Back to School Lunches....Made Fun

For pictures of the recipes featured, please click on the link below.  And be prepared for a horrifying picture of me......

It’s official now.  Summer is over and school is back in session…..at least in most of Washoe County.  Let the learning begin!  And let the morning time rushed lunch packing commence.

Oh, were you thinking that I was one of those moms that has it all together and packs lunches the night before?  Maybe even on Sunday for the whole week?  I’m not.  Although, I have found some things that work for our family, and I am more than happy to share them with you.

To start, I have two kids….one that likes sandwiches and one that doesn’t.  The majority of the time, I forget which is which and get it all messed up.  50/50 chance, right?  Packing a lunch for a child that won’t eat sandwiches is tough.  It really forces me to get creative.  Let me show you what works in our house.

I like to stick with “finger foods”.  If I don’t, forks get lost, food doesn’t get eaten, and sometimes uneaten food will sit in a lunch bag through a weekend.  Not fun to find that on Monday morning.  Some of the finger foods that I like to make, and my kids like to eat are mini muffins, spreads and crackers and dips with fruit, veggies or more crackers. 

Today I am going to show you three basic recipes for mini muffins, spreads and dips with variations.  There is bound to be something that your child will eat.  All the recipes are easy and fun, and can be made easily the night before or even the morning of school.

Let’s get started with spreads.  All three of these spreads are fabulous with crackers or veggies, and of course, if you have sandwich lovers…they are great smeared on bread.  I start with a base of mayo, cream cheese and a meat of some sort.  Veggies get added in, sometimes fruit, and sometimes nuts.

My “Perfect Chicken Spread” is a combination of cream cheese, mayo, diced chicken, grapes, red onion, slivered almonds, celery and salt and pepper.  I use a rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken, or even quickly grilled chicken depending on what I have on hand.

Softened cream cheese mixes in smoothly and easily with mayo.  I stir in the diced chicken, diced celery and onion, quartered grapes and slivered almonds.  Then, I season with salt and pepper.  Sometimes I even throw it all into the food processor for a really smooth spread.

This spread has protein, calcium and vitamins from the grapes, onions and celery. It is different than most chicken salads because of the cream cheese.  I think the cream cheese makes it more “spreadable”.   It keeps well in the fridge, and it packs well in a little plastic container.  I send it with celery sticks, crackers or even pita chips sometimes.  My kids love it.  And seriously, if you throw everything into the food processor?  Crazy fast.

My second spread is a combination of cream cheese, mayo, diced turkey, green onions, dried cranberries, chopped pecans and salt and pepper.  It is very similar to my chicken salad, but the dried cranberries give it a yummy tang, and the green onion gives it a softer onion flavor. 

I use a cooked turkey breast that I like to buy from Costco, but Wal-Mart has one too.  I always have dried cranberries on hand, as well as green onions.  This one is kind of a no-brainer for me because my kids prefer it, and it is so super easy.

My third spread is my personal favorite.  It is a combination of cream cheese, mayo, salami and pickles!  It is like a pickle wrap!  You’ve had that for an appetizer, right?  I throw all the ingredients into the food processor and “pulse” until it is the consistency I want.  You could totally do this without a mixer, too.

This spread is the perfect combination of salty, tangy and creamy.  If you have brave kids, you could even throw in some pepperoncini.  I pack this with crackers, usually.  One of them will eat this on bread, again, I can’t remember who.

I pack all of these spreads in a little plastic container that I don’t care too much about losing.  Because yes, they lose a lot.  I save plastic containers and re-use whenever possible.

Remember how I mentioned mini muffins?  These muffins are super easy, and kids love them because they are bite sized.  I usually bake up a batch on Sunday nights, but I have been known to bake them on a Tuesday morning.  I love this basic recipe because you can throw anything in….sweet or savory.

 I start by blending together oil and sugar.  Then, I add eggs and blend that in.  I also blend in flour, salt, baking powder and milk.  That right there is the basic recipe.

If I want sweet, I add in diced dried fruit.  I prefer dried because it doesn’t add moisture to the batter.  For my Cherries and Cream Muffins, I add in diced dried cherries, which I coat in flour to keep the stickiness down.  I also blend in cold cream cheese. I keep the cream cheese cold so that it doesn’t blend in smoothly.  I like the chunks of cream cheese in the muffins.  I want to be able to taste it!

Again, these muffins have protein, carbs, vitamins….everything a kid needs to make it through the day.  Dried blueberries are good, as well as dried apricots, strawberries or even raisins.  What will your kid eat, guaranteed?

