Chicken & Rice Alla Milanese

Whoa, its been awhile. I really do cook almost every night believe it or not. I guess I just haven't made alot of new stuff lately and when I have I've been too busy to post about it. School for me and the little bit is back in full swing, so like always I'm in search of quick, easy, but yet tasty and healthy recipes. I had a bottle of Italian dressing in the pantry staring at me and felt like I needed to do something with it other than your average salad with dressing. I went hunting on the Wishbone website and found this one Marinate boneless skinless chicken breasts in Italian dressing 3 hours up to overnight. Brown chicken in a skillet on both sides. Add in a cup of remaining dressing, chopped tomato and chopped mushrooms Simmer for 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pan. Make a slurry of 1/2 cup of hot water and 2T of flour. Add to skillet and bring to a boil. Stir constantly for 5 minutes allowing sauce to thicken. Plate cooked rice, chicken, sauce, saffron and cheese. I did make some adjustments. I butterflied my chicken to make it extra thin. And I just cooked my rice in the rice cooker. I plated it, rice, chicken, sauce and a sprinkle of the saffron and cheese. I used the Unexpected Cheddar from Trader Joe's. Its out of this world, fyi.

Oh and by the way, this one was family approved. :-)

Turkey Leftovers...

We ended up having a 20lb turkey's worth, plus some that was sent home from my dad's so I tried to get pretty creative with the turkey.

-We had two nights and one lunch of turkey with all the other leftover Thanksgiving sides.
-Our standard turkey clubs(turkey, bacon, sharp cheddar, a slice of cranberry sauce and fancy mustard
-Turkey and avocado paninis
-Turkey salad made with grapes and almonds in wraps
-turkey noodle soup, made with from scratch stock made by boiling the carcass
-buffalo chicken dip(made with turkey)
-white chicken chili(made with turkey...)
-turkey and black bean enchiladas

While we still have a little left, its going in the trash.
I think I'm starting to see feathers growing on my back end. :)

What did you make with your turkey leftovers?

Pass the Turkey Please!

So, we are headed to my family dinner for the actual holiday meal, but I always have to cook my own Thanksgiving bird at home. I love spending the weeks before Thanksgiving watch the marathons of shows on The Food Network and browsing the internet and my cookbooks for new recipes to try. So, I made my dinner this past weekend and here was the menu:

White Wine and Butter Basted Turkey
stuffed with Sage and Mushroom Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Roasted Root Vegetables
Green Bean Casserole
Corn
Cranberry Orange Relish
Rolls
Apple Caramel Cake

With the exception of the dessert...I do not really dig baking...everything was from scratch of course, as it should be, for the holidays. Here is a sampling of a few things in more detail...

White Wine and Butter Basted Turkey
I make a different turkey recipe every year, just to try something different. However, this year I made Martha Stewart's Cheesecloth Turkey and I may be hooked. It was to die for juicy and delicious and one of the most brown and beautiful birdies I think I ever did see.

First, wash your bird, inside and out. Stuff the cavity and the neck cavity. Secure the neck flap and tie up your bird.


Before doing all this to your turkey you'll want to simmer three sticks of butter and a bottle of white wine on the stove top. Soaking a piece of cheesecloth(big enough to cover your breast, not yours, the turkey's...and the tops of the legs.
Season your turkey with salt and pepper and then cover it with the cheesecloth.


Roast your bird at 325 for three hours, basting with the butter/wine mixture every half hour. Remove from oven to remove cheesecloth. Your cheesecloth will be black! Don't be alarmed...


Baste with the turkey drippings...bake another hour or until done, basting with drippings every half hour.
Enjoy!


Roasted Root Vegetables


Cranberry Orange Relish


Apple Caramel Cake

Diva Dinner in a Dash

Okay, us busy mommas aka divas need quick dinners often because we are on the go-go-go! So, tell me some of your favorite diva dinners in a dash...something you can make quickly with five ingredients or less..I have an arsenal full, but here is one of our favorites.

Mock Chicken Cordon Bleu

-boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-ham lunchmeat( I prefer the really thin kind, you know, those little packs you ate as a kid that cost like 50cents)
-lite string cheese
-your favorite coating( I use OvenFry. It's like Shake and Bake. My favorite is the extra crispy.
-one egg(or egg white if being healthier)
-toothpicks

Lay out chicken breasts and flatten out with a meat tenderizer. Lay about 3 pieces of lunchmeat on top of each breast. Place a piece of string cheese on one end and roll up. Secure with toothpicks. Dip each roll in beaten egg and then roll in coating. Bake at 425 for 40 minutes.

