Author: Cindy Randolph

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Peanut Butter Chicken

  • 8 or 10 pieces frying chicken
  • 1/2 c. peanut butter
  • 1 extra lg. or jumbo egg
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 c. milk
  • 1/2 c. flour
  • Cracker crumbs
  • 1/2 stick butter (melted)

Stir egg, peanut butter, salt and pepper together to blend. Beat milk into peanut butter mixture until thoroughly blended and smooth. Rinse chicken pieces in cold water and drain.

Put flour in a bag and shake chicken pieces to coat. Dip chicken pieces in batter, coat with cracker crumbs. Place chicken pieces in lightly greased baking dish or pan. Drizzle melted butter on top of each chicken piece. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until tender.

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Peach Blueberry Cake

This cake bakes for a long time at a moderate temperature, which helps keep the ripe fruit from bursting and releasing its juices. The easy-to-make pastry bakes up moist and crumbly, with a texture that’s like a cross between a biscuit and a cake.

A note from our cooks: We’ve received some letters from readers complaining about a burned crust when making the peach blueberry cake (August 2005 cover), so we ran through the recipe two more times. Baked in a standard light-colored metal pan, the cake was perfect; baked in a dark metal pan, however, it burned — be aware that the cake’s high sugar content makes it more susceptible to burning at high heat. As you’ll see in “Tips: A Guide to Using Gourmet‘s Recipes” (located on the recipe index page) we recommend always using light-colored metal pans for baking. Dark metal pans, including nonstick, will cause your baked goods to brown more quickly. Manufacturers suggest reducing the oven temperature by 25 degrees when using dark pans.

  • Yield:  Makes 8 servings
  • Active Time:  25 min
  • Total Time:  3 1/2 hr (includes cooling to warm)

Ingredients

For pastry

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For filling

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca
  • 2 lb firm-ripe large peaches (about 4), halved lengthwise, pitted, and each half cut lengthwise into fourths
  • 1 cup blueberries (1/2 pint)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Special equipment: a 9- to 91/2-inch (24-cm) springform pan; an electric coffee/spice grinder

Preparation

Make pastry:

Pulse together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Add egg and vanilla and pulse just until dough clumps and begins to form a ball, about 15 pulses.

Press dough onto bottom and evenly (about 1/4 inch thick) all the way up side of springform pan with floured fingertips. Chill pastry in pan until firm, about 10 minutes.

Make filling while pastry chills:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.

Grind 2 tablespoons sugar with flour and tapioca in grinder until tapioca is powdery, then transfer to a large bowl and stir in remaining 6 tablespoons sugar. Add peaches, blueberries, and lemon juice and gently toss to coat. Spoon filling into pastry and bake, loosely covered with a sheet of foil, until filling is bubbling in center and crust is golden, about 1 3/4 hours.

Transfer cake in pan to a rack and cool, uncovered, 20 minutes, then carefully remove side of pan.

Cool cake to barely warm or room temperature, then cut into thick wedges with a sharp knife before serving.

Cooks’ note:

Pastry can be made and pressed into pan 1 day ahead and chilled, wrapped well in plastic wrap. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before filling.

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Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb light pork sausage (Jimmy Dean is what we use)
2 (10 1/2 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup (We also sometimes substitute cream of chicken, too)
1 -2 cup cheddar cheese (however much you desire, we love cheese!)
frozen tater tots (we like to cover the top by lining them up)

Directions:

1 Cook sausage and drain.
2 Add soup and stir.
3 Put soup mixture on bottom of 9×9 pan.
4 Place tater tots on top. I like to cover it fairly well.
5 Sprinkle cheese over top.
6 Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. You can optionally broil the top for a couple of minutes for a little extra crisp.

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Creamy Chicken Crescents

Ingredients

  • 1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
  • 1 cup shredded cooked chicken
  • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
  • 2/3 cup condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
  • 1/2 cup milk

Directions

  1. Separate crescent dough into eight triangles. Combine the chicken and 2 tablespoons cheese; place about 2 tablespoonfuls on the wide end of each triangle. Roll up and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
  2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, combine soup, milk and remaining cheese. Cook until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve over crescents.
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One Pot Chicken & Potatoes

  • Prep time:  5 mins
  • Cook time:  1 hour 20 mins
  • Total time:  1 hour 25 mins

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken thighs
  • 6-8 large potatoes, cut in quarters or halves
  • 5-6 carrots, cut in 1-2 inch pieces
  • 1 onion, cut in quarters
  • 15-20 garlic cloves, whole
  • Kosher salt
  • Black ground pepper
  • 4 tsp ground pepper or 5 cloves garlic, crushed
  • ½ tsp paprika (optional)
  • 3-4 Tbsp olive oil.

