BACON-GARLIC CHICKEN

BACON-GARLIC CHICKEN
Chicken is a favorite of both Olivia and I but sometimes it is easy to get in a rut and just crank out the same old recipes time and time again.  Well you can shake off the winter blues with this flavorful dish Olivia discovered from Taste of Home.  It combines the favorite flavors of bacon and chicken with heavenly herb combinations.  Olivia found that she liked substituting basil for the rosemary.  You can do the same if you like or try your own unique combination.  This recipe is easy to make, doesn't require a lot of exotic ingredients, and is packed with flavor.  Add it to your winter lineup. You will be glad you did!
-Nanette

IB

BACON - GARLIC CHICKEN

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 ounces each)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 bacon strips, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary or 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

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Directions

1. Pound chicken with a meat mallet to 1/2-in. thickness; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lightly coat both sides with flour; shake off excess. 
2. In a nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. With a slotted spoon, remove bacon to paper towels; reserve 1 teaspoon drippings.
3. In same pan, heat butter and drippings over medium heat. Add chicken; cook until no longer pink, 4-6 minutes per side. Remove from pan.
4. Add garlic, rosemary and pepper flakes to pan; cook and stir until garlic begins to color, 1-2 minutes. Stir in broth and lemon juice; bring to a boil, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Cook until slightly thickened, 3-4 minutes.
5. Return chicken and bacon to pan; heat through, turning chicken a few times to coat. Yield: 4 servings.

CRESCENT ROLL HAM RING

CRESCENT ROLL HAM RING

Olivia and I hope you and your family had a fun, happy, and healthy holiday season.  We had an excellent time visiting Gatlinburg, TN during the week of Christmas.  If you heard about the wildfires that devastated the area and took the lives of fourteen people, you may wonder why we went there.  It is a family tradition and, quite frankly, there was no other place we would rather have been.  There is still much to see and do there and the people who rely so heavily on tourism would love to see you. Consider a trip there.  

Even though the holiday has passed, we still have leftover honey baked ham and there is always the challenge of finding unique ways to use what is left.  I found this great recipe at www.buzzfeed.com.  The original recipe called for granny smith apple, dijon mustard, and brie cheese.  I substituted a gala apple I had, left out the mustard because my husband doesn't like it, and used pepper jack cheese because that is what I had on hand.  It turned out great.  I am thinking you could do this same ring using a variety of substitutions like taco meat with refried beans and cheese, or a chicken version with yummy things you like.  It is a great and easy recipe.

Ingredients:

2 rolls of crescent rolls arranged on a greased cookie sheet around a bowl with wide ends overlapping

chopped ham (enough to go around the ring)

dijon mustard spread thinly around the inside of the ring

one carmelized onion

one granny smith apple peeled and sliced thinly

brie cheese cover the other ingredients arranged around the bowl

Remove the bowl after all the ingredients are arranged on the dough.

Fold the dough points in and pinch in the enter to keep melted cheese from coming out.

Place the ring in a 350 degree preheated over for 30 minutes.  Remove and slide onto a serving plate.

Enjoy!

Apple Whiskey Turkey Brine

APPLE WHISKEY TURKEY BRINE
A few years ago Olivia and I decided to experiment with putting our holiday turkey in a brine the day before we roast it.  We've tried different types of brine.  The common ingredients in most are salt, sugar, spices, etc.  This one intrigued us because it contained apple whiskey.  That sounded to us like just the perfect accompaniment to turkey.

This year we started with a thawed 17 pound Butterball turkey and a five gallon bucket.  Here is the recipe we used, but feel free to tweak it to your liking.  You won't believe how incredibly moist and flavorful your turkey will be.  It is awesome!
-Nanette

1 cup salt (we use Kosher salt)

1 cup brown sugar

1-2 cups of Jim Beam apple whiskey

1 tablespoon of peppercorns

2-5 garlic cloves

2 sliced apples

2 sliced oranges

Put the first five ingredients in a five gallon bucket with just enough water to dissolve the salt and sugar.  Add your turkey.  Cover with enough water to fully surround the bird.  Put in the bucket your apples and oranges.  Put ice cubes in the bucket to keep things cool.  Cover the bucket and place it on a porch or in an unheated garage where everything will stay cool.  Add ice occasionally if needed.  Soak that bird until it is good an happy.  We soak it at least 8-12 hours.  Pull it out of the brine and roast as you normally would.  Yummy!

Smoky Mountain Cat Head Biscuits

 SMOKY MOUNTAIN CAT HEAD BISCUITS

This recipe is a repeat of one Olivia shared before but we are sharing it again with a very special purpose in mind.  As many of you know, our family loves the Great Smoky Mountains.  We have been travelling there and enjoying that beautiful region and its people for decades.  As beautiful as the mountains, cascades, streams and wildlife are (and they are extraordinarily beautiful) the people who live there are even more beautiful and special.  Many of the families who live there have been there for generations.  Their roots and love for the area run deep.

This is why our hearts were breaking during recent days as we learned of the wildfires that devastated the community of Gatlinburg and the surrounding area.  Many people lost their homes and some even lost their lives.  Because this is an area heavily dependent upon tourism, many people were  not only impacted by losing loved ones and homes, but their livelihood has been affected as well.  They  have coined a phrase there, "Smokies Strong," that speaks to the strength, courage, and resiliency of these special people.  

