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Chicken Gyros


FOODchickengyros

 

Chicken Gyros

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon oregano {dried}
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion {powder}
1 teaspoon salt

In a bowl or bag, place all of the ingredients together and mix well. Marinate for up to 2 hours.  Once ready, place the chicken on a grill {I use a George Foreman} or in a pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes per side.

Tzatziki Sauce

1 cup cucumber, finely chopped
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon mint
1 teaspoon cilantro
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix all of the ingredients together and let sit for at least 1 hour before using.

Condiments:

pita bread  lettuce tomatoes, sliced red onion, thinly sliced tzatziki sauce {recipe above} Take a piece of pita bread and layer with the lettuce, chicken, tomato, red onion and tzatziki sauce.

Chocolate Pie Recipe


 

Cover of "The Help"

Cover of The Help

http://www.bookclubcookbook.com/RecipeKathrynStockett.htm

If you’ve read the book,The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, or have seen the movie by the same title, you’ll understand my desire to include the recipe link on my site.  I just finished reading the book and need to see the movie!

Excerpt from the link above, as quoted….

Our maid, Demetrie, didn’t write recipes down. She put in a pinch of this and a drop of that, adjusting her ingredients with the humidity or her mood. Her cakes and pies were exquisite. Finally, my grandmother asked her to please, put her recipes on paper, and that was probably the first time any of us admitted that one day Demetrie wouldn’t be there to cook for us.

Demetrie was best known in Jackson, Mississippi for her caramel cake and her recipe was printed in the Junior League of Memphis cookbook. Since caramel cake is both labor intensive and hard to get just right, I thought I’d submit Demetrie’s chocolate pie recipe instead.

I ought to tell you, you might get some suspicious looks if you serve it at book club. If you’ve read The Help, you’ll understand why.

 

 

Demetrie’s Chocolate Pie

1-2/3 cups water
5 tablespoons sweetened cocoa powder, such as Ghiradelli
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 9-inch pie shell, prebaked plain or graham cracker
Whipped cream (or if it’s not too humid, you can top with meringue)
Shaved chocolate to sprinkle on top, for looks

  1. In a medium sized, cool saucepan, mix water, cocoa, and cornstarch with a whisk until all the lumps are gone, making a paste. Stir in condensed milk and egg yolks. Heat to just under a boil and stir until it’s thick.
  2. Reduce heat to low and stir in butter. Add in your good vanilla, and keep stirring well. Turn off the heat and let it cool some. Pour into a prebaked pie shell, storebought if that’s how you do things.
  3. Let the pie set-up in a cool spot, like a plug-in refrigerator, covering with wax paper so you don’t get a skin. Dollop cream on top or top with meringue.

Yield: 1 9 inch pie, 6-8 servings

Easy to Make Crusty Home Baked Bread


I don’t make homemade, from scratch, with the hands, bread very often because I am a bit intimidated by it.  This recipe is SO forgiving that EVEN I can have success with it!
Crusty Bread
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 1/2 cups water
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.  Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 – 18 hours.  Overnight works great.
Heat oven to 450 degrees.  When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.  Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.
Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
Pictures of MY bread:
[after 30 minutes baking]
[after final baking time]
[cooling on wire rack]

Butterscotch Cashew Bars


1/2 pound (2 sticks, or 1 cup) butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 & 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
11 ounces butterscotch chips
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water

2 cups roasted salted whole cashews
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9″x 13″ pan with cooking spray. Using two sheets of parchment paper, line the pan’s width and length, creating a parchment “sling.” Spray parchment paper with cooking spray.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, and salt for 1 to 1 & 1/2 minutes. Decrease mixer speed to low and add the flour. Mix just until combined. Lightly press dough evenly into the prepared pan. Poke holes in the dough with a fork. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the crust is a golden color. Remove to wire rack to cool.

In a heavy saucepan over low heat, stir together butterscotch chips, corn syrup, and water.

Stir until mixture comes to a simmer and butterscotch chips are melted. Pour over crust.

 

 

Sprinkle cashews over the butterscotch caramel.

Bake for 5 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. After cooling, remove from pan and use a very sharp knife to cut into bars.

Makes 2 dozen 2-inch bars.

Chocolate Chip Malted Milk Cookies


2 –  3/4 cups flour ( the recipe says you may need to increase by up to 1/4 cup but I didn’t)
3/4 cup plain malted milk powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, (I used 2 eggs plus 1 yolk as my eggs were not what I would call large)
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
2 cups chocolate chips ( I used semisweet chips)
****************************
Preheat oven to 350.1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, malted milk powder, baking soda and salt.
2. Cream butter and sugars in a mixing bowl on medium speed til light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the eggs, vanilla and sweetened condensed milk and beat on medium speed til light and fluffy.
4. Stir in the dry ingredients, then the chocolate chips til just incorporated. Don’t overmix.
5. Form the dough into 1 1/4″ balls and place on the baking sheet, 2″ apart.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or til the edges are slightly browned. ( Mine took a full 12 minutes).

Chicken, Artichoke, and Spinach Calzone


image

1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-size pieces (about 3 cups)
9 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, patted dry, and chopped
2 ounces baby spinach
6 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped fresh Basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound ball ready-made pizza dough (Public has these in the bakery department )
2 tablespoon olive oil

Heat oven to 450°.  Combine first 8 ingredients in bowl.

Divide dough in half.  (The dough will be easier to roll if its rolled at room temperature. ) On lightly floured counter, roll dough into 2 9-inch rounds.  Working one at a time, place half of filling over half of dough, leaving a 1-inch border.  Brush edges with water, fold dough over filling, and crimp to seal.  Repeat with remaining dough & filling.

Brush baking sheet with oil.  Transfer calzones to sheet and cut 2 1-inch slits in each.  Brush calzones with oil and bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. 

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Blueberry Jam


Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup thawed apple juice concentrate
  • 1 envelope plain gelatin
  • 5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

  • Pour the apple juice concentrate into a saucepan; sprinkle with gelatin and allow to soften for several minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, finely chop blueberries, 1 cup at a time. Add lemon juice, spices and 2 cups of chopped berries to gelatin; heat over medium-low until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from the heat; stir in remaining berries and mix well.
  • Pour into jars or plastic containers; store in the refrigerator up to three weeks. Goes great with my Whole Wheat Bread recipe!Yield: 4 cups.