Chicken Strips with Homemade Honey BBQ

Making your own chicken strips is easy and skip all the crazy long unpronounceable ingredients.  They are freezer friendly and re-heat easily.  Great cold for lunches too.  Want nuggets?  Cut up the chicken a little smaller and fry it up just the same.

Chicken Strips with Homemade Honey BBQ                                    Printable Recipe

Sauce:
1-1/4 cups ketchup
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon plus a dash onion powder
Dash red cayenne powder
Dash garlic powder
Dash cumin




Batter:
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour (or Jovial Einkorn flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper


Chicken wing pieces or you can use cut up chicken/turkey breast or tenders OR bake prebreaded frozen chicken tender/wings


Canola oil for frying


Sauce...
Combine the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until ingredients are well combined and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes. It will thicken as it cool. Keep in fridge.


Heat oil to 350 degrees in a deep fryer.


Combine the beaten egg with the milk in a small bowl. In another small bowl, combine the flour, salt, and pepper.


Dip each piece of chicken first in the flour mixture...
then into the milk and egg mixture...

and back into the flour.

Arrange chicken on a plate until each one is coated with batter.

Fry the pieces for 9 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. My self cut tenders were thinner, I think I did about 5-6 minutes.

Drain on paper towels or a rack.

Drizzle or dip in the honey bbq sauce. Awesome cold out of the fridge!

Gluten free version!! *I found I didn't use as much coating with this so start off with 1 cup of GF flour.  You can always add more to your breading dish if you need to.

Also works great with Jovial Einkorn flour!!

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Mexican Chicken Casserole

2 large chicken breasts
1 cup sour cream (lite can be used)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (I use Campbell's Healthy Request or make your own)
1 or 2 4 ounce cans green chilis (I use 1)
1/2 can of drained whole corn (optional)
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
6 - 8 small soft tortillas


Parboil chicken and cut up. Combine chicken, soup, sour cream, green chilis, and corn if you are using that. This particular recipe I did not.


Cut up tortillas using a pizza cutter.

Layer tortillas on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish...

then chicken mixture, cheese, tortillas, chicken....etc....

until you have some tortillas on top and some cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until hot, bubbly, and tortillas on top are crispy.

You can put more tortillas on top if you like. Looks like I used too many in the middle to get better coverage on top.

Reunion Breakfast Casserole

This casserole is called 'reunion' as it is served nearly every time at my husband's family reunion.

Reunion Breakfast Casserole

8 - 10 slices bread, cubed (I used to use store bought Italian bread - now I use my own homemade)
1 pound more or less of a mixture of cooked meats you like (we use bacon, sausage, and ham)
6 eggs
3 cups milk
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt (keep in mind the meats already have salt in them)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup shreddd Italian blend cheese


Put bread in bottom of 9" x 13" baking dish. Mix milk and eggs, add meat and Mexican cheeses, salt and dry mustard.
Pour over bread.

Careful to pour the meats evenly over the bread. Press bread down to get it wet.

Bake covered for 45 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with Italian cheeses and bake 15 -20 minutes more until it is set and there is no liquid. (I have also poked it with a knife and tilted the dish to let the liquids run to the hot sides to cook.)

It will look puffy like a souffle and 'fall' as it sits. Let sit for 10 minutes. Serve.

Sweet Potato Casserole

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Saltimbocca

Saltimbocca

1 oz Parmesan Cheese (shaker stuff is ok but we prefer the shredded cheese)

3 Tablespoons flour

dried parsley (I don't measure, I just shake in for color)

olive oil

thin sliced pork, turkey, or chicken (I'd say about 1/4")

proscuitto

3/4- 1 cup chicken broth

Mix flour, parmesan, and dried parsley.

This is the proscuitto, very thin and easy to tear into the right shape for your meat. Edible just like this since it's not raw, more like a thin ham but will crisp up like bacon.

Lay the proscuitto on the meat and coat with flour mixture.

Add olive oil to the pan and place meat in the pan, try not to crowd so they brown and not steam. Cook on each side until golden. 3-5 mins total since meat is thin.

You can cook this two ways. You can cook the meat in batches and do the sauce at the end or do 1 batch and sauce, then the second, third (however many you need) and do sauce for each as you go. I prefer to do sauce for each batch as I go. If you use a non stick pan there will not be as many bits in it as a stainless steel but I prefer the clean up from a nonstick, much easier!

