Chicken Piccata

When it comes down to it, I just really like chicken... grilled barbecue chicken, chicken and dumplings, fried chicken, lemon pepper chicken, chicken tenders, chicken parmesan, chicken tamales, and now this new addition to my arsenal... chicken piccata. Oh my goodness, this stuff is so delicious! The lemon juice just adds a freshness to the dish, and the capers add an awesome briny-saltiness to it that you don't get just from salt. The chicken itself is so juicy, and the panko bread crumbs add a wonderful texture to the dish. I found the recipe on Pinterest, Panko Crusted Chicken Piccata, and I've made it several times already. Try this dish and I'm sure it will become one of your go-to meals.

1 cup flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves,
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder
½ cup olive oil
6 Tbsps butter

1 Tbsp capers
2 Tbsps lemon juice + A few slices of lemon
1 Tbsp chopped parsley

If the chicken breasts are too thick butterfly them so each piece is half as thick as it was to begin with. Fold a piece of plastic over the top and bottom of each piece of chicken, then use a meat mallet (preferably flat and not pointed) or rolling pin to pound it to a ¼ inch thickness. Season both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Place the flour, eggs, and panko in three separate shallow bowls.

Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dredge the chicken breasts in flour, shake off the excess and then dip in the eggs.

Then coat both sides with breadcrumbs.

Add half the dredged chicken breasts to the skillet and fry for 3-5 minutes or a side or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove to a plate. Add the other half of the oil to the skillet and repeat with remaining chicken breast.

When the chicken has been removed, add the butter to the skillet and use a spatula to scrape up any brown bits. Let the butter cook until sizzling and just starting to brown. Stir in the capers, lemon juice, and lemon slices (if using).

To serve, plate the chicken then spoon the lemon butter sauce over top. Top with lemon slices and fresh parsley.

Tiramisu

There is not a much better dessert than a rich tiramisu. This is a classic Italian dessert found in almost every Italian restaurant. If you've never tried it, you should! It's made with a soft cookie, in this recipe it is Ladyfingers; dark chocolate; cocoa; and marscapone cheese, which is similar to cream cheese but smoother and sweeter. Tiramisu is lovely layers of rich chocolately yumminess. It's not a difficult recipe to follow; you just need to make sure to follow the steps correctly. I found this recipe on Pinterest at: Bailey's Hazelnut Chocolate Tiramisu. 

3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon powdered sugar, divided
1/2 cup espresso or strong coffee, divided
6 tablespoons and 4 tablespoons Bailey’s Hazelnut Liqueur, divided
1 pound Bel Gioso Tiramisu mascarpone cheese*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (7-ounce) package Ladyfingers
1/2 cup Ghirardelli 60% cacao chocolate chips, melted and cooled
cocoa powder for dusting
dark chocolate covered espresso beans for garnish, optional

First melt your chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Check it; stir, and then microwave for another 30 seconds. Check and stir, and then microwave in 15 second intervals until smooth. Do not overcook or the chocolate will burn. Set chocolate aside to cool. In a large bowl, beat 3 egg yolks, 6 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon espresso, 6 tablespoons Bailey’s Hazelnut Liqueur for a couple of minutes until well combined and thickened.

 

Add the mascarpone cheese and vanilla extract and beat until well combined and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

In a separate (very clean) bowl (use a stand mixer if you have one for this part), whisk 3 egg whites until foamy. Add 1 teaspoon powdered sugar and whip to stiff peaks.

 

Stir about 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture to lighten it; then fold the rest of it in gently. Taste for flavor.

Pour the rest of the espresso and Bailey’s into a flat dish. Dip one side of each Ladyfinger in this mixture for just 5 seconds (so it doesn’t get soggy) before layering them, soaked side up, in a deep serving dish.

 

Repeat, lining the entire bottom of the dish with the cookies. Drizzle cooled melted chocolate all over the cookies. Dollop about 1/3 to 1/2 (depending on how many layers you think you’ll be able to get in your dish) of the mascarpone mixture (called zabaglione) over the top and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.

 

Dust this with cocoa powder. Repeat layering dipped cookies, melted chocolate, zabaglione, and a dusting of cocoa powder, ending with a layer of the zabaglione dusted with cocoa powder.

This is the second time I made this recipe. The first time I used a very deep oval casserole dish and ended up with about three layers of ingredients. This time I used a 10X14 rectangular dish and got two layers, but there's not quite enough zagablione in each piece for my taste. Next time, I'm going to use a 9X13, and I think it might just be perfect.

