Chicken Sausages, Mushrooms, and Broccoli with Alfredo Pasta

I was going to make something totally different, but realized I didn't have the right ingredients so I whipped this up instead and it came out delicious!



Ingredients:



-Tomato, Basil Chicken Sausages
-Mushrooms
-Broccoli
-Onions
-Multigrain/Whole Weat Angel Hair pasta
-Cream Cheese
-Butter
-Milk
-Olive Oil
-1 egg
-Balsamic Vinegar
-Garlic Powder
-Basil
-Parsley
-Sea Salt
-Telicherry Pepper





First, boil the pasta in water with a bit of olive oil and salt. Strain and set aside when done.





Sautee the tomato, basil chicken sausages in olive oil. When the sausages are almost done, add the mushrooms, broccoli, and onions. Add a tad more olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Also, add seasoning-salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, parsley, etc to taste.

Now, add butter, cream cheese, milk, one egg (after whisking), a little olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, basil, a little parsley in a saucepan and stir frequently until the butter and cream cheese have melted to make an alfredo-style sauce. Add pasta and continue to stir.

Serve pasta, sausage, and vegetables together to make a delicious meal.

Chicken Milanese with Butter & Corn Rice

This dish has the three requirements that I love for a weekday dinner: satisfying, delicious, and simple. For the chicken Milanese, I worked off of Giada di Laurentiis's pork Milanese recipe and made my own tweaks to it. The butter & corn rice was a creation of my dear friend and amazing cook, Natalia. The chicken cooks up very moist and tasty, and the rice is amazing...so buttery and with the great corn flavor. Enjoy!

Chicken Milanese
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb. thinly-sliced chicken breasts
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 lemon, cut in half

In three wide, shallow bowls, place the following: in bowl #1, the flour. In bowl #2, the beaten eggs. And in bowl #3, the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese, whisked together to mix thoroughly. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste. In a large saute pan, melt the butter in the oil under medium heat. While the butter melts and the oil gets hot, dredge each chicken breast in flour, then dip in eggs, allowing excess egg to drip off, and finally coat in bread crumb/Parmesan mixture, pressing the mixture in to coat well. Once the butter is melted and the oil is hot, place the chicken breast in the pan and cook thoroughly, about 7 minutes on each side or until the juices run clear. Remove cooked chicken breasts from pan and drizzle over the juice from half of the lemon.

Butter & Corn Rice
1 cup rice
2 cups water
3 tablespoons butter
1 15 oz. can of corn
Kosher salt to taste

Cook the rice in the water along with 2 tablespoons of butter. When rice is fully cooked, add the remaining tablespoon of butter and as much of the can of corn as desired (I use about 3/4ths of it). Add salt to taste and mix well. Allow the rice to continue to to warm under low heat until the corn is warm and and butter is fully melted.

Popovers

So I was leafing through my Williams & Sonoma Bride & Groom Cookbook one night last week and I came across a breakfast recipe for popovers. I had never heard of these, but since the ingredients looked nice and simple (very important for my picky husband) I decided that I would try them one day. Well I got my perfect opportunity last Sunday morning, since my husband was leaving on a week-long business trip Monday morning. They turned out delicious!!!! They take a little while to make, so they're definitely not a quick fix for breakfast, but they're PERFECT for a nice, cozy Sunday morning. It's like a yummy, warm complete breakfast in a little muffin form. It was great because I also got to test out my Crate & Barrel silicone baking cups, which are great. I highly recommend them.

Popovers*
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp kosher salt
3 Tbsp butter, melted

Whisk together the eggs and milk in a large bowl. Whisk in the flour, salt, and butter. Stir the batter until well blended. Divide the batter among the cups of a 12-cup nonstick muffin pan, filling them two-thirds full. Place the pan in a cold oven and heat the oven to 425 degrees. After 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 350 degrees and continue to bake until the popovers are billowing out of each cup and golden brown, 12-15 minutes more. Serve at once.

