Nothing new....

Sorry I haven't posted anything new on here....I don't really have much new stuff to add at the moment!! We're grilling a lot more right now & having just simple meals or pizza nights due to a busy schedule!!

As soon as I get some new things to add I will add them!!

Chicken Piccata...inspired by the "House Bunny"...lol

Because this sauce is so light, we find that each person should be served 1 1/2 small cutlets. To make slicing the chicken easier, freeze it for 15 minutes.

Serves 4

*2 large lemons

*6 (5 to 6 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed and breasts trimmed (see note)

*Table salt and ground black pepper

*1/2 cup unbleached all- purpose flour (I used regular all-purpose flour because that's what I had)

*4 Tbls vegetable oil

*1 small shallot, minced (about 1 Tbls), or 1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tsp)

*1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

*2 Tbls drained small capers (we didn't use these because Jeremy does not like them...this is up to you if you want to use them)

*3 Tbls cold unsalted butter

*2 Tbls minced fresh parsley leaves



1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position, set a large oven-safe plate (I used a pie dish) on the rack, an heat the oven to 200*.

2. Halve 1 lemon pole to pole. Trim the ends from one half and cut it crosswise into slices 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick; set aside. Juice the remaining half and whole lemon to obtain 1/4 cup juice; reserve. (**Note** We found this to be over kill on the lemon...I would just use the 1 lemon for juice but it's totally up to you!!)

3. Halve the chicken horizontally; then cover the chicken halves with plastic wrap and pound the cutlets to an even 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle both sides of the cutlets generously with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow baking dish or pie plate. Working with 1 cutlet at a time, coat with flour and shake to remove the excess.

4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Lay 3 chicken cutlets in the skillet. Cook the cutlets until lightly browned on the first side 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the cutlets and cook until the second side is lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Remove pan from heat and transfer the cutlets to the plate in the warm oven. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the now-empty skillet and heat until shimmering. Add the remaining 3 chicken cutlets and repeat.

5. Add the shallot or garlic to the now-empty skillet and return the skillet to medium heat. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds for the shallot or 10 seconds for garlic. Add the broth and lemon slices, increase the heat to high, and scrape the pan bottom with a wooden spoon or spatula to loosen the brown bits. Simmer until the liquid reduces to about 1/3 cup, about 4 minutes. Add the lemon juice and capers and simmer until the sauce reduces again to 1/3 cup, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat and swirl in the butter until it melts and thickens the sauce. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.

In the mood for some Mexican???

Try this...this is pretty easy...though a small challenge for me as I have never made this type of dish nor have I ever fried tortillas (VERY HOTT HANDLING!! yes that deserved 2 "t's" lol)

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

**Note** You may want to cook your chicken ahead of time to save yourself some time...or just start cooking a little earlier...you decide (I just wanted to add that because we didn't eat till almost 9pm because of that)

*2 cups chopped cooked chicken

*2 cups sour cream

*1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream if chicken soup

*1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

*1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded Colby Jack cheese

*1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chilies, drained

*2 Tlbs chopped onion

*1/4 tsp pepper

*1/8 tsp salt

*10 (10 in) corn tortillas (I used 8 in ones because that's what I had on hand & it worked just fine)

*Vegetable oil

*1 cup (4 oz) shredded Colby Jack cheese

*Salsa

1. Combine first 9 ingredients; stir well. Fry tortillas, 1 at a time, in 2 Tbls oil (Jeremy used less 'cause he said it was going to make the tortillas too wet...you decided) in a skillet 5 seconds on each side or until softened; add additional oil, if necessary. Drain.

2. Place heaping 1/2 cup chicken mixture on each tortilla; roll up each tortilla, and place, seam side down, in a 13-x 9-inch baking dish.

3. Cover and bake at 350* for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake, uncovered, 5 more minutes. Serve with salsa. MAKES 5 SERVINGS

Recipe Provided by: Southern Living: All-Time Favorites

Parmesan Baked Chicken

This recipe is so easy...if I could do it without breaking a sweat, well then so can you!! ENJOY!!!

Prep 5mins., Cook: 30 mins.

*1/2 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
*1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
*1/2 tsp dried basil
*1/2 tsp dried thyme
*1/4 tsp salt
4 skinned & boned chicken breasts (I used skinless & boneless & it came out just fine...I also only used 3 because we pkg our meat to fit us so we do them in 3's)
*1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a heavy-duty, zip-top plastic freezer bag; seal bag, and shake well.

