20 minute Chicken in Herb Gravy

 Ingredients:

4 thin sliced chicken breasts

1 Tbsp rosemary

1 Tbsp Thyme

4 Tablespoons Butter

1 teaspoon Minced Garlic

1/3 cup Chicken Broth

Dirctions:

Put a few tablespoons oil in the pan.  Cook until browned on both sides.  Transfer chicken to a plate.  Reduce temperature to low.  Add 2 tablespoons butter and about a teaspoon of minced garlic.  Saute for about 20 seconds.  Then add 1/3 cup chicken broth, rosemary and thyme and a few tablespoons of butter.  Stir to make sauce.  Might need to thicken with flour or cornstarch.

Rigatoni Arrabiata

 Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

1 jar Rao's Arrabiata sauce

3/4 cup frozen peas (optional)

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup parmesan

Rigatoni

Directions:

1.  Cook pasta, drain, but save 1/2 cup of the pasta water

2.  Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven and cook sausage on medium-high

3.  Add the arrabiata sauce to the sausage and simmer for 10 minutes

4.  Add the cream, pasta water, and peas and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring often until it all comes together

5.  Off the heat add the pasta and parmesan and toss together.

Creamy Chicken with Asparagus

 Creamy Chicken with Asparagus:

Ingredients

12 oz	thinly sliced chicken
½ cup	red onion, diced
1 Tbsp	butter
½ Tbsp	flour
1 Tbsp	Better Than Bouillon® Roasted Chicken Base
½ tsp	garlic, fresh
¼ cup	sherry
1 tsp	black pepper
1 cup	cream
½ cup	asparagus tips, cut and blanched (Cut asparagus into 1 1/2" bite sized pieces)
1 lb	fettuccine, cooked al dente Directions: Cook fettuccine al dente according to package. While noodles are cooking prepare the rest of the dish. 2 Sauté sliced chicken and diced red onion in butter. 3 Once browned, add flour, Roasted Chicken Base, garlic, sherry, black pepper and cream, bring to a boil. 4 Add blanched cut asparagus tips, stir and serve over cooked fettuccine.

Parmesan Crusted Boneless Pork Chops

Parmesan Crusted Boneless Pork Chops
Giada diLaurentis

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs

3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan

4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (each about 10 to 12 ounces) -- NOTE:  cut them to this thickness if they are thicker.  If you don't then you might burn the parmesan crust because you're cooking it longer to get to 150 degrees.  The timing (6 minutes each side) is perfect for the original thickness.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 tablespoons olive oil

Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

1. Whisk the eggs in a pie plate to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate. Place the cheese in a third pie plate. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates and serve with lemon wedges.

Chinese Chicken in Hoisin Sauce in Lettuce Wraps

Adapted from Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

1 package (about 2 cups) fresh shiitake mushrooms

1 1/3 to 1 1/2 pounds thin cut chicken breast or chicken tenders

2 tablespoons light colored oil, such as vegetable oil or peanut oil

Coarse salt and coarse black pepper

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 inch ginger root, finely chopped or grated, optional

1 large orange, zested

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 small tin sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped

3 scallions, chopped

3-4 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1/2 large head iceberg lettuce

Directions:  

1. 1.  Chop garlic and ginger in the food processor.
2. 2.  Dice bell pepper, water chestnuts, and scallions 
3. 3.  Wash mushrooms. Coarsely chop.  
4. 4.  Chop chicken into small pieces.
5. 5.  .  Preheat a large skillet or wok to high.
6. 6.  Add oil to hot pan. Add chicken to the pan and sear meat by stir frying a minute or two. 
7. 7.  Add mushrooms and cook another minute or two. Add salt and pepper to season, then add garlic and ginger. Cook a minute more. 
8. 8.  Grate orange zest into pan, add bell pepper, chopped water chestnuts and scallions. Cook another minute, continuing to stir. 
9. 9.  Add hoisin sauce and toss to coat the mixture evenly. Taste and add more hoisin sauce if needed.  Transfer the hot chopped barbecued chicken to serving platter and pile the quartered wedges of crisp iceberg lettuce along side.
10. 
    

Seared Scallops

Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/4 pounds dry sea scallops, approximately 16

2 teaspoons unsalted butter

2 teaspoons olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse with cold water and thoroughly pat dry.  Scallops must be totally dry to sear correctly.
2. Add the butter and oil to a 12 to 14-inch saute pan on high heat. Salt and pepper the scallops on both sides. Once the fat begins to smoke, gently add the scallops, making sure they are not touching each other. Sear the scallops for EXACTLY 1 1/2 minutes on each side. The scallops should have a 1/4-inch golden crust on each side while still being translucent in the center. Serve immediately.
3. Serve with lemon slices, yum yum sauce and garlic butter. :)

Soft and Hard Boiled Eggs

HOW TO COOK SOFT BOILED AND HARD BOILED EGGS – TOGETHER IN ONE POT

1.  Just bring a pot of water to a boil with enough water to cover the eggs by about an inch. By boiling the water first, it also doesn’t matter which type of pot you use as the eggs only hit the water once it’s boiling (212 degrees fahrenheit).  While water boils, take the eggs out of the fridge and prepare the ice bath (see step #4)

2.  Reduce the heat to low and use a skimmer to gently place the eggs in the water. By reducing the heat to low, you’ll prevent the eggs from bouncing around and cracking. Then, turn the heat back up to a boil.  Set timer!!!!

