Chicken with Sweet Jalapeno Sauce ala ~DKBB~

Chicken with Sweet Jalapeno Sauce ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Jay-Lynn Baublitz in the 2013 Feb/Mar edition of Simple & Delicious magazine)

4 boneless chicken breast halves

Salt & pepper

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1 small onion, diced

1 celery rib, diced

½ cup chicken broth

3 Tbsp. orange juice

¼ tsp. dried thyme leaves

½ cup jalapeno* pepper jelly (regular or fruit)

1 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. dried parsley

• Flatten chicken to ¼-inch thickness; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Cook chicken in canola oil in large skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until meat is no longer pink.
• Remove cooked chicken from skillet and keep warm.
•  Sauté onion and celery in the same pan in the chicken leavings until crisp-tender.
• Add the chicken broth, orange juice, and thyme; bring to a boil and cook until liquid is reduced by half.
• Stir in the pepper jelly (regular or a fruit-based jalapeno pepper jelly) until melted.
• Stir in butter and parsley, stirring until butter is melted.
• Add chicken back into pan, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
• Serve sauce over chicken.

*You could also use a habanero-pepper jelly.

Spaghetti Pie ala ~DKBB~

Spaghetti Pie ala ~DKBB~

(based on an original recipe for Spinach-Beef Spaghetti Pie by Carol Hicks from www.tasteofhome.com)

 6 oz. uncooked  angel-hair pasta

2 eggs, slightly beaten

⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheesed

½ lb. ground beef

½ lb. Italian sausage

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup diced green pepper

1 jar (14 oz.) meatless spaghetti sauce

1 tsp. Creole seasoning

¾ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. dried oregano

8 oz. whipped cream cheese

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Cook pasta; drain.
• Mix eggs and Parmesan cheese together, then mix in with drained pasta.
• Press pasta into the bottom of a greased  deep-dish 10-inch pie dish (or divide into 2 smaller pie plates).
• Bake for 10 minutes.

• Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown hamburger, sausage, onion, and green pepper; drain well.
• Stir in spaghetti sauce, seasonings, and whipped cream cheese.
• Heat thoroughly.

• Place a layer of the spinach on the cooked spaghetti crust(s).
• Top with meat mixture.
• Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake at 350° F for 25 minutes.

Crockpot Asian Ribs ala ~DKBB~

Crockpot Asian Ribs ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Julie Ko, in the Feb/Mar 2013 edition of Simple & Delicious magazine)

6 lbs. (boneless) pork baby back ribs, cut into serving-size pieces
1⅓ cups packed brown sugar 
1 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce 
¼ cup rice vinegar 
¼ cup sesame oil (or vegetable oil) 
¼ cup minced fresh gingerroot 
6 cloves garlic, minced 
1 to 2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 
¼ cup cornstarch 
¼ cup water 
Fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks 
½ to 1 can water chestnuts, diced 
Thinly sliced green onions 
Sesame seeds (optional)

• Place ribs in 6-qt. crockpot.
• Combine brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, oil, minced gingerroot, garlic, and pepper flakes in small bowl and mix well.
• Pour mixture over ribs and cook on low for 6-7 hours.
• Remove meat to covered dish while you create the sauce.
• Skim the fat off the sauce remaining in the crockpot and transfer skimmed sauce to saucepan.
• Add diced water chestnuts and pineapple chunks; bring to a boil.
• Combine cornstarch and water in jar; shake very well; add mixture gradually to saucepan. 
• Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened.
• Serve ribs on a bed of rice, covering all with sauce. Garnish with green onion slices and sesame seeds, if desired.

 (You can cut this recipe in half and have more than enough to feed 2.)

Madame Audier's Roast ala ~DKBB~

Madame Audier’s Roast ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from Madame Helen Audier, French and World History

Cody High School teacher, mentor, and friend extraordinaire)

1 4-to-5 lb. beef roast
2 cloves garlic, sliced
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked pepper
Veggies if desired (potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, cabbage*)

The secret to this scrumptious roast is the slow roasting; cooking time is 4 to 6 hours. Preheat oven to 260° F.

• Stab the meat randomly and insert garlic slices (do this on both/all sides of the roast).
• Salt and pepper all surfaces of the roast.
• Place the prepared roast in a roasting pan and put in oven uncovered.
• After 1½ hours, check the roast and adjust the temperature if needed (a larger roast may need a bit hotter oven – 275° F); add 1 cup water; cover and return to oven.
• Check hourly, adding water as needed.
• If you want to roast veggies with it, add them at least 2 hours before you expect the roast to be done). *Add the cabbage (if desired) about 1 hour (or less) before you expect the roast to be done.
• You can add cornstarch mixed with cold water to thicken the juice for gravy if desired, or just use the au jus as is.

Way back in the day, Madame used to make several of these roasts each year for basketball and/or wrestling districts in Cody, and the Broncettes pep club members would use them to make roast beef sandwiches to sell in the concession stand. I can remember coaches telling me they looked forward to districts in Cody because of Madame’s roast beef sandwiches. When I got married, Madame asked me what I would like for a wedding gift – I told her I wanted her roast beef recipe and her lemon meringue pie recipe (those pies were always the first to sell at the Broncette bake sales…for $10 each in the 1970s, they were THAT good!). She was kind enough to grant my wish (though it did take me about a year to decipher her handwriting…). The smell of this roast cooking all day fills the house and evokes Madame for me…it is one of my favorite dishes because of that.

Merry Christmas!

This is a video of all the holiday decorations at the Butterfield casa this year...it's a little long, but worth it!

Happy Holidays!

Buttermilk Berry Fritters ala ~DKBB~

Buttermilk Berry Fritters ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from www.tasteofhome.com)

1 cup flour

¼ cup sugar

1½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

½ cup buttermilk

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

½ tsp. vanilla

1 cup dried cranberries

Oil for deep-fat frying

Confectioners’ sugar

• Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• Combine egg, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla; add to dry ingredients just until moistened; fold in dried cranberries.
• In electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees F; drop batter by tablespoonful, a few at a time, into hot oil.
• Fry until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
• Drain on paper towel-covered baking racks
• Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Yield about 1¼ dozen.

Eggnog Snickerdoodles ala ~DKBB~

Eggnog Skickerdoodles ala ~DKBB~

(based on a recipe from J.M. Hirsch)

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

¾ c. (1½ sticks) butter

2 c. sugar, divided

¼ c. plain eggnog

1 Tbsp. spiced rum

1 tsp. vanilla

2 large eggs

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

• In a medium bowl, whisk together to flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and 1½ c. of the sugar until light and fluffy.
• Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly drizzle in the eggnog, rum, and vanilla, mixing until completely incorporated.
• Add the eggs, then beat until well mixed.
• Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly (preferably with a spoon, rather than the mixer).
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, mix ½ c. sugar, the cinnamon, and the ground nutmeg.
• Working with about 1 Tbsp. of dough at a time, roll the dough between your hands to form balls (add a bit of flour if the dough remains too wet/sticky to roll).
• Roll each ball in the sugar mixture to coat evenly, then arrange them on the prepared cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between the cookies on all sides.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly golden but still soft at the center. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Makes 36 cookies.

I personally am not a huge snickerdoodle fan, but according to my husband, these cookies "totally rock!"