Wayne's Fried Chicken

When we were younger, Wayne worked at Planet Hollywood. Everyone there loved the "Chicken Crunch" fried chicken. The key to it is the sweetness of the Cap'n Crunch (yes, that's exactly what I said). This is Wayne's adaptation. Make a lot. People can not stop eating this stuff. He doesn't measure so I made him estimate the amounts. It's about trial and error, and what you like.

• Flour ("about a cup")
• Cornflakes ("about a cup" crushed)
• Cap'n Crunch ("about a cup" crushed)
• 1 Egg
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups Milk (buttermilk is especially good but not necessary)
• sugar ("maybe 1/4 cup")
• garlic powder
• salt & pepper
• chicken wings, or breasts cut into strips
• 1/2 tsp thyme (EASY on the thyme!)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1 tsp dried onion flakes
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• canola oil (for frying)

For batter, mix egg, milk & sugar in one bowl.

Mix the rest of the dry stuff in another bowl.

Soak meat in wet bowl, dredge in dry. Quickly dip again in wet & dredge in dry.

Fry in canola oil (boiling on high in a large pot or in a fryer) until brown.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup w/ Ginger

How do you "core" this thing???

• 2 leeks, roots trimmed, including 2 inches of green
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 celery rib, with extra leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp finely minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 6 cups chicken broth
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 head cauliflower, cored & broken into florets. Here we go - anyone know how to core a cauliflower? I asked around and the answer was no. So I just cut the bitch.
• 1 cup half & half
• salt & pepper
• crystallized ginger

Cut leeks in half, lengthwise. Wash to remove dirt. Pat dry & thinly slice crosswise.

Heat the oil with the butter in a heavy pot over low heat. Wilt the leeks & celery with leaves until softened, 10 minutes; add garlic during the last 5 minutes.

Stir in the curry powder & ginger and cook over very low heat to permeate the vegetables, 1 minute. Add the broth, lemon juice & cauliflower florets. Raise the heat to high & bring to a boil; reduce the heat & simmer, partially covered, until the cauliflower is very tender, 15 minutes. Cool slightly.

Puree in a food processor until very smooth, adding half & half thru the feed tube. Add extra broth for desired consistency. Salt & pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with crystallized ginger, sliced leeks or florets.

You can help your own hamburger

Lately I've been cooking on the cheap. I was thinking you might be too. So I've gone back and marked meals that were really affordable to make.

Got ground beef? got pasta? You don't need sauce. You don't need Hamburger Helper. We're in a recession. Do it this way and spend about $1.25 a serving.

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 lb ground beef, browned & drained
• 1 can stewed tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup small pasta (I used mini bowties)
• lemon pepper
• dried basil
• dried oregano
• dried parsley or chervil

Saute onions & garlic in olive oil until translucent.

Brown ground beef & drain.

Add ground beef, tomatoes and sprinkle with lemon pepper.

Prepare pasta separately, strain, then stir in.

Add herbs to taste.

Zucchini Soup w/ Pasta

Guys, I'm serious about soup. This is my 20th soup recipe on this blog. What can I say? I love comfort food. This one came out tasting a little bit like Campbell's, which is weird. But at least you're getting your veggies.

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1 qt. chicken stock
• 2 large zucchini
• 1/2 cup tiny pasta
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 tbsp dried chervil (parsley will do, too)
• salt & pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions, and saute till translucent. Stir in garlic and saute an additional minute or two.

Add the stock to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil.

Meanwhile, grate the zucchini and stir into the boiling stock with the pasta. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for 15 minutes until the pasta is tender.

Add chervil, lemon juice and season to taste with salt & pepper.

Variations - I read that you can also use cucumber but I can't really picture it. Also, consider stirring in a little sour cream.

Chicken w/ Garam Masala

Modified Indian recipe. I go heavy on the garam masala (it's mild) and extra light on the cumin (because it can easily overwhelm a dish. This cooks up in 5-10 minutes.

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 two-inch piece fresh gingerroot, grated
• pinch (PINCH!) cumin
• 1 tbsp garam masala (or more)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 6 tbsp hot water
• salt & pepper

Rinse chicken, pat dry & slice thinly.

