Stuffed Chicken Breasts Using Left Overs!

Here is what I had to work with:  two chicken breasts that were marinated in a garlic and lemon mixture, some left over rice pilaf, feta cheese I needed to use up, and almonds I had toasted with some parmesan cheese.  Somehow I felt the need to create something.  I could have just coated the chicken in some breadcrumbs and baked it, but that just seemed so boring!  Follow me through my thought process....

In a bowl, I mixed the following:

2 cups of cooked rice pilaf

1/4 cup of the almonds

1 cup of chopped artichoke hearts

a handful of fresh basil and parsley, chopped

about a tsp of dried chopped onion and garlic

1/2 cup of feta cheese

salt and pepper

2 tbs mayonnaise

This was my stuffing mixture.  I used the mayo just to hold everything together.

Slice each chicken breast in half, lengthwise, so that they weren't too thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place some of the rice stuffing and rolled them up. I like to use a large cupcake pan to cook them in because it holds them together nicely. If you don't have a cupcake pan, tie the chicken up with twine and place in a greased pan.

Spray the chicken with a little vegetable oil spray, and sprinkle with seasoned breadcrumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. If they are not golden brown, stick them under the broiler for a quick browning.  Then, remove and let them sit for about 5 minutes.

There you have it...yummy chicken "bundles" AND you have just cleaned your refrigerator!  Enjoy...

Chicken Thighs with Lemon Honey Sauce

• 6 chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 2 times around with olive oil
• 6 tablespoons of butter, divided
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• ¼ cup honey
• about a tablespoon full of fresh thyme
• ½ cup of chicken broth
• salt and pepper

Clean and dry your chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  In a small container, combine the lemon juice and honey and set aside.

Brown both sides of the chicken in 1 tablespoon of butter and the olive oil,  about 5-7 minutes, depending on how hot your pan is.  If the chicken is sticking to the pan, let it cook a bit longer.  When it is brown, it should turn easily. Remove the chicken and place on a plate.

Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet the chicken was seared in over medium heat, using a spatula to scrape any bits left over in the pan. Stir the butter occasionally until the foam settles. The butter will begin to change color to a golden brown and will have a nutty fragrance.

Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the honey and lemon juice mixture, the chicken thighs and lower the heat. Simmer until the sauce gets nice and thick....15 minutes or so, turning the thighs from time to time so both sides can get coated with the sauce.  If need be, add just a little chicken broth if the sauce seems to get a little too thick.  After about 20 minutes, place the pan under the broiler to brown the tops just a little. Sprinkle with the thyme and serve.

Notes: Feel free to substitute with either wings or breast. You may need to double the sauce depending on the quantity of chicken.

Banana Coconut Bread

This has got to be the best banana bread recipe I have found. Usually banana bread comes out dark and dense, almost a bit dry.  Not this recipe! The bread is light and moist, and adding coconut is ingenious! I hope you will give it a try...

1 tsp baking powder

1 ¼ cups flour

¼ tsp salt

1 stick butter

2/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

½ tsp vanilla

½ cup walnuts, chopped

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

¾ cup coconut

 

·      Preheat oven to 375 degrees
·      Grease and flour a 4x8 loaf pan
·      Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl
·      Mix butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, mashed bananas and walnuts in another bowl
·      Add ½ cup of coconut to the mixture
·      Combine the contents of the 2 bowls together
·      Transfer the mix to the loaf pan and sprinkle with ¼ cup coconut
·      Bake for approximately 1 hour 

      Notes: If you notice the bread getting too dark, place a piece of foil over the top. Start checking for doneness after about 50 minutes by inserting a tooth pick. Once it comes out clean, then the bread is done!

The Best Scones...so I have been told!

I have always tried to share recipes that come out amazingly delicious, in the hopes that everyone who visits this blog will be able to enjoy them as much as i do.  This scone recipe was given to me by a dear friend along with a fresh batch to eat. They are really easy to make and only take 20 minutes to bake.

Here are the ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (room temperature)
• 3/4 cup buttermilk*
• 1 egg
• Add 1/2 cup of raisins or craisins if you would like!

Preheat the oven to 375º F. Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Next, add the baking soda and egg to the buttermilk and mix into the flour, just until incorporated.

Dump the mixture out on a floured surface.  Flour your hands and gently kneed the dough.  It will be really sticky, so keep dusting the dough and your hands to help with the kneading.  When the dough is smooth, flatten into a circle, about 1/2 inch thick. Using a knife, cut into 8 wedges and place on the parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes.

*If you don't have buttermilk, do this:  for every cup of milk, add a tablespoon of lemon juice and let stand for 10 minutes.

We're talkin' fancy-looking hors deurves here... Cheesy Scallop Toasts and Zucchini Tarts - delicious and easy

I don't know about you, but I am always looking for yummy, pretty hors deurves to make when people are coming over, and I truly believe I have two that fit the bill!  The cheesy scallop toasts are a bite of savory scallop deliciousness and the zucchini tarts?  well, the combination of goat cheese, zucchini, and Parmesan cheese, highlighted with some fresh thyme is a total rush for the taste buds!

