Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers

I found this recipe online. I am not quite sure where though. I found it on this site, but I don’t think that’s where I originally found it.

• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 egg whites (we used 2 eggs instead)
• 1 pound chicken tenders (we used 1 pound chicken and cut them into small strips)

1. Preheat oven to 475F. Set a wire rack on a foil lined baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.

2. Place almonds, flour, paprika, garlic powder, mustard, salt and pepper into a food processor and process 1 min until almonds finely chopped. With motor running, drizzle in olive oil and process until combined. Transfer to shallow bowl.

3. Whisk eggs in a second bowl. Coat chicken in egg then in almond mixture. Place on wire racks. (It said to coat with spray then turn and coat again. Since we sprayed the bottom, as the recipe indicated, we just sprayed the top and didn’t turn the chicken over.)

4. Bake 20 to 25 min.

Verdict: These were good! The batter wasn’t too thick or too gooey. It didn’t have a lot of crunch to it (which I like) but the taste made up for it.

Beef Vegetable Skillet Bake

I found this recipe on the Kraft page.

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (I probably used less)
• 1 8 ounce package of sliced mushrooms (didn’t use because I do not like mushrooms)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cups peas and carrots (I just used 2 cans of mixed vegetables, which include potatoes and beans as well)
• 1 284 ml can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup water
• 115g Velveeta processed cheese, cut into cubes (I used cheddar cheese)
• 1 package refrigerated crescent rolls

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Brown meat in large oven proof skillet. Add mushrooms (if using) and onion. Cook 8 to 10 min or until liquid from mushrooms evaporates. Stir in vegetables, soup and water. Bring to boil. Add cheese and stir. Remove from heat.

3. Unroll crescent dough and separate into 8 triangles. Arrange on top of meat mixture with narrow pointed edges touching (mine didn’t even look close to the picture, but I did the best I could).

4. Bake 12 to 15 min or until golden brown. (Kraft had a good tip I didn’t know about before, that I could wrap the handle of my skillet with aluminum foil to protect it from the oven, because mine is not oven proof.)

Verdict: I am not sure this is a meal that holds up well to being frozen and reheated. With other meals I freeze, the crescent rolls are still nice and flaky, but it seemed a little bit too soggy in this recipe.  (I didn’t try it straight from the oven, I only ate reheated portions.)

In Search Of: the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Part 21: Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe on another food blog.

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup butter (we used 3/4 cup)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (omitted because we use salted butter)
• 1 to 2 cup chocolate chips (we used 1 cup)

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Keep cooking, swirling the pot occasionally until it starts to turn brown (we worried that we would miss it, but it is very noticeable). Remove it from the heat and pour it into a large bowl, scraping any bits on the bottom of the pot. Add brown sugar and sugar and stir. Let cool.

2. Once the butter mixture has cooled, add eggs and vanilla.

3. In a medium bowl, mix flour and baking soda. Add to butter mixture. Add in chocolate chips.

4. Refrigerate overnight.

5. Preheat oven to 350F.

6. Scoop small balls of dough and press down onto baking sheet. Bake 12-14 min (ours were ready after 8 min).

Verdict: These were so good! They were addictive. When they first come out of the oven they look very plump, but after they cool a bit they sink in a little so that they are very thin. They were crispy and moist at the same time. And they stayed moist for a couple of days after, so no microwave needed when you want to eat cookies the next day.

Beef Crescent Roll

I am pretty sure I found this recipe online somewhere, but I can no longer find the page.

• 450g ground beef
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper
• 375g of potatoes, mashed (about 3 medium)
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 pie crust

1. In a bowl, mix the beef, egg, onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.

2. In another bowl, mix the potatoes, cheddar cheese and carrots.

3. Prepare a 15×15 inch base with the pie crust.

4. Spread meat mixture over crest. Spread potato mixture over meat mixture. Roll.

5. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Prick crust with fork.

6. Bake 45 min at 350F.

Verdict: This was not my favourite recipe. As this was the first time I was trying Worcestershire sauce, I was expecting some kind of different taste to the dish, but I couldn’t taste it at all. As a whole I found that the dish was just kind of bland tasting. Not a keeper.

Upside-Down Shepherd’s Pie

This is a recipe I got from Kraft, though the recipe online differs a little from the version I have, so I probably got mine from their magazine.

• 6 potatoes
• Water to boil the potatoes in (online recommends 1/2 cup, in the magazine it recommended 3/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup Kraft Sundried Tomato and Oregano dressing (we went with the brand in the magazine, because we like it and because it was what we had)
• 340g of ground beef (a little less than the 450g suggested online)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup corn, frozen (we used corn from a can, so we ended using more than 1 cup)
• 1 tomato, chopped
• The cheese suggested in both places are different. We used 1/2 as suggested in the magazine, but of Monterey Jack cheese

1. Heat oven to 400F.

2. (They said to boil the potatoes in a microwave until almost tender, we did it on the stove instead.)

3. Heat dressing in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat and onions and cook until meat is done. Stir in corn and tomatoes.

4. Drain potatoes. Mash (not too finely). Place on the bottom of an oven dish. Top with meat mixture. Top with cheese.

5. Bake, covered, for 20 min, uncovered for 5.

Verdict: This was good but not great. It was not really a standout to me and I probably won’t keep the recipe. Though I thought it tasted just as good with or without ketchup.