I know, weird name and you may be wondering what it has to do with food.  LOL

 

Well it’s actually pancakes but they’re stirred around the skillet, hence the name.  I’m going to share a simple pancake batter with you, but I’m thinking any pancake batter will do so by all means use your favorite.

Credit goes to Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks.  I don’t know what I would do without these, they are amazing

Stir Abouts

2 cups of flour
1 T. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla extract
2 c. milk
1 egg, beaten
Garnish: butter, maple syrup


In a large bowl, beat all ingredients except garnish together until smooth.

 

Heat a lightly greased skillet over medium-high heat. Drop large spoonfuls of the batter into skillet.

 

When golden on one side, turn over with a pancake turner; chop batter into one-inch pieces.
Keep turning and cooking until set and golden on all sides. Serve with butter and maple syrup. Serves 4.

© 2006 - 2012 Full Bellies, Happy Kids - All Rights Reserved

Galinha de Fricasse (Chicken Fricassee)

Without doubt, one of my favorite meals from my childhood.  I remember when my grandmother would make it, I would get so giddy at the dinner table  because I knew I would be enjoying this amazing sauce that I would dip my bread into.

Do you dip your bread into gravies/sauces?  I swear Portuguese people are all about the sauce or the “molho”.  It just screams out at  you and you immediately reach for the bread to sop it all up…..Lordy I’m making myself drool here.  HA!

 

So back to this dish.  You’re probably sitting there staring at the monitor and thinking “that’s all great but what on earth does Fricassee even mean?”.

Well Fricassee is basically a stew and though it sounds confusing and gourmet with a name like that, believe me, it’s extremely easy to make, the only intimidating part of it is the end but if you follow the recipe you’re be fine.

I will also tell you that the Fricassee that I’m used to and that I’ve had my whole life not only at home but in Portuguese Restaurants too is very different than the ones I’ve found here in the States…..so I’m giving you my recipe for how I was taught how to make it.

Galinha de Fricassee (Chicken Fricassee)

1 lb chicken (you can use thighs, legs, tenders or whatever you wish)
1 medium onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
olive oil
fresh parsley
2 eggs
lemon juice from half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste


In a pot, boil the chicken until done. Set aside.
In a pan (I used my cast iron one), drizzle a bit of olive oil, add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes just until the onion turns transparent, don’t burn the garlic though.

 

Add about a handful of chopped parsley and stir well.

 

Add a cup of the chicken stock, stir well, add the cooked chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Let it simmer for about 10 minutes for the flavors to combine. In a small bowl beat the eggs with a fork, add the lemon juice and combine well.

NOW….when you’re ready to make the sauce keep in mind that this is a very quick step and you need to stay on top of it, this is the intimidating part because you don’t want the egg to cook at all.

Pour the egg mixture in slowly and stir continuously, do NOT let it boil, just stir and cook for a few seconds until you see it start thickening. IMMEDIATELY turn the stove off and pour the chicken into a serving dish, preferably not warm or hot. You want to stop the cooking process and not allow the egg to continue cooking. You should be left with a very creamy yummy gravy.

 

Serve with rice or mashed potatoes


© 2006 - 2012 Full Bellies, Happy Kids - All Rights Reserved

Costeletas Panadas - Breaded Pork Chops

This was dinner Thursday night.
I don’t have a recipe for you because I think that everyone pretty much knows how to bread and fry a steak or chicken or whatever it may be.

But here are a few tips for you.

When frying food that is previously cooked, I usually stick to just a dip in egg and then rolled in bread crumbs. When you’re frying food that is raw you should always go with, flour then egg, then breadcrumbs. Now don’t think that I’m telling you this because there’s some sort of rule or law about it, I’m just telling you the way I do it.

If you’re cooking for more than one or two and you know it will be a while between the time the food is done frying and the actual sitting down to eat, you should double up and do flour, egg, breadcrumbs, egg, breadcrumbs again. It will give you a double thick crust which also serves kind of as a wall between the steak and the crust and will keep it from going soggy faster.

