Sunday, October 22, 2023

Air Fryer Baby Back Ribs

Yeah, Air Fryer Baby Back Ribs is a real thing.

This was just a delicious dinner. And it was pretty easy to prepare and with cautious plating, it was easy to clean up. The ribs were on sale this week so it was also an economical dinner.

I found the rib recipe on All Recipes. I had to air fry the rack in two batches, but we only ate 1/2 a rack for dinner tonight. We will have the other 1/2 rack later this week.

Ingredients-

1 rack baby back ribs



1 tablespoon olive oil



1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring



1 tablespoon brown sugar



½ teaspoon salt



½ teaspoon ground black pepper



½ teaspoon garlic powder



½ teaspoon onion powder



½ teaspoon chili powder



1 cup BBQ sauce
( we used Guy Fieri Kansas City BBQ Sauce)


Method-

Remove membrane from back of ribs and dry ribs with a paper towel. 

Cut rack into 4 pieces. 

Mix olive oil and liquid smoke in a small bowl and rub on both sides of the ribs

Combine brown sugar, salt, pepper, onion powder and chili powder in a bowl. 

Season both sides of the ribs generously with seasoning mix. 

Let ribs rest for 30 minutes to enhance the flavor.

Preheat an air fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Place ribs bone-side down in the air fryer basket, making sure they are not touching; cook in batches if necessary.

Cook for 15 minutes. 

Flip ribs over (meat-side down) and cook an additional 10 minutes. 

Remove ribs from air fryer and brush bone-side of ribs with 1/2 cup BBQ sauce. 

Place basket back in the air fryer and cook for 5 minutes. 

Flip ribs over, brush meat-side with remaining 1/2 cup BBQ sauce; cook an additional 5 minutes or until desired char is achieved.


The Air Fried Mac and Cheese Balls were a nice side. They were extra cheesy. The recipe is on an earlier post. Click here for that recipe.

Saturday, October 14, 2023

Chicken Cordon Bleu


One of our go-to meals when we were first married was Barber's Chicken Cordon Bleu. The frozen meal tasted good and was easy to get on the table.

Today I was scrolling through the New York Times Cooking app and a recipe called the Original Chicken Cordon Bleu appeared on my screen. The key instruction is that the chicken breast needs to be pounded thin.

The dinner was delicious. Thumbs up from both sides of the table.


Ingredients-

4 chicken cutlets

4 thin slices of ham

2 ounces Swiss cheese, cut into 4 equal strips

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/4teaspoon black pepper

1 large egg, beaten

3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/4 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken stock

3/4 cup white wine


Method-

Lay the chicken breasts between pieces of wax paper and use a mallet to pound them to ¼-inch to ⅛-inch thick. 

Take care not to pound holes in the chicken. 

Layer each breast with the ham, then place a strip of cheese in the center. 

Roll up to completely enclose the ham and cheese and secure with toothpicks.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper. 

Lightly dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour, then dip in the egg and coat with bread crumbs. 

Place on a baking sheet and chill for at least 15 minutes and up to 4 hours.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the butter. 

Add the chicken and cook, turning carefully with tongs, until browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. 

Add 1/2 cup of the stock to the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through 10 to 15 minutes. 

Move the chicken to a warm platter.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of stock to the skillet, raise the heat to high, and cook, stirring up browned bits clinging to the bottom, for 1 minute. 

Add the wine (or heavy cream or additional stock), lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, until the consistency of gravy, about 45 seconds. 

Pour over the chicken breasts and serve.


This is life behind the camera. Lucy likes to sit with us when we eat dinner.

Monday, October 9, 2023

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Rotisserie Chicken


Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Rotisserie Chicken is from EatingWell.com.
I was not sure about the rating of this recipe but it received a resounding thumbs up.


Ingredients-
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onion (from 1 large onion)
1 cup chopped carrots (from 2 medium carrots)
1 cup chopped celery (from 2 large stalks)
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups unsalted chicken stock
2 cups whole milk
4 ounces uncooked whole-wheat egg noodles
3 cups coarsely chopped rotisserie chicken breast (from 2 rotisserie chickens)
1 cup frozen green peas

Method-
Melt butter with olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. 

Add onion, carrots, celery and salt and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are slightly softened, 6 to 8 minutes.

 Add flour and stir to coat. 

Stir in stock and milk and let the mixture come to a boil. 

Add uncooked noodles to the boiling mixture. 

Cover and cook until noodles are al dente, about 8 minutes. 

Stir in chicken and peas and cook until pasta reaches desired doneness and chicken and peas are warmed through, about 1 to 2 more minutes. 

Serve immediately.

Sunday, October 8, 2023

Skillet Chili and Meatballs


A perfect Sunday supper recipe has been found! This is from Delish.com. One bowl to mix the meatballs and one skillet to cook. Gotta love it.

The meatballs used Cilantro and Chili Powder. We are not usually fans of Cilantro but we both loved the taste.

The chili recipe called for 2 cans of beans but we opted for just one.


Will we make this again?

YES!

Here is the original recipe which serves 8. I cut the recipe in 1/2 and left out the black beans.

Ingredients-

2 lb. ground beef

2 large eggs

1 c. panko bread crumbs

1/4 c. fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

3 tsp. chili powder, divided

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 small red onion, finely chopped, about 1 tbsp. reserved for serving

1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes with juices

1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (4 oz.) can of mild green chiles with juices

1 c. water

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 1/2 c. shredded Mexican blend cheese (about 6 oz.)

Sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, and tortilla chips, for serving


Method-

Combine beef, eggs, panko, cilantro, 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. 


Roll into about 24 (1 1/2") meatballs and transfer to a plate.



In a large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. 


Cook meatballs, turning occasionally, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. 


Return to plate.



In the same skillet over medium heat, cook onion, stirring frequently, until just tender, about 2 minutes. 


Add black beans, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, chiles, water, tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder. 


Stir to combine and add meatballs.



Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low. 


Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring and tossing meatballs occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened and meatballs are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes; season with salt and pepper.



Heat broiler to high. 


Scatter cheese over skillet and broil until cheese is melted and light golden, 2 to 4 minutes. 


Let cool slightly. 


Top with sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, and reserved onion. Serve with tortilla chips alongside.


Friday, October 6, 2023

Finally a Delicious Chicken Cutlet

Tonight, I must extend my apologies for three decades of chicken cutlets that were less than delightful. While my previous attempts were decent, tonight's endeavor was truly exceptional.

In the past, I opted for baking our chicken cutlets, adhering to the belief that frying is "unhealthy" with baking being the virtuous path. I must confess that frying undeniably imparts a superior flavor.

The decision to fry tonight's cutlets was influenced by Chris's request. I managed to snag chicken breasts at a steal—$1.99 per pound. Following the guidance from two instructional videos (links provided below), I transformed them into succulent cutlets.

  1. https://www.allrecipes.com/article/how-to-make-chicken-cutlets-from-chicken-breasts/
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsL90m9JMMY)

For the coating, I adhered to the usual recipe— a blend of plain and Panko breadcrumbs, seasoned with salt, pepper, and a touch of cornstarch. The frying process involved a mixture of 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 vegetable oil. As for the timing, I found that 5 minutes on one side, followed by a careful flip and an additional 3 minutes of frying, yielded the perfect result.