Easy Side Dishes: Chicken Souvlaki

Though it sounds fancy and even a little complicated, Chicken Souvlaki is anything but. You can whip up this recipe in less than 2 hours, impressing friends and family alike. You'll need wooden skewers and a shallow dish, and spices you probably have in your cabinet.


Whatever you do, don't marinade the chicken for too long. No more than 2 hours, preferably about 1 hour. The lemon juice in the marinade can make the chicken tough and unappealing otherwise.


Ingredients


4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried mint
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)


Preparation


Cut the chicken into cubes that are about 1 inch wide. They don't have to be perfect cubes, but they should all be roughly the same size so they cook evenly. Thread these chicken chunks onto the wooden skewers. Place as many on the skewer as you can comfortably fit. Don't crowd the chicken, but it's okay if they touch. Just don't squish them on.


Place all ingredients, other than the chicken, in a shallow dish and mix well to create your marinade. Add chicken skewers, turning to coat. Place in the fridge for 1 hour, turning every 15 minutes or so.


Remove chicken from the marinade. These skewers can be cooked in the oven, on a skillet, or on the grill. If you're using the oven, heat to 450°F. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and outside is slightly crisp.


If you're using a skillet, heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add a little oil (a very little) and cook for 16 minutes, turning every 4 minutes so all 4 sides of the skewer is cooked. Check to make sure chicken is cooked through. If it's not, place chicken back in skillet for a further 4 minutes.


My favorite of preparation is on the grill. The flame of the grill gives it just a little extra flavor. This method is also one of the easiest. Heat to grill to medium-high and grill 10 minutes, turning halfway through. You can use the marinade to baste a bit at the beginning, if you like, though it's not necessary.


Regardless of how you prepare the Chicken Souvlaki, serve it warm. You can take it off the skewers and use it in salads or gyros, or you can leave it on the skewers and dip in yogurt sauce or cucumber relish. Or, like me, you can eat it just as it is. It's certainly delicious enough.

Yeast Breads: Dark Onion Rolls

Onions and parmesan are rolled inside these savory buns, making them delicious and fun to make. You can use fresh onions, if you like, but dried or flaked onions are easier to work with. Also, you won't end up crying as you try to cut them. That's always a plus!


Ingredients


For the Bread
1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
⅛ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
½ cup milk
½ cup warm water
3 tbsp butter or margarine, softened
1 egg


For the Filling
⅛ cup butter
¼ cup dried onion or onion flakes
1 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
1 tbsp poppy seed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt


Preparation


First, make the bread. Combine all bread ingredients in a large bowl and mix until a loose dough forms. Turn this dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, until dough is soft and elastic. Place in an oiled bowl and let rise in a warm location until doubled in size, at least 1 hour.


Now make the filling. Melt the butter, then add all other filling ingredients and mix well. Set aside. Punch down the dough to remove all air bubbles. Roll out the dough so that it forms a rectangle that is 12x8 inches. Spread the filling mixture on the dough, covering all the dough except for 1 inch along 1 12-inch side. Roll up the dough to form a log, starting from the 12-inch side that you did NOT leave uncovered by filling. You want to end up with a 12-inch log, and you'll need that uncovered edge to seal the log.


Pinch the log closed along that uncovered edge. Slice the log into 12 1-inch rolls. Place these rolls on a prepared baking sheet. Cover your hand with a piece of wax paper and press each roll down slightly. Don't flatten them, but do compress them a little.


Cover and let rise until double in size, about 45 minutes. Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover rolls and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until rolls are golden brown. Remove rolls from the baking sheet immediately and cool on wire racks.


These rolls should be stored in an airtight container and consumed within 3 days.

Yeast Breads: Toasted Sesame Bread

The toasted sesame in this bread highlights its unique and hearty flavor. Try it with butter, jam, or as a sandwich bread. It is delicious when toasted and is great with eggs.


Ingredients


¼ cup sesame seeds
1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
½ cup cornmeal
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup warm water
½ cup milk
¼ cup wheat bran
1 tsp salt
⅛ cup oil
⅛ cup molasses
⅛ cup honey
¼ cup plain yogurt


Preparation


Before you begin, you must toast the sesame seeds. Heat oven to 350°F. Spread sesame seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, until seeds are slightly browned. Allow to cool slightly, then pour into a large bowl.


Add all other ingredients to the bowl with the sesame seeds. Mix until a loose dough forms. Turn this dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough is soft and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover loosely, and set aside to rise. It will take about 1 hour for the dough to double in size.


Punch down dough, removing all air bubbles. Shape dough into an oval loaf and place on prepared baking sheet. Cover with a damp towel and set aside to rise once more. This time it will take about 45 minutes for the dough to double in size.


Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover dough and use a bread lame or sharp knife to score the top of the loaf with 4 or 5 diagonal gashes. This is not strictly necessary, but it is nice to see a loaf that has been scored. You can skip this step if you like.


Bake loaf for 30 to 35 minutes, until loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from baking sheet immediately and cool on a wire rack.


This loaf will keep for up to a week if stored in an airtight container. If it lasts that long.

Snacks & Appetizers: Homemade Chicken Fingers

Making chicken fingers at home sounds difficult, but it's really not. The secret is the seasoning in the batter, the freshness of the bread crumbs, and a little patience. You will not be disappointed in the results. They'll be so good, and look so impressive, some people won't believe you made them yourself!


A note on bread crumbs. You can buy them in boxes at the store, yes, and that will work fine for this recipe. But I highly recommend that you use fresh bread crumbs. You can sometimes find these in the bakery section of your local grocery store. If you can't, you can also buy some bread, break it into bits, let it dry out overnight, and turn it into bread crumbs. If you bake bread, you can do this with bread you've baked as well.


Ingredients


4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
2 cups bread crumbs
oil for frying


For the Batter
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups water
⅔ tbsp sea salt
½ tbsp thyme
½ tbsp basil
⅓ tbsp oregano
1 tbsp celery salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp dried mustard
4 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp giner
3 tbsp white pepper


Preparation


Start by slicing the chicken breasts into strips. Depending on the size of the breast, you can get 4 or 6 strips out of each breast. Place the strips on a plate lined with a paper towel. Pat them dry and set aside. Place the bread crumbs in a shallow dish and set off to one side.


Mix your batter by placing everything in a large bowl and whisking together. You need a fairly thick batter than will stick to the chicken, so you may have to add a little more flour depending on the humidity. You may even have to add a little extra water. It's not an exact science, but equal water and flour portions usually works well enough.


Place the oil on the stove (or use a deep fryer) and set it to medium heat. Don't fry on the stove higher than this or you could start a fire. You don't need more heat anyway. The chicken pieces aren't that large. They'll cook easily enough.


Set up your frying station so that your chicken will go from the plate, to the batter, to the bread crumbs, to a clean plate, to the oil, and then onto a wire rack with a towel under it for draining. This will make the frying process easier.


Take each piece of chicken and roll it in the batter. Make sure it is fully covered. Now roll it in the bread crumbs, coating the batter in crumbs. At this point, you can place the chicken on the clean plate and prepare several other strips. Don't crowd them on the plate. They shouldn't even be touching each other.


Now you will fry the chicken fingers. Don't put too many in the fryer or pot at once. They definitely shouldn't be crowded. I fry 6 at a time. Place them gently into the oil and fry for 3 minutes. Turn the chicken fingers with tongs and fry for a further 3 minutes. Remove from oil and place on wire rack to drain.


You can serve these with a variety of dips. Try honey dill, honey mustard, BBQ, or the ever-popular ketchup. They'll definitely be a crowd pleaser.

Yeast Breads: Savory Pull Apart Bread

Pull apart loaves are easy to eat and fun to serve. This version, flavored with paprika and parmesan cheese, will be a hit at barbeques and picnics. Make it every day or just once in a while.


I use a white bread recipe here, but you can do the same with any bread dough you fancy.


Ingredients


1 recipe for Basic White Bread
4 tbsp butter (do not use margarine)
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp garlic
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp paprika


Preparation


Prepare the white bread recipe according to its directions until after the first rise. While you're waiting for the dough to rise, combine parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, garlic, sea salt, and paprika in a small bowl. Set aside. Melt the butter as soon as the dough has finished rising.


Punch down the dough to remove the air bubbles and cut the dough into 32 pieces. Spray a loaf pan with baking spray to prevent sticking. Place some of the dough pieces into the bottom of the loaf pan. 8 is usually sufficient. You don't need to pack the entire loaf pan because the loaf will rise and fill the crevices.


Brush melted butter over the 8 pieces of dough in the pan. Sprinkle with a quarter of the parmesan mixture. Add 8 more pieces of dough. Brush with butter and sprinkle with parmesan. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.


Place your pull apart loaf in a warm location to rise. It needs to double in size, which will take about 45 minutes. Heat oven to 375°F. Bake loaf for 25 minutes, until loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove immediately from pan and cool on a wire rack.


Place this loaf out and encourage people to rip off chunks as desired. That's why it's pull apart loaf. No knife required.

Easy Side Dishes: Party Potatoes

This simple recipe will impress every guest you'll ever have. It can be used as a side dish, but you can also serve it as an appetizer. You can set it out and people can pull one potato at a time as an appetizer, or you can use a serving spoon and have your guests scoop out a portion. It's really up to you.