Heat oil in a large skillet, add onions and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring. Remove onions from pan & set aside.

Add chicken to pan & cook over high heat, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until browned all over.

Stir in garling, gingerroot, cumin, garam masala as well as salt & pepper to taste.

Cook 1 minute, then stir in cooked onions, lemon juice & water.

Cover & cook over low heat about 10 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Serve hot over jasmine rice.

*Garam Masala is a blend of common indian spices. It differs regionally but the basic combination usually includes: peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, anise & coriander.

(picture from Flickr)

Potato & Fennel Soup w/ Garlic

Made this up today based on what was in the fridge. I'm stoked because it comes out to about $1 a serving and money is tight these days. You could vary it any way you want to incorporate leftover produce (spinach, carrots, etc.). Here's what I did:

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 bulb fennel, chopped
• 1 tbsp marjoram
• 4 cups potatoes, peeled & cubed

Heat oil and 2 tbsp of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot.

Add onion and celery and saute until onion is translucent.

Add garlic & saute about 2 minutes longer.

Add fennel & leek and saute for another 4-5 minutes.

Add potatoes along with marjoram and enough water to cover potatoes (about 3 cups). Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until potatoes are fully cooked (took about 20-25 minutes). Stir occasionally.

Once potatoes are cooked, turn heat off, mash potatoes up a bit with a potato masher and stir in milk & remaining butter.

Salt & pepper to taste.

PG County Pork Chops

I call it PG because it includes ketchup and canned soup in the ingredients and it's only 4 steps. All thats missing is cornflakes and it would be full on ghetto. Still, it's quick, cheap and really really good.

• 4 pork chops
• garlic powder
• salt
• pepper
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
  3/4 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 5 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Brown chops on medium-high heat with garlic, salt & pepper.

Put chops into roasting pan.

Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chops.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

**Serve with purple drink**

Slammin' Spaghetti Sauce

I didn't realize a little lemon zest makes such a difference but it really adds something!

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 10 garlic cloves, minced
• two 14oz cans of tomatoes, w/ juices
• pinch or two of red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp grated lemon peel
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or basil, I've done both) + more for garnish
• coarse salt
• freshly grated black pepper

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.

Add the onion & cook until soft & light golden brown, about 7 minutes.

Add the garlic & cook another minute.

Add the tomatoes & juices & bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Add the red pepper flakes & lemon peel, then lower the heat & simmer for about 20 minutes, taking time to smash the tomato pieces so the sauce is more pulpy than chunky.

Stir in the chopped parsley.

Check for flavor and salt & pepper to taste.

Sauce will keep one week in a tightly sealed container in the fridge. Just heat it when you want it and pour it over pasta.

*you can also add about 1/2 lb of ground beef to make a meat sauce

Chinese Egg Drop Soup

This is great for when you're fighing off brochitis like I am. Soup is always great for when you're sick but this also has two extra great things - ginger & garlic. Seriously good medicine.

• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp medium dry sherry
• one 2-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 cup dried fine egg noodles
• 2 large eggs, beaten lightly
• 1-2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1.5 tsp sesame oil

Bring stock, soy sauce, sherry, ginger & garlic to a boil in a 2 quart heavy saucepan.

Remove ginger & garlic with a slotted spoon & discard. Or, finely chop the garlic and leave it in. You could also mince the ginger and leave it in.

Stir in noodles & simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 4 minutes.

Stirring soup in a circular motion, add eggs in a slow, steady stream.

Simmer, undisturbed, until strands of egg are cooked, about 1 minute.

Remove from heat & stir in scallions (to taste) & sesame oil.

Season with salt.

Corn Chowder

Perfect for a rainy day:

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 large potato, chopped
• 4 cups corn kernels, fresh cooked or frozen
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup cream or half & half
• 6 more tbsp butter (optional)

Saute onions in butter until they are tender & translucent. Add the corn, potato, chicken broth & herbs. Simmer for 25 minutes.

Puree soup in blender, return to pot. To make it a little thicker, puree half or just skip this step entirely.

