Fried Chicken

A yummy recipe for The Best Ever Chicken Nuggets...
vegetable oil

4 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons garlic salt
3 tablespoons ground black pepper
4 eggs, beaten
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into small chunks

1.Heat 1 inch oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) in a large skillet or saucepan.
2.Stir together the flour, garlic salt, and pepper in a bowl. Dip the chicken pieces individually into the beaten eggs before pressing into the flour mixture to coat; shake off the excess flour. Place the coated chicken pieces onto a plate until all the chicken has been coated.
3.Cook the chicken in batches in the hot oil until golden brown and no longer pink in the center. Enjoy!!!

Cuban Ropa Vieja

For the main course of our Florida meal, Allie made Cuban Ropa Vieja which she served with rice and as tacos... it was delicious!!!

Cuban Ropa Vieja

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 pounds beef flank steak

1 cup beef broth
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 small onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar

1.Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the flank steak on each side, about 4 minutes per side.
2.Transfer beef to a slow cooker. Pour in the beef broth and tomato sauce, then add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, cilantro, olive oil and vinegar. Stir until well blended. Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for up to 10 hours. When ready to serve, shred meat and serve with tortillas or rice. Enjoy!!!

***A little tip... to shred meat quickly throw it into a mixer- in large chunks- you will end up with perfectly shredded meat:)

Mini Key Lime Pie

Allie made these delicious little Key Lime Pies after we finished studying Florida... aren't they cute!?!? And everyone gets their own!!!

No Bake Key Lime Mini Pies

•12 mini graham cracker crusts **see note

•6 oz reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature

•1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
•2/3 cup key lime juice
•1 1/4 tsp powdered gelatin
•1 tsp vanilla extract
•1 cup whipping cream
•2 heaping Tbsp powdered sugar
•key limes or limes for garnish

1.In the bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and 1/3 cup of the lime juice with a hand mixer. Beat until smooth.

2.In a small bowl, combine remaining lime juice, gelatin and vanilla extract. Heat in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds, until juice is hot enough that the gelatin dissolves into it completely when you stir it.
3.Beat the gelatin mixture into the cream cheese mixture in very slowly stream.

4.Divide mixture in between pie crusts and refrigerate for 3-4 hours, until set.

5.Before serving, whip whipping cream and powdered sugar together until it forms firm peaks. Spoon or pipe the whipped cream onto the pie and garnish with a slice of key lime or wedge of lime. Serves 12

** Note: you can forgo the crusts if you want to and just serve them in custard dishes. Just sprinkle with some graham cracker crumbs instead. Enjoy!!!

How to make Sour Cream...

I know that I am not the only one out there that begins to make supper only to realize I am missing one of the ingredients... the sour cream.

First you need to make buttermilk (which is really quite simple- I don't think I will ever buy buttermilk again!!!).

Buttermilk:
•Milk (just under one cup)
•1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice

1. Place a Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup.
2. Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line.
3. Let stand for five minute. Then, use as much as your recipe calls for.

Now you can make your sour cream...

To make Sour Cream for baking:
Mix 3/4 cup of buttermilk plus 1/3 cup butter (I usually don't add all the butter and it turns out fine:) together and use as you normally would store bought sour cream.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pie

We found this great recipe on the Jif website... and it is delicious!!! 

CRUST
No-Stick Cooking Spray
1 (7.4 oz.) package Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup salted peanuts, chopped

FILLING
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
1 (3 oz.) package cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons milk
2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

TOPPING
2 tablespoons Smucker's® Hot Fudge Microwaveable Topping, warmed (as you can tell from our picture we left this off;)

*HEAT oven to 350º F. Coat 9-inch pie plate with no-stick cooking spray. Combine muffin mix, butter and peanuts in large bowl. Blend with fork just until crumbly. Press evenly into bottom and up sides of prepared pie plate.

*BAKE 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. If crust is slightly puffy, press down gently with back of a wooden spoon (do not press it down to much or you end up with a very thin crust like ours). Cool.

*BEAT peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium high speed until smooth. Beat in milk. Gently fold in whipped topping. Spoon into cooled crust. Drizzle warm fudge topping over pie. Chill 3 to 4 hours or until serving. Enjoy!!!

Mississippi Mud Pie

I found this recipe on The Cookie Jar for Mini Mississippi Mud Pies and we had to make them- especially since we have just finished studying Mississippi. Now before anyone says anything, I know they are not TRUE Mississippi Mud Pies but they were so easy to make and so YUMMY!!!



All you need is...

Chocolate Cupcakes (just decorate as many as you need- you can freeze the others;)

Can of Chocolate Icing

Mini Marshmallows

Chocolate Syrup

Ice the cupcakes... we used a decorating bag and tip to give it the swirl on top. Place marshmallows all over and drizzle in chocolate.

See what I mean... so easy (our 8 year old did them!!!) and oh so yummy!!!