CHICKEN À LA KING

The origin of Chicken à la King has been disputed over the years. One claim is that it was created at Delmonico's Restaurant in New York City. Another version claims it was created at the Claridge's Hotel in London. Another account is that it first appeared in the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia, and yet another is it was created at the Brighton Beach Hotel in Brooklyn, New York. We do know for sure is that it was created in the late 1800s. I prefer my version without green bell peppers and pimentos. 

You can also shred the chicken into smaller pieces and serve it inside crêpes instead of over rice, noodles, or toast points.

4 T unsalted butter

8 oz mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

½ t sea salt

½ t freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 t paprika

1 t dried thyme

2 ½ cups chicken broth                                                 

3 large boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces

1 can cream of chicken soup   

¼ cup dry sherry (optional)                                                  

½ cup whole milk or half-and-half

2 T snipped fresh chives or parsley

                                                            

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat and add mushrooms and onion, sauté for 5 minutes. 

Add garlic and sauté one more minute.

Stir in salt, pepper, flour, paprika, and thyme.

Add chicken broth, chicken, chicken soup, and sherry.

Bring to a boil, while stirring.

Lower heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.

Add milk or half-and-half. 

Cover and slowly simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve over long grain and wild rice, or noodles, or toast.

Sprinkle with chives or parsley, for garnish

Serves 4 

ARTISAN BREAD

You too can make bakery-style artisan bread at home.  I made this round loaf of bread in the morning, went to church while it was rising.  After changing into more comfortable clothes, I finished up the bread, and then took a nap before dinner.  

If you have some sourdough in your refrigerator, add about ¼ cup to the dough while mixing.  I added some sourdough and it gave the bread a delicious sourdough taste and crispy crust.  I love the aroma of a loaf of sourdough bread.

Another delicious way to make this bread is by adding some chopped rosemary and grated zest of a lemon in place of sourdough.

3 ½ cups bread flour

1 T instant yeast

1 T granulated white sugar

1 ½ t sea salt

1 ½ cup warm water (115 degrees F)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.  

Attach a dough hook and slowly mix until combined.  Dough will be sticky.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for 2 to 3 hours.

You can also place it in the refrigerator overnight.

After dough has risen, scrape out onto a generously floured surface and knead for about 1 minute.

Form into a ball with your hands, cover loosely with plastic wrap while preheating the oven.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

After oven reaches temperature of 450 degrees, place a 3 ½ to 4 qt Dutch oven in the oven for 15 minutes.

Carefully remove Dutch oven from oven, spray bottom with cooking spray.

Score the top of the bread with a sharp knife and gently drop into the Dutch oven.

Place lid on top and return to the 450 degree oven.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove lid and bake another 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool in Dutch oven for 10 minutes.

Carefully lift bread with two spatulas and place on a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.

SOUTHERN BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

I've tried every store-bought biscuit out there and nothing compares to biscuits made from scratch.  These are easy and perfect every time.  If you don't have buttermilk, pour whole milk into a measuring glass, add 1 t lemon juice or white vinegar.  Let set on the counter for 15 minutes.

2 cups all-purpose White Lily flour, or another soft winter wheat flour

2 T baking powder 

1 t baking soda

1 t granulated sugar

½ t fine sea salt

8 T frozen unsalted butter ¾  

¾ cup cold whole buttermilk, shaken

2 T unsalted butter, melted

Lightly grease a baking sheet or a 12-inch cast iron skillet.

Adjust oven rack in center of oven.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Sift flour with baking powder and baking soda into a bowl.

Whisk in the sugar and salt.

Grate the frozen butter with a box grater directly into the bowl with the flour mixture.

Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture.

Quickly mix with a spoon and then make a well in the center and stir in the buttermilk

With floured hands, place on a lightly floured surface.

Gently roll into a rectangle.

Gently fold the dough in thirds and repeat one more time.

This creates layers, but you don’t want to overwork your dough.

Sprinkle top with flour and gently pat down with your hands. 

Using a rolling pin, roll out very gently to an even thickness of about 1¼ inch.

Cut with a floured 2 ¾ to 3-inch biscuit cutter. Do no twist the biscuit cutter.

Place on the lightly greased skillet with biscuits touching each other.

Place in freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Remove from freezer and brush tops with melted butter.  

This helps brown the tops of the biscuits.

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until golden brown.

Makes about 12 biscuits  

CAJUN GUMBO WITH ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE & CHICKEN & SHRIMP

Cajun-style gumbo is a hearty stew created from the melting-pot of Louisiana cooking. The first known recipes were in the early 1800s. In the spring the gumbo would include crawfish, catfish, and other freshwater fish. Late summer was the time to make it with chicken, duck, goose, or other fowl raised at home. In the autumn and winter, it was common to use duck, squirrel, rabbit, and other wild game brought home by the hunter. 

Recipe for Cajun Seasoning below recipe.  I tamed it up to our tastes of today

Lee's Kitchen Tips:

To make Creole Seasoning, add to the Cajun Seasoning, 2 T dried basil and 2 T dried oregano. I only make Cajun Seasoning and add basil and oregano to each Creole dish I make.

½ cup avocado oil or peanut oil, divided

12 oz smoked andouille sausage, halved lengthwise, and sliced into ¼-inch pieces

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T Cajun Seasoning (recipe follows)

1 t smoked paprika

1 T Worcestershire sauce

3 cups chicken stock

2 boneless chicken breasts or 4 boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

1 bottle Abita beer or other amber beer

2 bay leaves

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup sliced okra

1 T filé powder (dried and ground leaves of the North American sassafras tree)

1 lb large to jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 bunch chopped scallions, for garnish 

Louisiana or Crystal hot sauce, for the table

In a large cast-iron pot or Dutch oven, fitted with a lid, add the 2 tablespoons of the oil and cook the sausage until light brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside.

