Tasty Tuesday - Asparagus Stuffed Chicken

Plated Dish- Photo Credit: Erika Gregory

You know show you see all of the Tasty (etc.) videos  on Facebook? The ones with all of the delicious recipes? I usually share them with only me as not to bombard others with a recipe they may have already seen on their timeline.

Many times, I will actually recreate the recipe and this Asparagus Stuffed Chicken was one of those times.  I love chicken, asparagus and provolone cheese. Hubby could do without meat and I am pretty sure provolone isn't his favorite cheese. I usually end up improvising on the recipe, but not this time. He was actually cool with everything in the recipe! SCORE (maybe because it was during the Final Four - lol).

Anyway, I won't go into the full details of the recipe. You can find it here from "I wash. You dry."

This dish was so simple and the spices are all you probably have at home.  The recipe calls for lemon zest, but I forgot to purchase real lemons. I did have lemon juice at home and used that instead. Zest of lemon and oranges is always better than the juice. It just seems to give it an extra bit of umph. I'm pretty sure it would have tasted much better had I used the zest.

I didn't use very much salt at all. I like to use the Himalayan or smoked salts.  You can find those at just about any grocery store. I also used smoked paprika. I use smoked paprika ALL the time - even in my mac and cheese!

We love asparagus and typically have it a couple of times every week. My favorite way to fix it is steamed (a little bit of water in the bottom of a microwaveable dish and press and seal wrap to cover). 

 Something looks terribly wrong with the second piece of chicken - huh?  Well, it's fine. I just flipped it the wrong way when I was seasoning it.  These get pan seared to lock in the juices before cooking at 400 degrees.  The photo below is after pan searing. Be sure to cover with aluminum foil so the asparagus doesn't burn.  I didn't cook the asparagus before I stuffed it in the chicken. The next time I will probably blanch it for a few minutes so it's not as crisp.

Here it is after baking. The paprika gives it a very pretty color.  I would probably add more paprika next time. I will say that I didn't use any of the measurements from the original recipe. I "winged" it. 

I'd love to know if you try this recipe and what you think if you do/did. 

                   💕💕Bon Apetit!💕💕

What's for Breakfast?

Photo Credit: Kraft Foods

One of our go-to breakfast dishes when we have overnight guests is the Breakfast Casserole. I can make it a day ahead and warm it up just before we are ready to eat. It's super easy and everyone seems to love it.

I first saw tasted this recipe at least 15 years ago at a Pampered Chef party. I've changed it up and don't even typically measure anything out any more. You can make it your own by changing some of the ingredients as well.

Their recipe calls for the eggs and milk to be cooked in the microwave using one of their glass measuring bowls. Sometimes, I actually cook mine on the cook top.

 I also make mine minus the meat. I'll have turkey bacon, bacon and sausage (depending on the guest) on hand to eat as a side.

I have not been able to find the original recipe any where on the web. If anyone knows where I can find it, please comment below.

In the meantime, I found this one on the Pampered Chef website  that you could use if you'd like to make one for your family or guests.

Enjoy!

Breakfast Potato Frittata

Ingredients:

30-45	frozen shredded potato nuggets
2	ounces cream cheese, softened
2	tablespoons sour cream
2	tablespoons milk
5	eggs
1/2	red or green bell pepper, diced
1/3	cup red onion, diced
5	strips bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
1/2	cup (2 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1/4	cup thinly sliced green onion tops (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange potato nuggets in a single layer on Medium Bar Pan. Bake 15-17 minutes or until crisp; remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
2. Whisk together cream cheese, sour cream and milk in medium bowl; add eggs and whisk until smooth. Place bacon, onion and bell pepper over bottom of Torte Pan; top with potato nuggets and cheese. Pour egg mixture evenly on top.
3. Bake 18-22 minutes or until egg mixture is set but still moist. Remove from oven and invert frittata onto serving plate. Sprinkle with green onions, if desired. Serve immediately.

Yield: 8 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 180, Total Fat 13 g, Saturated Fat 6, Cholesterol 155 mg, Carbohydrate 10 g, Protein 8 g, Sodium 320 mg, Fiber less than 1 g

Tasty Thursday

Source: recipebyphoto.com via Erika on Pinterest

I honestly don't think a recipe could be any easier than this one:

• 2 large - old bananas (mashed)
• 1 cup quick oats
• Optional adds - chocolate morsels, coconut, nuts
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes

Enjoy. I made these this week and love them. I'm not a super sweet loving kind of girl. I like my dessert on the not so sweet side. So, this is perfect. 