Tuscan Lemon Chicken & Roasted Italian Vegetables

Tuscan Lemon Chicken
courtesy of Barefoot Contessa

Mix together:
zest of two lemons
juice of two lemons
3 cloves of minced garlic
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon of fresh rosemary( I used thyme because I'm not a big fan of rosemary)
kosher salt
black pepper

Rub chicken well with the above.

Stuff the cavity with a cut up lemon and a couple whole cloves of garlic.

Roast in the oven at 375 for 2 hours or until done depending on chicken size.



Roasted Italian Vegetables

-vegetables of your choice( I used zucchini, yellow squash, red & green bell pepper, baby carrots and onion)
-extra virgin olive oil
-kosher salt
-black pepper
-Italian seasoning

Cut veggies in large chunks and place on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with spices and toss well. Roast at 375 for an hour.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

This one is easy peasy for dinner!

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts, depending on size
1 cup of buffalo sauce
1/2 package of dry Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning
a little cornstarch

Place chicken in slow cooker. Mix buffalo sauce and ranch mix together and pour over chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred chicken. Use a tablespoon or so of cornstarch to thicken sauce. Scoop onto buns with blue cheese or ranch dressing.

Flattened Chicken

Flattened Chicken

1 whole chicken
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
paprika

Remove the backbone from chicken using kitchen shears so that chicken will lay flat. Generously rub with oil, salt, pepper and paprika.
Grill breast side down.
Flip
Grill breast side up.
Eat!

Served it up with some grilled corn and veggie kabobs.

Japanese Chicken Tenders

I recently bought a big bag of panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) at the local Asian store, so have been trying to come up with a few original ideas to make with them. This was tonight's dinner.



Japanese Chicken Tenders

-boneless, skinless chicken tenders
-1 egg, beaten
-panko
-ground ginger
-black and white sesame seeds

Mix panko, ginger and sesame seeds in one bowl. Egg in another. Dip tenders in egg and then coat with crumb mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through. Drizzle with honey before serving.

I served this up with some Jasmine rice and a simple stir fry of long beans, grape tomatoes, black Chinese mushrooms and garlic.

Chicken from "that steakhouse"

I rarely eat at chains...way too many good locally owned places to eat at and support where I live, but I still occasionally find something I like from a chain so instead of supporting them I generally just try and recreate it at home and save my "going out" money for something more original. Anyway, here's one that I do like from "that steakhouse". You know the one. You have to go out back to get there and the dish is named after a girl named Alice.



Move Over Alice, It's Amy's Chicken

-boneless skinless chicken breast
-fresh sliced mushrooms
-cooked bacon slices
-sharp cheddar cheese
-honey
-dijon mustard
-parsley

Season chicken with salt and pepper and bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Remove and cover with mushrooms, bacon. Mix together dijon and honey and pour on top. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley and bake another 20 minutes.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

This is one of our new favorites for a quick dinner.



Buffalo Chicken Salads
Toss together:
Salad greens of your choice
tomatoes
cucumbers
hard boiled egg
croutons
shredded cheese
Cut up buffalo chicken tenders

Going Greek

One of my favorite chicken recipes. Minimal ingredients and impossible to mess up.

Greek Chicken

Chicken thighs, with skin left on
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
Greek Seasoning

Rub chicken with oil and then seasonings. Bake on 200 for 2-3 hours depending on size until chicken is cooked through and skin is crisp.



Last time I served this up with a Greek salad: cukes, tomatoes, black olives, feta and dressing.

Crunchy "Oven Fried" Chicken

So, I'm a Southern girl at heart, so I of course love me some fried chicken, but let's face it, my body doesn't and I'm trying to make some healthier lifestyle changes, not saying I'll never eat fried chicken again because that would be a bold faced lie, but its nice to have a healthy option in my recipe rotation.

I found this recipe on one of my favorite websites for Weight Watchers recipes and it was a pretty darn good substitution.




Crunchy "Oven Fried" Chicken
3 tablespoons buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
dash garlic powder
dash white pepper
dash salt
8 ounces boned and skinned chicken breasts -- 2 4-ounce pieces
1 1/2 ounces corn flake crumbs -- or bread crumbs
2 teaspoons vegetable oil -- divided

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Pound chicken to 1/4-inch thickness.

