Pan-Seared Chicken with Mushroom Sage Sauce

     WOAH! I cannot even begin to explain how delicious this recipe was! The flavors were so.... delicious! I can barely form words remembering back to how much I really liked this recipe! I will say that part of what made this dish so exquisite was the Basil Pearled Cous-cous that I accompanied with the chicken. The flavors together were just so scrumptious! I will definitely only make this dish with the Near East Basil Pearled Cous-cous from now on! This dish was so creamy and delicious! Of course I used extra mushrooms because I like to have some mushrooms with every bite! I definitely recommend this dish!
     There is a little alcohol used in this dish. My husband doesn't like dishes that incorporate alcohol so I made sure to allow the alcohol flavor to cook off for a while longer than the recipe suggested, so my sauce wasn't necessarily as sauce-y as compared with where I got the recipe from, but I thought it made it richer and more flavorful. And, score!, my husband said he really couldn't taste the alcohol much at all, which he is particularly nit-picky about and able to pick out even when I haven't mentioned that there is alcohol in a dish, so for him to say that was huge. Also, if you would prefer not to use alcohol at all, I would just substitute it out for some chicken broth and it would be just as tasty.
     So, here we go!

Ingredients:
3 T butter
1/2 C chopped shallots, or minced onions (I couldn't find my shallots until I finally relented and used onion, cause of course that's when you find what you're looking for!)
10-12oz mushrooms of your choice (I used button)
1 t fresh parsley
1 C dry white white or dry vermouth (I know others would kill me, but I just use the cooking wine that can be found by the vinegar in the store. We don't drink so I don't have bottles of wine on hand.)
2/3 C heavy whipping cream
3 T fresh sage
1 T olive oil
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded out to 1/3 inch or so
salt and pepper

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat. Add onions and sweat for a minute. Add the mushrooms, parsley and a pinch of salt and saute for approx. 10 minutes or so until they begin to get all soft and yummy-butter filled.

Add the wine and deglaze the pan with a wooden spoon by scraping the bottom of the pan to get up all the yummy bits from the onions and mushrooms. Add the cream (make sure your heat isn't too high so as not to curdle the cream, you want to slowly bring it to a higher heat). Now, bring it to a low boil and cook the sauce down for approx 10-15 minutes to allow it to thicken (You want it to be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon).

White the sauce is reducing, begin the pearled cous-cous in a small sauce pan.
Then, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to the pan and sear chicken on each side for 3-4 minutes, do not disturb while it cooks. It will gain a lovely caramelized color from the hot pan.

Now, back to the sauce. Add the chopped sage to the sauce, along with a pinch of salt and pepper (make sure you taste the sauce first to see how much salt you actually need to add).

I served this dish by first putting a scoop of pearled cous-cous on each plate, and topping it with the lovely seared chicken breast, and topped it off with a healthy scoop of the mushroom sage sauce. Then, garnish with a pretty sprinkle of parsley!

Then, fall out of your chair as the flavors burst in your mouth! Then, get back up and finish the rest of your dinner! You're welcome!

Recipe Adapted from: Simply Recipes

Grilled Chicken Week

 
     This week came about because we are trying to be healthier; like everyone else, when aren't we? Grant wanted to do something a little simpler, well, wanted ME to do something simpler for dinners, like grilled chicken. I was totally up for that, but of course, I couldn't just make the same recipe every night, I had to find some fun recipes that were also easy-ish and not defeat the whole purpose of the plan.

     I found some recipes online in various places and the result was pretty awesome! These recipes are originally for various amounts, and different types of chicken. I have changed each recipe for our liking: dinner for two. You may also click on the link to each recipe to see any changes I've made to the recipe or to the amounts.

     A friend gave me some pretty good tips for grilling chicken, so I thought I'd just do an introductory post to explain the specifics of how I'll be grilling the chicken so I won't need to do it for each post.

Grilling Tips:

1. I'm using medium sized chicken breasts which are about the size of my palm (roughly 6 inches long). And I'll be grilling them for approx. 6-7 minutes on each side. If you have larger ones, you'll need closer to 10 minutes per side.