3.  Immediately set a timer and cook the eggs according to how soft or hard you’d like them. Here’s my general description of how long to boil eggs:

• 6 minutes: A liquid-y yolk and soft white. This is perfect for eggs served in an egg cup.
• 
  
• 6 1/2 minutes: A soft, jammy yolk. This is my favorite for eggs on toast or soft boiled eggs on a salad.
• 
  
• 8 minutes: A soft yolk but firm enough to hold its own.
• 
  
• 10 minutes: The early stages of a hard boiled egg, with just a smidge of softness in the middle.
• 
  
• 12 minutes: A hard boiled egg with a lighter yolk.
• 
  
• 14 minutes: Your traditional hard boiled egg with the lightest yolk and a firm white, but not overcooked.

4.  While eggs are boiling, prepare an ice bath.  Once the eggs have cooked, immediately place them in a ice water bath to stop them from cooking and maintain your perfect texture.

Pimento Cheese Dip

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 (8-oz) block sharp Cheddar cheese (a good supermarket brand like Tillamook or Cabot is fine)
• 1 (4-oz) jar diced pimentos, drained

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Food processor instructions: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Process until smooth and evenly combined. Remove the blade, scraping any of the mixture back into the bowl. Switch to the grating blade. Cut the Cheddar cheese into pieces that will fit into the feed tube. With the machine running, add the cheese through the feed tube until it is all grated in. Transfer the contents of the food processor to a large mixing bowl. Add the diced pimentos and stir everything together to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. (I usually add about 1/4 teaspoon more salt, but it depends on the saltiness of the cheese.)
2. Mixer instructions: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Beat until smooth and evenly combined. Coarsely grate the Cheddar cheese and mix in along with the diced pimentos. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. (It's a good idea to taste the pimento cheese on the crackers you plan to serve it with, as the saltiness can vary.)
3. Transfer the spread to a serving bowl and serve with crackers and/or crudités. If serving later, cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days; bring to room temperature before serving.
4. I served as a snack appetizer with platter of:
5. Pretzel Chips, Salami, Celery, Saltines
6. Good with cashews on side, etc. as part of an appetizer spread.
7. Also good on burgers, etc.

Balsamic Roasted Pork Tenderloins

Balsamic Roasted Pork Tenderloins
Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds pork tenderloins, 1 packages with 2 tenderloins in each package

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 cloves garlic (use small garlic cloves so they roast in 20 minutes)

Montreal Steak seasoning blend or coarse salt and black pepper

4 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves stripped and finely chopped

4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and finely chopped

Balsamic Glaze or Reduction

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

2.  Trim silver skin or connective tissue off tenderloins with a very sharp thin knife.

3.  Place tender loins on a nonstick cookie sheet with a rim. Coat tenderloins in a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, rubbing vinegar into meat. Drizzle tenderloins with extra-virgin olive oil, just enough to coat. 

4.  Cut small slits into meat and disperse chunks of cracked garlic cloves into meat. 

5.  Combine steak seasoning blend or coarse salt and pepper with rosemary and thyme and rub both sides of meat with blend. Roast in hot oven 20 minutes.

6.  Let meat rest, transfer to a carving board, slice and serve.  Top with Balsamic Glaze or Reduction.

French Toast

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup white sugar
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 loaf of white bread, challah bread, brioche bread
Real Maple syrup

Directions:

Combine the ingredients.  Butter griddle.  Dip bread in egg mixture.  Fry slices on both sides.

Serve with butter and warm maple syrup.

Notes:  Makes the entire loaf ... about 15 pieces of French toast.

Mexican Lasagna

Mexican Lasagna
Rachel Ray

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds ground chicken breast, available in the packaged meats case

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained

1 cup medium heat taco sauce or 1 (14-oz) can stewed or fire roasted tomatoes

1 cup frozen corn kernels

Salt and Pepper

8 (8 inch) spinach flour tortillas, available on dairy aisle of market

2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or shredded pepper jack (1 bag shredded cheese)

2 scallions, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - twice around the pan. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper and chili powder, cumin, and red onion. Brown the meat, 5 minutes. Add taco sauce or stewed or fire roasted tomatoes. Add black beans and corn. Heat the mixture through, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Coat a shallow baking dish with remaining extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon oil. Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with. Build lasagna in layers of meat and beans, then tortillas, then cheese. Repeat: meat, tortilla, cheese again. Bake lasagna 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Top with the scallions and serve.

Chicken Breasts in a Lemon Caper Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Lemon
4 boneless thin sliced chicken breasts
1 tsp Dill Weed
salt and pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
6 Tablespoons butter
White wine
1 cup whipping cream
3 Tbsp capers, drained and rinsed

Squeeze the juice of a lemon over both sides of the chicken breasts.  Let them sit in the lemon juice for about 15 minutes.  Then generously salt and pepper chicken breasts.  Sprinkle garlic powder and dill on chicken breasts.  Melt butter in a saute pan on medium.  Brown chicken breasts on both sides until almost cooked through.  Remove chicken breasts to a plate and cover with foil.  Turn heat to medium high and deglaze pan with white wine.  Whisk in whipping cream and reduce for about 6 minutes.  Add in capers and chicken breasts and simmer until cooked through, about another minute or 2.

20 Minute Easy Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup Parmesan
1 stick butter
Half package of Fettuccine
Pepper
1 cup reserved pasta water

Directions:

1.  Start water boiling
2.  Heat heavy cream over low heat in a deep saute pan.  Add butter and whisk until melted.  Whisk in parmesan cheese.  Add pepper.
3.  Cook fettuccine 3 minutes less than the package directions.  Drain pasta, reserving a cup of pasta water.
4.  Add fettuccine to alfredo sauce and finish cooking in sauce.  Add more pepper, parmesan to taste.  If sauce thickens too much while pasta finishes cooking, add reserved pasta water 1/4 cup at a time to thin.