Before serving add the cream and additional butter.

Salt & pepper to taste.

Leftovers Frittata

Made this this morning with leftover bits from the fridge....

6 eggs, beaten

1-2 oz grated cheese (I used the gouda I had leftover from Jossie's birthday canapes)

fresh ground salt & pepper to taste

1 tbsp butter

1/2 - 1 cup chopped leftovers. I used tomato, ham & onion

Chopped fresh herbs (I used wilted arugula from the fridge. Yes I know it's not an herb. Whatever. I also used a bit of sage and parsley. Happy now?)

Preheat oven to broil.

Blend eggs with a fork, adding cheese (parmesan, cheddar, etc.), salt & pepper.

Heat 12-inch non-stick oven-safe saute pan over medium heat (lot of hyphens, there...).

Add butter to pan & melt.

Add veggies & meat to pan & saute for 2-3 minutes.

Pour egg mixture into pan & stir with rubber spatula.

Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the egg mimsture has set up on the bottom and begins to set on top.

Sprinkle with herbs & put the pan in the oven to broil for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned & fluffy.

Remove from pan & cut inot servings.

Suggestions: try drizzling it with truffle oil/salt, sprinkle more grated cheese on the top, mix other herbs in there as well as leftover meat, peppers, corn, etc.

Miso Soup

If you've ever been to a Japanese restaurant (sushi, or maybe teppanyaki where they cook the food in front of you) you are almost always given miso soup at the start. It's simple, quick and really good for you. The traditional version contains seaweed. I'm not big on seaweed, so I left that out.

• miso paste (you can get this at any asian grocer, or maybe even the ethnic section of a regular grocery store). Here's what it looks like:
  

• 1/2 block Tofu, cut into 1/2-inch squares. Tofu is often in the refrigerated part of your produce section with the salad dressings. You can get firm or soft or many variations in between usually, though, the soft kind is used for miso soup.
• 2 spring onions cut as thinly as possible.
• water.

Put a pot of water on to boil and add the miso paste first. I didn't put an amount there because it's really up to you. I used about 4 heaping spoonfuls, kind of a lot. I liked it but you may want to start with 2 and taste it before you add more.

Chop up your tofu in small squares (try getting some of the liquid out of it first by rolling it up in paper towels for a bit) and add. Add scallion/green onion before you serve.

Chicken & Bell Pepper Stir-fry

Made this up this morning based on what leftovers I had in the fridge. Turned out spectacular, probably because of the addition of Gia-Ninh's soy lime dipping sauce.

• 1 large chicken breast (or 2)


• about 1 sandwich bag full of red, yellow and organce bell peppers


• 2 onions, sliced in slivers ('frenched')


• Gia-ninh's soy lime dipping sauec - probably about 1/2 cup


• 1.5 tbsp cornstarch


• canola oil


• 3 cloves garlic, minced


• salt & pepper

Heat canola in a wok on high heat. Add onions. Once the onions are starting to turn translucent, add the garlic and chicken and saute until chicken is mostly cooked through.

Add peppers and soy lime sauce. Mix a bit of water or the soy lime sauce with the cornstarch and add to thicken.

Salt & pepper to taste. I served mine over basmati rice.

Vegetarian Minestrone

Made this tonight for family potluck. Healthy, easy and inexpensive. Vegetarian (as long as you use water instead of stock) and actually vegan if you leave out the cheese.

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3 cups water (or chicken broth if you're not trying to keep it veg)
• 2 cups diced zucchini
• 1.5 cups cannellini beans (canned works fine)
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes (with juice)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup of the smallest pasta you can find
• 1/2 cup frozen white corn
• 2 bay leaves
• grated parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add chopped onion & saute for 4 minutes or until just lightly browned.

Add water(or stock), zucchini, carrots, beans, celery, basil, bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper, tomatoes, garlic & corn.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover & simmer on med-low for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add macaroni, cover & cook 10 more minutes.

Serve hot, topped with grated parmesan. Look how great it turned out!

