Chicken Caprese

Chicken, Tomatoes, and Cheese...OH MY!!!! This dish is delicious and very easy to make.

Ingredients

3 Chicken Breasts, butterfly cut
1 package of Cherry Tomatoes, split
6 slices of Mozzarella Cheese
2 tbsp of Olive Oil
2 tbsp of Minced Garlic
2 tbsp of Basil 
Salt
Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar









Directions

1. In a large pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat, set chicken in the pan and cover for 5 minutes.
2. In another pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat, add in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add in cherry tomatoes and saute for 5 minutes, remove from heat and add basil to the tomatoes.
4. Flip over chicken and continue cooking covered for 5 minutes or until done. Add 2 slices of cheese on top of each piece of chicken, cover with tomato/basil mixture and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat, add a sprinkle of oil and Balsamic Vinegar to taste.

Beef and Barley Soup

Took some time off for the holidays! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and got to spend time with their families. Down here in Florida it has not been a cool Fall (if you could really call it Fall, more like Summer part 2), but lately it has started to be cooler so I figured I could make a nice soup to go along the 60-70 degree days.

Ingredients 

1 1/2 pound chuck roast
1 bay leaf
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
4 cups of water
4 beef bullion cubes
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 (14 oz) can of petite diced tomatoes
1/2 cup of barley, cooked
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper






Directions

1. Season roast with salt and pepper. Place meat in a slow cooker set on high, add a 1/2 cup of water, 1 bay leaf, and cook for 2 1/2-3 hours (or until the meat is tender).
2. Remove meat and turn off the slow cooker, chop the meat into small pieces (pulling the meat works too). Reserve the broth in the slow cooker but remove the bay leaf.
3. In a soup pot, add olive oil and turn up to medium-high heat, add in onions and cook for 3 minutes (be sure to add a pinch of salt). Next, add in the carrots and celery and continue cooking until onions are soft (total about 5-6 minutes).
4. Add water, bullion cubes, sugar, ground pepper, diced tomatoes, beef, and barley to the pot and turn up to high heat.
5. Before the soup begins to boil, add the reserved liquid from the slow cooker, once boiling begins turn the heat down to simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes (be sure to check if vegetables are soft).
6. While cooking, be sure to skim some of the fat that comes to the top, due to using the dripping from the cooker there will be a good bit of it. If you leave it or mix it in the soup will have a greasiness to it that might turn off some tasters. 
7. Be sure to taste for seasoning, keep it simple with salt and pepper, the soup should have a bit of sweetness to it due to the sugar.

We made tonight a soup and salad night so this went great with a Caesar Salad. As you can see with our table cloth the holidays are here so be safe out there with all those crazy sale shoppers :)

Salt Roasted Chicken

It was time to venture back into the realm of Chef John over at Food Wishes, so we tried his Salt Roast Chicken Recipe. It was great! The thyme butter sauce is a must have with this dish!

Ingredients (for Butter Sauce)

1 tbsp thyme leaves

1 lemon, juiced

1/3 cup chicken broth (plus all extra juices from rested chicken plate)

2 tbsp cold butter cut in 4 pieces

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne, to taste 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The directions can be found over at Food Wishes - Salt Roasted Chicken.

Here's a shot of bird right out of the oven:

Katie (who doesn't eat meat with the bones) even said the Chicken Breast I carved for her was great!

This meal is the one that keeps on giving after removing any good meat for a future soup, I threw in some water along with the chicken carcass, carrots, onions, celery and spices to make a very flavorful broth!

Italian Wonder Bowl

Katie found this recipe circulating around Pintrest, so she decided I should make it for her. First time for an all veggie meal on the blog!

Ingredients

4 cups of vegetable broth
2 tbsp of olive oil
28 oz of caned diced tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
3 tsp of minced garlic
1 lb of spaghetti
1/2 tbsp of basil
1/2 tbsp of Oregano
1/4 tbsp of Cayenne
Salt 
Pepper
Shredded Italian Cheese






To get the directions on how to make the Wonder Bowl/Pot, check out this link.

We both enjoyed this dish with a grilled cheese and turkey sandwich. While we thought it had good flavor it needs something meaty to complete it...maybe some mushrooms next time!

Chicken Marsala Stew

Trying out a new recipe that Katie found, we will see how it measures up to my regular Chicken Marsala

Ingredients 

3 Chicken Breasts, cut in half 
1 1/2 packages of sliced Mushrooms
3 Shallots, chopped
2 tbsp of Minced Garlic
1 tbsp of Tomato Paste
1 tbsp of Rosemary 
2 tbsp of oil
1 cup of Marsala Wine
1 1/2 cup of Beef Stock
Salt
Pepper
Flour
Chopped Fresh Parsley




Directions

1. Season Chicken Fillets with salt, pepper, and dust with flour. In a sauce pan, over medium heat cook the fillets in 1 tbsp of oil for 2 minutes on each side. Reserve on a plate.
2. In same pan, add another tbsp of oil and add in chopped shallots, garlic, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add in mushrooms, with a pinch of salt and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Cut Chicken into strips, add tomato paste, Marsala wine, and beef stock to the pan. Mix well.
5. Return chicken to the mixture and simmer for 25 minutes.
6. Top with chopped fresh parsley.

This version was very rich and full of flavor, would be a nice romantic meal for two.

Goulash

You might call it Chili-Mac or Chili and Noodles, but tonight we had Goulash! It was awesome! This is Bobby Dean's recipe which you can find the directions and ingredients on the link:

If you make this recipe be sure to give it time to sit (15-30 minutes) so all the flavors can come together and remaining liquid to evaporate.

I ate 2 1/2 plate fulls! It was great!! Here is where you can find the recipe:

Bobby Dean's Goulash

Crock Pot Ranch Chops

It's getting cooler around here...well as cool as Florida gets! Time to break out the crock pot for some slow cooked goodness!!

Ingredients 

4-6 Boneless Pork Chops
1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup
1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch Mix
1 can of water
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp of oil
8oz Mushrooms, Sliced
Salt
Pepper









Directions

1. Put the boneless chops in the crock pot, add soup, ranch package, and water. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
2. In a frying pan, add oil and heat to medium high.
3. Add onions and a dash of salt, cook for 3 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
5. Plate chop, spoon over sauce, and top with mushrooms and onions.

Not a complicated meal, but only if you got the time to spare on the crock pot. It is delicious!