Simply Awesome Fried Chicken

August 25, 2009 | Posted as Tastes Like Chicken at 11:17 am | (1) Comment »

When it’s been raining all day, and you’re exhausted from getting the hard-drive on your laptop (which died unceremoniously for no reason at all) changed, and your feet are aching and your hair is frizzy from the humidity… on an evening like that, when you walk into the house and realize your husband is making perfect fried chicken, and that all you have to do is kick your shoes off and dig in- that’s happiness.

Fried chicken cooked this way is comfort food- for me, anyway. It’s simple, requires ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry (and if not, why not?), and is just awesome.

Perfect Fried Chicken

1 kilo chicken pieces of your choice (I like all drumsticks, piling them up on a serving platter feast-style)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 cup buttermilk (regular milk does just fine, btw)
lotsa cooking oil. I’m particular to sunflower or safflower, but that’s because I don’t like canola.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, garlic powder and onion powder. In another bowl, put your buttermilk. Heat lotsa cooking oil in a skillet (make sure it covers about 1/4 inch of the bottom of the pan). Dredge chicken pieces in buttermilk then roll in dry mixture. When oil is sizzling hot, place chicken carefully in. Turn after 3 minutes. Remove when golden brown to a bunch of paper towels for draining. Mmm.

Make It Yourself: Baklava

August 24, 2009 | Posted as Baking at 3:36 am | Comments »

Here’s something to file under “Fancy Foods that are Easy to Make”! Baklava (not to be confused with the ski mask Balaclava) is a Turkish delight made from buttery filo pastry, chopped nuts, and honey. It’s an explosion of flavors, and is light and rich at the same time. One of my favorite pastries ever… and so easy to make at home, thanks to the availability of ready-to-use filo (phyllo).

Traditionally, it’s made with chopped pistachios, but I’ve made this with walnuts, almonds and pecans, so it’s really up to you. Experiment! You know you want to.

Baklava

1 package filo dough (16 oz.)
1 lb. chopped nuts- use pistachios for traditional Baklava
2 sticks butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350F. Generously butter a 9×13″ pan.
Chop nuts, sprinkle with cinnamon, and mix lightly. Set this aside.
Get your filo dough. Unroll, cut to fit pan. Now work this way: put two sheets of filo in the pan, brush with melted butter. Repeat until you have around 8 sheets layered. Evenly sprinkle with around 3 tablespoons of your nut mixture. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts– and so on. The top layer should be about 8 sheets deep.
Cut into diamond or square shapes using a very sharp knife. On a hot day, I’ll chill the raw Baklava for around 15 minutes first for easier cutting.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until it’s golden and crisp.
While it’s baking, make syrup: boil sugar and water together until melted. Add vanilla and honey, and simmer for around 15 minutes.
When baked, remove Baklava from the oven, and immediately pour the delicious syrup over it. Let cool.

Guilty Pleasures: Fig Newtons

August 21, 2009 | Posted as Guilty Pleasures at 1:54 pm | (1) Comment »

A new feature on this blog: Guilty Pleasures, featuring food and drink that isn’t necessarily good for you, but are certainly good. To me, anyway.

To kick things off: Fig Newtons!

Anyone who grew up in the 80’s should remember Nabisco’s slogan for these little fig-jam-filled cakes: A cookie is just a cookie, but a Newton is fruit and cake. Ooh, yes- that must explain why it’s definitely one of my Guilty Pleasures. I’ve always been more a cake person than a cookie.

Originally named “fig in the roll” (I kid you not), Newtons come in Strawberry and Raspberry flavors too (which, ew)- and are also available in mini sizes, for extremely guilty snacking. Finally, I leave you with a recipe for homemade fig bars:

Make Your Own Fig Newtons
(source: Recipezaar

1 pound dried figs
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 3/4 cups flour

Dice figs, soak in water 1 hour. Add sugar & cook on medium heat until the consistency of thin jam.

In a large bowl, beat sugar, butter, egg, milk & vanilla until well blended. To this, add your dry ingredients. Mix well and transfer to the refrigerator for about an hour.

Place 1/2 of the dough on well floured board or dough cloth; knead about 6 times. Roll out to 1/4″ thick. Line 13 x 9″ glass baking dish; cover with figs.

Roll out remaining dough, cover figs with this. Cook at 350° for 30 minutes.

Let cool and cut into squares. Depending on the size you cut you can get a couple dozen cookies.

Brown Sugar Caramel Popcorn

August 20, 2009 | Posted as Caramel, Snack Recipes at 1:54 pm | (2) Comments »

I’ve never understood why anyone would buy packaged caramel popcorn (yes, I’m talking about those tin cans)- or worse, the “caramel-flavored” microwave popcorn which comes with a little pack of artificially flavored caramel to mix with your popcorn while its hot. See, the thing is that caramel is sugar. And if you have popcorn and sugar in your house, you can make caramel popcorn that tastes a thousand times better than anything storebought.

My own recipe, which I think is based off one I got in Seventeen magazine when I was, um, around 17, uses brown sugar, honey, kosher salt, and plenty of butter. I love that phrase, plenty of butter. It always equals something good.

Brown Sugar Caramel Popcorn Recipe

3-4 cups plain popcorn, popped (you can make this in the microwave, hot air popper, or kettle)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons butter

In a large pot, over medium heat, melt the butter. To this, add the brown sugar, honey and salt. Stir while cooking, so that it all melts into a gorgeous, golden caramel… just below boiling. Immediately take off heat, pour onto your popcorn, and mix mix mix.

I don’t always have honey around, so sometimes I omit it altogether. And of course, you can add all sorts of goodies to this, like chopped walnuts or almonds- even some chocolate, if that’s your thing.

Guide to Storing Your Bread

August 17, 2009 | Posted as Kitchen Smarts at 4:53 pm | Comments »

I don’t mean your cash (does anyone call it bread anymore, or am I dating myself?) – I mean, of course, your bread. I’ve been doing some experimental bread baking lately- despite being on a “low carb diet”- ha! – and the result is that I’ve had more wholewheat loaves and rolls of brioche than I know what to do with. Which brought me to researching on the best ways to store bread- and I share them with you here:

Rule #1: If at all possible, freeze it.
That’s right, baked bread is best stored in the freezer. You must wrap it properly, in cling wrap then a freezer bag or freezer-friendly container. This way, your bread will retain moisture, be free of mold, and most importantly, retain its flavor for as long as several weeks.

Rule #2: If you can’t freeze it, use a breadbox.
By “breadbox” I mean any clean, dry, ventilated container- you don’t have to run out and busy an expensive container emblazoned with the word “bread” on it- kept away from hot spots or appliances like your refrigerator or radiator. This is your best choice if, say, you want to have that bread you bought today for breakfast and maybe a sandwich snack tomorrow. It should last from a few days to several days this way, but really after 3-4 days you should be thinking about transferring it to the freezer anyway.

Rule #3: Don’t store it in the refrigerator.
Resist the urge to store your bread in the regular food compartments of your fridge. It may prevent mold from forming, but it’s also the quickest way to get your bread stale.

I like to store my sliced bread in the freezer, ready to go directly into the toaster or toaster oven.