Chicken Schnitzel with Mustard Sauce

My husband and children have German descents and I haven't cooked or done a thing to acquaint them  with their German heritage.  Not that they ask or care; but it came to me after I saw this recipe on Food Network. 

Chicken Schnitzel has everything I was looking for besides getting A.J. and the homegirlz feeling a little German. For me, the ease of preparation, the flavor AND the mustard sauce! There's a rumor spreading like wildfire in my house that I was spotted eating just the mustard sauce; but that's all it is, a rumor.

The important factors for my husband and children are it's fried and it's chicken.  Fried Lebensmittel-Regeln!  In English, Fried food rules!  Gotta love the Google translator.


For the mustard sauce:

1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup whole-grain mustard (I used Zatarain's Creole Mustard)

Whisk the yogurt and mustard in a bowl until smooth.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.


For the Schnitzel:

5 slices wheat or white bread, toasted  and then cut into cubes
3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs
4 chicken cutlets or chicken tenderloins (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
Canola or vegetable oil, for frying


Pulse the bread in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a shallow dish and add the marjoram, and salt and pepper to taste. In another shallow dish, season the flour with the paprika and nutmeg. Beat the eggs in a third dish. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Dredge each cutlet in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs, pressing to coat both sides.

Heat 1/8 inch of canola or vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 2 to 3  cutlets and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and season with salt. Repeat with the remaining chicken, adjusting the heat as needed. Serve the schnitzel with the mustard sauce.

Don't skimp on the mustard sauce...you heard it here first!

Creole Beef Short Ribs

A couple of years ago I posted a recipe called Round Steak and Fettuccine and ranted on and on and on about the my inability to find short ribs in this part of the work.  After that rant, Gunny, a fellow blogger friend very generously surprised the heck out of me and sent me a humongous pack of beef ribs.  Those ribs were the best beef I have ever tasted!

I had to tell you that to tell you this, I found beef short ribs in the grocery store and you know I scooped them up and couldn't wait to cook them.  I started to make the Giada deLaurentis recipe but A.J. (Mr. Brown Gravy and Rice) kept asking me what I was going to do with the ribs.  ~Sigh~ I couldn't cook them in a red gravy with pasta right in front of him, so I adapted because he can't.  That's the wonderful thing about marriage, I compromised and hit pay dirt!

So go find some beef short ribs and make this right away!

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 strips of Hickory Smoke Bacon
2 1/2 pounds short ribs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups beef broth

Pour about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Cook the bacon until  crisp. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper.

Remove the bacon from the pot and drain in paper towels and set aside.  Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the pot and dredge the ribs in the flour raise the heat to medium high.  

Add the ribs to the pot and brown on all sides. don't crowd the pot, you will have to do this in batches and possibly drizzle a little more oil to the pot between batches.

Once the ribs are browned, place on a platter or baking sheet and reserve.  Add a scant tablespoon of flour to the pot and stir continuously for about 5 to 7 minutes to allow the flour to cook and brown for a roux.  Then add the onions, celery and bell pepper.  Combine the vegetables in the roux, which will be fairly light color and saute for about 7 more minutes, then add the minced garlic and saute for another two minutes.



Slowly add the beef broth the the pot 1/2 cup at a time.  Completely blend in between pours.

At this point I was satisfied with the color, so I added 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire and still wasn't happy with the color.  So I will let you in on a dirty little secret.

Kitchen Bouquet is my dirty little secret.  When I want the color of a gravy a little deeper brown, this little bottle is my answer.  If you're in a hurry to get your roux to the brown color you need, add a couple of drops dawlin', it just that easy.  Creole and Cajun cooks will never, ever admit they use Kitchen Bouquet, but they have at one time or another, just saying...

So I added about 1 teaspoon and jackpot, I got the color I wanted.  Be careful with Kitchen Bouquet, a little goes a long way.

Add in the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and salt and pepper.