* I halved this recipe since it was just my husband and I.

Time for Cocktails!

I know this is a cooking blog, but why not add some yummy cocktail recipes that would make a great desert.

Last Sunday, I made dinner for Jose, but I was too tired to make desert. So, I made a nice cocktail with fruits and some bubbly.

Here are the ingredients:

5-7 strawberries

1 banana sliced

Haagen-Dazs Strawberry sorbet

Haagen-Dazs Raspberry sorbet

1/2 bottle of Champagne

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until desired consistency.

Add ice for more frothiness.

Serve with a garnish and enjoy!

The Pumpkin Queen!

I've always believed I didn't really belong in the kitchen.
I was raised by individuals that believed in takeout rather than recipes. Not to mention the fact that I manage to knock down everything in my path and hurt myself whenever possible. But, ever since I moved in with my FI, who is a great cook, I've wanted to learn. Yes, our roles are definitely reversed. ;)

So before I take on cooking, I've decided to take on baking! I'm a huge fan of Pumpkin anything (including the smashing kind), so when I stumbled on this recipe from Martha Stewart for Pumpkin cupcakes I had to take my chances.

Ingredients

Makes 18

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

I have to say, they came out great and oh-so moist!
I definitely deserve a pat on the back!

Hope you girls can enjoy this recipe as well :)

Prosciutto Turkey Burgers & Home Made Fries

It was Labor Day and I had no clue what to make for lunch so I went to my favorite chef's (Giada De Laurentiis) site and made one of her delicious Italian recipe's.
She originally used Lamb but I made it with turkey since that's what I had at home. These burgers are perfect for lunch or dinner. I paired them with home made french fries that I cut and fried in some vegetable oil.
I had fun making these burgers but boy did I love eating them. They were soooo delicious. Enjoy!!!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground lamb (I used turkey)
6 large slices prosciutto, sliced medium-thin (for wrapping the burgers)
1/4 cup olive oil
Fresh basil leaves, for topping each burger
Fresh tomato slices, for topping each burger
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Instructions:
In a large bowl combine the bread crumbs, parsley, egg, milk, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, and pepper, Stir to combine.

Add the lamb and stir until incorporated.
Divide the mixture into 6 (1-inch) thick burgers.


Place the slices of prosciutto on a cutting board or piece of parchment paper.
Place 1 lamb burger in the center of each slice of prosciutto and wrap the prosciutto around the burger.

Place a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.
Add the olive oil and heat for 2 minutes.
Place the lamb burgers, prosciutto-covered side down in the pan and cook over medium heat until the prosciutto is golden, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Turn the burgers and finish cooking, about 6 to 8 minutes more.
Remove the burgers from the pan and place on a serving platter or individual plates.

I baked the burgers on 350 degrees for about 30 minutes instead of cooking them on the skillet. This also gave me time to make the french fries.

Top each burger with 2 to 3 basil leaves, 1 to 2 slices of tomato, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I placed my burgers on top of a french loaf that I cut in half.

Serve immediately.



Enjoy!!!

Mando's Bernaise Chicken with mashed potatoes

3 chicken breasts pounded thin
3/4 cup shredded cheese (mozzerella, swiss, gorgonzola, whatever you want)
sazon completa: enough to lightly cover each side (about 1 tsp.)
paprika (a dash on top)
2 tbs. paremesan (grated)
1/4 cup shake and bake or italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1 packet bernaise sauce
2 ounces feta crumbled or gorgonzola
1 small can mushrooms

Sprinkle sazon completa and paprika after pounding chicken breasts about 1 tsp. each.
Take about a 1/4 cup of cheese and stuff the centers of each breast, roll & tuck underneath (use toothpicks if you want to hold them together). Mix shake & bake or breadcrumbs with parmesan and set aside. Sprinkle sazon completa on each chicken breast, just a dash and sprinkle the top of each with bread crumb/cheese mix. Bake at 325 degrees for about 40-45 minutes.

