chicken ranch tacos

ingredients:

4-6 chicken breasts (i used the really thin frozen ones)

1 package ranch dressing mix

1 package taco seasoning mix

2 cups chicken stock

directions:

mix the chicken stock with the flavor packets in the dish of the crockpot.  add the chicken breasts (you can put them in frozen if they are thin).  cook on low for 6 hours.  shred the meat and put back in the cooking liquid.  serve in tacos, burritos, salads or nachos.

ghetto beef tips and carrots

ghetto beef tips

ingredients:

1 lb stew meat
1 package low sodium brown gravy mix
1 package french onion soup mix
1 can of golden cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
pepper to taste

directions:

preheat oven to 300 degrees.

in a small bowl stir the mixes, mushroom soup and water together until combined.  spread stew meat evenly in an 8x8 pan.  pour the soup mixture over the meat and sprinkle with pepper.  cover tightly with foil and bake for 3 hours.  remove from oven and break the meat apart with a fork.  serve over rice, noodles or mashed potatoes.

glazed carrots

ingredients:

4 carrots peeled and sliced on the diagonal
2 tbs butter
salt and pepper to taste

preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  melt the butter in the pan and toss the carrots in.  stir until coated.  add the salt and pepper.  cover the pan with lid and let steam in the butter for 5-7 minutes until tender.

french toast

                                            

ingredients:

8 slices of challah or brioche
   1 1/2 cups whole milk or half and half
   3 egg yolks
   3 Tbs brown sugar
   1/2 tsp cinnamon
   2 Tbs melted butter, plus 2 more Tbs for cooking
   1/2 tsp kosher salt or 1/4 tsp table salt
   1 Tbs vanilla
   Maple or Vanilla sugar (optional)

instructions:

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1. 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Place bread on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake bread until almost dry throughout (center should remain slightly moist), about 16 minutes, flipping slices halfway through cooking. Remove bread from rack and let cool 5 minutes. Return baking sheet with wire rack to oven and reduce temperature to 200 degrees.
2. 
   
3. 2. Whisk milk, yolks, sugar, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons melted butter, salt, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Transfer mixture to 13- by 9-inch baking pan.
4. 3. Soak bread in milk mixture until saturated but not falling apart, 10-15 seconds per side. Using firm slotted spatula, pick up bread slice and allow excess milk mixture to drip off; repeat with remaining slices. Place soaked bread on another baking sheet or platter.
5. 4. Heat ½ tablespoon butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. When foaming subsides, use slotted spatula to transfer 2 slices soaked bread to skillet and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flavored sugar on the uncooked side of the bread if using.  Flip and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. (If toast is cooking too quickly, reduce temperature slightly.) Transfer to baking sheet in oven. Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Repeat cooking with remaining bread, 2 pieces at a time, adding ½ tablespoon of butter for each batch. Serve immediately.

cornflake-chocolate-chip marshmallow cookies

makes 12-15 cookies

momofuku milk bar recipe

ingredients: 

16 Tbs butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2⁄3 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 recipe (3 cups) cornflake crunch (recipe below)
2⁄3 cup (i used 1 cup) mini chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups mini marshmallows

directions: 

1. combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes. (see page 27 for notes on this process.)

2. reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. (do not walk away from the machine during this step, or you will risk over mixing the dough.) scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

3. still on low speed, paddle in the cornflake crunch and mini chocolate chips just until they’re incorporated, no more than 30 to 45 seconds. paddle in the mini marshmallows just until incorporated.

4. using a 2 3/4 oz ice cream scoop (or a 1/3 cup measure), portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. do not bake your cookies from room temperature—they will not hold their shape.

5. heat the oven to 375°f.

6. arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or silpat-lined sheet pans. bake for 16-18 minutes rotating the cookie sheet 1/2 way through. the cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. at the 16-18-minute mark, the cookies should be browned on the edges and just beginning to brown toward the center. leave them in the oven for an additional minute or so if they aren’t and they still seem pale and doughy on the surface.

7. cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or to an airtight container for storage. at room temperature, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.

cornflake crunch

makes about (4 cups )

ingredients:

1/2 12oz box (or 5 cups) cornflakes

1//2 cup powdered milk
3 tbs sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
9 tbs butter, melted

Directions: 

1. heat the oven to 275°f.

2. pour the cornflakes in a medium bowl and crush them with your hands to one-quarter of their original size. add the milk powder, sugar, and salt and toss to mix. add the butter and toss to coat. as you toss, the butter will act as glue, binding the dry ingredients to the cereal and creating small clusters.

3. spread the clusters on a parchment- or silpat-lined sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes, at which point they should look toasted, smell buttery, and crunch gently when cooled slightly and chewed.

4. cool the cornflake crunch completely before storing or using in a recipe. stored in an airtight container at room temperature, the crunch will keep fresh for 1 week; in the fridge or freezer, it will keep for 1 month.

pretzel sticks and cheese sauce

Pretzels

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 3 Tbsp packed light-brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus an up to an additional 1/4 cup as needed
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1/3 cup baking soda
• 2 cups warm water
• coarse salt, to taste
• 3 Tbsp butter, melted
• Dipping sauce for serving, optional*

Directions

• Warm milk in a microwave safe bowl in microwave (or alternately over stove top in a small saucepan) until temperature of milk reaches 110 degrees, about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes on HIGH power. Pour milk along with yeast into the bowl of an electric stand mixer and whisk together until yeast has dissolved, let rest 5 minutes. Add brown sugar, 2 tbsp softened butter, 1/2 cup flour and 1 tsp fine sea salt or fine kosher salt to milk mixture and using the whisk attachment, stir until blended. Switch attachment to a dough hook, add remaining 1 3/4 cups flour and kneaded mixture on medium low speed until elastic. Mix in up to an additional 1/4 cup flour, as needed, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper. Punch dough down several times to release any air pockets. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces (the easiest way to do this is to divide the dough in half, then divide the halves into halves then those and into thirds). Cover divided dough loosely with plastic wrap (just to prevent a dry crust from forming on the outside) and roll each piece out into a long, thin rope about 8-10 inches long (I think it's easiest to get traction and a kind of non-stick surface by doing this on a sheet of waxed paper).
• In a shallow bowl, whisk together baking soda and warm water then fully immerse pretzel into water mixture and allow excess water to drip off.  Place on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle to taste with coarse salt. Repeat this process with remaining dough. Bake pretzels in preheated oven 10 - 12 minutes until golden brown.  Brush the pretzel sticks with melted butter and put back into the oven for another minute or  2.   Serve warm with optional dipping sauce.

Cheese Sauce

Ingredients

8 ounces of cheddar cheese (or colby jack), shredded on the large grate

1 Tbs corn starch

1 12 ounce can of evaporated milk

2 dashes of hot sauce (like Franks), optional

Directions

Toss shredded cheese and corn starch until well mixed.  Pour 1 cup of evaporated milk into a sauce pan with hot sauce if using, add the cheese mixture.  Cook over low heat whisking constantly until melted and thickened (4-5 minutes).  Once smooth add the remaining evaporated milk until you reach your desired consistency.  Serve immediately.