The Wonderful World of Wraps

Continuing on the lunch theme, let's explore the wonderful world of wraps. Wraps are one of the easiest things to put together for lunch, the possibilities of fillings are only limited by your imagination. Breads used can be any tortilla, flat bread, lavash, and even lettuce. The key is to use a base that helps bind the sandwich together, and to leave a 1/2 inch of topping free wrap. Let's take a look at some variations of the wrap....

Rare roast beef, tomatoes, spinach and cream cheese
Turkey with chive cream cheese.
Hummus with roast lamb, red onion, and cucumbers
Salmon and cream cheese with cucumbers and red onion
Turkey with cranberry butter, stuffing, and cheese
Chicken with Cesar and romaine
Pesto, provolone, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes
Cream cheese, avocado, black olives, walnuts, tomato, lettuce, and sprouts
Pasta sauce, pepperoni, and cheese
Brie, spicy mustard, sprouts, and turkey
Pesto, prosciutto, and roasted red peppers
Buffalo chicken, blue cheese, and lettuce or celery chopped thin
Grilled chicken, pepper jack, and salsa

I could keep this list going, but I think that you get the idea, play around with flavors that you like, experiment with different breads, and find what works for you. These are great for kids as they are visually appealing when sliced into little pinwheels. I hope that you give the wrap a try and find your own favorite.

Captain Crunch Fried Chicken

I love fried chicken this is probably due to the Sunday dinners that we would have while I was growing up in the Midwest, but something about good fried chicken just makes me happy. I have spent years playing around with different breading options and one that always seems to catch every one's attention is my Captain Crunch Fried Chicken. I use Peanut Butter Captain Crunch, but I am sure that the regular would work just fine. I thought that this would be a fun meal for my son to help make, and he seemed to enjoy helping out with this meal. So without further ado, here is the recipe for Captain Crunch Fried Chicken:

3 cups of Captain Crunch cereal

boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins

2 eggs, cracked and mixed

oil

Place cereal in a plastic bag that will be large enough to hold the mashed crunch, and the chicken pieces. Pour around 2 inches of oil into a cast iron skillet and heat on medium low. While oil is heating, use a rolling pin or kitchen mallet crunch the cereal into crumbs leaving some larger pieces. Dredge chicken in egg mix and left out letting as much extra drip off as possible. Place chicken into bag and shake until all pieces are well coated. Place chicken in heated oil and cook until crust is golden brown, and chicken is cooked through.The timing depends on the size of your chicken piece. Remove chicken from pan and place one a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Serve with mashed potatoes, corn, and a house style salad and enjoy a fun meal that the kids will love too.

It is getting HOT in here

I buy most of my peppers at an Asian Market near my house. This is the only place I can get serranos, but they sell them by the pound. I have no clue what to do with a pound of peppers when all I need is one, so I tend to give them to neighbors or throw them away. Well this time I tried something new, serrano slices, this was an daring experiment on my part since I have never pickled anything before. Once again the wonderful people on the web helped me find a way to do this. I spent about an hour looking at the various recipes for pickling hot peppers and wound up making my own. If you are stuck buying your hot peppers in bulk or you find that store bought jalapeno slices are just too mild for you, this is the recipe for you....

Pickled Serranos

2 1/2 cups of vinegar (I used white distilled)

2 1/2 cup of water

2 Tablespoons of Kosher salt

4 cloves of garlic

1 pound of serranos, cleaned and sliced

2 tablespoons of black peppercorns

In a medium sauce pan add water, vinegar, salt, garlic, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil. While brine is coming to a boil add serranos to a sterilized canning jar. When brine has reached a boil, pour over serranos making sure to cover all with liquid. When jar cools place in fridge and DO NOT OPEN for 1 week. Serve and enjoy, slices can be kept refrigerated for up to 6 months.