Sauteed Chicken Fettuccine with Creamy Lemon and Olive Pesto

This recipe was born from a mistake. Pesto was planned all along, but somehow this version was creamier than the rest. Perhaps because I was not really paying attention, perhaps because I eyeballed instead of following the recipe I usually use... whatever reason, the pesto was less green than it usually is and seemed much creamier. It was outstanding so I'd made a mental note of what I had done. And the good news is there's a ton leftover for another day!

Creamy Lemon and Olive Pesto

1 large package of basil (close to 1 fully packed cup)
1 1/3 cup of olive oil
4 cloves of crushed garlic
1 cup of pitted or canned Kalamata or black olives
3/4 cup of toasted almond (pine nut or walnut) pieces
Juice and zest from 2 large lemons
1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese (My use of shredded as opposed to grated, could that be what made this recipe so thick and creamy?)
Freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste

I made this is my blender but I should have done it in my food processor. It was too thick for my blender to handle.

In a food processor add the basil, olive oil, lemon and zest, toasted nuts (optional) and Parmesan. Blend until you get a thick (like a milkshake) consistency. Add the olives and pulse so that they are chopped but you can still see small pieces. When you've achieved the mixture you've desired take a taste and add the salt and or pepper to taste. Admittedly this looked a lot like a Shamrock shake!

Cook the fettuccine per instructions on your package, drain and reserve a little of the pasta water, a few tablespoons' worth. Add the desired amount of pesto (about 1 cup) to the pasta and mix well.

The rest of the pesto will keep in the fridge for a week. It freezes beautifully as well.We'll re-use the pesto one night with sandwiches as a substitute to mayonnaise. Also is great tossed into chicken salad!


Sauteed Chicken


This is my no-fail, standby. It's quick and easy and goes with anything. I use this as a base for many chicken recipes.

Trim and clean chicken pieces. Filet each breast and then cut each fillet in half. Cover each piece of chicken, both sides, with generous amounts of garlic powder, sea salt and cracked pepper. (If having chicken 2 nights in a row or twice in the same week I will often go ahead and prepare the chicken for the next night's recipe and place the chicken, already seasoned, into a Ziplock bag.)

In a large skillet, place 1 to 2 tbs of olive oil, and heat pan on high heat. When hot, place as many chicken pieces into the pan as you can fit, leaving a little space next to each piece. Turn heat to medium-high. If the pieces get too brown turn it down to medium. Brown each side and and turn, cooking for a total of about 10 minutes. When thoroughly cooked place on a plate and keep in warm oven until ready to serve. Yield 1/2 breast, or 2 pieces per person and serve with the pasta.

3 Bean Hummus

I sampled this in Westport's (CT) Garelick & Herbs and was immediately hooked. As I waited for my items to be assembled from behind the counter, I could not stop sampling their three bean hummus. As I sampled I read the ingredients and brought a container home so that I could try to replicate the flavors. While it may not be spot on, it's darned close and fabulous. Even the kids were hooked!

Ingredients:
1 can white beans (cannelini) drained and rinsed
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup of soybeans (edamame) either fresh or frozen and thawed
3 large cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of good quality olive oil
2/3 cup of water
Juice of 1 lemon
sea salt to taste

In a small food processor add the above items one at a time. Start  with the white beans, puree. Add kidney beans, puree. Add soy beans, puree. Add garlic, olive oil and puree. Slowly add the water, and puree. Lastly add the lemon and salt to taste.

If you are using a large food processor you can add everything in at once. There is not enough room in the mini processors to do this, however.

When all is well blended, place hummus in a pretty bowl and refrigerate for a couple of hours or, if possible, overnight. Serve with tortilla strips, pita chips or anything else you prefer.

Sour Cream, Lemon and Blueberry Muffins

These were lemony-light-delicious and divine!!!  Proclaimed to be the best muffins I have ever made. I concur that they are up there on my top 10!