Salted Caramel

Source: love-luck-kisses-cake.blogspot.com via Love.Luck.Kisses&Cake on Pinterest

I have found a brand new favorite food item to add to my ever growing list - Salted Caramel. Salted Caramel - ANYTHING! Well, just about.

Source: freshnewengland.blogspot.com via Sheila on Pinterest

 I've had it a couple of different ways. Starbucks has a Salted Caramel Mocha. So, I had to try it - right? Thing is, when it was my turn to order, I realized that it was a Mocha drink. I am not a big fan of chocolate (gasp!). Thankfully, the barrista talked me into trying it with White Chocolate. It was actually pretty good.


 I am planning to have a small dessert gathering/open house for the ladies during the Christmas season. Probably on a shopping day so they can stop by for a snack or two and take a break from the crowds!  I am thinking the recipe for Salted Caramel Shortbread just may make the list of goodies. Of course, I'll have to try it out before hand - smile.

Source: ericasweettooth.com via Heather on Pinterest

Here is the recipe from Erica's Sweet Tooth (great name!)

Source: ericasweettooth.com via Mel on Pinterest

Salted Caramel Shortbread 
Recipe adapted from What's Gaby Cooking

For the shortbread layer:

10 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg yolk

1-2/3 cups flour

For the caramel:

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

2 tsp sea salt, plus more for sprinkling on top

4 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp heavy cream

1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

- Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper, leaving some hanging over the sides to make removal easier.

- In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and salt with a pastry cutter or fork.  Add the egg yolk and continue mixing.  

- Add the flour and use your hands to combine the dough until coarse crumbs form.  Transfer the dough into the prepared pan and press it down into one even layer.  

- Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25 minutes, until slightly golden brown.  Set aside to cool.  

- For the caramel, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, sugar, and heavy cream.  Bring to a boil and stir for about 5-10 minutes until caramel reaches the "soft ball stage" at around 230 degrees.  

- Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and pour caramel over the shortbread.  

- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, then sprinkle with sea salt and cut into squares.  Store caramels in the fridge until you're ready to eat them.

Girls Dinner Club - Italian Theme photos

Bruschetta

Apple Thyme Martini

Caprese Salad on skewers

Chicken in Lemon cream with Penne

Shrimp in Linguine with Lemon Oil

Antipasto

Tiramisu

We had our very first Girls Dinner Club (for the lack of a better name) this past Saturday.  as you know from reading the blog, the them was Italian.  The majority of the recipes came from Giada de Laurentis' books. LOVE HER!!!

Each and every dish was wonderful and  almost each lady said they were easy to make and most would try them again.  According to the cook, the tiramisu recipe could have been explained a bit better. In fact, she ended up purchasing the tiramisu from a local bakery.

The Apple Thyme martinis were DELISH. We also had plenty of wine.

We had a wonderful time chatting about different recipes, our favorite shows on The Food Network and Cooking TV.  I would say the dinner was a success as we finally ended the party at 11PM.

Italian Theme -Chicken in Lemon Cream with Penne

I'll be sharing a few of each of the recipes here on the blog. Just in case you'd like to try to make it.
I am a HUGE fan of cookbooks and have been scouring thru quick a few I own to find the perfect recipes for our first Girls Dinner Club get together. I always came back to one of my favorite celebrity chefs, Giada DeLaurentis. I absolutely love her recipes and her style for cooking. She can truly describe a dish that will make me want to go out and try it. She also does a lot of healthy cooking which makes my husband happy. He is a HUGE healthy edit addict and she has plenty of recipes I can use to make both of us happy. This recipe comes from her Everyday Pasta cookbook.
So, one of the entrees we'll have at our dinner is:

Chicken in Lemon Cream with Penne

4-6 servings

1 pound penne pasta

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves,diced into 1-inch cubes

1 teaspoon herbes de Provence

pinch of salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon

pinch of pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 cups heavy cream

Zest of one lemon

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 cup of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium -high heat. Season the cubed chicken breast with the herbes de Provence and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and set aside. Pour off any excess oil from the pan. Add the chicken broth to the pan and cook over medium high heat, using a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. add the cream, lemon zest, and cayenne. reduce the heat to medium- low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the pasta, chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, chopped parsley, and lemon juice. Toss to coat with the sauce and serve.

My plan is to double the recipe so my guests can take at least one serving home. My mouth was seriously watering as I was typing out this recipe. Have you tried this recipe before? If so, what were your thoughts? If not, would you try it? 

Bon appetit!