My Dads Chicken Parikash(Parika)

  

This recipe is straight out of my head. It may not be exact. :)


Ingredients:

• 1 cut up fryer. Remove the backs,wing tips,neck and gizzards. (I like to freeze them for making a good broth)
• 2 cups flour
• 5 tsp  Hungarian Paprika extra for garnish, plus dried parsley for garnish.
• 1 and 1/2 cups sour cream
• 2 bullion cubes
• 1/2 black pepper
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• Salt
• 1 T garlic powder plus 1tsp
• oils- 1/4 cup olive oil plus a 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• one can diced tomatoes. or 8 Roma tomatoes blanched, then peeled and chopped up, liquids intact
• 1-2 cup of water
• options: 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms.
•  4 cups cooked Pasta

Place flour in a large mixing bowl. Add 3 tsp of the paprika, black pepper, garlic and a dash of salt. Wash and dry chicken thoroughly. Heat oils in a large frying pan.  Lightly dredge the chicken in the flour mixture. Place skin side down and Fry until very light brown, turning as needed. Remove to a platter. Keep warm. Don't over crowd the pan. Fry in  multiple sessions if needed.

Place the tomatoes in a large pot. Add the water to make about 6 cups of liquid all together. Add the bullion, rest of the paprika, the white pepper and the last of the garlic powder. Mix well. Bring to a low simmer. Add the chicken carefully so that you don't splatter yourself. Place breasts and thighs skin side down. Cook in a simmer, until juices run clear when the breast is poked with a fork. About 35 minutes. After 25 minutes add mushrooms if using. Can be put in a crock pot on high for 8 hours.  Remove chicken to a platter, keep warm.( at this point I remove and discard skin, but that's a matter of preference) 

Turn sauce off, add sour cream and mix well.  Place chicken on precooked pasta, then top with the sauce. Garnish with a nice sprinkling of paprika and dried parsley flakes.

Candied Fruit Peels. Adapted from the Food Network.

 

 Note: Read this recipe a couple of times before starting. I recommend using a candy thermometer, and pre-measuring all ingredients.

Ingredients

• 6 -12 orange, grapefruit and lemon peels.  Can be any combination, or just one type.
  
• 4 1/2 cups sugar, plus extra for rolling
• 1 1/2 cups water
• optional 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, or nutmeg or whole cloves. Or a combination of all three.

Directions

 Wash your peels. Remove all the fruit left inside. Leaving the outside peel and the white part intact. Cut the peel into strips about 1/4-inch wide. Should look like the picture below:

Put the orange peel in a large saucepan with cold water to cover, bring to a boil over high heat. Then pour off the water. Repeat 1 or 2 more times depending up how assertive you want the range peels to be. (They recommended 3 blanches and we agreed. We  liked the texture of a 3 time blanch best, it also mellowed the bitterness. But it is a matter of preference.) Remove the orange peels from the pan.

Whisk the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 to 9 minutes ( If using a candy thermometer it would be at the soft thread stage, 230 to 234 degrees F.) Add your optional seasonings here. stir once.  Add the peels and simmer gently, reducing heat to retain a simmer. Cook until the peels get translucent, about 45 minutes. Resist the urge to stir the peels(THIS IS IMPORTANT**** DO NOT STIR THE PEELS ONCE THEY ARE IN THE SYRUP****.) or you may introduce sugar crystals into the syrup. If necessary, swirl the pan to move the peels around. Drain the peels, (save the syrup for ice tea.)Remove your whole cloves, if used. Save for later. Roll the peels in sugar and dry on a rack, for 4 to 6 hours. Or use a food dehydrator.  Spray the racks with Pam first.  Dehydrate about 3 hours or until desired chewiness. :P Store in an airtight container with a 1/2 cup sugar and the whole cloves you saved earlier.

Mollis Healthy Fruit Smoothies

 Molli Makes the best smoothies, so I asked her to type out her recipe.


1 cup Frozen Mixed Fruits like Pineapple, Mango and Strawberry
1 Banana
1-2 cups Ice
1 cup Yogurt
1 cup of Vanilla Soy Milk or Non Fat Milk.
1/4 cup of Wheat Germ.......
2 servings of Liquid Multi-Vitamins

1/4 warmed up honey, divided for drizzling( microwave it for 20-40 seconds)

Add milk, wheat germ, vitamins and yogurt to the blender. Blend on high with the lid on, and the small lid removed(so there's a hole for adding items) Add ice and fruit through the little hole, alternating until you have the desired thickness. Add honey as desired to sweeten. Also if its too thick add honey or milk to thin it out. Makes 4. Can be topped with whipped cream and drizzled honey.

Fried Eggplant Parmesan

• This is my own original recipe for Eggplant Parmesan. I am not a fan of most the oven baked recipes, so I decided to play with it, and this is what I came up with.  Big hit with a Angel hair pasta, that has a light buttery garlic sauce. Serve with Salad and a Warm crusty Italian bread. 