Return the ribs to the pot, crumble the bacon and add, then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Adjust the seasonings. 

Garnish with parsley and serve with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Yes, sometimes compromise is good.

Grilled Kickin' Turkey Sliders

Who doesn't like a big, thick, juicy burger covered in melted cheese dripping with your favorite sauce and/or condiments?  We toil away to fashion our burger into our ultimate burger fantasy.  The thing is, when I'm almost halfway through that big, thick, juicy burger, covered in cheese and sauce is dripping down to my elbows, a dark cloud moves in over me and sheer bliss turns into sheer misery.

Sliders have turned my sheer bliss into, well, actually kept sheer bliss alive and well.  I can eat one and no cloud, no misery, no guilt.  Sometimes if I dare, I can start on a second slider and still no cloud.  It's amazing.

I've also learned another trick.  I sometimes use half lean ground beef and half ground turkey.  Sometimes it's all ground turkey.  As long as no one sees the package, my family doesn't know the difference.

I didn't know the first time I made sliders that there was no such thing as "slider buns".  Check out the bakery department  in your grocery and pick out a dinner roll that you like or if you're really ambitious, make your own.

Kickin' Slider Sauce

1/3 cup low-fat sour cream (don't use fat-free)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon horseradish
1/2 teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce
2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce of choice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Burgers:

2-1/2 pounds ground turkey or lean ground beef

2 small shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons goat cheese
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 teaspoons grill seasoning (McCormick's Montreal Steak)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Low fat margarine spread or butter
Garlic powder
8 slider sized dinner rolls or buns
4 slices pepper jack cheese, cut in half
4 slices hickory smoked bacon, cut in half and fried crisp
Kickin' Slider Sauce

In a large mixing bowl, break up the meat with your hands. Add the chopped shallot, garlic, goat cheese (this give the burger a little sumpin', sumpin'), grill seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper, to taste. Thoroughly combine with your hands.

Divide the meat into 8 equal portions and form them into small patties.  Press an indent in the center of each patty with your thumb.  I've heard this indent will prevent the burgers from puffing up while cooking.   It works.

Heat your grill to medium-high heat and spray grated with non-stick cooking spray. If using ground turkey, you shouldn't have "flame-ups" since the meat won't be expelling any fat.  Grill the burgers uncovered, for 5 minutes on the first side. Flip and continue cooking for another 5 until cooked thoroughly. Top the patties with a one-half slice of pepper jack cheese.  Once the cheese has melted, remove from grill, tent with foil to keep warm.  Spread the margarine or butter the buns, sprinkle with a little garlic powder and place on the grill butter side down. Toast for about 1 minute and remove from grill.

Assemble your burger by placing a cheesy patty on the toasted bun, ladling a generous helping of Kickin' Sauce over the patty and topping it with a half slice of bacon.

Look!  No clouds!

Strawberry Rhubarb Turnovers.

Springtime in the cooking blogosphere brings about a plethora of strawberry-rhubarb creations.  Over the past three years I've become very curious about rhubarb because I have not not cooked or baked with it before or have I tasted it.  Rhubarb seems to be a little strange.  It looks like red celery so how can it be the Springtime partner for strawberries in Spring? 

Guy Fieri made this on his show a few weeks ago and decided I would give it a try.  The method was easy enough and the turnovers were good, but I didn't find that the rhubarb added and special flavor or texture.  I don't anticipate making any rhubarb pies in the near future.

One thing I did learn about rhubarb that I haven't seen anyone post is rhubarb does have stringy fibers much like celery.  The stringy fibers need to be removed before you begin chopping up the rhubarb or you will be pulling stringy things out of you mouth while you are tyring to eat your dessert. 

