I found this scrumptious recipe when going through an old blog – I hadn’t made it since March of 2007! I remember it being very delicious at the time, and it was very delicious this time around too… I can’t imagine how I could have missed this so far in my repertoire. Silly, silly me…
I got this idea from a dish that my mom would get from a local Italian place around the holidays. They made a tasty chicken piccata and a mean eggplant parm, too. Everything (well, the chicken and the eggplant) was very lightly breaded, which I liked.
Even though I haven’t yet tried this recipe with breading yet, as I wanted to recreate my recipe from 2+ years ago first, I’ll definitely be trying some breading with this too… The flour coating did add some crisp to the chicken here, but I’m looking forward to trying a bit more of it. 
And it’s just such a yummy dish… nice and lemony and garlicky, with a flavorful mushroom sauce on top. Mmmm… Big yum.
- Chicken Breasts, skinless, boneless, pounded flat (1-1/2 lbs. or so)
- 4 Lemons
- Fresh Garlic, minced
- Herbs, for seasoning (as preferred)
- Salt
- 1/4+ cup Flour
- 4 Tbsp Butter
- 12-16 oz. Mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 cup White Wine
- Rice (or pasta)
1. Marinade chicken beforehand. I used the juice of 2 lemons, minced garlic, dried thyme and salt. Let sit in fridge for 1+ hours.
2. If serving over rice or pasta, begin to prep at this point. I used a creamy rice mix.
3. Put flour on a plate and dredge the chicken breasts. In skillet with 1/2 of butter, brown chicken on both sides over medium heat (about 5 minutes or until both sides are golden brown). Remove from skillet and keep warm. (This is where I will try breading the chicken with breadcrumbs next time.)
4. Add remaining butter to skillet. Cook mushrooms and garlic til tender. Return chicken to pan. Add wine and juice of remaining 2 lemons. Simmer for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally til sauce thickens slightly. Serve over rice or pasta.
Read Full Post »
Here’s a light and fluffy Chocolate Frosting family recipe that D. and pup like to use when their sweet teeth kick in… It’s nice and sweet (but not too sweet). And yes, it’s fluffy. Good fluffy…
1 stick of Butter, softened
1 8-oz. package of Cream Cheese, softened
4 Tbsp Milk
1 tsp Vanilla
½ cup Cocoa Powder
¾ of a box of Confectioner’s Sugar
Use a mixer to blend all ingredients together. Spread frosting onto cake. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over top, if desired. Enjoy!
Read Full Post »
D. put this dish together last weekend, and let me tell you… is it ever delicious! It was a cooler day, weather-wise, so some warm and hearty fare was in order. His potato dish is a creamier version of the more traditional Potatoes O’Brien recipe. We added some cheesy ingredients and turned the dish into a creamy potato delight!
- 6 medium-large Potatoes, shredded and patted dry
- 1-1/2 Peppers of Various Colors – We used green, red and orange
- 1/2 of large Yellow Onion
- 1-lb. Bacon
- 2 8-oz. packages of Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 1 package Ranch Dressing seasoning mix
- 2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Durkee French Fried Onions
1. Rough cut bacon and cook. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels to cool.
2. Using a food processor, shred potatoes and pat dry. Chop peppers. Cook potatoes, peppers and onions in bacon grease until lightly browned.
3. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, sour cream, Ranch dressing mix and 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Stir in bacon, potatoes, peppers and onions.
4. Spread potato mixture into a greased casserole dish. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove dish from oven. Top with remaining cup of shredded cheddar and fried onions. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and dish is bubbly. Enjoy!
Read Full Post »
These delicious meatballs were sparked by D. and Pup watching ‘Big Daddy’s House’ on The Food Network. They came in after seeing it, and it was determined that we’d be making them that day. So we did… We sort of followed the recipe, found here, but with a few adjustments. All in all, they were very tasty… we loved the mozzarella inside and the flavor from the Worcestershire sauce.
- 6 slices Bacon
- 1-1/2 lbs. Ground Beef
- 1 package Knorr’s French Onion Soup Mix
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs
- Fresh Mozzarella
1. Rough cut the bacon and cook. Set aside and let cool
2. Using your hands, mix together the ground beef with all other ingredients except the mozzarella. Add in the cooked bacon and mix. Make palm-sized patties with the beef, and place a gumball-sized ball of mozzarella on top. Fold the patty over the cheese and roll into a meatball.
3. Place meatballs on a foil-covered baking sheet. Cook in a 400 degree oven for approximately 12-15 minutes.
We had ours in a meatball sandwich of sorts, but they’d also be good with a nice spaghetti dinner with a light marinara sauce and some parmesan sprinkled on top. Definitely a keeper.
Read Full Post »
This was pup’s meal, from start to finish. It’s basically chili, hot dogs and cheese, all layered onto a Boboli pizza crust. She made it, she owned it, and we all enjoyed it!
- Boboli Pizza Crust
- One can of Turkey Chili
- Hot Dogs (we used turkey dogs here)
- White Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- Yellow Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1. Cook hot dogs in boiling water, according to directions. Set aside to cool.