• 1 eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch slices
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 8 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated  FRESH Parmesan cheese NOT the kind in a can.
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 4 cups light pasta sauce
• 2-4 ups of Panko 
• 1 cup flour

Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt. Place slices in a colander, and place a dish underneath the colander to capture liquid that will sweat out of the eggplant. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. 
Rinse the eggplant in cold water until all salt is removed.

Heat a large skillet with the olive oil. Set oven to broil.  Dip eggplant in flour( do not pack it on, you want it have a nice light dusting, this helps the egg adhere to the eggplant), then egg, then Panko.  Fry on both sides until golden brown.  Remove and drain.  Set a cookie cooling rack onto a baking pan, like a large cookie sheet.( this is necessary to keep it from getting soggy.)  Put the eggplant on the rack. cover with cheese.  Broil just until cheese just melts. Serve with the sauce. 

Diana's Skillet Cabbage

Skillet Cabbage

This easy skillet cabbage goes well with pork chops or sausages.


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil
• 3 cups chopped cabbage
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup red or yellow bell peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet white onions
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper( large ground is best)
• dash of ground ginger

Instructions: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat about 20 minutes before serving time. Add ingredients and cook, stirring frequently, over medium low heat about 10 to 15 minutes.
Cover pan during the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Vegetables should be slightly crisp.

Variations:
Add some cooked kielbasa or seasoned ground beef, for a simple one skillet meal. 
Serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Serve as a side dish with pork chops.
Add a chopped up green apple.

Super Moist Cupcakes, From the FarmChick

I made these today and was very worried about them being as watery as soup, but it worked out well.  They are a lot like Devils foods cake. Delicious and not overly sweet.  Perfect for frosting and serving at  kids party.

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1 3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill muffin pans with 24 cupcake liners.  Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.  (I recommend a batter bowl to easily pour the batter into the cupcake liners).  Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.  Beat with a mixer for about two minutes, occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Add the boiling water, and beat, just until blended.  (Don't be alarmed - the batter appears watery).  Evenly ladle  the batter into the liners. No more than half full, or they rise with to big of a point, to frost.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the center of the cupcakes springs back when lightly touched.  Cool and frost.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Perfectly sweet, but not overly so, and light and creamy just like you'd want on a cupcake.

1/3 cup butter, just slightly cooler than room temperature

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla
food coloring, if desired

Beat butter in a medium-sized mixing bowl until creamy.  Gradually beat in 3 cups of the powdered sugar.  Beat in milk and vanilla.  Blend in remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar.  If desired, tint with food coloring.  (For the perfect pastel colored frosting, only 1 drop of food coloring is necessary).

Buttermilk Fried Chicken.

1 quart of Buttermilk. If you don't have any you can make buttermilk out of Vinegar and milk: 3/4 cup of milk and 2 tsps of vinegar or lemon Juice.  Add the vinegar or juice to the milk, let stand for a few minutes to sour.

2-3 pounds of frying chicken
2-4 cups of all purpose flour ( divided 1 cup and 3)
4 eggs and 1/3 cup of milk...well whisked  together in a large bowl.
Seasonings: ( total of no more than 2 Tablespoons) Garlic Powder, ginger, salt, pepper, poultry seasonings. OR Mrs Dash. Any of these will work, Either as a combination or alone. You can play with the seasonings and add different ones for different flavors. We used Italian Seasonings one time, and it was tasty and different. Another time we used Cumin and Ginger. Use your imagination and tastes! Add your to remaining 3 cups of the flour in a large bowl.
Oil for Frying, about 3 cups.

Place chicken in a large bag( like a gallon ziplock, but I have been in a bind a time or two and have used a new clean small garbage bag, a clean produce bag, even a bread bag) Pour in the buttermilk. Let marinate at least 4 hours, over night is preferred.


Set up a work station. You will need 3 large bowls, One with about 1 cup of flour in it, the next bowl will have your egg and milk mixture, the third bowl you will have your seasoned flour.

Be sure the pan u r frying in, has deep sides. Like a good deep cast iron fry pan.

Remove your chicken from the bag and lightly rinse, then pat dry.

Heat your oil to hot....... but never smoking. Keep heat around medium high.

Dredge your chicken in the first bowl( unseasoned flour) then into the second bowl( egg mix) coat well, then the last bowl with the seasoned flour...coat well. Press the seasoned flour onto the chicken with your fingers, place in the hot oil. Careful oil will bubble up and can over flow. Repeat until your pan is full. I like to start with thighs and breasts because they take the longest. Turn often, even making the chicken balance on its side, for even cooking and browning. After all sides are very brown, reduce heat and cook covered for about 20 minutes, Remove the cover and turn chicken and continue cooking for ten minutes more. Drain on paper towels. For Extra Crispy chicken do not cover and cook for 35 minutes, turning often to prevent burning.
:)