Chicken Nuggets

My kids love Chicken Nuggets.  There is no need to go to a fast food restaurant to buy these little bite-sized pieces of chicken.  You can easily make them at home at a fraction of the cost.  Dip them in some Honey Mustard Sauce to make them even better tasting.

Ingredients

3 lbs.  chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
1 c. buttermilk
1 large egg
1/2 c. pickle juice
1 Tbs. hot sauce
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. bread crumbs, plain or Italian
1 Tbs. garlic powder
4 tsp. seasoned salt
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions

In a medium to large bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, pickle juice and hot sauce. Whisk until thoroughly mixed. You can also pour this into a large sealable bag or leave in the bowl.

Place cubed chicken into the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight if possible. 

In a deep fryer or deep heavy skillet, pot or Dutch oven, heat oil to 375°.

In a large bowl or sealable bag, combine flour, bread crumbs, garlic powder, seasoned salt, paprika, and black pepper. 

Remove chicken from the marinade and allow the excess liquid to drain off. Working in batches, add the chicken to the flour mixture.  Make sure all sides have a coating of flour.   

Carefully place some chicken pieces into the hot oil. Cook about 4 to 6 minutes until lightly browned and the internal temperature is 165°. 

Remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and place the chicken on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.  Continue frying all the chicken pieces until all done. 

If you want to keep the chicken warm as you finish frying all the chicken, heat the oven to warm. Place the chicken on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet into the warm oven. 

Serve Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce.  Add a salad, fresh buttered corn and some Half Hour or 30 Minute Dinner Rolls for a great tasting and easy meal.

Honey Mustard Sauce

This Honey Mustard Sauce is so easy to put together. It tastes great on salads, or when used as a dipping sauce for chicken. It has the perfect balance of mayonnaise and mustard, sweetened with nature's honey!

Ingredients

1/3 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. honey
1/3. c. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, honey, Dijon mustard, paprika, and cayenne pepper.

Whisk together until well blended.

Pour into a glass jar or container that has a tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator. 

Use as a salad dressing, or as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets.

Beef Cheese Casserole

Fall is a great time to start using the oven again. Beef Cheese Casserole has the basic ingredients of lasagna, but instead it uses egg noodles. This meal is sure to satisfy, especially when served with a salad and Garlic bread.

Ingredients

8 oz. (4 cups) egg noodles, uncooked
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion chopped
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce or marinara sauce
1 c. cottage cheese
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese
1/4 c. sour cream
1 sweet bell pepper, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease or spray a 3-quart casserole dish. 

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add 1/2 to 1 tsp. salt.  Cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain.

In a large cast iron skillet, combine, ground beef, and onion.  Cook until the beef is no longer pink, breaking it up into small pieces.

Add salt, pepper to taste, and tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer and allow to slowly simmer while you mix the other ingredients.

In a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream and sweet bell pepper.  Mix thoroughly until well blended.

Place half the noodles into a prepared 3-quart casserole dish. Pour the cheese mixture over the top and then add the rest of the noodles.  Pour meat mixture evenly over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes. 

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Butterscotch Banana Bread

 This is the best banana bread, and it never lasts long when I bake up this recipe. It is so easy to put together. 

If you are looking for a healthier version of banana bread, you can use half white flour and half wheat flour or whole wheat pancake flour if you would rather.  You can also cut down the sugar.

Ingredients

2 c. very ripe bananas (about 4 to 6 medium)
1 1 /2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract or banana flavoring
3 1/2 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
2 2/3 c. chopped pecans, divided (optional) dusted in flour
1 (12 oz. ) pkg. butterscotch chips

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease or spray two, 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans

In a large bowl, thoroughly mash the bananas until there are no lumps left. You want it lump free because the lumps retain moisture and the bread will spoil faster.

Add sugar, eggs, milk, and melted butter and vanilla. Beat until creamy.

Add baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Mix in flour. 

Stir in 2 cups chopped pecans that have been dusted with four. This keeps them from sinking in the batter as the bread bakes.  Add butterscotch chips.

Pour into prepared loaf pans.   Sprinkle the remaining 2/3 cup chopped walnuts.

Bake  about 45 minutes to an hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from the pans. Invert onto cooling rack and cool completely before slicing.

** As an alternative to putting nuts over the top of the bread, you can make a topping.   Mix together:

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. melted butter.  Mix together and sprinkle over the tops of the bread batter before baking.

Instead of using cinnamon and nutmeg, use pumpkin pie spice. 

Instead of bread, you can make this into muffins.  Grease or spray muffin tins or use the paper liners. Bake about 18 minutes or until they test done.

Beef Vegetable Bake

If you want a great tasting casserole dish that goes together fast, this is the recipe!  It combines seasoned ground beef with vegetables. Serve with homemade biscuits, and you have a complete meal.

Ingredients

2 lbs. ground beef
1 1/2 lbs. soft bread crumbs
1 onion, chopped
2 eggs
2 (8 oz. ) cans tomato sauce
1/2 to 1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen carrots and peas
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen corn
 salt and  pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
3/4 c. shredded American cheese or sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, soft bread crumbs, eggs, 1 can tomato sauce, salt, pepper, chili powder and cayenne pepper.

Transfer the meat mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish.  Build up the sides, so there is a well in the center.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Season the frozen vegetables with salt and pepper to taste, garlic salt and salt. Spoon the vegetables into the center of the hot ground beef mixture. 

Pour remaining tomato sauce over the loaf.

Bake for another 20 minutes.  

Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top and bake another 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts. 

Serve and enjoy.

Quick and Easy Pecan Pie Bars

This is a quick and easy recipe that goes together fast. These bars have a tender shortbread crust, instead of the traditional crust. They are rich and delicious!

Ingredients

Crust

3 C. flour
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter, softened

Filling

4 eggs
1 1/2 c. corn syrup, light
3/4 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
3 Tbs. butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. pecans, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.  Lightly spray or grease a 10 x 15-inch jellyroll pan.

To make the crust, combine flour, granulated sugar and salt.  Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared jellyroll pan.

Bake for 20 minutes. Now is the time to start the filling.

In a large bowl, or you can use the bowl you mixed the crust in to save on washing more dishes, combine eggs, corn syrup, granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.

Stir in chopped pecans.  Spread the filling over the crust right when it comes out of the oven. 

Bake for 25 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time to ensure even cooking. Bake until done. Lightly shake the pan to test for doneness. You will want the filling to move slightly in the center.  If the filling jiggles a lot, then the bars need to bake longer. However, don't bake them so long that there is no movement when you shake the pan because they will be overdone and not good at all. 

Cool on a wire rack before slicing into bars.

Quick and Easy Mixed Vegetable Mornay

There is never any leftovers when I serve this dish. Usually, vegetables get left when served to picky kids and family members. However, when you serve vegetables in a cheese sauce, they disappear.

Ingredients

1 (10 oz.) p[kg. frozen mixed vegetables
3 Tbs. butter or margarine
3 Tbs. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese (optional)
2 slices bread, torn into pieces
2 Tbs. butter or margarine melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook vegetables as directed on package until barely tender.  Drain off water.

In a saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Blend in flour.

Pour in the milk.  Cook and stir over low heat until the mixture thickens. Blend in flour.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese melts.

Place the drained vegetables in a buttered (or lightly sprayed with cooking oil) casserole dish.

Pour the cheese sauce over the top.

Toss bread crumbs in 2 tablespoons melted butter.  Sprinkle on top of the vegetables.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until browned.