2. While hot dogs are cooking, spread chili onto pizza crust.
3. Chop hot dogs into bite-sized pieces. Spread over top of chili.
4. Sprinkle cheeses onto of pizza. Cook according to directions… A 350 degree oven for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Enjoy!
This was a quick and easy, kid-friendly meal. Pup took charge and did it all, including putting on the oven mitts and getting the pizza out of the oven. The only hard part was waiting for the pizza to cool so we could eat!
Read Full Post »
I discovered four quite-ripe bananas on Saturday, and decided that it was a good time to make some banana bread. I had one recipe that uses vegetable oil, but I wanted to stay away from that. So, I looked at several different recipes, and as I am sometimes inclined to do, I combined elements and came up with my own. The bread came out very moist (definitely a requirement) and the bananas added the perfect amount of banana to it. I also like having some nuts in there… walnuts this time. And as a bonus, I was able to mix everything together with a potato masher… fun!
- 4 Ripe Bananas
- 1/2 cup of Melted Butter
- 3/4 cup of Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Cinnamon-Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- Dash of Salt
- 1-1/2 cups Flour
- 1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a potato masher, mash the bananas with the melted butter in a large bowl. Mix in remaining ingredients, mashing together throughout. Once the flour is added, a wooden spoon works a bit better to stir together. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake for approximately 1 hour… a bit longer if needed. Cool Enjoy!
Read Full Post »
Well, this is today’s batch of pesto, ready for the freezer. I didn’t originally plan on making any, but the food processor was out, the basil plant was bountiful, and so it was time. I love pesto, and I love being able to take some out of the freezer come wintertime. Pesto pizza is always tasty, as is a pesto pasta with mushrooms, but my favorite is simply pesto on a toasted bagel with some melted cheese on top. I always end up tweaking the recipe a bit differently for each batch, depending on how it’s tasting, and often I’ll add sun-dried tomatoes (but not today – I went purist style). Pesto has always frozen very well for me, so I try to stock up the freezer during this time of year. Here is today’s recipe:
- 4 large cloves of Garlic
- 3 cups Fresh Basil leaves
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Pine Nuts
- 1/2 cup Parmesan
In a food processor, chop garlic cloves and basil leaves first. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until blended.
That’s my balcony basil from about six weeks ago… Definitely time to use some of those yummy basil leaves!
Read Full Post »
These crepes were D.’s idea… 1) Because he is the main sweets-eater in the house, and 2) because it was something that we could make with pup and she would like them too. Pup did a great job making the crepe batter, D. cooked the crepes, and I did the clean-up. We made [...]
Read Full Post »
Quick and easy, and flavorful too… that’s how I’d describe this dish. It’s almost a quirky mix of ingredients, in my opinion, mostly because it’s a pasta dish with salsa and such. But it’s a fun way to mix it up a bit. And as I said, it’s tremendously quick and simple, yet there’s room for variation or doing it a bit more from scratch. Tonight, I was looking for fast and that’s what we got! Makes about 8 servings…
- 1-lb Pasta of choice – I used medium shells this evening
- 16-oz jar of Salsa – I used mild
- 4-oz can Green Chilies, drained – I used the pre-diced variety
- Green Onions, chopped
- 2 15-oz cans Black Beans, rinsed thoroughly and drained – I used organic*
- 2 cups Cheese, shredded – I used a Monterey Jack and Cheddar blend
- Optional: Lime Wedges – I opted
- Optional: Fresh Cilantro, chopped – I opted out tonight
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta and cook as directed.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine salsa, green chilies and black beans. Warm over medium heat until simmering. Keep warm as pasta cooks. (I’m guessing this step could even be omitted and the ingredients mixed in with the pasta once it’s finished cooking.)
3. Drain pasta. Add salsa-bean mixture, followed by green onions, and stir together. Add cheese and stir. Serve with a sprinkling of lime juice on top, if desired. Enjoy!
*I had two different brands of black beans, and I noticed quite a difference in the sodium content between the two… one can had 440 mg, while the other had 140 mg. Either way, thoroughly rinsing canned goods helps rinse away some of the excess.
Read Full Post »
Well, the title of this dish pretty much names all of the ingredients, aside from the olive oil. I always make caprese-style salads in the summertime. I recently saw a recipe that added orzo… it sounded delicious and it is! The small pasta adds a bit more heft to the salad, and it soaks up the juices nicely. I warmed my first bowl just enough to slightly melt the cheese, but I’ll also be having this cold too. Quick, easy, tasty, and a good way to use my ever-growing basil!
- 1 cup uncooked Orzo pasta
- 2 dozen fresh Basil leaves, chopped
- 5-7 medium-sized Tomatoes, chopped
- 1-lb fresh Mozzarella, cubed
- Olive Oil
Cook orzo according to directions and let cool. Mix everything together with a generous drizzling of olive oil. Let sit in fridge so flavors can meld. Enjoy cold or warmed slightly.
Read Full Post »
