Wish Upon A Chef

Last week I harped about not having many Crock-Pot recipes that I enjoyed and I subconsciously suggested that I should take a lesson from the Boy Toy because he crocks alot.  So I took my own advice and asked him to share one of his favorite recipes and now I'm getting even more lovin' from my Crock-Pot.

Cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian and it's typically a rustic dish that includes chicken, bell peppers, onion, and tomatoes.  The meat is typically braised and everything simmers together in one pot for about an hour, which makes it a perfect recipe for the slow cooker. 

I used a combination of white and dark meat chicken because that's what I had on hand, and if you have a splash of red wine just begging to be used, by all means, throw it in too.  When Boy Toy makes this for his kids, he chops the veggies small so they are undetectable (he's sneaky like that) and serves it over rice.  I dished mine up over pasta but you could also just use a nice crusty Italian bread to sop up the yummy sauce. 

I prepared a double recipe and portioned it into freezable containers.  On the nights that I don't feel like cooking from scratch, I'll just thaw out a portion and prepare the rice or pasta.  Easy peasy and delicious! 

Crock-Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Serves 8

Printable Recipe

8 chicken thighs, with the bone, skin removed
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 large onion, sliced
1 teaspoon oregano
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
fresh herbs such as parsley, for garnish

Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in slow cooker.  Pour tomatoes over the chicken, top with onions and peppers.  Add oregano, bay leaf, more salt and pepper and give it a stir to combine everything.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. 

Before serving, remove bay leaf and adjust seasonings if desired.   If you'd like your sauce a bit thicker, you can remove the lid and continue to cook on high for about another hour. 

My Crock Pot and I have a love/hate relationship.  I love the convenience of using it and I love most of the foods that come out of it (we can count the so-called "lasagna" as a colossal failure.) But I hate the fact that I can never seem to find more recipes that float my Crock Pot boat, and believe me, I spend alot of time surfing Pinterest for recipes when I should be doing my real job in my spare time.

Whereas Boy Toy uses his Crock Pot incessantly, I use mine mostly only for roasts (this one being my favorite), an occasional soup (although none of them have turned out to be blog post worthy) and for making these caramelized onions from the lovely Becky Turner of Random Musings of a Deco Lady (we miss you Becky!)  Maybe I should take a Crock Pot lesson from the Boy Toy because he cranks out some tasty dishes from that thing. 

This recipe is one of my favorites to prepare when I catch pork roasts on sale.  I served it with BBQ sauce instead of the gravy as a sandwich for the kids and actually got two compliments from the Little Miss and the Teenage Boy ate FOUR sandwiches, which I deem to be an unspoken compliment.  I enjoy it alongside typical BBQ trimmings - a helping of homemade mac & cheese and coleslaw. 

It is fall-apart tender and any leftovers can be frozen and enjoyed later.  What's not to love?


Crock Pot Pork Roast with Gravy

printable recipe

4 to 5 lb. pork loin roast
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 medium onions, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 cup water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Rub roast with salt and pepper. make tiny slits in meat and insert slivers of garlic. In Crock Pot put 1 sliced onion on bottom. Add roast then remaining onion and other ingredients. Cover and cook 1 hour on high. Turn to low and cook 9 to 10 hours or until done.

GRAVY: Remove roast, onions, clove and bay leaf. In separate cup or bowl, blend 2 tablespoons cold water with 2 tablespoons cornstarch to form smooth paste. Set Crock Pot on high and pour in paste. Stir well and let come to a boil (10 to 15 minutes) until thickened.

Pleasing a teenager is like predicting the weather.  Temperatures and moods can swing wildly from warm and cheerful to cold and frosty at any given time and with no warning.  Even with the best means of prediction, a raging hormonal storm can take you by surprise when you least expect it. 

I've learned that I can somewhat protect myself from impending Teenage Boy Doom by wielding food when I show up to Boy Toy's house.  So far I've managed to thwart a mood swing with chocolate chip cookies, Country Club Chicken, and this Chicken Cordon Bleu casserole. 

This casserole can be made ahead, which I often do and send home with Boy Toy to have for dinner after those long days spent on the baseball field.  After serving it the first time and having the remaining 2/3rds of the pan fall victim to whomever raids the refrigerator in the middle of the night (hmmm...I wonder?) and a request to prepare it again, I knew I had another storm preparedness item on my hands. 