2. Preheat grill on high. Then when you're ready to put the chicken on, turn down to med-low.

3. Spritz the grate with cooking spray several times so you're chicken is less likely to stick (Don't just spray the whole thing b/c you'll get major flare ups, just spritz it). Also, many people dip a paper towel in olive oil and using tongs, brush the grate with the paper towel. I myself haven't used this method, but most recipes will have you do this. I just find it easier to use Pam.

4. Place your chicken on the grill. If you want to give it that extra punch of prettiness, put it at an angle so you'll get cool grill marks. I place the large side of the breast closer to the middle of the grate since it's thicker and will need more time to cook. Close the lid and walk away.

5. Look at your watch (clock on your cell phone) and check the time so you know EXACTLY when to come back and check the chicken.

6. Flip your chicken to the other side. Close the cover, walk away again. Again, check your watch.

7. If basting, here's where you wanna do it. One thing I've learned is that if you put your chicken on the grill with a very sugary sauce on it (BBQ), it will be more likely to burn and char. You might like that, my husband, however, does not. It is better for me to wait and put it on the chicken at the end and cook the chicken for another minute to adhere the sauce to the chicken.

8. Plate your chicken and take it inside and let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle. If you cut right into it, all the juices will flow out of your chicken leaving you with dry chicken, and no one ever said "MMM" while eating a dry piece of chicken. Never. Don't do it. You'll be tempted... but you'll be mad at yourself.




A lot of people have been requesting these recipes.
Here are some pictures of this weeks dishes:

Day Four: Mustard Grilled Chicken with Creamy Polenta

     I was blown away by this dish. First off, I don't like dijon mustard. Second, I've never cooked with polenta before, nor mascarpone cheese. I was in for a real treat with this one! I was so pleasantly surprised by this recipe! My husband and I both really enjoyed this one; I'll definitely be making this again! 

     The one thing I'll do differently next time is to actually get quick cooking polenta. Since I'd never cooked with polenta before, I had no clue that it came in any other way than what I'd already seen before: a tube. So, a tube I used. Now, don't get me wrong... it was extremely delicious; but because it was in tube form it was pretty solid, and took quite some time to get it to break down into a smooth consistency. It would just be easier with quick cooking polenta. They also didn't have any plain polenta at the store, so I was forced to use a sun dried tomato flavored polenta; no complaining on this end. I was worried how it would taste combined with the ingredients I was going to add to it, but it was just scrumptious! My husband said the polenta reminded him of corn chowder, which, who doesn't like a thick creamy bowl of corn chowder!? Here I'll explain exactly how I made the polenta, but I would probably use the quick cooking kind next time.

     That, combined with a delicious piece of mustard grilled chicken... just outrageous flavors! I must say that one thing I really liked was that the dijon wasn't overpowering, so if you're looking for very intense mustard flavor, maybe add some dry mustard into the mix. But for me, it was perfect, just mild and tasty! Get ready!

Ingredients:

3 scallions, finely chopped

1/4 C dijon mustard

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic (again, I find it easiest to use jarred crushed garlic, about 1 tsp)

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Olive oil

3 C water

1 tube polenta (or get quick cooking polenta and follow the directions on the bag, which I'll do next time)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 ear corn, kernels shaved off

1/2 C mascarpone cheese (this is similar to cream cheese, and typically comes in a container)

Directions:

In a resealable bag, add scallions, mustard, lemon juice, and garlic and mix. Add chicken to the bag and seal. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours. 

30 minutes before dinner, begin polenta. Bring water to a boil in saucepan. Slice tube of polenta into 1/2 inch chunks and whisk into water. You'll need some muscle for this step. Add salt, sugar, and continue to whisk that polenta until it begins to melt down to a smooth consistency. It will seem to take quite some time, but just stick with it, it'll get there (10-15 min). As it begins to form a smooth consistency, you can decide the texture you want it to be by adding more water. I started out with 2 cups and slowly added more along the way, and ended up with around 3 cups water.

Preheat your grill, lightly spritz grate with cooking spray. Place chicken on grate over med-low heat and grill for 6-7 minutes per side for 6-7 oz medium chicken breasts. Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes.

Add fresh corn kernels to polenta and cook a few minutes more (5-10 mins). Stir in mascarpone cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. It should now be a creamy chowder type consistency. 