Make bernaise sauce according to instructions on packet. Add feta and mushrooms. glaze on top of chicken once they're out of the oven.

Mashed Potatoes (quite simple really, but I'll type it out anyway)
3 large Idaho potatoes
1 tbs butter
3 tbs sour cream
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup milk or buttermilk

Cut potatoes into 1 inch thick slices and cut slices in half. Boil pieces until tender (about 30 min). Drain water and in same pot add butter, milk, sour cream and mash until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Fabulous!

This weekend we celebrated my youngest niece's 11th birthday. She's had braces for about a year and I'd been eagerly waiting to make her this cake. Instead of writing Happy Birthday or her name on the cake board, I went with "Fabulous" because her and her sister love those Orbit Gum commercials. It was vanilla rum cake with buttercream frosting and fondant design.
The Birthday girl loved it! It was pretty good if I may say so myself! :) Best of all everyone wolfed it down!

Remember: For A Good Clean Feeling, No Matter What - Orbit Gum! Fabulous!

Chicken Roulade stuffed with Spinach, Prosciutto, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Mozzarella..

Ingredients

• Chicken Breasts


• Baby Spinach leaves


• Sun Dried Tomatoes


• Shredded Mozzarella


• Prosciutto ham
• Parmesan Alfredo Sauce


• Olive Oil


• Pepper


• Kosher Salt

Steps

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Slice each chicken breast in half
• Spinach will be first layer use maybe 3 or 4 leaves
• Next, slice the sun dried tomatoes if they are two big to evenly distribute them on the spinach
• Next, add a slice of prosciutto
• Then, add in the shredded Mozzarella (add however much you want)
• Finally, roll it up and put in the baking pan
• After, you are done with all the them, drizzle some olive oil and salt and pepper on them.
• Pop in the oven for about 45 minutes.
• I heated up some alfredo sauce and drizzled a little over the chicken.

Note** I use organic meats, vegetables, and oil. But you can use whatever you like.

As for the Rice, it is wild rice and it comes in a box at publix.

The broccoli and cheese is easy, I am sure you girls know how to do that. I bought the frozen kind. =)

Enjoy girls!

Salmon with Rice Pilaf

This is similar to my dill chicken recipe.

I took some wild salmon, generously drizzled some olive oil over the pieces,

sprinkled them on either side with garlic powder, mediterranean sea salt,

telicherry pepper, and dill. Then I baked them for about 45 mins at 425

degrees.

I served the salmon with some rice pilaf which believe it or not came from a

Publix brand Rice Pilaf box! It was delicious. My only tweek is that I added

more rice to the recipe b/c it only makes 2 small servings.

What to do with Stale Cuban Bread?

Make Bruschetta!





I had some Cuban bread that had gotten stale and got really hard.
I was about to dump it when I realized I could make yummy bruschetta with my new toaster oven.



Here's the recipe:

• Ingredients
  Stale Cuban Bread
• Tomatos
• Olive Oil
• Basil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Parmesan Cheese (grated)

Cut the bread into thin slices. Drizzle some olive oil over the pieces of bread and sprinkle some salt, pepper, and basil. Cut tomatos into small cubes and place over bread. Repeat step 2-add more olive oil, salt, pepper, basil and now you can add some parmesan cheese.

Bake in toaster oven for about 15 mins and then switch to toast (on the settings).

Here, I served with the lemon, dill chicken from a previously posted recipe and broccoli, cheese rice (from a box).