The special ingredients here are the blueberry flavored Ocean Spray cranberries. They have the consistency of a raisin or dried cranberry, but with the blueberry flavor. We like them better than the dried blueberries!

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup (or less) sugar
3/4 sour cream, light
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups unbleached flour
1+ cup of Ocean Spray blueberry flavored cranberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425

In a large mixing bowl beat together eggs and sugar, add oil and sour cream and beat until light and fluffy.
Add lemon juice and zest. Add baking soda and and flour. When well mixed add the dried cranberries.

Spoon into 12 well greased muffins tins. (We use a non-stick spray)
Bake for about 24 minutes

Simply Sandwiches

Who says sandwiches have to be simple, childlike and boring?

I made a couple to bring to a 4th of July party. First I made a Tomato, Boursin and Basil Sandwich on a baguette that I blogged about here, and then I made a prosciutto, mozzarella and arugula sandwich with a hint of lemon -- also on a baguette. And the brownies I wrote about in the post below that disappeared practically the very second I brought them out! I cut the sandwiches into (roughly) one inch strips so that they could be eaten easily as appetizers. These might be my new go to sandwiches of choice for potluck picnics!

Prosciutto, Mozzarella & Arugula with Essence of Lemon

*1 large good quality French baguette*Sliced prosciutto and mozzarella (enough to cover the length of the baguette entirely), or a prosciutto wrapped mozzarella roll, sliced to cover the baguette
*Arugula (baby spinach may be substituted) to cover the length of a baguette
*Several Tbs of good quality olive oil, to be brushed on to each side of the baguette
*Zest from 1 lemon, gently placed on one of the baguette halves
*Lemon juice, squeezed lightly over each half of the baguette
*Place one half on top of the other and slice as thin or as thick as you'll need your sandwich slices

 Optional, festive toothpicks to place in the center of each sandwich slice.

A Perfect Summer Meal: Cornmeal Crusted Chicken, Backyard Summer Salad & Lemon Parmesan Fusilli

This meal happened quite by accident, as all my best ones do. I had several pounds of chicken in the fridge that should have gone in to the freezer. I had taken the kids out of town for a couple of days and totally forgot about the chicken. Until I came home... and noticed that the Sell By Date was that day. We had already eaten dinner but I was not about to lose all that lovely free-range chicken. So I took one of the packages and dumped it into boiling water. I would freeze the cooked chicken to make chicken salad another day. The other batch would get lightly coated with cornmeal and some seasonings, tossed into a skilled with olive oil for a few minutes and then on to a baking sheet for a few more minutes. Even though this would be our dinner the following night I had to try a sample. It was divine. I love to use cornmeal instead of flour. I love the texture it provides.

Cornmeal Crusted Chicken
Ingredients:

Chicken breast, 1 to 2 lbs, trimmed and cut into smaller portions as desired
1/2 cup good quality cornmeal, repeat this ratio as necessary
1 tablespoon seasoning such as Lawry's, Old Bay or your preference
Good quality olive oil
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

In a skillet heat olive oil until it starts to sizzle, then turn heat to medium high
In a deep bowl add the cornmeal and seasonings and mix well
Dredge the chicken in the cornmeal and place in the pan. Let brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.
Place on baking sheet. Repeat until all chicken has been browned, adding extra olive oil as needed. (If excess cornmeal builds up in pan, wipe clean with paper towel, add more olive oil and start over.
Place baking sheet in a preheated, 375 degree oven, for about 15 minutes to ensure the chicken is adequately cooked. The cornmeal crust should keep the chicken from drying out inside.

Backyard Summer Salad

If you have a tomato garden this is a perfect salad for you. If you happen to grow cucumber and basil, even better!

Ingredients:

1 large cucumber, peeled and trimmed. (I prefer the seedless English cuckes)
1 large tomato, quartered and thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, very finely chopped
1 handful fresh Basil, Julienned
1/2 onion thinly sliced (I prefer red or Vidalia)
1/4 Grandma's Dressing

Grandma's Dressing:
1 cup of light extra virgin olive oil
1/4 apple cider vinegar
4 tbs. water
2tbs. powdered beef bouillon

In a large bowl add the above ingredients. Let marinate at least 20 minutes prior to serving.



