Chicken Nuggets

I used to think that Chicken Nuggets consisted solely of those “mystery nuggets” that you get in kids’ meals (not that I don’t still occasionally enjoy a mystery nugget from time to time), but its not true… Real Chicken Nuggets do exist.   They do!  They really do!!

P.S.  The real ones taste SO much better!  And, I'm pretty positive that they're better for you.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Serves 3-4

2 lbs. Chicken Tenders, cubed

1 Large Egg

1 ½ Tbs. Milk (Whole Milk works best)

1 Pinch of Kosher Salt

2-1/2 Cups Sour Cream and Onion Chips, crushed (I use Baked Lays)

2 Tbs. Grated Parmesan Cheese

¼ tsp. Ranch Seasoning (I use Hidden Valley)

¼ Cup Shredded Parmesan, for topping (optional)

½ Cup Buttermilk (optional)

Soak your chicken in Buttermilk overnight, optional.

Preheat oven to 375°

In a small/medium sized bowl make your egg wash; Beat egg, milk and salt together.

Trim the chicken and cut into ½” cubes.  Add the pieces to the egg wash as you go.  Place chicken in the refrigerator as you prepare the potato chip crumb-mixture.

Start crushing the potato chips.  When you’re done crushing the chips add the grated Parmesan and ranch season, give the mixture a little stir until all is combined.

Begin covering the egg wash coated chicken with your potato chip crumb-mixture; One by one roll the chicken in the mixture, making sure that all sides are coated.  Line your nuggets on a cookie sheet.  At this point, I sprinkle the shredded Parmesan atop the nuggets.  Cook for 15-20 minutes, flipping the nuggets half way through.

They’re quick, they’re easy and they’re oh-so good.

WARNING:  These little nuggets are addicting.  Serve with Ranch or BBQ Sauce and you may not be able to stop!

Bringing Home the Bacon

I have never met a person that can devour as much bacon as my husband!  He just has an endless stomach/craving/appetite for it. 

I myself have not always been a huge fan of bacon.  I slowly started to develop my own craving for it and before I knew it, I was addicted.  Here’s what sent me over the edge:

It all started when we were getting ready to leave Mammoth one weekend after a family wedding.  Cousin Joy decided to mention this “Great bacon place” she had once heard about in Bishop, California.  So what does any normal family do (the bacon addiction runs in the Daily family) with that tid-bit of information?  We buy an ice chest from a local grocery store, fill it with ice, and make a little pit-stop on the way home- Only to fill the entire thing up with bacon.

My-oh-my, “great” does not even describe this bacon.  It is absolutely amazing!  So amazing and so addicting that we now regularly order it online.  It’s talked about so much in our families that we usually receive it as a Christmas present or Birthday gift.

Tasty Find:  Mahogany Smoked Meats

C is for Cookie

It hasn’t felt much like Christmas in my house, and I know exactly why…  I hadn’t had a chance to bake anything.  Hello, it is a Christmas staple.  I finally got a chance to do some baking and well, let’s just say “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.”

A tried and true recipe that I’ve gone to for the past couple years is Nigella Lawson: Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies They’re um, well, hmmm… Perfectly Christmas.

The original recipe is absolutely delicious, but due to personal preferences I’ve altered it just slightly.  Here’s “my” version:

Cranberry-Apricot and White Chocolate Cookies

(Makes about 36 Cookies)

1 cup All-Purpose Flour

½ tsp. Baking Powder

½ tsp. Kosher Salt

1 cup Rolled Oats (NOT Quick Cooking)

9 Tbs. Unsalted Butter

½ cup Dark Brown Sugar

½ cup Superfine Sugar

1 large Egg

½ tsp pure Vanilla Extract

½ cup Dried Cranberries

½ cup Dried Apricots

¼ cup Pecans, roughly chopped

¼ cup (heaping) White Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350°

In a medium sized bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt and oats.

Fixed with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars (dark brown and superfine) together.  Slowly add the egg and vanilla, mixing until just combined.