Corn, Tomato & Parmesan Risotto

So I was feeling creative the other night and since I had bought Arborio at the grocery store, I was really craving risotto. I looked in my pantry and just decided to throw some random stuff together, and the results were actually pretty darn good! My husband loved it. I served it with good old chicken piccata, a delicious and healthy standby. I always use Giada's recipe with a few alterations: I leave out the capers and parsley because I just don't care for them, and I usually add a splash of dry white wine which gives it a nice kick. Here is the recipe for my creation:

Corn, Tomato & Parmesan Risotto
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
½ teaspoon kosher salt (or more, to taste)
5 ½ cups heated chicken stock
1 ¾ cups (1 15.25 oz can) fresh corn
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
½ cup grated Parmesan-Romano cheese
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
Freshly ground pepper

Heat olive oil in saucepan under medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for a minute or two. Add rice and stir to thoroughly coat with oil and garlic. Deglaze with white wine and continue to cook until wine is almost totally absorbed. Add salt. Begin to slowly add heated chicken stock with a ladle, allowing the stock to almost fully absorb before adding the next ladle-full, and stirring constantly. When the rice has cooked for about 15 minutes and most of the stock has been incorporated, add the corn and tomato sauce along with any remaining liquid. Continue to stir and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is creamy. Add butter, cheese, and pepper to taste and stir to incorporate. Serve.

saute-ing my garlic

heating up my chicken stock

coating the rice with oil and garlic

deglazing with white wine


one ladle at a time ;)


mmmmmm...starting to look good, but it's not quite there yet

adding the corn


now the tomato sauce


and about 20 minutes later, we're done! you know your risotto is done when the watery liquid has been fully absorbed and all that's left is the creamy consistency...also, the rice should be REALLY, really tender

Giada de Laurentiis’s Chicken Piccata
2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half (*i bought chicken breasts that were already very thinly sliced...big time time saver*)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups all purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped (*i leave out the capers and parsley*)

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

In a large 10 or 12-inch skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same ma nner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.

Reduce heat to medium low and add the lemon juice, stock and capers (*at this point, i leave out the capers but add a splash [about half a cup] of dry white wine*). Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

sizzle sizzle

some of my chicken breasts after browning


simmering in the sauce


all done!



dinner is served

Yummy Yummy Guacamole!

Bragging alert:: I have to confess, I make the most amazing guacamole ever! I don't think it's hard to screw up guacamole, but I've tried a few recipes and this one I think I've nailed. It's soooooo good!! The camera wasn't working very well, so I wasn't able to take a picture of it. Next time, though!

Here's the recipe:::

2 California Haas Avocados
1 red plum tomato, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 bunch of cilantro (about 1/4 cup total... i eyeballed it,) finely chopped
1/8 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Mash up the avocados really well and then stir in everything. Refrigerate for about an hour to get all the flavors to mix. Serve with some delicious tortilla chips and you're golden. Enjoy!!

I got tagged!

So Dori tagged me and I have to post 7 facts about me and then tag 7 more people. But since this is a blog with a bunch of different people, I am going to tag everyone so that we can get to know each other better and so that the other bloggers out there can see what an awesome group of women we are. Here are my 7 facts:

1. I have a super cute 12 year old poodle named Perla.

2. I leased my first car this year and it's a 2007 Toyota Camry. It's grey and looks gorgeous when my husband drives it!

3. Although I grew up in Miami, FL I was born in Waukegan, IL (a Chicago suburb).

4. I own 18 dresses and they take up half of my closet space.

5. I live right next to Fenway Park and can hear the crowd from my apartment when there's a game.

6. I only have 24 teeth thanks to 8 extractions.

7. I have the HUGEST crush on Clive Owen!

Now it's everyone else's turn!!

Shake and Bake and I helped!

This is really a super easy recipe for chicken and potatos.
These recipes call for some store-bought items, but it's

fast and simple.

Chicken
2 or more Chicken breasts
1 egg
Vigo Italian-style bread crumbs
Salt and Pepper

Simply beat the egg and baste the chicken in it. Spread breadcrumbs and salt and pepper over chicken (like Shake and Bake). Bake for about 45 mins in oven at 400-425 degrees or until thoroughly cooked.

Potatos
Potatos
Lipton Recipe Secrets Golden Onion Seasoning
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Cut the potatos and use only as much as will make one layer in a pan. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and the Lipton seasoning. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45-60 mins at 400-425 degrees or until potatos can be poked through with a knife "like butta."

Serve and enjoy!