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Thursday, April 30, 2015

Quick CINNAMON Bread

Quick breads are so easy and just the right
 size for me. This is basically a coffee cake
baked in a loaf pan. It's mixed up in
just a few minutes.
This cinnamon version is
one of our favorites.
I've used real buttermilk and I've
also made it with the substitute:
1C milk + 1T vinegar or lemon juice;
let it sit for 10 minutes.
Use the butter wrapper to grease the loaf pan.
Cream the softened butter and sugar.
Then mix in the egg and vanilla. I use a
 hand mixer, but you can also use a whisk.
Add the flour, baking soda, and nutmeg.
If you love nutmeg, add more. If you 
don't like nutmeg, leave it out. I find 
that 1/2t is just right for me. 
You can mix everything using just one bowl.
Pour 1/2 the batter into your loaf pan.
Smooth out the top.
Sprinkle with about 3/4 of the cinnamon mix.
Top with the remaining batter and
remaining cinnamon mix. Pat it on a bit.
Swirl a knife through the batter once.
Bake @350º for about 45 minutes, or
 until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let sit in the pan for about 20 minutes.
Run a knife around the edge, for easy
removal. I place a paper towel over the
top before I flip it out to catch the loose
cinnamon sugar. The I use that to invert
it again right-side-up onto my platter.
Let it cool a bit and have a slice
while it is still warm. This is important. 
Your husband can assist here.
Enjoy with a cup of coffee,
 or tea.
It's good leftover the next day. You can
toast it in a toaster oven or warm it
for a few seconds in the microwave.
Either way it's a nice bread to have with
 your morning coffee or afternoon tea.

So easy to bake a loaf anytime!

Cinnamon Quick Bread
1 stick butter (1/2C)
1 C sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1 C buttermilk 
2 C flour
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t baking soda
Cream the softened butter with sugar.
Mix in egg and vanilla. Add milk, flour,
nutmeg and soda. Mix until blended.
Add 1/2 of the batter to a greased loaf pan.
 Sprinkle with 3/4 of the cinnamon/sugar mix.
Spoon on the remaining batter. Sprinkle
with the remaining cinnamon mix. Swirl with
 one pass through the batter with a knife
Bake @350º for 45-50 minutes until
a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in 
pan for 20 minutes before removing.
Cinnamon Sugar Mix
1/3 C sugar
2 t cinnamon

tips: Use the butter wrapper to 
grease the loaf pan.
Buttermilk substitute:
1C milk+1T vinegar.
let stand for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!
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Sunday, April 26, 2015

Pasta with Sausage Cream Sauce

The thing I love about this recipe is that it's
 not only delicious and easy, but I can let it
 simmer on the stove for quite some time until
I'm ready to serve dinner. That makes it a
good pot luck or buffet dish. The added
cream is a nice flavor change from the
traditional pasta sauce.
 I used bulk Italian sausage, but you
can use links and remove the casing.
 Saute the onions and garlic in a little
olive oil, then add the sausage breaking
up with a wooden spoon until browned.
 Drain off any excess fat. Add the wine
and bring to a boil for about 2-4 minutes to
reduce the wine.
 Stir in the crushed tomatoes.
 Add the cream.
 Let it simmer until...whenever you're ready.
 Chop a handful of fresh parsley.
Stir that in. 
Boil your pasta. I like rigatoni with this. 
 It's makes great leftovers the next day.

Sausage with Cream Sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
a swirl of olive oil
1 lb sweet sausage, casing removed
2/3 C white wine
1 L can (28oz) crushed tomatoes
1 C whipping cream
6 T chopped fresh parsley
5-6 basil leaves, chopped (optional)
 Add a swirl of olive oil to a large
skillet on medium heat. Saute the onions
 and garlic. Add the sausage and saute until
browned, breaking up with a wooden spoon.
Drain off excess fat drippings. Add wine and 
bring to a boil for 2 minutes to reduce. Add
the can of crushed tomatoes. Add the cream.
Stir in the chopped parsley and let
simmer on low until you are ready to
serve dinner. Stir in basil leaves.
Serve over pasta.
Top with Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Fish 'n Chips

