A light chicken dish

It's summer time here in Florida, which means weather over 100 degrees and just about the same level of humidity. It is blistering hot! That usually means that when it comes time for dinner we don't want something straight out of the oven every night. Sometimes it's nice to have a refreshing dish. And this just happens to be that dish!

It's from Publix (Apron's Simple Meals), which just happens to produce some of my favorite recipes. Who would have thunk it?!

Chicken with Cream Bruschetta Pasta

Ingredients:
2-3 sprigs fresh basil rinsed (I used dried basil)
2 plum tomatoes rinsed (I used 3 - will explain later)
1 (8oz) package garlic/herb flavored spreadable cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat milk
8 oz tomato trinity mix (fresh diced tomatoes, onions, bell peppers) (I did not use - again, will explain later)
3 chicken fillets (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon canola oil (I used EVOO)
8 oz dry linguini pasta

Directions:
1. Fill large saucepan half full of water. Cover and bring to a boil on high for pasta.

2. Chop basil leaves coarsely. Cut tomatoes in small pieces. Place cheese in medium bowl; whisk in milk until smooth. (I didn't realize until I got home that the package of cheese I bought was only 4 oz. I highly recommend buying 8 oz because while we made due, you do need to use quite a bit of this sauce mixture over the top of the dish in order to make sure your pasta isn't dry.) Stir in tomatoes, basil, and tomato trinity mix; set aside. (Publix did not have the trinity mix when I was buying my ingredients, so I just bought an extra plum tomato and used that, then diced up some onion as well. I decided to skip using any bell pepper.)

3. Preheat large saute pan on medium-high 2-3 minutes. Season both sides of chicken with salt. Place oil in pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken; cook 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden. (If your chicken is thick, you may want to butterfly it in order to cook evenly. I didn't realize this at first and the outside got done much faster than the middle). Meanwhile, stir pasta into boiling water. Boil 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until tender.

4. Reduce heat on chicken to medium; cover and cook 5 more minutes or until internal temp reaches 165. Use a meat thermometer (I don't have one!)

5. Drain pasta. Remove chicken from heat; cut inot 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange chicken over pasta and top with cheese mixture. Serve.

This was a pretty good dish; Jeremy really liked it. It was pretty refreshing because nothing is too warm. I would have liked it better with more cheese sauce on top, hence why you should remember to get 8 oz! But, I will definitely make this again!

Chicken Taco Soup

Sorry, no photos. But this was quite delicious and easy to make - I love when you can just throw everything into a crockpot and be done with it.

Chicken Taco Soup
Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid oz) can or bottle beer (anything but light) - I used Stella
2 (10 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 oz) package taco seasoning
2 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut in half (I used 3 chicken breasts)

Directions:
1. Place the onion, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients.
2. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
3. Remove chicken from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 1-2 hours on low.

Andrew's 228 Copycat

Most of my friends know that Andrew's 228 is my favorite restaurant in Tallahassee. Ok, so it may be tied for #1 with Masa, but the point is that it is up there. I absolutely love 228! Go ahead, check out the menu. My love for 228 grew immensely the night I tried their Chicken Marsala. It was this wonderful, savory dish with stuffed Chicken Marsala (with a spinach concoction I have yet to reproduce) on a bed of creamy risotto with cremini mushrooms and asparagus. Oh, it makes my mouth water just thinking about it! Pair that with the delicious wedge salad (yes, I do realize that iceberg lettuce really has no real nutritional value, but this salad is to die for) and you have a delectable meal! And if you want to go all out and get an appetizer as well . . . Mmmmm, they have this gorgonzola cheesecake which is to die for. Gogonzola cheesecake you say? Yes, I admit I had my doubts at first. I imagined cheesecake . . . with gorgonzola cheese. And let me tell you, I was not imagining something appetizing. But one bite later and I was in love. It's an entirely exotic experience in your mouth. Nothing like you can imagine! You must go out on a limb and try it sometime (as long as you like gorgonzola cheese that is). Another wonderful appetizer is their shrimp and lobster escargot. It is sinful! All that yummy butter sauce with perfectly cooked shrimp and lobster to soak it up with . . . and if you so desire, you can soak up the remaining butter with select breads from the bread basket. By the time I am through with all of this yumminess, I have absolutely no room for dessert, which actually works out well because dessert is the only thing I have not found something I'm in love with at 288. Don't cry, it's ok. I'm more of a carb person than a sweet person, so I would rather fill my tummy with those items mentioned above rather than dessert. And of course, I always have one (ok, a few) of their delicious $6 martinis. I am totally craving 228 right now. I can't wait to go again! Jeremy owes me a trip he said because 228 was going to be part of our Valentine's Day Extravaganza! Until then . . .

