Yummy Bean Dip

Hi Folks,

I really had a craving for Frito Lay Bean Dip, and decided to make
my own version of it for 2 reasons, #1. I didn't want to go to the store and  #2. I like having control of the stuff that goes into my body.
The ingredients are very simple, they are:


1 pickled jalapeno pepper - seeded
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 Tablespoons of liquid ( I used the vinegar from the pickled pepper, but you can use water or broth)
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes ( I was out of red pepper flakes, so I used 1 packet of Pizza Hut pepper flakes)
1 - 16 oz can of Pinto Beans drained and rinsed

I put the first 5 ingredients into my mini food processor and pulsed until the pepper was well blended into the liquid, I then added the beans and pulsed until the beans were smooth. For a more homemade bean dip only add 3/4's of the beans and process, then stir in the remaining 1/4.
 I like things spicy, but if you want a milder version just use 1/2 of the jalapeno and 1/2 of the pepper flakes and just water or broth instead of the pepper vinegar.
This is a yummy bean dip served at room temperature or warmed in the microwave. It also makes for great tasting bean and cheese nachos.

I hope you give this bean dip a try, and as always thanks for reading. Roy

What Are Your Favorite Foods?

Hi Folks,


What are your favorite foods to eat?
Do you love:
Mexican
Italian
American
Asian
Desserts
Or something else?

What kind of food would you like to see me make?
I love to try new recipes, and make my versions of different things, and show that just because you have never made a certain cuisine before it doesn't mean you can't do it.

So what do you want to see? Let me know. Thanks for reading Roy

Yummy Fried Chicken

Hi Folks,

I was really craving some homemade fried chicken, so I cooked up these chicken legs. I brown this chicken first in oil, finish cooking in the oven and then recrisp in oil for a few minutes.This is how I did it.

First I preheated my oven to 400 degrees, then I heated 1/4 inch of cooking oil  ( I used Crisco vegetable oil ) to 325 degrees.

While the oven and oil heated I got everything ready. to cook my chicken.

To two cups of all purpose flour ( I like to use several plastic grocery bags for my dry ingredients) I added my seasonings:


1 Tablespoon of garlic powder
1 Tablespoon of onion powder
1 Tablespoon of white pepper
1 Tablespoon of ground sage
1 Tablespoon of oregano
1 Tablespoon of paprika
1 Tablespoon of chili powder
1 Tablespoon of salt














In a large bowl I beat 2 eggs with 2 cups of milk.








I mixed the flour and spices together until well mixed, I added my chicken one piece at a time, coating each piece with the flour mixture, and shaking off the excess flour before adding chicken to the milk and egg mixture.


I coated the chicken on both sides with the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off before adding chicken back into flour mixture.





Covered the chicken well with the flour mixture and then into the hot oil.

I floured 3 more pieces of chicken in the same manner and added them to my pan, I cooked them for several minutes on each side until golden brown. I was cooking 8 chicken legs so I divided it into 2 batches so as not to cool down the oil too much.

I transferred the chicken to a parchment ( you can use aluminum foil) lined cookie sheet with a wire rack. If you don't have a wire rack just a cookie sheet will do, and the foil/paper isn't necessary it just aides in the cleanup.


I floured and browned  the remaining 4 chicken legs in the same manner, and placed the cookie sheet in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken reached 165 degrees. If you don't have a meat thermometer just make a slit in a piece of chicken next to the bone and see if it is still bloody, if it is cook chicken until no longer bloody.

After the chicken was fully cooked I reheated the oil I had browned the chicken in, to 325 degrees and added the chicken back to the pan. It seems like some areas of my chicken always get a little soggy when they finish cooking in the oven, so this last step eliminates that, and produces really crunchy chicken.
As the chicken was hot from the oven I didn't need to crisp it up in batches, so I just put as much chicken in the pan as I could ( it all fit) and fried on all sides until totally crisp.

Removed the chicken from the pan, and drained on paper towels.

Then enjoyed my delicious crispy fried chicken.

Thanks for reading, I hope you try and enjoy this recipe. Roy

San Marzano Marinara Sauce

Hi Folks,

This is a very simple recipe, that's good for those times when you aren't using meat, and just want a tasty sauce.

