Grilled Chicken with Creamy Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Sauce

Grilled Chicken with Creamy Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Sauce 

1-1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts
olive oil
salt/pepper

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons diced shallots
2 Tablespoons flour
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes 
1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced or 1 teaspoon basil paste (I used Gourmet Garden brand)
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half

4 ounces angel hair pasta (other pasta would work too)

Prep your shallots and sun dried tomatoes.  I started off with julienned sun dried tomatoes and chopped from there. If you are slicing fresh basil, prep it too.  I used the basil paste since that is what I had on hand at the time.

 Measure your half and half and chicken broth.

Drizzle the olive oil in pan, add shallots and saute for just a moment or two so as not to burn the shalllots. 

 Add the flour, cooking for a moment.

Add chicken broth and half and half mixture a little bit at a time.  Whisk along the way so as not to have lumps. When it has thickened stir in your tomatoes and basil.  Place a lid on top so it doesn't skin over while you cook the pasta and chicken.

Trim chicken breasts. I cut them so they are flatter and then cut off the tip so it cooks more evenly and doesn't dry out on the end. I chop up the extras for a meal on another night.

Place chicken in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Stir to coat. Grill chicken until no longer pink inside.

Cook pasta.  Angel hair cooks in 4-6 minutes so make sure you start them a little bit after your chicken. 

If timing is not your thing you can cook your chicken ahead and chunk it up, setting aside until your sauce and pasta are done.  Then throw it all in one big pot, stir, and serve family style! This is most likely how I will do mine next time.

Pumpkin Buttermilk Waffles

Pumpkin Buttermilk Waffles                                                   Printable Recipe

1-3/4 cups flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1-1/2 cups buttermilk (or 1-1/2 T lemon juice and rest filled to 1-1/2 cups with milk)
6 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Béchamels (fancy name for a white sauce) are a great base for many soups  I lightened this one up a bit and added more flavor by replacing some of the milk with chicken broth. 

Broccoli Cheese Soup                                                                          Printable Recipe

1 small head broccoli

3 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk (I used goat milk)

1 cup chicken broth

4 ounces Velveeta or 1/2 to 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Steam broccoli until tender.  It will not cook any more in the soup so be sure it is how you like it.  Also keep in mind that the softer you have it the more it will break up as you stir it into the base. 

In a large pot melt the butter.

Stir in flour, heat and stir until smooth.  Cook for 1 minute.

Gradually add milk and broth, stirring constantly until thickened. I find it easier to have the liquid warmed to prevent burning on the bottom.

This is with about half of the liquid. It will be a little thinner than this in the end.

Add cheese and stir until melted.  Gently stir in broccoli.  Add salt and pepper if you like. Ladle and serve.

If you have leftover ham you can chop some up and put it in the soup too!

Sausage and Kale Soup

Sausage and Kale Soup

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup onions, chopped (or diced)

8 ounce package pre-cooked chicken sausage (I used al fresco) 

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1 bay leaf

6 cups chicken broth

1 can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

2-4 cups chopped kale

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)

ground pepper 

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.  Add onions and saute until soft.  While they are cooking slice your sausage into chunks.  Add to pot and cook for another minute or so. 

 Add broth to pot.

 Chop up sweet potatoes.

 Add those to the pot.  Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until soft to your liking.

While potatoes are cooking finely chop your kale.  Be sure to remove the vein as it is very tough. 

When potatoes are soft add in the kale, beans and seasonings.  Simmer for 5 minutes or until everything is heated through. 

 Discard bayleaf before serving.

Breakfast Slam

A local restaurant makes this dish.  I show you what recipes you can make to put it all together yourself!!

Breakfast Slam

Omelet
Sausage Gravy
Perfectly Pan Fried Potatoes
Chopped Fresh parsley

Place omelet on the plate, potatoes on the side, and ladle sausage gravy on top.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

How to Make a Basic Omelet

Omelets are great idea for breakfast but we would certainly eat them for supper too! Change up your veggies and meats to make it your own.  They are easy to make and you should give it a try!

How to Make a Basic Omelet                                                 Printable Recipe

Per person
2 eggs
Splash of milk
Salt and pepper, as desired
1-2 Tablespoons green peppers/onions
Shredded Cheese of your choice
Ham, bacon, sausage, optional (only use if not making a breakfast slam*)

We prefer our veggies soft so we cooks ours first in a little bit of olive oil.   

Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Add in veggies.

In an 8" non-stick saute pan drizzle in a little olive oil or add some butter.  You don't need a lot since it is non-stick but some will help. Use your rubber spatula to lift up on the cooked egg on the side and then

tip the pan so the egg mixture slips in and fills in the hole.

Do this all the way around until the egg is nearly cooked and only slightly wet on top.

Now is the time to decide if you are going to go easy or impress everyone with your skills. You can either slide it out onto a plate, turn your pan upside down over the plate and flip it all. OR.... Do like I do and make sure it is loose (wiggle it back and forth a little) and with a flick of the wrist flip it all!!

 Add cheese to one side.

 Fold over.  The heat from the omelet will melt your cheese.

* This goes great in the Breakfast Slam.

Rosso Verde Pizza

Pistachios on pizza?!  No way!  I thought the same thing when my husband brought it home from the pizza place.  But between it, the sweet red peppers, and the pesto, it works.  You must try it!  This is my version. We came up with a fun name, it means Red Green Pizza in Italian.

Rosso Verde Pizza

grilled pizza dough or quick pizza dough

pesto

shredded mozzarella (or a blend of your favorite pizza cheeses)

sauteed diced red peppers

pistachios 

For this recipe I used pre-grilled pizza dough and cooked it in the oven.  For fresh grilled pizza follow instructions on the grilled pizza dough page.  You can also use the quick pizza dough recipe and top it.  

Preheat oven and stone to 450 degrees.  Place frozen pizza dough or rolled our fresh dough on a pizza paddle or flat cookie sheet. Frozen pizza doesn't need cornmeal, it won't stick but the fresh DOES.  Spread on the pesto. Use as much or as little as you like. 

Sprinkled on your grated cheese.

Add the red peppers.

Now, on to adding the pistachios.  We left ours whole but you could chop them up a little bit if you want but don't obliterate them.  You want the crunch.

Slide it onto the pizza stone. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Careful to watch your crust.  Brown is nice but at the end can quickly be too brown.

Slice and enjoy! 

Grilled Tarragon Marinated Steak

Grilled Tarragon Marinated Steak

1-2 pound flank steak (I used Sirloin Tip Steak)

1 Tablespoon Coriander/Tarragon Spirit Vinegar 

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce or Fauxy Sauce (Soy Sauce Substitute)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon smoked paprika (La Chinata is the best!)

In a small bowl mix together all the ingredients. 

Pour into a zipshut bag and place meat inside   Marinade for at least 2 hours. Remove from fridge at least 15 minutes ahead.

Flank is great grilled over high heat.  For my thicker steak each time I moved it for the marks I put it on a new part of the grill but kept the heat medium.  My family (not me!) prefers theirs well done so I go a little slower.

You can baste with the marinade as you cook the meat as long as you put it in a pan and bring it up to a boil since you had raw meat in int.

Slice thin to serve.  Would be awesome in a sandwich! 

Chef Gaby also says you can slice thin and use as a stir fry, just be sure your wok is smoky hot!!