Fried Chicken

Fried Chicken Monday

November 2, 2015

It’s a fried chicken kind of day today!

“Work With What You Got!”

© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2015 All Rights Reserved

Super Bowl Sunday

January 30, 2015

Super Bowl Sunday

Take a break from your new year’s resolutions and enjoy the game with great food.

Most Americans love Super Bowl parties and for many, it’s for the football and for most it’s about the commercials. But no doubt about it everyone loves the Super Bowl food.

If you’re hosting a Super Bowl party it really should be casual and low-pressure because all of the guests are supposed to be watching the game during dinner!

Here are some ideas for your Super Bowl menu. Just good old American food. Don’t worry; you can go back on your diet on Monday!

Starters
Pigs In A Blanket
Roasted Potato Skins With Sour Cream, Cheddar & Chives
Garlic Drumettes With Creamy Dill Dip Or Blue Cheese Dip
7 Layer Dip & Chips
Avocado Lime Dip
Chili Pita Chips
Crudité Tray With Onion Dip

Dinner
6 Food Sub Sandwiches
Philadelphia Cheesesteak Sandwiches
Classic Red Beans & Rice
Game Day Chili
Fried Chicken
Roasted Chicken Enchiladas
Coleslaw
Jalapeño Cornbread

Dessert
Chocolate Chip Cookies
7 Layer Bars

Everyone wins betting. Set up a pool and have everyone choose charities to put in the boxes. Make a separate pool for kids with grab bag prizes.

Mix & Match those dishes! Everything doesn’t have to match. Serve food on casual everyday dishes and if you don’t have enough of one set, just mix and match.

Most of all, don’t stress. Have a fun time and may your team win!

“Work With What You Got!”

© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen

Basics of Meat & Poultry

September 8, 2013

 

Basics of Meat & PoultryMeat Basics

Many people ask me how long they can keep fresh meat and poultry. You can refrigerate whole meat cuts for 2 to 3 days and raw ground meats for 1 to 2 days.  Raw poultry for 1 to 2 days.  If you’re not cooking your meat or poultry within these time frames, freeze it.  We never want to risk getting food poisoning. 

How do you know when your particular meat is done cooking?  The safest way is to use a meat thermometer, inserting into the thickest part of the meat, but never touching bone. 

Meat Cooking Terms

Braise: Moist cooking in a pot with a lid and a small amount of liquid. This method works well either on the stove top or in the oven, rendering tougher cuts moist and extremely tender by melting the tough collagen between fibers, but allowing the fibers themselves to retain moisture.  Examples: Pot Roast, Boeuf Bourguignon, Cacciatore, Most Curries. 

Brine: Similar to marinating, meat or poultry is soaked in a salt-water mixture prior to cooking to enhance flavor, moisture and tenderness.  Examples: Brined Turkey, Chicken or Pork.

Broil: Dry cooking under intense direct heat, sort of like grilling from the top down.  Great for tender steaks and chops, boneless chicken, kabobs. Example: London Broil.

Deep Fry:  Cooking pieces of meat, often coated with batter or crumbs, submerged in very hot oil.  Example: Southern Fried Chicken.

Grill:  Cooking over direct heat, usually outdoors.  Grill pans and electric grills don’t require much additional oil, and create nice looking char marks, but lack the crust and smoky flavor of outdoor grilling.  Grilling can be fast or slow.  Examples: Grilled Steaks, Barbecued Chicken, You Name It!

Pan-Roast or Pan-Fry: A technique that begins on the stove top and often ends under the broiler or in the oven.  Combination cooking creates a flavorful browned exterior and allows for finer control of doneness.  Great for thick chops and steaks or larger pieces of poultry.  Examples: Filet Mignon, Pork Tenderloin, Pan-Roasted Veal Chops.

Poach: Simmer at a point less than boiling to produce just a slight movement in the liquid.  Examples: Poached Chicken Breasts.

Roast: Dry cooking in ambient oven heat.  Creates a flavorful, browned outside and a tender, juicy interior. Ideal for larger tender roasts, whole poultry, most stuffed roasts.  Examples: Roast Beef, Thanksgiving Turkey, Crown Roast.