For a more savory muffin, I like to add diced ham, shredded cheddar cheese and green onions to make a “Ham and Cheese Muffin”.  I cut the sugar down for a savory muffin, but the base recipe remains the same.

I also like a muffin brimming with diced tomatoes, shredded mozzarella, mini pepperoni, basil and oregano.  Who doesn’t like pizza?

I use my mixer for these muffin recipes, but they are just as easy by hand.  I like to get my money’s worth out of my mixer.

My last recipes are for dips.  As a lover of all things appetizer-ish….these are my favorite.  I would eat anything if it had a dip.  Seriously, anything.  My kids tend to be the same way.  And what better way to get your kids to eat veggies then to give them something yummy to dip in?

My dips have the same base.  Plain, low-fat Greek yogurt.  Greek yogurt is packed with calcium and protein.  And if you use low-fat?  Come on…..It’s perfect!

My first “go-to” dip is my easy Ranch Dip.  I combine plain Greek Yogurt with a smidge of mayo, buttermilk powder (found in the baking aisle), dried chives, parsley, dill, mustard, garlic, onion, salt and pepper.  The combination of all these dried herbs and spices are what is essentially in a pack of dry ranch mix…..except you can pronounce everything in mine.

I blend this together and chill it.  This dip is perfect with veggies of all kinds.  I also usually pack cracker dippers, rolled up lunch meats and cheese sticks too.  It’s like a cocktail party in their lunch box, minus the cocktails, of course.

My second dip is a great fruit dip.  I combine plain Greek yogurt with orange marmalade, a bit of cream cheese and a dash of powdered sugar.  I usually send apple slices, strawberries, bananas and graham cracker sticks with this dip. 

Does your kid hate marmalade?  Tyr substituting lemon or lime curd.  Just as yummy.

My final dip is my Peanut Butter and Honey Dip.  I combine plain Greek yogurt with peanut butter and honey.  Is your school peanut free?  Try sunflower butter or even cookie butter!  This is a perfect dip for celery, fruit, graham crackers, etc.

All of the dips just need to be packed with an ice pack somewhere in the lunch box.  Don’t have an ice pack because your kids lose every single one you send with them?  I’ve been there.  I freeze a juice box and send that with them.  It will defrost by lunch and keep everything in the lunch box cold.  Genius, right?

I hope your kid’s transition back to school has been a smooth one.  I hope yours has been too! 

Perfect Chicken Spread

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup light mayonnaise

2 cups cooked chicken, diced

1 cup grapes, quartered

½ cup celery, diced

½ cup red onion, diced

½ cup slivered almonds

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine mayo and cream cheese until smooth.  Stir in remaining ingredients. 

Or, combine all ingredients in food processor and “pulse” until desired consistency is reached.

Chill until ready to eat.

Serves about 6 kids, or 4 adults

Perfect Turkey Spread

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup light mayonnaise

2 cups white or dark meat cooked turkey, diced

½ cup green onion, diced

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup pecans, chopped

 1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine mayo and cream cheese until smooth.  Stir in remaining ingredients. 

Or, combine all ingredients in food processor and “pulse” until desired consistency is reached.

Chill until ready to eat.

Serves about 6 kids, or 4 adults

Perfect Salami Spread

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup mayonnaise

2 cups salami, diced

½ cup dill or bread and butter pickles, diced

Combine mayo and cream cheese until smooth.  Stir in remaining ingredients. 

Or, combine all ingredients in food processor and “pulse” until desired consistency is reached.

Chill until ready to eat.

Serves about 6 kids, or 4 adults

Cherries and Cream Mini-Muffins

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup sugar

2 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 cups flour

1 cup milk

1 cup dried cherries, chopped and coated in flour to prevent sticking

4 ounces cream cheese, chilled and diced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a mini muffin pan with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.

Blend together oil and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Slowly blend in eggs, vanilla and salt.  Once that is smooth, blend in baking powder, flour and milk until just blended.  Batter will be lumpy.

Finally, stir in dried cherries and diced cream cheese. 

Fill each paper liner 2/3 full.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Makes 48 mini muffins

Pizza Mini Muffins

½ cup vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon dried basil

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 cups flour

1 cup milk

½ cup tomato, diced and seeds removed

½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 cup mini pepperoni

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a mini muffin pan with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.

Blend together oil and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Slowly blend in eggs, salt, garlic, oregano, and basil.  Once that is smooth, blend in baking powder, flour and milk until just blended.  Batter will be lumpy.

