Grilled Moroccan Chicken

Posted by Spoon #2

Ooh. Moroccan Chicken. Who doesn't love spicy chicken? The sharp flavor, served with with couscous is one of my favorites and is so tasty.  It is a simple and fast marinade that puts a zing in your mouth.  This is a meal we eat often, because it is super fast and easy, and makes everyone happy.

First you will need to gather up a few ingredients from your kitchen.  Give the cilantro and green a onions a good chopping, and then throw them along with everything else into your food processor.

Aren't those colors just beautiful? 

Spread it all over chicken (don't be shy!) and let it sit at least a half an hour for all the yumminess to penetrate into the meat.

Throw it on a hot grill and blast those babies with some heat!  Mmmm.  So simple, yet so delicious!

Grilled Moroccan Chicken
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Recipe source: Food.com
Serves: 4-6 servings
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• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (the best quality you can get)
• 1/4 cup chopped scallion (white part only)
• 1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper(depending on how much heat you like)
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded flat

Combine oil, scallions, parsley, cilantro, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, turmeric and cayenne pepper in the container of a food processor. Process until smooth.

Rub the mixture on both sides of the chicken breasts and let stand 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill to medium hot. Grill chicken breasts 5-7 minutes on each side, or until done.

Inside Out Smores Brownies

Posted by Spoon #2

My favorite sweet treat is brownies.  I have a regular recipe that I make, but I wanted to try something different, so I dug through my mom's pile of clipped recipes and found S'Mores Brownies (oh, yum).  It  starts with the typical smores ingredients (marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate), flour, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and butter.

 First, I melted the chocolate, and then added the butter.

Beautiful, isn't it?

I then mixed in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla, then flour and ended up with a deep, chocolatey brown, batter.

Spread it in the pan . . .

. . . place the graham crackers on top of the batter . . .

. . .sprinkle the marshmallows and spread the remaining batter over the top...

Oooohhh yeah. Gooey deliciousness.

Inside-Out S'Mores Brownies

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Recipe source: Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

24 servings

serving size: 1 brownie

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• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 oz. unsweetened sugar, chopped
• 1 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 9 graham cracker squares (or enough to cover your pan)
• 1 cups mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 7x11-inch baking pan with parchment paper or PAM. Set aside. 

In a medium saucepan melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla till combined. Stir in flour. Spread half the batter in the prepared pan. Top with graham crackers. Sprinkle marshmallows on the graham crackers, but do not let them touch the sides of the pan. Carefully spread the remaining batter on the marshmallows and graham crackers, covering them completely.  

Bake for 25 minuets or until set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into rectangles.

Asian Glazed Drumsticks

Posted by Spoon #2

I really love foreign food, especially Asian. My love of Asian food has flourished so much over the years that I wanted to master how to cook it. So my Mom gave me the recipe, and Voila! I cooked it, and my family enjoyed it. Because that's how it works right? I made couple mistakes along the way, so I apologize if you misunderstand how to cook it. It must seem terribly difficult, but it was surprisingly easy, for someone who'd never cooked Asian before.

Okay, so first I started with large drumsticks, ones with skin still on, and began to tug at the skin, attempting to pull it off. I tugged and I tugged, but eventually I had to give in and accept the pair of scissors so I could cut the skin free. It was so hard! I repeated this step with the other 5 drumsticks, and soon had 6 of them, skinned and all, on a plate.

After that, I browned them in a heavy saucepan on high for 3-4 minutes.

They turned out a nice golden color.

I then added water, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and sweet chili sauce.
I stirred, and cooked it on high until it boiled.

Yum!!

I then let it simmer while it was covered for about 20 minuets.
After that, I removed the lid and let the sauce reduce down and thicken.

While that was happening, I chopped up some scallions and gathered some sesame seeds to put on top. After the sauce was nice and thick, I then placed the drumsticks on a plate and poured the sauce over them and sprinkled the scallions and sesame seeds.

"I really made this?" I wondered.

My own mouth watered as I looked at the plate and smelled the wonderful aroma. My family really enjoyed it and so did I. Wish you luck!


