Roast Chicken

A family favorite. Relatively simple, but no less delicious! Trussing the chicken is optional, but it does help it cook evenly.

Ingredients:

• 2–3 lb roasting chicken (= 1–1.5 kg)
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• 2 tsp minced thyme
• unsalted butter
• Dijon mustard (optional. serve on the side)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450º (= 232ºC).

Rinse chicken in cold water, then dry thoroughly inside and out. Salt and pepper inside cavity, then truss chicken with twine. Cover outside of chicken generously with salt, and add pepper to taste.

Place chicken in roasting pan. Bake untouched (don’t open the oven door!) until it reaches 165ºF 73.9ºC) internal temperature, about 50–60 minutes.

Remove from oven and add thyme to pan. Baste chicken with juices and thyme and let sit 15 min. Remove twine. Cut breast down the middle and slather meat with butter.

Stoofvlees (Belgian Beef Stew)

An instant favorite! A homey beef stew served on top of fresh Belgian fries. The "herb bouquet” (kruiden-tuiltje) can be bought pre-made in Belgian grocery stores, or easily made by tying together the herbs listed with string or in a cheese cloth.

• 2 to 2 1/2 lbs (= 900~1125g) stew meat
• 2 large onions, cut in half then sliced in thick slices
• 16 oz (= 475 ml) dark Belgian beer (about 1 1/2 bottles)
• 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 packet stew spices (kruiden-tuiltje)
• 2 laurel leaves/bay leaves
• 3–4 sprigs rosemary
• 2–3 sprigs thyme
• 1 clove (whole)
• 1–2 slices brown bread, liberally spread with mustard
• 1 splash balsamic vinegar
• Butter & olive oil (for sautéing)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Cut the meat into 1-inch-cube pieces. Season with salt & pepper. Brown meat in olive oil in a large dutch oven. Brown meat in small batches to avoid overcrowding the meat—try instead to get a crispy brown edge on each side of the piece. Let the brown crusty “crud” build up in the pan—this is where the flavor is!

When all meat is browned, pour a splash of beer into the pan to loosen up what is built up in the bottom of the pan. Then add butter, sliced onions, and garlic, cooking until onions are translucent.

Add remainder of the beer, browned beef, herb packet, and brown sugar. Heat to a simmer. Add bread slices with mustard. Leave uncovered until stew reaches desired thickness, then cover. Simmer a total of 2–3 hours, until beef is tender.

Remove packet of herbs. Add splash of balsamic vinegar and stir. 

Serve with or on top of fresh Belgian fries.

Giordano’s Pizza

Best attempt at replicating Giordano’s stuffed Chicago-style pizza. Still tweaking, but not bad. The dough is enough for one pizza (with trimmings left over). The sauce is more than enough for one, possibly enough for two.

Crust:

·     ¾ cup warm water

·     2 tsp active dry yeast

·     ¾ tsp sugar

·     3 ½ cup all purpose flour

·     ¾ tsp kosher salt

·     ¾ tsp sugar

·     ¾ tsp garlic powder

·     ¾ cup corn oil

·     3 Tbsp warm water

·     2 Tbsp butter (for pan)

Sauce:

·     2 (140g) cans tomato puree (fijne tomatenpulp)

·     1 (500g) box diced tomatoes (tomaten-stukjes)

·     2 tsp sugar

·     2 tsp kosher salt

·     2 tsp crushed fresh garlic (1/4 tsp garlic powder)

·     2 tsp garlic salt

·     3 tsp black pepper

·     5 tsp basil

·     2 tsp marjoram

·     3 tsp oregano

·     1 tsp parsley

Toppings:

·     400 g (12 oz) mozzarella cheese (sliced from a block or shredded)

·     Salami, pepperoni, spinach, etc.

Dough

Proof 2 tsp yeast in ¾ cup warm water, adding in ¾ tsp sugar. Allow to proof 5 min.

In the bowl of a KitchenAid, mix together flour, salt, sugar, and garlic powder. Add oil and mix with dough hook. Add water & yeast mixture. Mix with dough hook for one minute on low, using spatula to scrape bottom. Add water, one Tbsp at a time, mixing for one minute between. Do NOT over-mix! Allow dough to rise 4 hours.