Finally, stir in tomato, cheese and pepperoni. 

Fill each paper liner 2/3 full.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Makes 48 mini muffins

 

Ham and Cheese Mini Muffins

½ cup vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon baking powder

2 cups flour

1 cup milk

1 cup ham, small dice

½ cup shredded mozzarella

½ cup green onion, small dice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a mini muffin pan with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.

Blend together oil and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Slowly blend in eggs, salt, garlic and pepper.  Once that is smooth, blend in baking powder, flour and milk until just blended.  Batter will be lumpy.

Finally, stir in ham, cheese and green onion. 

Fill each paper liner 2/3 full.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Makes 48 mini muffins

 

Greek Yogurt “Ranch”

2 cups plain Greek yogurt, low-fat if desired

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon buttermilk powder

1 teaspoon dried chives

1 teaspoon dried dill

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dried mustard

½ teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth.  Chill until ready to eat.

Makes about 2 cups.

Peanut Butter and Honey Dip

2 cups plain Greek yogurt, low-fat if desired

1 cup creamy peanut butter

¼ cup honey

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth.  Chill until ready to eat.

Makes about 3 cups.

 

Orange Yogurt Dip

2 cups plain Greek Yogurt, low-fat if desired

1 ½ cups orange marmalade

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth.  Chill until ready to eat.

Makes about 3 ½ cups.

 

The Great Mac and Cheese Race

It’s been a busy week.  Like, crazy busy.  We are swamped at work, and my girls had cheer camp which I have to be at with them because I am the cheer coordinator for our area.  Dinners have been rough.  But last night, not only did we get a great dinner….we got a little friendly competition too.

The girls wanted macaroni and cheese.  My husband pulled out a box.  I said “wait, I can make homemade mac and cheese super quick, and it will taste way better.”  He said “no way.  You can’t make homemade mac and cheese as fast as I can make a boxed mac and cheese.”  Game on.  We actually competed against each other and made our respective mac and cheeses right next to each other.  Spoiler alert….we tied.  But I guarantee, homemade tastes better and guess what…you can pronounce everything in it!

Yep, I said it.  I think my mac and cheese tastes better than what comes out of a box.  It is creamier and cheesier!  I boil macaroni and then mix it with a creamy cheese sauce that started with a béchamel.  I even top it with crunchy bread crumbs!  Can you believe I can make it just as fast as a box mac and cheese?

To start, we both got our pots of water on to boil for noodles.  I salted my water, but I don’t think Chris did.  After Chris turned on the heat under his pot, he went and sat down….and I got to work.

I melted butter in a smaller pot, and whisked in an equal amount of flour.  I let this cook for a minute to cook out the raw flower taste.  Then, I whisked in some milk and some chicken broth.  You could totally use all milk, but I like to lighten it up a bit with chicken broth and low fat milk. 

This sauce is called a béchamel, which is a “mother sauce”.  That just means that it is a base to many other different sauces.  It is a fancy term for a cream sauce, basically.

So during this time, our water came to a boil and we both added our noodles in to boil.  I also put a baking sheet covered in a single layer of panko bread crumbs, salt, pepper and drizzled with olive oil under the broiler.

As the milk comes to a boil, which only takes a few minutes, it will thicken.  Once it has thickened, (which is amazing, btw….truly scientific) you can whisk in your cheese!  I usually use sharp cheddar and asiago cheese, but the combinations are endless.  The cheese will melt right into the sauce.

Update: our noodles are boiling away.  Chris is sitting down again, but I am up because I want to add frozen peas in with my noodles in during the last two minutes of cooking time.

I also whisk in salt, pepper and a tad bit of dry mustard.  Once the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth, it’s done!

Beep!  Timer goes off and we both drain our noodles.  I stir my drained noodles right into my sauce pot filled with glorious cheese sauce.  I’m ready to serve, I just need to sprinkle my mac and cheese with my toasty bread crumbs. 

Chris is busily stirring his orange powdered cheese, butter and milk into his pot…..

I call it a tie on time.  Flavor is a whole ‘nother story.  My noodles are bathed in a super creamy, cheesy sauce.  It is chock full of peas and topped with bread crumbs.  What could be better than that?

 

I think I proved that I can make homemade mac and cheese in the same amount of time it would take you to make a boxed mac and cheese.  Don’t you think your family would rather have homemade?  You have time!  I promise!

Feeling like you want your mac and cheese a little more “grown-up”?  Try Gouda and Swiss, blue and goat, or brie and fontina!  Imagine the possibilities!