To serve, place chicken breast atop a generous bed of creamy, delectable polenta and enjoy!

 

Recipe Adapted from: Serious Eats

Day Three: Huli Huli Chicken with Pineapple and Coconut Lime Rice

     Many of the recipes I've chosen to do during this grilled chicken week calls for whole chicken, which I chose not to use, as I'm cooking for only my husband and myself. Therefore, I've adapted the recipes to just using 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts. If you would like to see the recipe for the whole chicken, please see the link at the bottom of the recipes. 

     This Huli Huli chicken is Hawaiian inspired with the pineapple juice and has a good punch from the soy sauce. This is really tasty! I also cut up a fresh pineapple to grill along with the chicken... so scrumptious! You could probably get away with using canned pineapple rings, which I've done in the past, but if you can find fresh pineapple in season, definitely go the extra step with the fresh... totally worth it! I also served this with a coconut lime rice.
     This recipe is a little bit more involved, but not difficult in the least, and definitely worth the extra few steps! The extra steps involve making a brine. More people are familiar with brines now since it's become this huge thing to bring turkeys at Thanksgiving (which if you haven't, you MUST try it! There is absolutely nothing like it! For a wonderful Turkey brine, try Alton Brown's.) For those that are still in the dark about brines, basically it's a flavored liquid that you marinate your lean meats in (it's not technically marinating, but we'll just use that word for now), in order to create more moist and flavorful meat. Usually, most brines will include water, salt, sugar, and other flavoring agents. Your biggest issue with brining is finding a container large enough, but for this recipe, since we're only doing a few chicken breasts, we'll just use a resealable plastic bag. 


Ingredients:
Brine
2 C cold water
1/2 C soy sauce
1 tsp vegetable oil
1-2 cloves garlic
1 t fresh ginger (I have the jarred ginger, and it makes cooking with ginger much easier)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts


Glaze
9 oz pineapple juice (I used a pineapple coconut juice)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 T C soy sauce
2 T ketchup
2 T rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic
1 T fresh ginger
1 t Sriracha

Rice:
1 C dry rice
1 C coconut milk
1 C water
1 lime

1 fresh pineapple, cut into spears*

*Slice the top and bottom off the pineapple, and stand it up. Using a sharp knife, very carefully saw down the pineapple taking the rind off. Go back around, taking any leftover rind off and then slice the pineapple long ways down the middle. Slice each half in half again. Stand each quarter up, and carefully slice the hard core off. Then cut into spears for this recipe, or chunks for salads, stir fry, or snacks. It's kinda difficult at first, but after several tries, it becomes super easy.

Directions:

For the brine, add vegetable oil to a small saucepan over med high heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add water and soy sauce and stir to combine. Add liquid to a plastic bag and add chicken. Refrigerate for up to 8 hours. (I did this step in the morning, so it was ready to go by dinnertime. 

30 minutes before you are going to eat, prepare your glaze. Combine pineapple juice, sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and Sriracha in small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes, or until thick and syrupy. Remove half of glaze to a separate bowl for serving (This is the step I forgot, and I seriously regret it. Once you put that glazing brush in the bowl and then the chicken, all is lost).

These pictures aren't the best, sorry bout that.

Once you've got your glaze pretty much done, you're ready to start your chicken. Preheat your grill. Lightly spritz the grate with cooking spray, and make sure heat is med-low. Place your chicken on the grate and cook away, undisturbed. For large chicken breasts cook 9-10 minutes on each side; for small-medium (6-7oz) sized breasts, cook 6-7 minutes on each side. Then add your pineapple spears to the grill and watch carefully so they don't burn to a crisp. But definitely get some good color on there and allow them to caramelize a bit.

Now that you put your chicken on the grill, lets get the rice started. For just the hubby and I, I make 1 C dry rice for our dinners. Here's what I did. Heat 1 C coconut milk in saucepan with 1 C water. Add the juice of 1 lime and 1 C rice. Allow to come to a boil and turn down heat to very low. Set that timer for 10 minutes and wait for super delish rice (Time and heat may vary, but I find I get perfect rice on my frustrating stove this way). 

