Lemon-Garlic Chicken Thighs

I used my instant pot to cook the chicken. I set it on high for 30 minutes. The chicken thighs were frozen. Cooking them this way, they were totally cooked through. So quick and easy! This method ensures perfectly juicy chicken! *

Lemon-Garlic Chicken

4 Chicken Thighs

4 teaspoons minced garlic

2 lemons, 1 zested and juiced, 1 juiced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dark brown sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, diced small **

1 cup chicken broth

Add chicken thighs to the instant pot. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.

Lock the lid. Set the power to high and the timer to 30 minutes if frozen or 15 minutes if thawed. Turn on and let the pot naturally vent until the valve has dropped. Remove from the instant pot and arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer in a baking dish.

Turn the oven broiler on low. Broil the chicken until it’s deep golden brown and slightly charred in spots, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the liquid in the pot to a saucepan and add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch mixed with enough water to create a slurry. Whisk and bring to a boil. 

I served the chicken with mashed potatoes and used the sauce as gravy.

* If you don’t have an instant pot, cook the chicken at 400 F degrees 45 minutes or until the chicken thighs have an internal temperature of 165 F degrees and the skin is crispy.

** You can use a half stick of butter if you need to cut back on the fat, but I will use the same amount next time. It really helps keep the chicken juicy!

Garlic and Cheese "Butter Bath" Biscuits

The big thing with biscuits right now is the "butter swim" or "butter bath" methods. No matter what they are called, the method is to bake the dough in butter and let it cool in the butter to soak it all up.

Garlic and Cheese "Butter Bath" Biscuits

1 stick Butter, room temperature (1/2 cup)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley, optional

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp kosher salt

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease an 8x8 baking dish. Place pan on a baking sheet. (In case the butter bubbles over)

Place butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes or until melted. Turn off heat and stir in garlic and parsley. Pour butter mixture into the prepared dish.

Add flour, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl. Use a whisk to sift ingredients. Add cheese. Pour in the buttermilk and stir until mostly combined, being careful not to overwork the batter. Batter will be very loose.  Spread the dough even into the corners. The butter mixture will pool over onto the top of the dough. 

Use a pizza cutter to cut dough into 9 squares. Bake for 28 minutes or until risen and golden. Set aside in the pan for 5 minutes to allow the butter to be absorbed into the biscuits before cutting and serving.

Whole Chicken Wings ~ Chinese Takeout Style

 

I researched a lot of methods, spice combos and cooking techniques before finding the perfect mix for this recipe! I'll never settle for "plain fried chicken" again!

6 whole chicken wings (washed and pat dry)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon oil
1 egg

oil (for frying)

In a small bowl, mix the spices, sugar, cornstarch and flour. Stir to combine.

In another small bowl, mix the egg, soy sauce, vinegar and oil. Stir to combine.
Place wings in a large bowl. Coat with the wet ingredients. Toss to evenly coat the wings. Dust with the dry ingredients. Toss to coat evenly. Let the wings marinade for 2 hours.

If the marinade is too wet and pooling in the bottom of the bowl, add a little more flour and cornstarch until it sticks to the wings. It will be a wet, light batter.

Set your fryer to 350 degrees. Fry the wings 5 minutes. Lift the basket and flip the wings. Fry for another 5 minutes or until up to temp and golden brown.

Brown Rice with Mushrooms

Brown Rice with Mushrooms

1 ½ cups uncooked long-grain white rice
1 can beef broth
1 can condensed French onion soup

1 can sliced mushrooms and liquid
¼ cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour melted butter in an 8x8 pan and add rice and liquids. Add mushrooms and liquid. Cover and bake for 30-45 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Sausage Balls

This has to be the easiest 3 ingredient recipe perfect for the Holidays! I did add some garlic powder and onion powder, but you don't have to do that step. Or you can add more flavor if you like! 

2 cups Bisquick Baking Mix
2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
16 oz package Mild Sausage*

(I added 1 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 tsp onion powder)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients and mix thoroughly until all dry ingredients are picked up by the dough. Use a cookie scoop or spoon to measure out sausage mixture. Roll into balls. Space about an inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes and check. Cook 5 minutes longer if needed but watch to make sure the bottoms don't burn. 

