Lime Pudding Cake

I found this recipe in the newspaper a couple of weeks back. It was a hit!

Serves: 6

Level: intermediate

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs, separated 1 cup sugar, divided use 1/3 cup butter, softened 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes) 1 tablespoon freshly grated lime peel (about 3-4 limes) 1/4 cup flour 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 cup room-temperature fat-free skim milk (I used leftover whey from some cheese I just made) Powdered sugar, to taste (optional) Heavy whipping cream, whipped, to taste (optional) Grated lime peel, to taste (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites in small bowl at high speed until foamy. Continue beating, gradually adding 1/4 cup sugar, until glossy and stiff peaks form (2 to 3 minutes). Set aside. Combine remaining 3/4 cup sugar and butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping the bowl often, until creamy. Add egg yolks, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon lime peel; continue beating until well mixed. Add flour and salt; continue beating until well mixed. Stir in milk by hand. If the milk is too cold, the butter will harden up and be difficult to combine. Don't worry if the batter is not very smooth. Gently stir in beaten egg whites. Place casserole into 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Pour mixture into ungreased 1 1/2-quart casserole. Or an 8x8 glass pan would work. Place baking pan on oven rack; pour boiling water into baking pan to 1/2-inch depth. Bake for 42 to 52 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from water; cool at least 30 minutes. To serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Garnish with whipped cream and grated lime peel, if desired.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/food/recipe_database/article/Recipe-Database-Recipe-Details-822183.php#ixzz1WXgm3Obe

Crisp, Brick-Fried Chicken

The hardest part of this is just making sure the chicken is done cooking. You ideally season it an hour before cooking, so give yourself some time. It's about 10 minutes of work and 25 minutes of unattended cooking time. Serves 3-4

1 whole chicken or about 3 lb chicken pieces

1 Tbs coarse salt

freshly ground black pepper

4 large sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme (but you can use dried to taste)

1 Tbs olive oil

1/4 C dry white wine or balsamic vinegar (opt)

pinch of sugar (opt)

1. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. If you have already cut the chicken into pieces, skip to step 3. Place chicken, breast-side-down, on a work surface. With kitchen shears, cut through the bones along both sides of the backbone and remove it. Trim off any excess neck skin.

2. Spread the bird open, skin-side-up, on the counter and press down firmly against the breast bone with the palms of your hands to break and flatten it. Tuck the wings back and under themselves so they lie flat against the breast. Or, cut off the wing tips and discard.

3. Season the bird at least an hour (unrefrigerated) or up to 24 hours (refrigerated, but brought to room temperature with 1 hour to go) before cooking. Sprinkle the bird on both sides with kosher salt and pepper. Press herbs against both sides.

4. Heat a large, nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat. blot the bird dry with paper towels and place, skin-side-up, in the pan. Place a skillet, about 2 inches smaller in diameter, directly on top of the chicken. If you don't have a heavy enough pan -- 3 to 4 pounds -- add heavy objects to weigh the pan down. A couple of cans work nicely. Cook the chicken until the underside is brown, about 10-12 minutes. Remove the weight and turn the chicken over with a pair of tongs. Replace the weight. Continue cooking until the skin is crisp and brown, 12-20 minutes longer. To test for doneness, insert a meat thermometer into the inside of the thigh; it should read 170 degrees. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.

5. If desired, make a simple pan sauce: Pour off all but about 1 tsp of the fat in the pan. Set the pan over med-low heat and add the wine/vinegar, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dissolve the caramelized juices. Cook until the wine is mellow and has no trace of alcohol taste, about 1 minute. Remove the herbs (if whole) and adjust seasoning as desired.

6. With a chef's knife, cut the chicken into pieces. Arrange on plates. Spoon pan sauce over. Serve immediately.

Golden Sweet Cornbread

Fall!!  Fall is around the corner (hopefully!) -- so planning out my soups!  This cornbread is a great addition to any soup! 

Ingredients

1 c flour

1 c yellow cornmeal

2/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp salt

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/3 c vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 9 inch round cake pan (or a 9x9 square pan works fine as well!).  In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder.  Stir in egg, milk & oil until well combined.  Pour batter in pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos

Yes, I borrowed it from this site (Our Best Bites), no, it's not an original recipe, but it's so darn good! (P.S. I stole the photo, too.)

Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos

3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup salsa verde
Juice of ½ a lime
1 teaspoon chile powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons chopped scallions
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
½ cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded Pepperjack cheese
8-12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese with the salsa, lime juice, cumin, chile powder, cayenne, onion powder, garlic, cilantro, scallions, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Fold in the chicken and cheeses. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Working 3 tortillas at a time, stack them on a microwave-safe plate and cover with plastic wrap. Cook 30 seconds, or until tortillas are soft and pliable. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto the lower third of each tortilla, and roll tightly. Place seam side-down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Spray the taquitos lightly with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden-brown. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole.

*To freeze, prepare the taquitos, but before baking, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator until the taquitos are completely cold. Wrap each taquito in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and freeze. To bake, unwrap the taquitos and cook in a 425 degree F oven for 20 minutes (no need to thaw first).

Sweet Potato Soup

I keep a stock of this in my freezer at all times. And it’s one of those recipes that has a lot of leeway as far as the ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

3 large sweet potatoes	Black pepper to taste
*3 (14-oz) cans chicken broth (just over 5 cups)	Orange zest to taste (opt--changes the texture a bit)
1/4 cup brown sugar, or more to taste	Cayenne pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)	**1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

*I prefer to use about 1½ C chicken or turkey broth with the rest as milk, and maybe some orange juice.

**I don’t usually have heavy cream on hand (because if I did, I’d put it in everything!). So you can substitute half and half, whole milk, or 2 Tbsp or so of butter. It will taste different, but still very good. As I said, the ingredients are really here just to make it taste good. So you can add or subtract whatever suits you, as long as you end up with the consistency of soup you like.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Bake sweet potatoes in preheated oven until soft, about 1 1/2 hours (you can also use a microwave). Remove and let cool slightly.

3. Peel sweet potatoes, and puree with chicken broth in batches, using enough chicken broth so that it purees smoothly. Bring puree to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in the sugar, salt, nutmeg, black pepper, orange zest, and cayenne pepper; cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in cream.

Easy Flourless Chocolate Cake

This is really rich and delicious.

10 ½ ounces (just under 2 C) dark or semi-sweet chocolate

1 ¼ sticks unsalted butter

1 ½ cups sugar

Pinch of salt

5 large eggs

Confectioners’ sugar (opt)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8- or 9-inch springform pan very well.

In a double boiler set over barely simmering water, melt the butter first, then add the chocolate and melt, and then add the sugar and salt, stirring frequently the whole time. (You can put them all in at the same time, but this order makes it easier to mix). In a medium bowl, beat the eggs for several minutes while the other ingredients melt. Fold the egg mixture into the chocolate and stir until thickened, several minutes. I use my KitchenAid mixer to beat the eggs and stir it all together.

Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake 45 minutes, or until the top is set and begins to crack. You can always do the toothpick test on it. By the way, it’s better to overcook this a little than to undercook it. Overcooked, the edges are a tiny bit crispy. Undercooked, it falls apart when you take off the sides of the pan (or so I’ve heard).

Remove the side of the pan and let the cake cool completely.

Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired. It’s also delicious with fresh strawberries.

PER SERVING: 435 calories; 5 g protein; 48 g carbohydrates; 2 g fiber; 26 g fat (15 g saturated); 143 mg cholesterol; 29 mg sodium