Honey Garlic Drumsticks

Honey Garlic Drumsticks

 Honey Garlic Drumsticks

 Hi everybody :)

I know I'm getting off to a late start on blogging today, but better late than never :) Drumsticks are what's for dinner tonight. Today I took out of the freezer one of my favorite part of the chicken, drumsticks. I spotted the simple and easy recipe from one of Mr.Food ebooks, and had to give it a try. The drumsticks are roasted in a 400 degrees oven for 30 minutes, pasted with a sweet spicy garlic sauce and finish off for about 25 more minutes. Let's get it started...

Honey Garlic Drumsticks
Makes: 24 Drumsticks
Ingredients
24 chicken drumsticks
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup honey
1/4 cup chopped garlic
2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place drumsticks on 2 rimmed baking sheets and season with salt and pepper;
bake 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium microwaveable bowl, combine honey, garlic, 2 tablespoons chili sauce and hot pepper sauce; microwave 30 seconds and mix well. 
Remove drumsticks from oven and carefully brush with sauce (sauce may be hot).
Bake 20 to 25 additional minutes, or until no pink remains and juices run clear.  NOTE: You may want to make an extra batch of the honey-garlic sauce for dipping.

Source: Mr. Food's Piece-by-Piece: 20 Easy Chicken Recipes for Drumsticks, Thighs & More

What I Did and/or Think:
The only change I made to the recipe is in Bold, Italic, & Purple, and that was to add 2 tablespoons chili sauce.

The Taste: I love the slightly sweet, spicy, garlic taste of the drumsticks. The sauce was very good, I made extra to serve along side. This is definitely a A.G.R. (Another Great REPEAT!)

ENJOY! Come again...

Linked to: 
The Better Baker Weekend Potluck
Strut Your Stuff Saturday @ Six Sister's Stuff
Foodie Fridays @ Designs By Gollum  
Foodie Friday @ Simple Living  
It's a Hodgepodge Friday  
Miss Information: I Freakin' Did It Friday   

Garden Ranch-Styled Cheese-Its

Garden Ranch-Styled Cheese-Its  

Hi everybody :)

Have you ever tried making your own crackers before? Don't worry, I'm sorta new to the idea too, in fact the two crackers recipes I ever made were the Wheat Germ Crackers and Cheddar Pepper & Herb Crisps. They were fairly easy to make. 

Now I want to upped my game, if you know what I mean and try something a little more difficult but still fun to make.  When I saw the homemade Cheese-Its, I knew I found the one I will be making next. I chose Katrina's recipe because she uses shortening along with the  butter to help make it more crispy. A crispy cracker is always a better cracker in my opinion :)

Although, I did change up the recipe a little bit, I used a White Garden Jack Cheese in the place of the cheddar and here's what else I did...

Garden Ranch-Styled Cheese-Its

8 oz Garden Jack, grated
3 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, room temperature(I used cold butter & grated it)
1 Tablespoon vegetable shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon Salad Supreme Seasoning
2 Tablespoons ice water (I used about 1tablespoon)
Coarse salt for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon ranch dressing mix (dry)  for sprinkling

Combine cheese, butter, shortening, and salt in the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. The mixture will be crumbly. Mix flour and seasoning. Slowly add flour mixture and then the ice water being careful not to add too much, just enough for dough to come together.  

 Pat the dough into 2 discs and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes (or longer).

Preheat oven to 375⁰F.

Using parchment paper or a silicone mat roll each disc to 1/8 inch or less and cut into 1 inch squares (a pastry wheel or pizza wheel is easiest). Use a toothpick to punch a hole into the center of each square.

Refrigerate for about 10 minutes, if you have difficulty separating and transferring the crackers onto the baking sheet (while you roll out the 2^nd dough disc).

Bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until puffed and browning around the edges.  Watch carefully you  want nice crispy crackers, not burnt. (Baking these on a Silpat for Bread also helps with the crispiness too.)

Source: In Katrina's Kitchen

What I Think:
The recipe wasn't as difficult as I first thought, the only timely part was cutting out the shapes. Preparing the dough is basically the same way you would make a pie crust dough. 

I love the possibilities of the recipe, by changing out the cheeses and/or adding a different seasoning will get you a whole new taste! I can't wait to try it with White Cheddar Cheese!

The Taste: I love the crispiness of the cracker, so much like the Cheese Its. GREAT! It's a A.G.R. (Another Great REPEAT!) 

Thanks so much to Katrina for sharing her recipe. If you want a Crispy Homemade Cheddar Cheese-Its, check out hers.

ENJOY! Come again...

Linked to:
Show Case Your Talent  @What's Cooking Love
Somewhat Simple Link Party Thursday 
Think Tank Thursday: Saving 4 Six    
Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage 

Fantastic Thursday @ Three Little Chiefs

BYOB @ Roxana's Home Baking : Baking Your Own Bread  

Slow-Cooker Beef Stew

Slow-Cooker Beef Stew

Hi everybody :)

I'm using the Super Pot again, this time I'm making Beef Stew. Sunday, while shopping at Walmart, I spotted a big family-sized package of beef stew meat.  Stew meat is made for slow-cooking because it's a tougher cut of meat, it cooks up tender and juicy in the slow-cooker.  

Beef Stew is definitely one of my favorite comfort foods and a great REPEAT for the Winter months. It would also be a great pairing for the Oatmeal Dinner Rolls. Since I'm preparing this in the Super Pot, dinner will be ready in less then 4 hours. Here's how it's done....

 Slow-Cooker Beef Stew
1.5 - 2 lbs. beef stew meat
2 - 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 package Lipton Beef Onion Soup Mix
1 - 2 cups water
3 cups diced potatoes (I used frozen)
2 cups slice carrots
2 stalk celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups green beans (I used frozen)
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

Heat oil in the Super Pot to 375°.  Season the meat with salt and pepper. Add to pot in small amounts, browning it until all is completely browned. 

Mix the soup mix with the water.  Add the soup mixture and half of the onions to the meat. 

Turn pot down to 300° (this is the slow-cooking temperature for the pot). Cook until meat is tender (this took 2 1/2 hours in the Super Pot); adding more water if necessary. 

Add your vegetables and cook until tender; about 25 minutes. Thicken it with 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons cornstarch or flour, if needed. Cook an additional 5 minutes to thicken.

 ENJOY! Come again...

Linked to:
Recipe Sharing Monday @ Jam Hands
The Winthrop Chronicles Link Party 
Tuesday-Talent-Show:  Chef In Training  
Kathe With an E You're Gonna Love It  
Show Me What You Got Tuesday's at ODH
Titus 2 Tuesday  
Show and Share Wednesday Semi-Homemade Mom 
The Mandatory Mooch Tasty Thursday