Chill at least one hour before serving. Dot with dark chocolate covered espresso beans and serve. Eat within 36 hours or so, or things start to get soupy.

Rigatoni Pasta Bake

Rich, hearty meat sauce... stringy gooey mozzarella... perfect pasta... I mean, really, what's not to love? I found this recipe for Rigatoni Pasta Bake on Pinterest, and because it looked so yummy, I decided to give it a try. I would like a bit more sauce to pasta ratio, but all-in-all, it turned out very good.

12 oz Rigatoni pasta
1 lb ground beef
1 lb Italian sausage
2 (15 oz cans) tomato sauce
28 oz can crushed tomatoes (I didn't use this)
1.5 Tbsp tomato paste
1.5 cups Mozzarella cheese
½ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsps Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar

In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente.

In a large saucepan, brown ground beef and sausage until crumbly and cooked through. Stir in crushed tomatoes (if using), tomato sauce, and tomato paste.

Stir in garlic powder, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt and pepper. Allow to simmer 3-5 minutes, allowing the flavors to combine. Gently stir pasta into sauce.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add half the pasta and sauce mixture to the baking dish. Sprinkle half the mozzarella and parmesan over the pasta. Repeat with a second layer.

Bake in preheated 325 oven, covered with foil, for 20-25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Focaccia

Mmmmmmmm bread... I couldn't imagine life without bread. But crazy enough, I really don't eat a lot of sandwiches. I like rolls and side breads rather than sandwiches. Enter focaccia. Made this lovely recipe with dinner the other night. OMG it was so good. I think I could have just eaten the bread and nothing else. I found this recipe on Pinterest: One Hour Skillet Focaccia. This recipe is quick and quite easy. If you are interested in trying your hand at some homemade bread, then this is a recipe you should try.

Bread
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 tsp granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp yeast
2 Tbsp olive or canola oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

Topping
4 Tbsp butter, melted (3 Tbsp)
1.5 Tbsp parmesan (1 Tbsp)

1 tsp Italian seasoning (1/2 tsp)

Place water, sugar and yeast in bowl. Allow to rest until yeast proofs. This usually takes 5-10 minutes.

Add 1 cup of flour and salt and mix well.

Add oil (I use olive oil) and remaining flour slowly until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Heat oven to 220 degrees. When warmed up, turn it off and leave door closed.

Turn dough onto floured surface and turn several times until dough is smooth and not sticky anymore. Roll out dough to the size of your skillet.

Grease skillet, and place dough in it and stretch dough up the side.

Cover skillet with towel and place in warmed over for 20 minutes.

Remove skillet from the oven. Turn oven on to 400 degrees. Make indentions in dough using finger. Prepare topping while oven heats up. Melt butter in microwave in 10 or 15 second increments until melted. Let cool just a little and then add parmesan and seasoning. If you add the parmesan too quickly, it will melt and clump. I like my food a little bolder and a little spicier, so I increased the topping mixture. The number in parentheses above indicates original recipe amounts. Brush topping onto dough. If you want, you can also save some for when the bread comes out.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. With my crazy oven, I think it only took about 15 minutes. Serve, and trust me... ENJOY!!!!

Manicotti/Stuffed Shells

I was watching a cooking show the other day, and the chef was making pizza. While talking through his preparation, he said about food, "What's more American than Italian?" Just struck me as being a very true statement. Pizza and spaghetti are mainstays in nearly every household in America. Chicken parmesan, garlic breadsticks, pasta, lasagna... the varieties are endless. I was looking for a recipe several months ago to make manicotti and stuffed shells and stumbled across this one online: Manicotti. It is amazing! Even with the green flecks of the spinach, my daughter gulps this down whether in the form of manicotti or stuffed shells. And for my small family, I am able to freeze two separate meals out of one batch of this recipe. This last time, I got 12 stuffed shells and about 10 manicotti. It's so easy and absolutely delicious!

(10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed completely & squeezed dry
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
15 ounces ricotta cheese
4 ounces cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 box (12 to 14 shells) manicotti noodles (or about 24 large shells or a combination of the two)
Jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I love Bertolli's Tomato and Basil for this recipe)
1/2 cup shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese, for topping

Allow cream cheese to soften a bit, and be sure to get as much liquid as possible out of the spinach. Put cream cheese, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, parmesean, spinach, eggs, salt, and pepper into bowl. 

Mix until evenly blended.

