Conquering a Fear!

Is there a fear or something that you just haven’t been able to get the courage up to do in the kitchen? Well, I overcame my kitchen fear just recently! Want to know what it was?

It’s fried foods! I have always been a nervous wreck around hot oil. I either get it too hot or don’t use enough and end up burning the food. I’m not even a real fan of fried foods but there is something about homemade fried chicken that is so darn good! I blame this on my mom for knowing how to make some yu-m-m-y fried chicken! Honestly, I probably haven’t tried very hard to overcome my fear due to the obvious health reasons. But, you can do things in moderation right? Of course you can! Fried foods are almost never in our diet as it is, so I’m not going to start highlighting a bunch of fried foods on this site now. What I want to do is show you that you can make those fast food items at home in a healthier way.


First off, I used peanut oil to make these chicken nuggets. I chose peanut oil for the health benefits. See peanut oil is a monounsaturated fat, a healthy fat that can actually help with cholesterol levels; making it a better choice over vegetable oil. And peanut oil adds a nice flavor to your foods.

The other factor that I’d like to point out is that these nuggets did not come from a box full of unnecessary added ingredients. Including the seasonings and cooking oil, they only have 8 ingredients. These even have fiber included with the whole wheat flour I used. Many nuggets that you buy in the frozen foods section in the grocery have so many added preservatives or hidden trans fats.


Nor did they take a long time to prepare. From the soaking in buttermilk to cooking process, it took only 30 minutes! And I haven't even mentioned the comments from my family! My youngest gal exclaimed- "Homemade chicken nuggets, mommy you're the best cooker!" My husband was very shocked to see a fried food on his plate but was very impressed with the taste. A real success. Hooray! Proved I could fry something without burning down the house and make a better option to fast food.


Warning: if you or any one in your house has a peanut allergy, then please do not cook with this oil. You would want to substitute canola and just watch and make sure it doesn’t get too hot and burn.

Southwestern Chicken Nuggets
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small 1-2 inch chunks
1 cup buttermilk (I like to make my own with 1 cup of milk and 1 tbsp vinegar, stir and let sit for 5 minutes)
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup bread crumbs
2 tsp coarse salt
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
¼ cup peanut oil


Directions:
In shallow bowl add buttermilk and chicken allowing it to soak for about 10 minutes. Add all dry ingredients to another shallow bowl. Heat oil in skillet. Once chicken is ready, shake off piece by piece and dip in flour mixture and coat well. Let cook approximately 5-7 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

Add some salsa on the side to dip instead of traditional catsup.

**By the way, I might not crop much from my kitchen pictures in the next few months to see if you can figure out what is going on in the McD kichen!

Flashback: A St. Paddy's Day Favorite and How Blogging Does Pay Off!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day I thought I'd flashback to a family favorite; Shepherd's Pie! We like to do ours a little different in the McDonald House. Here's our version.

March 2010
Shepherd's Pie with Bison
http://www.mymcdonaldmeal.com/2010/03/shepherds-pie-with-bison.html


Now for another flashback. My husband, the nature photographer of the family, loves to wander around the backroads in Midway, Kentucky (where he grew up) snapping pics of landmarks, horses and other Kentucky beauties. Well, one icy day in January 2010 he headed out to Weisenburger Mill to capture the stillness of the winter wonderland, and ended up with some awesome pictures of the mill and captured a perfect one of the old name on the side of the building.

Flash  forward to last month.  I went to write my bread post using Weisenburger flour and I remembered those pictures and knew they'd be perfect "advertisement" for the Mill! But, never did we imagine that the assistant editor of the Kentucky Monthly Magazine would do a Google Picture Search and land on my blog and write for permisson to use those pictures for an upcoming feature. Not just any feature, but a Faces of Farming feature highlighting some very successful family farms in Kentucky!! How cool!

Another reason I LOVE this little place called My McDonald Meal! It's not only given me a place to show my passions and talents but now has given my husband something too! I'm proud of you my love. If only you had listened to me a long time ago and put your pictures "out" there for others to see. I can't wait to show you all more of his view from the camera.

Sweet and Sour Beef with Carmelized Onions: Serving up Local Meats!

Does anyone notice something different with this recipe? Those of you who have been around my table for a while might pick up on the fact that beef is not what's for dinner at the McDonald house that often. It's just that I do not care to cook or consume meat that often. To be honest, I'm not sure if it's from the years of being a strict vegetarian, the memories of reading Diet for a New America or the health consequences of over-consumption. Whatever it might be, it's kept me from discovering the versatility of this protein source.

When I do purchase beef it is very important to me to have it be local and organic. I just so happen to have discovered two great ways for me to be able to do this for my family. Marksbury Farm in Lancaster, Kentucky, a wonderful small-scale locally-owned butcher, market and processing facility. I had the opportunity to take a tour of their facility a few weeks ago and was very impressed their values! (*Read more about Marksbury at the links below.)

The other great place I found a little closer to home is our local Whole Foods Market. I love that they now carry meats that are local, but make sure to check your own store to see what their definition is for their meats. On their site Whole Foods lists "local" as traveling less than 7 days via truck. Not really my definition but still much better than the Perdue plant in our state.

Sweet and Sour Beef with Caramelized Onions

1 tbsp peanut oil
1 medium yellow onion, sliced (keep the rings)
1lb. local beef (I used a flank steak), cut up to 1 inch cubes
1 tbsp butter
Dash of salt and pepper
3-4 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 lb. long green beans

Sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
11/2 tsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 cup of water

Directions:

To Make Caramelized Onions:
Heat skillet to medium heat and add oil. Toss in onions and let cook for about 5 minutes without stirring then carefully flip over. Once onions are transparent turn up the heat for a few more minutes allowing them to caramelize. Remove from heat and place in bowl until ready to serve.

Once onions are finished turn skillet back up and add butter. It's time to brown your beef allowing the flavors to be locked in (I've always wanted to use that phrase). Cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Do not over cook, remember the meat will finish cooking when added back to skillet with vegetables.

While meat is cooking it's time to mix up the sauce. In a small saucepan whisk all ingredients except water and cook on medium heat until sauce begins to boil. Turn down heat to low and add water. Let simmer until ready to use.

When beef is finished browning then add vegetables to skillet and cover for a few minutes, until green beans are steamed. Add 1/2 sauce to skillet and toss. You can serve this on top of rice or soba noodles. Provide small dish for others to pour remainder sauce.

Here are some other of the great KY food bloggers that joined in on the tour of Marksbury Farm.
Fake Food Free
Mindy's Mouthful