Vicki's Favorite Chicken with Grapes, Couscous and Roasted Asparagus

Cook Time: 15 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

1 1/2 pound asparagus
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, stripped from 6 to 7 sprigs
Coarse salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, eyeball it
2 pounds chicken tenders
1/2 cup white wine, eyeball it
2 1/2 cups chicken stock (available on soup aisle in paper boxes), divided
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grainy, stone-ground mustard
1 1/2 cups, about 1/2 pound, seedless red grapes, halved
2 cups couscous


Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.


Trim tough ends of asparagus and save for soup. Place asparagus in a large bowl and toss with about 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of chopped thyme leaves and salt and pepper. Spread the asparagus out on a cookie sheet and roast 10 to 12 minutes until the asparagus is tender and crispy at the tips.


Heat a large skillet over medium to medium high heat; add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, and 2 tablespoons butter to the pan. Place flour in a shallow dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper then dredge the tenders in flour and add it to the pan. Cook chicken 7 to 8 minutes until browned. Add wine and scrape up browned bits as wine cooks down and bubbles, 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup stock to skillet. Combine cream and mustard and add to stock. Add grapes to the pan and turn chicken and grapes to coat and combine with the sauce. Simmer 5 minutes over low heat.


Bring remaining 2 cups chicken stock and remaining tablespoon of fresh thyme to a boil in a small pot. Add couscous. Put a tight fitting lid on pot and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.


Serve tenders and grapes on couscous alongside asparagus.

From: foodnetwork.com

Grilled Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana

A sure winner for your dates (family or friends) this Valentine's day!

Cook Time: 15 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds thin cut chicken breast, cutlets
Salt and pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons
3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 small yellow skinned onion, finely chopped
1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, such as Muir Glenn brand
1 cup, 20 leaves, fresh basil leaves, shredded or torn
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 pound smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced

Directions

Heat outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil to keep it from sticking to the grill. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side and transfer to a foil covered platter to hold. If you are using a grill pan, cook the chicken in 2 batches if necessary. While chicken cooks, make sauce.

Place a medium pot on the stove over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and chopped onions. Cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Add tomatoes and heat through, 2 minutes. Wilt in the basil and season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Preheat the broiler to high.

Layer the chicken with fire roasted sauce in a casserole dish. Top the casserole with Parmigiano and mozzarella. Brown the casserole under the broiler 3 minutes.

From: foodnetwork.com

Mini Meatball Soup

A delicious recipe to use up left-over veggies and stock from the holidays :)

Cook Time: 27 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 big servings


Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground beef, pork and veal combined
1 egg, beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, a couple of handfuls
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
6 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups dried pasta, rings, broken fettuccini or ditalini
1 pound triple washed fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
Grilled 4 Cheese Sandwiches, recipe follows


Directions

In a deep pot over medium heat add oil, chopped carrots, celery and onions and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cover pot and cook veggies 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.


While the veggies cook, combine meat, egg, garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg.


Uncover your soup pot and add broth and water to the pot. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. When soup boils, reduce heat a bit and start to roll meat mixture into small balls, dropping them straight into the pot. You are making meat dumplings that will cook in the broth. When you are done rolling the meat, add pasta to the soup and stir. Cover and simmer soup 10 minutes. When pasta is tender, stir in chopped spinach in batches. When spinach has wilted into the soup, the soup is done and ready to serve. Adjust your seasonings. Serve soup with crusty bread or grilled 4 cheese sandwiches.


Grilled 4 Cheese Sandwiches
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
3 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, cracked away from skin
8 slices crusty Italian semolina bread
1 cup shredded provolone
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano
1 cup shredded Asiago
* All of these cheeses are available in specialty cheese case and dairy aisle already shredded

In a small skillet over medium low heat, combine oil, butter and garlic. Cook garlic in butter and oil gently for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove garlic butter mixture from heat.


Place a large nonstick skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Using a pastry brush, brush 1 side of 4 slices of bread with garlic oil and place buttered side down in skillet. Top each slice with equal amounts of the 4 cheeses, distributing them equally over the 4 slices. Top each sandwich with another slice of bread brushed with garlic butter, buttered side up. Flip the grill cheese sandwiches a few times until cheeses are melted and gooey and bread is toasty and golden. Cut grilled 4 cheese sandwiches from corner to corner and serve.

