Chicken Cheesesteaks

My challenge in life now is to bake more savory than sweet. I simply cannot be trusted around sweets right now with this pregnancy. This child inside me made me eat 10 cupcakes in 3 days ... at least I can feel somewhat better that the cupcakes weren't frosted.

So it was the perfect time to try this recipe from How Sweet It Is. My husband loves Philly cheesesteaks, so I was curious how he would rate this homemade (and fairly healthy) version. He gave me the sincere compliment, "You can make these again."

These are fantastic sandwiches. Although there are a few steps, nothing is difficult. You could even make the sandwiches ahead of time, wrap them in foil and refrigerate until you want to serve them. Then simply toss them in the oven to toast them and warm them and wow your guests ... or your stomach ... or both.

Apologies: I had the best of intentions of photographing these delicious sandwiches for your viewing pleasure. But then we got so caught up in the deliciousness that we forgot.  

Chicken Cheesesteaks

2 lbs. skinless chicken thighs
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 green pepper, sliced
1 sweet onion, sliced
8 oz. sharp white cheddar cheese, freshly grated
1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 Tbsp. flour
2/3 cup whole milk
6 whole wheat sub rolls

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Season chicken on both sides with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Place in the skillet, and sear on both sides until golden, about 2 minutes per side.

Once seared, place skillet in oven and roast chicken for 15 minutes. When finished, remove and let cool slightly and then shred into pieces. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

After chicken is done roasting roasting, heat the same skillet over medium-low heat. Add peppers, onions, salt and pepper, stirring to coat and cooking until soft but not caramelized.

In a small saucepan, heat butter over medium heat until it's sizzling. Whisk in flour to create a roux, cooking until mixture is golden and smells somewhat nutty, about 2 minutes. Add in milk, and stir until milk is bubbling and thick. Then reduce heat to low, add about 5 ounces of shredded cheddar and mix until combined and creamy.

To assemble, lay out 6 squares of aluminum foil, and place a roll on each. Stuff each roll with chicken, then drizzle with cheese sauce and stuff with peppers and onions. Top with a handful of extra shredded cheddar. Roll each sandwich up tightly. Once all sandwiches are rolled, place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Serves 6.

Grandma Buns

We lost my husband's grandmother last spring. The holidays won't be the same without her seated around the table making sure everyone has enough food to eat. One of the things we all miss is her food, which she always insisted was "terrible."

Of course, she never wrote down her recipes, which makes it harder to replicate her "terrible" food. One of her 13 children wrote down the recipe for Grandma's buns, which I made for my hubby returning from deer hunting. He said they were "terrible," which I was pleased to hear. The verdict is they are close to Grandma's but not exactly the same. Guess I'll have to keep practicing.

Grandma Buns
1/2 cup warm water (between 105ºF and 115ºF)
2 Tbsp. dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter
2 cups warm water
3 cups flour
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
4 cups flour
Additional butter for greasing tops

Combine 1/2 cup warm water with yeast, and stir to dissolve. Set aside to proof yeast.

Combine sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and butter. Add 2 cups warm water, and stir until butter is melted. Add 3 cups flour, and stir until mixed. Then add egg and water with dissolved yeast. Mix well. Stir in another 1 1/2 cups flour.

In a large bowl, place 4 remaining cups of flour, and make a well in the center. Pour the other bowl into the well. Gradually start working the flour into the rest of the mixture. You have to work the flour in and knead it for about 10 minutes. If your dough is too sticky, gradually add more flour.

Butter a dutch oven pan, and put your kneaded dough into it. Now make the sign of the cross on the dough and thank God for all he gives us. Cover with lid, and let rest 15 minutes. Punch down dough. Cover and let double in size, about an hour.

Butter 2 cookie sheets, and pinch chunks of dough off and form into rolls. Place on cookie sheets When cookie sheets are full, place a towel over the top. Let raise another hour or a little longer.