If you are making stuffed shells, you have to precook the shells per the box directions. Once the shells are drained, gently spoon the filling into the shells. If you are making manicotti, these do not have to be cooked first. Take a cake decorating bag, cut the tip off, and fill the bag with filling. Gently squeeze filling into manicotti shell and fill it up.

Line your pan with foil, and stack shells or manicotti in pan. I use a casserole dish to cook mine. Since there is just two of us, I've been mixing these shells and manicotti up on the weekend when I have more time, and freezing them until I'm ready to cook. The time before last when I made these, I got about a 10 manicotti, and 12 stuffed shells out of one recipe of filling. I froze these as two separate meals. So, this last time, I separated them into two packs of nine shells, and one with 3 or 4 manicotti and a couple of stuffed shells. I line these in a shallow foil-lined pan, then wrap the foil around them and place them in a freezer bag. The night  before I intend to cook them, I pull them out of the freezer and let them thaw in the fridge.

Whether you're ready to cook them the night you make them or a later night, line your dish with foil and layer your noodles into it. Cover noodles with your choice of marinara. I prefer Bertolli's Tomato and Basil myself. 

Bake at 350 degrees - if thawed, bake for about 35-40 minutes; if still slightly frozen, bake for about an hour. Enjoy an amazing quick home-cooked meal!

Garlic Cheese Pull Apart Bread

More bread recipes!!! Only this time with garlic, Italian seasonings, and cheese. Hubba bubba!!!! This bread goes great with a good Italian meal, and although it takes a bit of prep time, it is very, very simple. Here is where you can find the original post: Garlic Cheese Pull Apart Bread.

16 frozen white dinner rolls (Rhodes brand)
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tsp dry parsley flakes
1½ tsp garlic powder (I used about 2 tsps)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp Italian seasoning (I used a heaping teaspoon)
½ tsp onion powder (I didn't have this so I used minced onion)

Wrap rolls in plastic and allow to thaw at room temperature for 45 minutes. With clean scissors, cut each roll in half and place in a large bowl. Mix butter and seasoning together; pour over dough and mix well. Add 1/2 cup of parmesan and mix well ensuring each piece of dough is coated with butter mixture and parmesan. 

Line a springform pan (like you would use for a cheesecake) with aluminum foil (this will keep the butter from seeping out). Line the bottom of the foil-lined pan with the dough creating an even layer. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan. 

Cover and allow to rise for 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Chicken Parmesan

I love chicken parmesan. I had never tried it until well into adulthood. As a matter of fact, I believe it was after my father passed away. I remembered that he had liked it, so I decided to order it in a restaurant, probably Olive Garden. It was so tasty that I decided to find a recipe so that I could make it on my own at home. I found one online, and have tweaked it beyond recognition to make it all mine. I've been told by several people that this is the best chicken parmesan they have had. Add a Caesar salad, and some amazing bread, and you have a wonderful meal for sharing with friends and family. In fact, this is a favorite meal for my friends Josh and Ashlie. They joined my daughter and I for dinner Saturday night, and this is what I fixed... as well as French baguettes and Garlic Cheese Pull Apart Bread (both of which will also be blogs). Here is how I make mine:

Chicken breasts (I use the Walmart bagged chicken.  Usually five smaller breasts work best. That's about 1 1/2 pounds of chicken. More than that and you won't have enough sauce for all of the breasts.)

Spaghetti sauce of your choice (I'm very fond of Bertolli's Tomato and Basil for this recipe)

Italian breadcrumbs

Milk and eggs

Season all salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder

Olive oil

First clean off your chicken. I cut off any fat scraps that are stuck to it and rinse off each piece. Beat with a mallet each piece to thin out. I wrapped mine in parchment paper to control spatter, and it worked great. Put a thin layer of olive oil in your skillet and put on med-high heat. Season each piece of chicken lightly on both sides with season all salt, Italian seasoning and garlic salt. One piece at a time, dredge chicken into egg mixture (I used three eggs and a splash of milk, less than a quarter of a cup), then cover completely on both sides with Italian seasoned bread crumbs. 

Fry chicken on both sides until the breadcrumbs turn a golden brown. 

After getting the chicken in the skillet to cook, pour about 1/5 to 1/4 of your spaghetti sauce into a foil-lined 9X13 pan. Be sure it is spread evenly. After chicken is cooked, spread pieces evenly in pan.

Preheat oven to 350-400 degrees. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce evenly over all pieces of chicken. Bake for about 15-20 mins.

Remove chicken from oven. Cover each piece liberally with shredded mozzarella. Cook until cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!!!