Oven Fried Chicken

Prep time : up to 12 hours

Work time: 10 minutes plus 45 minutes for baking

Ingredients

• 2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
• 8 chicken thighs and 8 chicken drumsticks (5 pounds total), skin on
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. In large bowl, combine the buttermilk and chicken pieces, turning them to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours. (I like to do this the night before)
2. Arrange rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 425°F.
3. Line large shallow baking sheet with foil.
4. In large bowl, combine bread crumbs,  salt, and pepper; toss well to blend.
5. Drain chicken and discard buttermilk. Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge chicken in bread crumbs until well coated, then place, skin side up, on baking sheet.
6. Bake chicken until golden and cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Picnic Tips

I like cook the chicken just before leaving, so that I can bring it the picnic warm. I line a basket with foil and paper towels to catch the drippings.

If you make it a day ahead, let it cool, then refrigerate it overnight. Wrap the cold chicken with parchment paper and tie it with a little string. Place it a basket lined with a pretty kitchen towel.

TJ’s Chicken-n- Broccoli Mac and Cheese – Yum Yum Good!

Easiest Cheesiest Mac and Cheese

5 Servings

20 minutes

Equipment

Large pot

Colander

Measuring cups and spoons

9×12 baking dish

Spoon for mixing

Aluminum foil

Thermos

Ingredients

8 cups of water

1 tablespoon of salt

2 cups of dry macaroni

1 tablespoon of butter

2 cups of low fat milk

¼ pound of American cheese slices, about 12 slices

1 cup roasted chicken, chopped

1 cup broccoli florets

Directions

1.     In a large pot place the 8 cups of water and salt.  Bring to a boil and cook the macaroni for 8 to 10 minutes.  Drain the macaroni in the colander and pour back into the baking dish.*

2.     Add the chicken, broccoli and butter to the macaroni. Stir until it is well combined.

3.     Pour the milk over the macaroni and top with the cheese – the cheese will over lap each other.

4.     Cover the macaroni and cheese with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes or until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbly.

5.     Once out of the oven mix the macaroni and cheese to make sure that all the macaroni is well coated with cheese sauce.

and basil this pasta is perfect for any summer evening and perfect for entertaining with little mess.

Summer Pasta with Grilled Italian Sausage

Serves 6 people

Ingredients

• • 2 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
  • ¼ cup of extra virgin Italian olive oil
  • ½ cup of dry white wine
  • 1 pound of fresh mozzarella cheese, diced in to ½ inch chunks
  • 1 cup of finely chopped basil
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 Italian sausage grilled and sliced in ¼ in slices

**I like to grill the sausage ahead of time and keep in them at room temperature**

• • ¼ cup basil for garnish

Directions

• • In a mixing bowl combine the tomatoes, olive oil, wine, mozzarella cheese, basil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
  • Bring a large pot of water with 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil. Add the pasta, stir well and boil until al dent, about 8-10 minutes
  • Drain well and place in a serving bowl.  Pour the sauce over the pasta, add the slices of grilled sausage and toss well.
  • Garnish with remaining basil and serve immediately

Buy it online here

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,kids/products_id,8251/

So long, soggy ham sandwiches and PB&J!
My Lunch Box offers families exciting new possibilities for packed lunches. These 50 simple recipes feature inventive sandwiches, tasty salads, healthy treats, and more. With so many yummy options to choose from, parents and children will gain a new perspective on lunch—and another fun way to cook together!
Hilary Shevlin Karmilowicz is a former chef and the author of My A to Z Recipe Box. She lives in Rye, New York.

Rebecca Bradley is an illustrator living in Baltimore, Maryland.

Is a Tomato a fruit or vegetable?

Botanically speaking a tomato is a fruit, more specifically a fruit,  but culinary speaking we treat it as a vegetable because it does not have the sweetness of a dessert.  Although we can buy tomatoes year round , they are in the height of their season June through September. Nothing tastes more like summer then a  fresh tomato sandwich on toasted bread.  My husband enjoys the sweet yet savory taste of a simple gazpacho.  Read on for a simple gazpacho recipe that is great for a party or any night!