You know how when you do a chicken fried steak, after a while the breaded part is no longer crispy and it’s more of a soggy mess? That’s what I’m talking about.
So, nothing out of this world, just a few little tips that I’ve picked up along the way and thought I would pass it along.


© 2006 - 2012 Full Bellies, Happy Kids - All Rights Reserved

Chicken with Mushroom Gravy and Garlic Lemon Spaghetti

So as I said when I posted my Menu Plan, the next two weeks are going to be all about Portuguese food.  I love it when I can just concentrate on my heritage and the food that is a huge part of the Portuguese Culture.

 

My family get so excited everytime I say it’s Portuguese time on the menus, the kids especially jump up and down.  LOL

It’s one of the reasons why I love cooking so much, I not only enjoy creating delicious meals but the joy that I see in my family’s faces when I serve them something, is more than enough to remind me that I’m doing a good thing

So today’s recipe is just a simple meal that anyone can fix.  There’s nothing special about the chicken actually, what gives it the wow factor is the simple yet crazily good spaghetti.

Chicken with Mushroom Gravy & Garlic Lemon Spaghetti

1 lb chicken breasts, sliced into strips
Salt, pepper and garlic powder
Mushroom soup or gravy (here’s the kicker, you can use whatever you want, either a good mushroom dry soup mix, or even condensed cream of mushroom)
Spaghetti noodles
Butter
Lemon
Garlic
Parsley


Cook the spaghetti noodles in water drizzled with a little olive oil.

In a big skillet, add a little olive oil and the chicken strips, season with the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Fry until chicken is cooked through and brown on both sides. Add the cream of mushroom soup, a little bit of water to thin it a bit, stir well and heat through. Set aside.

When the spaghetti is cooked, drain. Pour it into a bowl and then add butter to taste (I add about 2 tablespoons or so), drizzle with the juice of half a lemon, season with a little bit of salt and garlic powder. Finish with a little chopped parsley.

Serve with the chicken. Enjoy

© 2006 - 2012 Full Bellies, Happy Kids - All Rights Reserved

One of my fondest memories is of being in Portugal and going to Belem.  Not only is it amazingly beautiful but if you ever visit the city you HAVE to try the Pasteis de Nata, or Pasteis de Belem.

 

Custard Tarts with this flaky crust and a delicious creamy center.  I’ve tried for many years to replicate them and I’ll be honest, I don’t think you’ll ever get a recipe that matches but these are pretty good.

You can find a plethora of recipes around the net but I like using the one from Leite’s Culinaria.  The only thing I change is that I add in a little vanilla extract to my custard.

Recipe courtesy of David Leite

Pasteis de Nata

Pastry
Puff Pastry
(the longer way you would make the pastry from scratch,
but I’m all for shortcuts since I don’t have the time to
be in the kitchen that long)

Custard
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
6 egg yolks

• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/16-inch thickness.
• Cut out 6 (4 1/2-inch) circles.
• (If you don’t have a cookie cutter, a wide-mouth jar works well.) Ease the dough circles into a 12-cup (4-ounce capacity) nonstick muffin tin, pressing out any overlapping folds.
• Repeat with the remaining dough.

• Place the tin in the freezer for 5 minutes.
• Remove and trim any overhang with the back of a knife so that the pastry cups are flush with the top of the tins.
• Line dough cups with cupcake papers and fill with dried beans or pastry weights.
• Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 8 to 10 minutes to set.
• Make the custard.
• Dissolve the cornstarch in 1/4 cup of the cream in a medium bowl.
• Add the remaining cream and sugar, and stir until the mixture is smooth and the sugar dissolves.
• Check for sugar granules with a spoon; none should remain.
• In a small bowl, blend the yolks with a fork until smooth.
• Add the yolks to the cream mixture, stirring gently to combine.
• Ladle the egg mixture into the partially baked pastry cups, filling to 2/3 capacity.
• Bake in at 350°F (180°C) until the edges of the custard are puffed and middle is still jiggly, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• (The custard will continue to cook.) Cool completely in the tin.
• The pastéis are best when eaten the same day.

© 2006 - 2012 Full Bellies, Happy Kids - All Rights Reserved