Come On Up To The House

April 20, 2024
by Ashley
Comments Off on Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Makes 30 nuggets

Ingredients

For the Nuggets:

  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp Orrington Farms Chicken Broth powder
  • 1/2 tsp finely ground white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • Neutral oil such as canola or nonstick cooking spray, for greasing

To Coat and Fry:

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp Orrington Farms Chicken Broth powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp finely ground white pepper
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 4 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

  1. For the Nuggets: In a medium mixing bowl, using clean hands, mix chicken and salt until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes and up to 2 hours.
  2. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Transfer chicken to bowl of food processor. Add broth powder, white pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and process, scraping down sides with spatula as needed, until a smooth and uniform paste forms, about 1 minute. Using lightly wet hands, divide chicken into 1 tablespoon portions. Roll portions into balls and gently flatten between palms, forming 1/2-inch thick nugget shapes. Place formed nuggets on lightly greased baking sheet.
  3. To Coat and Fry: In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together flour, cornstarch, broth powder, baking powder, and white pepper, at least 30 seconds. Working 1 piece at a time, coat chicken nuggets in flour mixture, pressing gently to adhere, then shake off excess and return to baking sheet. Let dusted nuggets rest for 15 minutes; reserve flour mixture.
  4. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat until it registers 350°F on an instant-read thermometer. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Add 3/4 cup water to flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Add half of nuggets to batter and toss gently until submerged. Working in 2 batches, remove nuggets one at a time from batter, allowing any excess batter to drip back into bowl, and carefully add to hot oil. Cook nuggets, flipping every 30 seconds, until nuggets puff up and begin to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer nuggets to prepared wire rack. Return oil to 350°F and repeat with remaining nuggets. Let second batch of nuggets rest on wire rack for at least 5 minutes before moving to next step to let coating set.
  5. Bring oil to 375°F. Carefully return all nuggets to oil and cook, flipping occasionally, until deep golden brown and very crispy, about 4 minutes. Return nuggets to rack and let stand for 2 minutes.

We got this recipe from Serious Eats. We do not make a sauce for these and have sometimes added flavorings to the chicken nuggets (like curry or lemongrass).

April 17, 2024
by Ashley
Comments Off on Chicken Sliders

Chicken Sliders

7 chicken tenders
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
juice of half a lemon

3 slice bacon
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
8 dinner rolls (we prefer brioche)
Spinach

Marinate the chicken in the mixture of honey through lemon. Set in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Cut the bacon strips in thirds and fry until mostly done but not crispy. (Reserve back grease). Remove chicken from the marinade and carefully shake off the excess. Cut each tenderloin in half and cook in the bacon grease.

Prep the dinner rolls by cutting them in half and placing on a baking sheet pan.

Assemble the sandwiches. Bread, chicken, bacon, small piece of cheddar cheese. Leave the sandwiches open faced and refrigerate until you are ready to bake (or bake immediately). When you are ready, preheat the oven to 400F and bake until cheese is melted and everything is warm.

Complete the assembly of the sandwiches by putting a small piece of spinach on the sandwich and closing. Serve with ketchup, bbq or hot sauce. You can even serve the sauces in an eyedropper!

March 22, 2024
by Ashley
Comments Off on Shrimp Cocktail

Shrimp Cocktail

1/8 cup kosher salt
1/8 cup sugar
3 cups water
1 pound shimp

1/2 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tbsp prepared horseradish
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp Worcestershire juice
3 dashes of Tabasco, to taste

In a medium pot, boil the water, salt & sugar together. Once it comes to a boil, put in the shrimp for 1 minute, until opaque. Plunge them immediately into ice water to shock them and stop them from cooking. Let sit and chill for 15 minutes or more.

Make the sauce. Stir together ketchup through Tabasco. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serve cold.

March 21, 2024
by Ashley
Comments Off on Salt & Pepper Rice Cakes

Salt & Pepper Rice Cakes

This recipe is delicious, easy to make and the leftovers are amazing (if there is any left over).

8 oz. Korean rice cakes
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
8 oz. ground pork
1 2″ piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 scallions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

Preparation

Place rice cakes in a medium bowl and pour in cold water to cover. Let soak 10 minutes. Drain, rinse, and pat dry.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add pork and cook, undisturbed, until browned underneath, about 2 minutes. Break up with a wooden spoon or a spatula and continue to cook, stirring and breaking into large pieces, until browned all over but still pink in places, about 2 minutes more. Add rice cakes, ginger, garlic, and half of scallions; season with salt and plenty of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pork is cooked through and rice cakes are browned in spots, about 4 minutes. If pan looks a bit dry at any point, pour in a little more oil. Remove pan from heat; add butter, soy sauce, and sesame oil and toss to coat.

Transfer pork mixture to a platter and top with remaining scallions.


March 10, 2024
by Ashley
Comments Off on Creme Fraiche

Creme Fraiche

This is super easy. I took sour cream and added heavy cream to change the consistency. We used it with fish and caviar and it was fantastic.

