Word for the -Bland Wednesday-

So, last night we had Burgers and Fries. I added some seasoning to the fries which I thought would be too salty, but it turned out great!! So, here it goes:

French Fry Seasoning

Seasoning Salt
Black Pepper
Sugar (granulated/table sugar)

Preheat oven as directed. Sprinkle a single layer of the seasoning salt and pepper onto the layer of fries.. Shake the pan and toss (like you would with the veggies in a frying pan, you know, like Bobby Flay...). Then, add a second layer of the seasoning salt and pepper. Only the second time, you are going to sprinkle about 1-2 Tbsp of sugar along with the salt and pepper.
Bake fries as directed. If you want crispier fries after you have allotted the normal baking time, put the fries back in for a few more minutes until the desired crisp.


==Andersen Girlie Tip==
This seasoning could also be used on Onion Rings or Fried Zucchini. YUM!!



Next: Word for the -Bland Wednesday-

Homemade Twix Bars

So, I was perusing a site, you know, because I can, and I came upon this recipe and I was like, "COOKIE!!!!" because I LOVE the twix cookie part more than the rest of it. There's no doubt that Twix is freakin' delicious, but to have the recipe for just the cookie part...well...my life is complete. Now your life can be complete. You know why? Because I'm going to share the recipe with you, thanks to Amanda at The Sweet Details. Amanda, I don't know you, but THANK YOU for this recipe. Now, straight from her page, the recipe:

Base:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (4Tbsp or 2oz)

Filling:
1/2 cup butter
2Tbsp Corn Syrup
1/2 cup condensed milk (not evaporated milk. they are 2 completely different milks.)
1/2 cup brown sugar

Topping:
100g Milk chocolate (I think that the more silky milk chocolate is better. it's going to be melted anyway, but it'll probably just be better.)

-Oven 325dF
-mix together base until crumbly. pour into 9x9 pan. Press down and bake for 20 minutes.
-Combine filling in pot or saucepan. Stir constantly until boiling. Reduce heat, and continue stirring for 5 minutes. Pour over the hot base.
-Melt the chocolate and pour over filling. Cool and let set before cutting.

==Amanda's Tip==
After I put the filling in, I usually put it in the fridge for about an hour and then I melt the chocolate and pour it over the caramel. Then I still let it sit for about an hour for the chocolate to set before cutting it.

==Andersen Girlie's Tip==
There are a couple of different ways to melt the chocolate. I think the best way would be, if you don't have a double boiler or know how to make your own double boiler, is to have a glass bowl. Cut or break up the chocolate into small chunks/pieces, and place in the glass bowl. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time and stir. Repeat until chocolate is completely melted. If you want to thin out the chocolate a little bit, add 1 Tbsp shortening (Crisco), not butter.

Word for the -Bland Wednesday-

French Bread Sticks

So, over the Fourth of July weekend, I had griddled up some french bread that turned out fantastic. So, to make your Wednesdays less boring...and you know, less SSSLLLOOOOOOOOWW... Here is how I made the bread. Of course, this will be pretty general. You could make these during Brunch time and eat them throughout the day.

1 or 2 loafs of store bought French Bread (preferably the ones around 2ft)
Olive Oil / Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Italian Seasoning
Salt

Directions:


Slice the bread diagonally, to get longer pieces.
Heat up your pan/griddle to med-high heat. Possible medium heat.
Brush oil lightly onto both sides and place either side down on the pan. Repeat until pan is full, but do this quickly so bread doesn't burn, but is a golden brown or crunchy. After the pan is full, lighlty sprinkle seasoning and salt onto the bread. Flip slices over to cook 2nd side. If the first or either side isnt as good looking as you think it should be or want it to be, flip it and continue cooking.



Next: Word for the -Bland Wednesday-

Grilled Chicken Pineapple Sliders

Another recipe brought to you by allrecipes.com. These are pretty great. I mean, grilled pineapple is great with pretty much any grilled sandwich.

Ingredients
1 lemon, juice
1 lime, juiced
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
salt and black pepper to taste
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut in half
6 pineapple rings
2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
6 Hawaiian bread rolls - split and toasted
6 lettuce leaves - rinsed and dried
6 red onion slices

Directions:

1. Whisk together the lemon juice, lime juice, cider vinegar, salt and pepper in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add the chicken and toss to evenly coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and marinate in the regrigerator for 1 hour.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for med-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade, and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade. Grill the chicken for 5-7 minutes each side, or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork. Grill pineapple for 2-3 minutes per side, or until heated through and grill marks appear.
4. Spread 1 tsp teriyaki sauce on the bottom half of a toasted roll; next add a lettuce leaf, a piece of chicken, a pineapple ring and an onion slice. Replace the top of roll and repeat with the remaining rolls.


==Andersen Girlie's Tips==

-It doesn't actually matter what kind of bowl you use.
- When you cut the chicken, lay it on your (non-wood) cutting board. Cut it in half, vertically. Now, since you have a thin piece and a big chunky piece, stand the chicken up on it's cut side, carefully use a knife to cut it  down the middle. This way, you can probably feed more people.
-For a less onion-y taste you can also grill the onions while grilling the pineapple.
-Grill the pineapple (and onions) during the last couple minutes of cooking the chicken. You don't have to, but grilling the pineapple (and onions) brings out a sweeter flavor, and cuts some of the citrus from the pineapple (and some of the 'bite' of the onion)
-If you don't have boneless, skinless chicken, that's ok. Do everything the same, but before serving it, shred the chicken into chunky pieces. Throw out the bone and skins. Then in the bowl with your chicken, this is where you can add the teriyaki instead of putting it on the bun. It'll either taste exactly the same, or really close. As long as you have the flavor you want, that's all that matters.
-It doesn't actually matter how you stack your sandwich. However, you want to stack your ingredients so that the base flavor is on the bottom, and other ingredients add to the flavor as you eat.

