Creamy Chicken Breasts

These chicken breasts are so delicious and easy to make. Be sure to use the brine for the breasts, it keeps them moist and delicious. It will take 4 hours to brine the breasts so do this step early in the day. You can also assemble this recipe and freeze to be cooked later from frozen. 

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 slices Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese divided
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Brine:

• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 Tbs Salt
• 5 pepper corns
• 1 bay leaf

Side:

• Riced Cauliflower (Optional)

Directions:

Brine the chicken:

1. Dissolve the salt into the water and add the pepper and bay leaf.
2. Place the chicken breasts in a zip-lock bag and pour in the brine and burp out the air and seal.
3. Place the bag in a bowl in the fridge
4. Let the breasts soak for at least 4 hours but not more than 8 (they may get mealy)

Assembly and Cooking:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Pat chicken dry and place in a greased 13x9 baking dish or foil pan.
3. Add cheese slices to the top of chicken breasts.
4. In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, pepper and garlic powder.
5. Spread the mixture over chicken and sprinkle the top with remaining Parmesan cheese.
6. If freezing, cover tightly and freeze for cooking later.
7. Bake for 1 hour or until a thermometer inserted in the breasts reads 165.  
8. Serve over riced cauliflower or serve alone. The sauce is delicious, so you want to be sure to have a side dish that can soak it up.

Yield: 4 chicken breasts with sauce.

Crunchy Almond Crackers

These are great with spreadable soft cheeses, but they do not hold up to dipping and break apart easily. If you want these gluten free, leave out the all purpose flour and the oil, but I find the AP flour adds some much-needed strength to the crackers. 

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg 
• 1 Tablespoon Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup Fine ground Almond Flour
• 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour

• sprinkle of kosher salt or sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Whisk together the egg, oil, salt, and pepper.
3. Add the almond flour and AP flour and stir until the mixture comes together.
4. Place the dough onto a sheet of parchment.
5. Press the dough out, then top with another piece of parchment. Roll the dough to 10" x 12" and 1/8 inch thick. This is hard and takes some time.
6. Remove top paper, and use a pizza wheel or knife to cut 1' squares.
7. Sprinkle kosher salt or sesame seeds on top and press in lightly with the rolling pin a little.
8. Move crackers, on the parchment, to a baking sheet.
9. Bake the crackers for 14-16 minutes, until they're light golden brown. The crackers around the perimeter will brown more quickly, feel free to remove them as the center one continue to cook.
10. Cool crackers on a rack completely before storing airtight.

Yield: about 10 dozen 1 inch crackers.

The Best Pumpkin Pancakes Ever

Pumpkin Pancakes
Serves: 9

We made these during the Christmas holiday this year when friends slept over after an awesome game night. Everyone loved them! I have scaled the recipe to use an entire can of pumpkin puree. Enjoy!

Wet Ingredients
-------------------------------------
2 1/4 Cups Milk 
1     Pumpkin Puree Can (15 oz) 
2     Eggs 
3     Tablespoons Vegetable Oil 
3     Tablespoons Vinegar 

Dry Ingredients
--------------------------------------
3     Cups All Purpose Flour 
4 1/2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar 
1     Tablespoon Baking Powder 
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda 
1 1/2 Tablespoons Pumpkin Pie Spice 
3/4   Teaspoons Salt

Irish Pork Stew

Recipe By:Chef John
Instant Pot Conversion: Matt Sargent

2 1/2 lbs of boneless pork shoulder with fat removed and cut into 2-inch cubes
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs butter or ghee
1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 bay leaf
1 tsp caraway seed
1 (12 fluid ounce) bottle dark beer (such as Guinness)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 sweet potatoes, cubed and divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
12 Brussels sprouts, halved
3 cups mashed cauliflower, or as needed
1 tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, or to taste

3D Printed Leg Cookie Cutter

This is where a couple of my hobbies have come together in a unique way.

My daughter pointed out a recipe for a Christmas cookie that resembles the famous lamp from the movie "A Christmas Story".

In the recipe, (here) they provide a link to a stencil to use when cutting out the leg shapes for the cookies.

That struck me as something that could be done better with a cookie cutter. Since I recently acquired a 3D printer and have gained some very modest 3D modelling skills, I thought I could make a cookie cutter that filled the bill - it is the exact same size and shape as the stencil that is provided in the recipe.

Here is what I came up with:

And as a gift to you, here is the 3D model so that you can print out a cookie cutter too!

Leg Cookie Cutter.STL

Here is the link to it on Thingiverse.com : Leg Lamp Cookie Cutter

Or if you want to simply buy two already printed, send me an email or visit ebay (link coming soon) and buy a set.

Happy Holidays!

Matt