Recipe Wednesday! TEA and Chicken?! Sweet-Tea Brined Chicken - that's my kinda yum!

Hello Folks!
Tempt your tastebuds with this new way to prepare chicken, from "Southern Living" magazine!

SWEET TEA-BRINED CHICKEN

Ingredients

2 family-size tea bags
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, halved
2 (6-inch) fresh rosemary sprigs
1 tablespoon freshly cracked pepper
2 cups ice cubes
1 (3 1/2- to 4-lb.) cut-up whole chicken

Preparation

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a 3-qt. heavy saucepan; add tea bags. Remove from heat; cover and steep 10 minutes.
2. Discard tea bags. Stir in sugar and next 6 ingredients, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cool completely (about 45 minutes); stir in ice. (Mixture should be cold before adding chicken.)
3. Place tea mixture and chicken in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag; seal. Place bag in a shallow baking dish and chill 24 hours. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade; pat chicken dry with paper towels.
4. Light one side of grill, heating to 300° to 350° (medium) heat; leave other side unlit. Place chicken, skin side down, over unlit side, and grill, covered with grill lid, 20 minutes. Turn chicken, and grill, covered with grill lid, 40 to 50 minutes or until done. Transfer chicken, skin side down, to lit side of grill, and grill 2 to 3 minutes or until skin is crispy. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Note: Total time does not include 1 day marinating time.

Southern Living
MAY 2011

SWEET TEA ICEBOX TART

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsweetened instant iced tea mix
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Gingersnap Crust*
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
Garnishes: lemon slices, fresh mint sprigs

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together iced tea mix and 2 Tbsp. water in a large bowl. Whisk in sweetened condensed milk and next 5 ingredients until blended. Place Gingersnap Crust on a baking sheet; pour in milk mixture.
2. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or just until filling is set. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Cover and chill 4 to 24 hours. Remove tart from pan, and place on a serving dish.
3. Beat cream and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Pipe or dollop on top of tart; garnish, if desired.
*2 (4-oz.) packages ready-made mini graham cracker piecrusts may be substituted.
Note: You may also bake this tart in a 14- x 4-inch tart pan with removable bottom; increase bake time to 25 to 28 minutes or until filling is set.

Southern Living
MAY 2011

"If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty." ~Japanese Proverb

Re-Posting RECIPE WEDNESDAY...Lost in Freaky Blogger-land...Simple Baked Custard

Hey everyone!
Seems Blogger has been playing fast and loose with the posts, so I'm re-posting this week's Recipe Wednesday!

SIMPLE BAKED CUSTARD

4 c. milk
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
(Nutmeg for sprinkling)

Preheat oven to 325 deg. F.
Scald milk in a pan, cool slightly. In a bowl, stir together the rest of the ingredients (except nutmeg) just until blended. Pour the custard into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish, and sprinkle with nutmeg. Set the baking dish inside a shallow pan in the oven. Pour hot water into the shallow pan up to 1 inch. Bake 1 hour, or until a knife in the center comes out clean. Remove immediately from the water bath and place on a wire rack to cool. Chill, makes 8 servings.

***********************************
VARIATIONS:

CARAMEL CUSTARD:
Increase sugar to 1 cup. In a small, heavy skillet, over medium heat, melt sugar, stirring constantly, to an amber-colored syrup. Gradually stir melted sugar into scalded milk until dissolved. Proceed as above.

COCONUT CUSTARD:
Add 1/2 cup shredded coconut, and omit
the nutmeg.

CHOCOLATE CUSTARD:
Add 2 squares (2 oz.) unsweetened chocolate to the milk before it is scalded.
**********************************

EASY - YUMMY - FUN COMFORT FOOD!
(My kids call it "Spoon Food"!)

“You eat, in dreams, the custard of the day.”
-Alexander Pope (English Poet, 1688-1744)

"Chopsticks are one of the reasons the Chinese never invented custard.”
-Spike Milligan

Recipe Wednesday! Cold Weather Cure = Hot-n-Hearty Breakfast!

All of this cold, wet, dreary weather makes me HUNGRY for a hot-n-hearty breakfast, how about you? Serve up these FAB recipes with a STEAMING cup of strong coffee or tea. Whattah way to wake up!

"THE LADY AND SONS" PERFECT SCRAMBLED EGGS

Ingredients:

8 eggs
2 heaping Tbsp sour cream
1 Tbsp water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Preparation:

In a medium size bowl, beat eggs, sour cream, water, and salt and pepper until fluffy. Using a nonstick frying pan, melt butter and cook eggs over low heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cheese. Cook until you reach desired consistency.

Serve hot with country ham and biscuits, or sausage gravy & biscuits.

...Ooh ...Did someone say GRAVY & BISCUITS? I think they did!

AMISH-STYLE SAUSAGE GRAVY & BISCUITS

Sausage Gravy:

1 lb. breakfast sausage
3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 1/2 cups milk

Brown and crumble sausage (don't drain it). Add flour, salt and pepper and stir. If the sausage is dry, you may need to add a bit of shortening when adding flour. Add milk while stirring. Heat until it starts to boil and reduce heat and continue to stir until thickened. Makes about 5 cups of gravy.

Homemade Biscuits:

4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
8 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cream of tartar
4 tsp. sugar
1 cup shortening
1 1/3 cup milk

Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles course crumbs. Add milk all at once and stir until dough follows fork around bowl. Roll 1/2 thick.* Use a large glass or a canning jar to cut biscuits. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 30 biscuits.