Chicken Curry Lentil Soup

Ok I made this up on the fly last winter but it turned out great. I didn't put down any of the measurements but you don't need them. I'm serious - you don't! Just add the ingredients in the amounts that look good to you. It's a soup, so all you have to do is add more broth if there's too much seasoning, and boil it down to reduce it if there's not enough to it. Ok? Here we go:

• 1/2 lb chicken breast strips (or any chicken, meat or even tofu would work fine)
• 1-2 cups lentils
• 3-4 cans chicken broth
• minced garlic
• stewed tomatoes
• vegetable flakes (you can get big bags of these at farmer's markets!)
• curry powder
• 1 whole clove
• dried parsley flakes

Bring broth to a boil & add lentils. Then just add everything else and taste as you go (except the raw chicken, don't taste that until it's cooked through!) haha

Squash Casserole

I know it doesn't sound delicious, but it is. It's similar to cheesy potatoes but with less carbs. No worries, it's still got a good amount of fat.

• 4 medium yellow squash (chopped into small squares)
• one large onion, chopped
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 small container of sour cream (sorry, it's my mom's recipe and this is all she specified)
• 2 cups Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing
• garlic powder
• butter
• salt

Cut up yellow squash & onion and pan boil, drain well.

In a bowl, mix equal portions of the cream of chicken and the sour cream (ok so there's the amount for the sour cream). Season with salt.

Spray 8x8 pan, top with extra stuffing, dot with butter and bake on 350 for 30 minutes to crisp top & heat through.

Swedish Meatballs

This is another recipe from my mother (which means some of the ingredients don't have specifications for amounts). But this is hard to mess up.

• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup water or milk
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2/3 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 tbsp minced onion
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp shortening
• sour cream

Blend soup with water (or milk). Combine 1/4 cup soup mixture, beef, breadcrumbs, egg, onion, parsley & salt; shape into balls about 1" in diameter.

Brown meatballs in shortening. Pour remaining soup over meatballs.

Cover and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. OR you can bake them at 350 for 20 minutes. Whatever you do, just make sure you pour off some of that excess grease before serving. Over what? Massive egg noodles work for me.

3-Ingredient Sausage Balls

Another of my mom's. Three ingredients. Yes really. It's delicious - feed this to everyone you know. Ok not the vegetarians, but everyone else.

• 2 cups Bisquick
• 10oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1lb package hot sausage (any kind, beef or pork)

Combine everything together (uncooked) & roll into balls (about 1-2 inches big)

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

THAT'S IT!!!

Broccoli Salad...with Bacon

Another mom-recipe of mine! Definitely worth passing on. It's great without bacon, too. There's a healthy way to do this (low fat cheese, sugar substitute, light mayo, etc) or the full on fat way. Your call.

• 1 large bunch fresh broccoli, cleaned and cut into 1" pieces
• 1 red onion, finely chopped (any sweet onion works well too. Especially Vidalia)
• 1 pkg. shredded cheddar cheese (I know, that could mean anything. Use what you like)
• 1 lb bacon, fried & crumbled (you can also use those fake bacon bits you find in the produce section, although who knows whats in that)

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup sugar (or sugar substitute...I guess)
• 1 cup mayo (light mayo works fine too)
• 2 tbsp vinegar

Just combine & toss with the dressing mix. The end.

Chicken Divan

Chicken casserole with broccoli & cheese. Your mom probably made something similar. This one has an irresistible crumb topping. It's the one my mom makes :-)

• two 10oz pkg. broccoli or one bunch fresh
• 2 cups sliced chicken or 3 whole breasts
• 2 cans Campbell's cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup mayonaisse
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, and more if you love cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs (any kind is fine, I think my mom uses italian)
• 1 tbsp butter
• paprika

Cook the broccoli. Then layer broccoli & cooked chicken in a large cake pan. Then, mix the cream of chicken soup, mayo, lemon juice & curry. Pour sauce mix over broccoli & chicken.

Sprinkle cheese on top.

Mix crumbs & butter, place on top. You can just sprinkle the crumbs over the top and then cut the butter into tiny chunks and layer that over the crumbs.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, uncovered.

Sprinkle with paprika.