3. IIn small mixing bowl combine buttermilk, lime juice, mustard and seasonings; stirring to combine.

4. Dip chicken in buttermilk mixture.

5. On sheet of wax paper or a paper plate dip chicken in cornflake crumbs, turning to coat both sides. Arrange on non-stick baking sheet.

6. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon oil over each piece of chicken and bake until lightly browned, 8-10 minutes; turn chicken and drizzle with remaining oil and continue to bake until chicken is tender and coating is crisp, about 10 minutes longer.


**I followed it close to exact except cut my chicken into tenders instead of leaving as whole breasts and I didn't have buttermilk on hand, so made my own substitute using milk and white vinegar. I also used olive oil instead of vegetable oil**

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
* 4 tablespoons butter, melted
* 1/2 cup hot sauce
* 1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese


1. In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter and hot sauce. Place chicken breasts in a glass bowl, and pour the sauce over. Turn to coat, cover and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Remove chicken breasts from the hot sauce, and place 1 tablespoon of cheese in the center of each one. Roll up, and secure with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining breasts, and place them seam side down in a glass baking dish.
3. Cover the dish, and bake for 30 minutes, or until chicken is fork tender. Increase the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees, and place the chicken 8 inches from the heat. Uncover, and bake for 5 minutes, until browned. Garnish with remaining shredded cheese, remove toothpicks, and serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing.


**These were pretty darn good. I served them with blue cheese dressing for dipping. I did use mozzarella string cheese instead of provolone which the chicken wrapped around perfectly**

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

This turned out very well. I even had someone tell me to enter it into a recipe contest they thought it tasted so good. Talk about making you feel good about your cooking. I basically used my normal lasagna recipe, except for the sauce I mixed together 2 cups of spaghetti sauce and 2 cups of alfredo sauce and 1/4 cup of Frank's Red Hot to make my own buffalo sauce. When alternating the layers I also sprinkled in crumbled blue cheese in the layers. Hubby doesn't like blue cheese and still thought it was tasty.

Salad Chinois

I got this recipe from a Semi-Homemade Sandra Lee cookbook. As much as I like making stuff from scratch, let's face it, I'm a busy mom and sometimes I need something quick. Her ideas are great for just that and for the most part they are usually pretty healthy to boot.



Salad Chinois
2/3 cup mayo ( I used lite)
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar(my addition)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 10oz can of chunk chicken breast
2 cups of coleslaw mix(cabbage and carrots)
1 can of chow mein vegetables, drained
1 bag of prepared green salad( I left out and really didn't miss it)
1 can of mandarin orange segments
1 can of crunchy chow mein noodles( I just sprinkled on top)

Mix all together except chow mein noodles. Sprinkle them on top before serving.

Chicken Noodle Soup is good for the soul(and the sick)

I was yucky sick this past week and where generally I'm not above eating some Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup with Stars, this time I wanted chicken noodle soup like momma used to make.




Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup.

-2 chicken breasts, pulled and shredded from a store bought rotisserie chicken, skin removed
-8 cups of water
-8 tsp of chicken bouillon granules
-2 carrots, finely chopped
-2 celery stalks, finely chopped
-1/2 an onion, finely chopped
-1 tsp of garlic
-1 tsp of dill
-1 tsp of parsley
-1/2 tsp of black pepper
-3 cups of egg noodles

Put water and bouillon in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil and stir until bouillon is dissolved. Reduce to a simmer and add everything except noodles. Simmer for 20 minutes. Return to a boil, add noodles, reduce to simmer and cook 15 minutes.

This soup made me smile.

Stuffed Peppers

My boss gave me two big bags of green bell peppers and I needed to do something with them before they went bad on me, so I decided to make a batch of my stuffed peppers. I love them, they are low in fat, high in fiber and one green pepper contains more vitamin C than an orange.

Stuffed Bell Peppers
1 lb ground turkey breast
11 green bell peppers
4 cups cooked rice
1 can black beans, drained
1 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper
a sprinkling of salt

Cut off tops of green peppers and remove seeds and veins. Set 10 aside and chop the remaining one up for filling and set aside. Boil a large pot of water and cook peppers for 3 minutes. Remove and sprinkle the insides with salt and turn upside down onto a towel to drain. Meanwhile, cook turkey and drain off fat. Add onion, garlic and reserved chopped pepper and saute. Add in all of the remaining ingredients and mix well. Place upright peppers in a greased casserole dish and fill with mixture. Cook at 375 for 35 minutes. These can also be frozen by individually wrapping peppers in plastic wrap and then putting in freezer bags.

