Chicken Cordon Bleu
Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe Type: Main Author: Nancy A flavor combination of chicken, smoked ham, and gooey cheese, this dish is sure to be a hit with everyone. Ingredients 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 8 slices smoked deli ham 8 slices Swiss cheese 1 cup buttermilk 2 cups cornflake crumbs 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon paprika 4-6 tablespoons melted butter – optional Instructions Preheat oven to 350 and lightly spray baking pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix together cornflake crumbs, flour, and seasonings and set aside. With meat mallet, pound out chicken breasts to a 1/4 inch thickness. On one half of the breast, place 2 slices of ham, and 2 slices of Swiss cheese. Fold other half of chicken breast over cheese and ham. Pour buttermilk into medium bowl. Dip each breast in buttermilk, coating all sides and shake off excess milk. Dredge chicken breasts in cornflake mixture and place in baking pan. Brush with melted butter, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Turn oven to 400, remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Serving size: 4 ounces Calories: 621.99 Fat: 24.64 Saturated fat: 13.82 Unsaturated fat: 8.76 Trans fat: .47 Carbohydrates: 49.59 Sugar: .62 Sodium: 887.11 Fiber: 1.85 Protein: 47.93 Cholesterol: 149.87 3.2.2925
Deviled Egg Recipes
What backyard chicken farmer cook book is complete without deviled egg recipes? They are a versatile dish for parties, a family get together, pot luck dinner, or just a side dish for supper.
How to Roast a Chicken – The Better Way
Roast a Chicken – The Better Way The Backyard Chicken Farmer Recipe Corner wouldn’t be complete without instructions for how to roast a chicken the better way. Or what I consider the better way. I learned how to roast chicken from my grandmother, who lived most of her life on my grandfather’s chicken farm. This was a small local farm where all the animals were cared for and raised humanely, unlike the huge commercial farms today. We always had fresh eggs and chickens raised organically, without synthetic growth hormones and antibiotics. Chicken and fresh eggs were a staple cooking ingredient on the farm, but my all out favorite dish was the Sunday roast chicken dinner. That golden, crusty delicious goodness was a family tradition handed down for generations. To this day, I continue the tradition and follow Grandma’s most important instruction: “Keep it simple, follow my instructions exactly, and your family won’t want anyone else’s roast chicken.” Boy was she right. What Tools You Need to Roast a Chicken There are 3 must have items to roast a better chicken. Without these tools, your chicken isn’t going to turn out the way it’s supposed to. Roasting Rack Roasting Pan (large enough to hold roasting rack) Cooking Twine (use twine made for cooking) When choosing a roasting pan and rack, pick the best you can afford. If you can spend the money for a better set, you will be glad you did. Calphalon Roasting Set I use the set by Calphalon. It is tri-ply stainless steel with a non-stick rack and provides great even heating. The roasting pan is a workhorse. Just make sure to follow the instructions when using it. Let’s Start Roasting Let chicken set at room temperature for 45 minutes to an hour before cooking. Putting chicken straight from the refrigerator to the oven toughens the meat and adds considerable time to the cooking. Remove giblets, if any, from chicken cavity. Preheat your oven to 450° F. Never wash your chicken. Whether you buy your meat from the butcher or you process your own, your chicken was washed before packaging, or at a cleaning station similar to what we use when butchering. That initial wash is all you need. For properly cooked chicken, your meat comes to 165° F which kills any bacteria or germs. Washing chicken in your kitchen spreads germs to the sink, countertops, utensils, and yourself, so avoid washing or rinsing your chicken. Thoroughly dry your chicken, inside and out. Start by patting the outside of the chicken with 2 or 3 paper towels, making sure you get as much moisture as possible off the meat, then discard towels. With 2 or 3 clean paper towels, dry out the chicken cavity. This step is essential for a properly roasted bird. By not removing as much moisture as possible from the inside and outside of the chicken, creates steam which dries out your chicken. Sprinkle kosher salt and ground black pepper inside the chicken cavity, about a ½ teaspoon of each. Take a sprig of fresh rosemary, about 3 inches long, cut in half, and add to the cavity. I occasionally add 1 or 2 cloves of garlic to the cavity, but usually I just use salt, pepper, and rosemary (I like rosemary in just about everything). You can put anything you like in the cavity, but I believe the simpler, the better. Now your chicken is ready to truss. Trussing is not necessary but it helps promote even cooking, making a better roast chicken. Next time I roast a chicken, I plan to take pictures of each step of the trussing, but for now I hopefully can give instructions in an easy to understand way. You need some cooking twine. I buy mine in a 500 foot cone which costs about $5.00. Be sure your twine is specifically made for cooking. 