Yummy Baked Chicken Thighs

I have chickens on my mind. Chicken was a staple on our table when I was growing up, though rarely fried chicken. I don't even think my mother even owned an iron skillet. Today, I have a skillet, but, like my mother, rarely make pan-fried chicken.

I remember mom cleaning dead chickens that had been raised on the farm. There were times that I was forced to help her remove pin feathers, either plucking them by hand or burning them off with alcohol, which gagged me unbearably. Mom would save the formed eggs that were still in the chicken, but had not yet grown hard shells. 

When I think back to the "golden years" of the 50s and 60s, I am sure that my mother didn't miss leaving the killing of chickens and plucking their feathers behind. I surely don’t.

I also remember my grandmother retrieving errant chicks that had fled the chicken coop in the spring. My grandmother wore long cotton shirts and skirts, a “babushka” (a triangular piece of cloth) on her head, and usually a long apron. She would gather the ends of the apron together, and scoop up errant chicks and return them to the coop.

Dad got chicks from the feed store in Willis in the spring. We kept them in the basement with a light on that would give the chicks enough warmth to survive. He fed the chicks chopped hard-boiled eggs. I found it a bit strange—chicks eating their potential brothers and sisters. I kept my concerns to myself.
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I made this chicken recipe recently using a number of sources for ideas and ended up making baked chicken thighs that were absolutely delish! The crust was crispy and the chicken was juicy and the flavors melded together well.

I think were my best chicken thighs ever and I would love to hear from you if you decide to make them!

Serve with green beans and store-bought potato salad for a delicious and easy weekday dinner.

Roasted Chicken Thighs

INGREDIENTS

6 whole Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken Thighs

2 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 cups Panko

1 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Chicken seasoning

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Butter-flavored baking spray

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with tinfoil. Spray foil with butter-flavored baking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, mustard, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Place chicken thighs in bowl and mix together until chicken is completely coated with mixture.

In another large mixing bowl, stir together, Panko, Parmesan cheese, and spices.

Remove chicken thighs, one piece at a time, draining well, then dipping piece into bread crumb mixture. Pat crumbs to chicken to adhere.

Place thighs on cookie sheet, skin-side down.

When all thighs have been coated with bread crumbs, spray each generously with baking spray.

Bake thighs for 50 to sixty minutes, turning once after 30 minutes.

Serve with green beans and potato salad for a delicious weekday dinner. Leftover chicken is great either cold or gently warmed in the microwave.

Christmas on Florida Street and other Stories: Our Interview with NPR StoryCorp

Florida Street in Detroit, Michigan. The neighborhood was almost exclusively Polish in the 1950s.

In January, 2017, my husband, John Rush and I recorded my stories of growing up in a Polish American family near Detroit, Michigan during the 1950s and 1960s. We were recorded by folks from StoryCorps at the StoryCorps van, which was visiting Fort Myers.

Click on the StoryCorps van above to access my stories of growing up in Detroit.

Many of the stories that were recorded have companion pieces in the written stories that appear on this blog. I thought it would be a nice idea for folks and family to be able to hear the stories in my own voice. Please feel free to send us comments.

John, me, and my sister, Barbara at a surprise Shrimp Dinner at her house in Michigan.

National Pie Day 2017 - Adam's Coffee Toffee Chocolate Pie

January 23 is National Pie Day so I decided to make a wonderful pie I have made before. The original recipe was called Blum's Coffee Toffee Pie and was taken from a restaurant that no longer exists in San Francisco, California. The Wives with Knives site has the original recipe along with more information about the restaurant and the pie

Unfortunately the recipe calls for raw eggs so that sent me on a hunt throughout markets in Fort Myers looking for pasteurized eggs--I didn't want anyone to get sick from raw eggs. Pasteurized eggs no longer exist in Fort Myers! I might have to check health food stores in the area, but I gave up after two hours of searching.

My recipe is similar, but not the same, but it sure makes a good pie and it is fairly easy to make! Enjoy!

Adam's Coffee Toffee Chocolate Pie - Finished product!

Rolling in the brown sugar and chopped nuts.

Pie shell ready for oven. Use a pie weight to keep crust uniform.

Nothing like a good cup of coffee to go with the Coffee Toffee Chocolate Pie!

Adam’s Coffee-Toffee Chocolate Pie

Crust:

1 refrigerated pie crust

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Filling

1 package cook and serve chocolate pudding

2 cups milk

2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee

2 tablespoons butter

Topping

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled

6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons powdered instant coffee

1 tablespoon Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon grated semi-sweet chocolate  or chocolate curls

Preheat the oven to 425° F.

Crust:

Unroll pie crust. Sprinkle with brown sugar and walnuts. Use rolling pin to lightly press brown sugar and walntus into dough.  Line a 9-inch pie pan with the rolled-out dough, prick all over with a fork, then press a piece of heavy-duty foil snugly into the pie shell. Bake for 6 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for about 10 minutes more, until dry and crisp. Sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Return to oven for 1 minute. Then use back of tablespoon to spread chocolate over bottom of crust.

Filling:

Combine powdered chocolate pudding mix and instant coffee granules. Add milk and cook as directed. After pudding is cooked quickly stir in 1 tablespoon butter until combined. Pour into pie shell. Allow the pie to chill for at least four to six hours before adding the topping. 

