Don't Ask Why Rotisserie Chicken Thighs

Bake these and you'll have individual portions of rotisserie chicken!

We buy the thighs in bulk from Costco, but thighs are one of the more inexpensive parts of the chicken at any grocery store. So, if you are looking to wow on a budget, look for medium to large sized thighs, bone-in. There is so much more flavor and moistness in a chicken thigh. Once you try thigh, you'll never ask why!!

*Preheat oven to 325.

Needed:

Chicken thighs (as many as you want; we suggest at least 2 per person)
One pat of unsalted butter for each thigh
salt
paprika
a mild dried herb, such as marjoram, parsley or basil


Rinse and pat dry the thighs. Spray a large, high-edged baking pan. Liberally salt both sides of each thigh. Loosen the skin on top of each thigh by sliding your finger underneath the membrane, and placing a pat of unsalted butter, centered up under there. Sprinkle paprika and your herbs on top.

Cook, uncovered, for one and a half hours.

This will make the skin get crispy and the bottoms of the thighs will remain moist, because they are sitting directly in the pan. (Do not use a rack inside your pan!)
If you have a meat thermometer it should quickly read over 160 when you test them at this point. You won't have any pink showing--you want them to be almost over-cooked and easily coming off the bone.

*We used a self-correcting convection oven set to 325 and baked for one hour and twenty minutes. If your convection oven does not self-correct, set it to 300 degrees.
If you are using a conventional (plain 'ole regular oven), bake for at least one and a half hours. Keep an eye on them, of course.

Shrimp stuffed Bell Peppers

4 medium red bell peppers, tops cut off and seeded
3 slices white bread, torn into pieces
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
2 cups chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
3 tablespoons oil
1 lb small shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 large egg
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons panko crumbs

Heat oven to 350

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add peppers, reduce heat to simmer and cook 10 mins,  Drain and set peppers aside.

Combine bread and water.   Let stand for 5 mins then drain bread and squeeze dry. 

In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic, cook until onion is tender and stirring so it doesn't burn.  Remove from heat.

In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add shrimp and cook until pink and firm (abt 5 mins), stiring occasionally.

In a large bowl, stir together on the onion mixture, bread, egg, ketchum, Worchestershire, Cajun seasoning and pepper.  Add shrimp and stir until evenly combined.  Divide among the bell peppers and placed on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake for 30-35 mins.

**you can sub the shrimp with chicken or any protein that appeals to you**

Bow-Tie Pasta side dish

I honestly don't know what to call this.  The only thing that is ever consistent in it is the pasta.  Like BaconSlut, I eyeball the dressing ingredients because it's good no matter what.  I know it looks gross by the ingredients, but it really is good.  I use things from the garden so I add whatever is growing.

1 Box BowTie Pasta (I prefer the small size pasta)

1-2 cups of Mayo or Miracle Whip
1/3 cup Parm cheese
1/2 cup white sugar
a small handful of chopped up basil or about a tablespoon of dry

1 cut up green pepper
1 cut up red pepper
a pint of cherry tomatoes, halved;  or tomatoes from the garden, diced up
1/2 a diced onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup peas
12 oz chopped up broccoli

Make the pasta according to directions and drain.  Chop up the peppers, onion and broccoli and mix with the pasta.  Mix up the mayo, cheese, sugar and basil until the sugar dissolves and add to the pasta/veggies.  Fold in the tomatoes and refrig for a few hours before serving.  Goes great with steaks.

Granite Steps Blueberry Coffee Cake

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (12-ounce) can buttermilk biscuits
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks ) butter, melted
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 1/2 - 2cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon lemon zest





Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Generously grease a 9-inch square baking dish. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well with a fork. Separate biscuit dough into 10 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into quarters, and dip each piece in melted butter and coat with brown sugar mixture. Arrange in a single layer in baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the oats.

Combine blueberries and sugar in a bowl and toss to coat. Spoon over oats and biscuits and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup oats. Drizzle remaining melted butter on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until cake is golden brown and center is done. Cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Blueberry Tea Bread

Don't ask me why it's called Tea Bread.  I would assume it's something fancy bitches make for the Wedding Teas and Brunches.


2 Tb cake flour
2 Tb sugar
1 Tb chopped almonds (I left these out)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, divided
1 1/2 cups blueberries
3 cups sifted cake flour, divided
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 Tb vanilla

Combine first 4 ingredients.  Stir in 1 tsp butter until crumbly.  Set aside.
Combine blueberries and 2 Tb flour, tossing to coat.  Set aside.
Stir together remaining flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Cut in remaining butter until mixture is crumbly.
Whisk together egg, milk, and vanilla.  Add to the flour mixture, stirring until all ingredients are moistened.  Fold in blueberries.
Pour into a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan.  Sprinkle the almond mixture over the top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Lest rest in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

PEAR, THYME AND PORT PRESERVES

Another one from Beth Dooley's "Minnesota's Bounty" cookbook!

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon orange zest

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

generous pinch of salt

2 lbs pears, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup port

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

Prepare a stockpot or canner and jars.

In a large pot, stir together the dried cranberries, brown sugar, orange and lemon juices, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt, and set the pot over medium-low heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring so the sugar dissolves.  Add the pears, cover the pot, lower heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove the cover and simmer until the preserves thicken, 15-20 minutes.  To test readiness, put a teaspoon of the preserves on a cold plate.  Put the plate in the freezer for a minute.  If the preserves hold their shape when pushed with your finger, they are ready.  If not, continue cooking and test again.  Stir in the port and the thyme.

