May 28
Another great side or salad topper. Enjoy!
2(15oz) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 small red onion finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
A few celery ribs and leafy tops, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine chickpeas with onions, peppers, celery, garlic, red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Dress salad with vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.
May 21
Here’s a great dish for summer or a way to bring a little summer to your winter, which I got from a blog The Laidlaws. I used our outside grill which worked great also. Enjoy!
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed
Pinch of salt
1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil
8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
4 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and diced
8 fresh basil leaves, stacked, rolled and thinly sliced into chiffonade
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Preheat a grill pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Spray with cooking spray. Combine balsamic and olive oil in a bowl. Season both sides of chicken with pinches of salt and place on grill. Brush top sides of chicken with balsamic mixture. Cook for 4-5 minutes and flip chicken. Brush with additional balsamic and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until cooked through. During the last 2 minutes of grilling place 2 slices of cheese over top each chicken to melt.
In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, basil garlic, salt and balsamic. Toss gently to combine. Place chicken breasts on a serving plate and top with tomato mixture. Serve warm.
May 17
Have you tried couscous? It looks like a type of rice but it is a really a tiny pasta. Another ingredient used in this dish is red peppers that you roast yourself. You could use store-bought but they are very simple to roast. If you don’t have fresh corn and use frozen wait til the peppers are half done roasting to add the corn to the oven. This is a nice change for a side dish and would go with just about anything. Enjoy!
1 1/2 C. fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
2 large red bell peppers, halved and seeded
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 (10oz) package couscous
1 bunch green onions, chopped
Preheat oven to 450. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place corn and peppers on prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until corn and peppers appear blistered; stir corn occasionally. Place peppers in a resealable plastic bag; seal, and let stand for 10 minutes to loosen skins. Remove skins from peppers, and chop, discarding skins. In a medium saucepan, bring chicken broth, butter, salt, garlic powder, and pepper to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, and stir in couscous, green onion, corn, and red pepper. Cover, and let stand for 3 minutes; fluff with a fork.
May 03
For someone who “doesn’t like beets”, I have found another beet recipe that I really like. When I found out how awesome beets are for your body I had to find recipes so that I would enjoy eating them. This is a refreshing salad great for the summertime that comes from Martha Stewart’s whole living website.
5 medium beets (about 1 pound without greens),ends trimmed, halved
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 c. fresh mint, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. goat or feta cheese, crumbled
Steam beets until tender, 30 to 35 minutes. When cool enough to handle, grab beets with a paper towel and slip off skins. Cut the beets into thin slices. In a medium bowl combine sliced beets, garlic, vinegar, and oil; season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Remove and discard garlic. Serve beets topped with mint and cheese.
Apr 22
Here’s a good way to have bbq when it’s raining, snowing or just too cold outside to grill out. The crock pot does the work for you. This is also great to come home to after a long day at the office. The recipe calls for bone-in chicken; I use boneless, skinless so I don’t cook it as long. Enjoy!
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 (3-3 1/2 lb) cut-up whole chicken
1/2 c cola soft drink
1/3 c ketchup
1/4 c brown sugar
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. bourbon
splash of lemon juice
Stir together first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle over chicken. Place chicken in a single layer in a lightly greased 6-qt slow cooker.
Whisk together cola, and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Slowly pour mixture between chicken pieces (to avoid removing spices from chicken). Squeeze a splash of lemon juice over chicken.
Cover and cook on HIGH 5 hours or on LOW 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 hours or until done.
Transfer chicken pieces to a serving platter. Skim fat from pan juices in slow cooker. Pour pan juices over chicken.
Apr 15
If you love tomatoes as much as I do you will love this delicious way to eat them. Roasting them brings out their sweetness. Enjoy!
1/2 c cider vinegar
1/4 c packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. canola oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 lb. grape tomatoes
1 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
Assorted crackers and Gouda Cheese
In a large bowl, whisk the vinegar, brown sugar, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add tomatoes; toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 15×10 baking pan. Sprinkle with parsley.
Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 12-14 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Serve with crackers and cheese.
Apr 01
I don’t normally like most corn breads; it seems that most are very dry. This corn bread, which I make often, is moist with a hint of sweetness. I like to serve it with spaghetti, BBQ or fish, but it is definitely good anytime. If the corn bread starts to burn around the edges while baking just lay a piece of tin foil across the top.
1 1/4 C cornmeal
1 C all-purpose flour
2/3 C packed brown sugar
1/3 C sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 C buttermilk
3/4 C. vegetable oil
In a mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugars, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk the egg, buttermilk and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour into a greased 9 inch round or square baking pan (pan will be full). Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Mar 30
Simple and delicious! This can be thrown together very quickly, but needs to chill a few hours for the flavors to come together.
1 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. milk
1/2 C. chopped roasted sweet red peppers
1/2 C. crumbled feta cheese
Beat cream cheese and milk in a large bowl until smooth; gently stir in red peppers and feta cheese. Serve with vegetables or your favorite crackers.
Mar 24
If you love sausage and peppers you’re going to love this recipe. It’s a quick and delicious sausage and pasta dinner that will become a favorite for you. Use whatever pasta you would like; I think the penne works best in this dish. If you don’t have plum tomatoes use what you have on hand just make sure you take the seeds and pulp out if you are using a larger tomato so the sauce is not too runny. Also before I add the tomatoes and the cream I like to deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine. This is to “get all the good stuff” off the bottom of the pan and to add alittle more flavor to the dish. Enjoy!
8 oz. uncooked penne
1 lb Italian sausage links,
cut into 1/2 in. slices
1 med. onion, chopped
1/2 med. sweet red pepper,
cut into thin strips
1/2 med. green pepper,
cut into thin strips
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. fennel seed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
3 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream
Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the sausage, onion, red and green peppers over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender; drain. Add the garlic, fennel, salt, pepper flakes and pepper; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes and cream; heat through. Drain pasta; add to sausage and onions. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
Mar 22
Haricots verts. Have you heard of them? They are French green beans; longer and thinner than the green beans we are used to here in the US. This recipe calls for haricots verts, but if you can’t find them in your grocery store don’t worry you can use the thinnest green beans available. They will just require a longer cooking time. Enjoy!
2 lbs. haricots verts, trimmed
3 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. shallots, halved lengthwise
and peeled
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Cook green beans in boiling salted water to cover 3 to 4 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge beans into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain. Melt butter and brown sugar with olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add shallots, and saute 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, add vinegar, and saute 10 minutes or until shallots are golden brown and tender. Increase heat to medium-high; add green beans, and saute 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
