Cahew-Top Sesame Chicken

I won't be keeping this recipe, it was a bit too salty and the seasoning is too strong. It is one of those recipes where I like most of the ingredients and yet it doesn't come out to my liking.

Cashew-Top Sesame Chicken

3/4 c. dried bread crumbs
2 T sesame seed
1/2 t. onion salt
1/2 t. dried basil leaves
1/2 t. dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. paprika
1/8 t. pepper
1 frying chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2/3 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. chopped salted cashews (or peanuts)

1. Heat oven to 375ºF.
2. In a 9-inch pie pan, combine all ingredients except chicken, butter, and cashews.
3. Dip chicken in melted butter, then roll in seasoned crumbs to coat.
4. Place chicken, skin side up, in a 13" x 9" baking pan.
5. Bake for 60-75 minutes or until chicken is fork tender.
6. Meanwhile, stir cashews into remaining melted butter.
7. When chicken is tender, pour cashew mixture over chicken. Continue baking for 3 more minutes. Serves 6.

Zesty Lemon Chicken

I think I have decided that although I love oats, I don't like them as a coating on chicken. This recipe was easy, but the lemon was too strong. Perhaps if it had been mixed with the butter that was poured on the chicken for the final cooking it would have been better? I won't be keeping this recipe, I even tried both chicken breasts, one with the lemon and one without.

Zesty Lemon Chicken

1 1/4 c. oats (quick or old-fashioned)
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 T snipped fresh parsley (or 1 t. dried parsley)
3-lb. broiler-fryer chicken, cut up, skinned.
1/3 c. milk
2 T margarine, melted
lemon wedges

1. Grease rack of foil-lined broiler pan. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Place oats, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper in blender container, and cover. Blend about 1 minute, stopping occasionally to stir.
3. Stir in parsley.
4. Coat chicken pieces with oat mixture, dip into milk, coat again with oat mixture. Place on rack.
5. Bake 30 minutes. Turn and drizzle with margarine. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until juices run clear when pierced with fork.
6. Remove from oven. Squeeze lemon over chicken just before serving. Serves 6.

All Time Favorite Caramel Rolls or Sticky Buns

Here is the other pecan roll recipe, the one my mom baked. This was a winner with the ladies at the table, but my father liked the other one because it was less "doughy". I think that he liked the shortness of the other rolls. My mother and I liked the cinnamon-taste of these rolls. Both recipes were good, though, and I will keep both.

All Time Favorite Caramel Rolls or Sticky Buns

1 loaf frozen white baking bread, thawed according to package directions
1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 T butter, melted
2 t. water
2 T light corn syrup
1/2 c. chopped or whole pecan halves, if desired
2 T soft butter
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon

1. Let dough rise until almost doubled in size.
2. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, melted butter, water, and corn syrup and spread in a 10" x 8" or 9" x 9" pan.
3. Sprinkle nuts over brown sugar mixture.
4. Stretch and roll dough to a 16" x 12" (approximate) rectangle. Spread with soft butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and cinnamon.
5. Roll up tightly, jelly roll fashion, starting with the long edge. Seal edge by pinching dough together. Cut into 15 or 16 pieces.
6. Place cut rolls on top of brown sugar mixture in pan and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
7. Bake in a 375ºF oven for 25-30 minutes. Cool 1 minute. Loosed edges and turn out onto a wire rack lined with waxed paper.

Old Fashioned Praline Pecan Rolls

My Mom and I baked up two different, but similar, recipes for pecan rolls for Mother's Day. Both were yummy, this recipe was mine and was more brown-sugar-buttery. I melted some butter on them and ate two!! We both had problems with getting our dough rolled out to the proper size, this recipe called for a smaller rectangle and was cut into smaller rolls. This is a keeper, but we both liked the other recipe because of the cinnamon. Perhaps a mix of both recipes?

