baked – Makin' it Mo'Betta

Baked Sesame Chicken

Kim

My New Year’s Resolution was to publish a blog post at least 3 days a week. FAIL. But hey, I’m here today & I have a pretty easy dinner to share. If you know me through the blog or in real life, you know that I have three kids that keep me running constantly from one end of the county to the other with all their extracurriculars. Who has time to plan & execute elaborate meals? Not me. However, I still want to cook decent meals for my family, so quick & easy is where it’s at. Who’s with me?

I love Asian inspired food, as does my oldest daughter. I like making it at home because I can make it so much healthier than take-out. Plus, we have one local Chinese place…and it wasn’t very good the one time I’ve been. This Baked Sesame Chicken is fairly simple to make, just takes a few ingredients, and is baked instead of fried – which makes this a healthier (and less messy…I hate frying) option.

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Recipe adapted from

Even though I would have liked a nice thick sauce to add at the end, I didn’t want to use the sauce that the chicken cooked in because it contains so much chicken fat (thighs are fatty), but it is certainly an option (just thicken with cornstarch). I think next time I may reserve some of the sauce, thicken it, and baste it on, under the broiler at the very end. That would give it a sticky sauce, kind of like my Slow Cooked Sticky Chicken. The chicken has a good flavor & is good with rice or sesame noodles. We also had egg rolls, which I normally make from scratch, but these were super convenient!

What’s your favorite Chinese food? I want to try some other dishes at home. This Bourbon Chicken is one of my favorites!

I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , (Tuesday) ,, , (Wednesday) , , , (Thursday) , , (Friday) , , , ,, , , , , (Sunday)

Baked-not-Fried Pickles {and a few other snack ideas}

Kim

Don’t cha just love fried food? Don’t cha just hate that it’s so bad for you?! I’m always looking for healthier alternatives to my favorite “bad” foods. That’s why when I saw this recipe for baked “fried” pickles in Prevention RD’s cookbook, I knew I had to give them a try.

The bad news is that I ate almost all of them by myself. The good news is they were not too bad for me, so it’s okay 🙂 I think I shared a few with my girls. My 5 y/o wasn’t interested in a breaded, hot pickle…he thought I was nuts! He didn’t appreciate me messing with his beloved dill pickles.

Oven-Fried Pickles from

20 oz jar Claussen Kosher dill burger slice pickles (about 16 slices) *I used the regular dill pickles slices by Mt. Olive
2 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp garlic powder *I reduced this to about 1/2 tsp
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 450 F.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and flour together.
Add Worcestershire, hot sauce, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, and pepper to egg mixture. Blend well.
In a shallow dish or plate, add panko crumbs.
Dip each pickle slice into the egg mixture, than coat with the panko bread crumbs until both sides are well coated.
Place coated pickles on a sprayed baking sheet. Bake for a few minutes on each side (2-3) or until lightly browned on each side.

Serve warm with choice of dressing for dipping. We used ranch! These would make a great addition to your New Year’s Eve party tray, along with these….

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

Sausage Balls

Hot Ham Dips on Homemade Slider Buns

What are your plans for New Year’s Eve? {Insert song burst here *what are you doingggg, New Year’s. New Year’s Eveeeee*} I’ll be fixing a few appies and try to stay awake to watch the ball drop. My kids might invite a couple of friends over and that’s about as exciting as I am planning on things getting around here. I’m getting so old.

Easy Baked French Toast with Streusel Topping

Kim

I love French Toast. I love French Toast Casseroles. Or maybe what I should say, is that I love the flavor of French Toast…’cuz I do not love soggy bread. That mushiness it gets in the middle? Ewww. So, I guess I sort of like Cinnamon Toast, with syrup. Anywho, this Baked French Toast is awesome, b/c ONE, it has a streusel topping. I love, love, streusel. TWO, it’s not soggy! (If you like yours soggy, you can make it that way too.) And THREE, this version is lower in sugar and fat than lots of others.

