Recipes – Page 10 – a hippie with a minivan

Fried Chicken Sandwiches…

I was having a craving for some fried chicken sandwiches… the kind that you get at fast food places but better… These turned out even better than I would have hoped, they were perfect and everyone loved them!

I had 4 chicken breasts, so it made 8 sandwiches.

To begin with, cut a chicken breast in half horizontally. (So place chicken breast on cutting board, place knife on the side of it and cut with the knife parallel to the board)

Place the halved breasts in a bowl, bag or container and add 1 1/2 cup buttermilk (or a mix of 1 1/2 c of milk with 1 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice).

Marinate for at least 6 hours (overnight is better though)

Take chicken out of the Fridge at least 30 min before frying and in a container/bowl/bag put 2 cups of flour and the following:

1/2 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Dip the chicken into the Seasoned Flour and then place on a plate and if you want you can redip into the buttermilk and then redip into the flour for more of a crust.

Prepare Oil in a pan, I used my favourite Cast Iron Skillet and added about 1 1/2 inch of oil and heated it up to 325 using a candy/oil thermometer.

Fry the chicken for a few minutes each side until done and golden brown. (it took about 3 min on each side for mine) and place on a few paper towels.

Place on a bun with lettuce and Mayo and whatever else you like…

I love the spicy mayo on these kind of sandwiches so I made a mix with Mayo and Frank’s Red Hot and it was perfect.

This is definitely something that I will be making again in the near future…

I have never had a Fried chicken sandwich that tasted as fresh and crispy as this, and of course, by making by own bread the cost of these are minimal…

Pregnancy Tea…

This is the third pregnancy that I have made sure to drink Red Raspberry Leaf tea through out the pregnancy…

I have been learning more about herbs (still need to get my hand on a good book though… any suggestions welcome!) and this time I have made a point of adding more herbs to my tea to add more nutrients and vitamins and of course the other useful effects that herbs can bring.

My home mixed Pregnancy Tea is made primarily of 3 herbs (though I will soon be adding a fourth as soon as I get to the store).

Red Raspberry Leaf: One of the main reasons of taking RRL in pregnancy is that it strengthens the uterine muscles making labour more efficient. RRL is high in Calcium and Magnesium which helps relieve cramps and is also high in Iron, making it great for energy and anaemia. It also helps settle an upset stomach. Taken after birth, it helps with bleeding, helps the Uterus regain tone and increases milk supply.

Nettles: Nettle is an amazing herb. It is rich in Iron, Calcium and Folic Acid which is very important in pregnancy. It strengthens the Kidneys which reduces fluid retention, and also supports the vascular system which helps prevent varicose veins and hemorrhoids. Taken after birth it can help with hemorrhaging and bleeding and also helps increase the milk supply.

Oatstraw: Oatstraw is another herb that is high in Calcium and Magnesium. It is also high in Vit. A, B, C and E. Oatstraw is known to help alleviate pain and has a calming effect on the nervous system which helps with anxiety and depression and also helps for a more restful sleep. It is also an herb that helps the immune system.

The next herb that I will be getting is Dandelion root.

Dandelion root is a great diuretic, helping to clean and strengthen the liver, kidney and gallbladder (though I no longer have the latter). It also replaces the potassium loss in frequent urination.

I put the same amount of each of the herbs in a Jar to make a large batch of loose tea that I can just take a bit of each day without any fuss. I boil my water, place 2 heaping tsp of the tea in a 1L Mason Jar and fill the jar nearly to the brim with the hot water…

I give it a quick stir (mostly because I love to see it swirl)

And then let it cool down… as I prefer to drink this tea warm or even cold… if I am wanting to drink it hot I add a tsp of my favourite “chunky fruit tea” to add a bit of sweetness to the flavour…and now that I am in the third trimester, I make sure to drink at least 3 cups of it every day…

I couldn’t find my tea sieve the other day (I have since cleaned out my tea shelf and found it) but I had an idea and used my Sprout Jar top for the tea. It works perfectly, cleans easily and I definitely will keep on using it… though I do only use it after letting the tea steep and cool down…

**The general rule for RRL in Pregnancy is 1 cup in the first trimester, 2 cups in the second and 3 in the third. So if you make this, make sure that in the first six months you make the adjustment or made it separate from the rest of the herbs.

Of course this tea is not only good in pregnancy but is also great at any time, especially for women and their monthly cycles.

Crumb topped Banana Muffins

Mix together in small bowl…

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

In a larger bowl beat together…

3 mashed bananas
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter (or coconut oil)

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet making sure you don’t over mix… Separate the batter into 12 prepared (buttered or lined) muffin tins… (I use an ice cream scoop to make that easier)

For the topping mash together with fork or fingers:

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup oats
1 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp cold butter

put a bit of topping on each of the muffins and then place in preheated 375 degree oven for 20 min…

The texture of these is so light and fluffy… and of course you can always add chocolate chips or nuts or coconut for an extra treat!

Hot Pepper Jelly…

One of my biggest cravings this pregnancy and one of the only things that I could eat for a few weeks when nothing was appealing to me was a toasted bagel with goat cheese and hot pepper jelly…

There is only one place that I can find hot pepper jelly around here and since I haven’t went there in the last few weeks my supply was running low and I needed more… I had checked out recipes a while back and because I was already doing some canning this weekend and had some Jalapeños to use up I thought it would be a good time to try…

I was right to do so!!

It was easy, quick and the results were perfect!

2/3 cup hot peppers (can vary according to what type of peppers used and how hot you want your jelly, I used 6 Jalapenos, half with seeds)
1 large sweet red pepper
1 1/2 cups vinegar
6 cups sugar
liquid pectin (2 packets)

– In a blender, blend the peppers and the vinegar together… (I used a cup of the vinegar first and then rinsed the blender with the 1/2 cup left)

– Pour into a pot, add sugar and mix well…

– Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 1 min.

– Either sieve at that moment to make a clear jelly, or keep the pieces in to make a chunky jelly… (I sieved half so make it not too chunky but not too clear…

– Return to boil and boil for another 5 min.

– Remove from heat and quickly add the liquid Pectin.

– pour into 1/2 pint jars (250 ml) and process in boiling water for about 5 min.

The jelly will set and you will have 6 jars of spicy-sweet goodness…

This is definitely a keeper!

Cookies for Breakfast?

Of course!!!

You should have seen the kids faces the first time I made them cookies for breakfast… Breakfast Cookies, that is 🙂 These taste great, are easy and quick to make and are eaten without hesitation in this household…

This recipe makes 4 monster cookies and they keep very well if you make more and eat them later… or you can mix the dry ingredients before hand and then just add the apple sauce when needed…

Mix together