Old Fashioned Praline Pecan Rolls

1 loaf (1 lb.) frozen bread (I used Bridgeford Ready-Dough)
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. pecans halves
2/3 c. pecans, chopped
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 T flour
1/4 c. butter, melted

1. Let bread thaw until pliable. Dough may be thawed overnight in the refrigerator or in the microwave oven for 6 minutes on low power.
2. Place 1/4 c. melted butter in the bottom of a well-greased 13" x 9" pan. Sprinkle 1/4 c. brown sugar and pecan halves over butter.
3. On a lightly floured board, roll dough out to a 10" x 14" rectangle. Brush with 2 Tablespoons of the remaining melted butter.
4. Combine chopped pecans with remaining brown sugar and flour. Sprinkle evenly over the dough.
5. Beginning with the 10" side, roll the dough up tightly in jelly roll fashion. Pinch dough along the edge to seal. Slice rolled dough into 12 pieces. Place slices, cut side down, in prepared pan.
6. Brush dough with remaining butter. Let rise until rolls have doubled in size (2-3 hours).
7. Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully invert rolls onto a serving platter at once (syrup is very hot!)

Tuna Timbales

This recipe was from my past, but I didn't like it as much as I remembered. I ended up with only two small timbales when I halved the recipe, probably because some of my rice stuck to the bottom of the pan when I cooked it. I just don't like the taste of cream of mushroom soup any more, and the reason I don't eat fish is that I don't care for the taste of it either!! I used cheddar cheese instead of American cheese. I am going to keep this recipe, simply because it is a classic from my youth.

Tuna Timbales

3/4 c. raw rice, cooked
6 1/2 oz can of chunk style tuna
3 T grated onion
dash of Tabasco sauce
10 1/2 oz. can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 c. milk
1 c. grated American cheese

1. Cook rice according to directions on the package.
2. Break tuna into small pieces. Stir in onion, cooked rice, and Tabasco sauce.
3. Pack a liberal 1/2-cup of mixture into a wet custard cup. Unmold into a greased shallow baking dish.
4. Combine milk and soup. Pour over timbales. Sprinkle cheese on top.
5. Bake at 350ºF for 30-35 minutes. Makes 6.

Chicken Cashew

Several things went wrong with this recipe, and I ended up not really enjoying the taste. The biggest problem was with the cornstarch mixture. I used Tablespoons instead of teaspoons, so when I mixed it with the soy sauce it seized up!! I chose to stir it into the bouillon anyway and there were all sorts of chunks floating around in it. So, I prepared a separate cup of boiling water, stirred in some more bouillon, and added it to the chicken before I strained the chunky cornstarch mixture into the chicken. I boiled it for a while and it didn't seem to be thickening, so I stirred together cornstarch with some water and drizzled that into the mixture. I ended up boiling it down until it thickened up a bit. I ended up with a passable Cashew Chicken, but the taste wasn't quite right. Oh, I used carrots, peas, and celery instead of the mushrooms and green pepper. Also, I didn't have any green onions, so I grated a yellow onion (about 2 tablespoons).

Chicken Cashew

2 teaspoons chicken-flavor bouillon (or 2 chicken-flavored bouillon cubes)
1 3/4 c. boiling water
2 T soy sauce
5 t. cornstarch
2 t. light brown sugar
1/4 t. ground ginger
2 whole chicken breasts, split, boned, skinned, and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 T vegetable oil
2 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 c. sliced green onions
1 small green pepper, sliced
8-oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 c. cashews
hot cooked rice

1. In a small saucepan, dissolve bouillon in water.
2. Combine soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and ginger. Stir into bouillon mixture.
3. In a large skillet, brown chicken in oil. Add bouillon mixture and cook, stirring, until sauce is slightly thickened.
4. Stir in remaining ingredients except nuts and rice. Simmer, uncovered, 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from heat, stir in half of the nuts. Serve over rice and garnish with remaining nuts. Serves 4.

Southern Browned Rice

This is a nice variation to regular steamed rice, a bit buttery-tasting. But, if you are eating rice under some other recipe, there is no need to take the time to make this variation. The rice on the bottom got a little bit broken-up. I had never made rice in the oven before, so that was new for me. I had to cover my dutch oven with foil because the lid was not ovenproof.

Southern Browned Rice

1 1/2 c. long-grain white rice
1 1/2 T butter
1 1/2 t. salt
3 1/2 c. water

1. Preheat oven to 300ºF.
2. Place rice and butter in an ovenproof skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until rice is golden brown but not burned.
3. Add salt and water, cover , and put skillet in the oven. Bake until rice is done, about 30 minutes. Serves 4.

