Chicken Berlin

Yep. I'm just too tired to come up with a cutesy title tonight, guys; I'm afraid utilitarian will have to do.  This recipe is loosely based off a dish at one of my favorite local restaurants, Ol' Heidelberg, which serves up fine German cuisine.  I've no idea if this is an authentic dish or not, but it's darn tasty!

What You'll Need

Supplies

Cutting board                                                         Measuring spoons

Knife for slicing                                                      Small pan

Small mixing bowl                                                  Large pan
2 forks                                                                    Large Cast Iron Skillet
Plate

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts                                                   1 tbsp thyme

2 eggs                                                                     1 tsp rosemary

1 tbsp mustard                                                       Swiss cheese

Bread crumbs                                                         Large onion

1 tbsp salt                                                              Apple

Black pepper                                                           Olive oil
2 Tbsp butter

Now Let's Make Chicken Berlin!

Start by preheating your oven to 375 F.

While the oven heats, begin your prep work.  Slice your onions thinly and separate the layers so you have lots of rings.  Set these aside. Position your apple so that the stem is facing the palm of the hand that you use to steady what your cutting. Slice the apple thinly until you have 8 rounds. Remove any seeds and core. Set aside.

Crack two eggs into your small mixing bowl. Measure and add 2 Tbsp of mustard. Beat the eggs together with the mustard until there is little visible egg white left.  On your plate, pour out enough bread crumbs to cover the plate in a small heap.  Add 1 Tbsp salt, 1 tbsp thyme, 1 tsp ground rosemary and black pepper to taste. Use your remaining fork to mix the dry ingredients together.

Coat the bottom of your large skillet with olive oil. Trim any fat off the chicken breast. Take a chicken breast and dip it into the bowl of egg, thoroughly coating all sides of the chicken.  Hold the breast over the bowl, allowing any excess egg to drip, then place the chicken on the plate of bread crumbs. Using your fingers, lightly press the breast into the crumbs to coat, flip the breast and press again. Transfer the breast to the large skillet. Repeat for remaining chicken breasts.

Bake the chicken at 375 F until cooked; chicken should be white throughout.

While the chicken cooks, heat your pan to medium heat. While you allow the pan to come up to temperature, take your swiss cheese and slice it.  You want enough slices to cover the top of your chicken, so judge according to the size of the block your using. I highly recommending using a higher quality swiss cheese, like Jarlsberg, to get a better flavor. It matters, trust me. Set aside

I ate the cheese, so the only picture you get is me, hoomans

Once the pan warms, add 2 tbsp butter and allow the butter to melt.  Add your onions and saute until translucent and tender.  By the time your down sauteing your onion, the chicken should be done. Reduce the heat of the eye to low until your ready to use the onions.

Turn the oven off. Place your slices of swiss over the top of the chicken. Put the chicken back in the oven and allow the cheese to melt. While you wait, take your small pan and add a little butter. Heat the pan to medium, and place your apple slices in the pan. Saute lightly, just enough to warm the apple. Plate the chicken breasts. Top with apple slices, then add onions over the top of everything.

Serve with other delicious German sides, like pan fried potatoes and slaw.

I put my apples on top, but it's better if they're under the onions. True story.

   

Back By Popular Demand - The Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

Okay, so I technically I've done this recipe before, last Christmas. But I've had several people inquire about my Oatmeal Raisin cookies of late, and I thought I'd do an updated version. So, it now features new and improved instructions and, of course, lots of deliciousness. This recipe started as a rather basic one I found in some old recipes of my grandmother's that I tweaked a bit until it was just right.

What You'll Need

Supplies

Large mixing bowl                                                     Cookie sheets

Wooden mixing spoon                                                2 Table spoons

Measuring cups                                                          Spatula

Measuring spoons                                                      Wire Rack or paper towels
Cooking Spray

Ingredients

2 sticks butter                                                            1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar                                                            1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs                                                               1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp vanilla extract                                                  1 cup light brown sugar

1 1/2 cups flour                                                         3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 tsp baking soda                                                      1 cup raisins

Now Let's Make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Place your 2 sticks of butter in the large mixing bowl.  If the butter is not already soft, microwave for a few seconds until it has softened but not melted.  It's very important that you don't allow the butter to melt, as this will ruin the consistency of the cookies. Add 1/2 cup of sugar to the softened butter. Only add the white sugar, not the brown; this is important for the texture of the cookie. (Stop looking at me like that; it is!). Beat the sugar and butter together until butter is creamed.

Mmmmm..... Buttah!