Let's start with the scallop toasts.   You can make the scallop mixture in the morning and keep in the fridge until it is time to cook them.  Here are the ingredients:

½ pound of Cape scallops

3 Tbs of butter

1 Tbs chopped fresh garlic

a sprinkle of dill

½ cup of mayonnaise

2 bags of shredded Swiss cheese

Begin by getting out a fry pan and melting the butter.  When it is bubbling, add the fresh garlic and scallops and stir for about 5 minutes.  Add the dill and turn off the heat.  Let the scallops sit in the pan as they cool off.  

When they are cool, use a strainer so that you can save not only the scallops but the garlic too!  Discard the liquid and place the scallops in a bowl.  Add the mayonnaise, and the Swiss cheese and stir together.  It's best to refrigerate the mixture at this point, so the flavors have a chance to do their thing.

When it comes time to get the hors deurves ready, heat your oven to 375.  Using a spoon, mound some of the scallop mixture on each toast.  Bake until the tops are brown, approximately 15 minutes, but keep an eye on them....every one's oven is different!

 Now for the zucchini tarts.  Here are the ingredients you will need for these:

1 package refrigerated pie crust (you will use one roll)

zucchini (try to find small, narrow ones if at all possible) sliced thin

1 Tsp salt

2 Tbs olive oil plus additional for drizzling

Fresh thyme

small package of goat cheese

fresh Parmesan cheese

Begin by unrolling one of the pie crusts on a floured surface.  Using a 1 ½ - 2 inch cutter (I used a glass I had), dip in flour and cut out as many rounds as you can.  Transfer them to a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer.  Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Now, toss the slices of zucchini with 1 Tsp of salt in a bowl and let stand for 15 minutes.  Using paper towels, drain and pat dry.  Now, back in the bowl so you can coat them with 2 Tbs of olive oil, pepper, and some thyme.

Remove the pie crust from the freezer and spread each one with some of the goat cheese.  Arrange the zucchini slices on top of the goat cheese in a pin wheel pattern.  If you need to cut the zucchini smaller so they will fit, by all means.  Sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese and a little more thyme.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the pie crusts are golden brown.  Place them on your serving dish and lightly drizzle with a little olive oil.

So there you have it.   So delicious, they will think you either bought them or slaved for hours!  

Pork Chops with a savory goat cheese stuffing

I decided it was high time I tried stuffing a pork chop.  It sounds yummy enough, but for some reason, I have never attempted it until now.  Pork is very tricky to cook because it can become dry so quickly.  Having the stuffing helps to keep them moist, as well as cooking them fast over high heat.

So, for the stuffing, here is what you will need:

Fresh basil, chopped (I probably used a good handful)

Fresh spinach, chopped (another handful)

Fresh parsley, chopped (yes, another handful as well)

1 Tsp garlic powder

1 Tsp onion powder

1 Tsp thyme

salt and pepper to taste

about ½ - ¾ cup of goat cheese

In a bowl, mix the goat cheese with all of the other ingredients.  Set the stuffing aside and get the chops ready to stuff...

What I did was make a slit, all the way through to the bone.  I basically divided my stuffing evenly, so that each one had a fair amount.

Once they are all stuffed, I sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.





Heat your skillet to medium high and add a touch of olive oil.  Brown each side for about 3-4 minutes.  You want the pan hot enough so that they will get nice and brown in a short amount of time.















Once they are browned, place them in a broiling pan, cover with foil and keep in a low oven until you are ready to serve them.

I wanted to make a pasta to go with them, and after raiding my fridge, I came up with fresh corn, panchetta, and asparagus.  I cooked the panchetta, then added the corn.

 I turned off the heat and cooked my egg noodles.  When they were almost done, I added the asparagus.  Drain and set aside.

To the panchetta and corn, I add a container of Fage plain yogurt (normally I would have added heavy cream or sour cream, but this yogurt does the same thing and is so much healthier!)  Add about a ½ cup of Parmesan cheese  and salt and pepper to taste.

Fold in the pasta and asparagus and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

Dinner is served.....

Yummy Orzo Salad

I have always loved pasta salads, but there is only so much you do to make them different.  Enter orzo..... It's like eating pasta salad and not a lot of pasta!  I really am hooked on it!   Here is all you need:

1 box Orzo

Cherry tomatoes

corn (either fresh or frozen)

toasted pine nuts

cheese (Feta or diced fresh mozzarella)

fresh basil

salt and pepper to taste

Dijon Vinaigrette

Begin by cooking one box of orzo.  I use chicken stock instead of water because I think it gives it more flavor.  While that is cooking, start cutting your tomatoes.  As for the corn, I had 5 ears that I had cooked a day ago and cut the kernels off.  If you don't have fresh corn, you can thaw a small bag of frozen corn and use that.  

Combine the corn with the orzo.

Fold in the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.

 The easiest way to toast pine nuts is to heat a fry pan to medium high.  Add the pine nuts and give them a stir every so often.  Keep an eye on them, though, because they tend to go from white to golden brown pretty quickly.







Only two ingredients left, your cheese and the fresh basil.  Add the basil just before you serve the salad so it won't get too wilted.

The ingredients for your vinaigrette are as follows:

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¾ cup olive oil

2 Tbs Dijon mustard

approximately 1 Tsp salt

fresh ground pepper to taste

Whisk everything together and taste.  Feel free to adjust the flavor to your liking.  Add the dressing and basil and you are good to go.