7 Up Biscuits

 Here's a quick and easy biscuit recipe which was posted on FB by my friend Lauren. I'm not even sure whose recipe it is, but like I always say, since she's the one who gave it to me, she's the one who gets the credit! They're super easy to make and all you need is just 4 simple ingredients. Perfect! And surprisingly, they don't taste sweet like the 7 Up. They just taste like delicious biscuits to serve with any country gravy or dinner you happen to be whipping up. Make 'em for your next country breakfast or dinner and watch everyone devour them. Betcha there won't be any left!


4 cups Bisquick
1 cup sour cream
1 cup 7-up
1/2 cup melted butter


Mix Bisquick, sour cream and 7 up. Dough will be very soft - don't worry. Knead and fold dough until coated with your baking mix. Pat dough out and cut biscuits using a round biscuit / cookie cutter. Melt butter in bottom of cookie sheet pan or 9x13 casserole dish. Place biscuits on top of melted butter and bake @ 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until brown.

Tips:
 Since they bake in a rectangular pan, I didn't see the point in using a round biscuit cutter. Then you'd have the scraps of biscuit dough that you'd have to reroll and cut, etc. I just figured I'd form the dough into a rectangle, cut it into squares and then fit them perfectly into the pan. Doesn't that make more sense??? Who's with me?? 

Classic Fried Chicken

 If you know me, you know that I love to cook for my friends. I love to assemble a big group at my apt, plan a menu according to whatever theme we've chosen, and then show everyone how I made each thing. I also love it when everyone gets in on the cooking. It's always a good time!
 Recently, we decided to have a Southern Food night. It was awesome! In addition to my famous Baked Beans, we had Fried Confetti Corn, Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole (without the beef), and of course, Classic Fried Chicken. We added some 7 Up Biscuits along with The Best Carrots and Green Beans Ever and there, Ladies and Gentlemen, was a pretty amazing home cooked southern chicken dinner.
 To be quite honest, I had never cooked regular classic fried chicken. I know, I know, crazy, right? One would think that I would have cooked something so classic at some point in my life, but nope, never did! I must say, I think it was pretty slammin'! I did some searching to see which recipe I'd try, and (as you can imagine), I found a million versions. I went with Ree Drummond's recipe because that seemed to be pretty close to what I had in mind for a Classic Fried Chicken recipe. It was crispy and tender and fabulous and comforting and flavorful all at the same time. I think it'll probably be my go-to recipe the next time I decide to have another fried chicken night.
 Yes, of course, it's not the best idea to eat fried anything all the time, but everyone once in a while, a little comfort is a good thing!


2 cut-up fryer chickens in 16 pieces

4 1/4 cups cups buttermilk
5 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons seasoned salt, such as Lawry's
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground dried thyme
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more for seasoning
1/4 cup milk
Canola or vegetable oil, for frying

 Thoroughly rinse the chicken, then cover all the pieces with 4 cups buttermilk and soak in the fridge overnight or up to 24 hours. When you're ready to fry the chicken, remove the bowl from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes, just to take off the chill.

 In the meantime, preheat the oven to 360 degrees F and mix up the breading. Place the flour, seasoned salt, paprika, pepper, thyme and cayenne (extra cayenne if you like heat) in a very large bowl. Stir together well.

 In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup buttermilk and the milk. Pour the milk mixture into the flour and, with a fork, gradually mix until there are little lumps throughout. This will adhere to the chicken and make for a crispier breading. If necessary, add a little more flour or milk to the bowl in order to make it slightly lumpy.

 Heat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat until a thermometer reaches 365 degrees F. Lower the heat slightly, if necessary, to keep the oil from getting hotter.

Working in batches, thoroughly coat each chicken piece with the breading, pressing extra breading onto the chicken if necessary. Place the breaded pieces on a plate.

 Add the chicken to the oil 3 or 4 pieces at a time. Make sure they aren't sticking together, then cover the pan and fry for 5 to 7 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the chicken isn't getting too brown. Turn the pieces over, cover again, and cook 3 to 5 minutes more. All the while, monitor the temperature of the oil to make sure the chicken doesn't burn.