* You can use a medium or hot sausage if you'd like. My family doesn't like a lot of heat, so we use mild. I always have plenty of hot sauce at parties! 

Note: If your sausage mixture is still dry after mixing well, sprinkle with little water with your fingers. Mix again and repeat until all the mixture is combined.

Grilled Garlic Butter Shrimp

I had almost forgotten that I used to do the shrimp on the stove top in a sauce pan years ago. I saw a recipe that kind of reminded me of my recipe, so I pulled it back out. I decided to grill them on skewers, and they are now our favorite go-to shrimp!

1lb uncooked deveined peeled large shrimp
6 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 slices baguette

In a 1-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in Worcestershire sauce and 3 cloves chopped garlic. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade for the bread. Add shrimp to a zip top bag. Pour remaining butter mixture over shrimp; carefully toss to coat. Marinade for a couple of hours in the refrigerator.

Brush baguette slices on both sides with the reserved 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture and toast until golden brown. Transfer to a bread bowl and keep warm.

Skewer the shrimp about 5 to 6 shrimp per skewer. Brush shrimp with any left over marinade. Grill shrimp for 4 to 6 minutes or until shrimp are pink and firm; transfer to serving platter or bowl.

Serving Suggestion: Serve shrimp with bread and a tossed salad.

Sautéed Shrimp

I learned this recipe a long time ago from Chef Paul Prudhomme on a morning show. He published a more refined recipe later, but I like the original better. 
BTW... Locally SC sourced Large Shrimp from the Shrimp Guy!

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp
¼ pound (1 stick) Butter
1½ teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce


Peel and devein the shrimp.

Melt the butter and add the Worcestershire Sauce. Bring up to a hard simmer on medium. Add garlic. Bump the heat up to medium high and add the shrimp. Sauté until nice and white and orange. (No longer or it will be rubbery.) 

This can be served with rice or noodles, but we like it by itself with a side of fries and a salad! 

Chicken Scampi

My guys love scampi. I didn't have shrimp, but I did have chicken breasts in the freezer. It turned out delicious! 

1 (16 ounce) package angel hair pasta
1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice
2-4 Chicken Breasts, cubed
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Chicken Broth (add a little corn starch if you want a thicker sauce)

Bring a large pot of salted water (with a drizzle of olive oil added) to a boil over high heat. Add the angel hair pasta, and cook until done; drain. 

Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder and fry in a little oil. Remove and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Once the onion is translucent, add the chicken and Parmesan. Cook and stir until heated through. Add in cooked pasta and toss. Add enough chicken broth to create a sauce as thick or thin as you want. Taste and adjust seasonings. 

Roasted Garlic, Onion and New Potatoes

I made a new potato recipe, and we can't decide which is better... these or Greek Potatoes?!? These little yellow new potatoes are the perfect size, and they are crispy on the outside and buttery and creamy on the inside! The onion and garlic combo seasons them perfectly! 


1 lb yellow new potatoes, washed and cut in half
3 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper, to taste
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup onions, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the cut potatoes in oil and add seasonings. Arrange potatoes cut side down on a cookie sheets. Pour the remaining oil and seasonings over the potatoes. I added a little more salt and cracked pepper, but that is up to your taste. I also waited until the last 15 minutes to add the onion to the tray to keep from burning them. Roast potatoes for about 30 to 45 minutes or your desired crispiness. 

Tuscan Soup... requested by a guy that hates soup!

Last time... "My guys don't eat soup. One night I was making this soup for my step-mother who wasn't feeling well. My son and husband were in the back of the house playing the play station. They came into the kitchen asking what the terrific smell was... Needless to say, I had to make another batch of soup!"
This time the hubby actually asked me to make this soup!  I decided to make it a little heartier. I used Kielbasa because that was all I had on hand. I added large chunks of mushrooms and a teaspoon of minced garlic. I also a cup of evaporated milk. The basic recipe is listed below. Fell free to add or take out what you'd like!

