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Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Hungry Hungry Hippo

I am going to ignore yet another long blog hiatus, and instead share some tasty recipes. We had an awesome Super Bowl Party last weekend and shared some delicious food. I thought I'd put some of the recipes all in one place, for prosperities sake.

EMB's Award-Winning Old-fashioned biscuits (makes about a dozen)


2 cups self-rising flour
1/3 cup butter-flavored shortening
2/3 cup milk

Mix together flour and shortening, using a fork or a pastry cutter. Add milk and mix with a fork until all ingredients are just moistened.

Roll out dough on a floured surface, and cut into rounds using a biscuit cutter or a glass. Place on a baking sheet with edges touching, and bake at 425 until lightly browned on top, about 8-10 minutes.

Suggestions: It is really, REALLY important to handle the dough as little as possible. If it's handled too much, the biscuits will be smooth and tough on top. I like to pat the dough out with my hands, rather than using a rolling pin, but as long as you don't roll it out too flat, a rolling pin works just as well.

*****

EMB's Chicken Chilli


Chicken Chili (makes 4 servings)

1T canola oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 cup chicken broth
1.5T cornstarch
1 can (about 15 oz.) Great Northern beans, drained
1 can (14.5 oz.) fire-roasted tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1.5T onion powder
0.5 tsp cayenne
0.5 tsp chili powder (I used about 1.5 tsp, but I like chili very spicy)
0.5 tsp garlic powder
0.25 tsp cumin
0.25 tsp oregano

In a large skillet, cook the chicken in oil over medium heat until no longer pink, about 5-10 minutes.

Stir in broth and cornstarch. When the cornstarch is dissolved, add beans, tomatoes, corn and seasonings. Bring to a boil; cover. Reduce hear and simmer 10-20 minutes, until soup reaches the desired consistency, stirring occasionally.

Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and green onions.

Suggestions: I cooked the chicken in a Dutch oven and just added all the ingredients to that to avoid transferring between dishes. I think to make the chili in a skillet, you'd need a pretty darn big skillet, so I'd cook the chicken then transfer to a medium or large saucepan to complete the recipe. I also neglected to drain the tomatoes, and it kept the chili very liquid-y, which I didn't much care for, so if you want a thicker consistency, make sure to drain the beans AND the tomatoes. I don't think it's especially spicy, but I really like spicy food and am not terribly sensitive to it. However, if you're not wild about a lot of spice, just tone down the seasonings a little bit and taste as you go.

Notes: She added some black beans as well.


******


David Garrard's Buffalo Chicken Dip


Ingredients
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
2 cups cooked chicken (a store-bought rotisserie chicken works best), shredded
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce, recommended brand Texas Pete
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup blue cheese dressing (eyeball it)
1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (eyeball it)

Prep:
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Cover the bottom of an 8x8" dish or pie plate with cream cheese.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken, wing sauce and butter, and pour over the cream cheese-filled dish or pie plate.
Top with just enough blue cheese dressing and mozzarella cheese to cover (adding too much cheese will cause a thick skin to form that will make eating the dip difficult once the cheese cools).
Heat the dip in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve with Scoops (Tortillas or Fritos) alongside for dipping.

(This dip went fast. Like 10 minutes. Delicious. I love David Garrard.)

*****

Chicken Sate with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce (From America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
3 tbs. ketchup
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. tabasco sauce
4 scallions, sliced thin

1. Freeze the trimmed chicken for about 30 minutes, then slice it super thin.
2. Combine all the remaining ingrediants and pour over the chicken strips. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, but not more than an hour.
3. Put the chicken strips on skewers. I recommend you soak the skewers in water for about 40 minutes beforehand. If you can't, make sure to cover up the exposed skewer wood with foil so it doesn't catch on fire.
4. Adjust an oven rack about 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler on high. Put the skewers on the broiler pan and put in the oven.
5. The recipe says that you should broil 8 minutes, until fully cooked, flipping halfway through. I did 6 minutes on one side and 4 or so on the other side. Just keep an eye on them, because broiling can go awry very quickly.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky
1/4 cup hot water
3 tbs. fresh lime juice
2 tbs. ketchup
1 tbs. soy sauce
1 tbs. dark brown sugar
1 tbs. minced fresh cilantro
2 scallions, sliced thin
1 1/2 tsp. Tabasco
1 garlic clove, minced

Whisk the peanut butter and hot water together until smooth. Add in the remaining ingredients. Serve. Do not leave out the lime juice!

Note: As with all things I make - I think I probably doubled the garlic and halved the cilantro.

*****

I am starving now. Must go find food.