Southern Supper

I'm back!  Sorry for the hiatus.  Things just got kinda busy and I was kinda lazy.  :)
I can't say I have ever really been to the true South, but I'd love to go someday.  This is my interpretation of a southern-style dinner.  Pretend you are in the deep south, and enjoy!

Drink...

Old Fashioned

As I have said before, I am not a whiskey fan, but this is another whiskey drink that I really enjoy.  Hmmm . . . maybe I really like whiskey?  Anyway, this drink has a bit of a bite, but once you get used to it, it's quite delicious (and potent).  The Old Fashioned is rumored to have been invented in the 1880s at a gentleman's club in Louisville, Kentucky.   If only I had a parlor in a southern home in which to drink it!
Ingredients:

• 2 oz. bourbon
• 1 lump Sugar
• 1-3 dashes Angostura bitters
• Maraschino cherry
• Splash of water (optional) 
• Ice
• Orange slice and lemon twist (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Place sugar in the bottom of a glass. Wet the sugar with bitters.
2. Add the cherry (and splash of water if using it) to the glass. Muddle ingredients.
3. Add bourbon and ice.  
4. Stir gently. 
5. Garnish and serve. 

Dinner... 

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Fried Chicken Breasts

*recipe from Rock Recipes 
I did not think these were the greatest.  Fine, but not the greatest.  Doug liked them a lot more than I did.  They are fried though, which can never be that bad.  Plus, no food is more emblematic of Southern cuisine than fried chicken.
Ingredients:
(serves 4)

• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 cups flour 
• 4 tsp salt
• 4 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp ground thyme
• 2 tsp ground sage
• 2 tbsp paprika 
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper 
• 4 eggs
• 8 tbs water 

Honey Garlic Sauce

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 – 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 cup honey
• ¼ cup soy sauce (low sodium soya sauce is best)
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
   
  

Directions:

Frying the chicken.

1. Place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and using a meat mallet, pound the meat to an even 1/2 inch thickness. Alternatively, you can slice the breasts by placing them flat on a cutting board and using a very sharp knife to slice them into halves horizontally.
2. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then dip the meat in the flour and spice mixture. Dip the breast into the eggwash and then a final time into the flour and spice mix, pressing the mix into the meat for good contact.  
3. Heat a skillet on the stove with about a half inch of canola oil covering the bottom. You will want to carefully regulate the temperature here so that the chicken does not brown too quickly. The thinness of the breast meat practically guarantees that it will be fully cooked by the time the outside is browned. I find just below medium heat works well. I use a burner setting of about 4 1/2 out of 10 on the dial and fry them gently for about 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. 
4. Drain on a wire rack.
5. Make the honey garlic sauce: 
1. In a medium saucepan add the oil and garlic.
2. Cook over medium heat to soften the garlic but do not let it brown. 
3. Add the honey, soy sauce, and black pepper.
4. Simmer together for 5-10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Watch this carefully as it simmers because it can foam up over the pot very easily. 

    6.  Dip the fried chicken into the honey garlic sauce.

Dessert...

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

*recipe from Allrecipes.com 
I really like pecan pie, and what other way to make it better than add chocolate and booze?  This was a really good recipe.  Having never made pecan pie, I was a little intimidated.  But, it turns out to be super easy to make.  Y'all don't have to be from the south to agree that this pie is delicious!   
Ingredients:
(makes 1 large, 9 inch pie, or 2 smaller pies)

• 1 (9 inch) pie shell
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a small saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter or margarine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter or margarine melts and sugar dissolves. Cool slightly.
3. In a large bowl combine eggs, bourbon, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Slowly pour sugar mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Pour mixture into pie shell.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until set and golden. May be served warm or chilled.

Dinner Fit For A President

Since it was President's Day, I decided to make some of our President's favorite foods.  I was surprised to see how many websites are dedicated to the foods Obama likes, and after a little research, I found some of his favorites.  But first, you might be interested to hear what some of his dislikes are...Do not try to feed the President any mayonnaise, salt and vinegar potato chips, beets, asparagus, or soft drinks.  Instead, you can definitely make him happy with any of the recipes below and whatever your political views, I think you will enjoy this meal!

Drink...

