Donny Mac's Chicken Sandwhich

I have never been to a Donny Mac's, and for that matter, I don't even know what they are... but I did find a knock off Donny Mac Chicken Sandwhich online HERE, and thought it sounded tasty.  And it was.  So I now share it with you! 


The Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, halved and pounded to ¼” thickness
3-4 c. buttermilk (enough to cover the chicken)
oil for frying


Breading:
8 oz pkg. Panko bread crumbs
2/3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. cayenne
2 Tbsp. Garlic powder
1 Tbsp. paprika
½ Tbsp. Thyme


Sauce:
1/2 c. corn
1 c. buttermilk
½ c. ranch dressing
salt & pepper to taste
2 -3 Tbsp. chopped green onion
2 c. chopped cabbage
4 Cibatta buns


The Instructions:
Place chicken breasts in medium-sized bowl and pour buttermilk over until chicken is pretty much swimming buttermilk. Refrigerate overnight.
For the sauce: Sauté corn until a little caramelized and blend in a food processor. Add buttermilk and ranch to food processor and pulse 1-2 times until well mixed. Stir in green onion and set aside.
Combine breading ingredients until all ingredients are mixed in really well and pour in a shallow dish. Place chicken in bread crumbs. Press it down then let it sit for a few seconds so the break crumbs really stick on there.
Heat oil in a deep pan, or deep fryer and add breaded chicken. Fry until golden brown and cooked through.
Combine cabbage and about ¼ c.- ½ c. of the sauce to make the slaw (you just want the cabbage covered in the sauce, not drowning in it). Do this right before putting on the sandwich so it doesn’t get soggy.
To serve: Toast Cibatta in toaster or oven until slightly toasted. Add a little of the remaining sauce to the bottom bun. Place fried chicken on bun, slap on some “slaw” and top with remaining bun.

Mexican Rice and Beans

This makes a great side dish to any Mexican food.  I found two recipes and adapted them to make them mine, and lemme tell ya, I LOVE it!

The Ingredients:
3T vegetable oil
1 c. long grain rice (uncooked)
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. tomato sauce
2 c. chicken broth
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chopped green chiles
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
garnish: sour cream, diced tomato, cheese

The Instructions:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add rice. Cook, stirring constantly until puffed and golden.  While rice is cooking sprinkle with salt and cumin.  Stir in onions and cook until they are tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes .  Add beans, chiles, and cilantro and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.  Serve with whatever garnishes you prefer!

Tried and True Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been searching for YEARS for the perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.  Now, I know my idea of perfect and yours MAY be different.  Therefore I will start by saying that my idea of the perfect cookie is soft, chewy and SUPER THICK.  I hate puddle cookies.  Hate em!  And through the many years of searching, I have finally found my favorite thus far.  This recipe is ALL over Pinterest right now, and I must admit, I can see why...

The Ingredients:

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. sugar

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

milk chocolate chips, as many as you like

The Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream together butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine.  Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt and add to wet ingredients.  Mix to combine and stir in the chocolate chips.  Chill dough for 30 minutes (optional).  Use a small cookie scoop and drop dough onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until barely golden around the edges.  The key is to NOT overbake.  

If you want crispy cookies, omit the cornstarch and replace the baking soda with baking powder.

Baked Monte Cristos

Okay... so this recipe was surprisingly simple, and very tasty. The puff pastry gave it a buttery, light taste that is hard to beat. I found this recipe at Mmm...Cafe


The Ingredients:
1  egg
1 sheet Puff Pastry, thawed
4 thin slices deli Black Forest ham
4 slices deli Swiss cheese (about 4 ounces)
Confectioners' sugar
Pure maple syrup

The Instructions:
Heat the oven to 400°F.  Beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork.
Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface.  Cut the pastry in half, diagnally to create two large triangles. Brush the edges of the pastries with egg.
With a corner of 1 pastry facing you, place 2 slices ham and 1 slice cheese on the bottom half of the pastry.  Fold the pastry over the filling to form a triangle and press the edges to seal.  Crimp the edges with a fork.  Repeat with the remaining pastry.  Brush the top of the pastries with the egg mixture.  Place the pastries onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.  Sprinkle the pastries with the confectioners' sugar.  Serve with the maple syrup.

Oreo Cheesecake Ice Cream

So I love me some Cheesecake, and my husband loves Cookies and Cream Ice Cream.  So of course, it stands to reason that this recipe is the perfect combo for both of us!  I was a little sad that the Oreo's overpowered the cheesecake a little, but my husband disagrees.  What do you think?  (This recipe was found online at The Girl Who Ate Everything)  

The Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

4 oz. cream cheese, softened or room temperature

1 egg

1/2 t. vanilla

3/4 c. milk

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

1 row of crumbled Oreo cookies

The Instructions:

Beat the sugar and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Set aside.

Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan. Slowly beat the hot milk into the cheese mixture. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the egg will scramble. Remove from the heat and pour the hot cheese custard through a strainer into a large bowl. Allow the custard to cool slightly, then stir in the the cream. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight if you plan ahead.

Stir the chilled custard, then freeze in your ice cream machine according the manufacturers instructions, adding the crumbled Oreos to the machine when the ice cream is almost done. Allow the machine to mix in the cookies. When finished the ice cream will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 2 hours.

Chicken Noodle Soup

I found this recipe online and fell in love with the simplicity of this dish.  So good, so simple, and easy to make!

The Ingredients:

6 cups water
4 chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
1 onion
1 cup of thinly sliced carrots
2 TBS. Better than Bouillon (Chicken Flavor, of course)
1/2 cup finely diced celery-(I don't always add celery) it's good either way
2/3's bag of Homestyle Egg Pasta (or homemade noodles)


The Instructions:
In a large stock pot combine water, chicken and salt. Boil until chicken is cooked completely through. Remove the cooked chicken into your kitchen aid and (with the cookie paddle) shred your chicken (30 seconds on the lowest speed). Keep the broth. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out. Strain the broth to get a nice clear broth for the soup and put it back into the stock pot.

Peel onion and dice. Combine 1/2 c. of water and onion in a food processor. Puree for 30 seconds, add to the chicken broth. Add carrots, bouillon and celery. Bring to a boil, then add noodles. Cook the noodles until done, 15-20 minutes. Add the chicken. If you need to add more liquid to the soup, either add a can of Swanson's chicken broth or water and season with more of the chicken bouillon to taste. Add bouillon granules and pepper to taste. 

Pineapple Beef

This recipe was given to me by one of my favorite people ever.  My cousin told me about this dish, and I must admit, I was skeptical...  But then I ate it.  Consider me schooled! This was fabulous! Thanks, Ju!

The Ingredients:

1 lb Beef (ground or chunk)

onion

green bell pepper

garlic

2 Tbs cornstarch

1/3 cup brown sugar

¼ cup red wine vinegar

3 Tbs soy sauce

1 can pineapple tidbits, separated from juice (keep juice)

The Instructions:

Brown beef with onion garlic and bell pepper.  In a separate bowl mix cornstarch, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and pineapple juice together.  Add sauce to beef.  Simmer about 15-20 minutes.  Add pineapple and warm through.  Serve over rice.