From: foodnetwork.com

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with Pan Gravy

Cook Time: 55 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 8 servings


Ingredients

* 1 small (golf-ball sized) onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
* 1 lemon, scrubbed clean
* 12 fresh sage leaves
* Large handful fresh flat-leaf parsley (about 1/2 cup, from 12 stems)
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling pan
* 1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
* 6 fresh bay leaves
* 4 tablespoons butter
* 2 boneless turkey breast halves, skin on (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds each)
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup apple or regular brandy (recommended: Calvados)
* 2 to 3 cups apple cider
* Salt and pepper


Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Oil a roasting pan and set it aside.


Put the onion into the bowl of a mini food processor. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zest from the lemon in thin strips, being careful not to cut into the bitter white pith. Add the lemon zest to the food processor and reserve the whole lemon for another use. Chop the onion and lemon zest until fine. Add the sage, parsley, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt and pulse until it forms a coarse paste.


Put 2 of the bay leaves and the butter into a small pan and heat over medium-low heat until the butter is bubbling. Remove from the heat and set aside.


Put the turkey breasts on a work surface. Carefully run your fingers between the skin and the flesh from 1 end, being careful not to pull it completely off, creating a pocket. Season the turkey breasts generously with salt and pepper. Stuff half of the herb paste under the skin of each breast, and spread it evenly under the skin. Transfer the breasts to the roasting pan, and slide 2 bay leaves underneath each one. (The heat of the pan will release the bay leaf oils and flavor the breast.) Using a pastry brush, baste the breasts with half of the bay butter. Place the turkey in the oven and immediately decrease the temperature to 400 degrees F. After 20 minutes, baste the turkey breasts with the remaining butter, and roast for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through, and a thermometer placed in the thickest part of the breast registers 170 degrees F.


Remove from the oven, transfer to a platter, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes before carving while you make the gravy.


Put the roasting pan over the burner on medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the pan juices, and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the apple brandy, and scrape the pan to lift the bits that are stuck to the bottom. Cook for a minute to burn off the alcohol, then, while stirring, pour in the apple cider. Bring to a simmer, and stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.


Slice the turkey breast on the diagonal, and serve with warm gravy.

From: foodnetwork.com

Monster Snack: Spicy Meat and Cheese Stromboli

Cook Time: 14 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

1 tube refrigerated pizza dough (recommended: Pillsbury brand)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or corn meal
1/4 pound sliced pepperoni, about 24 slices
6 slices provolone, deli sliced
6 slices Italian hot ham
8 slices Genoa salami
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend
2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano or Romano
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
The Big Dipper: Simple Marinara Dipping Sauce, recipe follows, optional


Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.


Break open the tube of dough and remove it from container. Dust your hands and lightly coat the dough with flour or cornmeal the roll out onto work surface. Stretch out dough, gently spreading out the rectangle shape it has been formed into already. Cut the thin rectangular dough into 4 equal pieces, working across the dough: cut it in half and cut each half in half again. Cover each piece of dough with: 6 slices pepperoni, 1 1/2 slices cheese, 1 1/2 slices hot ham and 2 slices Genoa salami. Roll each piece on an angle from corner to corner making a long roll that is thicker in the middle and thinner on each end. Brush rolls with extra-virgin olive oil then mix sesame seeds, cheese and seasonings in a small cup, sprinkle and pat the mixture into the dough. Bake until evenly golden, 12 to 14 minutes then serve. If desired, serve with Dipping Sauce.


The Big Dipper: Simple Marinara Dipping Sauce:

Yield: 2 cups
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Ease of preparation: easy


1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon anchovy paste, optional but recommended
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper


Heat a small pot over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, pepper flakes and anchovy paste. Cook 2 minutes. Add parsley, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Stir sauce, bring to a bubble and simmer 5 minutes over low heat then place in small bowl and serve.

From: foodnetwork.com

Garlic Roast Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon

A recipe that surely deserves to be in Rachael Ray's top 10 Best Recipes!

Cook Time: 25 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
6 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves stripped from stems
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Seasoning) or, coarse salt and black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth


Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.


Arrange chicken in a baking dish, 9 by 13-inch. Add garlic, rosemary, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon zest and grill seasoning or salt and pepper to the dish. Toss and coat the chicken with all ingredients, then place in oven. Roast 20 minutes. Add wine and lemon juice to the dish and combine with pan juices. Return to oven and turn oven off. Let stand 5 minutes longer then remove chicken from the oven. Place baking dish on trivet and serve, spooning pan juices over the chicken pieces.

