Crispy Chicken Wraps

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perfect for a quick lunch or dinner that the whole family will enjoy. Use homemade crunchy chicken tenders or store-bought breaded chicken for an even quicker meal! 

Crispy Chicken Wraps 

1 package of chicken breast tenders or use frozen

½ cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup panko breadcrumbs

1 medium egg, beaten

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

 

For The Wraps

 

I package burrito size tortillas (10 inch), flour or corn

2 medium tomatoes, sliced

2-3 leaves Romaine lettuce, or other leafy green lettuce

Ranch dressing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prep your dredging station and line up with three bowls. One bowl of flour with salt and pepper, one for panko, and one for beaten egg. Coat each chicken piece in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, ensuring thorough coating, especially at the last stage. Set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fry the chicken. Use kitchen tongs to carefully place the breaded chicken in the same skillet with melted butter and olive oil. Add more cooking oil if necessary. Cook on medium high for 3-4 minutes on both sides or until golden brown, crispy, and cooked through the center (165 degrees). Set aside on a plate with a paper towel. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Spread about 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing in the center of each tortilla. Layer with lettuce and tomatoes.  If you are adding bacon and cheese now is the time to add. Leave a couple of inches free around the edges. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, fold the chicken wrap. Fold in the sides almost to the middle, leaving a couple of inches free with the filling peeking through. Holding the sides folded, bring up the bottom flap over the filling and roll tightly to secure the wrap.

Cut the wrap in half and serve.  YUM!

 NOTE:  If you want to warm the wrap before serving, transfer them to a dry skillet and warm them over low to medium heat until golden. I usually leave the wraps in the skillet with a lid for about 3-5 minutes, flipping the sides as needed.

 

Ingredients

 

Tortilla: use your favorite to make this wrap.

Lettuce leaves: Romaine or iceberg

Tomato: a ripe beef steak tomato works well.

Ranch dressing: Or use Caesar dressing

Chicken:  Boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders

Panko: Panko breadcrumbs for perfectly crisp chicken.

Add bacon cooked to your liking! Bacon adds extra flavor and a crunch factor

Also cheese if you like: I like Monterey Jack

 

 Storing Leftovers

Assemble the chicken snack wraps you plan to eat right away. Keep the leftover ingredients separate until ready to enjoy.

Once you assemble the wraps, eat them immediately as the tortillas become soggy quickly.

Any leftover refrigerated chicken wraps are safe to consume for up to 2 days. Wrap them in foil or tightly cover with plastic wrap.

 

 

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home. 

The French Omelete

The French Omelete

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An omelet is an omelet, right?  Nope. 

You are probably used to seeing the classic all American omelet but there is another one that is quite different.  The French Omelet.

The key difference between a French and a classic (American) omelet lies in their cooking method and resulting texture: French omelets are light, fluffy, and creamy, rolled up in the pan, while classic omelets are denser, with a slightly browned outer crust, and folded in half. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A French omelet is whisked with a fork while the eggs cook to create a structure more like scrambled eggs and then rolled into a thin log. The key word is cold butter when making a French Omelet…and they use lots of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An American omelet uses a dragging method to push the cooked eggs to the inside and the uncooked egg to the outside; this method gives you a flatter omelet. Usually stuffed with veggies and other ingredients and not so delicate.  Below is a Classic American Omelet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A French omelet, on the other hand quite the delicacy. Its exterior is smooth as silk, its inside moist and creamy, a roll of tender egg cradling a custard like filling of those very same eggs, softly scrambled.  The eggs are cooked on low heat for an extended period. This gives them a rich taste and makes them fluffy. They contain only cheese and herbs, with no meat or vegetables.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

French Omelet

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons water

1/2 shallot, finely minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons minced fresh chives

3 tablespoons unsalted butter plus 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

8 large eggs, beaten

1 cup grated Gruyere

 

Combine the Dijon mustard, shallot and water in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and 3 tablespoons chives. Set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch nonstick pan over medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble, add the eggs and the cold cubed butter, and begin to stir with a rubber spatula. Continue to stir until the eggs are half set, then reduce the heat to low.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the omelet is soft, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and top with the cheese on one side. Let the omelette sit over low heat, without touching it, for 1 minute, to let the heat of the pan set the eggs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roll the omelet over the cheese so it forms a jelly roll shape, then roll the whole omelet onto a large dish. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lightly spread the remaining tablespoon butter over the omelet to coat. Garnish the omelet with the remaining tablespoon chives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies

 

 Cold and creamy vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two wonderful chocolatey chewy cookies. The perfect summer comfort food!

 Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies

 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

6 tbsp granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large egg yolks

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips, divided

Half gallon vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside. 

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cream the butter and sugars together in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until light in color and fluffy.

Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients and mix just until the dough is well combined. It will be thick and shouldn’t be too sticky. Do not over mix.

Once it’s well combined, add 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and use a rubber spatula to fold it all together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Create 1 1/2 tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough. Gently roll into a ball, then press down and flatten out the cookies a bit. Use an additional 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips to press some additional chocolate chips into the top of the cookie dough balls, then place on cookie sheet.

Bake cookies for 7-10 minutes. The cookies will spread and the centers will look soft, but should look done. Remove just before the edges begin to turn golden. Don’t over bake. The cookies may look a little puffy when you take them out of the oven but will fall a bit as they cool. They should be relatively thin. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 4-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack lined with parchment paper to cool completely. If the cookies aren’t nicely round, use a spoon to push the edges in and make the cookies round.

When the cookies have cooled, place them in the freezer to firm up for about 20-30 minutes.

After about 30 minutes, get a cookie and add about 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of ice cream on top and spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Work quickly. Top the ice cream with a second cookie and place the cookie sandwich back into the freezer.

Continue working with the cookies and ice cream until you’ve made all of the ice cream sandwiches.

Allow them to freeze for 2-3 hours so that the ice cream is fully frozen. Next, dip the sides into the remaining 3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips. 

Put the finished cookie sandwiches back in the freezer until ready to serve.

 

Notes

You can store these in an airtight container with parchment paper separating them or wrap them individually in plastic wrap. They should be good for a week or so.

 

 

 

 

 Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.

Mac and Cheese Pot

 

 Who says you have to make pot pies with meat and veggies?  I decided to make a mac and cheese potpie just for fun.  They turned out so good, I think I will make them more often. Sometimes I use a jumbo muffin pan to make them, other times I use ramekins like I did in these pictures.  You can use any size container you like.

Mac and Cheese Pot Pies

1 box (2 sheets) Puffed Pastry dough, thawed
1 egg whisked with 2 teaspoons water
1 16 ounce box elbow macaroni or shells
2 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup cheddar plus ½ cup Monterrey Jack

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Greased your ramekins or muffin tins or whatever container you decide to use. 

If using a muffin tin:  Roll out one sheet of puffed pastry dough and cut out 5-inch circles. Press them into the greased muffin tins, using the bottom of a small glass. Set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Mac and Cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, cook the pasta according to package. Drain, do not rinse.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and heavy cream. Simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove pan from the heat and stir in mustard, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add the cheese and stir until thickened and combined. In a large bowl toss the cooked pasta with the cheese sauce until combined. Set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Spoon the macaroni and cheese into the prepped muffins pans inside the dough. 

Roll out the second sheet of puffed pastry dough and use a 2-1/2-inch cutter to cut out circles of dough. Place them on top of the mac n cheese. Fold up the corners to crimp and cut an ‘x’ in the center to release the steam. Brush the tops of each pie with egg wash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Bake for 17-20 minutes until browned. Using an offset spatula, lift them out of the pan and let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.