Archive | February, 2016

Panko-crusted chicken with mustard sauce

16 Feb

This is tasty!

If you don’t have coarse-grained mustard, use additional Dijon mustard. You can also substitute dried parsley for the fresh if necessary. The original recipe called for “low sodium” chicken broth, which I didn’t have. You can use regular chicken broth and simply add less or no salt.

Ingredients:

4 thin chicken breast halves, or two thick ones (about 1 lb. total)
1 large egg
1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. plus 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 Tbs. canola or olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chicken broth
3 Tbs. maple syrup
1 to 2 Tbs. coarse-grained mustard

Directions:

If you have thick chicken breast halves, cut them in half horizontally, so that each is about a half-inch thick.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, parsley and 2 tsp. Dijon mustard. Place the panko crumbs on a plate. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture, then place on the panko crumbs and turn to coat the other side, pressing the crumbs into the chicken. Put each coated cutlet aside for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and cook the chicken cutlets until they are brown and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

In a glass measuring cup, whisk together the broth, syrup, coarse-grained mustard and remaining 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard.

Transfer the chicken pieces to plates. Add the broth mixture to the skillet, bring to a boil, and boil until reduced and slightly thickened, about 4 minutes.

Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Serves 4

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Brownies from scratch

3 Feb

BrowniesI’m about to make dozens of brownies for my Hadassah group’s dinner dance fundraiser. Mea culpa, I’m using the Ghirardelli mix from Costco — because I have two pouches in my cupboard and another pan of brownies frozen in my freezer.

But when I don’t have a mix, or when I want to make non-dairy brownies, either for a meat meal or to serve to someone who doesn’t eat dairy, I use this terrific recipe which I got more than 40 years ago from Joan Piorkowski, a fellow graduate student at Temple University and a neighbor in the graduate student apartment building where we lived. It’s almost as easy as making brownies from a mix; the only additional step you need to take is measuring the ingredients instead of dumping a pouch into a bowl.

Ingredients:

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
½ cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
6 Tbs. cocoa
½ cup (1 stick) melted butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl in the order listed.

Pour into a greased 8- or 9-inch square pan (melting the butter or margarine in the baking pan before adding it to the bowl is the best way to grease it).

Bake 30 to 40 minutes until the brownies are cracked on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting.

Makes 9 to 16 brownies