An Addition to my Kitchen

My favorite new kitchen item has been the best addition to my kitchen.  With some money that I got for Christmas, I started the search for the newest member of my kitchen family.  I immediately thought about getting a salt pig.  If you've never heard of one, you probably are now picturing a dead pig covered in salt (it isn't that).  A salt pig is a container that sits on the counter top and is filled with salt. I was a bit uncomfortable having something that was always open, so instead I began searching for salt boxes.  I found some great salt boxes on the QVC.com website. I chose the box that has two sections.  I have salt in the top one and pepper in the bottom.  It's so easy to just literally put a pinch of salt into the dish or have it ready for my seasoning.  I highly recommend having one of these in your kitchen.  I love my salt and pepper mills, but when you need to add salt, I don't have two hands free to use them.  Also, if there is any kind of steam coming up from the dish, it could cause the salt or pepper to stick in the mill or shaker. If you think this might work for you, I highly suggest these.  They have a variety of sizes and and one even has space for four herbs/spices.  Just go to QVC.com (or anywhere) and type 'salt box' or 'salt pig' into the search box. 

Creme Brulee

For Christmas, my parents gave me a butane kitchen torch.  I couldn't wait to burn something.  It's so great to have another tool and it's a fun one at that. Sure I could do the same thing by sticking my ramekins until the broiler for a few minutes, but this is the cool way.

For the longest time, I thought Creme Brulee was a touch and complicated recipe.  I thought that because people only had it on special occasions, it was full of expensive ingredients.  Nope, it's basically eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla.  It's basically ice cream with a caramelized sugar on top.

Crème Brulee

2 cups heavy cream

¼ cup white sugar

1 pinch salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 egg yolks

¼ cup white sugar

White sugar for tops

Preheat oven to 300ºF and line the bottom of a large baking pan with a damp kitchen cloth. Bring a large pot of water to boil.

While water is boiling, combine cream, ¼ cup sugar and salt in saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally 4 to 5 minutes, until steam rises. In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla until smooth. Pour hot cream into yolks, a little at a time, stirring constantly, until all cream is incorporated. Pour mixture into four 6 oz. ramekins.

Place ramekins on towel in baking dish, and place dish on oven rack. Pour boiling water into dish to halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover whole pan loosely with foil. Bake 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until custard is just set.

Chill ramekins in refrigerator 4 to 6 hours. Before serving, sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over each custard. Use a kitchen torch or oven broiler to brown top, 2 to 3 minutes.

You can also serve with fruit! If you make it correctly...it should like this afterwards. Enjoy!!

Lemon Butter Chicken Pasta

This was one of my favorite new dishes that I've tried in a very long time.  I'll give you fair warning, though. If you're not able to keep three or four things going at once, this one is not for you.  Also, it has the calories of a plate of brownies (I'm just guessing, but I'm probably not far off). 

I am not a huge fan of the lemon flavor, but over the last year or so, it has really grown on me more and more.  I'm not saying that I'm going to start squeezing it into my iced tea, but I like it in certain dishes. There's just a hint of lemon in this dish and it's just right.  I chose to leave out the mushrooms (of course) and I also substituted chopped green olives for the capers.  The only reason I switched the olives for the capers was just that I have olives on hand and didn't feel the need to purchase something else that I don't use very often.

Lemon Butter Chicken Pasta

Lemon Butter Sauce:

¼ cup white wine

5 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

5 Tbs. heavy cream

1 cup butter, chilled

salt and pepper to taste

Chicken and Pasta:

½ pound dry farfalle pasta

4 chicken breast halves - pounded to ¼” thickness

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

salt and pepper to taste

4 oz. bacon

6 oz. mushrooms, sliced

6 oz. artichoke hearts, drained and halved

2 tsp. capers, drained

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

To make the sauce, pour the wine and lemon juice into a saucepan over medium heat. Cook at a low boil until the liquid is reduced by 1/3. Stir in cream, and simmer until it thickens. Gradually add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time to the sauce, stirring until completely incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and keep warm.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.

To make the chicken, heat oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. In a bowl, stir together flour, salt, and pepper. Lightly coat chicken with flour mixture. Without crowding, carefully place chicken in hot oil. (If necessary, cook in batches.) Fry until cooked through and golden brown on both sides. Remove the chicken to paper towels. Stir the bacon, mushrooms, artichokes, and capers into the oil; cook until the mushrooms are soft.

Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size strips, and return them to the skillet. Stir half of the lemon butter sauce into the chicken mixture.

To serve, place pasta in a large bowl. Stir the chicken mixture into the pasta. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Stir in additional lemon butter sauce as desired. Toss well, and garnish with parsley.

If you are adventurous enough to handle this recipe, then go for it.  It's delicious and I'll definitely keep it in the front of the recipe box (that's a total lie...my recipe box is alphabetized).  Enjoy!!!

Sand Art Brownies

This past Christmas, I had my 2nd Annual Christmas Adam Party.  I only get to invite a few people because my house is so small which is really unfortunate, but one day it might become a bigger event.  "What is Christmas Adam?", you might ask. When I was really young, my brother, Dru and I, were always trying to convince our mom to let us open presents before Christmas.  We knew that we would be getting together with family on Christmas Eve to open gifts, but for a kid, that just isn't soon enough.  As a child, I had no clue why 'Christmas Eve' was the name we used for the day before Christmas.  I only knew about Adam and Eve from Sunday School lessons.  I thought it made pretty good sense for the day before Christmas Eve to be named 'Christmas Adam'.  To me, it was logical and sounded like a pretty good day to open a gift on.  Ever since, December 23rd has been Christmas Adam.

Okay, enough back story...as a party favor for my guests, I made Sand Art Brownies.  These brownies are named for the jars of layered sand in various colors.  I made one of these jars in Vacation Bible School as a child.  They're really fun and beautiful until they're turned or shaken.  This is why it is very important for each jar to be completely filled.  The sand are brownies are made in very much the same way.  The dry ingredients for the brownies are layered in a one quart mason jar.  The recipient is given a jar and recipe on how to mix and bake them.

This recipe is to make 12 jars of sand art brownies.  You can present them in whatever method you choose.  I labeled my jars with a tag that says "The Orange Skillet" and also held the recipe. I tied the tag on with a very simple white curling ribbon.

Supplies:

12 quart-sized mason jars with lids and rings

12 ounces cocoa

42 ounces chocolate chips

42 ounces vanilla/white chocolate chips

32 ounces chopped walnuts or pecans

50 ounces brown sugar

5 lbs. flour

5 lbs. white, granulated sugar

salt

1 jar funnel

measuring cups and spoons

several bowls (to pour the chips out into)

1 friend to help you put everything together

Wash all the jars/lids and make sure they are completely dried.  You do not want to take the chance of having anything growing inside your jar. Line your jars up on the counter in a way that will help you remember which jars have already received the ingredients.  Your friend can also help you keep track of this. The messiest part of putting together the jars is the brown sugar.  The brown sugar must be packed into the appropriate sized measuring cup, leveled off and then crumbled into the jar.  I chose to dump out the brown sugar into a bowl and then crumble it into the jar. Once in the jar, the brown sugar needs to be packed before you add the white sugar.  This will help keep your layers looking nicer.

Layer each jar with the following ingredients.  Finish off with the nuts making sure the jar is completely packed so the layers will not move and mix together. If you do not have a 1/8 cup measuring cup, it is equivalent to 2 tablespoons.

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup + 1/8 cup flour

1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup vanilla chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Seal each jar tightly and decorate in whatever style you wish.  Complete package by adding the recipe for baking the brownies:

1 quart jar Sand Art Brownies

3 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
 
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into well-greased 13 x 9 pan. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes. Cool and cut.
 

I loved these and I hope the people I gave them to enjoyed them as well.

 

French Toast Casserole

When I first found this recipe, I thought, "I have to try this!" If you like french toast, you're sure to like this. The only problem I have with this dish is that it isn't a quick dish.  All in all, it takes about  an hour and a half to prepare and bake and then it really needs to cool for a little bit.  When you bake something for 45 minutes at 350, it isn't safe to eat it right when it comes out.  There really isn't much else to say, but that it serves about four (or less depending on how hungry you are).