For delicious crispy, crunchy oven-roasted fish
I use crushed potato chips! Salt and Vinegar
potato chips are my favorite, but you can use
any type. You can also use any type of fish.
My favorite is salmon. It's an easy and
quick dinner, also a favorite. 
I used about 1-1/4 lbs salmon.
Rinse, pat dry, and drizzle with
lemon juice. There's no need to 
measure the ingredients. I've listed 
them below just to give you an idea.
Brush the fish with melted butter. 
You can also use mayonnaise or ranch
dressing to help the chips adhere to
the fish. Season with salt and pepper.
 Crush about 2C potato chips until you
have coarse crumbs.
I used a glass to crush the chips.
 Press onto the top of the fish. 
Bake @400º for about 10-12 minutes.
Remember that the fish will continue
 to cook after it's removed from the
 oven, so take it out before it's completely
 done and the chips are nicely browned.
To serve, slide a spatula between
the fish and the skin. The skin with adhere
to the platter and you'll have perfect pieces.
Serve with green vegetable and potato.

Potato Chip Crusted Salmon
4 6-oz filets of salmon
2 T lemon juice
2 T melted butter,or mayo
salt and pepper
2 C potato chips, crushed
Lay fish in a shallow dish skin side down. 
Sprinkle with lemon juice, brush with 
melted butter. Season with salt & pepper. 
Crush the 2C potato chips and press
 onto the top of the fish. Bake @400º
for 10-12 minutes until the chips are
nicely browned. 

Enjoy!


Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Chicken A La Suisse

This is similar to Chicken Cordon Bleu, but 
served with a buttery sherry cream sauce.
This recipe is from 1980 and written on a
cute recipe card in my very large and
overflowing recipe file box.
The chicken bundles are tender, flavorful and
the sauce is absolutely delicious.
The chicken breasts I picked up at Fresh Market
were very large, so I only used 4.
Normally I use 6 smaller breasts. 
I flatten the breasts with a rolling pin 
between plastic wrap.
Use enough Swiss cheese and
ham to cover each breast.
Roll up and secure with 2-3 toothpicks.
 Combine the flour and paprika in a
shallow bowl. A glass pie dish is perfect.
Coat the chicken completely in flour mixture.
Heat the butter in a large 12" skillet.
This only takes about 20 minutes to prep.  
Brown the chicken bundles in hot butter
 until golden brown on all sides.
Then add the chicken bouillon and sherry.
Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes.
 Remove chicken to a warm platter
while you  make the cream sauce.
 Whisk the cornstarch with a little of the
cream in a cup, then add the rest of the cream.
Set this up ahead while the chicken is
simmering for 30 minutes. Now is when you can
start your rice and prep your vegetable.
Add the cream mixture to the remaining
liquid in the skillet.
 Cook while whisking until the sauce
has thickened.
Serve a generous amount of sauce over
each chicken bundle.
You can make most of this ahead of time. 
I usually make up the bundles, then refrigerate
until I'm ready to fix dinner. For company

 I would stop after step 4, then continue
when needed, letting chicken come to
room temperature before beginning
again. That way there is very little mess.
You can see the cheese and ham layers. 

Chicken A La Suisse
4-6 boneless chicken breasts
8-12 slices Swiss cheese (8oz)
8-12 thin slices ham (8oz)
1/4 C flour
1 t paprika
salt & pepper
6 T butter
1/2 C dry sherry
1 t chicken bouillon 
1 T cornstarch
1 C heavy cream
1. Pound the chicken breasts flat
Season with salt and pepper. 
2. Onto each chicken breast layer 2 
slices of Swiss cheese and 2 slices 
of the ham. Fold/roll the chicken breast 
so it covers the cheese and ham. 
Secure with toothpicks. 
3. In a shallow bowl combine the flour
 and paprika. Coat each chicken bundle
 thoroughly with the flour mixture. 
4. In a large 12" skillet, melt the butter. 
Cook the chicken breasts in hot butter
over medium heat with the seam-side
down until golden brown on all sides. 
5. With chicken seam-side up, 
add the sherry and bouillon. Cover 
and simmer on low for 30 minutes. 
6. Remove the chicken to a warm platter, 
remove the toothpicks. Whisk together
 the cream and cornstarch in a small bowl. 
7. Whisk the cream mixture into the
 remaining liquid in the skillet. Cook, 
stirring until the sauce becomes thickened. 
8. Serve each chicken
breast with a generous amount of sauce. 
serves 4-6

Enjoy!

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