To make the roux, add the rest of the oil, whisk in the flour.

Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. 

Let the roux cook until it’s the color of peanut butter.

Move the pot around if you have a hot spot on your stove.  

Burnt roux will make your entire gumbo taste burnt.

Lower heat to medium-low and let roux cook until it’s the color of an old copper penny, about 5 to 7 minutes more.

Stir in the “holy trinity” of onion, bell pepper, and celery.

Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Add the Cajun Seasoning, paprika, Worcestershire, chicken stock, beer, bay leaves, and the browned sausage.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Partially cover with a lid and simmer 15 minutes.

Add chicken and simmer another 5 minutes.

Add okra and simmer another 5 minutes.

Turn off heat and stir in the shrimp & filé powder and let sit for 5 to 7 minutes, while you set the table.

Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with scallions and serve with cooked white rice and French crusty bread or corn bread.

Serves 4 to 6

Cajun Seasoning

3 T sweet or smoked paprika

3 T ground black pepper

2 T sea salt

2 T garlic powder

2 T onion powder

2 T dried thyme

1 T cayenne pepper

Pour above ingredients in a jar fitted with a lid. Shake well and store in a cool dark place for up to one year.

BUTTERY APPLE-ALMOND CAKE

This is such an easy cake to make and so delicious.  I make it often because my husband thinks it's as good as having a dessert in a restaurant.  You can serve it plain, with confectioners' sugar, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

Spray oil for pan

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup almond flour

1 t baking powder

¼ t ground ginger

½ t fine sea salt

2 large eggs

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup melted and slightly cooled unsalted butter

2 t vanilla extract

1 T Calvados (French apple brandy) optional

3 medium Honeycrisp apples, skin left on and cut into ¼ inch slices

Confectioners' sugar, for garnish

Spray oil in a 7-inch springform cake pan and set on a pizza pan or baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt.

In a bowl of a mixer beat eggs until frothy, about 1 minute.

With beater on slow, beat in the sugar, butter, vanilla, and if using, the Calvados.

Pour half of the batter in the prepared pan.

arrange half of the apples on top of the batter.

Pour in the rest of the batter, scraping the bowl clean.

Top batter with remaining sliced apples in a design of your choosing.

Place in oven and bake for 55 minutes.

Let cool 10 minutes before running a kitchen knife around edges and unclipping the 

coller.  

Serve immediately or cover and let cool in the refrigerator.

I cover the cake with a bowl, so not to mess up the top of the cake.

Serves 6

CRISPY ORANGE PEEL SHRIMP

In Chinese restaurants this shrimp dish can be called Firecracker Shrimp, Pow Pow Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp and my recipe is called Crispy Orange Peel Shrimp.  This is one of my husband's favorite Asian recipes.  Use any size shrimp you prefer, from extra-large (16-20) large (21-30) or even medium (31-35) per pound.

1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp

3 T cornstarch

¼ cup avocado or peanut oil

Sauce

Grated zest of 1 large washed orange 

1 t peeled and grated ginger root

2 long slices of orange peel (about 5-6 inches)

¾ cup fresh orange juice (about 3 large oranges)

2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated

2 T low sodium soy sauce

½ t red pepper flakes (optional)

1 t sesame oil

1 t sriracha sauce (optional)

2 t honey

Add shrimp to a bowl and sprinkle on cornstarch.  Gently mix with hands until all shrimp are coated with cornstarch and set aside in the refrigerator.

In a small bowl or 2-cup glass measuring pitcher, mix together the Sauce ingredients and set aside.

2 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Sesame seeds, for garnish

In a wok, add the avocado or peanut oil and heat over medium-high heat.  Carefully add shrimp and stir-fry until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon onto a platter.

Discard most of the oil but leave the brown particles in the wok.

Add the sauce to the wok and simmer until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Return shrimp to wok and heat through.

Serve with cooked jasmine rice and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

Serves 2 

享受

BREADED & MOIST RANCH PORK CHOPS

This is a delicious comforting meal for two on a cool autumn or winter evening.

I use mostly avocado oil when cooking at high temperatures.  Canola oil can cause inflammation in your body due to the fact it is highly processed omega 6 oil.

2 bone-in pork loin, center cut pork chops, about ¾ inch thick

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 medium egg

1 T milk

1 T mayonnaise

¼ cup dried breadcrumbs, unseasoned

1 (oz) packet Ranch Dressing Mix or my recipe follows below without additives

½ t fine black pepper

2 T avocado or extra-light olive oil 

2 T unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a shallow bowl, add the flour.

In a second shallow bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and mayonnaise.

In a third shallow bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and ranch dressing mix.

Dip the pork chops, one at a time, in the flour mixture, covering both sides.

Now dip the pork chops, one at a time, in the egg mixture, covering both sides.

Finally dip the pork chops, one at a time, in the breadcrumb mixture.

Place them on a plate, while melting 1 tablespoon of oil and butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and place pork chops back on the plate.

Add the rest of the oil and butter and flip pork chops over and return to oven for another 15 minutes.

Pork should register 145 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.

Remove pork chops to a clean plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Pork Chop Gravy

3 T unsalted butter

3 T all-purpose flour

1 ¼ cup chicken broth or stock

2 T whole milk or half-and-half

½ t sea salt

½ t fine ground black pepper

In the same skillet, over medium heat, add butter and flour.

Whisk until almost smooth.

Add chicken broth and bring to a low boil while whisking.

Whisk in milk or half-and-half and season with salt and pepper.

Return pork chops to skillet and heat for 1 or 2 more minutes over low heat.

Serve with mashed potatoes, gravy, and a green vegetable.

Serves 2