When the rice has started go turn your chicken, and brush some glaze on the top. When the other side has had it's 6-7 minutes, turn the chicken and add more glaze. I let the chicken cook for just another minute or so to let the glaze kinda cook into the meat a bit. Plate your chicken and take it inside with you to rest while you finish up your rice. 

To plate, place pineapple over a bed of coconut lime rice, served alongside chicken. Serve with reserved glaze on the side. Ooh and aah over these delish flavors!

Recipe Adapted from: Serious Eats

Day Two: Greek Chicken with Tzatziki

   
     We really enjoyed this dish! The flavors were so strong and exotic! It was super flavorful! I served this with Near East's box of Mediterranean couscous and it was just the perfect match for the chicken and tzatziki! I was about to make Mediterranean couscous from scratch, but I just so happened to have a box in my pantry. I will definitely be making this again! Super tasty, and super easy! 

Ingredients:
1/2 t turmeric
sea salt
1/4 c Greek yogurt
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
sea salt
Oregano for garnish

Olive Oil
1 red onion, sliced into rings
1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper sliced into eighths

Tzatziki sauce:
1 C Greek yogurt
1/8 C fresh dill, chopped
1/8 C fresh mint, chopped
1 lemon, juiced
1/3- 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and finely chopped*

*If using a regular cucumber, make sure to seed the cucumber before dicing.

Directions:
Combine turmeric and a pinch of salt with the Greek yogurt in a plastic bag. Add chicken and toss to coat. Marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat grill. Spritz grill with Pam and place chicken breast on the grate. For small to medium breasts, grill 6 -7 minutes per side. For large chicken breasts, grill for 9-10 minutes per side.

Drizzle vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place on grill at the same time as chicken and turn with chicken. Watch closely so the vegetables do not burn, but only slightly begin to char; or let them burn, whatever you like!

Start couscous. Make according to box directions. Add ingredients to pot, bring to a boil, add couscous and remove from heat and allow to sit for five minutes before fluffing with a fork.

While chicken is grilling, make tzatziki sauce. Combine yogurt with the fresh dill, mint, lemon juice, cucumber. Season with salt. Refrigerate.

Serve chicken on top of couscous with a dollop of tzatziki sauce. Serve grilled vegetables alongside chicken. Be amazed at your awesome skills!

Recipe Adapted from: Food Network

Day One: Grilled Chicken with Pepper Peach Relish

Ingredients:
For the Chicken
1/4 t salt
1/8 t each of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts; roughly 6 oz each

For the Glaze
1/4 C peach preserves
2 T lemon juice
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

For the Relish
1 medium peach, peeled and finely chopped
1/3 C red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/3 C yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
1 green onion (scallion), finely chopped
2 T fresh mint, minced

Directions:
Prep and Heat the grill to medium.

Combine the spices and rub onto chicken; set aside.

Combine ingredients for glaze; set aside.

Combine ingredients for relish; set aside.

Spray grill lightly with cooking spray (careful with this, spray in spurts so as not to attract huge flareups). [Alt. Using tongs, brush the grate with a paper towel coated in oil].

Place chicken on grill and cover; cook for roughly 6 minutes on each side. Baste frequently with glaze.

Serve with pepper peach relish.

I served this with an orzo side dish.
I cooked 1/2 C of orzo, tossed it with 2 T olive oil, 1 T fresh basil, and some salt and pepper.

     This was pretty delicious. The relish gave this a great pop of flavor. Very simple to make, especially if you make the glaze and relish earlier in the day (which would probably make it more flavorful anyways). I also thought that it might be really good to add some jalapeno to the relish next time I make it. I will definitely make this one again; we both really enjoyed it!

Thai Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry

     Grant and I LOVE Thai food. There's this great little place in Bakersfield called the Thai House on Ming that we were introduced to a while back courtesy of Grant's previous occupation. We love to go there and get their Tom Yum Goong soup (spicy and sour soup with shrimp, straw mushrooms, carrots, and cilantro), Grant loves their Pad Kee Mow (drunken noodles with chicken and bell peppers, extra spicy), and my favorite the Yellow Curry Fried Rice, which is chicken with rice and lots of curry powder... yum! My dream is to recreate that dish at home sometime! 