Here's what you will need:

1/4 cup water, plus 1 tablespoon

1 pint strawberries, stems removed, plus a few extra sliced for garnish
3/4 cup fresh or frozen rhubarb, (if fresh peel outside layer to remove stringy fibers), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs, divided
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped pistachios
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, from 1 (17-ounce) package, thawed according to package directions
Powdered sugar, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Over medium-high heat, in a small non-reactive pot, combine 1/4 cup water, strawberries, rhubarb and 3 tablespoons of the sugar. Allow it to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until thickened.

While the strawberries and rhubarb are getting acquainted, you can begin chopping up the pistachios and set them aside. Then in a small bowl, add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and vanilla. Every so often, while preparing ingredients, stir with a small fork to combine. The sugar with absorb the vanilla.

When the fruit has broken down, and gotten thick, remove the pot from heat and allow the strawberry mixture to cool to room temperature. When cool, strain off any extra liquid.

Very carefully unfold the two sheets of the thawed puff pastry.  Roll out the pastry sheet if necessary to smooth out.  Cut each sheet into 4 equal squares. In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg and add 1 tablespoon of water.

 

In a medium bowl, combine the rhubarb-strawberry mixture with the cream cheese, sour cream, 1 egg, lemon zest and pistachios.  Place about 2 tablespoons of the cup filling inside each square and brush the outer edges of the pastry with egg wash. Fold the pastry over to form a triangle and seal. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with the vanilla sugar.

Transfer to the turnovers to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Garnish top with powdered sugar and sliced strawberries

Grilled Pork Chops with a Savory Lager Sauce

Luxury to me is sitting outside, sipping a cocktail, listening to music, visiting with friends, grilling, and eating outdoors...one of life's most appreciated gifts.  My family gets really happy when the weekend rolls around because they know were are cooking outside pretty much the whole weekend. 

Do you know what makes grilled beef, pork or chicken even better?  A dipping sauce!  Just gotta have sauce and not just any sauce, but a richly flavored savory sauce.

So come along children, let's get started:

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 medium-sized red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic pressed through a garlic press or minced
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon blackberry preserves
1/2 cup beef broth
1 cup lager
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
3 to 4 center cut pork chops
Kosher salt and and freshly ground black pepper

Squeeze the lime juice in a small bowl, whisk in the ketchup, mustard, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce; set aside.

In a small pot over medium to medium-high heat, melt the butter and saute the onion and garlic until softened, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in the lager to thoroughly combine.

Add in the preserves and the reserved ketchup mixture.  Bring to a bubble, but not to a rapid boil.  Then simmer until sauce is reduced to about 1-1/2 cups, about 30 minutes.

Thought I forgot about the cayenne, didn't you?  Okay, this where you add in the cayenne.  If 2 teaspoons of cayenne seems a bit much, it really isn't but you can be prudent and use 1 teaspoon.

Remove the pot from the heat and allow to slightly cool.  If you're anxious like me, dip in a potato chip or six in for a quality check, but beware of what happens when you do this and forget to put the meat on the grill...just saying.  Not that it happened, but it could.  Okay, it kinda did a little.

Preheat the grill to medium. Pour 1 cup of sauce into a bowl for serving and dipping at the table and put the rest in a container for basting.  Season the chops with salt and pepper. Grill steak about 3 minutes per side.  Brush the sauce on one side of the chops, close the lid and cook for 3 more minutes.  Flip and repeat.  Plate the chops and allow to rest for 5 minutes and serve with sauce on side.

"That" Salmon or Grilled Sesame Salmon

In my family, which happens to be dominated by females (even our canine is a female), more often than not, I am in the minority.  I love salmon, could eat it three or four times a week.  A.J. won't eat salmon.  His fish groups are catfish and trout and the trout better be speckled trout.  I can easily pass off talapia and orange roughy on him.  As for the homegirlz,  Lauren won't eat fish; she's more of a fried shrimp kind of a Cajun.  Kaitlin only eats catfish and only if it's fried and thin and crispy.

When I happen to be home alone for the evening, which isn't very often, I get giddy.  The freedom!!!  On these rare and special nights I can grill salmon. 

