cooking ala mel

Green Bean Casserole

February 6, 2011

No Thanksgiving passes that we don’t have green bean casserole. It’s a classic, it’s delicious, and there’s no need to change it up, as a lot of people tend to try to do. Alex absolutely loves green bean casserole, so it’s much more likely to see this dish outside of the holidays with him around.

Every time we go to the store, Alex asks me if we have all the ingredients for this dish. We always do, but he never stops being concerned about it. It’s so easy to make, so I don’t mind whipping it up for him.

Green Bean Casserole

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom Soup
3/4 cup milk
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 cans green beans
1 1/3 cups French Fried Onions

Mix soup, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2 -qt. baking dish. Stir in beans and 2/3 cup French Fried Onions.
Bake at 350°F for 30 min. or until hot. Stir. Top with remaining 2/3 cup onions. Bake 5 min. until onions are golden.

Chicken Tenders

February 6, 2011

These chicken tenders are one of Alex’s favorites. I made this up one night to use up some store brand ritz crackers that Alex didn’t like, and now he wants them all the time.

This night we also made green bean casserole, which is another one of Alex’s absolute favorites. Recipe for that coming soon, although it is a classic!

Frying up!

Chicken Tenders

1 sleeve of ritz crackers, crushed

chili pepper flakes, to taste

1 lb. chicken tenders

italian seasonings, to taste

salt, pepper, to taste

1/4 cup asiago cheese, shredded

1 clove garlic, minced (or Garlic Garlic seasoning to taste)

1/4 cup minced onion

1-2 eggs (it’s possible to go without – the chicken is moist enough for the crumbs to stick!)

olive oil, for frying

Heat about 2 T olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet. Crush the crackers and combine with asiago, salt, pepper and seasonings. Whisk the eggs and dip each tender in the egg then in the cracker mixture. Once all are breaded, cook in oil until each side is browned and crispy. Add oil as needed.

Quick Cinnamon Spice Biscuits

February 6, 2011

Sometimes, there’s just nothing better than a warm, sweet, sticky cinnamon roll. But who has time to plan out making them with yeast? These quick, no yeast cinnamon biscuits from Ezra Poundcake are just as tasty as a cinnamon roll (a little bit less sweet) but take half the time. I adapted the recipe to be of a fat free variety..gives me reason to have two! 😉

I made these for Christmas morning, also, but refrigerated the dough the night before..this was a bad idea! It didn’t puff up as much as it should’ve Christmas morning (not pictured here), but they were still delicious!

Perfect with a cup of coffee!!

Quick Cinnamon Biscuits
(yields about 9 biscuits)

Cinnamon Sugar Filling
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg

Biscuit Dough
2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 T brown sugar, packed
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 cup milk
1-5.3 oz container of plain greek yogurt

Icing
6 T confectioner’s sugar
4-6 t milk

Preheat the oven to 400 ºF.
For the filling: In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon, brown sugar and nutmeg. Set aside.
For the dough: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk the greek yogurt into the milk. Add the yogurt/milk mixture and stir until the dough forms a ball, about 1 minute. With your hands, fold the dough over a few times in the bowl, until the dough is smooth (it will be a bit sticky).
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour your hands, and pat the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle, about 9 X 13 inches. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar topping. Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a cylinder. Slice into 9 equal rounds. Place the rounds, cut side down, into an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish or a pie plate. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the biscuits are lightly browned.
For the icing: While the biscuits bake, mix together the confectioners’ sugar and milk or cream until smooth. When you remove the biscuits from the oven, immediately drizzle them with icing. Serve warm.