Your Dad loves Chicken Cacciatore, but haven't been able to find one he likes.  WELL...he loved this recipe from Big Joe Henry, a DJ from a local radio station.  It's very very easy, but does require a long cooking time.  Don't rush it, the wait is worth it.  One of the three things I changed was the amount of Oregano; I believe the recipe used fresh.  I ended up using only about a teaspoon of the dried Oregano.  Also, was trying to use up all the chicken thighs (skinless and boneless) I had in the freezer, so no drum sticks used in mine.  Lastly, hate capers...so of course I didn't use them.

Big Joe's Big Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients:

. 8 Chicken Drum Sticks
. 8 Chicken Thighs
. 1/4 Cup of Olive Oil (Used Extra Virgin)
. 1/2 Cup of Flour For Dredging
. 1 1/2 Stalks of Coarsely Chopped Celery
. 1 Green or Red Bell Pepper, Coarsely Chopped
. 3/4 Cup of Carrots Diced
. 10-12 Button Mushrooms (White), Cut Into 1/4 Pieces
. Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
. 3 Cloves of Finely Chopped Garlic
. 2 1/2 Tablespoons of Drained Capers
. 2 1/2 Teaspoons of Oregano
. 1 Tablespoon of Tomato Paste
. 1 1/2 Cup of Dry Red Wine (Chianti, Merlot, Cabernet) (Used Chianti)
. 1 Can of Diced Tomatoes (28 0z.), Include Juice
. 1/4 Cup of Chopped Flat Italian Parsely

How To Put It Together:

Salt and pepper the chicken and then dredge in flour.  In a large Dutch oven pan, add 1/2 the oil (2 tablespoons), heat over medium-high heat.  Brown the chicken in batches, about 5-7 minutes per side.  Once golden brown, remove chicken and set aside.

Discard excess oil (had none using the skinless), but don't scrape the pan.  Add remaining oil and once oil is hot, add celery, onions, carrots, mushrooms and bell pepper.  Reduce heat to medium--medium-low and stir vegetables scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the pieces up.  Cook vegetables for a total of 10-12 minutes.

Add garlic and oregano and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Add the red wine and increase heat to high.  Stir constantly adding tomato paste.  Mix sauce well, add tomatoes, lower the heat to low and simmer stirring occasionally.  Add capers and simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Add chicken back to pan, cover and place in oven; cook for about 35 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan to plate, cover with foil to keep warm.  Skim off excess fat from the surface (again, not a problem with the skinless).  Bring pan over high heat on stove to a quick boil to reduce sauce.  Add parsley.  Stir and then ladle sauce over chicken and serve. (I skipped this final step since we wanted a little more liquid).  Serves 6.

As promised Maggie!  We really enjoyed this one.  Had made one substitution since we aren't fans of procciutto, and didn't have any center cut bacon, the lean ham seemed to work just fine.  This could have been served over rice or risotto if you wanted.  Kept it simple with a side salad.  Looking at the pictures, I think a sprinkle of fresh Parsley over the finished dish would have been nice.

Chicken Saltimbocca

Recipe Courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:

. 6 (3 Ounce) Chicken Cutlets, Pounded to Evenly Flatten
. Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
. 6 Paper-Thin Slices of Prosciutto (Used Lean Ham)
. 1 (10 Ounce) Box of Frozen Chopped Spinach, Thawed
. 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil (Used Extra Virgin)
. 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan
. 1 (14 Ounce) Can of Low-Salt Chicken Broth
. 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice

Directions:

Place the chicken cutlets flat on work surface.  Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.  Lay 1 slice of prosciutto atop each chicken cutlet.

Squeeze the thawed frozen spinach to remove excess water.  In a small bowl, season the spinach with salt and pepper, and toss the spinach with 1 tablespoon of oil to coat (Used only 1/2  tablespoon).

Arrange an even thin layer of spinach atop the prosciutto slices.  Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over each.  Beginning at the short tapered end, roll up each chicken cutlet.  Secure with a toothpick.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and cook just until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.  Add the chicken broth and lemon juice, and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Bring the liquid to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium.  Cover and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a platter.  Simmer the cooking liquid over high heat until it is reduced to about 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes.  Season the cooking liquid with salt and pepper, to taste.  Remove toothpicks from the chicken.  Drizzle the reduced cooking liquid over the chicken and serve immediately.

Snap Pea and Cucumber Salad

This recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis.  No better way to get back into uploading our meals than to make one together! As spring time rolls in, we are both looking to have some nice healthy, fresh meals on the table.   

It is always fun cooking in mom's perfect kitchen.

4 servings

Salad 1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed 1 large seedless cucumber 1 cup (about ½ pint) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
Dressing 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from ½ large lemon) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon lemon zest Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the snap peas and cook until vibrant green, about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl of iced water to cool, about 2 minutes. Drain and add to a salad bowl. Stir in the cucumbers, tomatoes and dill.
Dressing In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and lemon zest until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until coated.

Easily shared.  :-)

Test, Test, Does this Still Work??

Wow, it has been forever since either of us updated this thing, huh Mom.  You were better than I was.  You made a post in September.  We shall not count how long it has been for me.  What do you say? Want to give it another go?  I say we make a spring time resolution and vow to post one recipe a week.  (Or more!) The nicer weather is coming and I just feel like both of us are going to get on a cooking kick!  Soooo, here is my Kickoff Recipe!