But, I have gotten off track! So one night I decided I would see if I could recreate this wonderful entree I love so much. I already had a recipe for chicken marsala and for risotto. Why not combine them? And that is what I did! With a few tweaks of course!

I made the chicken marsala the same way as I did before. But with the risotto I used Marsala wine instead of white wine. And I didn't use shredded chicken or peas either. Ok, starting from the beginning, I heated my pan with some olive oil. Then I added some asparagus, cleaned and trimmed into about 1 inch pieces. I put the asparagus into the oil and heat until softer, but still with a nice crunch, just a few minutes. I then removed the asparagus from the pan and set aside. Then I used the same pan to make my risotto recipe. I followed the risotto recipe, with the exceptions I mentioned previously. After the risotto was done I folded the asparagus back into it and added some fresh spinach. Just a handful or two, depending on how much you want. The heat of the risotto will wilt the spinach in a few minutes. Then I just put the marala-asparagus-spinach-risotto onto a plate and topped with my chicken marsala. It was divine!! It was a perfect substitute for 228. It had all of the ingredients, if only arranged a tad differently (at 228 the spinach is stuffed in the chicken with some cheese I think). But it was PERFECT! A great dish to make when we can't afford or don't have the time to go out. The only thing that I'd love to do differently is use cremini mushrooms - like both the recipe calls for and 228 actually uses. But I can't find any at Publix and I never take the time to go to Fresh Market or New Leaf Market where they are probably sold. But one day I will! Anyway, I highly recommend this dish! Your tastebuds will love you!

Chicken Carbonara

Well, I have somehow misplaced my recipe for this! I don't know how that happened. I will continue to look for it. But I want to go ahead and post the photos since I am actually blogging from home for once. I apologize for the lack of the recipe. That will be remedied shortly.

Overall, this recipe did not impress me that much. It was good. But not something I'd rave about.





****UPDATE: I found the recipe. Here ya go:

Spaghetti Carbonara
(source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks)

Ingredients
1 lb spaghetti or other thin pasta
4 eggs
1 lb bacon
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese
8-12 cloves of garlic, sliced or chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup white wine
1/2 stick of butter
1 handful of parsley
1-2 tbsp fresh ground black pepper

Preparation
First, slice up the bacon in to pieces about an inch thick. Then toss them into a heated stainless steel pan. Cook until browned and crisp.

While the bacon cooks, put on water to boil for the pasta and add the pasta once the water has reached a rolling boil and cook to al dente. When the bacon is cooked, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the renderings. Cook the chopped onion in the renderings for a few minutes and then add the garlic.

Once the onion and garlic have cooked for a few minutes, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Discard the leftover renderings. Place the pan back on high heat until it starts to smoke a little. Then pour in the white wine and deglaze the pan. Add one cup of chicken stock. Return bacon, onion, and garlic to the pan and let simmer over medium heat.

Crack four eggs into a large bowl. Chop up most of the parsley and add it to the bowl along with most of the parmesan cheese. Mix well with a fork.

Drain the water from the pasta and add the very hot pasta to the egg mixture. The heat from the pasta will partially cook the eggs. Then add the bacon mixture and toss to combine. Finally, throw a 1/2 stick of butter in. Pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley and parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

The reason I was iffy on this recipe is the uncooked eggs part. That really bothered me - even if the hot pasta is supposed to "cook" them. I don't know, but it freaked me out. So it was hard for me to overcome that and enjoy the meal.