You can take the quicker and easier route to making this dish by using two cans of cream of chicken (or mushroom or celery) soup instead of making the sauce from scratch but in my effort to steer clear of so many processed foods, I've found that it doesn't take very long to whip up a basic cream sauce and I think spending the few extra minutes is worth it.  I also used brown rice for the base and whole wheat bread crumbs for the topping as a way of sneaking in a few health(ier) ingredients. 

Here's how to prepare yourself for Teenage Boy Doom in six easy steps:

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
adapted from www.tastykitchen.com

Printable Recipe

FOR THE CASSEROLE:
4 cups cooked rice
5-6 cups cooked, diced chicken (rotisserie chicken works great)
1/2 pound deli-style ham, chopped
1/4 pound sliced Swiss cheese
FOR THE SAUCE:
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
3-1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
FOR THE TOPPING:
6 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs
3/4 teaspoons seasoned salt
1-1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Grease a 9x13 baking pan.  Spread cooked rice in the bottom of the dish. Top rice with cooked chicken.  Scatter the ham over top of the chicken.  Lay cheese slices on top of the ham. 

For the sauce:
Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat.  Stir in flour and cook for about 1 minute, but do not brown.  Slowly add milk and whisk constantly until smooth.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens.  Stir in lemon juice, mustard, salt, paprika and pepper.  Bring sauce just back to a low boil and remove from heat.  Pour sauce evenly over casserole, making sure you cover the edges.

For the topping:

Melt butter in the microwave in a microwaveable bowl.  Stir in bread crumbs, seasoned salt and parsley.  Sprinkle over top of casserole.

Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  Casserole will be bubbly and topping should be golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool about about 5 minutes.

Looking for a treat to express your love this Valentine's Day?  Try these Dark Chocolate Cherry Cordial Brownies - they taste like chocolate covered cherries, only way much better.  The frosting alone is sweet enough to land your beloved in the dentist chair for a shiny new filling but the combination of cherries and dark chocolate come together for pure decadence.

These were quick and easy to make -  I pulled them together on a whim for Boy Toy's kids for Valentine's Day and sent them quickly out the door so I wouldn't be tempted by them.  I'll admit to eating a small sliver just for the sake of making sure they weren't poisonous or anything.  I snapped this photo with my phone just as they were being snatched off my kitchen counter, so it's not my best photography work.  When you are preparing the icing, make sure you beat the butter and sugar until it's fluffy before adding the other ingredients.  I was in a hurry and just threw everything into the mixer so the butter ended up separating and making the icing looking clabbered.   I really don't think my young and eager Valentines minded though - or even minded that I didn't have time to drizzle the melted chocolate on top to make them all pretty.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Cordial Brownies
from A Little Bit Crunchy A Little Bit Rock n' Roll 

Printable Recipe
 
For the brownies:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
For the frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
10 ounce jar maraschino cherries, drained & juice reserved
1 tablespoon milk
1 to 2 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8x11 inch pan.

Drain the cherries and coarsely chop them.  Spread them out on paper towels to dry slightly.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, dark cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.

Melt the butter and pour into a large bowl.  Whisk in the dark chocolate chips until melted.  Whisk in the sugar and then the eggs.  Stir in the dry ingredients.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Cool completely.

For the frosting:  beat the butter together with the powdered sugar until fluffy.  Add extracts, milk and maraschino cherry juice until desired consistency is achieved.  Fold in the chopped cherries.

Frost the cooled brownies.  Chill for 30 minutes and then cut into squares.

Melt the remaining 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips and stir in the oil.  Drizzle over the frosted cut brownies. 

Some 30+ years ago, my mother attended a holiday workshop hosted by the Sullivan County Extension Homemakers (which is the grown-up version of 4-H) to learn how to make gingerbread houses. She came home that evening sporting her decorated house, the recipe for gingerbread dough and a cut-out pattern for future constructions of the house. As a kid, I was mesmerized by her cute little bungalow-style house smothered entirely in candy and sugary sweet icing and to this day I'll admit to still being verklempt anytime I see gingerbread construction.