         For example:

These are how I layered my sandwich, whether chicken is a whole piece or shredded.

top bun

lettuce

teriyaki sauce

[grilled] onion

[shredded] chicken

grilled pineapple ring

mayo

bottom bun

See? Doesn't that look sooo freaking delicious? I thought so.

    

Cheesy Nacho Bake

Brought to you by Kraftfoods.com.

These are pretty great and very easy to make.

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup water
1 pkg (1 1/4 oz) taco seasoning mix
3/4 cup Sour Cream, divided
6 oz tortilla chips (7 cups)
1 1/2 cups Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
1 green onion, sliced

Directions:
HEAT oven to 350dF
BROWN meat in large skillet; drain. Return meat to skillet. Add tomatoes, water and seasoning mix; stir. Cook 10 min., stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/4 cup sour cream.
PLACE half the chips in 13x9in baking dish; cover with layers of half each of the meat mixture and cheese. Repeat layers.
BAKE 20 min. or until heated through. Top with onion and remaining sour cream.

==Andersen Girlie's Cooking Tips==

-You can also make this on a baking sheet, but only one layer.
-You don't have to have the green onions.
-You don't have to have the sour cream either, it just adds better flavor.
-You can substitute the cheddar cheese with different kinds of cheese. For example, I'm sure Pepper Jack would taste great and it would add a little spice.
-If you don't have taco seasoning but you do have black pepper, chili powder, garlic powder and ground cumin, then use that instead. Just make sure you taste every time you add more seasoning to it. Don't add too much pepper, it will probably over power the mexican flavor you are looking for.


==Kraft's Cooking Tips==

Serving Suggestion:
Serve with a crisp mixed green salad

Substitute:
Omit water. Substitute 2 1/4 cups chopped cooked chicken for the browned ground beef.

Variation:
Prepare as directed, using Reduced Fat or Light Sour Cream and 2%Milk Shredded Cheddar Cheese.

Fast French Baguettes

I follow a couple of different food blogs. They are mostly based on bread. This one, girlversusdough.com, is fantastic. She not only make a bunch of different breads, but she takes awesome pictures of her process. It's amazing.

So, here is to her. This is her recipe of French Baguettes.

Yields: Two foot-long baguettes

Ingredients:
1 cup water
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
3 to 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
2 teaspoons salt

Directions:
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk yeast into 1 cup water and let sit 5 minutes. Add 3 cups flour and salt and mix, using paddle attachment, until just combined. Switch to dough hook (or remove dough from bowl and knead by hand) and knead on medium speed for about 5 minutes (10 minutes if kneading by hand), until dough is smooth and elastic. Shape dough into ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch down risen dough and divide in two pieces. Roll each piece into a foot-long rope and place side by side, about 3-4 inches apart, on a pizza stone or baking sheet lined with lightly floured parchment paper. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Once oven is preheated and dough has risen slightly (about 20-30 minutes), remove plastic wrap and slash each baguette a couple times using a very sharp knife. Place baguettes in oven, reduce heat to 375 degrees F and bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. The bread should read about 210 degrees F with a thermometer when done. Remove from oven, spritz with water and allow to cool on cooling rack.

Fantastic Focaccia Bread

So, for the past week, I've been on a bread-baking kick. It's alot of work but as long as the bread tastes good, I guess I'm ok with it. Well, I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. It's pretty amazing.

This bread is usually flavored with rosemary or some kind of herb(s). So, I was reading one of the reviews for one of the Focaccia (foh-kah-chuh) bread recipes I was looking at and it said to try Mozzarella Cheese. Deal. Great idea. So, what I did, since this is an italian bread, is brush/drizzle Olive Oil on it and added a sprinkling of italian seasoning, garlic powder, and top with the Mozzarella Cheese.

Also, when kneading the dough, make sure it's not too dry, leaving it quite airy-like and a little sticky, but not enough that it'll stick to your hands when trying to shape it into a ball before letting it rise the 1st time.

When you shape the bread into the rectangle, just shape it in your pan with your hands. Make sure it's an even and flat surface, around 1/2 inch thick. It doesn't have to be perfectly rectangle just an even, flat surface. Before covering the bread to let it rise the 2nd time, (what I did was) poke it with your fingers. You can do the same thing after it rises, a few pokes here and there, but if you want the bread to be as thick as it rises, then don't poke it as much. This is when you would add the seasoning.

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve honey and yeast in warm water (110 degrees F). Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add 1 cup flour, salt, and 3 tablespoons olive oil to the yeast mixture. Stir until combined and then work in the last cup of flour. Knead the dough until smooth, elastic, and soft, about 7 minutes. Add only enough flour to keep the dough from being sticky. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Place in greased 9x13 inch pan or baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Poke dimples in the bread and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

==Andersen Girlie's Tip==

To make this bread a pizza:

       After adding the Olive Oil, add Mozzarella Cheese and any other toppings that you want for a pizza. If you used a liberal ammount of cheese and liberal amounts of other toppings, you may want to add 5-10 minutes because of the weight of the toppings.

          (If the pizza is still a little dough-y after actually taking a bite, No Problem. just put it back into the oven for another 5-10 mins but this shouldnt be necessary.)

    After the pizza is done, or while it's cooking (the last 2 minutes) heat up your favorite Marinara (Spaghetti Sauce) and use it as a dip for the pizza.