Black Cherry Iced Tea

*recipe adapted from Food and Wine.com
According to the Food and Wine website, "one of Obama's favorite drinks is the hard-to-find, organic Black Forest Berry Honest Tea.  His staff tries to keep bottles on hand, but, in a pinch, he might like this home-made black cherry tea made with green tea leaves."
This tea is great tasting, but very sweet.  I would say it tasted more like juice than tea.  You might want to either add a little water or even a little alcohol to make it less sweet!
Ingredients:
(makes 1 1/4 quarts) 

• 1 1/4 quarts water
• 1/2 pound fresh black cherries, pitted, or one 10-ounce bag frozen pitted black cherries, thawed
• 1/2 cups + 2 tbs sugar
• 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 whole star anise (I omitted this because I have no idea where it buy it!)
• 1/4 vanilla bean, split and scraped(I used a splash of vanilla extract)
•  8 green-tea bags
• Mint sprigs, for serving 

 Directions:

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. 
2. Add the black cherries, sugar, lemon juice, star anise and the vanilla bean with its seeds. 
3.  Simmer the cherries over low heat for 15 minutes, crushing them against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. 
4. Remove the cherries from the heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour.
5. Strain the cherry juice through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing on the solids. Discard the solids. 
6. Bring the cherry juice to a boil over moderate heat. 
7. Remove from the heat, add the tea bags and let steep for 5 minutes. 
8. Discard the tea bags and let cool to room temperature. 
9. Transfer the cherry tea to a large pitcher and refrigerate until chilled or for up to 2 days. 
10. Serve the tea over ice, garnished with mint sprigs. 

Dinner...

Obama Family Chili 

*recipe from iVillage.com 
According to the website above, Obama says, "I have been using this chili recipe since college and would bring it to any potluck.  I can't reveal all the secrets, but if you make it right, it's got just the right amount of bite, the right amount of oomph in it, and it will clear your sinuses." 
I would agree with the president that this chili is tasty, but I apparently did not "make it right" because there was no spice to it!  If you like any spice in your chili at all, add something to it, because this doesn't have any!
Ingredients:
(serves 5-6)

• 1 large onion, chopped  
• 1/4 tsp ground basil  
• 1 green pepper, chopped  
• 1 tbsp chili powder 
•  several cloves of garlic, chopped 
•  3 tbsp red wine vinegar  
• 1 tbsp olive oil  
• 1 can red kidney beans  
• 1 pound ground turkey or beef 
• several tomatoes, depending on size, chopped 
•  1/4 tsp ground cumin  
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• shredded cheddar cheese (for garnish)  
• 1/4 tsp ground oregano sour cream (for garnish)  

Directions:   

1. Saute onions, green pepper, and garlic in olive oil until soft. 
2. Add ground meat and brown.
3. Combine spices together into a mixture, then add to ground meat.
4. Add red-wine vinegar and tomatoes and let simmer until the tomatoes cook down. 
5. Add kidney beans and cook for a few more minutes.
6. Serve over white or brown rice. 
7. Garnish with grated cheddar cheese, onions, and sour cream.

Dessert...

Sweet Potato Pie

*recipe from iVillage.com

 iVillage.com says, "It's no secret that President Obama loves pie. During his Presidential campaign, pundits began counting the number of times he said "pie" during a speech (his record was 15 times in 104 seconds). He has proclaimed sweet potato pie as his favorite on many occasions, mentioning it in the following speech:" “We decided to stop at a diner because I was hungry and I decided I wanted some pie. Pie. That’s what I wanted. ... I like sweet potato pie. I'm thinking of having a sweet potato pie here in Philadelphia. Because I've heard a lot of people are saying they can make sweet potato pie. I'll put it up against my mother in law's sweet potato pie.”
-- President Barack Obama, October 2008
I had never had sweet potato pie, so I was a little nervous.  If you haven't had it either, it pretty much tastes just like pumpkin pie.  Delicious and surprisingly easy to make (if you use my shortcuts.)

Ingredients:

• flour (for pie crust)  
• 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp salt (for pie crust)  
  
• 1 tsp sugar (for pie crust)  
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp very cold water (for pie crust)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar  
• 1 tsp cinnamon  
• 1 tsp ginger  
• 4 eggs 
•  1/4 tsp orange zest  
• 2 cups sweet potato puree 
•  pinch of salt  
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 
• whipped cream

Directions:

1. I'm sure Obama likes his pie crust home-made, but if you want to make it even easier, be like me and buy a frozen pie crust and skip to step 2.  Otherwise, the recipe calls for this "easy" pie crust: 
1. Place the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse 4 or 5 times.
2. Add the butter and pulse just until small pebbles form.
3. Add the ice water and pulse just until a crumbly dough comes together. If needed, add 1 Tablespoon of water at a time until the dough forms.
4. Remove from the food processor (carefully?) and form a flat disc. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour (or 20 minutes in the freezer).
5. Roll your dough in a shape 2” larger than your pie pan. Using the rolling pin, pick up and gently lay the dough into the pan. Cut, crimp or use the tines of a fork to create a decorative edge.
6. Bake blind (with pie weights) at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until golden on the edges, or fill according to your favorite recipe and follow its instructions.