 Place the chicken on a baking sheet and continue frying the rest of the chicken. When all the chicken has been fried, remove the wings and legs to a plate and keep covered. These should be cooked all the way through by now but always check, if any pink juice or meat is visible. If so, return to the hot oil for another minute or so until fully cooked. Leave the thighs and breasts on the baking sheet.

 Bake the thighs and breasts for 15 minutes to finish the cooking process. Sometimes I'll cut into the thicker part of one of the larger pieces, just to make sure the chicken is cooked through. If any pink juice or meat is visible, the chicken needs to continue cooking in the oven.

Tips:

 If you have no desire to cut up a whole chicken, by all means have your butcher do it, or just purchase chicken pieces. I like just the legs and thighs, so that's what I bought. Simple!

 I had originally planned to add hot sauce to the buttermilk (since I know that's also a classic thing to do when marinating the chicken), but I figured I didn't need to do that since the flour was already seasoned really well. But if you'd like to add the hot sauce, go for it!

Brookies

 Have you ever heard of a Brookie? Well, as you might guess, a Brookie is a cross between a brownie and a cookie. I discovered them when I was browsing the interwebs for a mini cupcake type of bite-sized treat. Yes, of course, you can make them in a regular 9x13 brownie pan, but I've been on a miniature food kick lately and I just love how easy and portion controlled these cute little bites of heaven are. They're a quick throw-together, and they're the perfect little after school snack or even a great little replacement for your usual TV time cookies and milk. They also go perfectly in a lunch box for school or work. Make LOTS of them, and then keep 'em in the freezer until you want them. Then take out as many as you need! Easy right??? Give 'em a try!

1 batch tollhouse cookie dough
1 batch brownies

You can can either make each batch from scratch, or just do a brownie mix and store bought cookie dough.

Simply mix up the brownie batter and cookie dough according to your recipe or package directions. Spray mini muffin pans with baking spray. Divide the brownie batter evenly between 48 mini muffins. (My mini muffin tins have 24 each, so it's perfect for two pans). Top each muffin with cookie dough. Place in a 350F oven and bake about 20-22 minutes or until set. Cool completely before removing them from the pans, otherwise they might break when you try to remove them. Patience! I promise they'll be worth the wait!

Tips:
Be sure to spray each cup with baking spray. You want to be able to get them out of the pan!
To make perfectly round little cookies sitting on top of the brownie, roll the cookie dough into balls and then place on top of each cup. Makes sense, right?
If you're using the store bought "break and bake" cookie dough, just cut each cube of cookie dough in half and roll it into a ball. You'll have exactly 48!
For a little extra decadence, top each cup with a few chocolate or other flavored chips before topping with the cookie dough. White chocolate? Peanut butter? Whatever you like! You could also put a little Rolo candy on top of each one before topping them with the cookie dough.
OH! Here's an idea...You could top each brownie cup with a mini Reese's cup or a few Reese's Pieces, and then use peanut butter cookie dough instead of chocolate chip cookie dough on top. I'm gonna have to try that!

Zucchini "Crab" Cakes

 Here's another fabulous zucchini recipe that thinks just slightly outside the box. Yes, you can saute zucchini with olive oil and garlic, you can make zucchini bread, and you can make zucchini pancakes. But did you ever think of using zucchini instead of crab?
 I first heard of this from my brother, Dennis. As soon as he mentioned it, I began looking for just the right recipe. Well, of course, there are a million versions, and every one of them claims to be THE BEST. Clearly, the only way to settle this would be to come up with my own version! So I looked at a few different recipes, kept what I liked, changed what I didn't like, combined a few things, omitted a few others, and this was the result! Now, I'd be lying if I said they taste JUST like lump crab Maryland Crab Cakes. But, ya know what? They tasted pretty darned good! I'd definitely say they're better than you're standard grocery brand of frozen crab cakes. They're just the right texture, and between the mayonnaise, the Dijon and the Old Bay, they really do taste like crab cakes. Plus, you get to adjust the seasoning to suit your own taste. and that's always a good thing.
 So give these a try. I betcha you'll love 'em, especially if you're usually not able to eat crab or other shellfish! They're awesome!