White Chocolate-Almond Blondies

The same thing happened with these blondies as with the brownies the other day. I baked them in a glass pan half the size of the original recipe, this time I actually measured the pan against the larger one to make sure. After I finished cooking and cooling them, I tried to get them out of the pan and the edges were done but not the insides. So, I scraped away the doughy insides and placed it in another baking pan. I wonder if it is because of the glass pan? I just have to make sure that I don't go taller than about 3/4" of dough in the pan for future batches of brownies. I loved the flavor of this recipe, so I will keep this recipe.

White Chocolate-Almond Blondies

2 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2/3 c. butter
1 1/2 t. instant coffee
2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. whole natural almonds, coarsely chopped and toasted
1 c. white chocolate morsels

1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add coffee granules, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat. Add brown sugar and eggs, stir well. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Add almonds and white chocolate morsels, stirring well.
3. Spread batter in a lightly greased 13" x 9" x 2" pan. Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares. Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

Szechuan Cold Sesame Noodles

I tweaked this recipe a bit, but it came out good. I used whole wheat spaghetti noodles, and replaced the bean sprouts with baby corn, water chestnuts, and peas. I also used cashews in place of peanuts because I didn't have any peanuts handy. I think I will keep this recipe, because I liked the flavor of the sauce. However, a bit less soy sauce next time.

Szechuan Cold Sesame Noodles

3 quarts water
1 T corn oil
1 pound fresh Chinese whole-wheat noodles
1 T sesame oil
2 c. canned bean sprouts, drained
1 c. shredded cooked chicken
3 T sesame seeds
2 t. sesame oil
6 T soy sauce
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T oil, heated
1 t. sugar
2 T chopped scallions
2 t grated fresh ginger (or 1/4 t. powdered ginger)
2 t. finely chopped garlic
1 T sesame oil
1 T unsalted peanuts, ground

1. Bring water and corn oil to a boil in a large saucepan. Separate noodles carefully, then cook following package directions. Drain, place on serving platter, and toss with 1 T sesame oil until well coated. Place bean sprouts and chicken on top of noodles.
2. Grind sesame seeds in blender or food processor. Blend with 2 teaspoons sesame oil to form paste. Add soy sauce, vinegar, hot oil, sugar, scallions, ginger, and garlic.
3. Pour sauce over chicken, bean sprouts, and noodles. Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon sesame oil and peanuts.
4. Refrigerate until well-chilled. Before serving, toss until well mixed. Serves 8.

Elegant Honeyed Chicken Breasts

This was a strange recipe. I think I have tried it before, a long time ago. The proportions were off, and I used much more chicken broth. Perhaps it is because it forgot to cover the pot and the liquid boiled away, or perhaps the "condensed chicken broth" can was huge. But I couldn't find any condensed and just doubled the regular broth and left out the water. I burned the chicken breast on the second "honeying", but the chicken had a great flavor. There is a lot of time that goes into this dish, including boiling the chicken in the broth and vegetables the day before, refrigerating it overnight, and then reheating it again the next day before broiling it!! I didn't have any green grapes or watercress, but I don't know how that would have improved the presentation. The directions got a bit confusing after you reheat the chicken before broiling it. I ended up using 1 cup of the broth in the bottom of the pan while I broiled the chicken. I used skinless, boneless chicken breasts. I think I will keep this recipe, with a note to use more broth and not to burn the chicken on the second broiling!!

Elegant Honeyed Chicken Breasts

1/4 c. sliced almonds
1 med. onion, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 sprig parsley
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 t. dried rosemary leaves
1 small bay leaf
1 can condensed chicken broth (use WAY more than this)
1 c. water (use only if you use condensed broth)
4 whole chicken breasts
1/3 c. honey
green grapes
water cress

1. The day before, toast almonds. Cool and transfer to a covered container for tomorrow.
2. The day before, in a 6-quart kettle, bring broth, water, onion, celery, carrot, parsley, salt, pepper, rosemary, and bay leaf to a boil. Add chicken and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes. Cool at room temperature and refrigerate overnight.
3. Next day, reheat the chicken and broth at low for 10 minutes.
4. Remove chicken and place in large shallow pan, skin-side up. Strain chicken broth, and cover the chicken with 1 cup of broth. Save remaining broth for another recipe. Brush chicken with half of the honey.
5. Broil 4" from heat source for 2 minutes. Brush chicken with remaining honey (if you have boneless, skinless breasts you may wish to turn the breast before the second broiling). Broil for another 2 minutes.
6. Place chicken on a platter covered in almonds and garnish with green grapes and water cress. Serve immediately. Serves 8.