Add the 2 large eggs and 2 tsp of vanilla extract to the mixture.  Use real vanilla extract; the fake stuff just isn't right (yes, I know it cost more; stop whining and add! *cracks whip*). Stir the eggs and vanilla in until the mixture is fairly even.  Try to use room temperature eggs.  The colder the eggs are the more likely it is that your butter will start to clump up, creating a slightly lumpy mixture.  If this happens, stir the mixture until the clumps are as small as possible (you may have to break out the whisk).  It's not a really big deal, but it will help you mix the other ingredients in more thoroughly later.

Don't those eggs really make you want to click and pull up the slideshow?

Measure out 1 1/2 cups of flour and add it to the mixing bowl.  Add 1 tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/2 tsp of nutmeg to the mixing bowl. Then, measure out 1 cup of light brown sugar, tightly packing the sugar into the measuring cup as much as possible.  When you have a full cup of tightly packed brown sugar, add it to the mixing bowl. (You're welcome to use dark brown sugar, but it changes the consistency and flavor a bit, so you might have to play with it to get it right).  Mix all the ingredients together, making sure everything is evenly distributed and there are no dry patches or liquidy spots. It a fairly dry dough, so it'll take a bit of stirring (and muscle) before you get it all mixed.

Now, add 3 cups of old-fashioned oats to the mixing bowl. It's important that you use old-fashioned only, as the quick oats or instant oatmeal varieties are just not the same and will mess the recipe up. (You whippersnappers and all this new-fangled nonsense *shakes cane*). Measure out 1 cup of raisins, packing as many into the measuring cup as possible and add them to the mixing bowl.  The fresher the raisins are, the more their flavor will pervade the cookies, and the tastier the cookies will be.  Mix in the oatmeal and raisins until they are evenly spread throughout the batter.

Spray your cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray to ensure the cookies won't stick (unless you're using a no-stick pan, in which case leave it alone).  Take your two regular table spoons; use one to get a heaping spoonful of dough and use the back of the other spoon to scrape the dough onto your cookie sheet. I prefer these cookies to be pretty big, which allows them to remain soft and chewy.  These cookies will definitely spread, so I typically do about 12 per sheet.

Spaced 3 x4 along the pan, with at least an inch between

Bake at 350F for 12-13 minutes.  I always bake one sheet at a time to ensure even cooking and prevent burning. Allow the cookies to sit for a minute or two before removing them from the cookie sheet; this will prevent them from crumbling since they're very soft. Use your spatula to remove the cookies and set them on a cooling rack (paper towels on the counter will do) to cool completely.

Voila! I now have a belated plate of Father's Day Oatmeal cookies for my Da (who's been away on his honeymoon for the actual day). The recipe makes around 3 dozen cookies, depending on size. Store in an airtight container to ensure freshness and preserve the cookies' chewy goodness.  Or, serve with a big glass of milk and nom!

   

A Crabby Valentine

Because what says love like Crab Cakes for Two, eh? And these are no ordinary crab cakes, they're deliciously savory, flavorful crab-cakey goodness. Oh, and they're heart shaped, so yeah....  I've had two cans of crab meat sitting in my cabinets for a while now, and I promised my boyfriend seafood for Valentine's day (we try to avoid the overcrowded, overpriced restaurant thing). So I grabbed a bowl and threw some ingredients together. Given how on the fly these were made, I was expecting crab cakes that were simply good.  Instead I got tasty, melt-in-your-mouth awesomeness.  Best of all, it was disgustingly easy, so I highly recommend that you join me in making these for your Valentine sweetie.

What You'll Need

Supplies

Cutting board                                                                   Mixing bowl

Knife for chopping                                                           Mixing spoon

Sealable baggie                                                                Large cast iron skillet

Ingredients

2 6 oz cans white crab meat                                            Salt and pepper to taste
3 green onions                                                                  30 Ritz crackers
1/2 Tbsp parsley flakes                                                  3 Tbsp mayonnaise
3/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning                                              1 cup olive oil

Now Let's Make Crab Cakes for Two!

Watch the fingers!

Begin by opening and draining off all the water on your canned crab meat.  Dump the crab meat into your large mixing bowl.  Next, chop your green onions.  The easiest way to do this is to line the onions up together and began chopping (it's really more of a half slicing, half chopping motion) at the green end until you get to the bottom of the onion that is all white.  Discard the white parts. Scrape the green onion into your large mixing bowl.

No need to be crabby.

Now, measure out 1/2 Tbsp parsley flakes and add them to the bowl. You can use a couple sprigs of chopped fresh parsley if you want; it's more colorful, but I didn't have any on hand. Measure out 3/4 tsp of Old Bay Seasoning and add it to the bowl.  It must be Old Bay; anything else is just... wrong. Next, add salt and pepper to taste; I used maybe 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper.  It definitely doesn't need more salt than that, but the pepper is pretty negotiable. Gently mix the ingredients together until you have a more uniform distribution.

