggplant. Do not add too much sauce, the edges of each piece should still be visible. Sprinkle freshly-grated parmesan and mozzarella cheese over the sauce.

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, boil pasta. Serve Chicken and Eggplant over pasta. Heat additional sauce for pasta if desired.

Desserts

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp grated lemon peel
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Stir together 1 cup flour and powdered sugar. Cut in butter with pastry cutter. Line an 8″ x 8″ square glass baking dish with parchment paper. Pat flour mixture into bottom of dish with a flat bottom glass.
Bake a t 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

In mixing bowl, beat eggs and granulated sugar together. Add lemon juice, lemon peel, flour and baking powder. Blend until well combined. Pour over baked layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into bars.

Breakfast, Muffins & Sweet Breads, Uncategorized

Ingredients:

1 cup All-Bran Cereal
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup dark mollasses
1/4 cup soft shortening
1 cup sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup raisins or dates

Directions:

Combine all-bran, milk and mollasses. Let stand until most of the moisture is taken up. Add egg and shortening. Beat well. Stir in raisins.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add to all-bran mixture stirring until combined. Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full.

Bake in 400 degree oven about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Cake, Desserts

Ingredients:
1 15 oz can pear halves in juice pack
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 and 1/4 cup flour
1 and 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp grated orange peel
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup molasses

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drain pears, reserving juice; set both aside. Combine melted butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, corn syrup and 1 Tbsp reserved pear juice. Pour brown sugar mixture into a 10-inch baking pan or skillet.
Cut pears in slices and fan out in a circle, placing on the brown sugar mixture, starting in the center. Continue with remaining slices in an outer circle. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl stir together flour, ginger, orange peel, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat together 1/3 cup butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Beat in pumpkin and molasses.
Add flour and 1/3 cup of the reserved pear juice. Carefully spoon mixture over pears in the pan. Spread mixture evenly with the back of a spoon. Bake for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen cake from sides of pan. Carefully invert cake onto a serving plate. Serve warm, garnished with whipped cream.

Dinner

Ingredients:

1/2 lb bulk Italian sausage
1/2 of small onion, sliced and separated into rings
2 Tbsp chopped green chili peppers
2 tsp flour
1 7 oz can tomatoes cup up

Topping
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp chopped, canned green chili peppers
1 Tbsp cooking oil
2 Tbsp shredded cheese

Brown the sausage and onion in skillet. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 Tbsp chili peppers and 2 tsp flour. Stir in undrained tomatoes. Cook uncovered until slightly thickened and bubbly.

Meanwhile, stir together 1/4 cup flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Combine the egg, milk, 2 Tbsp green chili peppers and cooking oil. Stir into flour mixture.

Place the meat mixture in a buttered baking dish. Spread cornmeal mixture over the top. Bake until the topping is set, about 35 minutes. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, bake an additional 5 minutes.

Can also be made in microwave: cook uncovered at 50% power for 2-4 minutes, rotating dish every minute or so. Sprinkle with cheese, cook an additional 30 seconds or until cheese is melted.

Cake, Desserts, Uncategorized

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cup whipping cream
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons cold water
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:

In a small dish, sprinkle gelatin powder over cold water. Allow 5 minutes for gelatin to “bloom” and be saturated. Melt in microwave for about 20 seconds. Mix in 1 tablespoon cold whipping cream.

Begin to beat remaining whipping cream in a chilled bowl. Once the cream is partially beaten, gradually drizzle gelatin mixture over the top and continue to beat. Slowly add remaining ingredients and whip to stiff peak consistency.

Cake, Desserts

Ingredients:

1 ⅔ cups semisweet chocolate chips
¾ cup unsalted butter, divided
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tbsp rum
5 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh red raspberries and powdered sugar for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter the bottom and the sides of a 9″ springform pan. Open the springform pan and cover the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Lock the springform pan back and butter the parchment paper on the bottom.
Combine 1 and ⅔ cups chocolate morsels with ¾ cup butter in a glass bowl. Microwave for 20 seconds, stir, repeat, until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the sifted ¼ cup of cocoa powder, rum and vanilla extract, and allow mixture to cool for 10 minutes.

While the chocolate is cooling, combine the 5 eggs with 1 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt and mix on high speed in a KitchenAid or standing mixer until the mixture is very thick, about 6 minutes.
Carefully fold in the melted chocolate mixture into the beaten egg and sugar mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan.

Bake for 42 minutes. The center will fall and this is normal.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 1 hour before using a spatula to press the edges down to the same height as the center. Invert the torte onto a plate or cake stand and remove the parchment paper.
Garnish with fresh raspberries and powdered sugar or granache and raspberries

Cookies, Desserts

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking power
1 Tbsp instant espresso powder
1/2 cup baking cocoa

In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat in eggs. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Gradually combine wet and dry ingredients. Divide dough in half.
Add espresso powder and cocoa to half the mixture.  Finish forming each half of the dough into a somewhat flat disk. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Roll out both disks of dough between waxed paper. lay the cocoa layer on top of the plain layer. Roll jelly-roll style. Slice into 1/4″ slices, bake on parchment paper for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Rolled dough may also be refrigerated or frozen.