Celebrating MLK Day

If you happen to be home today and want to celebrate Dr. King, here are a few recipes (Southern "Soul Food" inspired). On the menu, Oven Fried Chicken Fingers, Collard Greens, GF Mac and Cheese and Black Eyed Peas. If you have little ones and are looking for fun activities to do, I have attached a link to some fun Dr. King themed crafts. This was a great, great man. And I feel like he always held his head high. His words were tough, direct and powerful. But always civil. I am so glad that we have a holiday that honors a man who truly changed our country, for the better. Happy MLK Day!

Oven-Fried Chicken Fingers

2 1/2 lb skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
7 cups cornflakes (7 oz), coarsely crushed

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Butter 2 large shallow (1 inch deep) baking pans.

Gently pound chicken between sheets of plastic wrap with flat side of a meat pounder or with a rolling pin until 1/3 inch thick. Cut chicken lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Stir together butter, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Put cornflakes in another shallow dish. Working with 1 strip at a time, dip in butter, then dredge in cornflakes, pressing flakes firmly to help adhere. Transfer as coated to baking pans.

Bake, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until chicken is golden and cooked through, about 15 minutes total.

Cool chicken in pans on racks to room temperature (crust will firm up as it cools).


Collard Greens and Turnips with Ham Hock

6 cups water
1 large ham hock (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes or 1/2 teaspoon Rooster Sauce
3 pounds collard greens
1‚ pounds turnips

In a 6-quart kettle bring water with ham hock to a boil (water will not cover hock) and simmer, covered, turning hock over halfway through cooking, 1 hour. Add vinegar and pepper.

While hock is simmering, remove and discard stems and center ribs of collard greens and cut leaves into 1-inch pieces. Stir collards into hock mixture and simmer, partially covered, until almost tender, about 45 minutes. Cut turnips into 1/2-inch cubes. Stir turnips into collards and simmer, partially covered, until turnips are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Season collard and turnip mixture with salt and pepper.


Gluten-Free Mac & Cheese

This is my favorite wheat-free Mac & Cheese, by far. I am a BIG fan of this comfort food and I never thought I would find a recipe that is as good as the typical, wheat pasta versions. But this is just as good. You will never know that this is GF, especially if you add even more shredded cheese to the top after you have poured it into the pan.

http://glutenfreemom.typepad.com/gluten_free_mom/2008/02/gluten-free-mac.html

Black Eyed Peas

http://southernfood.about.com/od/blackeyedpeas/r/bl81231b.htm

Dessert is still up in the air. Maybe some sliced pears. Or chocolate of some sort, if Ella has anything to say about it! Mommy will probably enjoy a little Bourbon after the kids go to bed!

Crafts

This is a website that we use constantly. There are a lot of great ideas of things to do with the little ones. Ella has been having fun creating her "Thank You, Dr. King" coloring book. If you are home tomorrow and looking for something to do, you may want to consider doing some of these activities...

http://www.first-school.ws/theme/special-days/martin-luther-king-jr.htm

Budget Friendly Meal #6: Pineapple Chicken with rice and rabe

I found this recipe on Bigoven.com. I was looking for an interesting way to bake chicken with pineapple. After reading all of the positive reviews, I decided it was worth a try. And it was delicious! So much so that I wanted to share it, here. The meal is complete when served with brown rice (kashi would also be great) and steamed broccoli rabe. I also plated it with the chicken pan juices drizzled on top of the rice. It is a simple dinner to make and sure to please almost everyone!

Zippy Baked Chicken Breasts

4 chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter or margarine melted or olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

GLAZE

3/4 cup Crushed pineapple drained, from 8-3/4 oz can
1 cup brown sugar firmly packed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown mustard
1 teaspoon soy sauce (wheat free if desired)

Preheat oven to 375. In an ungreased 9-inch square baking pan, place chicken breasts in a single layer. Brush with melted butter; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare glaze by combining all the ingredients together and mixing well. Pour over chicken. Return to oven and continue baking 30 to 40 minutes, basting occasionally until deep golden brown and tender.