If you have ever visited there and have been touched by the beauty of this special place and its people, we are asking you to consider donating to help in the relief efforts.  Dolly Parton and her Dollywood  Foundation have set up a fund to help in the ongoing efforts to get these people back up on their feet.  You can donate by going to www.dollywoodfoundation.com .  During this holiday season the need is even more keenly felt.  Please give generously.

-Nanette

Cat Head BiscuitsRecipe from America’s Test Kitchen Best Ever Recipes

Ingredients:

3 cups White Lily All-Purpose Flour (it MUST be White Lily, not regular all-purpose flour; if White Lily is unavailable, use 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 ounces) all purpose flour and 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) cake flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons butter, softened and cut into 1/2″ pieces
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Instructions: 

Adjust the oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9″ round cake pan with shortening and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using your fingers, mix the butter and shortening into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and stir with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon until combined.

Use a 1/2 cup ice cream scoop or measuring cup to measure out 6 heaping portions of dough and place them each in the prepared pan, one in the middle and 5 surrounding it. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden on top. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Carefully break apart the biscuits with two forks (or leave them in the pan until you’re ready to serve them). Makes 6 ginormous, cat head-sized biscuits.

HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE

HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE
The Thanksgiving holiday is just around the corner and everyone has an opinion about cranberry sauce. Do you use the canned variety, frozen, or fresh?  Olivia found this outstanding recipe for homemade and freshly canned cranberry sauce on the Ball canning website.  It provides the right amount of sweet and tangy flavor that makes cranberry sauce a holiday favorite.  Cranberries are plentiful right now and often can be found at a good price, so take the time to make this recipe and your guests won't be disappointed.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
-Nanette

Preserving Method: Water Bath Canning

Makes about 8 (8 oz) half pints

The whole berries in this cranberry sauce add intense texture and flavor. Thanksgiving dinner just wouldn't be the same without it!

YOU WILL NEED

• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 cups water
• 8 cups fresh cranberries (about 2 lb)
• Grated zest of 1 large orange, optional
• 4   Ball®(16 oz) pint or 8  Ball® (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

DIRECTIONS

1. PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil.  Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.
2. COMBINE sugar and water in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil hard for 5 minutes. Add cranberries and return mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until all berries burst and liquid begins to sheet from a metal spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in orange zest, if using, during the last few minutes of cooking.
3. LADLE hot cranberry sauce into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot cranberry sauce. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.  Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
4. PROCESS jars in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

CHICKEN CRESCENT BAKE

CHICKEN CRESCENT BAKE
Olivia found this scrumptious recipe at a web site called www.bakeatmidnite.com .  If you like chicken and you like cheese, this is a winner.  I even thought if you would like to substitute turkey (leftover from the upcoming holiday) that might be a new creative way to use up what is left of the bird.  I think the key here to getting a desirable texture is not pouring the sauce directly on the rolls but around them so the rolls have an opportunity to reach a lovely golden brown.  The soup, cream cheese, and cheese make for a delicious silky inside filling.  Give this recipe a try with either chicken or turkey.  You will probably want to make it again and again.
-Nanette

CHICKEN CRESCENT BAKE

PREP TIME

10 mins

COOK TIME

35 mins

TOTAL TIME

45 mins

Author: Judith Hannemann

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tube (8 count) regular-sized crescent rolls
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 4 oz softened cream cheese
• 1 tsp instant minced onion
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp salt
• pinch of pepper
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• Sauce:
• 1 can (10.75 oz) cream of chicken soup*
• 1 soup can of milk (use the empty soup can)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. *Cream of Mushroom may be substituted
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Lightly spray a 11×7-inch rectangular baker.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the chicken, cream cheese, instant minced onion, garlic powder, salt, pepper and mozzarella. Set aside.
5. In another bowl, mix the soup with the milk, stirring the milk in gradually so it’s smooth.
6. Separate the crescent dough into the 8 triangles. Place about ¼ cup of the chicken mixture on the wide base of the crescent “triangle.” Roll up and seal completely–you roll these like you are making rolls, but also pinch the sides together so the filling is completely enclosed by the crescent dough.
7. Place chicken-filled crescents in the pan making 2 rows with 4 crescents in each row–leave space on all sides for the sauce.
8. Pour sauce around the crescents, avoiding covering the dough with the sauce or they will not brown and will be soggy!
9. Sprinkle crescent tops with the grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.
10. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until tops are nicely browned.

ZUCCHINI CHEESE RICE

ZUCCHINI CHEESE RICE
Most people have harvested the last of their squash and probably either eaten them or preserved them in some way, but some folks may still have that lone zucchini that looms large in the kitchen,  You may be looking at it and saying to yourself, "I really should use this thing before it goes to waste."  Well, ponder the situation no longer and make this delicious cheesy garlic zucchini rice.  It has all the texture and taste you could ever want from the humble zucchini and is sure to please those with whom you share it.  It is a simple, but delicious recipe you should definitely try.  Olivia made it and gave it a two thumbs up!
-Nanette

CHEESY GARLIC ZUCCHINI RICE

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 20 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME: 30 MINUTES

RECIPE FROM:  www.damndelicious.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups vegetable broth*
• 1 cup rice*
• 2 zucchini, shredded
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Stir in vegetable broth and rice. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in zucchini and cheese; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and let stand until cheese has melted, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Serve immediately.

*Water can be substituted.

*Brown rice or quinoa can be substituted, but cooking time may have to be adjusted as needed.