Honey Chicken, Vanilla Rice, and Brussel Sprouts

This is one of those recipes that I didn't follow directly (once again). But it still turned out very good. Except for the brussel sprouts. I wasn't a huge fan. Don't know if I'll try those again. In all actuality, I didn't "make" the brussel sprouts; I bought one of those Blue Robin whats-it-called frozen things that you place in the microwave for 5 minutes. They have some very yummy combinations, but I don't think brussel sprouts are my cup of tea.

Honey Chicken

Ingredients:
1/4 cup ginger spice paste (I couldn't find this, so I used my ground ginger spice. Obviously I didn't use a 1/4 cup. I don't remember how much I used, but I think I just sprinkled some in the bowl.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 1 /2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon canola oil (I used olive oil)
1/4 cup honey

Directions:
1. Combine ginger paste, salt, and pepper in medium bowl. Place flour on plate; dip chicken in flour until coated and shake off excess. Dip chicken in ginger mixture, coating both sides. Preheat large saute pan on medium-high 2-3 minutes.
2. Place oil in pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken; cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden.
3. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 5-7 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees.
4. Slice chicken and drizzle with honey. Serve.

Vanilla Rice

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon canola oil (used Olive Oil)
1 cup basmati rice
1 3/4 cups water
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat medium saucepan on medium-high 2-3 minutes. Place oil in pan; swirl to coat. Add rice and cook 1-2 minutes or until rice is coated and thoroughly heated.
2. Stir in water, sugar, and vanilla. Bring to a boil; cover and cook 1 minute, stirring often.
3. Reduce heat to lowest setting and cook 2 minutes (do not sir or remove cover during cooking). Fluff rice with fork and serve.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I already blogged about this recipe and how much I LOVE it. I adore it. I ... I don't know what more I can say about how much I love this recipe. Anyway, I realized I never actually posted the recipe. So here it is. You must try it!!

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Makes 4 servings (I think it actually could feed 5-6 if you eat small portions)

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over chicken.

3. Bake chicken for ONE HOUR. Turn chicken every 15 minutes.

4. If you like extra sauce, make another batch and bring it to a boil on the stovetop (the amount called for usually is enough for me). Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced - about 6-8 minutes.

5. Serve over rice and veggies.

***I just lightly steamed some veggies for this.

My Arch Nemesis!!!

I had been planning on making this chicken confetti spaghetti (haha, that rhymes) recipe since Tuesday. I kept putting it off because of different reasons. I finally made it last night. I should have known from the beginning it was a bad idea because of my issues with it since Tuesday. But nooooo, I decided to make it anyway. Let's just say I was not impressed. In fact, I hated it. Jeremy of course said it wasn't bad. I don't know if he was telling the truth (in all seriousness, he will eat just about anything) or if he was just being nice. But it doesn't matter because I will not make this again.

Now, I will admit I did not follow the recipe to the exact letter. But I refuse to think that was the issue. Instead I like Jeremy's philosophy: Your cooking wasn't bad, the recipe was just flawed! That works for me! Anyway, I'm going to post this recipe just in case someone else wants to try it. It may not actually be THAT bad; maybe the recipe just had it out for me because I'd been fighting with it since Tuesday. Maybe my "substitutions" ruined it. Maybe I just suck at cooking. You be the judge. Go ahead; try it. I dare you.

Chicken Confetti Spaghetti
Serves 6

Ingedients:
8 oz spaghetti

2 Tbsp butter

12 oz cooked, diced chicken - I'm not sure how much chicken I used. I mean, they sell chicken by the pound NOT by the ounce. And I'm sorry, but I'm no math wizard, so how was I supposed to know what constitutes 12 oz of chicken?!?