These Cento San Marzano Tomatoes are more pricey, I purchased these at Walmart, and they cost about $2.00 more than the same size can of Walmart brand whole tomatoes.

They really don't need a lot of extra ingredients to make a good sauce, these already have basil so all I added was olive oil,  garlic and a little water, and if you are spending the extra money for the tomatoes you really want to taste the tomatoes.

I smashed and peeled 2 cloves of garlic and let it heat over very low heat for about 10 minutes, flipping the garlic over after 5 minutes, until it was nicely browned on both sides.


I removed the garlic, I just wanted to flavor the oil for this sauce.

Because I also wanted this to be a smooth sauce, I blended the tomatoes, rinsing out the can with about 1/4 can of water and added it to the tomatoes.

Then I added a pinch of Fiesta Brand Mexican Oregano,

Crushing it between my fingers before adding it to the sauce.

I stirred everything around and on the same low heat, I cooked the sauce for 30 minutes.

I used this sauce for this Eggplant Parmesan. I will post that recipe at a later date.

Easy Beef Stir Fry Recipe

Hi Folks,

I decided to make a beef stir fry, I have made chicken and pork stir fry before but never beef, I think maybe because of the cost of the sirloin, if I was going to spend that amount of money for beef then I was going to have a steak dinner.

Anyway I purchased the sirloin, brought it home and placed it in

the freezer for about an hour, to let it get partially frozen to make
it easier to get thin slices.I sliced the beef into thin strips, and then into bite sized pieces.














































  I made a marinade with 1 Tablespoon of Argo Cornstarch, 2 Tablespoons of Kikkoman Soy Sauce and 1 teaspoon of Heinz
Vinegar. I mixed it all together into a Glad storage bag, and placed it into the refrigerator for 30 minutes, while I got the other ingredients ready.

I washed 7 leaves of Napa cabbage, cleaned 5 mushrooms by wiping away any visible dirt away with a damp paper towel, and washed 6 green onions and cut off the root ends.

                           

I placed a package of Kroger Stir Fry Vegetables into the microwave for 2 minutes just to get them thawed.

Then I sliced my other vegetables into bite sized pieces.

I next measured 2 cups of long grain rice into a strainer and rinsed it under running water until the water ran clear, removing as much starch from the rice as I could.

I brought 31/2 cups of water to a boil on the stove , and added my rice, covered the pot and reduced to simmer.

Most rice cooking instructions give a 2 to 1 ratio, with the 2 being the liquid and the 1 being the rice, I find if I use 1/2 cup liquid less my rice comes out less sticky.

While the rice was cooking I mixed up the ingredients for my stir fry sauce.I used 1 teaspoon of Dynasty Hoisin Sauce, 2 tablespoons

 of Kikkoman Soy Sauce,1 teaspoon of Thai Kitchen fish sauce, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 2 Tablespoons of Argo Cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger and 2 cups of Swanson Chicken broth. I mixed all the ingredients together and set to the side.

I  heated my wok over high heat until it was super hot added 2 Tablespoons of Crisco vegetable oil, swirled it around the wok for a few seconds, and threw in he beef. I cooked the beef until it was browned all over stirring constantly. After a few minutes the beef was done, I removed it to a plate, and set to the side.

I returned the wok to the stove returned it up to heat, added the Napa cabbage and 1/2 cup of chicken stock and cooked for a few minutes until the cabbage was softened and most of the stock had evaporated. I removed the cabbage to the plate with the beef.

I again brought the wok up to heat added 2 Tablespoons of oil and

added the sliced mushrooms, I sauteed them for a minute, added 1 clove of minced garlic, sauteed for a few seconds, and added the bag of stir fry vegetables.

After the vegetables had cooked for a few minutes, I added the green onions and cooked for another 2 minutes. I then added the sauce mixture and cooked until the mixture thickened, about 2 minutes.

By this time the rice was cooked, I fluffed it with a fork, scooped out a serving and added the beef.

It turned out to be really delicious.

I hope you give this recipe a try. Thanks for reading, Roy