Stout Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts

1 bottle oatmeal stout beer

1 cube frozen homemade pesto, divided

¼ cup apricot preserves, divided

Red onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

·         Preheat barbecue. Turn to medium heat.

·         Put frozen chicken breasts in roasting pan. Pour oatmeal stout over them. 

·         Place ⅓ of cube of pesto (1 tsp) on each chicken breast to melt.

·         Place 1 TBSP of apricot preserves on each chicken breast to soften.

·         Sprinkle onion powder over chicken breast. 

·         Leave it alone for half an hour, until the chicken breasts are mostly thawed.

·         Scrape pesto and preserves off chicken breast into the beer. Stir to mix evenly.

·         Slice chicken into ½” pieces. 

·         Return chicken to roasting pan; baste with beer mixture. Continue to baste regularly.

·         As chicken cooks, beer mixture will reduce.

·         When chicken is nearly done, move to direct grill surface. Baste with remainder of beer mixture.

·         Serve with roasted potatoes or squash, and good dark beer. 

Mango Sorbet

Ingredients:
2½ cups Mango Nectar

½ - ¾ cup granulated sugar

1½ cups frozen, sliced, sweetened strawberries

Instructions:

Dissolve sugar in mango nectar. Add frozen strawberries. Put it in the machine and turn it on. Freeze for an hour or two before serving. 

Option: serve with a sprig of fresh mint.

 

This is incredibly good. 

Mini Meat Pies (Clean Refrigerator)

Mini Chicken 'n Broccoli Pies

Filling Mixture

1          tablespoon vegetable oil          

1          lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces    

1          medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)         

1          cup frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained         

½         teaspoon salt   

¼         teaspoon pepper          

1          cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)    

Baking Mixture 

½         cup homemade baking mix       

½         cup milk           

2          eggs    

           

Process:
First, mix your filling ingredients.

While they're sitting there, happily sharing flavors, mix the baking mix with milk and eggs. Mix these ingredients together, and put a little less than a tablespoon in each greased muffin cup. If using mini pie-pans, a bit more.

Next add your filling. Add about ¼ cup of the mixture to each muffin-size cup. If using mini pie-pans, you'll need about ½ cup of filling ingredients.

Finally, top it off with one more tablespoon of the homemade baking mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375º. They should pop out of the pan easily. Plate, garnish & serve.

Also consider:

     Creative variations: Cheeseburger, pepperoni pizza, 
   breakfast sausage & mushroom (pictured), BLT. 
      Be creative with your thinking

   Thai Chicken Mixture: 

  1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

¼ cup sliced green onions (4 medium)

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

½ teaspoon Thai red curry paste

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

Homemade Baking Mix (Bisquick Replacement)

Homemade Bisquick, small batches

Ingredients

1⅛ cups flour

1¾ tsp baking powder

⅓ tsp salt (OPTION: Use bouillon instead, for savory dishes)

½ TBSP sugar (OPTIONAL)

1⅓TBSP powdered milk (OPTIONAL)

1½ TBSP shortening, oil or butter

(makes 1½ cups total, as listed.)

Procedure

Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.

Store in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks or in the freezer for longer storage.

 

Larger Batches

2¼	cups	flour
4	tsp	baking powder
¾	tsp	salt / bouillon
1	TBSP	sugar (optional)
3	TBSP	powdered milk (optional)
8	TBSP	shortening, oil or butter
3¼	cups	total

Dairy Free Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients: 

3½ cups chocolate almond milk

4 TBSP soy milk powder

4 TBSP Hershey’s cocoa powder

½ cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Put the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Heat ½ cup of the almond milk to modestly warm. Mix it into the dry ingredients to form an epic chocolate paste. 
• Resist the temptation to pour this over vanilla ice cream and hide away eating it. 
• When it’s mixed smoothly, add the rest of the (refrigerated) almond milk. You might cool this in the fridge for an hour or three. 
• Then load it into the ice cream maker & let ‘er run. It’ll be best if you freeze it for a couple of hours before serving it.

Comments:

1.      This is really quite good.

2.      It could be better. Try soy milk next time. Add a little more sugar.

3.      Be really careful to mix things very well before adding to the ice cream maker.
4.      Don't hesitate to add other chocolatey goodness: chopped dark chocolate peanut butter cups is a favorite. 

Chocolate Overload Ice Cream

Ingredients:
4 TBSP cocoa powder

¾ cup sugar

3 cups half & half

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup dark chocolate chips

¾ cup dark chocolate peanut butter cups, chopped (half a package)

Instructions:

• Put the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Heat ½ cup of half & half to modestly warm. Mix it into the dry ingredients to form an epic chocolate paste. 
• Resist the temptation to pour this over vanilla ice cream and hide away eating it. 
• When it’s mixed smoothly, add the rest of the (refrigerated) half & half. You might cool this in the fridge for an hour or three. 
• Then load it into the ice cream maker & let ’er run.
• About 10 minutes after starting the process, add the chocolate chunks.
• When it’s done, it’ll be best if you freeze it for a couple of hours before serving it.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

I learned from a friend about how to make my own vanilla extract. Since she's a world class cook and hostess, I took her seriously: she makes yummy desserts with this!

The instructions are simple:

1. Buy a fifth of vodka (cheap vodka will do; all it's doing is preserving and delivering the vanilla flavor. (I soaked the label off: it looks better.)
2. Add four or five vanilla beans. 
3. Wait three or four months. 

This is one month old, now. It should be ready around Thanksgiving. 750 ml of good real vanilla extract for $18.00 (if you get your vanilla beans at the Food Co-op in town).

I'm making lots of ice cream recently, and that's using a lot of vanilla. I like this!

Chicken in Beer & Pesto

Ingredients, per person:

Tinfoil for a small, tinfoil pan

1 frozen chicken breast (Costco)

1 tablespoon homemade pesto, in frozen chunks

Some beer (one bottle/can will do a whole family’s worth)

Seasoning to taste: I used powdered poblano and roasted bell.

Pinch of salt.

Instructions:

• Fold the tinfoil into a shallow pan, ½” deep, and slightly larger than each chicken breast.  
• While barbecue is pre-heating, place frozen chicken in tinfoil pan on grille (I prefer on a piece of steel on the grille; can be used directly on grille).
•  Immediately fill the tinfoil pan halfway with beer. (I used a German style lager.) Place frozen pesto on top to thaw, and then spread it on the chicken.
• Drizzle olive oil over the pesto/chicken. Season more heavily than usual, as the beer will dilute it.
• Turn the chicken as needed. Spread pesto, add olive oil and seasoning as needed.

Time: about 5 minutes prep, 20 minutes cook time on fairly high heat.

Non Dairy Ice Cream

Ingredients:

3 cups dairy free milk (Soy, Hemp, Almond, Rice)

2 tablespoons soy milk powder

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 to 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine all of the ingredients. Cover, refrigerate, 1 to 2 hours, or overnight. 

 

2. Turn the Cuisinart® Ice Cream Maker on; pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 30 to 35 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. 

 

If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Cuisinart’s comments: “We have created a basic vanilla ice cream where any type of dairy free "milk" can be used, be it Soy, Almond, Rice, Hemp, etc. The final product is a bit icier than traditional ice cream, but the flavor has not been compromised!

Variations: When it's halfway there, add: 

• 1 cup frozen, sliced strawberries, sweetened. Thaw them a little.
• 1 cup frozen blackberries, sweetened. Mash them up a little. 
• 1 cup Trader Joe's dark chocolate peanut butter cups, chopped