The evenings have become very pleasant lately.  I turn on the satellite radio and listen to my new favorite station, sip a little wine, stare at the mountains and fire up the grill.

If you like a little Asian flare, try this one out!

2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for brushing on salmon

1 shallot, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (4 ounce) salmon steaks

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, add the shallots and garlic and saute until soft.

 

While the veggies are sauteing, brush the salmon on both sides with oil.

Season with salt and pepper.

Once the vegetables have softened, stir in the hoisin, ketchup, honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce and fish sauce and continue cooking for 5 minutes over medium-low heat.

Remove from the heat, stir in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Heat the grill to high. If you have a slotted grill pan, use it to prevent the fish from falling through the grates.   Place salmon on a grill pan skin side down, turn after about 90 seconds to sear the other side. Return salmon to skin side down , lower heat to medium and grill over indirect heat. Brush salmon with sauce and close the top.  Grill until slightly charred on both sides. Continue to brush salmon with the sauce every minute or so until you reach the desired doneness, approximately 5 to 7 minutes per side.

 

Remove the salmon from grill to a plate and brush with more sauce. Allow fish to rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh chives and serve

I'm not going to lie, I was planning on eating both of them (don't judge), but A.J. got home early and ate it.  Yes he did, now he likes "that" salmon.

Here's Lauren's senior proofs...she got here way too fast!

Huevos Rancheros

We're not normally traditional big breakfast eaters in the morning.  Breakfast food for dinner and we're all over it! 

None of us can eat as soon as we get up.  During the week with work and school or now that it's summertime, the girls have soccer conditioning very early every morning, we don't eat a traditional breakfast.  On the weekends from time to time, I decide I want to make a big breakfast and EVERYONE better eat it!

When A.J. and I were on our honeymoon, he ordered Huevos Rancheros every morning for breakfast.  Being the Stepford wife that I am (NOT), I wanted to try my hand at Huevos Rancheros.  I looked over several recipes online and kind of tailored one I wanted to try. 

I have to be honest, this was a pretty labor intensive undertaking and totally worth the work.  We all loved it!  The portions I served were way more than our appetites could handle.  Cut the serving size in half because this is way too delicious to waste.  

1 (15-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro plus 1 tablespoon, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic
1 jalapeno pepper (seeded)
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 ounces Mexican chorizo, casings removed
Canola or Vegetable oil
4 (6-inch) flour or corn tortillas (2 tortillas per person)
1 (16-ounce) can refried beans
4 eggs
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
3/4 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons light sour cream

Open the can of re-fried beans and place in a small pot.  Heat over low heat, partially covered, until heated through.

In a food processor, puree the tomatoes and juice, onion, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place mixture in a medium skillet and heat to a simmer over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Cover and keep warm over low heat.  Talk about smell good!

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, break up and cook the chorizo until browned. Using a slotted spoon, remove the Chorizo to the skillet with the tomato mixture and keep covered.  Leave the Chorizo fat in the large skillet, this is major flavor!

Add 1 tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil to the Chorizo fat in the large skillet, reduce heat to medium. Using tongs, place a tortilla in the skillet and cook until light golden but not crisp, about 30 seconds. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds. Transfer to plates, two tortillas per plate. As you are cooking the remaining tortillas, add a little bit more oil to the skillet because the tortillas will absorb the oil.

Since all that's left to cook is the eggs, and they will cook quickly, you will need to begin assembling.  Spread the re-fried beans on the tortillas.

Begin cooking the eggs by adding another tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Working in batches, crack the eggs into the skillet. Cook until the bottoms are set and the edges golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until set, about 1 minute more. Place one egg on each tortilla and ladle the tomato mixture over the eggs garnish with the diced avocado, shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, and a dollop of sour cream.  Top with the additional  cilantro.
So if you have the time and inclination this weekend and the daddy in your house enjoys this type of cuisine, surprise him!  He will appreciate the pampering.

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there!