1 (4oz) jar diced pimentos (drained) - Ok, another modification. When I was reading the ingredients list at the store, I must have imagined the word "olive" in there because I opened my jar of olives with pimentos and then was like "Wait! It doesn't call for actual olives." That is when I shrugged and said "Oh Well" and threw in the diced olives. Whoops.

8 oz trinity mix (fresh diced onions, bell peppers, celery) - HAHAHA. Ok, I just now realized this said FRESH. I bought the frozen bag of "seasoning mix" from Publix (which does have onions, bell peppers, and celery) and used that. But when I was going to add it to the recipe I realized the bag was a 10 oz bag and instead of trying to figure out what 8 oz was out of the bag, I again shrugged and said "Oh Well!" and threw the entire bag in the mix!

1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup (I got this part right!!)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 (14 oz) can reduced-sodium chicken broth - yah, I have no clue how much I put in because you don't buy chicken broth in 14 oz cans!! So I guesstimated!

1 1/4 cups shredding sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 425. Fill pot with water and bring to boil. Break pasta into 2-inch long pieces and stir into boiling water; boil 5 minutes or until partially tender.

2. Cut butter into small pieces while placing in medium bowl; set aside to soften. Combine in microwave safe bowl: chicken, pimentos, trinity mix, soup, salt, pepper, and broth until well blended. Cover and microwave on HIGH 2-3 minutes or until mixture is hot and vegetables begin to soften.

3. Drain pasta and stir into vegetable mixture. Transfer mixture evenly into 2 quart baking dish. I used a 2 1/2 quart and mine was almost to the very top. I don't know how they expect this to fit into only 2 quarts! Stir cheese and bread crumbs into butter. Mix with fingers until blended and crumbly; spread evenly over chicken mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden and bubbly around edges. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

***Photos to come shortly!

UPDATE 3/6/09: Photos of the chicken confetti. I apologize for the second photo - I was having issues with my f/stop.

Creamy Chicken Risotto with Peas

I will admit that most of my recipes have been blog-napped from other recipe blogs I follow. This happens to be one of them. I have heard horror stories about risotto in the past: how long it takes it to cook, how much stirring is involved, how if you don't do it EX-ACT-LY right it is ruined. And the best tidbit I heard: if you manage to make a decent risotto you are a true cook. So needless to say when I decided I wanted to tackle this risotto dish, I was a little petrified.

In the end, it didn't take half as long as I expected to make this dish. Yes, there was some excess stirring involved, but again, not at all like I imagined. And the result was SO worth the wrist pain in the morning. It turned out DELICIOUS! I was absolutely shocked and ecstatic at the same time. Paired with a fresh salad and this is the perfect meal.

Creamy Chicken Risotto with Peas

1 cup risotto
3 cups chicken broth
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup shredded chicken (I boiled the chicken first and then shredded it. When I make this again I will use more than 1 cup of chicken because I felt like it could handle more)
Frozen or fresh peas - as much as desired (I used frozen and heated them in the microwave before adding to the recipe. I used approximately 1 cup and that was a good amount)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Warm up broth in sauce pan and keep at a low simmer until ready to use.

2. Heat butter and oil in skillet/sautee pan over medium heat, adding chopped garlic and onion to cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add dry rice and 1/2 of the wine (so 1/4 cup) to pan with garlic and onions, coating with butter and garlic, cooking about 3 minutes (rice will absorb the wine).



4. Add 1 cup warm broth to rice and stir. Keep simmering and stir often until rice absorbs most of the liquids. Add 1 more cup of broth and repeat until absorbed. Add last of broth and simmer, stirring often.



5. Once rice has absorbed most of the liquids, add the last of the wine, peas, chicken, and cheese.

6. Simmer and stir until cheese is melted and chicken and peas are warmed up. Serve and enjoy!

[Side note to all you REAL chefs out there.... I don't want to know if the rumors I heard about risotto are true or not. I was very pleased with my result and like to believe that since I managed to create a delicious risotto first time out that I have been given a gift - the gift of cooking! LOL]

Catching up on past recipes

Ok, ok, I know I am completely behind. So in an attempt to catch up I am going to just post some of my past recipes here and then I can start from scratch!