     I've been in a bit of a Thai cooking frenzy lately. Last week I think three of our dinners consisted of Thai dishes. What I love about it is that they were all Thai dishes, and yet all so distinctly different. I love the sweet, spicy, and salty combinations. I love the hint of citrus in some of the dishes. It's all just so great! 

     This dish is great. I loved the addition of pineapple, it added such a brightness to the dish. 

1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 tbsp Thai Kitchen fish sauce

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp oil, divided

1 tsp garlic

1 tsp ginger

2 C bell pepper cut into 1 inch chunks (whatever color you like)

1 serrano chili pepper, chopped (if you don't want the heat, just take out the seeds and ribs)

1 can pineapple chunks, 1/4 C juice reserved

1/2 C Sweet and Spicy Chili dipping sauce *Next time I'm going to attempt to make my own Chili sauce!

cilantro 

Combine chicken and fish sauce in a bowl. Add the cornstarch and stir to coat. Set aside.

Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in skillet, add chicken and stir fry for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from skillet to a bowl or plate and cover to keep warm. 

Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in large skillet over med high. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds or so; be careful not to burn garlic. Add peppers, serrano pepper and pineapple and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes until peppers are close to the texture you want. Add the Chili dipping sauce and reserved pineapple juice; cook a few more minutes until it begins to thicken. Add chicken and toss to coat.

Serve over white rice and garnish with a sprinkling of cilantro. Then enjoy and make yummy noises!

Recipe Courtesy of: Gina's Skinny Recipes

Parmigiana Spinach Chicken Rollatini

     Don't be thrown off by the fancy title of this dish... it's really not a complicated dish at all. When you're finished though, it will look very pretty, maybe even restaurant worthy... if you're not serving it on cheap plastic Lego dishes like I am.

5 thinly sliced breast fillets (or you can just use a breast and pound it down to make it very thin)
1/2 C Panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp Italian seasonings
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese, divided in half
5 tbsp egg whites, lightly beaten
5 oz frozen spinach, squeezed dry
4 tbsp part skim ricotta cheese
6 oz part skim mozzarella (get the fresh block instead of the grated or sliced mozzarella)
1 C marinara sauce
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450°. Spray your 9x9 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Mix together the breadcrumbs, Italian seasonings, and  half of the grated Parmesan in one bowl.
In another bowl, lightly beat 4 egg whites.

Shred 1.5 oz mozzarella cheese (slice the rest into 5 even slices and set aside) and combine with the rest of the Parmesan, spinach, 1 egg white, and ricotta cheese.

With your breast fillets lined one a cutting board, sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread 2 tbsp of the spinach cheese mixture onto each one. Roll them up and keep seam side down.

Dip each chicken breast fillet into the egg whites, then breadcrumbs, and place seam side down in your baking dish. Spray with a little olive oil spray.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and top each with a nice hefty scoop of marinara sauce and then a slice of mozzarella cheese.

Continue to bake until the cheese is melted, another 5 minutes.

Recipe Courtesy of: Gina's Skinny Recipes

BBQ Chicken Enchiladas

     Who doesn't love a good enchilada?! I know I do!

     I like making enchiladas, and I really try to make them as authentically as possible... besides the whole making-your-own-sauce thing... which probably is a setback on making them authentically, but o well.

     I recently had some friends over... friends from Mexico... and of course Grant requested enchiladas for dinner... way to go Grant. Invite the Mexicans over for my wanna-be-Mexican-enchiladas, and I'll try not to embarrass myself. They were very gracious of course. But, I chose to use the time as a chance to ask them how to really make enchiladas authentically. They proceeded to give me a whole speech about how to make them.... did you know that authentic enchiladas are NOT baked in the oven? WHAT?! That's outrageous! There's some kind of cool pot type of thing that they use... I won't try to explain it... but trust me... it's cool! I told Grant that I needed one of those things... stat! yeah right... that thing will never see the light of my kitchen!

     The other day I found a recipe for enchiladas with a twist... BBQ Chicken enchiladas... wow! I just knew I had to try this out! And I was not disappointed! These were pretty tasty, and Grant and my mom agreed that these were good. What's better... they could NOT be easier! These are in no way trying to be authentic at all, which I love. I probably should invite my Mexican friends over for this enchilada dish, b/c it's so different that it wouldn't seem like I was poorly trying to make enchiladas like they are used to.