    2. For the filling: Using a large bowl and whisk, beat the eggs with 

        the salt.  

    3. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk thoroughly.

    4. Remove the pie weights from your baked pie crust (or take out 

        your  frozen pie crust). 

    5. Pour the filling into the pie tin and bake pie at 375 degrees
        Fahrenheit for 35 minutes. (20 minutes for smaller pies), or until       
        the center is ‘set’.  (mine took a lot longer - about 45-50 minutes)

A Lemon Lover's Dinner

If you love the taste of lemons, then this dinner is for you!  None of the components are very difficult to make, but it is sure to impress everyone at the dinner table!

Drink...

Aviation

The Aviation is a classic cocktail created in the early 20th century.  It traditionally consists of gin, maraschino liqueur, and lemon juice.  Some older recipes also include crème de violette.  I changed some parts of the cocktail because of the difficulty of finding ingredients, and for reasons of personal taste.  I was unable to find maraschino liqueur (although I will admit, I didn't try too hard), so I replaced it with cherry brandy, which is why my cocktail is red where it would normally be clear.  Also, Doug enjoyed his with just gin, cherry brandy, and lemon juice, but it was a bit strong for my taste, so I added some simple syrup.  This is a real, grown-up cocktail, so watch out - it is pretty strong!

Ingredients:

(makes 1 cocktail)

• 2 oz. Gin
• 1/2 oz. Maraschino liqueur (I substituted with cherry brandy)
• 1/2 oz. Lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. Simple syrup (if you would like a sweeter, less strong drink) 
• Maraschino cherry

Directions:

1. Put the gin, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice, and simple syrup (if you are using it) into a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Shake and strain it into a cocktail glass.
3. Add a cherry into the glass and enjoy!

Dinner...

This is one of my favorite dinners because it is pretty simple to make, but turns out really impressive (I would say restaurant-quality :).  It's a great dish to make for guests.
Chicken Piccata
*recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced thinly into cutlets.
• Salt and pepper
• Flour for dredging
• 12 tbs. butter
• 10 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 2/3 cup lemon juice (or to taste)
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup capers
• 2/3 cup parsley

Directions:

My chicken is browning!

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Dredge the chicken in flour and shake off the excess.
3. In a large skillet melt 4 tbs of butter with 6 tbs olive oil.  Add half of the chicken and cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned.  Then, flip and cook the other side until browned.
4. Remove the cooked chicken and transfer to a plate.
5. Melt 4 more tbs butter and another 4 tbs olive oil.
6. Add the rest of the chicken and cook the same as before.  When finished cooking, transfer the chicken to a plate.
7. Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock, lemon slices, and capers.  Bring to a boil, scraping up the brown bits. 
8. Check the seasoning. (This is where I always add more lemon juice because I like mine very lemony).
9. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
10. Remove the chicken from the pan to a platter.
11. Add remaining 4 tbs of butter to the sauce and whisk vigorously.
12. Pour the sauce over the chicken and garnish with parsley.

Lemon-Pistachio Rice
*Recipe from Maureen K.
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 3/4 cup of white rice (I used brown rice in mine to be healthier, but it tastes better with white)
• 4 tbs. chopped pistachios
• 8 oz. chicken broth
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 11/4 tbs lemon zest

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the shallots and sauté 3 minutes.
3. Add the rice and 2 tbs of pistachios; stir 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the chicken broth, lemon juice, and salt; bring to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat to low; cover and cook until liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender (about 20 minutes).
6. Mix in the remainder of the pistachios and the lemon zest.

Dessert...

This pie is a refreshing finish to dinner.  The best part is that it tastes delicious, but is SO easy to make!
Raspberry-Lemon Pie
*Recipe from Kraftfoods.com 
(Serves 8)
Ingredients:

• 1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1 pkg (4-serving size) lemon flavor instant pudding
• 1 cup cold milk
• 2 tsp. lemon zest
• 2 cups cool whip, divided
• 1/4 cup raspberry preserves
• 1 (6 oz) graham cracker pie crust
• 1 cup raspberries

Directions:

1. Beat cream cheese, dry pudding mix, milk, and lemon zest in a large bowl with a whisk until blended.
2. Gently stir in 1 cup of the cool whip.
3. Spoon the preserves onto the bottom of the pie crust.  
4. Cover with the pudding mixture.
5. Top with remaining Cool Whip and the raspberries.
6. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.

Enjoy!

Sit back, relax, and enjoy all of this dinner's deliciousness.  It's one of my favorites and I hope it soon will be one of yours too!