Sauté: Quick stove-top cooking in a skim of oil in a heavy, low-sided skillet, frying pan or sauté pan.  Great for tender steakhouse cuts and chops, chicken or duck breast, boneless cutlets.  Examples: Sandwich Steaks, Wiener Schnitzel, Chicken Cutlets.

Smoke: Food is cooked or flavored before cooking by exposure to smoldering wood, herbs or tea.  Examples: Tea-Smoked Chicken, Mesquite-Smoked Pork Chops.

Stir Fry: An Asian technique of cooking small pieces of food over very high heat, usually with oil, using constant stirring and tossing motion to prevent burning.  Examples: A Profusion of Meat, Seafood and Poultry Dishes From China, Thailand and Vietnam.

Simmer: See Braise & Also See Stew

Stew: Slow cooking, Submerged in flavorful liquid, usually after browning on the surface.  Stewing is similar to braising except that stews usually have more liquid, which is an important part of the finished dish. Best for cubes coming from tougher cuts.  Examples: Beef Stew, Chili, Gumbo.

Sous-vide: A method of cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags in a water bath for longer than normal cooking times (72 hours in some cases). The temperature is regulated and much lower than normally used for cooking, typically around 55° F to 60° F for meats.  The intention is to cook the item evenly, and not to overcook the outside while still keeping the inside at the same doneness, keeping the food juicier.  Examples: Beef Brisket and Short Ribs.

 

Packing A Picnic & Serving Food Outdoors

September 3, 2012

Packing A Picnic & Serving Food Outdoors

Packing A Picnic

*Pack lots of extra drinks in a cooler.  When it’s hot outside picnickers get thirsty.

*Pack sweet treats.  Bring fresh fruit such as berries and melon or cookies instead of ice cream.

*Keep prepared foods in the refrigerator until it is time to pack them up. 

*Bring a soccer ball, football, baseball & mitts or a Frisbee.  If you live close to the park either walk, rollerblade or ride your bikes. 

*Pack sunscreen!  Even when it is overcast or if you’re lying in the shade make sure to wear sunscreen.

Serving Food Outdoors

*When taking foods on a picnic make sure to keep perishables in the cooler with either ice or freezer packs until serving time.  Make sure that the food is cold BEFORE it goes into the cooler. 

*Pack just the right amount that you and your picnickers are going to eat.  You don’t want to bring leftovers back home.

*If you are driving to your picnic don’t put your cooler and picnic basket in the hot trunk.  Instead transport your picnic in the air-conditioned car.

*At you picnic site, keep the cooler and picnic basket in the shade.  Open the cooler as little as possible. 

*Never leave foods at room temperature for more than 2 hours.  If the temperature outside is over 90°F, perishable foods should be left out no longer than 1 hour.

*If you buy a lot of take-out foods, such as fried chicken or barbecued beef, make sure to eat the food within 2 hours of pickup.  Otherwise, buy the food in advance, refrigerate and reheat just before serving. 

*Keep desserts made with whipped cream, cream cheese or dairy products refrigerated until you are ready to serve.  Store any leftovers in a refrigerator or cooler. 

*When preparing food outdoors, away from home, make sure to bring a jug of water, soap and paper towels for hand washing.

My Birthday Picnic Basket

September 3, 2012

Birthday Picnic Basket

My Birthday Present! I have wanted a decked out picnic basket for years! One of my favorite things to do is travel around the U.S. and Europe packing little picnics. Now I can do it in style!

Today is Labor Day and I am going on a picnic with my new picnic basket.

The menu is:

Fried Chicken

https://www.tinynewyorkkitchen.com/olympic-fried-chicken/

 

Green Olives

Boston Baked Beans

https://www.tinynewyorkkitchen.com/boston-baked-beans/

 

Picnic Perfect Pasta Salad

https://www.tinynewyorkkitchen.com/picnic-perfect-pasta-salad/

 

Fresh Blueberry & Mango Cake

https://www.tinynewyorkkitchen.com/fresh-blueberry-mango-cake/

 

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