To make the 'sauce' add a little bit of the chicken broth ... and let it simmer a little. It will combine with the flour on the meat and thicken. It's not a heavy sauce, just for some added moisture.

Tastes great served with this garlic cream sauce.

"Cheesecake" Pancakes

"Cheesecake" Pancakes                                                                Printable Recipe

1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar (or less, we use 2T)
1 egg
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon lemon zest (or we use lemon juice)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Dash salt (or if you use unsalted butter use 1/4 t salt)
1/2 cup small curd cottage cheese



Whisk milk, sugar, egg, butter, and vanilla together in a large bowl. (Also add lemon juice if using instead of zest. )

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl. then add to egg mixture, stir just until incorporated.

Stir in cottage cheese (and zest if using that.) Don't mix too much as it will affect the fluffiness of your pancakes.
Use 1/3 cup to measure onto hot griddle. Cook until bubbly and light brown and flip. (Add blueberries or other fruit here before flipping.)

When you flip the pancake you will see the baking powder in action and it will rise a little as it cooks.

We serve with strawberry sauce or fresh strawberries and whipped cream, sliced bananas, nuts and whipped cream or syrup. Can be frozen and reheated.

Pineapple Ham Loaf Patties

Making these into patties instead of loaves cuts down the baking time and everyone gets their own slice of pineapple! You can make them ahead and freeze (see directions at the end.)

Pineapple Ham Loaf Patties

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup bread crumbs*
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound fully cooked ham, ground**
1 pound ground pork**
1 can pineapple slices
brown sugar or honey


In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, Worcestershire sauce, bread crumbs, mustard, salt, and pepper. Add ham and pork; mix well but do not mash while mixing.
Form into 9 equal hamburger-like patties and place a pineapple ring on top of each one. Place on cookie sheet that has sides.

Drizzle with honey or sprinkle with brown sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until meat is cooked through.

For ham balls, chop up pineapple and mix in with meat. Form balls. Drizzle with honey or sprinkle with brown sugar and bake until done.

TO FREEZE....Make patties or ball and freeze on wax lined cookie sheet. After they are frozen transfer to bags. To cook, thaw and top with pineapple (for the patties) and the brown sugar or honey and bake as directed.

* To make GLUTEN-free use QUINOA flakes

**Ham loaf meat mixture can be substituted for the ham and pork.

"Refried" Beans

"Refried" Beans

1 can black beans, undrained
salt
pepper
garlic, optional


Add all to a pan set to low/med heat. As the beans cook use a potato masher to mash. Mash it as little or as much as you like. You will need more liquid as it cooks and thickens. I use the can to get water so I can get the rest of the goodies out that are left in the can when you dump it out the first time.


Simple yet so tasty! Great with fajitas too.

Tostadas

This makes quite a bit and is great if you are serving a crowd.  If you have leftovers they can be thrown in the freezer and reheated for another time. 

Tostadas 

1-1/2 pounds boneless beef round steak -You can also use Pork Butt or Goat Roast. *
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup lime juice
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder (or a combination of cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 packaged tostada or hard taco shells
Refried beans (see recipe)
Cooked Onions and Peppers (see note below)
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Shredded Mexican-blend cheese or Chihuahua Cheese
Salsa
Guacamole
Sour Cream




Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper. Place 3 tablespoons of the lime juice, the garlic, jalapeño, onion, chili powder, cumin and cayenne in a slow cooker. Place meat on top and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 8 hours.

Remove beef to a cutting board and when cool enough to handle, shred with fingers or using two forks. Place shredded beef in a large bowl. Strain remaining liquid in slow cooker over a bowl or measuring cup, discarding solids. Add strained liquid and remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice to beef in bowl and stir to combine. Cover; keep warm.

For onions and peppers, cook in a little bit of oil with the same seasoning as your beef. I let them caramelize a little then add water a little bit at a time until they are soft. That is the way we prefer them. If you like them crunchy then don't cook them as long. We like to add red pepper, not only for color but for a little added sweetness.

Warm tostada shells in the oven. 200 degrees for about 5 minutes. Spread beans, then layer the rest of the toppings on top.

*If you double your meat and crock ingredients you will have some to freeze for later!  Also good with BBQ sauce added to it for BBQ pork sandwiches. 

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