Family Menu: Chicken and Potatoes

We try to avoid fried food at our house, but sometimes I give in and oven fry chicken and potatoes, which is far from health food, but it tastes wonderful. I put together this coating for chicken last week, and remembered to jot down the measurements. The spicy potatoes are something I do more often, but tend to change the spices each time. It's a very flexible recipe, as you'll see.

Oven Fried Chicken

Ingredients:
3-4 pounds chicken pieces
1 tbsp. stick margarine
2/3 cup Bisquick
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. seasoning salt
1/4 tsp. garlic pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove fat from the chicken, rinse and don't pat dry. Set aside. Melt the margarine in a baking sheet by placing in the oven. While it's melting, place the Bisquick and seasonings in a pie plate or bowl and mix with a fork. Coat each piece of chicken by rolling both sides in the dry mixture. Place on the pan with the melted margarine skin side down. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the chicken tests done, turning over after about 20 minutes.

Notes: I fit it all into one pan but sometimes the pieces are bigger and I use two pans. If you do this then put 1 tbsp. margarine in each pan to melt. Baking time will vary depending on how big the pieces chicken are.


Spicy Potato Wedges

Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
6-8 medium potatoes

In a ceramic or metal bowl mix the ingredients except the potatoes. Set aside. Scrub the potatoes clean. Cut the potatoes into wedges. They don't have to be the same length, but try to keep them all the same thickness. Arrange in a single layer in a 9 x13 pan, or two if needed. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning once.

Note: I used about 6 white potatoes, that were medium in size. Red potatoes also work well for this recipe.

On OFL we have more chicken recipes:

http://oldfashionedliving.com/chicken1.html

~Brenda

An Easy Ham Dinner for Family

With the cool weather upon us I'm using the oven on a regular basis, and I decided to make an easy ham dinner this week while my husband had a day off work. For once we were all home together and ham is a family favorite.

I wanted to mention a few things about the ham. I always buy it on sale, and my favorite type of ham is the butt portion. It has more meat and less fat than the shank or the picnic ham, and it's moister than a boneless ham. On sale I can get it for a little over a dollar a pound. I usually buy a 3-4 pound ham for our family. Below are the instructions on how I cook it. It's very simple, and I don't use a glaze or seasoning. The Buttercup squash was on sale for .50 a pound at the grocery store, so I picked that up for the dinner as well.


Simple Baked Ham

Ingredients:
3-4 pound butt portion ham
water
corn starch

Place the ham cut side down in a large roaster pan. Add about a 1/2 inch of water to the bottom of the pan. 1-2 cups of water. Cover with the lid, and bake at 350 degrees F. for one hour until ham is heated through completely.

Allow the ham to sit for 5 minutes or so then remove from the pan to a platter. Set aside. Depending on how many drippings collected in the pan, add 1-3 cups of hot water into the pan, stir and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Mix in 1/4-1/2 cup water and stir briskly with a fork to dissolve the cornstarch. Add this to the pan of drippings, stirring it in as it boils. Boil until it thickens, then turn off the heat.

Spoon up the gravy into a bowl, and serve with sliced ham.

Buttercup Squash

Ingredients:
One whole buttercup squash
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
salt
garlic pepper OR
black pepper and garlic powder

Place the squash on a towel or hotpad. Using a large, sharp knife cut the squash in half. Hold the squash firmly and cut straight down. I flip it over and cut from the other side as well until I've cut it in half completely.

Place both halves skin side down in a pie plate or glass pan that will fit into the microwave. Add enough water to the bottom so it's about 1/4 inch. Place in the microwave and cook 5 minutes on high. Check the squash for tenderness by piercing with a fork. It should go through the skin easily. Cook for 4 more minutes, pierce again. If it's still not tender cook for 2 more minutes. If the microwave does not have a rotating tray, then turn the dish each time. Remove when tender.

Place a tablespoon of butter in each half and season to taste. I served the squash as is out of the shells, but it can be scooped out into a serving dish first, then seasoned if you wish.

Dinner Notes: I also made mashed potatoes since there was gravy and the kids are not fans of squash. Don't forget to use the leftover ham bone for soup.

On OFL we have a tips and recipes for spaghetti squash:

http://oldfashionedliving.com/squash.html

~Brenda