Now take your sealable baggie, put in about 10 ritz crackers, and seal the bag, carefully pressing out any air.  Now smash (insert Hulk jokes into your cooking process now).  This is the easiest, cleanest way to generate cracker crumbs.  Using the baggie keeps crumbs from getting everywhere and prevents waste (/lecture). Add the crumbs to the bowl and repeat until all 30 crackers are crumbled.

I know I said no lumps...

Add 3 Tbsp of mayo and mix. You want a fairly even texture by the time your done mixing; no lumps, please.  Once blended, divide the crab mixture into four even parts in the bowl.  Refrigerate for about 5 minutes.  Chilling the mixture makes it a little less gooey and more workable for the next step. Take this time to prepare any other dishes you're serving or set up some candles. (Romance, people, romance!)

Remove the crab from the refrigerator. Take one of the four divided parts and roll it into a ball between your hands (clean hands, clean hands!).   Squish the ball between your hands to flatten it.  You want it fairly flat - about 3/4 of an inch thick.  Now cradle the flattened crab cake in your hands so that the flat surfaces face out and your hands are around the thinner edge. (Okay, see the 2nd picture if I'm being confusing). Curl your fingers down to form a heart with your hands (and, incidentally, the crab cake).  Flatten and repeat until you're satisfied with the shape of your heart shaped crab cake.  Set aside and repeat this process for the remaining three.

Ignore the irony.

Heat 1 cup of oil in your skillet over medium-high heat.  Do not put the crab cakes in until the oil is hot enough, or you'll be steeping your cake in oil. (Mumph). How do you tell if your oil is hot enough? Well, for starters, don't touch it (that's a no brainer, right? RIGHT?). Just barely wet your fingers and then flick a very small amount of water off of them into the oil (maybe stand back a little, just in case). If it sizzles and pops, your oil is ready.   Add all four crab cakes and cook on one side until it is dark brown. Flip and repeat.  Remove from oil.  Pat dry to remove excess oil if desired.

Who's an awesome girlfriend? This girl.

If you're not ready to serve your meal yet, the crab cakes respond well to being held warm in an oven.  Serve with your choice of delicious sides under candlelight (and yes, the lack of candlelit romance will totally affect the flavor).  The fettuccine tossed with the tiniest bit of alfredo seen here was particularly tasty paired with the crab cake.  Also, while this is the first Crab Cake I've ever had that didn't need Tabasco sauce, it still pairs nicely with it if you can't resist.

My chocolates now.
Happy Valentine's Day and stuff, hoomans.

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Sugar Cookie Geekery

I've had a hankering for sugar cookies lately, probably because I didn't make any this past Christmas.  This is a pretty basic sugar cookie recipe that I've had for quite a while; I mean, they're cookies... with sugar... there's only so many variations out there. The icing recipe is a basic one that I've experimented with (GlaDos would approve).  As for the cookie shapes, well, I don't own cookie cutters (I know, sad, right?), so I figured I might as well get creative with it.  Fair warning, while the recipe is easy, the cutting can be a right pain depending on how complicated you get.

What You'll Need

Supplies

Medium mixing bowl                                                      Scissors

Whisk                                                                             Stiff card stock-like paper

Large mixing bowl                                                         Cookie sheet

Mixing spoon                                                                  Small mixing bowl

Cutting board                                                                 4 small bowls or cups

Rolling pin                                                                      Butter knives

Measuring cups                                                              Food coloring assortment

Measuring spoons

Ingredients for Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour                                                 1 large egg

3/4 tsp baking powder                                                  1 Tbsp milk

1/4 tsp salt                                                                    1 tsp vanilla

2 stick unsalted butter                                                   Confectioner's sugar for rolling

1 cup sugar

Ingredients for Icing

1 cup powdered sugar                                                    1/2 tsp vanilla

5 tsp milk                                                                        Food coloring assortment

2 tsp light corn syrup (to start)                                          Neon food coloring assortment

Now Let's Make Nerd-tastic Sugar Cookies!

Measure out 3 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt in your medium mixing bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until they are blended and there are no more large lumps.  Set this aside.

Put 2 sticks of butter into your large mixing bowl and microwave about 20 seconds or just enough to soften it.  Once softened, add 1 cup of sugar and beat until creamy and slightly fluffy.  Make sure that the butter has been mixed enough since you don't want any butter lumps, which would affect the evenness of the batter later on.

