Big Overnight Sandwich

Recipe from Tastes from the Country: Ashby Family Cookbook

This is such a easy, super-filling, crowd-pleaser. I love that I can make it the night before and the leftovers keep super well. I'm always shocked at how it isn't mushy or soggy like you would imagine. 

Pickle Chicken Strips

Adapted from https://theskinnyishdish.com/skillet-pickle-chicken/

• Dill pickle juice + enough water to cover the chicken
• 5 chicken breast cut into strips
• 10 tbsp white flour
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp kosher salt divided
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 3 TBS vegetable oil divided

Brine the chicken in pickle juice and water for 8-10 hours.

Mix flour and spices (with only 1 tsp of salt) in a bowl and set aside.

Place chicken in a bag with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp veggie oil. Rub the oil and salt into the chicken. Add the flour mixture to the bag and toss until coated.

Heat about 2 tsp of veggie oil at a time (this will take a few rounds, since you need to give the chicken space to cook) in a med. heat cast iron pan, and cook chicken for about 4 mins per side or until cooked through. Rest the chicken for a few minutes before serving. 

Elote (Mexican Street Corn) Salad or Esquites

• 5 corn cobs (4 cups corn)
• Lime juice
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/4 cup lite mayo
• 1/2 FF Greek yogurt
• Chipotle seasoning
• Cumin
• Garlic
• Cilantro
• Cotija cheese
• 
  
• Red Onion
• Bell Pepper
• Green Onions
• Jalapeño

Grill or roast corn until corn looks toasted and is crackling on the grill. Salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with lime juice. Cool the corn.

Chop any vegetables that you chose to add.

Mix mayo, yogurt, chipotle, garlic and cumin. Mix sauce, veggies, corn, cilantro, and cheese. Serve chilled.

Puerto Rican Pink Beans

Heat 
• 1 Tbs oil 

Add 
• 1 cube sofrito 

Add 
• 1 can pink bean 
• 1/2 can tomato sauce 
• 1 pkg Sazon 

Simmer 10-15 mins

Taste better the next day.

Sofrito

• 3-4 bell peppers 
• 3-4 onions 
• 1 head garlic 
• 1 bunch cilantro 
• 1 bunch culantro (or replace for an additional bunch of cilantro)

Add all of the ingredients into a blender and purée.

Freeze sofrito in ice cube trays.

Ruth's Rolls

 Grandma Ruth's Rolls (Ruth Ellis)

1. Combine the following in a microwave safe bowl:
1 stick butter
3 and 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 T salt
Microwave for 8 minutes. Stir and let sit until cool. 

2. Combine the following:
2 cup hot water, 4 T sugar
4 T yeast, let rise

3. In a stand mixer mix milk and yeast mixtures together. Add 4 beaten eggs.

4. Add 12 to13 cups of flour until dough is soft, squishy, and slightly sticky and pulls away from the edge of the mixer bowl. 

5. Put in a greased bowl and turn in so dough has oil on the top surface. Cover. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled about 45 minutes. 

6. Punch dough down and let rise to double again.

7. Roll out and cut for rolls (or doughnuts or cinnamon rolls) then Let rise for another ½ hour on pans. 

8.Bake at 400 degrees for 12-13 minutes, until golden on top.

Pan de Muerto

Ingredients

Bread

• 2 1/4 tsp yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 tsp Orange Extract
• 1/4 cup Butter
• 1/2 tsp Anise Seeds
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups flour

Egg Wash

• 1 Egg yolk
• 2 tsp water

Orange Glaze

• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Orange zest
• 3 Tbsp Juice from the orange

Directions

Mix together the eggs and warm water, on the stove melt the butter once melted add the sweetened condensed milk and let that warm up, once it is warm add to the water and egg and beat that together with one cup flour and yeast. Take the remaining flour and lay that on top of the yeast mixture and let that sit for about an hour.

After you have let the mixture sit add the salt and anise seed and the orange extract and mix together till the flour is wet, let this sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Kneed the dough for about 7 minutes, you may need to add a little more water you want the dough to be just slightly sticky. Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise till doubled in size about 30 minutes to an hour.

Punch dough down, and cut out 3 small balls from the loaf (about 1 tablespoon each). Roll out 2 of the dough balls to form the "bones" Shape the remaining dough into a round loaf. Gently press the bones on top of the loaf crossing each other to make an "X" roll the remaining small dough ball to form the skull and press down in the middle of the "X". Place loar onto a prepared baking sheet and allow to rise about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush the top of the loaf with egg wash, bake for 20 minutes.

You can start making the glaze by miking all the ingredients in a small sauce pan on a warm heat.

Remove the loaf from the oven and brush with the egg wash once more. Return to oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Brush on the orange glaze and cover with colored sugar (optional), return to oven for an additional 5 minutes. Serve warm or let cool. Best when eaten the same day prepared.

Tips

• You can shape the dough and cover it and let it do a cold rise in the fridge over night.
• You can shorten the rise times by boiling some water and putting it in the oven with the dough, when you do this you don't have to worry about covering the dough.