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Bake buns for 20 minutes or until golden and slightly crusty. Grease tops with butter. Take off pans, and cool on wire racks. (Grandma always broke hers apart if they baked together.) My batch yielded 38 buns.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars

I had the best intentions of making biscotti yesterday until I saw a recipe for Ina Garten's PB & J Bars. And then Baby was suddenly craving them like no other ... never mind that neither Baby nor I have ever had them. They sounded incredible. They are incredible. I made only a half batch since I have no willpower right now with sweet treats (but the recipe below is for the full batch). Bonus points for me, too, because I'm using our preserves.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla
2  eggs, at room temperature
2 cups creamy peanut butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups strawberry jam or other jam

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.

Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered. Bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

The number of servings depends on whether you're pregnant. If you're pregnant, a half batch will be lucky to make it 2 full days. If you're not pregnant, then this recipe yields at least 12 bars, if not more.

Mint Marshmallows

Homemade marshmallows are a fun project. How cool is it to say you made your own marshmallows? And what's better in hot chocolate than a peppermint marshmallow?

Peppermint Marshmallows
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 oz. unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cool water
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. mint extract

In a small bowl, sift together powdered sugar and cornstarch. Set aside. Grease an 8-inch pan with vegetable oil. Place parchment paper to cover the bottom and two sides of the pan. Oil parchment paper as well. Coat pan with half the sugar/cornstarch mixture.

Fill a large bowl with water and sprinkle with gelatin. In a medium pot with a candy thermometer, combine sugar, corn syrup and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and cool until mixture reaches 240˚F. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat reserved gelatin mixture 30 seconds. Then pour in sugar-corn syrup mixture in a slow steady stream. Increase mixer speed to high, and beat until very thick, ribbony and doubled in volume, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Beat in mint extract for 30 seconds. Pour into prepared pan. Using dampened fingers, smooth top. Sprinkle with remaining powdered sugar mixture. Let rest, uncovered, in a cool, dry place, about 4 hours or up to overnight.

Invert marshmallows onto a dry surface and discard parchment. Brush powdered sugar aside. Dust a knife in remaining sugar, and cut marshmallows into squares. Makes about 16 marshmallows.

For extra fun, dip one side of marshmallows in melted chocolate and then sprinkles.

Pretzel Rolls

We needed bread for my hubby's lunches, and I happened across this recipe on Ezra Pound Cake. These are relatively quick to make, less than an hour total of rising time and 25 minutes for baking time. That means you could get them done within 2 hours, which is fast for how delicious they are. They shall be our supper tonight topped with chicken, BBQ sauce and bacon. Yummmmm ....

Pretzel Rolls

2 3/4 cups bread flour
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp. celery seeds
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot water (125°F to 130°F)
8 cups water
1/4 cup baking soda
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 egg white, beaten
Coarse salt 

Combine bread flour, yeast, salt, sugar and celery seeds in food processor, and blend. With machine running, slowly pour hot water through feed tube, adding enough water to form smooth elastic dough. Process 1 minute to knead. Place the dough into an oiled bowl. Cover, and let dough rise in warm area until doubled in size, about 35 minutes.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silipat, and set aside. Punch dough down, and knead on lightly floured countertop until smooth. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Form each dough piece into ball. Place dough balls on prepared sheet, flattening each slightly. Using a serrated knife or kitchen shears, cut an X in top center of each dough ball. Cover with towel, and let dough balls rise until almost doubled in volume, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F.

Cover a second baking sheet with a Silipat and set aside. Bring 8 cups water to boil in large saucepan. Add baking soda and 2 Tbsp. sugar. (The water will foam a lot.) Add 4 rolls, and cook 30 seconds per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the rolls to the prepared sheet, arranging X side up. Repeat with remaining rolls.

Brush rolls with egg white glaze, and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake rolls until brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer to racks, and cool 10 minutes. Serve rolls warm or room temperature. To rewarm, place them in a 375°F oven for 10 minutes. Makes 8 rolls. Easily devoured in one day.