Crispy Air-Fryer Chicken Thighs

 

Ingredients 

1 lb bone-in chicken thighs 

2 cups buttermilk 

1 tablespoon hot sauce 

1cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups panko crumbs

¼ cup Smokehouse seasoning or your favorite chicken seasoning 

Olive oil cooking spray

Directions

In a large bowl with a cover, combine the buttermilk and hot sauce. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.

The next day combine the salt and flour in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish combine the panko with the seasoning.

Place a wire cake rack on top of a plate. 

Take a chicken thigh out of the buttermilk and dredge in flour. Coat with buttermilk again and then place in the dish with the panko mix. Press the crumbs onto the chicken on all sides. Place the coated chicken on the wire rack. Repeat the process with the remaining chicken.

Place the chicken on the wire rack plate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

When ready to cook, set the air-fryer temperature at 400 degrees and preheat for 5 minutes.

Spray the chicken with olive oil cooking spray.

Place the chicken in the air-.fryer basket. Cook for 15 minutes.

Turn the chicken pieces over and spray with cooking spray. Cook for 15 minutes.

I served this entre with leftover Macaroni and Cheese and Green Beans. See recipes with this link:

https://jovinacoughlin.blogspot.com/2024/04/oven-baked-fish-filets-and-stove-top.html

Cheesy Onion Burgers with Air-Fryer Frozen French Fries

 

Cheesy Onion Burgers

Ingredients

2 servings

2-5 oz lean  ground beef burgers

Steak seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

1 medium onion, sliced into thin rounds 

4 slices American cheese

1 tablespoon Olive oil

2 hamburger bums. toasted

Ketchup or other burger condiments

Directions

In a 10-inch skillet with a cover, heat the oil over medium. Place the onion slices, whole, in the skillet and let brown slowly. Carefully turn the onion slices over keeping them whole and brown the second side. 

Sprinkle the burgers with steak seasoning, salt and pepper.

Lower the heat a little and place the burgers on top of the onion and cover the pan. Let cook for 6 minutes. Carefully turn the burgers over and with a wide spatula press down on the but\rgers to flatten, Cover the pan and cook for 4 minutes. Remove the cover each burger with 2 slices of cheese, cover the pan, and heat until the cheese starts to melt. Place on toasted buns and serve.

Air-Fryer Frozen French Fries

2 servings of fries

Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F. Fill the basket with fries and cook for 10-12 minutes until crispy.

Serve with a fresh Tomato Salad and Pickles.

Sausage And Pepper Ragu Over Pappardelle Pasta

 

A delicious easy weeknight dinner.

Ingredients 

3 links of spicy Italian sausage, pork, chicken, or turkey

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 red bell peppers, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced3 cups prepared marinara sauce

1 large sprig of fresh basil

1 pound pappardelle pasta cooked Al dente

Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cut sausages into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the sausage until browned. 

Add the onion and garlic to the sausage; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes over low heat.

Raise the heat to medium and add the peppers. Cook, stirring, for 7 minutes.

Stir in the marinara sauce, and basil, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Heat for a few minutes, stirring to completely cover the pasta.

Serve on pasta bowls sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Oven Baked Fish Filets And Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese

 

Fish

2 servings

Ingredients 

2-8 oz sole filets or other white fish filets

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1 teaspoon spicy Cajun seasoning or another spicy seasoning you like, divided

1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided 

1 cup flour

1 cup panko crumbs 

1 egg beaten and mixed with ¼ cup milk

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Lemon wedges for serving.

Directions

Dry the fish with paper towels.

In three separate shallow dishes, place flour and half the seasonings. In the second dish place the egg mixture and in the third, the panko crumbs with the remaining half of the seasonings.

Line a cookie sheet with foil and spread the oil over the foil. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Dredge each piece of fish in the flour, then the egg, and lastly in the panko. Place the fish on the prepared pan.

Bake for 10 minutes. With a wide spatula carefully turn the fish over and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve with the lemon wedges.

Easy Stone Top Macaroni & Cheese

6-8 servings

Ingredients

16 oz elbow or shell macaroni

5 cups whole milk [reconstituted powdered whole milk also works well]

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup diced Velveeta cheese

½ cup butter, unsalted 

½ teaspoon dried  ground mustard

Salt to taste

Directions

 

In a Dutch oven add milk and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Add dried macaroni and 1 teaspoon salt. cook until al dente.  Most of the milk will be absorbed by the pasta.

Make sure to stir frequently to prevent sticking or burning on the bottom of the pot.

Add but

ter and mustard. Mix everything together until the butter has completely melted. Add the Velveeta cheese and stir gently until melted. Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese and mix until fully melted. Add the other 1 cup of cheddar cheese and mix. Then, remove it from the heat source. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Serve from the pot.

I made green beans as a side dish for this meal.

Baking With Strawberries

 Strawberry Cream Scones

Ingredients

1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped

¾ cup heavy cream

2 1/3 cups self-rising flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Combine the strawberries, vanilla, and cream in a bowl and set aside

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and granulated sugar. Using a pastry blender or 2 table knives in a scissor motion, cut butter into flour until the size of small peas. 

Add strawberry-cream mixture and stir together with a fork, just until combined. 

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and gently pat it into an 8-inch circle. Cut into 8 triangles. Transfer wedges to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Set aside to let cool completely. 

