Do-it-yourself junk food: Chicken Nuggets

Do-it-yourself junk food: Chicken Nuggets

June 23, 2010 – 3:05 pm

One of my son’s -we will call him “Buddy” -is autistic. He is also an addict. He is addicted to processed foods. And I am not exaggerating. If he gets around the stuff he can’t control himself. He must eat it.

One of Buddy’s favorite places to dwell is Grandma’s house and partake of her chicken nuggets. To Grandma’s credit she has searched far and wide for the most natural chicken nuggets in the freezer section.

But at our house there are no chicken nuggets. For one thing, I cannot afford it. I would be destitute in about 4 days given the rate Buddy eats all that stuff. The other thing is, because he is autistic, I am trying to feed him as natural and healthy as possible. “Possible” being the operative word.

My geru, Michael Pollan, says you can make all the junk food you want as long as you make it yourself. That means from scratch, kids. Opening a box and putting it in the oven doesn’t count.

So in an effort to please my kid, I have been searching for a way to make nuggets from scratch that he will not turn his nose up at. I hit the jackpot last week. It wasn’t too hard so if he requests them in the future, I can probably force myself to do it again.

I actually made two versions of chicken nuggets and both were a hit. One is full of spices and a little more work. Buddy preferred these-of course. But he liked the blander, easier version too. The rest of the kids were split 50/50.

You can bake these, but Buddy wants his fried in oil. Seriously, I think the secret to these nuggets’ success is that I fried them in peanut oil. They were pretty tasty. And as long as deep frying is the exception and not the rule , peanut oil is a great oil for frying.

Herb Crusted Chicken Nuggets:

3-4 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts-partially thawed and cut into nugget shapes

Bowl #1:

1 cup flour

Bowl #2:

1/2 c milk

1 tbl lemon juice

1 egg, beaten

Bowl #3 (for the breading):

2 cups bread crumbs, finely processed in a blender

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic

1 tsp oregano

1/2 Tbl parsley

1 Tbl parmesan cheese

Here is what you do:

Heat 2 TBl of oil in a skillet.

Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, then the egg mixture, then the breading. Place in single layer in the skillet. Cook until golden brown and then turn over. Cook until the chicken is done. Repeat until you have used all the chicken pieces.

Drain on a paper towel and enjoy this kiddelicious treat with some non high fructose corn syrup ketchup or BBQ sauce!

OR

Easy Chicken Nuggets:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, partially thawed and cut into nugget shapes

Bowl #1:

1/2 c milk

1 tbl lemon juice

1 egg, beaten

Bowl #2:

2 cups flour

salt

pepper

Dip cut up chicken pieces in first bowl, then second bowl.

Heat about 2 Tbl of oil in a skillet. Place in a single layer and cook until golden brown. Turn over and cook until done.

Repeat process until you have cooked all the chicken.

Simple and way better for you than McDonald’s.

Do-it-yourself junk food: Seasoned French Fries

According to my food geru, Michael Pollan, you can eat all the junk food you want as long as you make it yourself.

The theory behind this bold statement is this:

1. If you are making it yourself, that means from scratch. That means it is made from natural ingredients (you know, with things you can pronounce) which means it is going to be more healthy for you. And that means it isn’t really junk.

2. If you are making your own “junk food” it is going to be more labor intensive than just opening a box or a wrapper. Therefore you probably aren’t going to be eating these yummy treats all the time. So it is all good.

One of our very favorite homemade junk foods are these seasoned fries. These are pretty simple to make, especially if you have a french fry cutter and a highly motivated 15 year old boy to help you get the job done.

In fact, these are so easy, we might make them a little too often.

Seasoned Oven Fried Potatoes

6 large potatoes, washed and cut into strips

Set in a bowl of cold water until ready to use

Combine and pour into gallon ziploc bag or bowl:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 T grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp pepper

Drain the potatoes if you put them in water. Next pour the strips into the bag or bowl and coat potatoes well with oil mixture.

Spread the potatoes in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cook in a preheated 425 oven for about 20-30 minutes, turning over once.

This makes enough fries to fill up one baking sheet. With our large family, we usually double this recipe and make two sheets. Our favorite potatoes to use are red potatoes. Choose your favorite and try not to eat too many!