2. Dip chicken in butter. Add 1 piece of chicken at a time to breadcrumb mixture; seal, and shake until well coated. Place chicken on a greased baking sheet (I line mine with foil for easy clean up & spray the olive oil cooking spray on the foil).

3. Bake at 400* for 25 to 30 mins or until done. MAKES 4 servings (or more or less depending if you altered it)


Recipe Provided by: Southern Living: All-Time Favorites

BY POPULAR DEMAND....

SKILLET BAKED ZITI

**My note: I'm going to include the ingredients to make it lighter because I found a lighter recipe in my light & healthy book!! I'll mark that in BLUE next to the original ingredients**

Serves 4

*To complete this recipe in 30 minutes, preheat your oven before assembling the ingredients. If your skillet is not oven-safe, transfer the pasta mixture to a shallow 2-quart casserole dish before sprinkling with the cheese and baking. Packaged preshredded mozzarella is a real time-saver here. Penne can be used in place of ziti.*

*1 tablespoon olive oil (1 teaspoon olive oil for lighter recipe)

*6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)

*1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or less if you don't want the small kick it has..well..it did for me anyway)

*Table Salt

*1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

*3 cups water

*12 ounces ziti (3 3/4 cups) (see note above)

*1/2 cup heavy cream (1/4 cup half-and-half for lighter)

*1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)

*1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves (I just used dried & it was fine)

*Ground black pepper

*4 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup) (see note above) (4oz part-skim mozzarella chesse, shredded for lighter)

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475*

2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch oven-safe (see note above) non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and saute' until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, water, ziti, and 1/2 teaspoon salt (DO NOT add this salt step if you're cooking the lighter version). Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the ziti is almost tender, 15 to 18 minutes.

3. Stir in the cream, Parmesan, and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the ziti. Transfer the skillet (or casserole dish) to the oven and bake until the cheese has melted & browned, about 10 minutes. Using potholders (the skillet handle will be hot) [Just typing what the books says...I'd hope you know it's going to be hot..lol], remove the skillet (or casserole dish) from the oven. Serve!! YUM!

Calories & Fat for both recipes

Regular recipe: Calories 610 Fat 25g Sat Fat 13g Cholesterol 65mg

Lighten recipe: Calories 500 Fat 12g Sat Fat 6g Cholesterol 25mg

Nutrtion fact for lighter recipe: Per 2-cup serving: Cal 500; Fat 12g; Sat Fat 6g; Chlo 25mg; Carbs 73g; Protein 24g; Fiber 4g; Sodium 940mg

Recipe provided by: America's Test Kitchen

Be on the lookout

For more recipes coming soon!! We have 2 new cookbooks & 2 more on the way!! So we'll be trying out some new recipes real soon!!

A little something to try for dinner tonight!!!

I made this meal last night & it was a huge hit!! It was really easy too!! I did modify it a but because well...there's only 3 of us & the recipe calls for 6 boneless chicken!! We package our meat when we buy to portion us!! Plus I had a little over half a jar of spaghetti sauce (which it calls for a whole jar) left over from the lasagna I made a few nights ago!! I cooked the sauce just so I could add my spices I love to add to make it my own sauce! I also didn't use a 13"x 9"baking dish (obviously because I didn't need to)...I used a square "brownie" pan!! So as you can see it's easily modifyable!! Give it a try..it was really simple!! I also served it over some Rotini pasta & spooned extra sauce over the noodles!! YUM!!



Easy Chicken Parmesan
Prep Time: 5 min Total Time: 40 min Makes: 6 servings

1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
6 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
6 Small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1½ lb.)
1½ Cups KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

HEAT oven to 375°F. Pour sauce into 13x9-inch baking dish. Stir in ¼ cup (4 Tbsp.) Parmesan. Add chicken; turn to coat both sides with sauce. Cover with foil.

BAKE 30 min. Uncover.

TOP with remaining cheeses; bake 5 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF) and cheese is melted.

Kraft Kitchens Tips
Cooking Know-How
If using larger chicken breasts, cut them lengthwise in half before placing in the baking dish to ensure that they get done in the 35-min. bake time.
Special Extra
Try serving this delicious baked chicken over your favorite hot cooked pasta!
Substitute
Prepare using KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese.

Nutrition Infomation
Calories 300; Total fat 12g; Saturated fat 6g; Cholesterol 90mg; Sodium 850mg;
Carbohydrate 11g; Dietary fiber 2g; Sugars 6g; Protein 35g; Vitamin A 15 %DV;
Vitamin C 15 %DV; Calcium 30 %DV; Iron 10 %DV



Provided by: Kraft Foods