It wasn't something we did together every year, but I can remember my mom and I making the houses together a few times and giving them as gifts to my school teachers, grandmothers, and some very close friends. If you got one of our houses, you were somebody special because this project was very detailed, time-consuming, expensive and alot of hard work.  I see these all-inclusive gingerbread house kits in the stores with everything already baked and candy and icing included, but I cannot and will not succumb to buying them because for me, it's a labor of love and a tradition to make them with my own two hands.



This year I am so excited to share my and my mom's tradition of decorating gingerbread houses with Boy Toy's daughter and some of her friends (I was probably more excited than they were!)  I volunteered to host a building and deocorating party for them this past Saturday afternoon and everyone had a great time - even the grown men who originally thought candy and icing was only for girls! 














I prepared the dough and baked the houses a week ahead of time because I've found that if you construct the houses right after baking, the pieces are soft and are easier to break or crumble.  I leave the pieces out on the counter for a few days to let them harden. 


The windows are made with crushed Jolly Rancher candies and I make some of them solid colors but I love the stained glass window effect of mixing two colors together in the same window.  When making the windows, make sure you use plenty of candy - it's okay if it's heaped up just a bit because it will melt and fill the space nicely (just make sure you don't get any bits of candy on the walls.)  I purchased 12" x 36" pieces of white styrofoam and cut them into thirds to act as the base for the house and I used Wilton Meringue powder to make the royal icing but you can make your own per the recipe below. 



Waiting for the decorators to arrive

The party guests ranged in age from 9 to 11 so I went ahead and constructed the houses about an hour before they arrived so the icing would have time to dry a bit before adding the candies.  I feared the kids' attention span wouldn't allow for the construction AND decorating and I was right - they were all about the candy and icing.  A great time was had by all and I'm hoping it is something that will become a holiday tradition in the Boy Toy household.

The gingerbread 'hood

Visit this post for my tried and true gingerbread dough recipe and to see some of my past housing creations.  I've included below another copy of the pattern that I've used every year as I noticed the link on my original post is no longer valid (and I'm too lazy to try and fix it). 



If you'd like even more ideas, check out my Flickr slideshow from last year's gingerbread house competition at the Ballentyne Resort here in Charlotte. 

As I mentioned in a previous "12 Days of Cookies" post, it has been my tradition for many years to make loads of cookies and candy this time of year to have around the house for visitors and to give away to friends. But I recently saw some photographs depicting a not-so-skinny-anymore person who looked alot like me and who was trying to squeeze into wearing my clothes. It was obvious from the photographs that this person has added some poundage lately and should not be tempted by cookies lying around her house, so the decision was made to not participate in the marathon cookie baking tradition this year. I didn't think it was fair, though, to leave you high and dry for cookie recipes this holiday season so I thought I'd resurrect some oldies but goodies from Wish Upon A Chef's kitchen.

This sugar cookie recipe is a snap to mix up, easy to work with and the cookies hold their shape really well during baking. I love to make different traditional holiday shapes but I always crack myself up making these ABC (Already Been Chewed) sugar cookie guys.  I strategically hide them on the cookie platters that I give to my friends and how I wish I could see their faces when they find these lurking in with the rest of the beautiful cookies. Only those who know my warped sense of food humor understand...

Click on over to the original post for the recipe and the link for buying these kooky cookie cutters. Have a Macabre Christmas!

ABC sugar cookies

Don't forget about man's best friend this holiday season - after all, our four-legged friends give so much unconditional love to us and work really hard (like dogs, practically) protecting and guarding the homestead.  My little guy can make a full day of work out of guarding the comforter on my his king-size bed and protecting it from being used by anyone else. 


Sometimes the work is very grueling and tiresome, but nevertheless he's always there keeping my side of the bed warm and making sure no one else sneaks in and steals it.


These canine cookies from Tasty Treats for Demanding Dogs are really simple to make and if your kids are getting bored and a bit unruly during their holiday break, turn them loose in the kitchen to make these.  Most likely you already have everything in your pantry to make them with the exception of the baby food (unless of course you have a two-legged baby too).  If your dog is sensitive to store-bought brands of treats, this is a great book to have because the recipes are really simple and alot of them use regular people food.  It is available on Amazon.com for really cheap.   And wouldn't this make a great Christmas gift for pup!


The cookies do puff a bit during baking so make sure to only roll them about 1/4" thick.  I used a medium-sized bone shaped cookie cutter and got approximately 50 cookies.


