Red Velvet Cake

Prior to trying Red Velvet Cake with the flour based frosting,  I truly did not understand the craze. The frosting truly makes a huge difference!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Rest Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 - 35 minutes

Equipment Needed:
Two, 9 inch cake pans
Parchment Paper, cut into two, 9 inch circles
Bakers Joy

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup Flour
1 1/4 cup Cake Flour
1 1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoons Cocoa

1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 cup Buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 tsp Red Food Coloring
1 1/2 teaspoon White Vinegar

Place one parchment paper circle in each cake pan.
Spray pan and parchment paper with Baker's Joy.
Preheat conventional oven to 325°.
Whisk dry ingredients together.
Sift all dry ingredients and set aside.
Blend all wet ingredients.
Mix in dry ingredients.
As soon as lumps are gone, pour into prepared pans.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.
Let cakes cool in pan for 10 minutes.
Place on wire rack to finish cooling.

Frosting:
5 tablespoons flour
1 cup Milk
1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Whisk milk and flour in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Whisk constantly until mixture thickens, 3 to 5 minutes.
Whisk in vanilla.
Let flour mixture cool to room temperature
Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
Mix in flour mixture and beat on high until frosting resembles whipped cream.

Fried Chicken

I was inspired by a trip to New Orleans to perfect my fried chicken. The requirements: Juicy, tender, flavorful without being salty and flaky/crunchy skin. I think I achieved all of the above with my recipe.

Prep Time: 4 hours
Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
8 cups water
2 Tbsp each: Smoked Paprika,  Chili Powder, Onion Powder,  Oregano, Thyme, Minced Garlic
1 bay leaf
1 quart Buttermilk
1 large onion, sliced

8 chicken wings
4 chicken legs
Seasoned Salt
Garlic Powder

3 cups flour
1 Tbsp Cumin
2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp White Pepper
1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp Salt

2 quarts peanut oil
Lemon Wedges

Bring water to a boil.
Stir in seasonings.
Bring water to a 2nd boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered,  for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Pour water into a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.
Whisk in buttermilk.
Stir in sliced onion.
Reserve and refrigerate1 cup of marinade.
Add chicken to milk/water mixture,  ensuring that chicken is completely covered.
Cover bowl and refrigerate. 
Allow chicken to soak for at least 2 hours.
Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade.

In a large, heavy paper bag, zip lock bag or large bowl with cover, add flour and next 5 ingredients. 
Whisk to mix completely and set aside.

Heat oil over medium heat,  in a large, heavy frying pan or Dutch oven or fryer.
Use a candy/deep fry thermometer to ensure that the oil temperature is 375°.

While oil is heating do the following:
Season chicken on all sides with seasoned salt and garlic powder
Shake chicken,  a few pieces at a time, in flour mixture.
Dip each piece of chicken in reserved marinade.
Shake for a second time in flour mixture. 
Discard marinade.

Fry chicken in 2 batches, turning occasionally until golden brown and pieces begin to float, about 8 to 10 minutes per batch.
Make sure that after the 1st batch of chicken you bring the oil temp back to 375° so that your oil does not burn.

Drain chicken on paper bags
Serve with lemon wedges.

ENJOY!

Spicy Shrimp & Grits

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces *

1 medium onion, diced
1 large bell pepper, diced in 1/2 inch pieces
1 poblano pepper, diced in 1/2 inch pieces
2 ribs of celery,  chopped
1 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup flour

15 oz stewed tomatoes
32 oz chicken broth
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 lb shrimp, peeled & devined
Green Onions,  chopped
Garlic Butter

1.5 c chicken broth
1.5 c whole milk
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 c stone ground grits
Salt
1/2 c Shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

To Make Shrimp:

1. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Remove bacon from pot and all but 3 Tbsp of fat.
3. Sauté onion, celery peppers for about 4 minutes. 
4. Add tomatoes and stir to combine. 
5. Add garlic,  Old Bay & smoked paprika to pot. 
6. Stir in flour and cook for about 5 minutes.
7. Gradually stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil.
8. Add thyme & bay leaf, reduce heat to a simmer and cover.
9. Stir every 10 minutes making sure nothing is stuff to the bottom of the pot.
10. Cook until mixture is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 1 hour. Stir in bacon.

* If you prefer a vegetable based fat, substitute olive oil or grape seed oil for bacon and add salt to taste.

