Family Size Easy Peach Cobbler

2 29 oz cans cling peaches in heavy syrup
1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups yellow cake mix (half the package)
1 cup cold milk

In a rectangle pan melt butter in a 350 oven.

Mix cake mix and milk to form a batter.
Remove pan from oven and pour batter over butter evenly (you can use a rubber spatula to push the batter around but do NOT mix together)

Place peaches with syrup into a saucepan, add sugar and heat till it bubbles. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, almond, and vanilla extracts, stir to incorporate.

Spoon hot peaches over batter, gently pour syrup over peaches evenly (again do not mix).

Place in a 350 oven for 30 minutes, turn heat up to 400 for an additional 15. Cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Homemade Beef Stock: Oven Roasted and Instapot Brewed

2 1/2 to 4 pounds beef bones such as shank, or for a richer broth add an oxtail. 

3 large carrots peeled and chopped rough

4 stalks celery, washed and chopped rough

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped rough

1 tablespoon tomato paste or 1 tomato deseeded and chopped

1 handful fresh parsley 

3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp

5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

5 cloves of clove or 1/8 tsp ground

1/2 teaspoon peppercorns or 1/8 tsp ground

1/2 teaspoon whole allspice or 1/8 tsp ground

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp sea salt

Place beef shanks in non-stick pan single layer and add chopped carrots and celery. Place pan in 450 oven turning occasionally and stirring veggies. Once bones are a deep mahogany and vegetable caramelization is well underway, add chopped onion, stir and cook another 10 minutes. Do not add onion before this point or it will become bitter.

Turn meat and stir vegetables occasionally.

Once the bones, meat, and veggies are deep mahogany your roasting is done.

Add pan ingredients and seasonings to your Instapot and pour in fresh water to 2/3 fill.

Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine and or water, scraping up browned bits as you go, pour into Instapot with other ingredients.

Bring everything to a boil using the saute setting with the lid off. Skim any scummy foam that floats to the top. 

Seal Instapot and set for one hour of pressure cooking. 

Place a fine-mesh strainer over a soup pot, line with cheesecloth and pour Istapot contents through the setup.

Remove any bones or meat to a separate bowl. Use the back of a large serving spoon to squish all of the flavors out of the veggies. 

Refrigerate the pot of liquid overnight and in the morning skim off the fat and discard. You can now divide up the stock and freeze, or use right away for French Onion Soup or other purposes. 

Note*

Discard bones and find another purpose for meat scraps.

Chicken Piccata

2-3 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise, pounded thin between plastic wrap.
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and minced
1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp. drained, rinsed, coarsely chopped capers
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp Chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/8 cup starchy pasta water reserved

Serve over 

Angel hair or spaghetti pasta tossed with butter and a little parmesan and lemon wedges 

Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise, pound each piece between films of plastic wrap about a half-inch thick. Season with sea salt and pepper. Using a shallow pie pan add flour and dredge each cutlet shaking off excess.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil over medium-high in a large skillet. Add a pat of butter once hot then add and brown cutlets, about 2 minutes the first side and about 1 minute on the other side in batches, then remove to a platter, cover loosely to keep warm.

Add garlic 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 tbsp butter to the skillet and cook, stirring often and reducing heat if needed to keep the garlic from burning until golden brown, about 2 minutes add parsley and stir.

Add wine,, and capers and cook, scraping up browned bits attached to the bottom of skillet until liquid is reduced almost completely 3-4 minutes.

Add ½ cup chicken stock,  and lemon juice followed by starch water, bring to a simmer then add butter. Whisk the sauce gently until butter dissolves about a minute or so.

Return chicken to the pan and simmer until chicken it is cooked through and the sauce has thickened about 2-3 minutes. Place chicken cutlets alongside a pile of angel hair or spaghetti pasta dressed with butter and parmesan. Pour sauce over both.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Oven Roasted Rack of Lamb with Garlic Herbs and Sauce

1 Tbsp Rosemary, minced

2 Tbsp Garlic, minced

1 Tbsp Parsley, chopped fine

Cracked black pepper

Montreal Steak Seasoning

Olive Oil

3-4 Tbsp Demi-Glace or rich brown gravy 

1 shallot minced and reserved for sauce

1/4 cup dry white vermouth

Mix all other spices, herbs, and oil together forming a paste, then coat with lamb and bake at 425 for 12 minutes,  drizzle demi-glace over lamb and garlic herbs then broil for 8 additional minutes on the second shelf. Check frequently, do not burn your garlic and or herbs. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes, slice chops apart and arrange on a platter. 

Add minced shallots to pan, saute 1minute then deglaze with a little dry white vermouth and reduce. Pour over chops you arranged on the platter and serve. 