You will be tempted to give Fido a cookie straight away as soon as they cool (especially if he's a moocher like my boy), but he'll be happier than a kid at Christmas if you let them dry overnight because they become hard and crispy just like the store-brand cookies that Santa usually brings.
 


Canine Cookies
yield: approximately 50-90 cookies, depending on size of cutter

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk or whey powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 large egg
1 TBLS molasses (optional)
4.5 oz jar chicken-soup baby food
3/4 cup broth or drippings, or sufficient for forming dough

Postition rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease or use parchment paper to line two cookie sheets or baking trays.

In a large bowl, using a fork or wire whisk, blend the flours, dry milk and garlic powder.

In a medium bowl, using a wire whisk or electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg until foamy before beating in the molasses, baby food and broth.

Using a large spoon, spatula or your hand, combine the two mixes, blending until the mixture pulls away from sides of the bowl and forms a soft dough.  If the mixture seems a little dry, add a little broth, a tablespoon at a time.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured flat surface, and using a rolling pin, roll out to 1/4" thick.  Use a 1-1/2" round cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as you can, reworking the scraps as you go.  The doug will become still as it is reworked.

Place the cookies side by side on the prepared cookie sheets or baking trays.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cookies appear very dry and the edges are light golden brown.  Remove the trays from the oven and cool to room temperature.  Turn off the oven.

When the cookies have cooled completely, put all of them on a single baking tray and return them to the cooling oven.  Leave them undisturbed, without opening the oven door, for 8 to 16 hours. 

Please note:  Some dogs may be allergic to garlic or sensitive to dairy products. 

My holiday cookie recipes consist mostly of tried and true favorites, alot of which date all the way back to my childhood years when my Mom and I would make goodies together for several days to fill dozens of metal tins with treats for all those who passed through our doors to enjoy.  Through the years I've amassed my own collection of vintage cookie tins and always look forward to filling them each year for friends and family.

Several years ago, I decided that I was tired of my recipes and wanted to make different cookies so I purchased several magazines touting things like "award-winning" cookies and "100 best" cookie recipes.  I spent numerous days and an insane amount of money trying out the recipes only to be disappointed in most of them.  I came to the conclusion that just because a recipe is complicated, it doesn't mean it is good.  And with the hustle and bustle of the already busy holiday season, who needs to add more complication?  I'd rather spend my time and money elsewhere, so I reverted back to alot of my old-time tried and true favorites.  I've added a few new favorites along the way but now I'm more particular about what I look for in a cookie recipe. 

This recipe for Chocolate Andes Mint Cookies involves a box of cake mix which definitely reminds me of my childhood because this is the type of cookies that I started baking with and that piqued my interest in the kitchen.  They are quick and easy which makes them perfect for kids to do mostly all by themselves.

I tracked this recipe from Pinterest to a website called Six Sisters' Stuff.  They are best right out of the oven warm, but even the next day I think you won't be able to turn them away.  The flavor of mint is perfect for the holiday season, so get your kids involved and bring some holiday cheer to your kitchen!


Chocolate Andes Mint Cookies
makes approximately 20 cookies

1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 package of Andes Mints

Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs together. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet (I used the medium sized Pampered Chef cookie scoop.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes. Don't bake any longer than that as you don't want them to be overdone (mine were perfect at 8 minutes.)
 
Take sheet out of oven and while the cookies are still very hot, place an Andes Mint on top of each cookie. In about 5 minutes, the mint will be melted.  Using a spoon, smooth out each mint like frosting.

I recently polled a few of my girlfriends as to what their definition of "sexy" is when it comes to the ideal mate.   Most of their answers focused on physical attributes: 

I love a tall man with wide shoulders. 

I think a foreign accent is totally sexy.

Blue eyes and blond hair make me melt. 

As it usually is with me, the cheese stands alone when it comes to being in agreement with what everyone else thinks.  Of course there are certain physical attributes that will turn my head, but what I find truly sexy has not so much to do with hair or eye color, dialect or stature. 

The Boy Toy has the extremely lethal combination of all things that I find sexy in a man.  It's a given that I find him physically attractive - we won't even go there.  But what makes me weak in the knees about him is that he is a great cook.  And he does dishes (which scored him MAJOR points with my family during this trip.)  And if those things alone don't make you **swoon** I'll throw in the fact that he......