Weeknight Mac and Cheese

2 teaspoons salt

1 pound elbow macaroni or shells

2 cups frozen peas

For bread crumbs:

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

For sauce:

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

½ cup chicken broth

1 ½ cups milk

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese

½ cup asiago cheese

For bread crumbs:

Pre heat broiler.  Spread bread crumbs on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Broil until browned, about 2 minutes.

For macaroni:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add 2 teaspoons salt to boiling water.  Boil macaroni according to package directions.  When macaroni has 2 minutes left, add frozen peas.

Drain well.

For sauce:

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add flour and whisk until smooth.  Cook over medium, heat for about 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in chicken broth and milk.  Bring sauce to a boil.

Once sauce is boiling, whisk in remaining salt, pepper and dry mustard.  Add cheeses and whisk well.

Mix drained noodles and peas with cheese sauce.  Top with bread crumbs for serving.

Serves  6

Ice Cream Time!!

Ice cream is the best in the summer, right?  I’ve always thought so.  And while I try to not maintain an “ice cream only” diet during the summer, I haven’t been doing so well lately.  I have been eating a lot of ice cream.  Sometimes we walk down to the ice cream store after dinner, sometimes we drive to go get fro-yo, but my favorite thing to do is bust out my ice cream maker and make it myself.

I have a pretty basic ice cream maker.  It is made by Cuisinart.  You freeze the inside bowl, pour in your ingredients, and let that baby go for about twenty to thirty minutes.  I tend to always keep the bowl in the freezer during the summertime so I can make ice cream at a moment’s notice.  The bowl has to be in the freezer for at least twenty four hours, and there is nothing worse than wanting to make ice cream and having a warm bowl.  Ok, I am sure there are many, many things that are worse….but hey, when you want ice cream……

Have you ever made homemade ice cream?  There are so many different ways to make a yummy cold treat, and some are definitely harder than others.  The hard way involves egg yolks and tempering and the easy way is more of a dump and mix kind of thing.  But that being said, ice cream is always pretty easy to make.  Even the hard way isn’t all that hard. 

Today I am going to show you three different recipes for ice cream.  Well, one is frozen yogurt, but you get my drift.  I will start with my easiest recipe and work my way down to my hardest.  The one thing you have to have is an ice cream maker.  There really is no way around that.  They aren’t expensive and they are such a great thing to have in the summer.  Your family will love it.  You will love it.

My first recipe is for my Caramel Apple Frozen Yogurt.  I use vanilla Greek yogurt, Gourmet Rooster Whiskey Apple Spread and cajeta.  I use fat free yogurt, but that is your call.  With all this ice cream eatin’ I’ve been doing to clean it up where I can.

Do you know what cajeta is?  According to the good people at Wikipedia, cajeta is “Mexican confection of thickened syrup usually made of sweetened caramelized milk.”  So it is basically the most delicious caramel you will ever have.  It comes in a small can, and you can find it in the ethnic section of any grocery store.

I pour my yogurt and Whiskey Apple spread into a mixing bowl and whisk it together.  Little tip here….you can use any brand of apple butter you can find.  Of course, I would prefer you use Gourmet Rooster, but I won’t judge.

Once the yogurt and apple spread are mixed, I pour it into my frozen bowl to the ice cream maker and turn that bad boy on.  Of course, your machine might be slightly different than mine, so always follow your machine’s directions.

This goes quickly!  You will have fro-yo in about ten minutes.  When you think the fro-yo is close to being done, pour your cajeta in through the hole at the top of the machine.  If your ice cream maker doesn’t have a hole in the top, turn it off and open it up to scoop in your cajeta.

I add the cajeta at the end so it doesn’t “seize up” while the freezing is going on.  You want your cajeta to disperse throughout the ice cream in a pretty ribbon, not big globs.

The cajeta gives this ice cream a smoky sweetness that works so well with the tangy flavor of the Greek yogurt and the cinnamon spice of the apple spread.  This is fro-yo perfection.

I recommend you eat this fro-yo as soon as it comes out of the ice cream maker.  Homemade fro-yo doesn’t keep well in the freezer.  It will turn into a rock that you couldn’t dream of eating until it defrosts almost back to its non-frozen state.  Science, man.

I call my second ice cream recipe “Lemon Buttermilk Pie”.  A buttermilk pie is a staple in southern cooking.  It is sometimes called a “chess pie” although that usually involves corn meal in the recipe.  My version uses buttermilk, heavy cream, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and little bits of baked, then frozen pie crust.