Crock Pot Chili 3 meat

1/2 pound Chorizo Sausage
1 1/2 pounds 80% lean Ground Pork
2 pound 80% lean Ground Beef
1 Large size Williams Original Salt-Free Chili Seasoning for 4 pounds meat
1/2 tsp Slap ya mamma seasoning
3 tbsp of sugar
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Green Pepper diced
1 Large Onion diced
6 cloves garlic smashed, peeled and minced
2 cans Hunts seasoned diced tomatoes in sauce for medium chili
3 4oz cans Hatch diced green chilis mild
1 Tallboy can of light-colored beer.

Brown all meat in the same pot, strain reserving grease on the side. Dump meat in 8-quart crockpot. Dice green pepper and onions, add to saute pot with 3 tablespoons reserved meat grease. When soft add minced garlic and cook for a few more minutes season lightly with salt and pepper and transfer to crockpot. Stir in all seasonings and mix well. Add canned tomatoes, and diced green chilis, stir to distribute, pour in beer and stir well. Cover and cook on high for?

For Beans
Add-in for the last hour, 1 can of rinsed and drained dark red kidney beans with 1 can rinsed and drained black beans and 1 undrained canned chili beans in sauce. Or heat beans and serve under the chili in a bowl.

For a hotter chili add diced jalapeno into the sauteed veggies.

Serving suggestion - with hot dogs, corn chips, shredded cheddar, diced onions, and slaw.

Pork Roast Crockpot Version

3-pound pork roast
5 whole cloves garlic
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 small bit of fresh rosemary (be conservative)
2 bay leaves
fresh cracked black pepper
2 cups beef stock
1 small onion
1/8 cup dry Marsala wine or 1/4 cup other dry good red drinking wine.
3 tablespoons quick-dissolving flour, set aside for thickening
or 1 package Better than Gravy beef gravy packet.

Sear roast on all side in skillet treated with a small amount of butter/oil combo. Salt and pepper on all sides, transfer to crockpot.

Cut the hard top of garlic clove off, lay clove on cutting board, place the flat side of the kitchen knife on top of the clove and smack knife with the palm of your hand smashing the clove, peel of the skin and toss all cloves into the hot pan to saute. slice the onion in half and saute on one side. transfer garlic and cloves to crock.

Deglaze hot pan with wine and cook one minute, add beef stock and kitchen bouquet, heat to a low bubble.

Pour over roast in crock add herbs, cover and cook on low for 5.25 hours.







Remove one-third cup of broth two a glass measuring cup, allow to cool slightly, stir in quick dissolving flour using a whisk, or, 1 packet Better Than Gravy mix.

 or

Pour back into crock while stirring gently (do not break the roast) incorporate with the rest of the broth, cover and continue cooking for 45 minutes.

Tips:
8 oz fresh sliced mushrooms (optional) or 1 can
Add room temperature chopped celery carrots and potatoes to the crock if desired halfway through cooking time
Serve with rice, mashed potatoes or dressing.

Crock Pot Chicken and Dressing

4-6 Chicken Thighs
1 Can cream of Chicken and Mushroom Soup
2 Cups Chicken Broth
1-2 Bay Leaves
1/2 Teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Lawrey's Seasoning (do not over salt/the soup and broth has salt)
Sliced Mushrooms.

Sear thawed chicken thighs in butter/oil-treated pan, just till browned on each side but not cooked. Add Chicken to crockpot, whisk together broth and soup in the hot chicken pan add seasoning and heat to a bubble, pour over chicken. Return pan to the stove and add remainder of butter, celery, onion, and mushrooms, cook till clear, add herbs and cook for another minute and soft, transfer to crockpot. Cover and let cook on low for 4 1/2 hours. Remove two ladles of sauce, add two tablespoons quick-dissolving flour

and whisk till smooth, return this sauce to crockpot and stir to incorporate with all broth. Cover and allow to cook another 30 minutes.

For a true dump version, skip the searing, use canned mushrooms and all dried herbs and spices. Just place everybody in the pool (crock) and turn onto low.

Serve over Dressing

Place in large bowl
4-6 cups prepared cornbread crumbled or dried pieces of bread of your choice
1/2 Jimmy Deans fresh sausage, Sage if possible or mild, crumbled and browned

Sautee together:
Diced Onion
Diced Celery

When soft add
Minced Fresh Parsley, Sage, a pinch of Rosemary and Thyme, saute 1 minute.

Season with:
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Black Pepper
Dry Poultry seasoning

Whip together:
2 Eggs
1/2-3/4 cup chicken broth

Toss all ingredients together in mixing bowl, pour broth egg mixture over dry ingredients, mix, then transfer to a buttered baking dish. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or till golden on top.

