Country Fried Chicken

 

Ingredients 

6-8 thin sliced chicken breasts

2 C flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 C buttermilk

 1 egg

1 tbsp. hot sauce

oil for frying

Gravy: 

1/4 C reserved oil from frying

1/3 C flour

2 C milk

salt and pepper

Directions

1) Heat oil in deep fryer or large pan on stove ( a few inches deep) to 325 degrees. 

2) In a large bowl whisk together your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper and garlic powder. 

3) In another bowl whisk together buttermilk, egg, and hot sauce. 

4) Dredge your chicken in the flour mixture then dip into the egg mixture than back into the flour mixture making sure to press down flour to get stuck on the chicken really good. 

5) Place chicken in pan/deep fryer and fry on each side 3-5 minutes until golden brown, remove and drain on paper towel lined plate, repeat with all the chicken. 

6) To make your gravy, in a large pan add 1/4" of oil from cooking and heat on medium-high, stir in your flour until absorbed and cook for 1 minute. 

7) Slowly add in your milk whisking to blend and heat until thickened then stir in salt and pepper to desired taste. 

8) Pour gravy over individual chicken before serving. 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

Serves: 6 

* You can use a regular deep fryer to make this instead of in a skillet. If you don't want to use frying oil to make gravy, substitute butter or bacon grease. Add more or less seasoning to the flour and gravy to your liking. You can also save yourself time by using premade country gravy or buying the country gravy packets and using that instead. Whichever works best for you. 

Italian Meatball-Stuffed Crescent Ring

 

Ingredients

24 (1 inch) frozen cooked Italian style meatballs, thawed and halved

1 1/2 C marina sauce

1 C shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz) 

2 cans (8 oz ea.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1 tbsp. butter , melted 

1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1) Heat oven to 375 degrees. (350 for dark or nonstick cookie sheet). In a large bowl, mix meatball halves, 1/2 C of the marinara sauce and the mozzarella cheese. 

2) Unroll both cans of dough; separate into 8 rectangles. On ungreased large cookie sheet, arrange in a ring so short sides of rectangle form a 5 inch circle in center. Dough will overlap. 

3) Spoon meatball mixture on the half of each rectangle closest to center of ring (each rectangle should have 6 meatball halves) 

4) Bring each dough rectangle up over filling, tucking dough under bottom layer of dough to secure it. Repeat around ring until entire filling is enclosed (some filling might show a little). 

5) Gently separate dough perforations on top until filling peeks through. Brush tops of dough with melted butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes or until dough is golden brown and thoroughly baked. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into serving slices. Just before serving , in a small microwavable bowl, microwave remaining 1 C marinara sauce uncovered on medium-high 1 to 2 minutes or until hot. 

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Total: 45 minutes

Serves: 8  

Creamy, Cheesy Italian Sausage and Basil Penne

 

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:

3 tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1 small onion, chopped fine

3 cloves garlic, chopped fine or put through the garlic press

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage 

1 tsp. Italian seasoning (or a mix of dried basil, thyme, marjoram, and oregano) 

1 bay leaf

1 C. chicken broth

1 1/2 C heavy cream

3/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

handful of fresh basil, sliced thin

salt and pepper to taste 

For the Penne: 

1 lb. penne pasta 

1 tbsp. butter

Directions: 

For the penne : 

1) Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook until al dente. Drain and toss with butter. 

For the Sauce: 

1) Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute the onion and garlic until it is soft an translucent. 

2) Remove the sausage from casings and add to the pan, Cook until browned. 

3) Add Italian seasoning , bay leaf, chicken broth, and heavy cream. Let simmer on low for 15 minutes. 

4) Off the heat, stir in parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and salt and pepper to taste. 

5) Toss with hot buttered penne and serve immediately. 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

Serves: 6 

* If your sausage doesn't contain fennel seed, toast 1/2 tsp fennel seeds in a pan until they become aromatic, then pound in a mortar and pestle and add to sausage. 

Easy Pancake Muffins

 

Ingredients 

1/2 lb breakfast sausage, cooked and cut into small pieces ( ground breakfast sausage or pre-cooked links or patties work just fine) 

1 1/2 C milk

4 tbsp. white vinegar

2 C all-purpose flour

4 tbsp. white sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

4 tbsp. butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

Maple syrup for drizzling

Directions

1) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. 

2) Cook breakfast sausage and cut into small pieces.

3) In a small bowl combine milk with vinegar and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. 

4) In a large bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

5) Add in eggs, milk, vanilla, and melted butter and stir to combine. 

6) Stir in cooked breakfast sausage pieces.

7) Prepare muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray or line them with paper liners.