I start this recipe by baking a premade pie crust.  I buy one of those store bought refrigerated crusts that comes rolled up.  I unroll it, and bake it laid out flat, according to the package directions.  Once it has baked and cooled, I break it up into little pieces.  Then, I freeze those little pieces, usually overnight.

I freeze the pie crust pieces to keep them from just turning into mush in my ice cream maker.  By adding frozen pieces near the end of the mixing/freezing, the pie crust bits stay firm and crunchy.

My next step starts by whisking together buttermilk and heavy cream.  I also whisk in sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.  This mixture gets poured into the frozen bowl of the ice cream maker.  I let this go for about fifteen minutes before I add in the frozen pie crust bits.  I let those mix in while the ice cream finishes freezing.

This ice cream is light and fresh tasting.  The lemon and buttermilk combination is tangy, sour and sweet from the addition of cream and sugar.  The pie crust bits makes you think you are sitting on your porch in Alabama eating a fresh lemon buttermilk pie.

 

 

You’ll notice this ice cream has no eggs.  The high fat content of the cream keeps the ice cream creamy and smooth.  The buttermilk keeps it light.  This is heaven in a bowl in the summertime.

Ok, my last ice cream is the one that takes a bit of work.  And it’s my favorite.  It’s my Dark Chocolate Orange Chip Ice Cream.  It is a combination of dark chocolate, chocolate chips, sugar, eggs, heavy cream, milk, orange extract and orange zest.

I start by whisking together dark chocolate cocoa powder, heavy cream and whole milk.  It will seem like the cocoa powder won’t want to mix in, but have a little faith….it will.  Then, I pour that into a sauce pan and bring it to a simmer, whisking every once in a while.

While that simmers, I whisk together egg yolks, sugar, orange extract and orange zest in a separate bowl.  Once the cream and milk mixture is simmering, I slowly whisk in about a cup of the cream mixture into the egg yolk/sugar mixture.  This will bring the egg yolks closer to the same temperature as the simmering cream.  When the whole enchilada gets mixed together, the yolks won’t scramble.  This is called “tempering”.  Fancy word, easy process.

Once the yolk mixture has some warm cream mixed in, I add the whole yolky mixture to the simmering cream pot.  I let this cook until it is slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon.  This just means that if you were to drag your finger over the back of the spoon, it would leave a trail.  Easy, easy.

Once the mixture is thickened, I pour it back into a bowl and put that in the freezer to cool off the mixture.  The ice cream maker is good, but not that good.  It can’t make ice cream from hot cream.

I let it sit in the freezer for about a half hour.  Then, I pour it into the frozen bowl of the ice cream maker.  This should turn into ice cream in about thirty minutes.  Once you almost have ice cream, toss some chocolate chips in through the hole in the top.

I have to say, this one really is my favorite.  I love the combination of dark chocolate and orange.  And this ice cream is so rich and creamy.  It is super decadent.

I hope that this talked you into getting an ice cream maker if you don’t already have one.  They are so, so worth it.  Make some ice cream!  It’s a summer must.

 

Caramel Apple Fro-Yo

3 cups Vanilla Greek Yogurt

1 cup Gourmet Rooster Whiskey Apple Spread

½ cup Cajeta (Nestle La Lechera)

Whisk together yogurt and apple spread.  Pour mixture into bowl of ice cream maker.  Run ice cream maker for 10 minutes.  Add cajeta and run for another 5 minutes or until desired consistency is reached.

Serves 4

 

Lemon Buttermilk Pie Ice Cream

3 cups buttermilk (reduced fat is ok)

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

The zest of 1 lemon (about 1 teaspoon)

½ cup frozen pie crust bits (bake pre-made pie crust and crumble)

Whisk together buttermilk, heavy cream, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest until smooth.  Pour into bowl of ice cream maker.  Run for 15 minutes.  Add frozen pie crust bits and run for another 5 minutes or until desired consistency is reached.  Serve immediately as “soft-serve” or freeze for firmer consistency.

Serves 4-6

 

Dark Chocolate Orange Chip Ice Cream

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder, unsweetened

6 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons orange extract

The zest of 1 orange (about 2 teaspoons)

½ cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, whisk together whole milk, heavy cream and cocoa powder until smooth.  Heat mixture in a sauce pan to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in a separate mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, egg yolks, orange extract and orange zest until smooth.  Whisk in 1 cup of the simmering milk mixture.  Whisk until combined.  Add warmed egg mixture to simmering milk, whisking the entire time.  Heat mixture until slightly thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Pour mixture back into a mixing bowl and freeze for about 3 minutes.  Then, pour mixture into bowl of ice cream maker and run for about 30 minutes. Add chocolate chips and run for another 5 minutes or until desired consistency is achieved.  Serve immediately for “soft-serve” or freeze for firmer consistency.