Add your flour mixture and beat until just combined.  Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in cranberries, pecans and white chocolate chips.  Let dough cool in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

Spoon tablespoon-sized dough balls with your hands and place on a lined cookie sheet.  Remember, this recipe yields almost three-dozen cookies so you may need more than one cookie sheet.

           

Bake for 12-15 minutes.  Do not immediately remove cookies from the baking sheet when done, let cool for about 5 minutes.

F is for Fun, and Festive… and Fat, which is how I’m going to start my New Year.

Tasty Tips/Finds:

• Mix and match a variety of dried fruits.  Just be careful not to alter the balance; Keep your dried fruit close to the one cup measurement.
• Yes, there is a difference between Granulated sugar and Superfine sugar (also referred to as Baker's sugar).  If you don't have Superfine sugar just give your Granulated sugar a couple pulses in the food processor (or Magic Bullet), and problem solved.

Thanksgiving 2010 Recap

I know, I know… I’ve fallen a little behind with posting this week.  I blame it on the turkey!  He made me eat, and nap, and eat, and play cards, and eat, and nap… Oh, you get the idea.  It was pretty unbearable.  I’m back and ready to get in the kitchen, but first I want to recap my Thanksgiving holiday.

Our Thanksgiving was spread over two Turkey Days, I like to refer to it as “His and Hers.”  We celebrate Thanksgiving Day (Thursday) at his parents’ house, and the Saturday after we recreate the whole thing and celebrate with her (my) family.  Get it, “His and Hers?”  We get double the food, double the family time, and double the fun (Oh, and double the dishes too).  It’s great, except for the dishes part!

His Thanksgiving (Turkey Day Round 1)

I started prepping/cooking Thanksgiving dinner with McD about oh 5-ish (?) years ago.  It’s something that I really enjoy doing and it’s definitely part of that ‘special family time’ I was talking about in I LOVE Thanksgiving.  The day usually starts off pretty early (somewhere between 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM) with peeling potatoes or decorating the table, and ends around 8:00 PM with leftover turkey sandwiches and a Christmas movie.  And everything in between, of course. 

This year was really no different (except Ryan and I didn’t stick around for the movie, by 8:00 PM our full bellies started demanding pajamas and we had to oblige).  McD and I started around 7:30ish with prepping the turkeys, then sat down to make the schedule/check-list for the day.  Slowly but surely, one by one things were crossed off and wah-la, the check-list was tackled.  She did most of the work!  Speaking of tackling, McD and I only wanted to wrestle each other once this year.  (Yes, I will wrestle my mother in law.  She’s one tough cookie!)  We managed to resist the urge and move forward though.  I was proud of us!  Hm, now that I think about it… What happened to those carrots?

My Favorite(s):  Corn Soufflé and Roasted Brussels Sprout

Her Thanksgiving (Turkey Day Round 2)

I get really excited about Her Thanksgiving because it’s at my house and I do just about all of the cooking.  There’s just something special about having all the family together at my house eating at my table, it’s that something that I’ve come to appreciate (again, what I was talking about in I LOVE Thanksgiving) about Thanksgiving.

The day started around 5:30ish with making the schedule/check-list for the day, then it was time to start brewing the cider (my favorite and an absolute must in order for me to function that early).  I prepped the turkeys next and then panic started to set in just a little, only a little.  I was just feeling a little overwhelmed with the check-list.  Luckily McD showed up at that point and helped peel potatoes (which I should have done the night before), and Ryan helped too.  While they were being busy little peelers (there were A LOT of potatoes) I was getting the stuffing put together (again, something I should have done the night before).  From that point on things seemed to flow from one thing to another and before I knew it everything was done.  And!  I’m very happy to say that everything on my planned menu got accomplished.

My Favorite(s):  Pear Liquor Hard Sauce and Apple Pie, together!

THANK YOU to everyone that celebrated with us, especially our families.  This holiday really holds a special place in my heart and so do all of you!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Ryan and McD for all of your help!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to God for blessing me with so much to be thankful for this year!