8) Fill each muffin cup 2/3 of the way full. 

9) Bake for about 15-16 minutes, or until done. 

10) Drizzle pancake muffins with maple syrup and serve immediately. 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Total: 25 minutes

Serves: 8

This is a recipe that if your really short on time or just wanna use a shortcut you can always use a box of pancake mix and just add the breakfast sausage to it and cook as above. I doubled the recipe and was able to get almost 48 muffins by doing so. They are great heated the next day and can be put in the freezer for a quick breakfast (just reheat in the microwave for a few minutes) . 

Sweet N' Sticky Polska Kielbasa

 

Ingredients

3 lbs polska kielbasa (beef or pork) 

27 oz. cola (regular , sweetened cola , NOT diet) 

Directions

1) Slice the entire kielbasa into 1/2 inch wide slices. Place them in a skillet and saute on medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the both sides of the kielbasa  begin to lightly brown. 

2) Pour the 27 oz cola into the skillet. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally , until all the liquid has reduced, thickened, and glazed the meat (about 30 minutes). All the liquid should be gone from the skillet. 

3) Remove kielbasa from skillet and serve hot, alongside a serving of mashed potatoes and a veggie. Enjoy!. 

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Total: 35 minutes

Serves: 12

You can double , triple etc this recipe and use it as an appetizer for a gathering if you like. 

Easy Honey Garlic Chicken

 

Ingredients 

6 chicken thighs, bone-in or out, with or without skin*

Salt and pepper, to taste 

2 tsp. garlic powder, to season

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1/3 C honey

1/4 C water (or chicken broth)

2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar, or any white vinegar)

1 tbsp. soy sauce

Instructions

1) Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder; set aside.

2) Heat a pan or skillet over medium high heat; sear chicken thigh fillets or breast fillets on both sides until golden and cooked through.

For Bone In Thighs: 

1) Reduce heat after searing on both sides, cover skillet with a lid and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, while turning every 5 minutes until done. Alternatively , see below for oven method. 

2) Drain most of the excess oil from the pan, leaving about 2 tbsp. of pan juice for added flavor. 

For Sauce: 

1) When chicken is done and cooked through, arrange chicken skin side up in the pan (if cooking with skin); add the garlic between the chicken and fry until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add the honey, water, vinegar and soy sauce. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook until the sauce reduces down and thicken slightly (about 3-4 minutes). 

2) Garnish with parsley and serve over vegetables, rice, pasta or with a salad. 

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

Serves: 6

* For chicken breasts: use 3 breasts, sliced horizontally in half. Sear breast fillets on each side until golden and cooked through ( about 6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your fillets).  Continue directions from the sauce, onwards. 

* For oven baked, bone-in thighs: Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Sear chicken in an oven proof skillet pan, skin side down for the first 3 minutes. Flip and sear for a another 3 minutes until browned on each side. Then bake in the oven for another 20-25 minutes, until completely cooked through and no longer pink inside. Continue directions from sauce, onwards. 

Honey Garlic Steak Bites

  

Ingredients 

2 lbs. top sirloin steak, cubed

2 tsp. sweet or smoked paprika

salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

4 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided

6 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

1/2 C water (or broth) 

8 cloves garlic, minced

4 tbsp. honey 

2 tbsp. sesame seed oil (you can also use extra virgin olive oil) 

2 tbsp. rice vinegar ( you can also use white vinegar) 

1 tsp. dried oregano 

2 tbsp. cornstarch

sesame seeds, for garnish (optional) 

sliced green onions , for garnish (optional) 

Directions

1) Cut up steak into 1/2 inch to 1 inch cubes.

2) Season with paprika, salt, and pepper; set aside. 

3) In a mixing bowl combine soy sauce, water, garlic, honey, sesame seed oil, rice vinegar, oregano, and cornstarch; whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside. 

4) Heat 1 tbsp. vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot. 

5) Add 1/2 of the steak cubes to the hot oil and cook for 2 minutes per side, or until browned and done. Remove from skillet and repeat with the rest of the steak cubes, adding extra oil as needed.

6) Remove all steak bites from the skillet and set aside. 

7) Give the previously honey garlic sauce a good stir with a whisk and pour 1/3 of the sauce into the hot skillet; scrape up the browned pieces from the bottom of the pan. 

8) Add the steak bites back to the skillet and pour the rest of the sauce over the steak; cook for 1 to 2 more minutes, or until sauce starts to thicken. 

9) Remove from heat. 

10) Transfer steak bites to a plate and drizzle with the pan sauce. 

11) Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions (if using).

12) Serve with a side and vegetable of your choice. 

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Total: 20 minutes

Serves: 8