Serves 4-6

Chicken and Waffles!

We’re pretty much halfway through summer right?  Where did the time go?  I can’t believe my kids already go back to school in less than a month.  I feel like we haven’t done that much “summery” stuff yet.  I haven’t even been to the beach yet, for cryin’ out loud!  Between work, Farmer’s Markets, kids’ stuff, etc…..we just haven’t had the time.

You know what else I don’t have that much time for?  Cooking a really good meal for dinner.  I have been utilizing the slow cooker, making a lot of main dish salads, you know, that kind of thing. Easy stuff.   But every once in a while, I get the urge to bust out pots and pans, fire up the oven, and really cook something good.  Something the whole family likes. 

Last week, I decided to cook one of our favorite meals.  One that actually requires turning on the oven….chicken and waffles.  I bet to some of you that sounds like a weird combination.  It really isn’t.  Normally, this meal is big ‘ol pieces of fried chicken sitting on top of an equally big waffle, and the whole thing gets drenched in honey or syrup.  Fried chicken is actually phenomenal with sweet flavors like syrup and honey, btw.

For my chicken and waffles, I bake chicken tenders in a crunchy coating of panko bread crumbs and crushed up Captain Crunch cereal.  No Crunch Berries!  The sweet crunch of the cereal is perfect with chicken.  Captain Crunch chicken was actually a thing for a while back in the early nineties when Planet Hollywood was all the rage.  I never had theirs.

I put my baked tenders on top of corn meal waffles and then I drizzle the whole shebang with honey.  To die for.  Let me show you how I make this.

I start with about a pound of chicken tenders.  I usually pull my chicken out of a big bag of frozen breasts, but you can buy your chicken already cut into tenders.  I cut mine, which is quick.  I dip my tenders into a quick bath of whisked eggs, and then they get dipped into a combination of panko bread crumbs, Captain Crunch that I have crushed up into crumbs, salt and pepper. 

I place the coated tenders on a baking rack which is set upon a baking sheet.  Keeping the tenders off the pan lets hot air get all the way around them, leading to crispier chicken.  These are a quick baked, only about fourteen minutes!

I stay busy during those fourteen minutes though….I make waffles!  I have a waffle maker, which is helpful.  Actually, it is more than helpful.  It’s necessary.  If you don’t have a waffle maker, you will have to toast up some frozen waffles.  I won’t judge.

I use a box or two of Jiffy corn muffin mix for my waffles.  I could make them from scratch with corn meal, flour, etc. but this is close enough.  This little box actually turns out some amazing waffles. 

The mix just needs some milk, melted butter and eggs whisked in to get the perfect waffles.  The box calls for shortening, but that’s weird.  Butter works just fine.  I don’t add any sugar or sweetness to the waffles because the chicken has a sweet coating, plus the whole thing gets honey on top. 

I bake my waffles in my waffle maker for just a couple of minutes.  And yes, I peek in several times to see if the waffles are cooked.  I have zero patience for food.

Once I have my cooked chicken, and cooked waffles, I serve them by placing a waffle on a plate and then topping each waffle with about three tenders.  I drizzle delicious local honey all over the top, and it’s good to go! 

 

This really is a perfect dinner.  It is sweet, savory, filling and all together perfect.  And it still is pretty easy.  Yes, it requires a bit more work than my usual dinners, but it still isn’t hard.  And you could always split this up.  The waffles make a great breakfast and the chicken fingers are obviously good anytime.

I think this dinner needs a dessert, don’t you?  Since this meal was vaguely Southern, I thought it would be best followed by my Sweet Tea Cake.  This cake tastes like a tall glass of sweet tea, which is one of my faves.

I use a boxed white cake mix (surprise, surprise), strongly brewed Lipton tea, eggs, butter, powdered sugar, milk and lemon juice to pull this cake together.  I don’t add any additional sugar.  The “sweet” part is the cake.  And I use a Bundt pan, but your cake shape is entirely up to you.

In my standing mixer, I blend together the cake mix, three eggs, melted butter and some strongly brewed tea.  For the tea, I just let three tea bags steep in just 1 ¼ cup hot water.  This makes one heckuva cup of tea.  But you need it strong to achieve the right flavor.

