Complete Dinner

Hello my hungry friends. Sorry these recipes are so late. I've been trying to come up with something pithy to write at the beginning of this post as I have done in the past for main dishes but inspiration continues to allude me. 

In the mean time here are my recipes for Sweet Potato Cakes and Onion Crusted Chicken.

Original recipe credit for the Sweet Potato Cakes goes to Best Food Book blog http://www.bestfoodbook.com/2014/07/sweet-potato-corn-cakes-with-garlic.html I did not make the dipping sauce but it sounds good.

What you'll need:

3-4 Sweet potatoes (mine are in plastic because they came ready for the microwave)

1/2 can whole kernel Corn

2 Green Onions, chopped

1/4 a bunch of Cilantro, chopped

1 cup Bread Crumbs

1/3 cup Yellow Corn Meal

1 Egg

Start off by cooking your sweet potatoes thoroughly. I cooked mine individually in the microwave. I find if I cook more than one in the microwave at a time they do not cook the whole way through. Stab them or slice them up the middle about an inch then microwave them for 5 minutes each. If you prefer to cook them in the oven, stab them a couple times with a fork and bake them for an hour at 350. You see why I prefer to use the microwave.

Once your potatoes are cooked, let them cool and then scoop out the insides. Mix the potatos with the corn, onion and cilantro. Next break your egg into a separate bowl to check it. This is a good habit to have because if your egg isn't good it will ruin all your other ingredients. Mix the bread crumbs, corn meal and egg into your veggies. Let everything sit in the fridge for 30 minutes. Your bowl might look a little dry at first but after it sits the bread crumbs & corn meal will absorb the moisture from the rest of the ingredients. If you're making the chicken as well or another dish you may want to start it while you wait.

After the 30 minutes is up, it's time to get your hands dirty. Grab a handful of your potato mixture and form it into patties about the size of your palm. Put enough oil in your pan to cover the bottom of it. Cook your patties in the oil over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes on each side or until they brown. You may need to add more oil as you go.

Done! Your patties will resemble salmon patties and you can top them with the same types of dipping sauces you would use for their salmon cousins.

Original recipe credit for Onion Crusted Chicken to French's http://www.frenchs.com/recipe/frenchs-crunchy-onion-chicken-re1309-1

What you'll need:
2 cups French's French Fried Onions
2 Tbs All Purpose Flour
1 Egg
4 thin Chicken breasts (I had 2 and cut them both in 1/2 horizontally)

Crush the onions in a plastic bag then mix with the flour. How finely you want to crush your onions is up to you; I left mine a little chunkier. In a bowl that is big enough to fit your chicken pieces beat your egg. Dump your onion-flour mixture onto a plate. Line up all your materials so you are not dripping egg or breading while you are transferring your chicken from place to place. Dredge your chicken pieces in the egg then coat them in the onion mixture. I baked my chicken pieces on top of a wire rack to make them crispier. If you have one of these make sure you put a cookie sheet underneath the chicken to catch the crumbs.

Bake on a greased baking sheet or wire rack for 20 minutes at 400 F flipping your pieces half way through.

These two dishes go great together and satisfied the critics. I give both recipes 5 stars. 

Enjoy what's left of your weekend. Hopefully this week's post will be a bit more timely.