Savory Cheddar Cheese Cornbread Muffins

Tip: Read directions completely before preparing.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 teaspoon white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 heaping tablespoons minced yellow onion

2 heaping tablespoons minced red bell pepper

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt butter in large skillet on low heat. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended.

Combine buttermilk, onion, red bell pepper with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Place cornmeal, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix well, add to pan mixture, until well blended and few lumps remain. Add cheese and mix into batter.

Spray 12 muffin standard pan, with pan spray, such as Pam. Pour into non-stick muffin cups, making them about a little over two-thirds full.

Bake until golden, about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Have them hot out of the oven with butter! Prepare some beans as a side dish! Enjoy!

Tip: "Corn bread was not invented. It was a product of cultural exchange and practical necessity. Corn [aka maize] is a new world food. Native Americans were cooking with ground corn long before the European explorers set foot on new world soil."

Source: http://www.foodtimeline.org

Chicken Cotelette (Cutlets) and Lingini with Peperonata Sauce

Tip: Read directions completely before preparing.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into scaloppini

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup flour

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups Italian-style bread crumbs

1/2 cup extra-light olive oil, divided into 4 equal portions (2 tablespoons)

1/4 cup butter, divided into four equal portions (4 tablespoons)

1 pound linguini pasta, cooked

2 cups Peperonata Sauce (Click for Recipe)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cut the chicken breasts across the grain, widthwise, into three slices. Hold your knife at a 20- to 30- degree angle to the cutting board so that you slice the breasts on the bias, and end up with an oval shaped scaloppini. You will get approximately three scaloppini from each breast. Pound the slices lightly between two pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap to a thickness of 1⁄4 inch, with a kitchen mallet.

 

Sprinkle each scaloppini with salt and pepper and dust lightly with flour, shaking off any excess.

Bread your scaloppini by placing the beaten eggs and the bread crumbs in separate deep dishes. Dip each scaloppini in the egg, holding it over the dish to allow the excess egg to drip back into the dish

Place each scaloppini in the bread crumbs, pressing the scallop firmly down into the crumbs. Gently turn the chicken over, and press the other side into the crumbs. Remove the chicken from the bread crumbs, tapping lightly to remove any loose crumbs, and place on a sheet pan.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large (at least 10-inch) sauté pan on medium-high, and fry the cutlets, gently turning until golden brown on both sides, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. You will have to do these in 4 batches to avoid burning the chicken. Drain the cutlets on a paper towel.

To plate, add linguini to plate, add 1/2 cup of Peperonata Sauce, top with scaloppini and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Tip: You can have these cutlets with any kind of pasta or sauce!

Peperonata Sauce

Tip: Read directions completely before preparing.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 large orange bell pepper, chopped

1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 large plum tomato, chopped

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:

Heat butter in a large heavy bottomed skillet over low heat, melt the butter. 

Add the chopped, onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the salt, sugar and broth and bring to a boil then lower heat to medium low and simmer for 25 minutes.

Liquid should reduce to about a little less than half of original amount. Remove from heat and pour into blender and puree. Enjoy!

 Tip: You can serve hot, warm or at room temperature. You can use as a sauce for steaks or chicken. You can use it as a pasta sauce and add parmesan cheese!

Calabacitas con Pollo (Chicken and Squash)

Tip: Read directions completely before preparing.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 chicken thighs, skinned (about 1 1/2 pounds total)

4 chicken drumsticks, skinned (about 1 pound total)

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

1 teaspoon cumin

6 black peppercorns

3 large garlic cloves

2 medium squash, chopped (about 3 cups, see photo)

1 small white onion, chopped (about 1/2 - 3/4 cup)

1/2 cup sweet whole-kernel corn

1 large plum tomato, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 1/2 cups water

Directions:

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, over medium-high heat. Wait until hot before adding chicken. Add chicken; cook 15 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Brown the chicken in two batches. Return all the chicken to the pot once browning is complete.