I bake my cake in a Bundt pan, like we just talked about.  When the cake is cooked and cooled a bit, I invert it out of its pan.  Then, I drizzle it with a mixture of powdered sugar, lemon juice and a splash of milk.  Do you not like lemon in your sweet tea?  Leave it out!  This cake is just as good with just a glaze made from powdered sugar and milk.

 

My family loves this cake.  My kids don’t even like tea, but they love this cake!  But really, what wouldn’t be delicious in cake form?

See you all next week!

Captain Crunch Chicken Tenders

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders

3 eggs

1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs

1 ½ cups Captain Crunch cereal, crushed into crumbs

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place a baking rack on top of a baking sheet.  Spray rack with cooking spray.

Whisk together eggs in a shallow dish.  Add panko, cereal, salt and pepper to another shallow dish.  Mix well. 

Dip each tender into eggs, then Panko/cereal mixture.  Press crumbs into each tender.  Place tenders on baking rack leaving about 1 inch between tenders.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 14 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

Serves 4

Corn Waffles

2 boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, 8.5 ounce each

2 eggs

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1 ½ cups milk

Preheat waffle maker.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together mixes, eggs and milk until just blended.  Slowly whisk in melted butter until incorporated.

Pour about ½ cup of batter onto waffle maker.  Bake waffle for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes about 6 waffles.

 

Sweet Tea Cake

1 box white cake mix

3 eggs

1 ¼ cups strongly brewed tea, (3 tea bags steeped in 1 ¼ cups hot water for at least 30 minutes)

1/3 cup butter, melted

For glaze:

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons milk

1 to 1 ½ cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray Bundt pan with cooking spray or grease with melted butter.

In a mixing bowl, beat together cake mix, eggs, melted butter and tea.  Mix with a hand mixer for 2 minutes.

Pour cake into greased Bundt pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and pulling away from the sides.

Let cool for 15 minutes before inverting cake onto a platter.

For glaze:

Whisk together ingredients until smooth.  Pour over cooled cake.

Serves 12

"Plate Lunch".....Hawaiian Style

Aloha.  I want to go to Hawaii.  I am just throwing that out there in case one of you is going soon and would like to take me.  Just putting it out there in the atmosphere.  I used to go a lot when I was little.  My dad worked there for a short period of time too.  I was a lucky kid.  As an adult, I haven’t been since my honeymoon, almost twelve years ago.

I still dream about Hawaii even though I haven’t been for a long time.  The beach, the weather, and mostly….the food.  I love Hawaiian food.  Are you familiar?  Hawaii has lots of seafood, lots of Spam, lots of Asian influences, Portuguese sausage (at McDonald’s for breakfast!) and a little something called a “plate lunch”.

A “plate lunch” is a standard in Hawaii.  It is essentially, a meat, which is your main, two scoops of white rice and a scoop of macaroni salad.  Probably not the best thing for you, but so crazy good.  The meat, or seafood, is always delicious and the macaroni salad is different than a typical mainland macaroni salad.  It is a little bit sweeter, I would say.

Hawaiian restaurants that serve this kind of deliciousness have popped up all over the mainland.  When I lived in California, I had several to choose from.  I don’t have as many choices here in Nevada, but no big deal…I’ll make my own.

For my plate lunch, I am going to show you how to make Kalua pork, my macaroni salad and for dessert, a yummy Pina Colada Cupcake!  First, let me explain Kalua pork if you are unfamiliar.  Kalua pork, also called Kalua pig is named after a traditional cooking method, or “Kalua”.  It means to cook in an underground oven.  Basically, a pig is salted, stuffed with hot rocks, wrapped in banana leaves and buried in the ground.  The pig cooks underground for a long time, like six hours.  When it comes out and is unwrapped, the meat is smoky and tender.  It falls apart it is so tender.

Clearly, I won’t be digging a hole in my backyard and burying a pig.  I think my Homeowner’s Association frowns on that.  I am going to make do with my slow cooker.  I guess I could bury the slow cooker, but the electricity would be a problem.

I start with a four to five pound pork butt.  I chose a boneless version because that is what looked goof that day.  Bone in, bone out…it doesn’t matter.  Just make sure you have a nice fatty butt.  I rub the whole thing with liquid smoke and kosher salt.  You can use any salt, really.  Hawaiian sea salt would be great, but any will work.