2 Comments

1. Jessica
   Posted June 1, 2010 at 12:03 pm

   Is the whole pan too many? You know how I feel about french fries. When we tried to make sweet potato fries at home, they didn’t turn out too well. Maybe it is time to try again.

2. Rachel
   Posted June 2, 2010 at 8:15 pm

   These sound delicious. We will have to try these.

Macaroni and Cheese

Here is a post/recipe from my friend Heather. This is yummy!

I love macaroni and cheese. I love the crappy yellow crappity-crap in the blue box. I love my aunt’s homemade mac and cheese. I love the stuff you get at the school cafeteria that’s 1 part glue and 2 parts gum. I love the magnificent baked mac and cheese at Cleburne’s Cafeteria in Houston (mecca for the comfort food lover). But I have never really liked the stuff I make.

The challenge for me in the mac and cheese department is that the stuff may be creamy and fantastic, but it tastes very bland. I’d prefer to keep the salt low, but I don’t want to sacrifice flavor.

This recipe may have solved that problem.

1 lb macaroni (I use Barilla elbows or Mueller’s corkscrews. Both have ridges that seem to hold the sauce better.)

1/2 cup butter
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp paprika
4 cups milk
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put generously salted water on to boil for macaroni. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente.

2. Sautée onions in butter over medium heat until translucent. Add spices and continue to sautée for another minute or two.

3. Add flour and stir together until clumpy. I’m a firm believer in letting roux cook for at least a minute or so after it clumps so you can cook the wheat and get rid of the flour taste. Just keep stirring it around the pan and letting it golden.

4. Add milk gradually until all four cups is incorporated. This means adding probably 1/4 cup at a time and stirring until that bit is incorporated, then adding 1/4 cup more. Once all the milk has been added, keep stirring until the sauce begins to bubble.

5. Add grated cheese and stir until melted.

6. Mix pasta and sauce in large bowl. Pour into greased 9X13 pan. Sprinkle bread crumbs and Parmesan on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes until top is golden and contents are bubbly.

This was pretty great at dinner, all crusty and chewy and cheesy, but it was even better lukewarm 3 hours later.-Heather

29.651634 -82.324826

4 Comments

1. Heathermommy
   Posted March 17, 2010 at 11:16 am

   Maybe it goes along with our name but I love mac n cheese, too. I remember loving the mac n cheese they served at our cafeteria at Northern.

   Questions – can I use wheat flour? And ground mustard – what is that?

2. Jessica
   Posted March 17, 2010 at 12:40 pm

   I love mac and cheese and so do my kids, of course. We’ll have to try out this recipe.

3. HK
   Posted March 17, 2010 at 1:20 pm

   Ground mustard is simple ground mustard seed. You can buy it ground or whole in the spice aisle. If you used wheat flour, either use less flour, or use the 1/2 cup and use more milk.

   I always find wheat flour needs more liquid than white in my recipes.

   And you can always add more cheese. The recipe I based this on originally called for an additional two cups of cheese on top.

4. Jen
   Posted March 18, 2010 at 7:05 am

   This sounds delicious-can’t wait to try it!

Friday Night Pizza (and a movie)

