Cheesy Chicken Fritters

I found this recipe at Natasha's Kitchen.  It sounded delicious and I decided to make it.  The recipe made way more than we could eat, but I'm a firm believer in cook once and eat leftovers.

I just heated the leftover fritters in a small amount of olive oil and they were still delicious.

Cheesy Chicken Fritters

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
2 eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup corn starch or flour.  I used corn starch.
1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill.  I used basil, because I had some and didn't have dill.
1/2 salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil for cooking

Garlic Aioli Dip

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

  

Dice the chicken into 1/3 inch pieces.

  

Place the minced chicken into a large bowl.

  

Add the eggs, mayo, corn starch, mozzarella, dill (or basil!), salt and pepper.  Mix well.

  

The recipe called for chilling this mixture for a few hours or overnight.  I didn't want to do that, so I put it in the freezer while I made the aioli, set the table and prepped the rest of the dinner.  I also made smashed red potatoes, so when they were almost ready to come out of the oven, I heated the olive oil in a non-stick pan and I took the chicken mixture out of the freezer. It was in there for about 15-20 minutes.

  

To make the aioli, simply add the garlic, lemon juice and seasonings to the mayo, stir and chill until ready to serve.

  

I used a medium sized scoop to place about 2 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture in the heated oil.

  

Use the back of the scoop to flatten the fritters and cook until browned on the outside and completely white on the inside, about 3 minutes on each side.

  

This was a really nice treat.  The aioli sauce made the dish.  Don't leave it out.  It was even delicious on the potatoes.

  

Collecting The Dead

 

I have found a new series to love.  I read the second book first, which is usually a mistake. Then I went back and read the first one in the FBI Special Tracking Unit Series.  It is Collecting The Dead by Spencer Kope.

In this new and exciting series Magnus "Steps" Craig has special abilities that enable him to see where people have been.  A traumatic event in his childhood left him with synesthesia.  This is when one sense is felt by another sense, such as seeing colors invokes a taste.  Yellow may taste like lemon, for example.  For Steps, he can see the tracks or touch of people as a particular color and texture.

This sense can be overwhelming, so he has to wear special glasses to block the streaks and splotches of neon color taking over his field of vision.

But this special power can help him in tracking the lost child and even the tracks of a serial killer.  Each person has a specific color, so Steps is able to determine immediately if a dead body is the result of a serial killer, assuming he has seen the tracks on another body.  He has to pretend to find actual clues, so that he isn't considered a nut and his evidence gathering isn't dismissed.  A Special FBI Tracking Unit has been established so that Magnus and his partner, Jimmy Donovan can fly out to a murder or abduction that fits into their skill set.

Not only is this new series fascinating because of this unusual team, but Spencer Kope is a fabulous writer.  He gives you insight into the characters and the toll this job takes on them.  His books have moments of great tension, but they also has a lot of humor.   One example is a line that hit too close to home for me, " It's not that I am in bad shape, I can run ten miles with the best of them; I just prefer to do it a half mile at a time with twenty-four-hour breaks in between."

The second book in this series is Whispers Of The Dead.  It is also a wonderful book.  I probably read 50 to 100 mysteries in any given year, so when I recommend a book you should believe me. Read this series.  I can't wait for the third one.

Fresh Peach Cobbler

My favorite orchard store, Bryant Orchards, now has fresh peaches.  They are the best.  My summer of making peach SOMETHINGS has begun. I decided on a cobbler.  Usually with a cobbler you place the fruit in a baking pan and dot or cover the top with the topping for a cobbler.  This is a bit different.   For this cobbler I placed fruit on the cake mixture.

I made a 9X13 baking dish but you can halve the recipe for an 8X8 pan of dessert.

  

Fresh Peach Cobbler

4 cups peeled and sliced peaches
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup milk

  

Preheat the oven to 375˚.

 

Mix the peeled and sliced peaches with the 1 cup of sugar and lemon juice in a large bowl.  Add the cinnamon and baking powder and stir to combine.

  

Place them in a sauce pan and heat over medium heat until the sugar is all melted and the peaches are so juicy!

  

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

  

Add the milk and whisk until just combined.

  

Pour the melted butter into the baking dish.

  

Top the butter with the cake batter and then gently place the peaches evenly on top.

  

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the cake rises to the top and browns.  Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool for 10 minutes.

  

Serve by itself,

  

or even better, with a very large scoop of vanilla ice cream.

  

What could be better than fruit, cake and ice cream!