500 Foot Cone of Cooking Twine Lay your chicken on a cutting board or baking sheet with legs facing away from you and the breast side up. Place twine underneath the tail, making sure the twine is centered. Bring twine up and around legs, near the end, cross the ends of the twine and loop back under legs and pull the string tight to bring the legs close together. Keeping hold of the string ends, turn the chicken over, bring the twine around the sides of the chicken. Tuck in the wings and pull twine tight at the neck and secure using a butcher’s knot by looping the string through the knot twice. Tighten twine and cut the loose ends off. Here is a video made by Ronnie Woo. He does an excellent job of showing how to truss a chicken with and without kitchen string. I recommend the kitchen string method since the chicken can pull apart while cooking. Flip chicken back over and sprinkle with salt** and pepper, making sure to season entire chicken. **For salting the outside of the chicken, you need ¾ teaspoon of salt per pound. For a 4 pound chicken, you need 3 teaspoons of salt. I know this sounds like a lot, but trust me, it turns out great. Use pepper to taste. I normally use 1-2 teaspoons of ground black pepper. Do not pour salt over the chicken. Add the 3 teaspoons of salt and pepper to a small bowl and sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken using your fingers. You want to make sure the chicken is evenly coated. Place roasting rack in baking pan and lay chicken on rack, breast side up. I highly recommend using a roasting rack for even cooking and to prevent chicken from sticking to the pan. Place chicken on center rack of hot oven and cook for 50 to 60 minutes or until internal temperature at thickest part is 165° F. Thickest part of the chicken is the junction between the breast and thigh. Do not overcook as this will cause your chicken to dry out and lose flavor. There is no need to
My Hens Aren’t Laying
The most common reason people give for becoming backyard chicken farmers is the eggs. With growing concern over what goes into our food supply and some of the abhorrent conditions on factory farms, people are taking back control of their food production
Inexpensive Food Storage Expansion – Day 2
Day 2 Came Bright and Early Where We Left Off On day one of building an inexpensive food storage pantry, we left off with all the framing done, the sheetrock up, and the door runner hung. All that was left was to finish up the cosmetic work, such as sanding down the edges, filling nail holes, and making sure everything was ready for primer and paint. It still amazes me that we moved so quickly with this pantry, with only 2 people working on it. While hubby Charles can do all types of crafty things around the house, carpentry is not his forte. So we hired Scott to help him out, especially when it came to hanging the doors. Now I can’t say enough good things about Scott; dependable, affordable, and very good. So, if you need some odd jobs done around the house, Scott is the one to talk to (he even lets husbands help him). I found Scott on Angie’s List, listed under Scott’s Handyman Service. He farms for a living, doing this on the side, so you may have to wait a little bit, but his service is so worth it. However, he was only 1 week out when we scheduled ours. Ready for Finishing The hard part is done, the walls have two coats of primer, it’s time for shelving, paint and trim. And the Final Product Giving up my desk, which I never used, was a worthwhile sacrifice. Losing a space that was not really big enough for a desk, gave us a pantry 3 times larger. If we had done all the work ourselves, we would have saved even more. However, using recycled, reclaimed, and seconds, our material cost was around $500. [ultimatetables 4 /]
Inexpensive Food Storage Expansion – Day 1
It was called a pantry, but as small as it was, I called it a broom closet for food. The Broom Closet Pantry Before Homely little thing, isn’t it (and I stress little)? Not to mention, barely enough room to store a month’s worth of food. Actually, I love to cook for family and friends, and that requires storage room, which I didn’t have. And did I tell you, I also love to can and preserve food in various ways? So What Did We Do? I Gave Up My Desk 3 years ago, I made the move from desktop to laptop. With that switch, came the unused desk, aka “catch-all”. Built into the wall next to the pantry, the desk served its purpose, for a time. It did give me some small cabinets above, but nothing to write home about in the storage for food issue. When I came home from work, about 6 months ago, my husband met me at the door and said, “I just had a brain storm.” Now, I don’t know about you, but when my husband says something like that, I want to run. All I could say was, “Uh oh!” His answer? “Don’t worry, it’s a great idea.” Uh oh…….. Needless to say, I was wrong (thank goodness). He had a great idea for an inexpensive food storage expansion by removing the desk, extend the pantry; so simple yet ingenious. So I picked up a couple extra freelance jobs, we bought the material and off we went. Step 1: Tear it Down Going, Going, Gone I think this was the hardest part about the whole project, mainly because it was so messy; sheet rock dust everywhere. But, I must admit, it was kind of fun taking a swing at the wall. Step 2: Framing it In Framing Going Up The framing was completed the first half of day one. It surprised me how quickly it went up and it was relatively easy to do. Step 3: Now the Walls Sheet Rock Walls are Up Track for Sliding Barn Style Doors This was the last job at the end of day one. It went a lot smoother than we anticipated and much quicker. Look for my “Day 2” post to see the final results and a rundown of what we spent. With a little research and some creative ideas, it cost a lot less than what you might think.