Once the pork has been rubbed down, I set it in my slow cooker that has been lined with banana leaves.  (These actually aren’t as hard to find as you would think, and they really do add an authenticity that can’t be beat.  I found mine at an Asian grocer in the frozen section.)  I wrap the leaves around the pork to make a banana leaf package.  Then, I let the cooker go for 10 hours.

When the meat comes out, it will fall apart.  I discard the leaves, shred the meat and return it to the smoky cooking liquid.  This meat is crazy, knock your socks off, good.  It will make you want to Tahitian dance, twirl fire and maybe even surf.  And so easy!  The slow cooker does all the work!

And just in case you were wondering, the banana leaves are totally optional.  But you really should go to your local Asian grocer.  I could wander around for days.  The food is amazing.

As for my macaroni salad….it is a pretty basic recipe.  I boil macaroni noodles until they are totally done.  No al dente here.  A good Hawaiian macaroni salad has fat, fully cooked noodles.  The drained noodles get mixed with chopped celery, bell pepper, carrot and red onion.  I also stir in chopped Canadian bacon and shredded cheddar cheese.  The dressing is mayo, milk, cider vinegar, sugar, salt and black pepper.  It is reminiscent of the dressing that goes on a broccoli salad.

The whole this gets mixed together and chilled.  It is perfect next to a mound of Kalua pork and white rice.  I topped my pork with a Guava Pineapple Teriyaki sauce I found at the Asian market.  Seriously, go there.  You will love it.

 

Doesn’t this make you want to put on a grass skirt?

Finally, the cupcakes.  Have some of you been waiting for this only?  For my Pina Colada cupcakes, I use a white box cake mix.  I add three whole eggs as opposed to egg whites only, melted butter instead of oil and pineapple juice instead of water.  I also throw in a couple of teaspoons of rum extract.

I bake the cupcakes according to package directions and let them cool.  As for my frosting….I use butter, powdered sugar, milk or heavy cream and pineapple jam.  I look for a really stiff pineapple jam.  Play with the jars in the store.  Throw them around, tip them over, see what looks stiff and thick.  I’m kidding of course.  You will get thrown out.

I blend the softened butter with the pineapple jam and powdered sugar in my standing mixer.  How much milk you add depends on how stiff your jam is.  I needed about a quarter cup.

This gets spread over the cupcakes, and then for the crowning glory, I dip each frosted cupcake in sweetened flake coconut.  Yum!  So tropical and so yummy! 

 

Who wouldn’t want this on a hot summer night?  Or any other night?

If you would like to take me to Hawaii, let me know soon.  I will have to practice my hula.  If not, make these recipes and we can all pretend.

Mahalo.

Kalua Pork

4 to 5 pound boneless pork butt (or blade roast)

½ cup liquid smoke

2 tablespoons kosher salt

Banana leaves

Line slow cooker with defrosted banana leaves.

Rub pork evenly with liquid smoke and salt.  Place in slow cooker on top of banana leaves.  Fold leaves over the top of pork, forming a “package”.

Cook on low for 10 hours.  Remove meat from cooker, shred and return to pot and cooking juices.

Serves  6 to 8

Court’s Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

1 pound elbow macaroni, boiled till done and cooled

½ cup carrots, chopped

½ cup celery, chopped

½ cup bell pepper, chopped

1/3 cup red onion, chopped

½ cup Canadian bacon, chopped

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup mayonnaise

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix elbow macaroni, carrots, celery, bell pepper, red onion, Canadian bacon and shredded cheese together in a large bowl.

Is a small mixing bowl, whisk together mayo, vinegar, milk, sugar, salt and pepper.  Pour half over macaroni salad.  Mix well.  Wait 10 minutes to pour over remaining dressing.  Mix well and chill.

Serves 12

 

Pina Colada Cupcakes

1 box white cake mix

3 eggs

1 stick butter, melted

1 ¼ cup pineapple juice

2 teaspoons rum extract

Frosting:

1 stick butter

½ cup pineapple jam

3 cups powdered sugar

¼ cup heavy cream or milk

1 cup sweetened flake coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat together (with a hand mixer) cake mix, eggs, butter, juice and rum extract for about two minutes.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full.  Bake according to package directions.  Let cupcakes cool for at least 2 hours.

For frosting:

With a hand mixer, beat together softened butter and pineapple jam.  Once that is blended, slowly blend in powdered sugar and cream/milk.  Beat until desired consistency is reached.

Frost cupcakes evenly.  Place coconut in a shallow dish.  Dip each frosted cupcake into coconut.

Makes 22-24 cupcakes