Asian Glazed Chicken Drumsticks
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Recipe source: www.skinnytaste.com
4 servings
serving size: 2 drumsticks
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• 8 medium chicken drumsticks, skin removed*
• non stick spray (I used Pam)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2-1T. sweet chili sauce
• 1/2 cup balsamic vineger
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1T brown sugar
• 3 cloves garlic crushed (or 2 t. minced garlic)
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp scallions (or chives), chopped
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

In a heavy saucepan, brown chicken on high for 3-4 minuets with a little spray oil. Add water, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, sweet chili sauce and cook on high until liquid comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 20 minuets. Remove cover and bring heat to high, allowing sauce to reduce down, about 8-10 minuets, until it becomes a thick glaze,  turning chicken occasionally. (Keep an eye on glaze, you don't want it to burn when it becomes thick.) Transfer chicken to platter and pour glaze on top. Top with chives/scallions and sesame seeds and serve. I served it with rice . . . it was good!

*Note: As delicious as it was, I would have also loved it with chicken breasts.  It would have worked just as well.

Bake-off: Cookies!

Posted by Mama Spoon

My kids love to bake. What can I say -- I have taught them well. I guess all that time that I have spent in my kitchen baking up yumminess has finally paid off by setting an example.  We have been watching the Masterchef show as a family (ok, #4 -really- hates it and tantrums 'cuz he is super bored by it and we are not playing with him since we are all starting at the tv). Anyway, we decided to have our own culinary competition and I organized a bake off for the three oldest kiddos. 

 

Yeah, they made a mess, but had a great time. :)

I gave them all the same vanilla cookie recipe (chocolate chip cookies minus the chocolate chips), and had a lesson on substituting ingredients (how much oats or cocoa to sub for flour, adjusting liquid and dry ingredients depending on what was added, etc.), filled the counter with piles of ingredients and all manner of mix-ins, and let them go. The only rule was they had to run the recipe by me before they could start baking (to verify the proportions would work). 

They did awesome. Spoon #3 did a black and white cookie -- making 1/2 the dough vanilla with chocolate chips, and half chocolate, and then he mashed two balls together and baked them so they were 1/2 and 1/2 (he called them Yin Yang Cookies). They were very fluffy and yummy. Spoon #2 turned hers into a dense and fudgy and very minty chocolate brownie cookie. Yum.  Really.
Spoon #1 won the contest 'cuz he played to the judge.  Big Daddy Spoon loves all things peanut butter and chocolate. Obsessively so.  I guess it wasn't very fair to the other kids, since when he smelled the aroma of chocolate and peanut butter floating from the kitchen, it was in the bag.  

It was a very well done peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. It turned out supremely delicious with a very nice texture, I think they all did a fabulous job and I am sure that we will be doing this again soon with my little bakers.

The winning recipe:

 

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Recipe source: Created by Spoon #1 
18 servings
serving size: 1 cookie
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• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (heaping)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugars. Add peanut butter and mix well. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the soda, salt, flour and oats; mix until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Form into 1 1/2" balls and bake 9-12 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet, or until set. Cool 2 minutes and remove from cookie sheet to finish cooling on a cooling rack.

Chocolate Brownie Mint Cookies
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Recipe source: Created by Spoon #2
18 servings
serving size: 1 cookie
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• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 1/2 cup mint chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugars. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the soda, salt, cocoa, and flour; mix until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Form into 1 1/2" balls and bake 9-12 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet, or until set. Cool 2 minutes and remove from cookie sheet to finish cooling on a cooling rack.

Yin Yang Cookies
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Recipe source: Created by Spoon #3
18 servings
serving size: 1 cookie
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• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugars. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the soda, salt, and flour; mix until well combined. Divide the dough in half.  Mix in the baking cocoa into 1/2 of the dough until well combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips into the chocolate dough.

Form into 1 1/2" balls by rolling a ball from each the chocolate and vanilla dough.  Press them together and gently roll them into a new ball.. Bake 9-12 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet, or until set. Cool 2 minutes and remove from cookie sheet to finish cooling on a cooling rack.