Oven "Fried" Chicken

The other evening I decided it was cool enough to risk having the oven on to cook dinner, so we had Oven "Fried" Chicken.

Except for grilling in the summertime, this is my most frequently used method of cooking chicken. If you want baked potatoes also, then start baking them 15 to 30 minutes before the chicken.

Ingredients:
Skinless bone-in or boneless chicken pieces, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
Olive oil
Fine dry breadcrumbs, seasoned or not
Italian seasoning (a prepared blend of marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano, and basil; McCormick is available locally for me) or other herb seasoning of your choice

Equipment:
Glass baking dish large enough to hold the chicken pieces in a single layer
Tongs or a fork
Plastic bag for breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Pour enough olive oil into the baking dish to coat the bottom and leave a shallow puddle.
3. Pour about ½ cup (or more) breadcrumbs into a gallon-size plastic bag, then put in a chicken piece and shake to coat it in breadcrumbs. Put the coated piece in the baking dish, underside up. When all of the chicken pieces are coated and arranged in the dish, sprinkle Italian seasoning over them all.
4. Put the dish into the oven and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
5. At the end of 30 minutes, remove the dish from the oven, and turn the chicken pieces. Sprinkle more Italian seasoning over the chicken.
6. Put the dish back into the oven and bake for 15 more minutes, or until done.

Lucky Puppy

We feed our dog at the same time we have dinner ourselves. He loves chicken, so we give him a little of it cut up into tiny pieces. If there are any juices left in the baking dish, we pour it over his dry food, put on the chicken pieces and mix it all up. Guaranteed clean bowl, and a happy dog.

Waiting Impatiently for Fall

Now that we are well into August, periodically we've been getting a day or two of cooler weather in western New York, and I'm loving it. Fall is my favorite time of year, although it wasn't until I was out of school and working that I truly realized it.

As a child I always looked forward to school starting up again, but part of that anticipation was just looking for something new after the activities of summer had palled. Where I grew up in southeastern Michigan, the first day of school was the Thursday following Labor Day. I always wanted to wear a new outfit the first day, but I was lucky if I got to wear my new school shoes because the beginning of September was still summery warm weather, and I'd have roasted in cool weather clothes in a non-air-conditioned school.

Fall is a transitional time, clearing away the remains of summer and preparing for winter. Nowadays for my husband Conrad and me, it means getting the chimney of the woodstove cleaned and ordering firewood; it means doing all the cleaning and tidying up that did not get done in spring; it means that I will be able to wear my handknit wool sweaters and socks again; and that I will feel much more inclined to cook and bake!

For knitters Fall also means getting ready for cold weather and the holiday gift-giving season. Soon the knitters who have been on hiatus over the summer, will notice cooler weather and be ready to get back into knitting again. Small projects such as hats, mittens, scarves and their variations will be started, perhaps as gifts for family and friends. The more ambitious will work on sweaters, shawls or throws.

Truly dedicated knitters - such as myself ;) - knit year-round, and have been making small or lightweight projects during hot weather. I'm always partial to socks - I will devote a future post entirely to socks - but I like to make them out of fine sock yarn on size 0 (2.5 mm) double-pointed needles.

Currently I am still working on the Zaza cardigan. Both fronts and the back are done, and I'm working on the first sleeve. Shortly I will have to get to work on samples for my knitting classes at New York Knits, but I'd like to have most of Zaza done.

I know from past experience that if I set a project aside to work on one that seems a higher priority, then it may be a long while before I get back to the first, and something may be lost while that projects sits and waits. Even though I try to be conscientious about making notes about my knitting, too often I will forget to jot down ideas I have while working on it, thinking well, of course, I'm going to remember that. ha.

Quick Carrot Cake

Here is the recipe for carrot cake that I gave to Bonnie W. I first made it when my husband and I had a friend from college visit, and he would still be with us for his birthday. I offered to bake a cake for him and asked what kind he'd like, expecting and hoping that he'd say chocolate, since I had a recipe I liked for chocolate cake. Tim surprised me and said he'd really like a carrot cake. Oh. OK. I searched through all of my cookbooks for the simplest and smallest one because 1) I'm lazy and, 2) three people don't need a big cake hanging around begging to be eaten. As it was, the cake disappeared within 24 hours.

I found this recipe in One-Pot Cakes by Andrew Schloss and Ken Bookman. This is a great book for me because all of the cakes can be made with a pot, a spoon and a pan. “Pot” because if using butter in the recipe, the butter is half-melted in a pot on the stove, then removed from the heat. Everything is mixed with a spoon, which is doable because the fat is liquid. Less heat-sensitive ingredients are added next (sugar, vanilla, spices) then eggs, then dry ingredients. Baking soda and baking powder are added in pinches so you can use your fingers to break them up. A lot of the recipes make single-layer cakes, which I like because I don’t want a huge cake tempting us. All of the frosting recipes make just enough for a single layer. Both kinds of recipes can be doubled, of course, for a bigger cake.

Quick Carrot Cake
It's simple and makes a single layer, but it can be doubled. The cake is dense and flavorful, but not oily. With cream cheese frosting you might want to keep the cake in the fridge.

Ingredients
2 eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups shredded carrots (or 4 carrots, peeled and shredded)
1 cup nut pieces (walnuts or pecans)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8-inch cake pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a fork until well blended.
3. Mix in the sugar.
4. Add the oil in a steady stream, mixing all the while, until the mixture is thick and smooth.
5. Mix in the vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Add the baking soda in pinches, breaking up any lumps with your fingers. Stir in thoroughly.
6. Stir in the flour, shredded carrots, and nut pieces, just until blended.
7. Pour and scrape the batter into the pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool on the rack for about 15 minutes more.

Makes 8 servings.

Source: One-Pot Cakes by Andrew Schloss and Ken Bookman

Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese or light cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 3 tablespoons milk to thin frosting, if needed

Directions
1. Beat the cream cheese and butter with a fork or whisk until smooth. (Could also use an electric mixer.)

2. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth and fluffy.

3. Beat in the vanilla. If the frosting is too thin, refrigerate to thicken.

Makes about 1 ½ cups, or enough to generously frost a single cake layer.

adapted from: One-Pot Cakes by Andrew Schloss and Ken Bookman