Raising Show Chickens
Raising Show Chickens and What I Need to Know Backyard chicken farmers raise chickens for various reasons with two of the most common being eggs and pets. However, with the rising popularity of raising show chickens, we need more information about this hobby. First Things First My best advice to anyone wanting to raise show chickens is: research—research—research. Besides reading articles on line and in poultry publications, talk to your local extension and 4-H offices. First you need to find out where the shows are and what criteria you’re required to meet. Show chicken judging uses various criteria and fixed standards for the breed includes: [ultimatetables 3/] Show Chicken Breeds There are many show breeds to choose from, but I am only going to list five of the more popular ones. Start with this list and research the judging criteria for these chickens. Roosters are normally chosen for show poultry because of their feather and coloring characteristics. For beginners, start out with only one or two breeds and don’t add another until you gain experience with these. This is the best advice I can give you yet many ignore it, eventually setting themselves up for failure. Silkie – Fluffy, silky feeling plumage, dark blue flesh and earlobes, and five toes on each foot, makes this chicken a favorite at poultry shows. They come in several colors including, white, buff, black, gray, blue, red, and mottled variations. They are the most docile with a calm and friendly temperament, making them ideal pets and show chickens. Something to consider before deciding to show Silkies is their high maintenance, making them less ideal for the beginner. Polish – Known for the crest of feathers adorning their head, the Polish were originally kept as egg layers but today are primarily kept as show birds. These tame chickens are timid and easily frightened because of limited vision caused by the crest which covers most of their head. This limited vision can impact their temperament. Houdan – Native to France, the Houdan is an attractive bird with many distinctive features. Like the Polish, the Houdan has a crested head and five toes. Their earlobes and wattles are small and hidden by the feathered bearding and crest. They come in two colors, white and mottled (black with white spotting). Silver Spangled Hamburg – This is a beautiful show bird with trim, stylish, and delicate features. They are good flyers and active, making them less suitable to confinement. As well as the silver spangled, Hamburgs are found in gold spangle and silver pencil color variations. Seabright – A true bantam, or miniature bird with no large version of the breed, is a beautiful ornamental chicken. Seabright is strictly an ornamental chicken, and boasts a specialist club for enthusiasts. The plumage on all Seabrights has lacy black edges on a silver white or dark gold base. Their legs are unfeathered with slate-blue skin while their combs, earlobes, and wattles are bright red. Seabrights are tame but males may become protective around hens, possibly turning on their owners however, this can happen with any rooster breed. My best advice if you plan to raise show chickens—always buy chicks and buy from a knowledgeable and reputable breeder. Hatcheries breed for quantity and their birds are not show quality. Your local extension and 4-H offices can help you find a breeder. Picking Your Show Chicken When deciding which of your chickens to show, good fit stock is essential. Always look for: Overall fitness and condition—sound plumage and good physical traits. Conformation or shape—comply with breed standards. Color—comply with breed standards. [callout title=Tip]When showing chickens, especially for children, it’s always good to have backup show birds. Sometimes, molting season comes during a show so backup birds of the same breed can fill in.[/callout] Family Fun As the cost of living rises, more people are looking for alternative family fun, moving away from expensive movies, concerts and other high priced events. With the rise in urban backyard chicken farming, raising show poultry is quickly gaining popularity. Raising show chickens is fun for the whole family and gives parents and kids some all-important bonding time. It’s a great, inexpensive hobby with competitions on the local, state, and national level. If raising backyard chickens interests you, then you’ll love the striking plumage, bright colors, and even some of the weird features of show chickens. Look for future posts about raising show chickens including how to bathe your chickens. Visit The “Chick” Boutique.