Wait for it........




Wait......





He also shops for his own groceries. 

Be still my beating heart, but those are all the things that trip my sexy trigger.  Now, if you'll give me just a moment to catch my breath and get myself back together, I'll finish my story...

Since I am the "foodie" in our relationship, I naturally assumed that I would do most of the cooking when we became a couple and it wasn't until after the Boy Toy and I started dating that I discovered his culinary talents.  As it turns out, I've eaten more meals at his house prepared by his own hands than he has at mine.  So last week, when he emailed me this picture of a fruit trifle and said he thought it looked yummy, I knew it was my chance to impress him with my kitchen skills.

Trifles are very easy to make and can be done with any combination of items that you have on hand.  When I catered, we sometimes used brownies and layered them with chocolate syrup, fresh whipped cream and either strawberries or raspberries.  Most other times it was yellow cake with vanilla infused whipped cream and any combination of fresh fruits.  You can be really creative when making these (just as someone was with this one probably made to celebrate The Queen's Diamond Jubilee.)

This time I wanted my trifle to be over-the-top rich and delicious so I turned to my recipe for homemade Bavarian Cream.  I used a combination of sliced fresh strawberries and blueberries and I also used two diced fresh peaches for the fruit layers.  I purchased a Sara Lee family-sized pound cake (they're in the frozen section of my grocery store) and cut it into cubes for the cake layer.  The Bavarian Cream is GUARANTEED to bring the sexy back, so use it with caution :)

I showed up for Sunday lunch with the Boy Toy and his family bearing my huge trifle, which initially frightened his children as something they may not enjoy and he later told me that when I first showed up, he wondered how in the world we were going to eat all of it.  After everyone (including the skeptics) had at least three huge helpings, he knew. 

Who's sexy now?!? 


Bavarian Cream
Yields 3 quarts

1 cup flour
1/2 cup corn starch
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 gallon milk
1 pint heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
3-4 drops yellow food coloring
3 egg yolks

In a large, heavy sauce pan mix first 4 ingredients.  Add next 4 wet ingredients to the dry.  Stir over medium heat constantly.  After about 10-15 minutes, it will begin to thicken.  Beat egg yolks with 1-2 cups of the cream mixture in a separate bowl to temper the eggs; stir back into cream mixture.  Cook for 5-10 minutes more for desired thickness.  Cool completely.

*Tip:  when cooling or storing cream, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the cream and press out the air bubbles.  The wrap needs to touch the cream so it won't form a "skin."

Memorial Day, the day marked to remember the brave soldiers who have given their life for our freedom is also the unofficial start to the summer season.  The long weekend is spent celebrating all things that make this, The United States of America, a truly remarkable country to live in regardless of your religious and/or political views.  For me, it was yet another wonderful holiday spent with the Boy Toy and his uber-awesome offspring doing all things American:  cheering on baseball games, splashing in the pool, cooking out, eating watermelon and probably the most awesome American thing of all, eating peanut butter and jelly. 

The habit of slathering PB&J between two slices of bread became a staple during the Great Depression when money was tight and food was rationed and has become not only a tradition but also a rite of passage for almost any American child who ever toted a shiny metal Raggedy Ann and Andy lunch box to school.  A 2002 survey showed the average American will have eaten 1,500 of these sandwiches before graduating from high school!  (I'm betting only my "mature" readers A) even know who Raggedy Ann and Andy are, and B) have ever seen an actual metal lunch box.  I had one just like this in grade school and I'm still especially aggravated at my mother for selling it in a garage sale ~ especially since I saw it in an antique store not long ago for $40.  Let's just skip over the fact that I am now old enough to see some of my favorite play things and possessions in an antique store.)
When I saw this recipe for Nutty Peanut Butter and Jelly Squares from the May 2012 edition of Rachael Ray's magazine I was thrilled that, after 6 months of receiving and numbly flipping through her magazine during my lunch hour, I'd finally found a recipe that I actually wanted try.  Even better was the fact that it only dirtied up the bowl of a food processor and one other small bowl.  Say what you will about RR and her annoying EVOO extra-virgin olive oil habit (and I say I very much like the cookbooks of hers that I own, but not so much her magazine) but her recipes are always simple and quick to pull together and don't require any outlandish ingredients.  I immediately thought I'd make these for Boy Toy's kids because they both are PB&J lunch packers but ironically enough they did not deem them "kid-friendly."  I didn't get feedback from them as to exactly why but I'm thinking it's because neither of them are big on eating alot of sweets and these were pretty rich.  I'm going to tag them as kid-friendly anyway because maybe your kids or yourself will enjoy them.  In all honesty, I was never a big fan of the PB&J combination back in the day or even now (how un-American, I know), but I stored the leftovers in the freezer after the holiday and I really enjoyed it better served ice cold when I pulled one out this week. 