The Lemon Parmesan Fusilli was based upon this recipe... I just guestimated here and added 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped.

Spaghetti with Oven Dried Tomatoes and Olive oil infused with Garlic, Lemon and Basil

We've been eating a lot of pasta here lately. Our grill died. It's cold out and I don't have the energy to cook heavy meals. This dish reminds me of one I would eat in Italy. My grandmother had fabulous help in Agnese. She kept a great house and she was a fabulous cook. Mostly what she cooked came straight from the gardens on the property. But sometimes what we crave is not available or in season. I learned to love canned tomatoes. Especially San Marzano tomatoes. Agnese used a lot of olive oil and garlic and lemon. I tend to use this combination a good bit too. Throw in some basil for good measure because I like it and because it is in my fridge and I don't want it to turn bad and it will if I don't use it in this dish.

I took the San Marzano tomatoes from the can and removed the seeds and drained them the best I could. Then I placed them on a drying rack that I placed on a cookie sheet that I should have lined with aluminum foil... but I didn't.. Oh well.

I sprinkled a very generous amount of sea salt on the tomatoes and set them in the oven for about an hour and a half at 325 degrees. I watched the oven closely. You do not want to burn your tomatoes. After a half hour or so I turned the tomatoes over. The goal is to get your tomatoes to dry out. I wish I had used two cans. Next time I will. These were so delicious!

While the tomatoes were cooking I took a cup of oil and put it in a saucepan over high heat. I tossed in 4 cloves of garlic, some lemon peel and a small handful of basil. When the oil started to bubble I removed it from the heat and let it sit for an hour or so.

When the tomatoes were done I removed them from the oven and chopped them into small pieces. I removed the garlic, lemon peel and basil from the olive oil. I chopped the garlic and set it aside.

When the spaghetti was was done (cooked per directions on box) I drained it and returned it to the pot adding the juice from the lemon and about 1/4 Cup of the olive oil, chopped garlic and tomato. I added some salt and tossed well. Some fresh Parmesan was all it needed for the finishing touch.

This simple pasta simply burst with flavor. Christopher had 3 helpings!

Lemon Pasta with Feta, Asparagus and Bacon

Asparagus is in season! Use it as often as you can! This pasta recipe is hearty and yet light... it's flavors are smooth and yet complex... A handful of ingredients make this an easy dish to make yet it tastes like you slaved over it for hours!

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 small bunches of asparagus, peeled
1 1/2 cups of feta cheese
1/2 cups of Parmesan cheese
2 - 3 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
Zest and juice of 1 lemon (should yield about 5 tbs.)
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 lb box of pasta (I used shells)
1 package of bacon, cooked and crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta to boiling water and cook per directions on package.

Start cooking bacon. Microwave is my method of choice! When bacon has cooked, remove from oven, let cool and crumble.

Bring a large saucepan to a boil and add asparagus. Cook no longer than 5 minutes and then remove from heat. When asparagus have cooled slightly, slice asparagus into 1/2 to 1 inch slices. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl add together Parmesan cheese, feta cheese, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and mix well. Set asside.

When the pasta is ready drain the pasta and return to the pan, adding back about 1/2 cup of pasta water. Mix well and add the cheese mixture from the bowl. Mix well. Add asparagus pieces. Mix well and serve immediately!

If unable to serve immediately keep the pasta over low heat on the stove. Do not add bacon until just prior to serving to assure crispiness.

