Baked Panko Chicken Tenders

I don’t know why, but im losing track on what day it is.  It feels like it’s the beginning of the week to me, but im so glad that it’s Wednesday, which means that the weekend is almost near.  Anyhow, one thing you should know about me is that  im a sports fanatic.  Matter of fact, My family and I lounge in front of the t.v. and watch sports.  I know it sounds like sounds fun when hearing that I spend quality time with my family, but when it comes to sports, you may not want to be around me or my family.  One thing that we do a lot is yell at the t.v. when disagree with referees or annoyed with a player actions.  Sometimes I pace back and forth in the living room when the score is close.

 Besides all the craziness at my house, one thing that my family do on game nights is that we make finger foods.  Normally, it’s the usual chips, salsa, and chili, but this time I decided to make chicken tenders.  What makes these chicken tenders so great is that they are full of flavor, healthier without the added oil, and crispy because of the panko.  If you are unfamiliar with panko, panko is Japanese style breadcrumbs.  Panko has a different texture compared to regular bread crumbs, which makes panko perfect for chicken tenders.  My family and I try not to fry as much, so we are constantly trying to find recipes with alternatives.  Not only these chicken tenders are perfect for game night, but are great to feed kids.

Baked Panko Chicken Tender

From Gimme Some Oven via Love and Olive Oil

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or breast tenders
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with foil and lightly spraying with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl or shallow dish, season the flour with salt and black pepper, and lightly beat the eggs in another shallow dish. In a third shallow dish, combine panko breadcrumbs with oregano, garlic, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper.

If using chicken breasts, prepare by putting one breast in between two layers of plastic wrap. Pound to an even thickness of approximately 1/2″. Remove plastic and slice into strips.

Dredge tenders in the flour to coat, shaking off any excess flour. Dip the floured chicken tenders into the egg and then coat the chicken tenders with the breadcrumb mixture. Arrange on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining strips.

Bake chicken tenders for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown, flipping once part way through the cook time.

Lemon Icebox Pie

I was watching a show on tv and Cat Cora was talking about her favorite chilled dessert.  When Cat Cora was going on about how she loved lemon icebox pie, she had me intrigued instantly.  Well first, I never heard of a lemon icebox pie.  This dessert is well-known in the south and is  probably the reason I never heard of this pie before.  Because this pie was foreign to me, I had envisioned that the pie would taste sweet and lemony, but refreshing.  I know we are January and it’s freezing outside, but I wanted something sweet and cold.  Don’t judge me.

Lemon Icebox Pie

From Epicurious 

For the Crust:

14 whole graham crackers

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and still warm

For the filling:

2 (14-ounce)cans of sweetened condensed milk

1 1/4 cups strained lemon juice (from the 2 zested lemons below plus an additional 4-6)

zest of 2 lemons

8 large egg yolks

For the Chantilly cream:

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

To make the crust:
Heat the oven to 325°F. Break the graham crackers into small pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor along with the sugar and salt. Pulse 8 times, until the cracker crumbs are semi-fine (they shouldn’t be powdery but not in large shards either) and the crackers and sugar are combined. Pour in the butter and pulse until the butter is blended in and the mixture isn’t crumbly and holds its shape when you squeeze it, about twelve 1-second pulses. Transfer the crust to a 9-inch springform pan and push and press the crumb mixture into the bottom and two-thirds of the way up the sides of the pan. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crust into place. Set aside.

To make the filling:
Whisk the condensed milk with the lemon juice and set aside. Whisk the zest with the egg yolks in a medium bowl until pale, 30 to 60 seconds, and then whisk in the lemon juice-condensed milk mixture.

Place the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet, pour the mixture into the crust, and carefully transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Bake until the center jiggles slightly, like a soft-setting custard, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 1 hour on a cooling rack. Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap (be careful not to let the plastic wrap touch the top of the pie) and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.

To make the chantilly cream:
Pour the heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Add the vanilla and sift in the confectioners’ sugar. Whip on low-speed to combine and then increase the speed to medium-high and whip until medium-stiff peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Before serving, wrap a wet, warm kitchen towel around the edges of the springform pan to release the pie from the pan’s sides. Unclasp the pan and remove the pie. Fill a pitcher with hot water, dunk your knife in, wipe off the blade, and slice. Top with a dollop of Chantilly cream and serve immediately, or keep in the freezer for up to 1 week.

Easy Caramel Sauce

I don’t know about you, but I’m obsessed with Ree Drummond, a.k.a The Pioneer Woman.  I absolutely love her blog.  Ree shares cute funny stories that I find heart warming.  Not only I love her writing style, but her photography and recipes look divine.  When I first found out that she was going to have her own show on the Food Network, I was pretty excited.  In her first episode she makes mouth-watering pulled pork, cilantro slaw, and apple pie with caramel sauce.  After I saw the caramel sauce I knew I had to give it try.  Besides I had all the ingredients on hand.  This caramel sauce doesn’t get any easier than this.  It’s sweet, sticky, and of course yummy.  The perfect sauce to top any dessert.

Easy Caramel Sauce

From The Pioneer Woman

4 Tbsp butter

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

1/2 cup half and half

pinch salt

1 tbsp vanilla

Add the butter, brown sugar, half and half, and salt in sauce pan over medium low heat.  Cook and whisk for 5 to 7 minutes, until thicken.  Pour in the vanilla and cook for another minute to thicken further.  Remove the sauce from the heat and pour into a jar.  Refrigerate until cold.

Perfect Pancakes

I’m not breakfast person, but I usually try to make an effort to eat something.  It’s usually something simple.   Like oatmeal, yogurt and granola, or toast.  It’s rare when I make pancakes, but when I do, it’s because I have a craving.  I feel guilty saying this, but I’ve always used boxed pancake mix for two reasons.

1.) I’ve tried many pancake recipes, but they never turned out great. Just hard, dense, plain, and flavorless.

2.) I felt like it was impossible to make fluffy and good tasting pancakes like the one’s from a diner or pancake house.

Last summer I came across a pancake recipe and of course I was skeptical; however, I decided to make the pancakes anyways.  Out of all the recipes I tried so far these are the best pancakes I’ve tasted.  No more box pancake mix and the search is finally over.

Pancake Tips:

-Shift dry ingredients

-Butter, milk, egg should be at room temperature

Slightly Tweaked from All Recipes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp white sugar

1 1/4 cups milk

1 egg

3 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  In an another bowl whisk milk, egg, butter, and vanilla extract together.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.  Do not over mix.

Heat an oiled griddle on medium heat and pour 1/4 cup of batter for each pancakes.  Brown on both sides and serve hot.