Ingredients:


8 large tortillas (I am not used to buying Large tortillas, I'm used to small ones, so this was weird!)
1 roasted chicken, shredded
28 oz can red enchilada sauce (I used Las Palmas, which isn't my favorite, but it was good with this, it's definitely got a spicy kick though, so if you want something more mild, try my favorite brand, La Victoria)
1/2 C BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays Brown Sugar)
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
1 tbsp BBQ seasoning (I used McCormick... it smells soooo tasty!)
Pinch of Cayenne
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 C shredded Mozzarella

Directions:


Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over low heat and sprinkle with a little salt to sweat those puppies out and get the juices going. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes until they start turning a golden brown color.

In a medium bowl, mix together the enchilada sauce and the BBQ sauce; dip your finger in there and taste it to make sure that you like the balance of flavors. I added another giant squirt of BBQ sauce.

Once the onions look nice and golden-y, add the shredded chicken, half of the cheese, and 1 C of the sauce mixture. Let saute for a few minutes to get all the chicken gooey with the cheese and sauce. Restrain yourself from eating all the chicken right then.

Pour a little sauce at the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish, and begin making your enchiladas. Put an 1/8 of the chicken mixture onto a tortilla, wrap it up, and place in the casserole dish. I made four at a time before wrapping them up just to make sure that they were all evenly stuffed. Then squish the enchiladas over to fit the other four.

Pour the remaining sauce mixture over the top and then top with the rest of the shredded cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

These enchiladas are HUGE! You'll think that you might need to double the recipe b/c you're only making 8 enchiladas... but trust me... you don't need to. I only ate one enchilada, and I was full. You might have 2 at the most, but not more than that probably... these are big. Remember, you're using Large tortillas, not your normal small tortillas that you normally see enchiladas made out of. It's almost like a small burrito!

These were so tasty! Given 'em a try, so good and super easy!
Ps. Don't you just love my Lego plates? Classy right?

Recipe Courtesy of: how Sweet it is

Island Teriyaki Chicken Stir-fry

     This recipe is super easy and takes barely any time. The reason this recipe took barely any time was because I used bottled sauce and I had a bag of stir-fry veggies in the freezer that I had been wanting to try out, so I didn't have to do any prep work of chopping up vegetables. But, sometimes, that's okay.

Ingredients
-1 large chicken breast
-2-3 tbsp Soy Sauce
-1 tbsp Sriracha Chile sauce
-Cooking oil
-1 tbsp crushed garlic
-1 tsp crushed ginger
-1 diced scallion/green onion (optional)
-Salt
-2 cups frozen stir-fry veggies (or fresh) The bag I got from Costco included green beans, broccoli, carrots, snow peas, shitakii mushrooms, onions, peppers, baby corns, and water chestnuts.
-1/2 cup Island Teriyaki sauce (there are many brands, I used Kona Coast)
-Rice

Directions
Cut the chicken into small bite-sized pieces.
Place chicken in a bowl and mix with Soy Sauce and Sriracha Chile sauce.
Marinate the chicken for 15-30 minutes.

Get the rice started now so it will be done when you finish the chicken.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.
Add a few tbsp oil.
Add the garlic, ginger, and scallions to skillet and stir for 30 seconds.
Add the chicken to the skillet and sprinkle with salt.
Let chicken cook for 3-5 minutes without touching.
Flip chicken and cook for another few minutes.
Place the chicken on a plate and set aside.
Add more oil if there isn't any left in the skillet, and add the desired amount of vegetables.
Cover (this will allow the veggies to steam and cook quicker).
Allow to cook for approximately 10 minutes or until cooked through.
Add the Island Teriyaki Sauce and Chicken back to skillet.
Cook for a few more minutes so flavors can blend.
Serve over a bed of white rice.


Verdict:
Meg 3.5 Grant 4.5

     I thought this dish was okay, but the Island Teriyaki sauce was just not all I was hoping it to be. Grant said it was really good! When I make it again, I will probably add cornstarch to the sauce in a separate bowl before I add it to the vegetables to thicken the sauce. The chicken was really good. The little bit of Sriracha chili sauce added the perfect kick. Plus, I cooked it. I liked the vegetables; however, frozen green beans never turn out that well; gotta go fresh. Next time, I'll probably take out the green beans.