Raspberry Citrus Muffins

I'm a morning person but I am not. I love to get up early and write but I need to be in bed with my cappuccino while doing so. I don't want to have to get up unless I absolutely have to. I love the idea of getting up early and baking so that the kids will have some fresh out of the oven muffins ready for them for their breakfast. As much as I aim to do this I fall short. Way short. I have even thought about having the batter ready and scooped into muffin tins the night before. But with the after school rush of sports and homework and dinner this never happens. So I will stick to using my weekends. I'll bake a couple of batches and freeze them and take them out as needed. I still pop them in the oven before serving... so they still have that warm out of the oven feel and taste. This is the best I can do for now!

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter, room temperature
2/3 C sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 eggs
1/2 C sour cream
1/4 C orange juice
Zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime
2 C flour
2 tsp. baking powder

- beat together sugar and butter
- add eggs and beat well
- add OJ and zest
- add sour cream
- add baking powder and flour, mix well
- fold in about 1 1/2 C raspberries -- I used frozen, thawed, about 1/2 bag


Pour batter into lined or greased muffin tins and bake at 375 for 25 - 30 minutes. (Test with a toothpick)

Makes 12 muffins

Cherry Ricotta Muffins

This recipe was totally inspired and borrowed upon from Giada deLaurentis' Nonna's Lemon Ricotta Biscuits


Ingredients

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 cup of sugar
* 1 stick of butter, room temperature
* The zest from 1 lemon
* 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
* 1 large egg
* 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
* 1 Cup + of dried cherries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Sift together flour, baking powder and soda. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar, add egg, mix well. Add almond extract, lemon zest and ricotta. Mix well.

Add flour mixture to batter and blend well. Fold in dried cherries.

Line muffin tin with 12 liners and scoop batter into the liners.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

Let cool 5 minutes and enjoy!

Note: The Tipsy Housewife would most definitely pour a good swig of Limoncello into the muffin batter to enhance the lemon flavor from the zest prior to baking! And then she might take a swig herself ;)

Insalata d'Agnese with Garlic Toasts and Tuscan White Bean Spread

  

 

A simple supper. When we were in Italy we had bread and salad every day we were at the house for lunch and went out for large, lavish dinners at local, wonderful eateries in Umbria and Tuscany. My grandmother had wonderful help in Agnese who looked after the villa in the months my grandmother wasn't there and cooked for her when she was there. Her meals were simple and spectacular. Most of the ingredients were local -- from my grandmother's garden!

One of my favorite salads could not have been more simple to make and bursted with flavor. It was a shredded salad with romain, radicchio, olive oil, vinegar, sea salt and pepper. We call it Insalata d'Agnese since it was Agnese who created it.

Insalate d'Agnese
You'll need:
3 heads of Romain trimmed and washed
1 head of radicchio, trimmed
1/2 cup of olive oil and 1/4 of vinegar -- feel free to add more or less vinegar to your liking
generous amounts of freshly ground pepper and sea salt
(Use only what you desire, the rest will remain well for a week or so in a glass jar or cruet.)

Shred the lettuces and arugula and toss into a large salad bowl with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Can't be more simple! I love the red and green color, but alas my three little ones find the radicchio a bit too bitter so we omit it for them.

In Italy we ate this with loads of fresh bread and artisan cheeses. Sometimes we do here in the states as well. But the other night I had a full baguette that was a bit stale. I cut the baguette into slices and made little toasts so as not to have to waste the bread.

Garlic Toasts:

Slice the baguette into 1/2 - 1 inch slices
using a pastry brush, brush on olive oil
sprinkle garlic powder generously OR rub a clove of fresh garlic onto each slice
sprinkle lightly with sea salt
place under broiler (high) for a few minutes and watch as the toasts turn a golden brown

 

 

And these go wonderfully with the Tuscan White Bean Spread

1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbs olive oil, plus 2 more
2 - 3 cloves of crushed garlic
squeeze of a half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saute pan add olive oil, beans and salt and pepper to taste
As the beans start to get golden stir them around -- They will get soft, this is what you want.
When beans get golden add the *garlic and stir... keep cooking until garlic turns golden brown too
Place the beans in a mini food processor with the rest of the olive oil and lemon
Puree until smooth -- feel free to add any more of any ingredient

*If you do not have any fresh garlic, use about 1 tsp of garlic powder
Serve warm with the toasts -- May be microwaved to reheat

A Perfectly Roasted Chicken

I love nothing more than the smell of roasting chicken... (Ok, I love it the same as I like the smell of baking pies and cookies!) Roasting a chicken is really very easy, and requires only a few simple ingredients and some time.