Chicken Marsala
Serves 4

2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
Salt and pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
1 tablespoon olive oil
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter

Place flour in a shallow bowl; season generously with salt and pepper. Dredge each piece of chicken in flour.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium Add chicken and cook until golden on the outside and opaque throughout, about 8 to 10 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, and cover to keep warm.

Add mushrooms, shallot, sage, and 1/4 cup water to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until mushrooms are tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add wine and cream; simmer over medium-high until slightly thickened, around 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in butter.

Top chicken with mushroom sauce and garnish with sage.

**I did not use any sage and it still turned out delicious! Also, Publix did not have cremini mushrooms so I used shitaki.





Italian Beef Florentine with Savory Pasta
Serves 4

1/4 cup flour
2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 beef chuck patties (1 lb)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 packet garlic and herb sauce mix (about 1.5 oz)
1 1/2 cups reduced fat milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups baby spinach leaves (about 3 oz)

1. Place flour on plate. Beat eggs gently, in a shallow bowl, until blended. Combine in second shallow bowl, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
2. Preheat large saute pan on medium-high 2-3 minutes. Dip patties in flour (coating on both sides) then dip into egg mixture. Finally, dip into bred crumb mixture.
3. Place oil in pan; swirl to coat. Add patties to pan; cook 2-3 minutes on each side to brown.
4. Reduce heat to medium; cook 2-3 more minutes on each side until internal temp. reaches 160 degrees.
5. Meanwhile, combine sauce mix and milk in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium-high.
6. Reduce heat on sauce to low; stir in butter and spinach. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often, or until spinach is wilted. Serve sauce over patties.

Savory Pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (19.4 oz) package frozen pasta with cream sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can herb/garlic diced tomatoes (drained)

1. Place oil and pasta mixture in large pan. Cover and cook on medium 8- minutes, stirring occasionally, or until pasta is hot and sauce is dissolved.
2. Stir in tomatoes; cook 1-2 more minutes. Serve.



Best Chili Ever
Serves approx. 8

1 onion
1 1/2 lb ground chuck (I have used lean ground beef and it turns out just as well)
3 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed tomato soup
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes/sweet onions (undrained)
1 (10 oz) can milder diced tomatoes/green chilies (undrained) (I think I used a 14.5 oz can)
1 (16 oz) can chili beans in mild sauce (undrained)
1 (15 oz) can black beans (drained)

**I have also added 1 can Great Northern Beans or an additional can of Black Beans.

1. Remove ends and peel from onion; chop onion coarsely and divide in half.



2. Preheat large saucepan on medium-high 2-3 minutes. Place beef, chili powder, seasoned salt, pepper, and 1/2 of the onions in pan. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring to crumble meat, or until meat is brown and no pink remains.


3. Stir in remaining ingredients, including remaining 1/2 onions. Bring to a boil, stirring often.


4. Reduce heat to low; cook 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors. Serve.
**Top with cheese and eat with Fritos. It's a great dish for a football Saturday!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ok, after the failed waffle attempt I was somewhat disheartened. Would I ever become the chef I want to be? ;-) Anyway, my next dish was Sweet and Sour Chicken. I was halfway in the process of making this when I realized it had to cook for an hour - ONE HOUR! That's after you've done a bunch of other stuff. Now to "I make everything from scratch" lady, a one hour meal is probably like a walk in the park. But to me, that is approximately 30 minutes longer than I like to spend on dinner! But I was already invested in this meal so I kept up the march. And thank goodness I did. It was the most delicious sweet and sour chicken I have ever tasted! Nothing like that breaded mess you get from a Chinese restaurant. You know what I'm talking about. Where you take a bite and can't even find the chicken amongst the pounds of breading? Yah, that stuff. Well this was just chicken. And it was delicious. Well worth the extra time it takes to make it. In fact, I have made it several times since!



By the way, if anyone is interested in these recipes please let me know (via comment or email). I will try to remember to post the recipes in the future as well.