In a molcajete (mortar and pestal0) add the cumin, black peppercorns and garlic and mash into a paste. Use 1 1/2 cups of water to rinse out the molcajete (mortar and pestal) and pour into pot.

Crushed black peppercorns, comino (cumin) and garlic.

Add salt, chicken bouillon, corn, onion, tomato, celery, cilantro and calabacita (squash) to pot.

Bring to boil, then lower heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is done and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, but do not over stir. Enjoy!

 

 Servings: 4

Tip:  Calabacita refers to a specific summer squash used in Mexican cooking, but basic summer squash works fine. Serve with rice or by itself.

Potato Klubb (Norwegian Potato Dumplings)

Tip: Read directions completely before preparing.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 cups potatoes, peeled and grated

2 tablespoons grated white onion

8 ounces cooked ham, cut into 1 inch cubes

3 ham hocks (unsmoked)

1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:

Bring a large, about 81/2 quart heavy pot of water to boil. Add 2 teaspoons salt. Rinse ham hocks and add to boiling water, lower heat to medium, simmer for 2 hours.

Mix the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, baking powder, and pepper together in a bowl. After you have grated the potatoes, place in a colander and remove as much liquid as possible. Place the potatoes and onion in a large bowl, and stir in the flour mixture until thoroughly blended. Use floured hands to knead the potato mixture in the bowl until it takes on the quality of stiff bread dough. Add additional flour if the dough is too sticky.

Pinch off a piece of dough, a bit smaller than a tennis ball and shape it around a cube of ham, completely covering the ham, to form a ball. Repeat with remaining dough and ham cubes. Set aside any extra ham.

Remove ham hocks from the broth and set aside. Bring broth to a boil over medium-high heat. Carefully slide the balls into the boiling broth, a few at a time. Loosen any sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add additional water to ensure that the dumplings will be completely covered with liquid.  Add the extra ham pieces. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. 

Remove with a slotted spoon, and drain on a plate. Brush with hot with melted butter and serve. You can also serve with sour cream. Enjoy!

You can use the leftover ham hocks for navy beans, pinto beans, mustard greens, ham and sausage soup!

Tip: This is a traditional Norwegian main dish.  They are a specialty of the Trondelag region around Trondheim, Norway. Also enjoyed by many Norwegian-American families, the dumplings are boiled and traditionally served whole with melted butter, crispy bacon pieces, and stewed peas, or sliced and fried. These dumplings are even better the second day sliced and fried in butter until golden brown. They are great for breakfast with fried eggs.

Spanish Rice (Puerto Rican)

Tip: Read directions completely before preparing.

Ingredients:

2 cups rice, extra long grain

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup salt pork, chopped, 1/4"pieces

1/2 cup white onion chopped

1/8 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup pitted olive with pimentos, chopped

1 tablespoon capers

1 clove garlic, minced

2 packs of Sazon (Coriander and Annato flavored, see below)
2 1/2 cups water

Salt to taste

Directions:

In a heated 5 1/2 heavy bottomed pot, over medium high heat, add the olive oil, let heat up, about 30 seconds, add the salt pork and stir occasionally, until salt pork has browned.

Add cilantro, onion, capers, red bell pepper, olives with pimentos, and garlic. Stir for about 1 minute, add the contents of the Sazon packs. Add rice and water, and salt to taste. Be careful not to over salt. Depending on the brand of salt pork, it can be very salty. Taste the liquid for saltiness. You may not need to add any salt.

Bring to boil, let the water reduce until right at the rice level, cover with tight lid and lower heat to low.  Let cook for 25 minutes, until rice is tender.  Turn off and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Tip: Most grocers today carry Goya Sazon. It usually be found in either the hispanic food or international food sections. With literally hundreds of different Spanish Rice recipes, the addition of the salt pork and Sazon bring this rice recipe to a whole new level of great taste! I've been making my rice this way for years!