Skyelar’s Chicken and Biscuits and Waffles

Skyelar is the head chef of Craver Family. He is very precise in measurements, and tends to follow instructions by the book, uses almost all the pots and pans available to make his dishes. There is usually a lot of clean up after his cooking, but it is worth it.

His favorite cooking shows are the ones by Alton Brown. Skyelar is adept in the dishes he makes. Below are the ones that are considered the simplest to follow.

Skyelar’s Chicken and Biscuits

Biscuits:

• 2 cups flour
• 4 tbsp cold cubed butter
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup cold buttermilk

Feel free to add 1 tsp fresh black pepper and ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese!

Start by making sure your butter is cubed as small as possible, and putting in the freezer to keep firm. Preheat the oven to 400℉. Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a good size mixing bowl, and get some flour on a work surface while your hands are still clean. Whisk the dry ingredients together to make sure they’re mixed, and don’t have clumps.

Take the butter out, and distribute into the dry ingredients. Then, using just the tips of your fingers, you want to squeeze/pinch/rub the flour and butter together, making sure not to melt the butter, instead smearing it in with the flour. Do this until the mixture is flaky, sticks together when pressed, and no more pieces of butter are visible. If you’re adding the pepper and cheese, mix that in now with the whisk.

Get your cold buttermilk and add it to the mixture. You can try to use a whisk, but your hands are already dirty, so use them instead until well combined into a very sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto your floured surface, and use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out flat. Using a round cookie cutter, or an empty can at least 3 inches across, punch out your biscuits, and place so that they are all touching in a baking pan. Smush the rest of the dough together to get as many biscuits as possible. Place in the oven for at least 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Chicken:

• 1 large chicken breast cubed
• 1 large or 2 small onion(s) diced
• 2 stalks celery sliced
• 1 carrot sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• ½ cup milk
• 1 + ½ cup chicken stock
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp oil
• Salt, pepper, thyme to taste

Put a skillet on medium-high heat with a tablespoon of oil, and put in the chicken and half the salt in. Cook the chicken all the way through, browning as much as possible - about 7 minutes.

Put the chicken into a bowl, and reduce heat to medium. Place in the vegetables and the rest of the salt and stir occasionally until everything is soft. Move the vegetables to the same bowl as the chicken and place in your butter. Once melted and sizzling, sprinkle in the flour and stir well until no more flour is visible. Slowly add the milk mixing constantly until smooth with no lumps. Put the chicken, vegetables, and chicken stock in, and stir until combined. Bring the mixture up to a simmer, and add salt, pepper, and thyme to taste, and add water if necessary.. Serve over split biscuits.

Skyelar’s Waffles

• 2 cups flour (cake flour if you have it)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 3 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 3 eggs
• 4 tbsp melted cooled butter (too hot and you get scrambled eggs)
• Cooking spray

Start by melting your butter in the microwave, 5 seconds at a time swirling after each 5 seconds until melted. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt into a mixing bowl, until there are no clumps. Crack the three eggs into a separate mixing bowl, and whisk vigorously until pale colored, with no egg-white streaks. Add the now cooled butter and whisk thoroughly before adding the buttermilk, and again whisking very thoroughly.

Pour the wet egg mixture in with the flour mixture, and stir only 20 times, or for 15 seconds. Small lumps will work themselves out while you wait for your waffle iron to preheat - at least 5 minutes. Spray the waffle iron down well with cooking spray in between each waffle, and each waffle should take at least 3 minutes. Store finished waffles on cooling racks inside a warm (less than 200℉) oven. Dress with butter and syrup, or chopped fruit and whipped cream.

Rob's Fried Rice

Very Easy to prepare fried rice. It is a hit every time Rob makes it.

Ingredients:

- Vegetables
Any vegetables will do, mixed frozen vegetables are perfect, but I have made this with just carrots, cabbage, green beans.  Use your favorite veggies you have available, just be sure to cook the veggies until they are tender. 

- Protein

Generally we use chicken cut into small pieces.  This is also good with shrimp, or scrambled eggs or fried tofu.

- Scallions (the green part chopped finely for garnishing)
- 1 small onion (optional)
- Salt to taste

- Oil for frying

For the sauce
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili garlic paste (maybe ommitted, use 2 cloves of garlic instead)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (any vinegar will do in a pinch)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (may be substituted with honey or regular sugar)
- 3 tablespoons water

Method:
Prepare rice a day in advance, if possible.  

(Tip:  Use 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice. For rice that is less clumpy, rinse the rice three times with cold water before preparing.)

Break the cooked rice up using the back of a spoon or your hands.  The goal is to have single and separate grains of rice.
Use a wok instead of a frying pan for better results. 

Heat oil over medium heat, add garlic and onions (salt if you want).  Add the meat, cook until almost finished, then add vegetables and cook until tender.  Add rice, stir and fry until all ingredients are mixed well.  Add the sauce mixture and mix well.  Allow all moisture to cook through and be absorbed by the rice.  

Sprinkle the scallion greens. 

Remove from heat and allow to cool before eating.

Simple Unripe Mango Curry

This dish is made with simple whole ingredients and it is food for the soul in winter:)

Ingredients:
1 Greenish yellow unripe mango (Found in local grocery stores) Peeled and diced into cubes
Toor Dal or split yellow lentils (Found in Asian sections or Indian stores) 1 cup
Onion 1 cut french style
Ginger 1 inch grated
Garlic 2 cloves grated or finely minced
Jalapaeno Chilli 1 cut into round pieces  (you may remove the seeds if you don't want it too hot)
Cilantro few twigs chopped finely
Water 3 cups
Oil and salt per taste

Method:
Soak the lentils in hot water for 1-2 hours.
In a pot (or pressure cooker), heat 2 tablespoons of oil on high.
Add the jalapaenos.
Add the onion
Add the garlic and ginger
Sautee them for 3-4 minutes on medium heat
Pour the soaked lentils in the tempered mixture.
Add the mango pieces and stir in some salt.
Add the 3 cups of water and cook for 35-40 minutes on low heat. Keep stirring continuously.
If using a pressure cooker, go on for 2 whistles and turn it off.

When it is ready to be served, sprinkle the chopped cilantro. It can be enjoyed as a soup or poured on a bed of basmati rice.