Diva Pasta

I'm a big fan of the website www.allrecipes.com so I tend to try alot of stuff on that site. I love it because it is made up of all these recipes that are others tried and true favorites. I like that you can save everything in your own recipe box and that you can give recipes ratings, reviews and post your own photos of them. I decided to try this one mainly because I thought it sounded good and got excellent reviews and another chic made it up so it just seemed appropriate as a diva dish. I followed the recipe to a T and thought it was pretty decent, but I will definitely jazz it up a little next go round. Here is the recipe in its original form.

Brooklyn Girl's Penne Arriabiata

INGREDIENTS

* 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
* 6 cloves garlic, sliced
* 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil
* 1/2 cup tomato sauce
* 1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
* 1 (12 ounce) package dried penne pasta
* 2 eggs
* 2 cups bread crumbs
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon pepper
* 1 pound thin chicken breast cutlets


1. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, and saute for a few minutes. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes, and saute for another minute. Pour in the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, and add the basil. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta, and cook for 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
3. In a small bowl, whisk eggs with a fork. Place bread crumbs in a separate bowl. Stir the garlic powder, salt and pepper into the bread crumbs. Dip chicken cutlets into the egg, then press into the bread crumbs until completely coated.
4. Heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry chicken for about 5 minutes per side, or until the coating is a nice dark brown color.
5. Remove chicken, and cut into slices. Toss the chicken slices into the sauce, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked penne, simmer for a few more minutes to soak up the flavor, then serve.

National Pigs in the Blanket Day

Yesterday was National Pigs in a Blanket Day. So, I decided to make my own jazzed up version of this starting with making my own turkey apple sausages. I went in search for some instruction on this and found this recipe.

Wickedly Perfect Turkey Apple Sausages
Ingredients
2 teaspoons of oil
1 onion-small diced
2 apples-small diced (Fuji or Gala)
2 pounds of ground turkey
1 egg-beaten
3 slices of white bread-ground in a food processor
¼ cup of heavy cream
2 teaspoons of sage-chopped
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of fennel seed
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon of garlic powder
Fill a large roasting pan with about 4-5 inches of water and bring to a boil on your stove. Place oil in a sauté pan with onion and apples and cook until tender (about 10 minutes) and place in a large bowl.
Combine all remaining ingredients into the bowl and mix.
Place two large pieces (approx. 18″ inches) of aluminum foil on your counter and spoon out the sausage mixture, dividing equally between the two sheets of foil and shape into a slender sausage-like form (14 inches long by 2 inches wide). Next, pull one end of the foil above the mixture and using a straight edge such as a cookie sheet, tuck the mixture so that you remove any air and twist each end to secure and create a very tight casing for your sausage.
Poach the foil wrapped sausage in the water for about 15 minutes. Let the sausage cool, remove the foil and then grill or pan sauté.


I followed this recipe as is going with the pan saute method in the end. Then I rolled them up in crescent rolls, slipped in a little slice of mozzarella, put an egg wash on the tops of the crescent rolls and sprinkled with poppy seeds. Popped in the oven and viola!

Diva Dinner

Okay, I'm just going to jump right in and post my first official blog. Here is the dinner I made tonight. It was the first time I had made it and it was quite good. The hubby agreed.

Chicken Peanut Mole with Cilantro Citrus Rice

olive oil
2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 cup diced onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
14 oz chicken broth
1 can of tomatoes with green chiles
3 teaspoons of chili powder
1/4 peanut butter
1 tablespoon cocoa
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cilantro

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown and remove. Saute onion and garlic. Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Add chicken and reduce and simmer five minutes. Serve over rice.

Cilantro Citrus Rice
3 cups cooked brown rice( cook according to package, adding 1 teaspoon of cumin and 1 teaspoon of salt to water while cooking)
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons cilantro

Fluff rice with a fork and mix in marmalade and cilantro.

***The only thing I may change next time is to add some crushed peanuts or use crunchy peanut butter instead. I also can't wait until summer to use fresh tomatoes and chiles for an even better flavor.