Original recipe recommends keeping dough in the fridge for at least 24 hours, for better texture and flavor. If refrigerating dough, pull it out for 2 hours to allow dough to return to room temperature. 

Sauce

Combine ingredients and set aside. Do not cook. I’d recommend straining the sauce if necessary to remove excess liquid.

Assembly

Preheat oven to 450ºF (=232ºC). Remove 1/3 of the dough and set aside. Roll out remaining 2/3 of the dough to make a 15 inch circle (1/4 inch thick). Grease a 9 inch springform pan (or cake pan) with butter. Place rolled dough in pan and tuck it in to reach the edges of the bottom. There should be excess dough hanging over the top of the pan.

Cover bottom of crust with toppings (pepperoni, etc.). Cover toppings with cheese.

Roll out remaining 1/3 of dough as thin as possible. Place on top of cheese and gently pinch all the way around the pan to seal the doughs together. Cut several small slits in top layer to release steam. 

Pour two ladles’ worth of sauce on top and swirl around so that sauce covers over the slits. Add two more ladles of sauce. Use a rolling pin or knife to cut excess dough from rim of pan. If desired, sprinkle a little parmesan cheese over the sauce.

Bake at 450º for 30 min. I recommend covering the crust with foil for the first 20 min to avoid burning. Remove when crust is golden brown.

Allow to sit 2 minutes, then serve.

From Scratch Pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp butter, melted

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Mama Moo’s Fudge Squares

A Moo family favorite. A quick, easy, and delicious dessert. Recipe calls for letting the fudge squares cool before adding the topping, but the topping can be added right away for a fudgier texture.

Ingredients:
Fudge squares
2 squares (= 2 oz) baking chocolate
2 sticks (= 1 cup) butter
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs

Fudge topping
1 1/3 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
2 1/2 Tbsp. water
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Melt baking chocolate and butter together. Add sugar, flour, and vanilla.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after adding each.
Pour batter into a greased 9x12 pan and bake at 350º for 30 min.
Allow to cool.

In a small saucepan over low heat, mix butter, cocoa, water, and powdered sugar. Pour over cooled squares.

Betty Crocker Lemon Chicken

A family dinner favorite. Can sub honey for corn syrup. Reposted from here.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 egg white
1 tsp water
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground red pepper flakes (optional)
Cooking spray
1/2 lemon, cut into thin slices
1 medium green onion, chopped (1 tablespoon) (optional)

Chinese Lemon Sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 tsp grated lemon peel
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp cold water

Directions:

Cut each chicken breast half crosswise in half. Mix egg white and water in medium glass or plastic bowl. Add chicken; turn chicken to coat both sides. Let stand 10 minutes.

Heat oven to 450°. Spray nonstick cookie sheet with cooking spray. Remove chicken from egg mixture; discard egg mixture. Mix flour, baking soda and red pepper in resealable plastic bag. Add 1 chicken piece at a time. Seal bag; shake to coat chicken. Place chicken on cookie sheet; spray with cooking spray about 5 seconds or until surface of chicken appears moist.

Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. While chicken is baking, prepare Chinese Lemon Sauce. Let chicken stand 5 minutes; cut each piece crosswise into about 5 slices. Pour sauce over chicken. Garnish with lemon slices and green onion.



For Chinese Lemon Sauce
Heat all ingredients except cornstarch and cold water to boiling in 1-quart saucepan, stirring occasionally. Mix cornstarch and cold water; stir into sauce. Cook and stir about 30 seconds or until thickened. Serve warm, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

Serves 8.

Zucchini Fries

Great side to accompany just about any meal. Original recipe calls for marinara, but we prefer to dip in ranch or blue cheese dressing.

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium zucchini, sliced into sticks

1 large egg white

1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 tsp. garlic powder (optional)

cooking spray

salt and fresh pepper

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place the breadcrumbs and garlic powder; shake well. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Dip the zucchini sticks into the egg and then place into the bread crumb mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with some marinara sauce for dipping.