Weekend Food

Last weekend... we had good food!

We went to Tehachapi Saturday night and spent a night out on the town!
Las Palmas for dinner and District 9 at the Hitching Post Theatre.
Great Night!
Las Palmas has amazing salsa! Really good! We all know that salsa is such an important part of a Mexican restaurant!

The rest of the weekend, Grant and I ate more good food.
Last Thursday I made Kraft Mac n Cheese... nothing beats a properly made bowl of Kraft Mac n Cheese!

     Then Saturday morning before we went to Tehachapi, I made breakfast for Grant and I! We love the Jimmy Dean Skillet Breakfasts! So good! Sausage is the best one! Super easy to make, one skillet meal! I, of course, add extra seasonings, like red pepper. I add a little milk to the eggs to help em' fluff before adding them to the skillet. Then I added some cheese and sour cream to the top. I also made some of Grant's childhood favorites: the cheese dog roll up thingy. You take the Pillsbury crescent rolls, place a hot dog on top, slice the hot dog open and put cheese inside the dog. Then roll the dog up, bake it at 350 for approx. 12 minutes. Super good too!

     While at Tehachapi, Ron and Betty Barker told us that we just had to go to the bakery and get some fresh bread, upon asking the gal what the best was, she said the 6 grain, so we purchased it. I have to admit I was a little skeptical... it looked like some healthy piece of bread... but! It was really really good! I made some Chicken Salad Sandwiches for dinner when we returned home on Sunday night. I grilled the chicken on Saturday before we left, and shredded it up. Then all i had to do on Sunday was add Mayo, chopped celery, cranberries, salt and pepper, and chopped fresh taragon! It was really good. And I served it with some Macaroni Salad!

Rosemary Chicken Breasts, Brown Butter and Balsamic Ravioli, and Steamed Broccoli

CHICKEN

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, just enough to coat the chicken lightly

2 tbsp evoo

2 stems of rosemary, leaves stripped and chopped

salt and pepper

2 cloves garlic



RAVIOLI

Salt and pepper

1 pkg fresh ravioli (12-16 oz), any flavor

3 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 handfulls grated Parmesan Cheese

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped


Broccoli


DIRECTIONS

(It is not in the recipe, but I pounded the chicken breasts so that they would cook more evenly!)


Marinate the chicken: coat the chicken in balsamic vinegar, then evoo. Season the chicken with rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic. Let stand for 10 minutes.


Start the ravioli: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and drop ravioli in water. Cook 6-8 minutes or until raviolis expand and float to top of water and are al dente. Drain.

(After I drained the ravioli, I filled the pot with about 1/2 cup water and added the broccoli. Season with salt and pepper. Put the lid on and allow the broccoli to steam on low for 10 minutes, stirring a few times.)

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken breasts. (The recipe does not say to oil the pan... I'm assuming because you marinate the chicken in evoo, however, I found that the chicken burned this way, so I would spray the pan with cooking spray before adding the chicken!) Cook chicken until juices run clear, 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally. The balsamic vinegar will produce a deep brown, sweet finish on the chicken as it cooks.

When the chicken has cooked midway, 5-6 minutes, start to prepare butter for ravioli: to a cold skillet, add butter and turn on medium heat. Let the butter brown. If you start with a cold pan, the butter should be lightly browned by the time it comes to a bubble. When the butter for the ravioli has browned, add the cooked ravioli to the pan and turn in butter to heat through. Add balsamin vinegar to the ravioli and cook 1-2 minutes longer to reduce the vinegar and glaze the ravioli. The vinegar will become think and syruplike. Add the cheese, parsley, salt and pepper to the pasta and remove the pan from the heat.

(Be careful when adding the ravioli, I walked away to attend to the parsley and the ravioli started to crisp up a bit.... which it turned out we ended up liking, but you might not, so just watch your heat level carefully).

Slice cooked chicken on an angle and serve with ravioli and broccoli.


VERDICT: We both give it a 3/5

Grant thought the chicken was okay... from what he said, it seems like he didn't like the balsamic vinegar part.