*Note: The key to light and fluffy biscuits is not to work the dough too much.

-recipe from Carmen, of OLD HOUSE KITCHEN

"All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast."
-John Gunther

Coop progress + Master Gardener TIP # 3...

OLD CHICK DIGS:

My husband assures me that our big coop would have been completed LONG ago, if not for the uncooperative weather! We're waiting for a spot of sunshine to complete it - I hope there'll be SOME sun and warmth soon, so I can paint it too! Any guesses on our coop theme? Should I start giving out hints?

NEW POULTRY ABODE:

As you can see, the roof trusses are going up, it won't be long now!
So, here is your new MASTER GARDENER TIP # 3...

When transplanting new seedlings or store-bought plants, water them in thoroughly, but DON'T fertilize them yet! Many people make this mistake. Never fertilize a plant when it has had recent "stress", such as transplanting, pruning, drought, etc. Just give them water to shore them up. You can fertilize new transplants after about two weeks (the roots have taken hold by then), I check to see if the leaves are starting to turn a lighter green, which means the plant needs more fertilizer. Remember, it's better to UNDER fertilize, than to burn the plant with too much fertilizer! Good luck gardening!

"My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view.”
- H. Fred Ale

Belated RECIPE WEDNESDAY - purple eggs?! and storm damage...

Sorry for the delay in posting, but we were down in our dugout dodging the tornado last night! I haven't hidden in a basement like that since we lived in Oklahoma! Our neighbors up the hill lost one of their barns in yesterday's storm, see the news clip:

Luckily, we just have downed trees and a washed-out driveway! Our thoughts and prayers go out to all affected more severely by this storm. So, here's a great, after-Easter, old family egg recipe for you:

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH PICKLED EGGS

INGREDIENTS:

* 8 eggs
* 1 (15 ounce) can sliced beets with liquid
* 1/2 cup white vinegar
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, and peel. Place eggs in a glass container.
2. In a saucepan, combine beets, vinegar, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over eggs. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator overnight. The eggs will be purple in the morning! If you like them a little zippier, just use less sugar (1/4 cup).

AND...a wonderful chicken salad recipe...great for spring brunches, showers and parties!

YUMMIEST CHICKEN SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked, or 2 cups cooked cut-up chicken
* 1/4 cup creamy salad dressing
* 4 tablespoons cole slaw dressing
* 1 stalk celery, chopped
* 1/4 onion, chopped
* salt and pepper to taste
* opt: halved seedless grapes, chopped nuts

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a food processor, combine the chicken, creamy salad dressing, cole slaw dressing, celery, onion, and salt and pepper. Mix until well chopped. Serve on rolls or bread for sandwiches, or in hollowed out tomatoes, on a lettuce leaf, for a pretty presentation. You can also add halved green or red seedless grapes or chopped nuts to the salad, to make it fancy.

Enjoy! Here's hoping for warmer, calmer weather ahead!

"Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray."
-Lord Byron

MJF Twin Tiers FARMGIRLS - First meeting! Please join us!

Hello Ladies!
We're starting a local MaryJanesFarm chapter!
The scheduled first TWIN TIERS FARMGIRLS meeting will be:

DATE: FRIDAY MAY 13th, from 7-8:30 PM.
PLACE: Schuyler County Human Services Complex
323 Owego Street, UNIT 10
Montour Falls, NY 14865
RSVP: stackedstonefarm@yahoo.com
BRING: copies of a spring recipe to swap, and a friend!

Can't wait to meet you all - it'll be lots of fun! Grab your aprons - we'll see you there!

Recipe Wednesday! I DO declare! It's the BEST Southern fried chicken...

Howdee y'all, just wanted to share this recipe from The Blue Willow Inn
with you, voted the South's BEST lil' ole restaurant!
If you have one of our FRESH BROILERS, there's no betta way to "et it up"!

The Blue Willow Inn's Fried Chicken

* timer
* Prep Time: 10 mins
* Total Time: 22 mins
* Serves: 8, Yield: 8 pieces

INGREDIENTS:

o 1 lb whole chickens
o 1 quart water
o 1 1/2 cups flour
o 1/2 teaspoon salt
o 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
o 2 cups peanut oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut chicken into 8 pieces.
2. Wash throughly and remove excess fat.
3. Cover chicken in a bowl with the quart of water and allow to sit or 3-4 minutes.
4. Mix the flour, salt and pepper.
5. Remove chicken from water, shaking off excess water but leaving it moist.
6. Dredge the chicken pieces in flour mixture.
7. In a large deep heavy skillet, heat oil
8. Place chicken in oil and cook uncovered 6 minutes on each side.
9. When golden brown remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

Mmm Mmm... now thet's good eatin' right thar!

About This Recipe:

"The Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle, Georgia is one of the South's most popular restaurants. This is their famous fried chicken recipe."
Many believe the house was the inspiration for "Tara" in Gone With the Wind, as Margaret Mitchell stayed nearby!
If you're in GEORGIA, you MUST eat here! Link is to an article about Billie's financial troubles after the death of her husband, help keep this WONDERFUL business alive and prospering!

http://www.ajc.com/business/blue-willow-inn-open-833983.html

"I love chicken. I would eat chicken fingers on Thanksgiving if it were socially acceptable."
-Todd Barry