Tuscan Soup

6 cups chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
3 (3.5 ounce) links Johnsonville Italian sausage
3 large potatoes, cubed
1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and chopped
1/4 cup evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste

Remove skin from sausage and crumble into frying pan. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Place meat in a large pot; add stock and potatoes. Boil until potato is cooked. 
Add spinach. Continue boiling until spinach is lightly cooked. Remove soup from heat, stir in evaporated milk, and season to taste.

Roasted Vegetables with Meyer Lemons

Last March, I won a Meyer Lemon Tree in a giveaway sponsored by Simply Citrus Nursery, and it has been an adventure! The lemons are finally ripening, and I am having a blast with all the possibilities! Find the giveaway story in the link above.

Beautiful Meyer Lemons, and they taste delicious!

I decided to start with what I had on hand. I love roasting and caramelizing vegetables in the oven, especially root vegetables! I had carrots, potatoes and onions on hand so I threw in some lemon juice and lemon slices. OMGoodness!!! We already ate one lemon by itself, but roasting the slices and eating them rind, pith and all was more than delicious! My mouth is watering as I think about it!

Roasted Vegetables with Meyer Lemons

Carrots, peeled and sliced into sticks about 2-3 inches
Potatoes, peeled and cubed
Onion sliced thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 tablespoons red wine vinegar, to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Dash of pepper
Dried basil, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degree F.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium sized bowl add carrots, potatoes and onion.

In a small bowl, add the vinegar, lemon, salt, pepper and olive oil. Whisk until combined.
Pour the vinegar mixture over top of the vegetables. Toss until well coated then pour them onto the cookie sheet.

Place in oven and roast for about 30 to 45 minutes until golden brown and caramelized. I like a good bit of color on my roasted vegetables, as you can see. Remove from oven. Transfer to a bowl. Serve warm.

Served on a pretty platter.

It tastes better than it looks, if that is possible!

Roasted Vegetables!

Living in South Carolina all my life, I went through the eye wall of Hugo all those years ago, and I remember it all to well! The storm, the eerie calm and starry sky as the eye passed over, and the aftermath of the other side of the eye wall are still fresh in my mind with every passing storm. We are watching Irma and hoping for the best! I have a wedding Saturday to prepare for, and then we will decide what to do next. We are as prepared as we can be here in this ancient double wide mobile home. (that I hope does NOT become truly mobile!)

In the mean time, I'm cooking some foods that might perish if we are left without power for any significant time. Today I roasted some vegetables I had sitting around. Awesome flavors!

Potatoes, Carrots, Onions and Garlic Cloves

Cut into chunks, except the garlic. Leave it whole.

Tossed in oil and a little lemon.

Seasoned with basil, Kosher salt and pepper, to taste.

Roast on a baking sheet for about 30-45 minutes at 400 degrees.

My kitchen smells amazing!

Quick Pickled Garlic

This month the Food in Jars Mastery Challenge was Quick Pickles. Quick pickles are also known as refrigerator pickles. They are simply vegetables that are pickled in a vinegar, water, and salt (sometimes sugar) solution and stored in the refrigerator.Quick pickling is also a brilliant solution for preserving a variety of vegetables from the market or your own garden. Quick pickling doesn't require canning or a bushel of vegetables. Best of all, you can adapt this simple formula for any fresh vegetables; try a mixture of vinegars and spices for a truly custom pickle pleasure.

I like to use up leftovers for this method, but this time, I bought a pound of garlic and decided to quick pickle it to have it on hand for months to come. I pop a couple of cloves out the frig and run them through my press and add them to sauces, dips and dressings.

It all starts with:

1 pound of garlic

 Separate the cloves...

 This yields about 3 1/2 cups of garlic cloves...

 Next, peel the cloves. Do not smash them.

If you'd like, you can blanch them for about 2 to 3 minutes,

and then transfer them to an ice bath.

The skins should peel right off.

 Peeled garlic cloves...

 Divide the garlic between 2 clean prepared pint jars

or 4 half pints... Depending on how often you use it.

I use bunches, so I used pints.

Quick Pickled Garlic

1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
1/2 cup water (or more to taste... I like stronger vinegar flavor.)

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 lb Garlic Heads

Whisk first 3 ingredients in a small bowl until salt dissolves. Place garlic in a jars; pour vinegar mixture over. Cover and chill. Store in the refrigerator. 