Gazpacho – prep time 20 minute ( Chill 4 hours)

Ingredients

• 1 hothouse cucumber, peeled and diced
• 3 red bell peppers, diced
• 3 green bell peppers, diced
• 8 ripe tomato, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 3 cups tomato juice
• 1/2 cup Sherry wine vinegar
• 2 dashes Tabasco sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Place all of the diced vegetables in a large bowl.
• Add the tomato juice, vinegar, and Tabasco.
• Season with salt and pepper and toss.
• Transfer half of the mixture to a blender or food processor and pulse the machine on and off to coarsely puree the contents.
• Return the pureed mixture to the bowl and stir to combine.
• Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
• Enjoy!

Here are few great reasons to cook en Papillote

• En Papillote refers to a method of cooking where food is cooked in a pouch, typically made out of parchment but foil and even a brown paper bag will work as well.
• A great way to cook for individuals with allergy concerns because each pouch acts as an individual oven for the food that you are preparing.
• A low fat  method of cooking  allows food to steam themselves with addition infused flavors such as vegetables, herbs, wine, and liquor
• En Papillote  creates a dramatic presentation for any meal -simply put each person’s ‘packet’ on their plate and let them unwrap.
• Just about any kind of  fish, meat, vegetable and even pasta can be cooked en papillote.
• A great way to introduce new foods to children -allow them to pick their own vegetables to add and try! You will be amazed at the combinations they will come up with!

Sea Bass en Papillote served with Penne Pasta

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 dry white wine
• 2(6-ounce) fillets black sea bass or striped bass (1/2 to 1 1/4 inches thick) with skin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
• 12 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 yellow pepper. thinly sliced
• 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Directions

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
• Line a large baking sheet with foil to catch any drippings during baking.
• Cut a piece of parchment (doubled over) which is large enough to encase your filet with an inch or so margin around it
• Prepare the packets on your baking sheet so it can eliminate any transfer problems
• Pat fish dry and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Arrange fillets, skin sides down on each piece of parchment
• Add the vegetables, 2 sprigs of thyme, white wine and olive oil and you are ready to crimp.
• Beginning at the wider part of the valentine, begin folding the paper over itself. As you move around the paper, you’ll end at the pointed end of the heart, fold under. If you have trouble with the crimping, you can staple the packets shut, too.
• Bake until fish is just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes (depending on thickness of fish); check by removing from oven and carefully lifting up a corner of top sheet of foil, pulling up sides of bottom sheet to keep liquid from running out.
• If fish is not cooked through, reseal foil and continue to bake, checking every 3 minutes.
• Transfer Papillote packages to dinner plates and serve immediately.
• It makes for a dramatic presentation! I like to serve this with penne pasta tossed in a good quality olive oil.

I recently went to a baseball game with my son’s camp group. I rode the bus with 30 little boys chanting and singing with excitement as we headed to the ball park.  I couldn’t wait to get a giant box of popcorn, something that I have gotten at ballparks since I was a small child. But when we got there and I went with my son to the concession stand I looked at the menu and the calorie count! 900 calories for popcorn? Outrageous! Popcorn should be one of the healthiest items at the park not the worst.

However, I was pleasantly surprised at the hotdog calorie count and being a closet hotdog eater I got one.  It was one of the best hotdogs I have ever eaten!

One of my favorite memories from childhood was making homemade peach ice-cream!

Here is a simple recipe to try !

Peach Ice- Cream

INGREDIENTS
6 eggs, beaten
3 1/2 cups white sugar
12 fresh peaches, pitted and chopped
4 cups heavy cream
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 Vanilla beans scraped or 2teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
1.In large bowl, mix together eggs and sugar until smooth;
2. Reserve2 cups chopped peaches in a bowl and puree the remaining peaches in a blender or food processor until smooth.
3. Stir 5 cups of puree into egg mixture.
4. Stir in cream, half-and-half, vanilla and salt and mix well.
5. Pour mixture into freezer canister of ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.
6. When the ice-cream is done stir in the 2 cups of reserved chopped peaches

ENJOY!