Week of May 4, 2014

Sun - Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
Mon- Cinco De Mayo! Pollo a la Crema
Tue - Philly Cheese "Steak" Sandwiches

Pollo a la Crema, beans and rice

Wed - Spinach and Bacon Quiche
Thur - Asian Chicken Salad (Food Network)
Fri - Beer Can Chicken

Biscuits:

2  cups Bisquick mix (OR all purpose flour, add another 1/4-1/2 milk)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp softened butter

4 tbsp shortening

1/2 cup butter milk (to make butter milk - add 1 tsp of white vinegar to 1/2 cup milk, let sit 2 minutes)

Cooking Buscuits: Mix dry ingredients, butter and shortening in a large mixing bowl with a fork or pastry bender. Until it resembles peas. Add butter milk, mix until it forms a dough. For drop biscuits, use a scoop or a spoon and spoon out onto greased cookie sheet. For rolled biscuits, knead dough into ball. Roll out to 3/4 inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Making Gravy: 

Brown 1 lb ground pork sausage (country, sage or breakfast; NOT Italian or Maple)

2-3 cups milk

2 tbsp AP flour

Scrap the pan and remove the big chucks. Leave 3 tbsp of drippings in pan, add melted butter to the pan if you do not have 3 tbsp of drippings. Mix the flour and seasonings (except salt and pepper). On high heat, using a whisk, add the flour mix to the pan. Stir until incorporated, then turn down the heat to low and stir for 1-2 minutes or until it smells nutty. Turn the heat back up to high and slowly add the milk, constantly whisking. Boil until the gravy comes to the thickness you like (remember it will continue to thicken off the heat for a bit). Mix in sausage. Taste, add salt and pepper as necessary.

Pollo a la Crema

2 boneless chicken breast, cubed

1/2 a medium onion, sliced

1 cup bell pepper, sliced (I use the multi-colored mix you can get in the frozen foods isle)

1 cup sliced button mushrooms

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp salt and pepper, each

1 tbsp taco mix (recipe below)

1/2 cup cream or half and half

1 cup sour cream (or mexican crema)

heat oil in large skillet, medium heat, add chicken, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, salt pepper and taco mix. cook until chicken is cooked through. stir in cream and sour cream, heat thru. Serve with tortillas.

Angela's Taco Seasoning:

1 1/2 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp garlic salt

1 tbsp onion powder

2 tbsp ground cumin

1/2 - 2 tsp cayenne pepper - depending on how spicy you want it

Asian Chicken Salad
Ingredients
1/3 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey mustard
1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 small head napa cabbage (about 1 pound), cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 pound snow peas, cut crosswise into thirds
Kosher salt
1/2 cup chow mein noodles
Directions
1. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high. Make the dressing: Whisk the vinegar, soy sauce, honey mustard and ginger in a medium bowl, then add the vegetable and sesame oils in a slow stream, whisking until combined.
2. Toss the chicken with 1/4 cup of the dressing in another bowl; let marinate 10 minutes at room temperature. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the marinade) and grill until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board; let rest 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, toss the cabbage, carrot, scallions and snow peas with the remaining dressing in a large bowl. Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch pieces and toss with the salad. Season with salt. Top with the chow mein noodles.
Per serving: Calories 489; Fat 35 g (Saturated 5 g); Cholesterol 94 mg; Sodium 492 mg; Carbohydrate 16 g; Fiber 5 g; Protein 30 g
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/asian-chicken-salad-recipe2.html?oc=linkback

Smoky Beer Can Chicken with Potato Wedges
INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lbs (700 g) russet potatoes (6 potatoes), cut into 1/2-in. (1-cm) wedges

3 tbsp (45 mL) Smoky Applewood Rub, divided

2 1/2 tbsp (37 mL) canola oil, divided

1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt and coarsely ground black pepper

1 whole broiler-fryer chicken (3 1/2-4 lbs/1.6-1.8 kg), neck and giblets discarded

1 can (12 oz/350 mL) beer

DIRECTIONS
1 Prepare grill for indirect cooking over medium heat. Combine potatoes, 1/2 tbsp (7 mL) of the rub, 1 1/2 tbsp (22 mL) of the oil, salt and black pepper in Stainless (4-qt./4-L) Mixing Bowl; toss to coat and set aside.

2 Combine 1 1/2 tbsp (22 mL) of the rub and remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil in (1-cup/250-mL) Prep Bowl; stir until blended. Trim excess fat from chicken, if necessary. Loosen skin from breast and thigh portions of chicken (see Cook’s Tip). Spread rub mixture evenly under skin of chicken. Sprinkle outside of chicken with remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) rub.

3 Attach can holder to BBQ Roasting Pan. Pour out about one-fourth of the beer from can to provide space for drippings. Place beer can in can holder of roasting pan. Place chicken over can holder so that the can is upright in the cavity of the chicken. Arrange potatoes around chicken.

4 Place roasting pan on grid of grill. Grill, covered, 60-75 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) in thickest part of breast, carefully rotating pan once during grilling using Silicone Oven Mitt and stirring potatoes occasionally using BBQ Slotted Spoon. (If necessary when using charcoal, add 12 new coals on each side of grill after 30 minutes to maintain a consistent grill temperature.) Remove roasting pan from grill. Using Chef’s Tongs, carefully remove chicken from can holder. Serve chicken with potatoes.
Yield: 6 servings of Nutrients per serving: Calories 440, Total Fat 23 g, Saturated Fat 5 g, Cholesterol 110 mg, Sodium 660 mg, Carbohydrate 27 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 37 g

Cook's Tips: If desired, 2 tbsp (30 mL) smoked paprika and 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) each salt and coarsely ground black pepper can be substituted for the Smoky Applewood Rub. Omit salt and black pepper for the potatoes. Use 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) seasoning mixture for the potatoes and remaining seasoning mixture for the chicken.
To easily loosen chicken skin from breast and thigh portions, insert theMicro Scraper under the skin and gently push between the skin and meat.