Strawberry Swirl Sweet Rolls

Makes 12 rolls

Dough Ingredients

2 envelopes (4 1/2 teaspoons) of active dry yeast

1 1/4 cup warm water

5 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) very soft unsalted butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

For The Filling:

½ cup sugar 

3 cups chopped strawberries 

1 -8 oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature 

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

For The Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

Milk to make a spreadable icing 

Dough

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine all the ingredients until a ball falls around the paddle. Place on the mixer with a dough hook and kneed for 10 minutes or until the dough pull is still soft and silky. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to double in size, about 1 hour.

In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese sugar, and vanilla.. Dust the counter lightly with flour. Pour the dough out onto the surface and dust the top of the dough with more flour. Gently, roll the dough into a rectangle about 18 inches by 12 inches. 

Spread the filling evenly over the dough leaving a 1/4 inch border around the edge. Sprinkle the chopped strawberries over the cream cheese.

Starting at the shorter side, begin rolling the dough away from you. Moisten the far edge with a little water and seal. You should have a log that looks like a pinwheel on the sides. Cut the log into 12 rolls.

Butter the inside of a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish. Place the rolls in the pan and allow to double in size, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the rolls for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. Allow to cool slightly while preparing the glaze.

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls and serve warm.

How To Make Italian Sunday Spaghetti Sauce [Gravy]

 Since I started blogging in 2012, this recipe has been my most popular. This classic recipe is worth all the preparation.

 I saved all my recipes from the previous site, Jovina Cooks Italian and I will be posting many of the recipes along with new ones on this site in the future. If you have a favorite recipe, let me know and I will post it.

Italian Gravy

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb sweet Italian fennel sausage, cut into links

12 ounces boneless.pork ribs

Meatballs, recipe below

Braciole, recipe below

3 (26-ounce) containers of Italian chopped tomatoes, without salt or sugar added

2 (26-ounce) containers of Italian crushed tomatoes, without salt or sugar added

2 - 6 oz cans of tomato paste

Water

3 whole garlic cloves

1 large yellow onion, minced

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons dried basil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

! tablespoon each salt and black pepper

½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Meatballs

1 pound grass-fed ground beef

1 pound pasture-raised ground pork

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup dried Italian seasoned bread crumbs

½ cup water

1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh, flat-leaf parsley

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon each salt and black pepper

Braciole

1 lb beef top round, flank steak or strip steak, pounded thin

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped shallots

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 large clove garlic chopped finely

1/4 cup pignolias – toasted and chopped, optional

Salt and Pepper to taste

String (butcher’s twine) to secure the rolls

Pasta

1 pound of pasta

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

7-8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

To make the meatballs

To make the meatballs

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together with your hands. Roll into 2-inch balls and set aside on a sheet of waxed paper.

To make the braciole

Lay the meat out on a board. Pound with a mallet to thin the meat. Cut the meat into 5-6” slices.

In a small bowl combine the olive oil, chopped parsley, shallots, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, pignolis, if using, and salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the beef rolls. Fold in the sides over the filling of each roll. Roll up each slice and secure it with kitchen string.

To make the gravy:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 

Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup). Place the sausage links on one baking sheet. The second baking pan is for the meatballs.

In a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil and add the boneless pork ribs. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until browned all over. Place on a clean plate.

Add the braciole rolls and brown them on all sides. Transfer to the plate with the pork.

Add the onion and garlic and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until softened. add the tomato paste. Fill the empty cans with water and add to the pot. Stir into the onions and let cook for 2 or 3 minutes.

Pour in all the tomatoes fill one tomato container with water and add it to the pot. Add the seasonings (crushed red pepper - parsley), the pork ribs, and the sausage. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Add the cooked meatballs and braciole to the gravy after it has simmered for about an hour. Simmer for an additional 3 to 4 hours if you want it thick and rich). Stir in the fresh basil just before adding the gravy to the pasta.

In the meantime, cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Once cooked, add the gravy and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve the meat on a big platter, so diners can choose what they want.

To make the meatballs and sausage:

Place the meat in a large bowl. Add the water to the bread crumbs, mix well, and let sit for a few minutes. Add the onion, garlic, cheese, and parsley to the meat. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the salt and pepper; add to the meat mixture. add the moistened bread crumbs. Mix the ingredients with your hands until the consistency is moist and the meat holds together well. Using your hands, roll the meatballs into 1 1/2-inch balls. It should make about 18 to 20 meatballs. Place the meatballs on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until browned, turning them over after 10 minutes. Place the pan of sausage links in the oven at the same time and bake the sausage until browned. Turn over halfway through baking.

Add the cooked meatballs, braciole and sausage to the gravy after it has simmered for about an hour. Simmer for an additional 60 minutes (or up to 3 hours if you want it thicker and richer). If the sauce becomes too thick, then simply add small amounts of water or water mixed with a bit more red wine. Stir in the fresh basil just before adding gravy to the pasta.

In the meantime, cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Once cooked, add the gravy, top with meatballs and sliced sausages, and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and more fresh basil.

Quick Gourmet Pizza

Make this delicious quick pizza when you don’t have time to make it from scratch.

Ingredients

1-16 inch (large) ready-to-bake, five-cheese pizza from Aldi- not frozen, sold in the produce department]

Veggie additions: I used a few pieces of asparagus cut into one-inch pieces

⅓ cup diced pepperoncini. Sun-dried tomatoes and canned mushrooms (or veggies you like)

Fresh ground black pepper

Olive oil

Directions

Place a pizza stone in the oven and heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

You can also follow the box directions.

Place the unwrapped pizza on a pizza paddle.

While the oven is heating arrange the veggies on the pizza, top with black pepper and a drizzle of oil.

With the paddle shake the pizza into the stone and bake for 20-22 minutes. Cut into 8 slices and serve.