I am doing you a huge favor. I am divulging my secret recipe. And it is a little more healthy for you because it calls for wheat flour. It is a recipe that has brought joy to many people throughout the years. I am sharing the love.
Oh, the benefits of reading this blog!
I do not know exactly when the tradition started, about the time I was 14 or 15 maybe. I learned how to make home made pizza in my Home Economics class at school and it was a big hit at home and it was a frequent request.
Over the years I tweaked the recipe. When my husband and I cut down on white flour, I tweaked it even more so that it would work with wheat flour. I came up with a very simple recipe for the sauce that is so delicious but you can make your own recipe or open a jar of Ragu…whatever works.
Pizza and a movie just naturally go together. Every single Friday for the past 18 years, (or Saturday if the schedule must be changed for some very good reason), we have “Pizza/Movie Night”. The kids look forward to it all week. On the extremely rare occasion that we miss a Pizza/Movie Night, it would seem the world is about to come to an end.
Making home made pizza is a lot of work but this is a family night so everyone pitches in. And I figure I burn a heck of a lot of calories in the kitchen making the masterpiece and so I earn a couple of extra pieces of the cheesy goodness. That is what I tell myself anyway.
Even better is adding ice cream and brownies after the movie. But that is a recipe for another post.
And now the moment you have all been waiting for:
Dough:
4 cups Hot Water
1 Tbl honey
1 1/2 Tbl yeast
1/2 Cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
Mix and let foam.
Then add:
2 cups oats
2 cups white flour
5 cups wheat flour or enough so the dough is not sticky. If you have a bosch, this is when the dough comes clean off the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Preheat the oven to 450. Let the dough raise for about 20 minutes. Divide into 4 or 5 balls (depending on how thick/thin you like your pizza), roll out, and place on greased pizza pans. Prick the dough with a fork.
Now pre-cook the dough between 3-5 minutes. Do not let the crust begin to brown.
Pizza sauce:
1 can of crushed tomato (14oz)
3 small cans of tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
1-2 Tbl dried basil
Combine all ingredients in blender and place desired amount on pre-cooked crusts.
Toppings:
Mozzarella Cheese
Medium Cheddar Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
*Canadian Bacon
Pineapple
Pepperoni
*Sausage
Red Peepers
Green Onions
etc!
Add desired amount and combination of cheese and toppings. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
*We try to use home grown meat or buy nitrate/nitrite free meat.
Cook two pizzas at a time, switching them on the racks after about 7-10 minutes. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese starts to turn a delightful golden/brown color.

Pop in a family flick, stuff your face, and have a great time with your family!
Note to those of you who have been a guest at our pizza table: I once had a friend say to me while watching me making these, “This really is an art for you, isn’t it?”Yes, it is true. Don’t be sad if your pizza doesn’t turn out exactly like mine. Keep perfecting it, adding your own desired changes, and soon you will be a Pizza Master like me:)

3 Comments

1. Rachel
   Posted March 12, 2010 at 5:39 pm
   I too make homemade pizza. Of late I have been lazy and have reverted back to white flour crust only. I need to repent and get back to my wheat/oat/white flour combo. We do pizza and movie night on Fridays too. It’s way fun!
   
2. Jessica
   Posted March 12, 2010 at 7:03 pm
   I’m thrilled you shared this recipe with us. I can’t wait to have Josh make pizza for me.
   
3. Traci Cozzocrea
   Posted May 17, 2010 at 8:52 pm
   Cannot wait to try this one!
   

Better for You Chocolate Syrup

Who knew that making your own chocolate syrup was so GOSH DARN EASY?

Certainly not me.

I came across this recipe and it is so simple. Quick, easy, and a lot better for you than the stuff you buy at the store. I will never buy it again!

I have an autistic son and he loves chocolate syrup. I rarely give him any because the very first ingredient listed on the store bought variety is -you guessed it -high fructose corn syrup! I try to avoid hfcs like the plague, but I especially do not feel good about giving it to my boy with autism.

Here is what you do:

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup sugar

dash salt

1 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

Combine the cocoa, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Next add the water and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil for one minute. Let it cool and then add the vanilla.

I store the syrup in a mason jar in the fridge.

This is perfect for chocolate milk or pouring over ice cream and brownies-yum….

As a fairly important side note, I’ll mention the kind of sugar I use. I buy a brand of sugar called Wholesome Sweetners. It is available in a big bag at Costco and it is organic evaporated cane juice -”the perfect organic replacement for white refined sugar”. We don’t use a ton of sugar so even though this is bit more expensive, it is ever so worth it. We use it in cookies, brownies, cakes-you name it. Everything turns out great! I highly recommend it.

4 Comments

1. craftystaci
   Posted March 2, 2010 at 3:20 pm |

   Thanks Jen! I’ll be trying this one. Any idea how long it’s shelf life in the fridge is?

   • Jen
     Posted March 2, 2010 at 5:06 pm

     I am not sure about the shelf life. I found a similar recipe on another site that said it would last several months. I will probably never be able to test that because if I make this recipe, it gets eaten up in about 2-3 days by my kids!

2. Melissa
   Posted March 2, 2010 at 5:08 pm

   Yummy! Jen, will you please post your frozen yogurt pie recipe??!! Unless it’s a secret….

3. Tessie
   Posted April 17, 2010 at 9:42 pm

   Aunt Jenny! This is yummy!! But I used 3/4 cup honey instead of sugar cause I was out and it worked really well! Love ya tons!!