Stuffed Flank Steak Rolls

This one has sauted Mushrooms and Onions
with Provolone Cheese!

These have onions and Swiss cheese.

I saw one of those videos out there that showed something like this, but prettier and very easy and simple looking. So I gave it a shot. It is NOT simple or easy or pretty! They leave out a lot of steps as always. I changed a few ingredients. (Only because I did not have them on hand. It didn't make a difference in the difficulty.)

I tried to get a step-by-step photo shoot. The quality isn't that great on the poor old camera I'm using, but you'll get the idea! 

 No mushrooms or spinach this time, but it will next time.

Spread out the vegetable mix.

Slice the cheese into strips so it will roll easier.

I used Swiss this time.

 Carefully roll from the narrow end 

holding the stuffing in and keeping it even.

Secure with skewers. I had to use two per roll.

Slice into rounds. I got 6 out of this one.

 Over high heat, sear for 1-2 minutes per side.

 Then into the oven for 10-15 minutes.

 All done! Oops, the flash was on!

Wonderful taste! I will be making it again!

Stuffed Flank Steak Rolls
Marinade:
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Teriyaki Sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

Stuffing:
3 tablespoons chopped garlic

2 sweet onions, such as Vidalia, chopped

2 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced

½ tablespoon kosher salt

½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds flank steak, pounded to an even thickness, if needed

9 slices Provolone, Swiss or Colby-Jack Cheese 1 bunch of baby spinach leaves (optional)

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl combine the ingredients for the marinade. Coat meat and remove resting it on a plate. Combine stuffing ingredients in the bowl with remaining ingredients.

Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Saute the stuffing mixture until just starting to soften. Do not overcook. They will continue to cook in the steak. Remove from heat and set aside.

Lay the flank steak on a cutting board. Spoon the mushroom and onion mixture on top, spreading it evenly across the steak. Sprinkle the spinach on top (optional), followed by the slices of provolone. Starting at the bottom, or the narrowest end, of the flank steak, roll it up tightly, making sure the grain of the meat is running horizontally. Use skewers to secure the steak roll. Slice the steak roll into equal rolls.

Heat the remaining oil in a pan over high heat. Sear the steak rolls on one side for one to two minutes, then flip. Sear the second side for about one minute, then bake for 10–15 minutes, until medium rare.

Shared on Meal Plan Monday 

Lemon Pepper Garlic Salt

I am participating in a year long Food In Jars Mastery Challenge hosted by Marisa from Food in Jars, and the February challenge was Salt Preserving! There were a host of ways to use salt. I have several ways that I used it, but this recipe is the quickie recipe that only takes an hour or so to complete, start to finish. I decided to infuse salt with citrus and herbs. 

1. 1 lemon
2. 2-4 cloves garlic*
3. 1/4 tsp course black pepper, or more to taste
4. 1 cup kosher salt

1. Zest lemon in a shallow oven-proof dish.** Mix salt in with the lemon.
2. Juice the lemon and add to the salt. Run the garlic through a garlic press and add it to the salt also. Mix the salt, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic. Use a fork or your fingers to work the salt as much as possible.

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Place the lemon salt in the oven for about an hour to dry out the salt. (When it's done, it will be rock hard with no moisture left.) Prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon to provide ventilation for proper drying.
2. Wait for the salt to cool and use a fork, wooden spoon or your fingers to break up salt.
3. Package up the salt in small jars.

*I use 2 large cloves or 4 small, depending on their size and the strength of garlic you desire. Add or subtract the amount you want.

**Next time, I will use parchment paper to line the dish, since the salt and liquids harden to the bottom of the dish and can be hard to remove.

Steakhouse Mushrooms

I love sauteed mushrooms, but I was curious to try and make some like the fancy steakhouses make. I did not have red wine so I made my own substitutions. They turned out really well!

1 8oz package Button Mushrooms
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup beef broth
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Add all ingredients to a medium sized sauce pan. Cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Serve as a side with your favorite cut of beef! I only had hamburger, so I made a hamburger steak. These would be awesome with a grilled ribeye!!!