Copy Cat Chickfila Nuggets

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 cup dill pickle juice
• 1 1/2 cups milk, divided
• 1 cup peanut oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

FOR THE HONEY MUSTARD

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. To make the honey mustard, whisk together mayonnaise, honey, mustards and lemon juice in a small bowl; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine chicken, pickle juice and 1/2 cup milk; marinate for at least 30 minutes. Drain well.
3. Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 1 cup milk and egg. Stir in chicken and gently toss to combine; drain excess milk mixture.
5. In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken, flour and confectioners’ sugar; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
7. Serve immediately with honey mustard.

Chicken BBQ tostadas

• 8 tostada shells or 8 corn tortillas, brushed lightly with olive oil and baked for 3-5 minutes per side, until crispy
• 3 cups cooked and shredded chicken
• 1 1/2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce, divided
• 2 cups shredded cheese (Mary uses mozzarella in the cookbook, but I have also used cheddar, Monterey Jack, or a blend)
• 3 green onions, very thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lay out the tostada shells (or baked tortillas) on two rimmed baking sheets.
2. Combine the chicken and 1 cup of the barbecue sauce in a small bowl, and stir to coat.
3. Divide the chicken between the tostada shells and top with the cheese (about ¼ cup on each).
4. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, just until the cheese is melted.
5. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the remaining ½ cup barbecue sauce. Sprinkle with green onions, if desired.

Raspberry Scones

Needed:

• Scones
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold, unsalted butter
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 large lemon, zested
• ¾ cups heavy cream
• ¾ cup frozen raspberries
• Glaze
• ½ large lemon, juiced
• ½ to 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut butter into ¼-inch pieces and return it to the refrigerator to keep it cold until needed.
2. Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a large wide bowl. Mix to combine.
4. Add butter to the dry ingredients and toss it to coat with flour. Working quickly with clean fingers or a pastry blender, rub or cut butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.
5. Add frozen raspberries to the mixture and toss to coat. Drizzle the heavy cream evenly over the mixture. Toss with a fork, scraping up from the bottom, until the dough starts to clump together. Knead the mixture together in the bowl until it comes together in a mass. It’s okay if there are a few stray bits and dry patches; the most important thing is to avoid overworking the dough.
6. Turn out the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press in stray bits gently and shape the dough into an a 7 to 8-inch square about ¾-inch thick. It should look a bit rough and ragged.
7. Using a knife or bench scraper, divide the square into 9 smaller squares. Divide each square in half diagonally to make 18 small triangles.
8. Separate the scones carefully to give them room to spread. Bake until pale golden, about 12 to 15 minutes.
9. To prepare the glaze, combine lemon juice and ½ cup confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Add more sugar, as needed to create the desired consistency for glazing.
10. Cool scones for at least 10 minutes before glazing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Neal's Ricotta Scones

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter
• ½ cup green onions or scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• ⅔ cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water (for egg wash)
• sea salt
• black pepper
• smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Grate butter into the flour mixture and stir with a fork until the consistency of coarse meal.
• Stir in scallions and fresh herbs. Add ricotta cheese, then add milk and stir until just combined.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 2 to 3 times, then pat dough into a 9-inch rectangle. Dip knife into flour and cut dough into 12 equal pieces.
• Transfer scones to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush tops liberally with egg wash. Sprinkle tops with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and smoked paprika.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until scones are golden brown.

Cliss's Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 2 cups Simple Truth Organic Rolled Oats
• 1/2 cup Walnut Pieces
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup Brown Sugar (divided, reserve 2 Tablespoons - 1/4 cup for topping. May substitute 100% real maple syrup)
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon (optional)
• 2 cups Milk
• 2 large Simple Truth Eggs
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
• 1 1/2 cups Fresh Fruit (optional: apples, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together rolled oats, brown sugar, nuts, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Reserve 1/4 cup of brown sugar for the topping. 
2. In another bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla. In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave.
3. Add all ingredients together and place in an 8 or 9-inch baking dish. If you want to add fruit to the baked oatmeal, place it at the bottom of the baking dish. Some of the best fruits to use are -- apples, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc. I would suggest using about 1 1/2 cups of fresh fruit.
4. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar all over the top of the oatmeal. This helps to create a sugary crust when it is baked. Bake for 35-45 minutes. Once it is baked, top with fresh berries or your favorite fruits. Serve warm. 

Swig Sugar Cookie Bars

         INGREDIENTS:

• ½ cup softened butter
• ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp Canola or Vegetable oil
• ½ cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• pinch of baking soda approx 1/16 of a tsp
• a little extra granulated sugar for sprinkling on top of dough before baking (about 1-2 TBSP)
• FROSTING RECIPE:
• ¼ cup softened butter
• 1 ounce softened cream cheese
• 1½ cups powdered sugar
• pinch of salt
• dash of vanilla
• 1-2 tbsp milk or cream
• DIRECTIONS FOR FROSTING: Mix butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla with a hand mixer or whisk. Add in the milk or cream until nice and smooth. Frost bars when they are completely cooled.

INSTRUCTIONS:

DIRECTIONS FOR COOKIE BARS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside
Using your mixer thoroughly cream butter, oil, granulated sugar and powdered sugar until combined
Add egg, water and vanilla and mix until well combined
Add flour and sprinkle in salt, baking powder and baking soda, mix for approx 1 minute or until completely combined
Spread/press cookie mixture evenly into greased 9x13 pan. ( like to use a sandwich baggie on my hand to press it down evenly. Spray baggie with cooking spray if necessary)
Evenly sprinkle 1 tbsp of sugar over the uncooked bars before placing them in the oven
Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until edges are just barely turning a light brown. Do not over bake or bars will be dry.
Let cool completely and frost with frosting recipe before cutting.

Pasta Salad

My friend Sher just shared this recipe she made up on Facebook. If I don't post it here, I'll never make it. But it looks delicious.


1 box rotini pasta (she prefers Rainbow)

Cook pasta, rinse in cool water until cooled.

Add:
1 can whole olives
1 container grape tomatoes
1 sliced cucumber
1 cut up red onion, add desired amount
1 container feta cheese

Mix together with enough Italian salad dressing to coat everything.

Also suggested, mozzarella cheese and cut up pepperoni.