I like to buy organic chickens. And if possible those with the little pop-up indicator thingies. I do use and rely on a good meat thermometer as well.

For your perfectly roasted chicken you will need:

1/4 Cup of Herbes de Provence, Italian Seasoning or Williams-Sonoma Turkey Seasoning
1 tbs of salt
2 lemons, thinly sliced

Preheat your oven to 375 (if using a conventional oven)
If using a convection oven your oven may convert the temperature automatically, otherwise you will need to see what the recommended temperature is for your convection oven.

Directions:

*Take your chicken and remove everything from the cavity.
*Rinse thoroughly under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
*Using your hands gently, slowly separate the skin from the meat on the breast as well as the legs. Your bird will be much more flavorful if you season the meat underneath the skin.
*Take some of the herbs and rub them against the meat, under the skin. Be generous!
*Repeat on the drumstick and thigh.
*Take the lemon wedges and carefully place them between the skin and the meat, where you had placed your herbs. You should have roughly 1 sliced lemon left over

If your chicken seems to have fallen apart slightly from separating the skin from the meat, simply tie the legs together using kitchen string/rope.

*If you have a roasting pan, place the roasting rack inside the pan, and place the extra lemon wedges on top of the rack.

*Place the chicken, breast side up, on top of the lemon slices.

The leftover meat, bones and drippings will make The Best Chicken Broth Ever. Do NOT discard. (Recipe to follow)

We served the chicken with wide, buttered egg noodles and

Garlic Sesame Asparagus

1 to 2 bunches of asparagus, ends trimmed
Garlic powder
Sea salt
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs olive oil

*In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
*Immerse asparagus in water and cook until vibrant green, 3 to 5 minutes.
*You want the asparagus to still be crunchy. Remove asparagus from the water.
*Remove water from the pan and pat dry with paper towel.
*Pour in the oils, and bring to high heat.
*Add the asparagus -- it should sizzle as it hits the hot oil. Turn heat to low and sprinkle desired amount of garlic powder and salt.
*Turn heat off. The asparagus will continue to cook. Turn and toss to make sure that asparagus is well coated. Keep in pan until ready to serve, but not more than 5 minutes.

Make it your own: Delightful Citrus Cranberry Muffins

I'm not sure why I had these in my house. Daddy picked them up for sure. I'm not even a lemon poppy girl. But the kids were hungry and there was nothing in the house. Well, sure there was... but no one wanted, oatmeal, cereal, eggs or yesterday's pancakes. So I grabbed this muffin mix. It was the small one. The one that makes just 6 muffins, which is totally useless when there are 5 people in a house. But that's not the point and I didn't buy them and I should have been happy they were in the pantry to begin with.

I looked at the directions and turned the oven on as it said to do. Then it told me to "just add water." Well, I don't just do anything and I like to tinker. So I replaced the water with orange juice. And added a half a cup of dried cranberries.

And you know what? These cranberry citrus things were good. Damned good! (No picture. All were eaten!)

Chicken with green olives, lemon and garlic... Couscous... Asparagus with Brown Butter Shallot Sauce

I needed something to prepare quickly. The natives were restless and hungry. I opened my fridge and the following items just jumped out at me. It helps that I had just done a major grocery shopping and shows the importance of a well stocked pantry. I created this as I went along and am beyond thrilled with the results!

As I was in a mad rush to get the food on the table... I didn't "plate" my dinner beautifully so my pictures will not do this meal justice... I would normally serve the chicken on a platter, couscous in the middle, then the chicken would have been arranged around the couscous and the olives would have been placed strategically around as well. Instead, I Dumped and Served. The result was delicious none the less. Since I created this as I went along my measures are approximate, so feel free to tweak it as you like.