2 1/2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg beaten 
2 tbs soft butter
1/4 cup finely minced onion 
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning (may add more) 
1 heaping tbs mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard 
Salt and pepper

1 cup Panko bread crumbs (for dredging)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (for frying) 


 Sprinkle grated zucchini with a tsp of salt. Place in colander and allow to drain for at least 30 minutes. Place zucchini in the center of a clean kitchen towel. Gather the corners together and twist the bundle so that it tightens around the zucchini, squeezing out as much moisture as possible. You will absolutely be amazed at how much liquid comes out of the zucchini! Place the zucchini in a large bowl along with seasoned bread crumbs. Toss to combine. 
 In a separate small bowl, stir together the egg, butter, onion, Old Bay, mayonnaise, and mustard. Stir egg mixture into the zucchini. Season with salt and pepper and give it another good stir.
 Form into 6 patties. Place Panko bread crumbs in a shallow dish. Dredge each cake in the crumbs being sure it is coated on all sides. Heat oil in a large skillet. Fry the cakes in the oil (in batches if you need to) until golden, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Serve immediately!

Tips:
 These cakes go beautifully with tartar or cocktail sauce, just as with regular crab cakes. To make home made tartar sauce, simply mix a few tbs mayonnaise with a tbs or two of pickle relish. Easy!
Yes, I know I have two different kinds of bread crumbs listed. The seasoned bread crumbs add great flavor and bulk to the mixture and the Panko bread crumbs give you a crispy outside crust! Yes, you can clearly use one or the other for both parts of the recipe. No worries!

Zucchini Pancakes

 This is a quick throw-together recipe that is perfect for a midweek dinner, or a light lunch, or a Sunday brunch. It's an Ina Garten recipe, and as she says "It's a great way to use up all that extra zucchini." I was given a few very large zucchinis by my nephew, Daniel, who happens to have a HUGE garden, and I was only too happy to take them! This recipe immediately came to mind, and I made a batch that very night. They're perfect just as they are, but I served them with a little dipping sauce made from sour cream and fresh herbs. SO good! Come to think of it, I wonder what other kind of sauce would go well with them... Hmm... Let me know if you have any suggestions!!

2 medium zucchini (about 3/4 pound)
2 tablespoons grated red onion
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
6 to 8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Unsalted butter and vegetable oil


Preheat the oven to 300F.

 Grate the zucchini into a bowl using the large grating side of a box grater. Immediately stir in the onion and eggs. Stir in 6 tablespoons of the flour, the baking powder, salt, and pepper. (If the batter gets too thin from the liquid in the zucchini, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour.)

 Heat a large (10 to 12-inch) saute pan over medium heat and melt 1/2 tablespoon butter and 1/2 tablespoon oil together in the pan. When the butter is hot but not smoking, lower the heat to medium-low and drop heaping soup spoons of batter into the pan. Cook the pancakes about 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place the pancakes on a sheet pan and keep warm in the oven. Wipe out the pan with a dry paper towel, add more butter and oil to the pan, and continue to fry the pancakes until all the batter is used. The pancakes can stay warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Tips:
I think the key to this recipe is the grated onion. I didn't have a red onion, so I just used a regular yellow onion and it worked perfectly fine. Just that little bit of onion flavor really gave the pancakes  HUGE flavor! Be sure to include it!!