OH! AND you can make a whole bunch at once…so no individual dipping and flipping and cooking. score!

Easy Baked French Toast with Streusel Topping

1 loaf French bread (any good bread, sliced in 1 inch slices)

4 eggs (I used 2 eggs and 1 serving of Egg Beaters)

1 3/4 cup fat free milk

1/4 cup brown sugar substitute*

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

pinch salt

Streusel Topping

1/4 cup brown sugar substitute*

1/2 cup flour (I used unbleached all-purpose)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 T butter, melted

(maybe a pinch of salt if using unsalted butter)

*I used Splenda Brown Sugar Blend which is a combination of brown sugar and Splenda artificial sweetener. I have also made my own blend of half stevia and half brown sugar. You can use all brown sugar if you prefer.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
Arrange slices in a single layer in dish.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar/sugar substitute, cinnamon, vanilla and salt.
Pour egg mixture over the bread.
{At this point, you can cover and place in fridge overnight}
In a small bowl, mix together sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter (and salt if using) with a fork until it comes together and forms crumbles.
Sprinkle over bread and bake 35 – 40 minutes or until edges of bread are golden brown.

Adapted from

Enjoy for breakfast, brunch or dinner! We, of course, had ours for dinner (brinner) with a little sugar free syrup and turkey sausage. It was carb-o-licious!

I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , , , , , , , , , (Tuesday) , , ,,, , and , , (Wednesday) , , , , , , , (Thursday) ,, , , (Friday) , , , , , ,, , , ,, , , ,, , (Saturday) , , , (Sunday) , , ;

Oven Fried Chicken

Kim

Do you love the taste of fried chicken but hate to fry chicken? All that grease and splatter and standing over it….no, thanks. Since I rarely fry food, I’m not very good at it. I have no idea about proper oil temperature, the best kind of oil to use, when it’s done…so, I found a solution – oven fried chicken!

A crispy coated chicken dinner, without all the fuss (and mess) of frying. Having the chicken cook in the oven frees you up to do other things while getting dinner ready, like opening a can of green beans to stick in the microwave – b/c I get all fancy with my sides like that. OR, now that it’s back-to-school time (boo!), helping the kids with homework. Ughhhh. Nothing makes you feel dumber than being unable to do your kid’s homework. At least not being able to do it the “new way”. Because apparently every method I learned is prehistoric and no longer used. According to my children.

Well, I can ‘fry’ chicken up a new way.

{Even though I must say there is nothing better than my Grandma’s fried chicken. Cooked up in a cast iron skillet…super crispy on the outside, but juicy inside, nice and salty…served up with some cornbread or biscuits…yummm. I sure do miss her!}

Oven Fried Chicken

from

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken (I used breast and thigh)

buttermilk (or milk with a tablespoon of vinegar added), enough to cover chicken

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon seasoned salt (I used Mrs. Dash original blend)

2 teaspoons paprika

3/4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon salt (or also to taste)

*Soak chicken in buttermilk for 20 to 30 minutes.

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

*While oven is preheating, melt butter in a 9×13-inch baking dish in the oven. For extra flavor, let your butter brown (but not burn)
*Place flour, seasoned salt, paprika, pepper, and salt into a gallon size plastic baggie.
*After chicken has soaked 20-30 minutes, place chicken pieces into plastic baggie with flour mixture. Allow excess milk to drip off chicken before adding to bag.
*Place in baking dish with browned butter, and bake for 20 minutes. Flip and bake for another 20 minutes, or until done. (cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken pieces)

And the best part – if you have leftovers (or maybe cook extra so that you do!), you can take your chicken, add some barbecue sauce, cooked bacon, and cheese and have a new meal of Monterey Chicken Sandwiches; b/c we know everything is mo’betta with a little bacon and cheese!

I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , , , , , , , , , (Tuesday) , , ,,, , and , , (Wednesday) , , , , , , , , (Thursday) ,, , , ,, (Friday) , , , , , ,, , , ,, , , ,, (Saturday) , , , , (Sunday) , , ;