He thought the pasta was okay as well... again, the balsamic vinegar. He likes creamier sauces he said. We decided that with mozzarella cheese instead of Parmesan it would be better.

He said the broccoli tasted like broccoli.... which is good I guess... I know I didn't ruin the broccoli!

I enjoyed the whole dinner... I thought the pasta was really yummy! It was different though, a different sauce unlike anything I've ever had... but it was good different.

Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Rachel Ray "Get Stuffed" Menu
Originally set to serve 4, but I adjusted the recipe for 2 people.

Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breasts

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• Wax Paper

• 1 Pkg. frozen chopped spinach, defrosted

• 2 tbsp butter

• 12 small mushroom caps

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 small shallot (onion), sliced

• salt and pepper

• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese (I used Fat Free)

• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano Cheese

• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

• toothpicks

• 3 tbsp evoo

SAUCE:

• 2 tbsp butter

• 2 tbsp flour

• 1/2 cup white wine (I used cooking wine, you can find it in the dressing/vinegar aisle)

• 1 cup chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:
Place chicken between two large pieces of wax paper and pound the chicken from the center outward using a heavy bottomed skillet or mallet.

Place spinach in a kitchen towel (I used paper towels) and wring it out until very dry. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl.

Place a nonstick skillet over medium heat, when hot, add the 2 tbsp butter, mushrooms, garlic and shallot. Season with salt and pepper and saute for 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor or blender and pulse grind the mushrooms. Add to the spinach in the mixing bowl. Add ricotta, grated cheese, and nutmeg and combine.

Return skillet to the stove over medium-high heat. Place a mound of stuffing on each chicken breast and roll the breast over the stuffing (I added a bit too much stuffing, almost a cup, so depending on the size of your chicken breasts I would go with 1/2 cup of stuffing). Secure with toothpicks. Add 3 tbsp evoo to the pan, add the chicken and brown on all sides, 10-12 minutes. The meat will cook quickly because it is thin. Remocve the stuffed chicken to a warm platter.

To make the sauce, add the 2 tbsp butter and flour to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Then, whisk in the wine and cook to reduce, 1 minute. (The mixture got VERY thick at this part for me, sort of pasty) Whisk in the broth and return chicken to the pan. (I let the sauce simmer for a few minutes before adding the chicken back into the pan) Reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve. Serve the stuffed chicken breasts whole, or slice on an angle and fan out on dinner plates. Top with generous spoonfuls of the sauce.


Spaghetti with Zucchini and Garlic

• Salt and pepper

• 1/2 lb spaghetti

• 1 small to medium zucchini

• 1/4 cup evoo

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese or Romano.

DIRECTIONS:
Put a large pot of water over high heat for the pasta. When water boils, add salt and pasta. Cook according to package directions. (I cooked whole wheat pasta for 8 minutes)

(After I took the chicken out of the pan, I started the water boiling for the pasta, and after I added the chicken broth to the sauce and let it simmer for a few minutes, I began preparing the zucchini)

Meanwhile, pile up 2-3 paper towels on a work surface. Using a box grater, hold the zucchini at an angle and shred onto the towel.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat (the heat level depends upon your stove, my stove is hot so I needed to turn the heat down to low/medium. You DO NOT want to burn the garlic).
Add the evoo, and then the garlic. When the garlic sizzles, after 30 seconds or so, add the shredded zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Saute for 7 - 10 minutes. Add hot, drained pasta to the pan, and toss with zucchini. Add a couple of handfuls of grated cheese, and adjust seasoning and serve. (Grant added Tony Chachere's creole seasoning to the pasta for flavor)


VERDICT
I really enjoyed the dinner. I thought the pasta was great, the cheesy chunks were fabulous, the sauce was soooo good with the chicken! I was very grateful that I did not cut the quantity of sauce when I cut the recipe in half. However, Grant thought the pasta was just okay. The zucchini was too much for him towards the end. He suggested adding some red pepper flakes next time.

He also suggested adding red pepper flakes to the chicken, of which he did enjoy.

When asked what else he would enjoy stuffed in the chicken, he responded with cheese and bacon... so next time, I will have to switch things up. And maybe I'll try a cheese sauce with it, because you can never have too much cheese! Or Alfredo... mmmmM!