Ladle the preserves into the hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.  Wipe the jar rims, center the lids on the jars, and screw the bands until they are just finger tight.

Process the jars for 10 minutes in enough boiling water to cover the jars by one inch.  Turn off the heat, remove the canner lid, and allow the jars to stand in the hot water for 5 minutes before removing them.  Cool the jars for at least 12 hours before storing them in a cool, dark place.

Submitted by BaconSlut

PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN SPICE CAKE WITH MOLASSES CREAM

3 ripe but firm Bartlett or other pears

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

THE CAKE

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup molasses

3 tablespoons espresso or strong coffee

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 heaping tablespoon finely grated ginger

1 large egg at room temperature

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

THE MOLASSES CREAM

1/2 cup cold whipping cream

1/2 cup creme fraiche

1 to 2 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons chilled espresso

Peal the pears, quarter them, and remove the cores.  Cut each quarter lengthwise, in half.  Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet, then add the sugar.  Stir until it is dissolved, the turn off the heat and let it set evenly over the pan.  Reserve four of the shortest pear pieces and arrange the rest around the edge.  Use the short pieces to fill in the center.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Cream the 3 tablespoons of butter with the sugar, then add the molasses.If the coffee is hot, use it to rinse out the molasses measure, adding it to the bowl along with the vanilla and grated ginger.  Add the egg and beat until smooth, then add the buttermilk.

Mix the dry ingredients and add them to the butter mixture, beating on low until just combined.  Remove the bowl and give the batter several turns with a rubber scraper to make sure that it is well mixed, then spread the batter evenly over the pears.  Bake in the center of the oven until the cake has risen, browned, and begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 35 minutes.  Remove, let cool for a few minutes, then place a serving plate over the pan, grasp the pan and plate firmly, and reverse.  Remove the pan.  Serve with the molasses cream.

Whip the cream and creme fraiche until they are soft an billowy and then stir in the molasses and coffee.  Use a rubber scraper to mix up the molasses from the bottom of the bowl, then scrape into a serving dish.  Or...

PEAR SAUCE FOR GINGERBREAD, ICE CREAM AND OTHER DESSERTS

4 large ripe pears, any variety

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 inch piece cinnamon stick

2 teaspoons Poire William eau-de-vie

1 tablespoon butter or cream, optional

Peel, core and dice the pears.  Put them in a heavy saucepan with 1/4 cup water, the honey, lemon juice and spices. 

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook, covered, until soft, about 20 minutes.  Puree in a food processor, then stir in the brandy and the butter if desired.

Submitted by BaconSlut

GRILLED FIGS WITH PROSCIUTTO AND GORGONZOLA

From Williams-Sonoma's "New Flavors For Appetizers" cookbook.

16 fresh mission figs, firm but ripe

2 oz gorgonzola cheese, piccante or dolce

canola oil for grilling

16 paper-thin slices prosciutto di parma,

aged balsamic vinegar for drizzling

extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct-heat grilling over medium heat, or preheat a stove-top grill pan over medium heat.

Cut two 1-inch slits in the shape of an X across the top of each fig.  Stuff each fig with about 1/2 teaspoon of the cheese and press the sides of the fig together to close. 

Brush the grill rack with canola oil.  Place the figs on their sides on the grill rack and cook until they begin to char, about 2-3 minutes.  Using tongs, carefully turn the figs over and continue cooking until the cheese begins to melt, about 2 minutes longer. 

Transfer the figs to a platter.  Fold each prosciutto slice and stuff inside, drape over, or wrap around a fig.  Drizzle a little vinegar and oil over the tops of the figs and serve right away.

Submitted by BaconSlut

Blueberry Crumb Bars

I should warn you, there will probably be many blueberry recipes posted soon.  My sisters college roommate has a family farm and her mom can't take care of it all by herself.  Last weekend sis and I went and plucked blueberries.  I have 28 cups of them frozen in my freezer.  This is one of my fav recipes.

3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar (divided)
2 cups old fashioned oat (I use organic from EarthFare)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teasp baking powder
1/4 teasp salt
the zest from one lemon
the juice from said lemon
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
4 teasp corn starch
4 cups fresh organic blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 and butter a 9x13 pan.

Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.  Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut in butter and egg.  It will be very crumbly and look like the butter is lumpy, but that's ok.  Pat half of this into the 9x13 pan.

In another bowl stir together remaining 1 cup sugar, lemon juice and cornstartch.  It will be gritty and syrupy.  Fold in berries.  When berries are coated, layer them in the pan.  Plop the remaining crumble on top and try to pat it out without smashing the berries.

Bake until top browns, about 35-45 mins.  Let cool and enjoy!  It's great with homemade vanilla ice cream.

Cajun Mac and Cheese

It's almost tailgating season at the Ray household, so I've been trying out some new recipes.  This one comes from Louisiana Cookin magazine.  My mom is too ill to cook (or even read for that matter) so every month dad just hands them off to me.  This is a definite keeper for the LSU game.






14 oz Andouille sausage, cut into chunks
1 cup chopped red pepper
1 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teasp Cajun seasoning
1 quart whole milk
16 oz American Cheese (I get the Kraft brand and peel the plastic off each slice)
3 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
16 oz elbow pasta, cooked.

In a large skillet, brown the sausage over medium heat.  Add red and green peppers and cook until tender.  Sprikle the flour and cajun seasoning and stir constantly.  (this makes a Roux for you non-cajun cooks).

Gradually add milk while still stirring.  Add the cheeses letting them melt before adding more.  Dump in the pasta and stir till all mixed and creamy.  Serve immediately.