Chicken Tenders & Pretzel Rolls

Menu:
** Homemade Chicken Tenders
** Pretzel Rolls
** Salad

This meal felt fun - kinda reminding me of a county fair or something - but still maintained a healthy stance too. I actually had another veggie prepared, but forgot to serve it so that one will appear in tomorrow's post. The pretzel rolls were a blast to make, but do take a while. The chicken tenders are really easy, throw together at the last minute, kind of dish.

Pretzel Rolls – From TastyKitchen.com

1 ½ cup Water, hot (110 degrees)

1 package (1/4 ounce size) Active Dry Yeast – do not use Quick Rise Yeast

2 tsp Sugar

4 ½ cups Flour

2 tsp Salt

4 Tbsp Butter, melted

¼ cup Baking Soda

1 Egg, lightly beaten

Pretzel Salt

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Dough Hook

Parchment Paper

Stainless Steel Saucepan

Pastry Brush

1. In a mixing bowl (easiest if using a stand mixer) combine the Water and Yeast and let rest for 5 minutes.

2. Add in Sugar, Flour, Salt, and Butter

3. Use a Dough Hook to combine

4. Let rise in a warm place – or in an oven at 150 degrees – for 1 hour or until doubled in size

5. Line two – three baking sheets with parchment paper

6. Separate Dough into 18 different pieces

7. Shape into balls by pulling the sides to the center and pinching to seal

8. Place pinched side down while lightly cupping it to smooth the sides on the baking sheet

9. Allow to rise for an additional 30 minutes

10. Preheat oven to 425 degrees with oven racks at lowest and middle positions

11. In a large stainless steel saucepan bring 2 quarts of water to boil

12. Add the Baking Soda – be prepared for the brief chemical reaction

13. Reduce to a simmer

14. Place rolls one or two at a time in the poaching liquid allowing to poach for 1 minute

15. Remove with a slotted spoon and return to the baking sheet

16. Using a pastry brush, glaze each roll with the lightly beaten Egg being sure the entire roll is coated

17. Sprinkle Pretzel Salt over each roll

18. Using a sharp knife, cut an X on the top of each roll

19. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes

20. Serve with mustard

*** I baked mine for 7 minutes on the bottom rack and then 7 minutes on the higher rack. My oven is cranky though

Chicken Strips – From Pioneer Woman.com

Chicken Tenders

Buttermilk

2 cups Flour

3 tsp Lawry’s Seasoning Salt

Canola Oil

1. Clean your Chicken

2. Submerge in the Buttermilk for a minimum of 20 minutes

3. Combine the Flour and Seasoned Salt

4. Heat the Oil in a frying pan with sides

5. Coat the Chicken with the Flour mixture

6. Cook the chicken on a medium-low heat for a minute and a half per side or until browned.

Vegetable Mania!

Summertime often feels overwhelming to me in regards to the volume of fresh produce available. After months of long, long winter where options tend to be limited to bananas, apples, frozen corn and canned green beans I dance with glee as the farm stands open shop. This year we signed up for a CSA - Community Supported Agriculture - through Kauffman's Fruit Farm. Every Friday from May through September we get twenty dollars worth of food - typically produce with the occasional unique Lancaster Co. item thrown in too. This has challenged my supper table to be able to get our money's worth out of the program by using everything - even items I wouldn't typically buy. To be honest though, by the third week of radishes, I posted on FB to give them away.

Today's meal was heavily influenced by our recent CSA bag:
**Yellow Squash and Green Zuchinni
- Steam cooked
- Served together for asthetic appeal
- Parmesan cheese was an optional topping
- Child Tip:  the presence of parm means we can get Bridget to eat almost anything
** Campfire Potatoes 
- Opted to use the oven instead of a campfire or a grill
- Also used a glass baking dish instead of tinfoil because I always leak juices when I attempt foil
- Great leftover item - just ate some for lunch
** Broccoli Salad
- Great item to have your child help prepare
- Handy way to finish off cheese or raisins or make use of all those spring onions
- We made ours in advance that morning
** Fried Chicken
- I always find fried chicken to be a bit challenging to balance cooking the chicken long enough and
not overly crisping the breading. With this meal I only cooked it in oil long enough to get the breading done and lightly browned and then finished the rest of it off in the oven alongside the potatoes.

Broccoli Salad - from the Weavertown School Cookbook

1 large head of broccoli, cleaned and snapped into bite sized flowerets
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup   raisins
1/2 cup bacon, fried and crumbled
1/2 cup cheese, shredded
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Mix dressing ingredients - mayo, sugar and vinegar.
Mix broccoli, onion, raisins, bacon, and cheese.
Pour dressing over broccoli mixture.
Chill for one hour before serving.

Campfire Potatoes - from Simply Wonderful, a cookbook produced by Honeybrook Community Church

5 medium potatoes, cleaned and thinly sliced  (I left some of the skin on to add extra flavor and color) (I used red potatoes, but any potato will suffice)
1 small onion, chopped
4 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp parsley
1/2 cup chicken broth
 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Place potatoes and onions in a greased baking dish. Dot with butter. Mix Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, parsley and chicken broth and pour over potato mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.


Summertime is a great chance to freshen your table and your palate all while supporting local farmers and eating food that your body appreciates.

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Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not 

made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.  

~Voltaire

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