Tip, you can make the dressing the night before, just do not add the egg and broth until right before baking. You can also make and freeze dressing kits. Or use a boxed stuffing if you are feeling blasphemous.

Poached Eggs

Poached eggs are not at all complicated and much easier than most people realize. 

Bring a pan of water to a gentle boil then knock it down to a gentle simmer.

Remove two eggs from the refrigerator and crack into a small bowl.

Stir simmering water in a circular motion to create a whirlpool, pour eggs into the center of the whirlpool. 

You will see the whites wrap around themselves and form a nice egg. Don't worry about how to separate the eggs as they remain separate naturally. 

Cook for 2 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon. 

Tips:
Leave the eggs in the refrigerator until right before you add them to the whirlpool, a cold egg holds it's structure better.
Do not boil the eggs, cook on a very gentle simmer.

Spicy Italian Meatballs

1 lb Hot, Medium, or Mild Italian Sausage, your preference
2 lbs 8/20 Ground Beef
1 lb Ground Pork
1 Bunch Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, Very Finely Minced
2 Tbsp Dried Basil or Very Finely Minced Fresh
2 Tsp Dried Oregano
5 LG Cloves Garlic Very Finely Minced (about 3-4 tablespoons)
1/3 Onion, Very Finely Minced
2-3 Tablespoons Fennel Seeds
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1/2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt
10 turns of Fresh Cracked Pepper
3/4 Cup Fine and Snowy Parmigiano Reggiano
1/2 Cup Corn Flake Crumbs
3 Eggs, beaten

Optional items
1/2 Tablespoon Red Pepper Flakes (Depending on your choice of sausage); I use hot sausage and red pepper flakes. Spicy!

In a large mixing bowl, break up ground beef and sausage with fingers very gently; add ground pork, parsley, garlic, onion, fennel, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, Parmigiano Reggiano, and cornflakes. Using a large salad fork *rake and toss (hold the fork upright, not flat/ do not mash mixture) ingredients together, being careful not to mash. After the ingredients are well incorporated, add eggs and repeat the gentle raking and tossing until all of the egg is absorbed.

Gently roll into balls using a large melon scoop to measure for uniform size; for giant meatballs, use a small ice cream scoop. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes for smaller meatballs and 350 for 20-25 for extra large meatballs. Cool and freeze or add to sauce or dishes.

*Rake and Toss the ground meat instead of aggressively mashing with your hands; this keeps the meatballs tender. If you mash ground meats, you make them tough and unpleasant. There is both technique and ingredients to a good meatball.

Classic Wing Sauce

3/4 cup Franks hot sauce

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

8 tablespoons butter 

 

Additions to taste

Black Pepper

Garlic Powder

Cayenne Pepper

Combine, Franks Hot Sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and your choice of additions in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Pull the sauce from the heat* and add cold sliced butter about a tablespoon at a time, stirring to incoorperate. 

For spicier, add cayenne pepper. 

*Note, you pull the sauce from the heat before adding the butter so the sauce doesn't separate.

Kentucky Fried Chicken at Home, Close as you will ever get.

In 1964, Colonel Sanders sold his chicken franchise to John Y. Brown, Jr, Jack C. Massey, Pete Harmon, and investors Lee Cummings and Harlan Adams, who in turn sold it to Pepsico, who in turn spun it off into Yum brands. I am not going to go into the entire history of the changing of the guard that brings us to today's KFC, you can read about it here: WikiPedia, HistoryofKFC. My only concern is a 1984 lawsuit between KFC Corp and Marion Kay Co,. Inc. You see Harlan Sanders was still operating restaurants up in Canada and felt the seasonings had been watered down, so to speak. He turned to an Indiana company, Marion Kay to reverse mix his seasoning blend. He was not able to tell Marion Kay what was in the blend for contractual and trademark reasons but to my taste buds, they hit the nail on the head in their recreation of the secret blend. You can read the lawsuit that later ensued here: KFC CORP. v. MARION-KAY CO., INC.

So what is the spice blend that Marion Kay created for Harlan Sanders? That I do not fully know, however you can purchase a container of it here: Marion Kay https://marionkay.com/?s=flake+salt&post_type=product recommends 2 tablespoons of the spice blend be mixed with 4 cups of flour, I actually bumped it up a bit and did 3 heaping tablespoons of the spice mix with 1 tablespoon of flake salt. I used a deep fryer and some of the Colonel's breading techniques based on the way he did it in a YouTube video, which can be seen here: Colonel Sanders making chicken at the Clinton KFC

Sanders also used soft wheat flour, I recommend cake flour such as Swans Down Cake Flour. https://www.swansdown.com/about/

4 Cups Cake Flour

3 Tbsp 99X Chicken Seasoning

1 Tbsp fine flake salt

1 brined chicken, patted dry. (see note*)

1 egg 

1 cup milk

Raised Cookie rack, set it over a large pan or cutting board.

