Spicy Pecan-Crusted Chicken

From Delish.com



Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
1 large egg white
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon canola oil

Directions:
1. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, place between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or heavy skillet until flattened to an even 1/4-inch thickness.

2. Place pecans, breadcrumbs, orange zest, salt and ground chipotle in a food processor and pulse until the pecans are finely ground. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish. Whisk egg white and water in a shallow dish until combined. Dip each chicken breast in the egg white mixture, then dredge both sides in the pecan mixture.

3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add half the chicken and cook until browned on the outside and no longer pink in the middle, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Carefully wipe out the pan with a paper towel and add the remaining oil. Cook the remaining chicken, adjusting the heat as needed to prevent scorching. Serve immediately.

Comments:
These were very easy to make. I actually pulled the food processor out to get the pecans ground up decently. I think this contributed to my first non-burned attempt at this kind of thing. That and I kept the heat lower than usual. These were spicy, not surprisingly, given the name of the recipe, and Adam was pleased by that.

Pecan-Crusted Chicken

From The Biggest Loser Cookbook



Ingredients:
1 large egg white
2 tbsp minced toasted pecans
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp salt
2 small (1/4-pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly mist a small nonstick baking sheet with olive oil spray.

In a small, shallow bowl, beat the egg white with a fork.

In a small bowl, combine the pecans, parsley, and salt. Spread half of the mixture on a sheet of waxed paper. Dip 1 chicken breast into the egg white to coat. Place the smooth side of the breast on the nut mixture. Press to adhere. Place the breast, nut side up, on the prepare baking sheet. Repeat with the second breast and place on the baking sheet, not touching the other breast.

Bake for 20 minutes or until no longer pink. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Comments:
There they go with that olive oil mist thing. *sigh* I used parchment paper on the baking sheet. Worked fine. I also butterflied the breasts to make them thinner, coated both sides with the nuts. I'm a rebel.

This was pretty good. I think I'd try and get the nuts finer next time. I put them in my off-brand "Slap-Chop" and didn't really go to town on them. It might just be a personal preference, but I didn't like the big chunks of nuts.

I'd probably make this again. Simple, relatively quick, and tasty. (Oh, and not totally bad for you - that's a plus too.)

Layers of Love Chocolate Brownies

From the Copps ad in last week's newspaper. It's a Nestle recipe.



Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Baking Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut in pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup White Morsels
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
3/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease 8-inch-square baking pan.

Combine cocoa, flour and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Reserve 3/4 cup batter. Spread remaining batter into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle pecans and white morsels over batter. Drizzle caramel topping over top. Beat remaining egg and reserved batter in same large bowl until light in color. Stir in semi-sweet morsels. Spread evenly over caramel topping.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares.

Comments:
I could not get a decent picture of the individual brownie to save my life. I tried in the kitchen, by the window, in the living room. Adam tried. We failed. So yeah, you get the highly unattractive pan with one missing. Sorry...

Anywho, these are not for me. They have caramel and white chocolate, two things I do not like. But I did lick the knife I used to cut them and wow! they're chocolately. Very rich.

Adam Makes More Pies

For the Pumpkin:
Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
Whipped cream (optional)

Directions:
Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell. Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.


For the Pecan:
Ingredients:
1 cup Karo® Light OR Dark Corn Syrup
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans
1 (9-inch) unbaked or frozen deep-dish pie crust

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla using a spoon. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into pie crust. Bake on center rack of oven for 55 to 60 minutes. Cool for 2 hours on wire rack before serving.

Comments:
He liked the pumpkin so much the first time he made a couple more. He also made pecan because, I don't know, he was struck by the desire to do so. Whatever works. He took one of each to a Thanksgiving potluck at his work. They were a hit. That other thing in the middle there is a loaf of sourdough bread. I'm not sure how that turned out. I didn't get to eat any of it.

Toasted Butter Pecan Cake

From Taste of Home February/March 2008



Ingredients:
butter
chopped pecans
sugar
eggs
vanilla
flour
baking powder
salt
milk
cream cheese
confectioners' sugar

Comments:
I don't usually bake anything more complicated than drop cookies. But Adam spotted this in the magazine and so I tried to make it. It's fairly basic and simple until you get to the whole frosting thing. I don't have a turn table and I couldn't remember where I'd put my lazy susan since it didn't fit in the cabinets so I ended up just using the cake container. I also didn't have a spatula so I used a butter knife. Gah. I admit it wasn't the best result, you can totally tell the cake layers slid out of alignment, and I could have used some more frosting between the layers. Oh well. It still tasted just fine. Perhaps I'll invest in some more appropriate cake-making supplies before my next attempt.