Variations:
To prepare with:
Thighs: After glazing bake 20 to 30 minutes.
Drumsticks: After glazing bake 20 to 30 minutes
Wings: After glazing bake 10 to 20 minutes

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts

This is a wonderful dish that everyone in the family can enjoy. Ella got to customize her "roll", omitting the cheese and spinach. It is most delicious when served with tomato sauce, but can also be eaten without. The original recipe can be found here. You know me, I cannot simply make a recipe without first altering it!

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
5 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Nonstick olive oil cooking spray
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
4 slices thinly sliced proscuiutto
1 cup white wine
1 batch of homemade marinara sauce of your choice or 1 jar of store bought
1 bag of rice pasta

Trim fat any from chicken; discard. Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or in a zip lock bag. Pound with meat mallet until chicken is about 1/4 inch thick.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Pat spinach dry with paper towels. Combine spinach, Parmesan, lemon peel and black pepper in large bowl. Spray small nonstick skillet with cooking spray; add mushrooms. Cook and stir over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes or until tender.

Arrange 1 slice of prosciutto over each chicken breast. Spread each with one-fourth of spinach mixture. Top each with mushrooms. Beginning with longer side, roll chicken tightly. Tie with kitchen string or hold together with toothpicks.

Place stuffed chicken breasts, seam side down, in 9-inch square baking pan. Lightly spray chicken with cooking spray. Pour white wine over top. Cover and Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Turn broiler to high and lightly crispen the tops of the chicken, approx. 3 minutes.

While chicken cooks, prepare pasta and drain, being sure to rinse with cold water. Heat the pasta sauce as the noodles cook. Leave sauce on low, warming it until everything is ready.

Remove chicken and remove string or toothpicks. Serve alongside pasta. Drizzle the sauce over the pasta and chicken. Garnish with parmesan.

* Serve with Arugula Salad (see recipe above). For Ella, who hates all things saucy, I sliced up her chicken to form pinwheels. She loved eating them this way.

Chicken Tortilla Soup (for Slow Cooker)

This is about as easy as it gets. And it is always a hit at our house. It is not spicy. The little ones seem to enjoy it as much as the grown-ups!

1.5 pounds cooked & shredded chicken
1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (10oz.) enchilada sauce
1 small onion chopped
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilles
1 cloved garlic, minced
1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz.)
frozen white corn (8 oz.)
2 cups water
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cover. Cook 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 on low.

Serve garnished with broken tortilla chips, slices of avocado, shredded cheese and a spoon full of sour cream.

Dad's Chicken

My Dad is probably my biggest blog reader and I love it! He is the most amazing BBQer on the planet and yesterday he came to LA and cooked up some tri-tip and sausage for us. Ella is beyond addicted to his steak and probably consumed a pound by herself yesterday! Dad also makes a mean Chicken, which he recently e-mailed to me. He MIGHT kill me for posting this, but until I get a cease and desist order, I thought I would share it with you...

Dad's Fab BBQ Chicken

Wash chicken and put into a large bowl. Add 1 cup of Apple cider vinegar.Tbsp. of Wrights Hickory Seasoning. 3 tbsp A1 Steak Sauce. Tbsp KC Masterpiece Tbsp Worcester sauce by Lea & Perrin. Add warm water to cover chicken and then mix it all up. Mixing a couple/three times over a period of a couple of hours. If using a Propane BBQ then throw a couple of damp oak barks on the flame and put chicken up and away from flame.

Before turning on BBQ, season with these spices, both sides.

When BBQ is almost complete add some melted butter. A few minutes later, add some squeezed lemon. Turn off fire and let it sit in the smoke of the oak bark.Selling or sharing this recipe is forbidden by Boyle's Law......... enjoy

WHOOPS!

Chicken Breasts with Leeks & Mushrooms

I made this for dinner tonight. I got the recipe from Epicurious. Instead of the wheat flour, I substituted Bob's Red Mill Baking Flour (Gluten Free). It was delicious. Best served over rice. I would also recommend using a good tasting dry, red wine. The wine is a powerful flavor in the dish. Milo loved this, Ella was oddly turned off by its purple color. That kid is completely unpredictable. But it was nice to finally have a truly adult dinner! The recipe only serves 2, so I doubled it.

Chicken Breasts with Leeks & Mushrooms