Using a large mixing bowl, combine flour and seasonings using a whisk, set aside. In a pie pan whip egg and milk together. Coat chicken using a four-step process. Toss the chicken pieces through the flour mixture one at a time, setting each on the raised rack after it is coated. 2. Working with one piece at a time, dip the floured chicken into the egg wash allowing excess to drip off. 3. Toss the egg washed chicken through the flour, return the chicken to the raised rack. Allow the chicken to rest on the rack for 25 minutes until the flour has absorbed into the egg wash and the chicken looks gummy. Toss each piece through the seasoned flour again before frying. 

I move the pan and rack to an oven at this point and set the oven on its lowest setting. Move chicken to rack after frying and keep it warm till all chicken is fried. 

A word on gravy, I like to use the crackling grease (2 to 3 tbsp) from the bottom of the pot, then I use the seasoned flour, chicken stock, and milk to create a gravy.

Brine 

1 quart
1 Tbsp + 2 1/4 tsp sugar

1/3 cup kosher salt

1 heaping tablespoon chicken seasoning.

Brine for at least 3-5 hours
Here are some tips and tricks for turning out a crispy crunchy and juicy fried chicken.

1. Never fry refrigerator cold chicken, your oil temperature will drop the second you add the chicken to the oil. This will throw off the entire dish in more ways than one. Allow the temperature to return to 350 before adding the next batch. 

2. Never crowd the chicken in the fryer or the pot. That crust needs to have unfettered contact with that hot oil to crisp up and room to let the steam bubbles escape.   Cook only a few pieces at a time. It is worth the extra time and effort. 

3. Flour, use a softer lower protein flour. Cake flour is a great secret for fried chicken. All Purpose flour turns out a hard thick bready crust, rather than that delicate shattering crispy crust, I don't like it. 

4. Brining, definitely brine your chicken. Frying causes moisture loss, those bubbles in the frying oil, that is moisture escaping. I do a salt/sugar brine and water. drain the chicken well after brining and pat with a paper towel. Also, throw a tablespoon of the seasoning into that brine. 

5. Building a crust that sticks, it is a four-step process. 1. Toss chicken in seasoned flour in an oversized tall bowl. 2. Dip chicken in an egg-milk wash, let excess drain drip back into the bowl.3. Toss chicken through the seasoned flour. 4. Allow chicken to rest on the raised rack for 25 minutes and then one last toss through the seasoned flour. 

6. Use a raised cookie rack to set you chicken on after it is breaded, allow it to sit for 25 minutes till it starts to look a little gooey, toss it back through the flour for a double coating.

7. For a lighter coating only run it through the breading process once. Pure preference for single or double breading. 

8. Use popcorn or flake salt and fine ground seasonings.  Flake salt is usually a special order item, however, popcorn salt is easy to find. Why? Popcorn and flake salts are very light and float in the flour rather than sinking to the bottom. Your seasoning should all be finely ground so they float in your flour and cling to it.

9. Deep fryers are great to use, you can regulate the temperature easily and see if it drops. I now favor a cast iron deep fryer pot and a thermometer. Cast iron retains heat and prevents the temperature of the oil from dropping too much. 350 is the temperature you want. One other good option is a wok, the thing I find the most important is that the chicken floats, I don't like contact with the bottom like you get in a pan. 

10. Seasoning your flour, rule of thumb is 1 tablespoons seasoning to 2 cups of flour. I sometimes do a little more... again preference. 

11. Fry dark and light meat separately, breast meat cooks faster. 

12. Watch those bubbles, like popping popcorn when you hear the kernels almost stop popping you know it is done. When the bubbles slow down, the moisture level in the chicken has dropped. Having said that, see below for timing. *

13. Break the big thigh bone before cooking, this is a restaurant trick that allows faster cooking as thighs take the longest to cook. 

14. You can keep your chicken warm in the oven at 200, however, make sure it is sitting on a raised rack. Never set chicken onto paper towels or directly in a pan, the heat will steam your crust soggy.

15. Use an oversized tall bowl for tossing the chicken, toss the using your hands at least 7 times in the flour.

If you would like to make Kentucky Fried Chicken Cole Slaw, I have posted a recipe on this site here:KFC Coleslaw, not a copykat... the formula is more simple than you think..

If you are not going to buy the seasoning then below are some suggestions:

White Pepper

Black Pepper
Ground Sage
Ground Coriander
Ground Savory
Ground Rosemary
Ground Thyme
Ground Marjoram
Ground celery seed
Paprika (sweet)
Fine Plain Popcorn Salt
The two types of pepper and the flaked salt are very important. Table salt will fall to the bottom of your bowl rather than float in the salt. 

.