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with foil or even better, parchment paper.
  2. Thoroughly wash the potatoes & carrots with a scrubber and cut them in smaller pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel.
  3. Rinse the chicken under running water & also pat dry with paper towel.
  4. Add chicken, potatoes and carrots, onion & garlic to the lined baking dish and sprinkle with salt, ground pepper and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss everything to coat.  (Or mix everything in oil, then toss and place on lined baking dish)
  5. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. Check for doneness, if the potatoes and chicken thighs are soft and easily pierced with the fork they are ready.
  6. If the chicken and potatoes have not browned up as much as you would like, turn the broil setting on the oven and broil for 5 minutes. Watch carefully, or they will burn.
  7. Remove from the oven and serve right away in the baking dish or transfer to a warm serving plate.
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Mummy Munch

Ingredients

  • 9 cups favorite cereal or small crackers
  • 4 cups popped popcorn
  • 1 1/2 cups dry roasted peanuts
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 cups candy-coated chocolates

Preparation

  1. Lightly grease a large roasting pan; stir in cereal or crackers, popcorn and peanuts. In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and cook, without stirring, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add vanilla and baking soda. Mix well and pour over mixture in roasting pan; toss to coat. Bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely; add candy, tossing to mix. Store in an airtight container.

Note:  To make the container: Tear pieces of white paper into strips and glue around a clear plastic cup, leaving some of the cup showing. Glue on googly eyes. Let dry.

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Mashed Potatoes with Prosciutto and Parmesan Cheese

Ingredients

  • 3 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 4 large garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
  • 3 1/2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, finely chopped
  • 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  • 3/4 cup (or more) whole milk
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
  • Additional fresh rosemary

 

Preparation

Cook potatoes and garlic in large pot of boiling salted water until potatoes are very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; return potatoes and garlic to same pot.

Meanwhile, melt 1/2 cup butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped prosciutto and 3/4 teaspoon minced rosemary and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add prosciutto mixture and 3/4 cup milk to potatoes and garlic. Mash well, adding more milk by tablespoonfuls if potatoes are dry. Mix in 3/4 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Stir over low heat to rewarm, adding more milk by tablespoonfuls, if desired.) Transfer potatoes to bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese; garnish with fresh rosemary and serve.

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French Onion Meatloaf

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 can condensed French onion soup, undiluted
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
  • ketchup or barbecue sauce, optional

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; pack into a meatloaf pan or large (9x5x3-inch) loaf pan. Bake at 350° for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Spread top with a little barbecue sauce or ketchup about 5 or 10 minutes before done. Let rest a few minutes before slicing.
Serves 6 to 8.

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Mexican Fire Rice

Ingredients

  • 2 2/3 cups water
  • 1 1/3 cups uncooked long grain white rice
  • 1 pound ground pork breakfast sausage
  • 1 (16 ounce) jar picante sauce
  • 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
  • 8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

  1. In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  3. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until evenly brown.
  4. In a medium baking dish, mix the cooked rice, cooked sausage, picante sauce, and sour cream. Top with Cheddar cheese.
  5. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly.
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Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 6 ears fresh corn, shucked, kernels removed (about 4 cups fresh corn kernels)**
  • 1/2 c. mayonnaise
  • 1/4 c. cotija cheese or feta, plus more for garnish
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
  • 1 tbsp. chili powder, plus more for garnish
  • kosher salt

 

Directions

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok over high heat until shimmering. Add corn kernels, season to taste with salt, toss once or twice, and cook without moving until charred on one side, about 2 minutes. Toss corn, stir, and repeat until charred on second side, about 2 minutes longer. Continue tossing and charring until well charred all over, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a large bowl.

In a serving bowl, toss corn with mayo, cotija, lime juice, cilantro, and chili powder. Season generously with salt.

Top with more cotija, cilantro, and a sprinkle of chile powder.

**If you use canned corn:

Roast corn is a delicious addition to a salad, chili, chowder or spicy meat dish. The best way to roast corn is on the ear but you can get the same taste by using canned corn. Roast corn is traditionally made in the oven but canned corn will end up burning since it is already cooked. You can create the same roast corn taste by sautéing the corn in a little olive oil on the stove. Canned corn will roast faster so be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.

  • Add 2 to 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil to a sauté pan.
  • Pour in the canned corn.
  • Cook over medium heat until the corn turns a light brown color. It will take about five minutes for the corn to brown. Serve on its own or mix it in another dish.

Don’t stir the corn more than once. It can be tempting to stir but roasted corn should sit in the pan to cook. If you must stir the corn, let it sit for three minutes, stir it once, then let it sit until a light brown.