1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp heavy cream

Stir together until smooth. Add more heavy cream if you would like it thinner.

March 3, 2024
by Ashley
Comments Off on Tofu Banh Mi Bowls

Tofu Banh Mi Bowls

Quick Pickles
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 cup radishes, julienned
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Tofu Marinade
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp sugar
1 garlic clove, minced

Spicy Mayo
1/3 cup mayo
1 tbsp sriracha
1 tsp lime juice
1/8 tsp fish sauce

14 oz extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 cup quinoa, rice or cauliflower rice
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
Soy sauce & extra lime for garnish

Instructions

Start the quick pickles. Put the veggies into a pint sized jar. In a small saucepan, bring the water, vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil, stirring until dissolved. Pour the liquid over the veggies, leaving 1/2 inch space at the top. Gently tap the jar to remove any air bubbles and seal. Cool jar for at least 48 hours before using.

Marinate the Tofu. In a medium bowl, whisk together fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, sugar & garlic until combine. Slice the tofu into cubes or strips and marinate.

Put the spicy mayo together whisking all ingredients until smooth and creamy.

Cut the tofu into eight even rectangle slices. Add to marinade and let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line the backing sheet with a silpat. Place marinaded tofu onto baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, flipping over halfway through.

Meanwhile, cook your grains. The original recipe calls for you to fry the baked tofu slices for 3 – 5 minutes on each side until golden browned. I am going to try to convect bake to see if that does the same thing.

To put the bowls together. Start by dividing the grains in the bottom of the bowls. Top with tofu, pickled veggies, cilantro, peanuts and cucumber. Squeeze lime juice over the top and splash a little soy sauce with a drizzle of the spicy mayo over the top. Enjoy!

March 3, 2024
by Ashley
Comments Off on Pork Kebob with Chimichurri

Pork Kebob with Chimichurri

1.5 lb pork sirloin
3/4 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp cumin, ground
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, packed
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp diced red onion or shallot
1 tsp oregano, dried
2 tsp chili flakes
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions
Cut the port into cubes. Mix pork with paprika, cumin, salt & pepper. Marinate for a couple of hours in the fridge.

To make the chimichurri, add all ingredients into a food processor except the oil. Process until finely minced, do not process into a paste. Transfer to a mixing bowl, gently stir in olive oil. Let stand for 15 minutes and refrigerate until use.

Thread pork onto skewers. Grill 3 – 4 minutes a side.

February 8, 2024
by Ashley
Comments Off on Blue Cheese Dressing

Blue Cheese Dressing

I love wedge salads for some reason. This is the perfect dressing to add to them.

Ingredients
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 oz blue cheese, crumbled

Mix everything together and serve with your masterfully put together salad.

February 8, 2024
by Ashley
Comments Off on Lemon Posset

Lemon Posset

I had a friend bring this over for dinner one night and it was amazing. The recipe is also incredibly easy.

Ingredients
16oz heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Zest of one lemon

Bring the cream and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to medium and boil 3 minutes. Stir constantly, adjusting heat as needed to prevent mixture from boiling over. Remove from heat.

Stir in lemon juice and zest and let sit for 10 minutes to cool.

Stir mixture again and divide among 4 – 6 ramekins. Let sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour to overnight.

February 8, 2024
by Ashley
Comments Off on Lazy Lasagna

Lazy Lasagna

Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup Parmesan
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper powder
salt & ground pepper to taste

1 jar marinara sauce (23 oz or so)
10 oz fresh spinach
2 eggs, beaten
15 oz ricotta
2 cups mozzarella, shredded
1 cup parmesan, finely shredded

Instructions

Make the meat layers. Start by preheating the oven to 450°F.

Mix the ground beef with the seasonings, parmesan and eggs. Mix well. Line a baking sheet (18inx13in) with parchment paper. Transfer the seasoned meat onto the baking pan and press with hands or back of spoon to flatten. The meat should by pressed to almost touch all sides of the pan. Place in a preheated oven and back for 12 minutes, or until just browned. Remove from the oven. Once cooled a little, cut in half once.

While the meat is cooking, put together the ricotta mixture. In a bowl, mix together two eggs, ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup parmesan. Stir together and set aside.

Cook the spinach with a little olive oil in a cast iron pan until wilted. Turn off the heat and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the mozzarella and remaining Parmesan.

Assemble the lasagna in a 9in x 13 in baking dish. Pour 1/4 cup of marinara sauce into the bottom of the baking dish and spread around evenly. Place one half of the meat layer into the baking dish. Top with half of the ricotta mixture. Then half the spinach. Then half of the mozzarella and Parmesan mix. Cover with half of the remaining sauce. Repeat with the layer of meat, ricotta mixture and spinach again. Cover with sauce. Add remaining cheese.

When you are ready to bake. Preheat the oven to 400°F, bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly golden and the lasagna is bubbling. Let sit at least 10 – 20 minutes before cutting into the lasagna to give it time to cool.