From: foodnetwork.com

Halibut Fish Tacos with Guacamole Sauce

Cook Time: 10 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings, 3 fish tacos each


Ingredients

4 pieces fresh halibut, steak or filets, 6 to 8 ounces each
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Salt and pepper
1 lime, juiced
3 small to medium ripe Haas avocados, pitted and scooped from skins with a large spoon
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, eyeball it
1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon coarse salt, eyeball it
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
1 heart Romaine lettuce
12 soft (6-inch) flour tortillas


Directions

Preheat a grill pan or indoor grill to high heat or, prepare outdoor grill. Drizzle halibut with extra-virgin olive oil to keep fish from sticking to the grill pan or grill. Season fish with salt and pepper, to your taste. Roll lime on the counter top to get juices flowing. Also, any under ripe citrus may be placed in a microwave oven for 10 seconds at high setting to induce the juices to flow. Grill fish 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until opaque. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime down over the fish and remove from the grill pan or grill. Flake fish into large chunks with a fork.


While fish is cooking, in a blender or food processor, combine avocado flesh, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, yogurt and salt. Process guacamole sauce until smooth. Remove guacamole sauce to a bowl and stir in diced tomatoes and chopped scallions. Shred lettuce and reserve.


When fish comes off the grill pan or grill, blister and heat soft taco wraps. To assemble, break up fish and pile some of the meat into soft shells and slather with guacamole sauce. Top with shredded lettuce, fold tacos over and eat!


From: foodnetwork.com

Egg Pasta Frittata

Cook Time: 19 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 6 servings


Ingredients

1 12 ounce box egg fettuccini pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg, eyeball it
Salt and black pepper
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
12 extra large eggs, beaten
HamSteaks, recipe follows


Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.


Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add pasta and cook 6 minutes -- to a chewy al dente. Pasta will continue to cook in frittata. Drain and reserve.


Heat a large nonstick skillet with oven safe handle over medium high heat. If all of your skillets have rubber handles, cover handle tightly in foil to protect it. Add oil and butter and melt together. Add cream and reduce for about 3 minutes. Add cheese and nutmeg, salt and pepper. Toss sauce with cooked pasta to coat. Add parsley and beaten eggs to the skillet and stir gently to combine. Allow the eggs to set up on the bottom of the pan and become firm. Transfer pan to hot oven and bake 10 minutes, until golden. Serve from the pan or transfer to a platter. Serve hot or cold, cutting frittata into wedges and serve with Ham Steaks.


Ham Steaks:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 to 3 large ham steaks, cut in halves


Heat a large skillet, with olive oil. Add the ham steaks and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes on each side.


From: foodnetwork.com

The Only Pizza You'll Ever Want Again: Chicken, Sun Dried Tomato, Broccoli, Ricotta, Mozzarella and Basil

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings, 8 slices

Ingredients

Crust:

1 (16-ounce) package pizza dough, brought to room temperature
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Toppings:

1/3 pound broccoli from trimmed broccoli bin in produce section, 1/3 head
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
3 cloves cracked garlic
1/2 pound chicken breast cut for stir fry or chicken tenders
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
10 sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, available on dairy aisle
12 to 15 leaves fresh basil, torn or stacked and thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

On a 12-inch nonstick pizza pan, stretch out your dough and form the
pizza crust. Drizzle 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil on crust and
spread it with a pastry brush over the dough to the edges. Sprinkle
crust with 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

In a small covered saucepan, bring 2 inches water to a boil. Separate
broccoli tops into florets, discarding lower stalks or reserving for
soup. Salt water and add broccoli florets. Cook covered 3 to 5
minutes. Drain broccoli and set on cutting board. Chop broccoli
florets into small pieces.

Heat a small nonstick pan over medium high to high heat. Add oil,
cracked garlic and chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Brown chicken
breast cut for stir-fry or tenders until lightly golden all over, 3 to
5 minutes. Chop sauteed chicken and garlic on a cutting board into
small pieces.

To assemble pizza, dot crust with chopped broccoli bits and cooked
chopped chicken. Dot crust with spoonfuls of ricotta and spread
ricotta gently with the back of your spoon. Add sliced sun-dried
tomatoes, scattering them around the pizza to the edges. Complete the
assembly with a thin layer of shredded mozzarella, about 1 cup. Place
pizza in oven on middle rack and lower heat to 450 degrees F. Bake 12
minutes, until cheese is deep golden in color and crust is brown and
crisp at the edges. Remove pizza from the oven and let stand 5
minutes. Top with lots of torn or shredded basil. Cut pizza into 8
slices using pizza wheel and serve.

From: foodnetwork.com