You are here: Home / Archives for March 2009

Captain Crunch Chicken

March 16, 2009 By Kate 11 Comments

This dinner is a fun treat for our family. First of all, it’s fun just because of what it is – how could sugary cereal on chicken not be fun? And it is a treat because cold cereal is not a common purchase in our house.

The inspiration for this dish comes from a local restaurant where my husband and I went on one of our first dates. He loved their Cap’n Crunch chicken and I knew I wanted to recreate it for him. It took a few years before I actually tackled the project though. Now, we have it on a somewhat regular basis when we’re in the mood for something a little different and a little fun.

Cap’n Crunch Chicken

  • 1 -1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into “fingers”
  • 1 c. flour
  • 1/2 t. each of salt, pepper, and garlic powder
  • 1/4 t. cayenne pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 c. milk
  • 4 c. original Cap’n Crunch (similar store-brands work just fine!), crushed to 2 cups
  • 1 c. corn meal
  • Oil for frying

1. Combine the flour and seasonings in one shallow dish and set aside. In a second shallow dish, whisk together the egg and milk. And in a third shallow dish, combine the crushed Cap’n Crunch and corn meal.
2. In a large skillet add enough oil to fill about 1 inch. Heat over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, then in the eggs and roll in the cereal mixture until covered completely. (If you want to prepare this meal stolen moments style, just prepare all of the chicken and place in the refrigerator before frying. Actually, doing it this way sets the coating and helps it stay on better while frying.)3. Fry the chicken in the hot oil, a few pieces at a time, for about 3 minutes per side.

Serve with Ranch or Honey-Mustard dipping sauce.

Whenever I make a meal like this that involves the crushing of some ingredient, I love to have at least one of the kids get involved. They have so much fun helping to crush with the rolling pin. (And the ones who aren’t helping get to enjoy a small handful of cereal while waiting for their turn.)
This post is being linked to:

  • Share/Bookmark

Cheddar Pan Rolls

March 2, 2009 By Kate 5 Comments

These rolls are tender, flaky and oh, so good! I always make a big batch of these because we love them so much and we like to have the leftovers with breakfast, lunch or as snacks over the course of a few days. But you could easily halve the recipe if you’d like.

Cheddar Pan Rolls

  • 4-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 2 T. sugar
  • 1 T. salt
  • 1 T. active dry yeast
  • 2 t. garlic powder
  • 1/8 t. cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 T. butter or margarine
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 T. margarine or butter, melted

1. Combine 2 cups of the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, garlic powder and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the milk and butter or margarine. Heat over low heat, stirring often, until butter is completely melted. Do NOT boil.

3. Pour milk/butter combo into the large bowl and mix well. Work in all of the remaining flour. Dough will be sticky. With your hands, mix the cheese into the dough just until combined. Do not knead. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
4. Grease 3 8 or 9 inch cake pans and/or pie plates. Roll the dough into 36 golf ball-sized balls and place 12 in each greased pan. Cover and let rise again, at least 45 minutes.

5. Just before baking, melt 2 T. butter or margarine and brush over rolls. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.If you make the full batch and cannot finish them all within a few days, the rolls freeze really well too.

  • Share/Bookmark

Meijer Bargain Meals – Week of 3/1

March 2, 2009 By Kate Leave a Comment

March is frozen foods month and Meijer is providing us with lots of great frozen food sales and coupons. This would be a great time to stock up!

Stop by my friend Sonshine’s blog to see a list of the top deals to take advantage of at Meijer this week and every week. Not only does Sonshine highlight all the best deals, she also provides coupon match-ups.

Here are a few of the meal ideas I see based on this week’s sales.

Breakfast (or breakfast for dinner)
Peach & Pecan Puffed Pancake

  • 1 c. flour
  • 1/4 c. sugar
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1 c. milk (sale price – 2/$4)
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 3 T. margarine or butter
  • 2 peaches, sliced (sale price – $.89/lb.)
  • 1/4 c. pecans, chopped (sale price – $5.99/lb. bulk)
  • 1/2 t. cinnamon

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt, milk and eggs in a large bowl and whisk well. (Or blend in a blender.)

2. Place the margarine or butter in a 13×9 casserole dish and place in a 425 degree oven. Leave in about 3-5 minutes, until margarine or butter is completely melted. Remove dish from oven and tilt to coat bottom completely.

3. Immediately pour the batter into the pan, arrange the peach slices, pecans and cinnamon on top of the batter. Place in the oven and bake 15-20 minutes, until puffy and golden brown.

*Serve with bacon (Plumrose bacon – 2/$4)

Dinner
Sausage, red beans & rice

  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 3 ribs celery, chopped
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced (Eckrich – 2/$4)
  • 1/2 c. tomato sauce (Hunts – 5/$4) + 2 T. water
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • dash of ground cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • 2 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained (Meijer-brand canned beans – 5/$3)
  • White or brown rice

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add celery, green pepper, garlic, onion and smoked sausage. Cook over medium heat, about 10 minutes, until sausage is somewhat browned.

2. Add the tomato sauce, water and seasonings. Bring to a slow boil, add the beans and simmer about 15-20 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve over rice.

Some other options:

  • Share/Bookmark
Blog Widget by LinkWithin