French Toast Casserole

5 cups bread cubes

4 eggs

1 ½ cups milk

¼ cup white sugar, divided

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbs. margarine, softened

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly butter an 8x8 inch baking pan. Line the bottom of dish with bread cubes. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt and vanilla. Pour egg mixture over bread. Dot with margarine; let stand for 10 minutes. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Bake in preheated oven about 45 to 50 minutes, until top is golden.

I served with maple syrup and it was very tasty.  I hope you enjoy!!

Meatballs

Meatballs are a favorite of many.  You'll find them in various sauces at parties stabbed with multi-colored toothpicks. I have thrown some frozen meatballs into a slow cooker and added the recipe on the side of the Heinz Chili Sauce (recipe: http://www.heinzchilisauce.com/). Today, I chose to add these meatballs to my spaghetti sauce.  If you're a Walmart shopper, I really love the Great Value (Walmart Brand) of traditional sauce.  It's a really great flavor and if you like to doctor it up and do all sorts of things with it.  I use it in my lasagna, Manicotti, spaghetti, and even as a dipping sauce for garlic cheesy bread.  Most recipes I have seen for making your own sauces are very much a long process.  If they're easy, then you're still buying your cans of tomatoes and tomato paste/sauces.  At that point, why not just buy the sauce ready to go and then flavor it with all of your preferences?

This recipe calls for three different kinds of meat: beef, veal and pork.  I'm sure that using all three of these would be delicious, but for cost and ease, I simply used all beef. I also cut this recipe in half because it made too much for my personal needs (which is the same recipe I am posting).  Also, when you're using cheese in a recipe like this (where it is also used to bind ingredients together) it is very important that it be freshly grated.  Besides the fact that it has more flavor when it's fresh, it will blend into your recipe much better.

Meatballs

½ pound ground beef

¼ pound ground veal

¼ pound ground pork

1 clove garlic, minced

1 egg

½ cup freshly grated Romano cheese

2 ¼ tsp. chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 cup stale Italian bread, crumbled

½ cup lukewarm water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Add garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Blend bread crumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add the water ¼ cup at a time. Be careful not to overmix and make meat mixture mushy. The mixture should be very moist but still hold its shape if rolled into meatballs. Shape into meatballs. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or use your silicone baking mat.  Line up your meatballs on the baking mat and bake in oven for 15 minutes. Move meatballs to tray lined with paper towels to drain.  Be advised that you will have a great deal of grease left on the pan.

I really loved the flavor of these meat balls. I hope you enjoy them as well. Let me know if you decide to make them. Enjoy!!

Apple-Stuffed Chicken and Green Bean Casserole

Welcome back to The Orange Skillet!! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! Mine was very excellent! I am very excited to get back to writing for the Orange Skillet.  I have neglected my duties of posting recipes since October, but I'm ready to get 2011 started. 

I found this recipe of apple and cheddar-stuffed chicken breasts online and I was really intrigued by the combination of the apple with the cheddar and chicken.  I used Granny Smith apples and (of course) shredded the cheese fresh. I thought that the apple provided more texture than flavor.  The chicken seemed to be missing a little something.  Crumbles of bacon could have been the missing thing, but bacon can go with everything.

The Green Bean Casserole recipe is the one that I got off the can of French's French Fried Onions. You can also find it on the website.  http://www.frenchs.com/recipe/green-bean-casserole-RE1511.html

Apple-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

½ cup chopped Granny Smith apple
2 Tbs. shredded Cheddar cheese
1 Tbs. Italian-style dried bread crumbs
1 Tbs. butter
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ cup water
1 Tbs. water
1 ½ tsp. cornstarch
1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Combine apple, cheese, and bread crumbs. Set aside. Flatten chicken breasts between sheets of waxed paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Divide apple mixture between chicken breasts, and roll up each breast. Secure with toothpicks. Melt butter or margarine in a 7 inch skillet over medium heat. Brown stuffed chicken breasts. Add wine and 1/4 cup water. Cover. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Combine 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch; stir into juices in pan. Cook and stir until thickened. Pour gravy over chicken, and garnish with parsley. Serve.

Stay tuned to the Orange Skillet for more fun recipes.  I have lots of things to share that cooked over the holidays. 

Update: My friend Martha suggested using a cheese with a little more bite such as gorganzola.  I totally agree with her. I love gorganzola (and pretty much any other cheese).