White Chocolate Apricot Squares

 Every summer, my fabulous friends, Ginna and Charlie, throw an amazing party. It's always a bunch of great friends, great food, and LOTS of laughs. It's a highlight of my summer!! And of course, I always like to bring a delicious home baked something to the party. Since Ginna loves all things apricot, I decided to give these apricot squares a try. They're easy to make with simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. Perfect!
 The recipe is my own adaptation from one that I found on a website called Living D.I.N.K. (which means double income, no kids.) It's pretty much the same basic idea as the original, but I changed a few amounts and added a couple things. I'm thrilled with how they turned out!
 Everyone at the party loved them! (Too bad they were gone even before Ginna had a chance to taste one!!!! Guess I'll have to make more!) Thanx again, guys, for another fabulous party!
I'm sure you'll love them too. Try 'em!


1 stick plus 6 tbs butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
18 oz apricot jam
1 cup white chocolate chips


Heat oven to 350F.
 Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit with enough to hang over the sides of the pan. Place the parchment in the pan, smoothing it out so that it sticks to the sides of the sprayed pan. Set aside.
 In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, and sugar. Add eggs, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Stir in flour. 
 Using your impeccably clean floured hands, press just slightly more than half of the dough into the bottom of your prepared pan. It helps to break off pieces of the dough, and then using your whole hand, flatten them into one even layer. Spread jam over the dough in an even layer. Sprinkle with chips making sure they're evenly spaced over the jam. Crumble the remaining dough over the chips. Bake 40-45 minutes or until slightly golden. Cool completely or chill until set.

 When it's time to cut them into squares, run a knife around the edge to make sure nothing is stuck to the sides, and then use the parchment paper as a sling to lift the whole batch out of the pan at once. Now you can place it on a cutting board and use a big knife to make perfectly even cuts without damaging your pan.

Tips:
You can use almond extract instead of vanilla, but a little goes a long way. Too much almond might compete with the flavor of the apricot jam. Just sayin".
 To make it easier to crumble the dough, place the rest of the dough in the fridge while you're pressing the bottom layer, and spreading the jam and chips. It'll firm up just enough to crumble a little more easily. I like to break off TINY little pieces of dough and place them across the surface of the jam. It covers more evenly, and you still get a little jam peeking through.
 Not a fan of apricots? Use whatever kind of jam you like! Seedless raspberry goes famously with the white chocolate chips. Or how about orange marmalade for a creamsicle sort of vibe? You could also do a black forest vibe with cherry preserves and semisweet chocolate chips. It will all work!

Zesty Zucchini "Spaghetti"

 Here's a quick and easy throw together dinner that, for me, screams summer in a bowl. Instead of having pasta (since I'm choosing to restrict carbs from my diet), I decided to make "noodles" out of the zucchini! It's not exactly the same, of course, but it absolutely satisfies the craving for a big bowl of delicious and hearty Italian-ness.
 I used a mandolin slicer to make long strands of zucchini and they act as the spaghetti. Then you add some tomatoes, basil and cheese, and boom, there's your dinner. It was SO flavorful, I couldn't stop eating it! And it's something different to do with all the extra zucchini (if you happen to be lucky enough to have your own vegetable garden.) Definitely give this one a try!


3 medium zucchini
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
handful fresh basil
kosher salt to taste
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
lots of Parmesan cheese (or Vegan substitute)

 Shred zucchini into long noodles using a mandolin slicer or box grater. Set aside. Add a few glugs of olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for just a minute or so, being careful not to burn it. Add the can of tomatoes, salt and red pepper flakes. Add the zucchini noodles and give everything a good stir. Cover and cook about 8-10 minutes or until noodles are tender. Add grape tomatoes, chopped fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. Toss everything together and serve immediately.


Tips:
 When you shred the zucchini, go lengthwise so you wind up with nice long noodles. Just shred the outside of the zucchini down to the seeds. If you try to make noodles out of the center where the seeds are, they'll just fall apart. You can either discard the center or chop it up and throw it into a soup or salad.
If you don't have a mandolin slicer, you can still dice up the zucchini and saute it for a bit before adding the other ingredients.
If you'd like to add chopped onions with the garlic, go for it!
 If you'd like a thicker sauce, add a little tomato paste with the can of tomatoes.