To make the chicken:

I used 5 chicken breasts. (1 per person)
1 jar of Spanish olives
Juice from 2 lemons
2 XL cloves of garlic
A dash of sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Olive oil

Trim the chicken of all fat and cut each breast in half.
In a pan add 2 to 3 Tbs of olive oil and turn heat to high.
When oil starts to get hot, add chicken and a dash of sea salt.
Let chicken brown, about 3 to 4 minutes, turn over, brown other side 3 to 4 minutes.
Add garlic, another Tbs of olive oil if needed and move chicken around so that each piece gets a good amount of garlic. The lemon juice and olive oil will start to brown. With a rubber spatula scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan and rotate chicken so that each piece absorbs the liquid. (This will add a lovely golden color to the chicken.)
Add the olives from the jar and half the juice.
Place a lid over the pan and simmer, on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. There is enough juice at this point to keep the chicken from drying out.

To make the couscous:
In a separate pan add water and bring to boil. Then add couscous (I use Near East) and cook per directions on box.

To make the Asparagus:
While asparagus is cooking, take 1 medium shallot and chop finely.

In a small sauce pan place 2 Tbs of butter over medium heat until butter melts and starts to turn brown. As soon as it turns brown, remove from heat immediately. Add shallot and add about 1 tsp of olive oil. Keep warm.

In a large saute pan, fill with a few inches of water. Bring to boil. Add asparagus and cook about 4 to 5 minutes. Asparagus should be firm to the bite but not tough. When done remove from water. Place on a plate and pour Brown Butter Shallot Sauce over asparagus.

Remove chicken from pan and place on a large plate or platter. Be sure not to leave any of the delicious juices behind!

Serve immediately.

This meal takes no longer than 30 minutes start to finish!

Summer BBQ With Friends

We had our close friends over for a BBQ lunch yesterday. Our friends Beth and Chris were celebrating their 13th Anniversary and our friends John and Kara had just returned home after 2 years in Japan. Mutual friends Mike and Laurie joined us. All donned their children. Great time and great food was had by all!

The Menu

Grilled Vegetables
Corn Salad
Lemon Parmesan Pasta Salad
Tomatoes with Basil and Feta
Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Basil

Grilled London Broil
BBQ Chicken
Lemon Garlic Chicken

(For the children:
Corn on the Cob
Grilled Hot Dogs)

Dessert

Warm Brownie Ice Cream Sundae
Watermelon

Grilled Vegetables

4 Summer squash

3 zucchini

3 red peppers

1 orange pepper

1 green pepper

1 container white mushrooms
1 package Italian Dressing Marinade (Good Seasons)

I washed and cut all vegetables into chunks

And made the low oil version of the dressing (recipe on the back of package)
I put all the veggies in two large Tupperware containers and poured the dressing equally over both batches and left the veggies to marinate overnight.

You can either grill the veggies prior to serving or grill ahead of time and serve at room temperature. If you want to grill the night before just remember to take the vegetables out of the fridge at least an hour before serving to bring them back to room temperature. I'm all for getting as much done ahead of time as possible.

You can use any salad dressing (use a low oil for less flare up on the grill) you desire. These vegetables are wonderful in balsamic dressing as well.

Corn Salad

The corn salad is The Barefoot Contessa's Recipe. It's a summer staple. I've posted it before. Click here for the recipe.

Lemon Parmesan Pasta

The lemon Parmesan pasta salad is another summer staple. I adapted it from Giada de Laurentis' recipe. This time I added some fresh parsley from the garden. It was a nice touch! To see the recipe click here.

London Broil

My husband has a dry rub recipe that we adore and therefore he seldom alters. Because he never writes down amounts certain elements vary from time to time, though the flavor is very consistent.