This recipe lends itself well to customization. Try using taco seasoning instead of paprika and garlic. Or add sour cream to the sauce for a little kick. Maybe even use cayenne on the potatoes and red pepper flakes in the sauce if you like things spicy. My kids love a pizza version, where I use more tomato sauce than the recipe calls for and we sprinkle pepperoni on the top. It's really up to you.


Ingredients


6 large russet potatoes
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
½ cup butter
⅓ cup all purpose flour
1½ cup milk
2 tbsp tomato sauce
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
parsley (optional)


Preparation


Heat oven to 425°F. Peel potatoes and cut them into wedges. Cut each wedge in half so you have a flat end to stand it up. This will help in arranging the wedges later. Toss wedges with oil, paprika, garlic, and salt. Spray a large, shallow casserole dish with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Place the wedges in the dish and bake for 30 minutes.


Remove the wedges from the casserole dish and drain on paper towels. Do not discard the casserole dish or the remaining oil mixture that will be in the bottom of the dish. Lower the temperature of the oven to 375°F.


In a small saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and mix well, then add milk. Keep stirring the prevent the milk from burning. Add tomato sauce and blend. When the milk is heated, add 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Keep stirring as the cheese melted. Cook sauce until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove sauce from heat.


While the sauce is cooling slightly, Sprinkle ½ cup of cheddar cheese on the bottom of the casserole dish. Take the wedges and arrange them in the casserole dish, standing them upright on their flat bottoms. You want the points sticking upwards. They will be crowded, which is the point. You don't want too much space between the potatoes, so really pack them in there.


Pour the sauce over the potatoes. Fill the casserole dish almost to the top. Sprinkle the potatoes with remaining cheese, then top with parsley, if desired. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese sauce is bubbling. Switch the oven to broil for 5 minutes to brown the sauce and the tips of the potatoes. Cool just slightly before serving.


This will serve up to 6 people as a side dish, or quick a few more as an appetizer. Keep leftovers for up to 2 days in the fridge.

Specialty Cakes: Chocolate Meringue Cake

This cake is fun and actually quite easy to make. There are only a few ingredients, but you do have to separate eggs. The easiest way to do this is to gently crack the needed eggs into a small bowl, then use you hand to carefully life the yolks out of the whites. Place the yolks in a separate bowl, and you have successfully separated eggs. There are other methods, of course, so separate the eggs in whatever way you like.


You can change the flavor and presentation of this cake, customizing it in any way you choose. Simply change what you do to the meringue. You might add a teaspoon of mint extract, then swirl red and green food coloring into the meringue. Top the meringue with bits of candy cane and you have a Candy Cane Meringue Cake. You can do anything else with the meringue as well. You're limited only by your imagination.


Use a small spring form pan to bake this cake. It makes removing it from the pan that much easier.


Ingredients


For the Cake
1 cup chocolate chips
⅔ cup butter
3 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 cup of flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
½ cup chocolate chips


For the Meringue
3 egg whites
¾ cup sugar
½ cup melted chocolate


Preparation


Start by making the cake. Melt the butter and the 1 cup of chocolate chips in a small saucepan or chocolate melted. While you're waiting for the chocolate to melt, place egg yolk, sugar, flour, and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Blend until you have a mixture that resembles crumbs.


Heat oven to 320°F. Take a small spring form pan and spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Turn your attention back to the batter. Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture and blend well until smooth. Fold in the ½ cup of chocolate chips.


Pour batter into spring form pan and smooth the top. You may have to press the batter into pan to get it to spread. The batter is thick and may not spread on its own. Bake for 35 minutes, then remove from oven, but leave it in the pan.


Now you'll work on the meringue. Drop the temperature in the oven to 300°F. Place the 3 egg white in a nonmetal bowl and use an electric mixer to beat them. Do this for 3 minutes, then start slowly adding the sugar. Do not just dump the sugar in or you'll break the egg whites. Continue beating the eggs while you do this. After you've added the sugar, keep beating the egg whites until you have stiff peaks form. The meringue should be very white and should not collapse.


Take the melted chocolate and gently drizzle it over the meringue. Don't pour it all in one spot. Gently, ever so gently, fold the chocolate into the egg whites, but don't fully incorporate it. A swirl of chocolate will give you a nicer presentation than a completely chocolate meringue.


Gently spoon the meringue onto the cake. Spread it just enough to fully cover the cake. Bake for 30 minutes, until the meringue begins to crack. Let the cake cool in the spring form pan. It must be completely cool before you attempt to remove the spring form pan.


This cake is delicious and probably won't last long before being eaten. But you can store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.