Topping:

Combine the cream, confectioners’ sugar, and instant coffee in a large mixing bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until the mixture is stiff. Spread the topping in swirls over the chilled pie and sprinkle with the grated chocolate or chocolate curls.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Post Christmas Brunch - Adam’s Eggs Benedict Florentine

Eggs Benedict Florentine - New Year's Eve Brunch 2016.

I first had this dish at my friend, Ted's apartment in Walldorf, Germany, the day after Christmas Dinner in the early 1980s. The apartment was overflowing with guests who were staying over from all over the world. It had been a raucous Christmas Eve with eleven men and one woman singing Christmas carols accompanied by two pianists playing on two baby grand pianos in a cramped living room. There was such a radiance and joy in that home that Christmas, that when one man, a steward for Lufthansa, was called and received late notice that he had to work a flight to South Africa that was leaving late Christmas Eve, that he cried, and we all were in tears as he departed. There was such a feeling of family in that apartment that night, and throughout the days of Christmas during my visit.

On the day after Christmas, two of the guests prepared the Eggs Benedict Florentine for the dozen or so guests visiting at the time. It was such a magical table. The house too warm and crowded, but oh, so cozy, the fragrance of balsam and fir, the smell of ham frying on the stove, and the loud laughter of young men in their prime vying for attention.

Most of the guests who attended that dinner are gone now, lost to the ravages of a disease that was unknown that joyous Christmas, that time of new-found love and joy and family.

I paid attention to the preparation of that dish, not taking notes, just mentally keeping track of what went into it, just as I took mental notes of the visit—I have no pictures of that visit, but it is one of the most vivid in my mind, and always will be.

Post Christmas Brunch - Adam’s Eggs Benedict Florentine

1 cup ham sauce (see recipe below)

2 English muffins, split, toasted, and buttered

3 cups fresh spinach

Garlic powder

1 package Hollandaise sauce, prepared as directed on the package

4 eggs, poached

8 thin slices of ham

1/2 cup butter, divided
Dash of paprika (optional)

Ham Sauce:

1/4 cup leftover ham drippings

1/2 cup red wine or red grape juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (if using grape juice)

1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions

Prepare ham sauce by combining ham drippings, red wine (or grape juice and vinegar) and chicken stock. Whisk in cornstarch. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Lower heat and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Adjust thickness of sauce with additional cornstarch dissolved in chicken stock as necessary. Set aside.

Sauté ham slices in 1 tablespoon butter.

Sauté spinach in 1 tablespoon butter and 1 dash of garlic powder. Set aside.

Toast English muffins and spread with 1 tablespoon butter.

Poach eggs to desired doneness.

Assemble dish by placing English muffin halves on plate. Top with ham. Spoon ham sauce over ham.

Top with spinach, poached eggs, and Hollandaise sauce. Sprinkle paprika on top if desired.

Thanksgiving in Michigan

As long as I can remember, Thanksgiving Dinner was always held at Uncle Vince and Aunt Mary’s home in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. The smell of the huge turkey baking in the roaster in the basement wafted throughout the house. All the relatives brought side dishes. After thoroughly stuffing ourselves, the meal was not complete until Uncle Ed said, “OK, who’s ready to go get some hamburgers!”

The Thanksgiving menu was traditional with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and Ocean Spray cranberry sauce. There might have been a jello salad on occasion, but they were never memorable!

I still stick to the original menu, sometimes adding Corn and Oyster Casserole and Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Shallots. Thanksgiving is a time for comfort food not experimentation.

Adam's version of Turkey Tetrazzini.

This year, I did experiment with a leftover turkey dish making my own version of Turkey Tetrazzini. According to Wikipedia, “The dish is named after Italian opera star Luisa Tetrazzini. It is widely believed to have been invented circa 1908–1910 by Ernest Arbogast, the chef at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California, where Tetrazzini was a long-time resident.”

I found several versions of the recipe, most including turkey, pasta, cream, mushrooms and Parmesan cheese, but the variations are endless. My version follows. My husband and I found it mighty tasty!

Adam's Turkey Tetrazzini Casserole

5 tablespoons melted butter, divided

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 package (8 ounces) sliced mushrooms

1 can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

3 cups cubed cooked turkey

1/2 cup frozen peas, rinsed and thawed

8 ounces (1/2 of a 1-pound package) linguini broken in half and prepared as directed, drained

1/2 to 1 teaspoon McCormick’s Grill Mates Montreal Chicken seasoning

1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs

Butter flavor baking spray

Directions

Set oven to 400 degrees. 

Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Combine one tablespoon of the melted butter with the bread crumbs in a small bowl and set aside.

In the frying pan with the melted butter add the onions and red pepper and sauté until onions are golden and the red pepper has wilted. About 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for an additional 6 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.

In a small bowl, whisk together soup, half and half, chicken broth and Parmesan cheese.

Add sauce, peas, and chopped turkey to frying pan and stir to combine. Add McCormick Montreal Chicken seasoning to taste.  Add the linguine and toss to coat. Spoon the chicken mixture into a 13x9x2-inch baking dish sprayed with butter-flavored baking spray. 

Bake for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the chicken mixture.

Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until is hot and bubbling.