Ingredients:

1 or 2 Top Round or Shoulder London Broil
Garlic Powder
Charcoal Seasoning
Meat Tenderizer (Adolph's)
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne Pepper

Trim steak of all fat

Rub generous amounts of charcoal seasoning, tenderizer and garlic powder onto both sides of the steak. Massage well.

Add a little salt, pepper and as much of the cayenne pepper as you can handle!

Wrap steak in Saran Wrap for at least an hour so that the meat can absorb the flavors.
Grill to taste for rare, medium rare, or well done

BBQ Chicken

We totally cheated and used our favorite jarred recipe. I trim the breasts of all fat and "goop."I then cut each chicken breast into quarters that I let the chicken sit in the marinade overnight and thinly sliced some garlic for additional flavor. I use a fork to poke holes in the chicken so that the flavors can penetrate deep inside. I used 6-8 breasts and 2/3 jar of the sauce. The remaining sauce was poured over the chicken as it was grilling. (The chicken cooked about 5 minutes per side because the pieces were fairly small. You will want to check for done-ness as you do not want undercooked chicken!)

Lemon Garlic Chicken

For the marinade:

1/2 Cup of olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Trim and cut the chicken as in the above recipe and place in a large marinating dish. In a small bowl mix together lemon and olive oil, pour over chicken. Lightly sprinkle each piece of chicken with the seasoned salt (both sides) and use a fork to poke holes in the meat so that the flavors can really penetrate. Sprinkle garlic over the marinating chicken. Flip container from time to time to help enhance flavors -- so that each piece is completely covered in the olive oil mixture.

(Pictured below, BBQ and Lemon Garlic Chicken)

Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed With Feta and Basil

My friend Laurie brought this with her and it was out of this world. She got the recipe from the Williams-Sonoma website. I will be making this for sure!

Sliced Tomatoes with Feta and Basil

Had I know Laurie was bringing the other I would have made something different. But nary a tomato was left over so people must have enjoyed!

5 tomatoes
1/4 cup crumbled feta
2 Tbs. chopped basil
Olive oil
Sea Salt

Wash and slice tomatoes. As you pile them in the plate be sure to sprinkle each slice with feta and basil and lightly sprinkle with salt. Repeat so that each slice is covered. Drizzle olive oil over the top.

Brownie Sundae

Whether you opt to make yours from a box or from scratch, this recipe will delight everyone!

You will need, brownies pre-cut into square
2 flavors of ice cream, more if you dare!
Hot fudge sauce
Caramel Sauce

I arranged everything on the table and left it as a make your own Brownie Sundae bar! Couldn't be easier!

Sliced Watermelon
Simple and perfect for summer. Need I say more?

Oriental Chicken Salad

I've put myself back on the South Beach Diet. I need to lose a few pounds. I never lost the last ten pounds after Alexander was born and then a few extra found their way on to me over the past couple of years. Sad that I had all these wonderful clothes that were either a bit too snug or didn't fit at all, I decided to do something about it. I had been on South Beach six years earlier. I lost and kept off 10 pounds until I got pregnant for the third time.

So basically for the next 10 days I can have no carbs. No bread and no fruit. I'm fine without the bread. I do miss the fruit. I would love an apple to sink my teeth into! With my restriction I want to create foods that are good and fun to eat and fun to make. I also need things that will please the children, as I refuse to make more than one meal for dinner. Inspired by the recipe for the Peanut Dipping Sauce I went on to create a delicious salad. My kids adore chicken lollipops dipped in peanut sauce. This Oriental Chicken Salad was a success according to everyone! I will certainly enjoy this "off the Beach!"

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, each pounded and cut into 4 pieces -- I used leftover grilled chicken for this.
(If not using left over chicken you can either cook the on the stove, broil it or grill it with your favorite mild seasoning.)