Enjoy your Summer 2012 and even though the Memorial Day holiday is over, continue to remember all those who helped give you the freedom to enjoy whatever flavor of jelly you like with your peanut butter!

Peanut Butter & Jelly Squares
courtesy of Rachael Ray Magazine, May 2012

3/4 cup salted, roasted peanuts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounce stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
3/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup grape or strawberry jam

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees . Line an 8-inch square baking pan with an 8x13 inch sheet of parchment, letting the excess hang over.

Using a food processor, pulse the peanuts until chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl.

In the processor bowl (no need to clean), mix the 2 flours, the brown sugar and salt. Add the butter; pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the peanut butter and vanilla; process until crumbly. Measure out 2/3 cup of the crumb mixture; transfer to the bowl of peanuts.

Dump the remaining crumb mixture into the prepared pan and pan down firmly (it doesn't have to be perfectly even). Spoon the jam on top and spread to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Sprinkle the peanut-crumb mixture evenly over the top, going all the way to the edges of the pan.

Bake until the top is golden-brown and the jam is bubbling, about 45 minutes. (If browning too quickly on top, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the pan.) Transfer the pan to a rack to cool completely.

Grasp the parchment and gently lift the entire dessert out of the pan. Place on a cutting board and cut into 16 squares.

I fell off the blogging wagon last week and I'm sorry that I let you down, my faithful reader(s).  I should be tarred and feathered and sent to my room with no dinner.  Or maybe just tarred and feathered because I've got some really good stuff cooking on the stove today. 

I made a resolution at the beginning of this year that I would publish a blog post here at Wish Upon A Chef every week of the year.  It was my attempt to be more attentive to my blog and to get back into the kitchen to do the things that I love.  I even have this little Post-It Note list in my desk drawer that I derive great pleasure from when checking off each week after I publish.  Sort of like the chart of chores that you do for your kids and award a gold star for each chore accomplished.  I kept my resolutions for 19 weeks before I failed. 

As week 20 rolled around, my house became chaotic while I had some painting done and on top of that, I was all excited about packing for my weekend beach trip. The week came and went and it dawned on me while en route to the beach and the TomTom was taking me off-course through corn fields and desolate towns that I totally forgot to publish.  No gold star for me. 

But perhaps you'll forgive me if I share my recipe for these tasty Teriyaki Tailgate Tenders.  The Boy Toy and I tailgated at the Charlotte Knights baseball game with some friends and I brought these along so I wouldn't have to suffer the digestive indignity of eating a hot dog.  I noticed that even the kids were gobbling them up.  You can certainly use the marinade for chicken breast halves if you're just hanging around the house using the grill - you'll just need to grill them a bit longer.  These would also work great as an appetizer served with maybe a sweet and sour sauce or hoisin sauce for dipping.  I took along a simple pasta salad and made some happy and full tailgaters. 



Teriyaki Tailgate Tenders

1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Juice of 2 limes
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
Chicken tenders (I made about 20 skewers)
Wooden skewers

In a small bowl combine soy sauce, honey, vegetable oil, lime juice, cilantro and garlic. Thread tenders onto wooden skewers and marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.  Cover them while they are marinating.  After I threaded the tenders onto the skewers, I placed them in a 9x13 baking dish with the ends of the skewers resting on the sides of the baking dish. This prevented the whole skewer from being submerged in the marinade and getting all messy. I marinated overnight and turned the skewers occasionally to make sure the chicken was coated.  To make them easier to transport, I removed the skewers from the marinade and transferred them to a large disposable plastic container. 

Grill over medium high heat for 6 to 8 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.