As Sweet As Pie

I made my first pie crust! It was quite exciting and turned out delicious so I have to show it off.

Yea, not so pretty.  I did trim the edges after I filled it. And looks aren't everything. It took two rounds with the rolling pin to make this baby. I'm sure next time will be better. I mean I know my baking skills are, well frankly, sub-par but I'm trying. At least it tasted good.

Homemade Pie Crust:

1 1/3 cups sifted all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup crisco

3-4 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Sift the flour before measuring; spoon lightly into measuring cup and level without shaking or packing down. Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in crisco until uniform; mixture should be fairly coarse. Sprinkle with water, a tablespoon at a time; toss with a fork. Work dough into a firm ball with your hands.

Press dough into a flat circle with smooth edges. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a circle about 1 1/2 inches larger than inverted pie plate.

Gently ease dough into the plate. Be careful not to stretch the dough. Trim a 1/2-inch beyond the edge of the plate; fold under to make a double thickness of dough around the rim and flute with your fingers or a fork. 

For a single crust baked with filling, bake according to time and temperature recommended for the filling used. For single crust baked without filling, prick bottom and sides thoroughly with a fork to ensure even baking. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until brown as desired. 

Fusilli w/ Asiago & Mascarpone

If you like fettucine alfredo you have to try this dish. It's easy to prepare and even easier to eat. Fusilli with asiago and mascarpone cheeses will have all your dinner guest asking for seconds.

Here's what you'll need:

1 pound dry fusilli pasta

1 heaping cup of freshly grated asiago cheese, plus 1/4 cup for topping

1 heaping cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 8 ounce packages mascarpone cheese

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

pinch of salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and spray a 13x9 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil for the pasta. You want to cook the pasta about 10-12 minutes, until it's al dente. While the pasta is cooking you'll want to start grating your asiago and parmesan cheeses in a large mixing bowl. Add the mascarpone and the nutmeg. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the pasta and mix together with the cheeses until it is creamy. Ladel in some of pasta water, one ladel should be good but two if you need it. You don't want to drain the pasta because you want to use the pasta water to help thin out your sauce. It will also help the cheeses stick to the pasta. Pour the pasta into your casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining asiago cheese on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until it's bubbly and golden brown.

I served mine along side sauteed squash with onions and caesar salad. YUM! Enjoy. 

Chicken Mojo with Grilled Onions and Cilantro

I tried a new recipe tonight. I'm always trying to keep it interesting and different in the kitchen. I get a little burnt out on tacos and burritos so tonight I decided to go a different direction than your typical mexican meal. I love Cuban food and chicken with mojo sauce, pronounced MO-ho, is a great addition to the dinner table. It's tangy and citrusy with a little bite to it.

Mojo originated in the Canary Islands but has migrated to the Caribbean Islands. There are many variations of the sauce but all of them center around garlic and olive oil. In Cuban and Puerto Rican variations they almost always have a citrus component. If you're not sure what you think about it do some research. The recipe I found I really like. But there are many ways to make. Just find the one that suits your taste buds. It's like finding Mr. Right, except, it's a sauce. The foundation of my mojo is made of chilies and lots of garlic. Mine is also green. The one you like may be red.

Here's what you'll need:
1 pound chicken - Use whatever chicken you like. I'm a breast tender girl so that's what I use.
4 gloves garlic
2 serrano or jalapeno chilies - seeds removed, if you like it spicy leave some in.
2 limes, juiced
1 orange, juiced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro - reserve 1/4 cup for garnish
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3-4 medium vidalia onions  - thinly sliced

Salt and pepper the chicken and lay it in a casserole dish. Put the rest of the ingredients in a food processor/blender and pulse until combined. Pour over the chicken and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

That was easy right? Yes! Cook the chicken however you want. I prefer to grill anytime I can. I grilled mine! Feel free to bake it though. I also put the onions on the grill. You can sautee them if you like.

I served my pollo con mojo with a bean and corn salsa.
Just rinse and drain a can of black beans and a can of sweet corn. Add to a casserole dish with 4 diced roma tomatoes (take out the seeds) and 1 diced green bell pepper. Add the zest and juice of one lime. No salt and pepper needed unless you have to have it. This side is full of it's own flavor.

Mojo recipe courtesy of Food Network

Flufffer-nutter brownies

One of the first shows on the Food Network I absolutely loved was 30 Minute Meals. I still love it! I have found such great inspiration and joy in the kitchen from watching Rachel Ray. I give her a lot of credit to making me excited about food and creating tasty things to eat. She created a dessert recipe that is absolutely one of my favorite things to make, and eat! It's simple and creative. While I love a simple, chocolatey brownie, sometimes you have to reinvent things.

Here's what you'll need:

1 box of your favorite brownie mix (I like Betty Crocker)

1 cup Reese's peanut butter chips

1 cup mini marshmallows

In a mixing bowl prepare the brownie mix as directed on the package. Stir in the peanut butter chips. Bake according to package directions. In the last 5 minutes of baking take the brownies out of the oven and top with the marshmallows. Pop them back into the oven to finish. Let them cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

When you do cut them make sure you spray your knife with cooking spray so the marshmallow doesn't stick to it.

For this particular batch I added chocolate frosting which I spread over top the marshmallows. I normally don't but it was sooo good! You can add it if you like.

Italian Fried Chicken

I don't have eleven herbs and spices but my fried chicken is just as good (in my opinion) as the Colonel's. Fried chicken is one of my favorite things, but I'm a little picky about my chicken. Ok, I'm really picky. I don't like to eat chicken on a bone. I don't want to pick the meat off, I don't want anyone to do that. I prefer to buy boneless, skinless breast meat or tenders. So here I take some tenderized boneless, skinless breast and coat and fry them to crispy perfection.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups italian bread crumbs
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley

Add about 1 inch of olive oil to a large, deep skillet. Preheat over medium heat. Lightly beat the eggs in a small casserole dish and stir in the milk. Add the bread crumbs and flour to another dish and season with salt and pepper. Cut and clean the chicken then soak it in the egg mixture. Dredge it in flour and add it to the hot oil. Cook it about 3-4 minutes on each side until it is crispy and cooked through. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked! Plate it on your favorite serving dish and sprinkle the cheese and parsley over top the hot chicken.