To Make Grits:

1. In a medium pot over medium heat, bring broth and milk to a boil.
2. Whisk in grits and garlic powder and salt. 
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Cover pot and reduce heat.
5. Cook for about 20-25 minutes,  stirring occasionally. 
6. Stir in cheeses.
7. Remove from heat.
8. To Serve:
9. Scoop 1/2 cup of grits into center of a bowl.
10. Ladle 1 cup of shrimp mixture around grits.
11. Garnish with green onions, garlic butter  and freshly ground black pepper.

ENJOY!

Country Chicken Sausage

This recipe comes from the book "Home Sausage Making: How - to Techniques For Making And Enjoying 125 Sausages At Home" by Susan Make Peery

Recipe yields 2 pounds

Ingredients:

2 feet small hog or sheep casings*
2 pounds chicken meat (mixture of dark and light with skin**
2 teaspoons kosher or coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dries summer savory
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Prepare casings
Grind chicken through the fine disk
In a large bowl, combine chicken and seasonings
Grind the mixture through the fine disk
Stuff mixture into prepared casing
Prick air pockets. Twist off into 2 to 3 inch links.
Cut links apart
Use within 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months
Cook  to an internal temperature of 165°.

*I purchased collagen casings and the results were great.

** I have made chicken sausage with boneless skinless chicken thighs and added oil as a substitute for skin.

I have also added spinach,  onion, apples, and cheeses.

Sometimes instead of casing the sausage I use it in pasta sauce and other recipes requiring ground meat.

I also add fennel to this recipe.

Enjoy

Buffalo Cod Sandwich w/Crab Mayo

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1.5 lb Cod Filets
1 cup Hot Sauce
Peanut Oil for frying
1 cup Flour
1/2 tsp of each: Garlic Powder,  Cumin, Smoked Paprika & White Pepper
1 cup Mayonnaise (I used Hellmans because it isn't sweet)
1 cup Lump Crab, prepared & cooled
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 Smoked Paprika
4 6 inch Pretzel Rolls
Lemon Wedges, optional

To Make Mayo:

Using a mortar & pestal, press kosher salt into garlic until a paste forms.
In a small bowl mix mayo, garlic paste, pepper and paprika.
Gently stir crab into mayo.
Cover and refrigerate for up to a week.

To Make Fish:
Heat oil in a heavy skillet to 375°
Place fish in a medium bowl.
Pour hot sauce over fish.
Turn fish to coat and let sit for 10 minutes
Mix flour and next 4 ingredients with a whisk and set aside.
Drain fish, discard hot sauce and shake in flour mixture until coated on all sides.
Carefully place fish in skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 7 minutes.
Place fish on a paper towel lined plated and squeeze with lemon.

To Assemble Sandwich:

Layer each roll with a 1/4 cup crab mayo, a piece of cod, and garnish of your choice.  I used shredded kale, cucumber & red onion. 

ENJOY!

Jerk Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:

Sea salt
Olive Oil
1 lb Elbow Macaroni
2 Tbsp Butter
1 Small Onion, diced
1/4 C Pablano Pepper, diced
1/4 C Red Bell Pepper,  diced
2 Jalapeños, diced
1 C Jerk Marinade
1/4 C Flour
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
3 C Whole Milk
2 C Colby Jack Cheese, Shredded
2 C Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
1 C Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Cook pasta according to package instructions.

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter.

Add next 4 ingredients. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Stir in jerk marinade.

Whisk in flour and garlic to make roux. Continue stirring for about 2 minutes.

Gradually whisk in milk. Continue to stir until roux and milk are mixed. Make sure that roux is not sticking to bottom of pan.

When milk begins to boil,  gradually stir in Colby & Parmesan cheeses.

When cheese has melted completely, remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Butter a 3 quart casserole dish.

Toss pasta with 2 Tbsp olive oil.

Stir in cheese sauce.

Stir in 1 cup of cheddar.

Bake for 35 minutes.

Sprinkle remaining cheddar on top of casserole and bake an additional 10 minutes. 

ENJOY!

Lemon Ranch Shrimp

This recipe was in heavy circulation on Facebook so I gave it a try. It is as good as everyone said it is. The original recipe calls for a Italian dressing seasoning packet. Since I had a ranch dressing seasoning packet on hand, I used it instead.

Yields 4 entrée portions
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2lb Raw Shrimp, 16 to 20 count, peeled and devined
1 stick butter
2 lemons, sliced
1 Ranch Dressing Seasoning Packet
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
Black Pepper
Sea Salt

Set oven to 375°
Place butter in baking dish and place in oven to melt while oven reaches cooking temperature.
When butter melts, remove dish from oven and line with lemon slices.
Toss shrimp in ranch seasoning and layer on top of lemon slices
Sprinkle shrimp with remaining seasonings.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
Serve immediately.
ENJOY!