Now, crack one large egg into the bowl with your butter mixture.  Add 1 Tbsp of milk and 1 tsp of vanilla.  I usually just pour a small amount of milk into a cereal bowl and spoon out the appropriate amount with a measuring spoon.  This is much easier than trying to pour into a tiny spoon from a gallon of milk. (Trust me). Reserve whatever is left of the milk, since you'll be using it again when you measure it out for the icing.  Mix everything together thoroughly.

Grab the bowl with your flour concoction and begin adding the flour to the butter mixture, gradually.  Add a smallish amount, stir that in, then add some more.  I usually milk this for about 4 additions.  Blend the flour into the butter mixture completely after each addition.  The last addition may be a little hard to mix in, so make sure you scrape the bottom to get all the flour blended. By the time you're finished you should have a fairly stiff cookie dough that easily pulls away from the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Take your cutting board and dust it lightly with confectioner's sugar, just enough to prevent the dough from sticking to it.  Separate your cookie dough into two parts and roll it into a ball. Place each ball on the cutting board and cover with foil or cling wrap (whatever you work best with; for me, cling wrap ends up in frustrated little balls of plastic). Place the dough in the refrigerator and refrigerate the dough for about 2 hours.

While you're dough is chilling, get your cookie cutting station ready.  You need a fairly large, flat, clean surface.  I use our dining table.  Sprinkle it with confectioner's sugar and coat your rolling pin in confectioner's sugar, too, to prevent sticking.  While you wait on the dough, get your cookie cutter tools together.  If you're lucky enough to own cookie cutters and don't want your cookies to have the same level of awesome as these, use those.  If not, make your own by drawing your designs on card stock and cutting them out to use as a template.  For the Mockingjay, I traced it onto regular paper, laid the paper over the card stock to trace it again, then penciled in the impression.  I made a stencil for the square and circle for the Weighted Companion Cube base and center.  For the other companion cube parts, I wound up just cutting them from the dough without a template, and I did the same with the Triforces, which are simple triangles.

Cut them for science... you monster

Once your dough is ready, take out on ball and work it a bit with your hands (which I really hope are clean!)  to warm it up just a bit and make it easier to roll.  When the dough is workable but still cold, roll it out to about a 1/4 inch thickness.  Place your stencils over the dough, and using your butter knife, begin cutting out the shapes.  Easy! (We will stop enhancing the truth in three... two... zzzt). I also used a the small end of the chop stick to work out some of the smaller details on the Mockingjays. For the Companion Cubes, I stacked the pieces on top of the square base before baking. When you no longer have space to cut, ball up your dough and roll it out again. Switch between dough balls as needed when the dough starts to warm up. 

Place the cookies about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheet and bake for 7-9 minutes.  I found that most of the cookies were done in about 7-8 minutes, while the Companion Cubes took longer at about 10-12 minutes. Just watch them closely, as these cookies burn easily.  Remove the cookies from the cookie sheet to allow them to cool.

While you're waiting on all the cookies to cool, clean off your rolling surface and lay out paper towels or wax paper to set up your icing station.  Make your icing base by mixing 1 cup powdered sugar, 5 tsp milk, 2 tsp light corn syrup, and 1/2 tsp of flavoring (in this case I used vanilla) in your small mixing bowl. The result will be a very thick goo (appetizing, huh?).  Divide this between four cups as follows: 1 heaping spoonful in one cup; about 1/4 of what's left in another cup; divide what's left evenly between the other two cups.  

Area and State regulations do not
allow the Companion Cube to remain
here, alone and companionless.

• Take the cup with the least amount, and make black by adding neon blue, neon green, and neon purple until the color is very dark; I used McCormick Neon Food Coloring and used less blue than the other two.  Now take a small amount of this on a butter knife and add it to one of the two cups with the most icing and mix it in to get your gray.  
• For gold, take the other cup with the most icing and add regular yellow food coloring until you're satisfied with the color.
• For the pink, squirt out a drop of neon pink onto a butter knife. Wipe away about half of what's there, the use what's left on the knife to mix into the cup we added 1/4 of the icing to.

Ice the cookies with the appropriate colors.

That's right... Awesome.

Set the cookies on the paper towels/wax paper as you finish each to allow the icing to set into a hard glossy finish.  Serve.  In case you're wondering where my shape choices come from (and if you are your nerd cred just took a serious dip), the Companion Cubes are from the Portal series of video games, the Triforces are from Zelda, and the Mockingjays are from The Hunger Games.  Enjoy!

Also, for an Easter Egg, I made the Portal reference cookie for my friend Jen's birthday. You may know Jen as my Lovely Assistant.  You can find the pic on The Book Pantry's facebook page.
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