6 scallions, washed, trimmed and cut into pieces using both white and green pieces
1/4 cup of cashews, chopped -- I placed them in a baggie and banged them until they were just small enough.
1 lemon
2 packets of Splenda (real sugar can be used if not on South Beach)

4 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce
4Tbs. natural peanut butter
1 tsp. garlic powder
4 Tbs. water
dash of crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper

Cook chicken and set aside to cool. Once cooled placed in a bowl with the cashews and the scallions. Toss well.

In a separate bowl mix together peanut butter, lemon, Splenda (or sugar) soy sauce, garlic powder, water and red pepper. When well mixed (I used a whisk) slowly pour over the chicken salad. You may not need or want to use all the dressing. We had a bit left over.

We served our chicken salad wrapped up in lettuce. The kids pretended to eat it like tacos and had a blast.

Linguine with a lemon, garlic and white wine sauce

Ingredients:

1 lb. Linguine
Juice of 2 lemons
4 gloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbs. dried parsley flakes
2 - 4 Tbs white wine (to taste)
4 Tbs. olive oil
Salt, pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta per directions on box.

In a medium sauce pan add 2 Tbs. olive oil and over medium heat add the garlic, brown slightly
Add parsley, whisk in lemon and white wine, keep simmering over low heat

Once pasta has been fully cooked and drained return to pot and pour sauce over the pasta. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Prior to serving drizzle the remaining olive oil over the pasta, serve warm, in bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Mangia!

Garlic Lover's Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Rosemary

This recipe is so flavorful and so incredibly easy. Serve it to company and they will think you slaved for hours! We had this chicken the other night with the Saffron Rice and Tomatoes with Basil Vinaigrette (both posted below).

Ingredients:

6 - 8 trimmed chicken breasts, halved

For Marinade:
Combine, 3 - 4 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 Cup of olive oil
3 Tbs chopped, fresh rosemary
Juice of 2 lemons and
Zest of 1 lemon
Sea Salt
Pepper

In a marinating dish place chicken breasts side by side. Try not to overlap. Stab fork into chicken a couple of times (to let the flavors really seep in). Pour marinade over chicken and let sit a few hours, overnight or a day.

Grill chicken as you normally wood.

Serve immediately, room temperature or even chilled the next day.

Fresh from the Farm Mixed Greens Salad with Lemon Dressing

If you have never had fresh picked/cut lettuce you really must. It's an experience. The flavors of the leaves just burst with each bite. The flavors, sharp and intense are strong, perhaps because they have not had time to sit and mellow. If you do not live near a farm try to get to a farmer's market. I assure you the freshest salad ever!


I served this salad yesterday for lunch with my folks in town. I made a light dressing (recipe to follow) and served it with thinly sliced Manchega, and whole Campari* tomatoes on the side. There was, too, of course, French Bread from Billy's Bakery -- the best in the state! As we sat outside and lunched I felt transported away, as though I was not an hour outside of hustly-bustly New York City but deep in the woods of Maine. (We have lots of evergreen on our property.)


For the salad feel free to use any freshly picked variety to your liking. I love to mix different lettuces together. I usually one large handful as an estimate per person. When we are serving salad as a meal I will double or even triple the amount.

Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

1/2 Cup equal parts Canola and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 handful of cilantro, minced
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
Sea salt and pepper

In a small bottle with a lid (like a vinegar bottle) combine all ingredients and infuse for a a few minutes or overnight. Shake bottle well so dressing emulsifies and resembles the color of fresh lemonade. Strain garlic (and cilantro leaves if desired) and taste. Add freshly ground Sea salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Pour desired amount of dressing over salad and toss.

Serve Immediately!

* I use local or home grown tomatoes when in season.

Five Star Chicken with Green Sauce

I have this recipe for a cilantro, garlic and lemon sauce that is really to die for. It goes with everything. I love it on chicken, either grilled or lightly sauteed with a touch of olive oil in a pan lightly seasoned with salt, pepper and dried Italian herbs. It's divine on a white fish. I wish I had some left over... I'd spread some over a nice slice of grilled ciabatta or a similar bread and use it as a sandwich spread... oh well!

My family gives this sauce Five Stars!