Rumaki

Rumaki

This is one of my favorite appetizers. I never got a chance to make it on Christmas, so I made it today.

Chicken livers
Whole water chestnuts
Thick sliced bacon
Teriyaki glaze
Toothpicks

Cut bacon slices in half, add a piece of chicken liver and one water chestnut to each. Roll up, using a toothpick to secure both ends of the bacon, passing through the chestnut and the liver. Things will fall apart if you don't get that toothpick through each ingredient.

Set them onto a shallow baking dish, I use a pizza pan (must have a lip). When you've rolled them all, drizzle with teriyaki glaze and put on top rack of oven, under broiler set to 450*.

Broil for ten minutes, remove from oven. At this time, they need turned over. I like to transfer them to a new pan, to get them out of the bacon grease. You may choose to just spoon off the grease. But one way or the other, they will crisp up easier without the liquid in the bottom of the pan.

Drizzle again with teriyaki. Put them back into the oven for another 5-10. Feel free to roll them fatty side up if you want the crispier. I do this after 5, giving another 5 minutes after that.

  Gather ingredients, cut bacon slices in half. Be sure to get thick bacon. Regular slices are too flimsy to toothpick together and stay. 

 This is a large piece of liver, it doesn't need to be that large. One piece of liver and one water chestnut in each roll-up.

 Toothpick must go through each thing in order to stay put during cooking. 

 Very large liver. I'll cut it up. 

 3 or 4 pieces out of that one, easy!

 After drizzling with teriyaki glaze, into the over for ten minutes. 

 While you have ten minutes, clean up. I can't remind my kids of this often enough. While food is cooking, you can be picking up after yourself. This makes final kitchen clean up much more fast and simple. 

 OK, ten minutes of cooking. I will flip them over, placing them onto another pizza pan. This get them up and out of the rendered fat from the bacon. 

 You can see I am putting them uncooked side up onto the clean pan. 

 Lots of bacon grease on the used pan. That's why you must use a pan with a lip. Otherwise that would all run onto the oven floor. 

 Drizzle again with Teriyaki glaze. 

 Back into the oven, close to heating elements, not touching, of course. And while these are back into the oven, I will be washing that other pan. I don't want a sink full of dishes waiting for me later. 

Finished product. YUM!! They will disappear quickly. And when folks ask you what is in these delicious bites, I won't blame you if you keep the secret of liver, until after the platter is empty! :) 

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Focaccia Recipe as follows will be your crust
https://whats4dinnerbymarie.blogspot.com/2011/11/focaccia-bread.html

2 cups flour
1 T yeast
1 1/4 cup hot water from tap
1 T olive oil
1/4 t salt

Toppings:
1lb chicken, boneless, cut up into bite-sized pieces (I prefer thigh meat, it doesn't get dry)
Louisiana Hot Sauce (or use your fave!), Alfredo sauce (bottled or fresh)

Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Chopped or crushed fresh garlic
Parsley

Optional:
Blue Cheese dressing

Directions:
Start browning your chicken first thing. Once it is browned, drain fat, allow to cool a bit and drench in hot sauce. Allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 425*

While chicken is cooking, start your dough. Run tap until very hot water comes out. Measure out flour, yeast, and salt. Mix in a large mixing bowl, with a fork. Make a well in the center, pour in the 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, don't mix in. Add the 1 1/4 cup hot water, all at once the olive oil in the center of the flour. Stir with the form, slowly incorporating the flour as it falls into the water in the center of the bowl. Once all the flour is incorporated, turn dough out onto well floured surface. Knead, pulling up flour, until dough is soft and elastic, not sticky, not crumbly. This comes with practice, but it's not hard to know when it's done.

When your dough is ready, move ball of dough onto a lightly oiled pizza pan or stone. I prefer the stone. Pat or roll out dough to the pan edge. Precook dough in oven for ten minutes. Remove from oven to add toppings.

For sauce, I made a simple Alfredo sauce. You can make your own, or use bottled. Spread over dough.

Evenly distribute cooked and sauced chicken to the dough. Cover with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle garlic over the top, topped with a sprinkle of parsley for color.

Feel free to add any other ingredients that strike your fancy. Adjust cooking time accordingly.

Bake in oven, middle rack for 15 minutes, or until cheese is nicely browned to center of pizza. Slice and enjoy!

 Sauce and chicken on the dough. Next time, I'll shred the chicken smaller. 

 Mozzarella over the top. 

 Chopped garlic. I used three huge cloves. We do like garlic! :)

 Parsley on top for some added color. 

Into the oven for 15 minutes. Watch it closely after 10, to make sure you don't overcook. 

Can you believe there is no final product photo? Well, I took it out, cut it up, called everyone for dinner and the next thing I knew, it was GONE! Sorry folks. I'll add one next time. But believe me, it was scrumptious!

Bacon Chicken Alfredo

Bacon Chicken Alfredo

A meal made with whatever jumped out at me this evening! And it turned out QUITE delicious!!

Gather your ingredients, bacon, chicken, pasta, Alfredo sauce. I also added some leftover broccoli and some sliced scallions. 

Cut up your bacon and add to large frying pan. 

Cook until well done and starting to get crispy.

There, that's ready. If your chicken is cut up, go ahead. Otherwise, turn off the heat for a few minutes. Scoop out that golden nectar of bacon fat for another use and store in the refrigerator. 

Cut your chicken into bite-sized pieces. 

Add raw chicken to cooked bacon and continue frying until chicken is fully cooked.

I added some sliced scallions. Feel free to add other veggies, perhaps bell peppers and mushrooms.

I also prepared some cooked leftover broccoli. I did not add it with the onions because it was already cooked. I did not want to overcook it, just warm it up. So, I sliced it up a bit and had it at the ready. 

This is a quickie meal, so I used jarred sauce. If you have time, make your own, if you'd like. 

Once the sauce was heated through, I added the cooked broccoli and folded it gently into the sauce. 

Served here over linguine. Use what you like. :) It was delicious!! 

Udon Sausage Soup

Jonathan just LOVES this soup. 

It's just something I made up one day, using whatever I happened to have on hand. 

Now, everyone requests it! 

1 lb. Smoked Sausage or Kielbasa (We like Hillshire Farms)

chicken broth

1 can chopped tomatoes and peppers (like Rotel)

1/2 head of cabbage (or a bag of frozen chopped spinach)

green pepper

celery

udon noodles (available in freezer section of any Asian market)

********************************

Slice sausage thin and brown in dutch oven. Add veggies and stir fry for about 10 minutes or until they are wilted. Add tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil and simmer about 30 minutes. Add frozen udon noodles, simmer another 10-15 minutes or until cooked to your liking.

Gather ingredients.

Slice sausage thin. Toss into pot to brown.

While sausage is browning, slice your cabbage and other veggies. 

I use about 1/2 of a green pepper and about one stalk of celery.

Sausage is about done.

Add sliced cabbage.

Add celery and peppers.

Get the broth ingredients ready.

Stir fry the solids till everything is wilty and cooking nicely.

Stir fry the solids till everything is wilty and cooking nicely.

Add tomatoes and cook a few minutes longer.

Add broth and turn heat to high and bring to boil. Boil for about 30 minutes.

When veggies are done to your liking, add the noodles.

Simmer with noodles until they are tender.

Doesn't that look good!

Serve up a big bowl with some hot bread on the side.

Oh, don't forget the chopsticks for those who dare! :D