Shrimp and Chorizo Paella

This is from our good friend Rocco DiSpirito again with his wonderful cookbook Now Eat This!.  We are trying to get back on a good eating routine so we turned back to him.  We did the whole chicken and vegetables thing for a while....BORING!  We need flavor! We need excitement!  We need satisfaction in a bowl.  Andrew picked this recipe cause he was in the mood for something totally different.  The good news is this recipe, which they say serves four will most likely give us 6 servings.  So, the nutritional information might be a little less even.  But here is what the book says it will be.

341 calories per serving, 8.2 grams of fat, 20 grams of protein, 4 grams of carbs, 185 mg cholesterol, 5 grams of fiber.  (As opposed to traditional paella at 900 calories and 42 grams of fat!!!)

Ingredients:
- 2 ounces chorizo, sliced into 1/4 inch half moon slices (Not going to lie, I pretty much doubled this.  It is Andrew's favorite sausage!)
-6 cloves of garlic
- 1 cup long-grain brown rice
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads (I omitted this - I'm a girl on a budget you know)
- 1 3/4 cups low fat, low sodium chicken broth (I only had beef broth so I used that instead)
-  One 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
- 8 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup frozen peas

Directions:

1.  Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat.  When the pot is hot, add the chorizo and cook until the fat begins to render, about 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute, stirring often until it is fragrant, about a minute.  Then, add the saffron, rice, and broth.  Cover the pot an bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and cook at a very gentle simmer for about 30 minutes.

2.  Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juices.  Cover the pot and continue to cook for another 25 minutes.

3.  Season the shrimp with salt and pepper to taste, and stir the shrimp and the frozen peas into the mixture.  Cover, and continue to cook until the shrimp are cooked through and the rice is tender, about 10 minutes.  (I had to let it go a little longer and turn up the heat to get my shrimp nice and pink)

4.  Allow the paella to rest for about five minutes, covered.  Then fluff the rice with a fork and serve!

Chicken Breast With Salsa

Maggie....made this meal tonight and we loved it! Very very easy! Unfortunately, I didn't use a recipe so the amounts of the few indgredients I used are "to taste". Also, if you make it, maybe you can come up with a better name.

Ingredients:

3 Boneless Chicken Breasts; Halved

1 16 oz. Jar of Salsa (Used Ortega Original Salsa-Mild)

Sprinkle of Minced Onions

Sprinkle of Garlic (Garlic Mill)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Shredded Cheddar & Monterey Jack Cheese

Directions:

. Drizzle a large skillet with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and heat on medium heat.

. Halve chicken breasts and salt & pepper each side.

. After chicken is in pan, I added the minced onion and garlic.

. Cook chicken approximately 4-5 minutes on each side until slightly browned.

. Add salsa and lower heat to medium-low; cook about another 5 minutes, until bubbly.

. Plate chicken, sprinkle cheese on top and add a little more salsa on top (helps to melt cheese).

Notes:

I would probably use more salsa next time. What I like about this recipe is that you can cut the calories down by using low fat cheese and cooking spray. But I do think the olive oil adds to the taste! Totally forgot to take a picture, but according to your Father, this recipe goes on the top of the pile; so hopefully next time I'll remember.

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

Mags...was going through my recipes I've gotten from the Food Network and have decided to start cooking! There are so many great recipes! This one is from Giada De Laurentis. Very easy and delicious! They didn't give any nutritional info, but that would be easy enough to figure out. Also, you'll notice by the size of my baking dish, I doubled the recipe. Reheated very nicely the next day. I don't think this would fall under "cooking light", but definitely falls into the "mmm mmm good" category. Soooooo, moderation is the key to this one....or not!

Ingredients:

. 1 Cup Pastina or Any Small Pasta (Used Pipette)

. 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

. 1/2 Cup Cubed Chicken Breast (1-Inch Cubes)

. 1/2 Cup Diced Onion (About 1/2 a Small Onion)

. 1 Clove Garlic, Minced

. 1 (14.5 Ounce) Can Diced Tomatoes With Juice

. 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella

. 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley

. 1/4 Teaspoon Kohser Salt

. 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

. 1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs (Used Italian Breadcrumbs)

. 1/4 Grated Parmesan

. 1 Tablespoon Butter, Plus More For Buttering The Baking Dish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occassionally, about 5 minutes (use the directions of the pasta you use). Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8x8x2 baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Servings: 4

Note: Next time I plan to use another can of tomatoes....let me know what you think!

Bacon-Ranch Potato Salad

Ta Dum! You inspired me to actually make something worth posting. This recipe is from one of Pillsbury's little cookbooks you find at the check-out counters at most grocery stores. As usual I made a wee little change....mine would probably be titled "Bacon-Potato Salad". Not a big fan of Ranch dressing so I just used some Hellmans Light Mayo.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 - 2 Lbs Small Red Potatoes, Quartered

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 Cup Grape Tomatoes, Cut In Half (Used 1 Container)

1/2 Cup Chopped Celery

1/4 Cup Chopped Chives or Green Onions (Used Green Onions)

1/4 Cup Cooked Crumbled Bacon; About 6 Slices (I Used the Center Cut Bacon)

1/2 Cup Ranch Dressing (Used 2+ Tablespoons of Light Mayo)

Directions:

• In Dutch oven or 5-quart saucepan, place potatoes and salt. Add water just to cover. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain; rinse with cold water to cool. Drain well. Cool slightly.
• Place potatoes in large bowl. Add tomatoes, celery, chives or onions, and bacon.
• Stir in ranch dressing. Serve warm, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Note: Before mixing it all up, I added a little extra salt & pepper, 2 turns of the garlic mill and a palm full of chopped fresh parsley.

Per Serving (3/4 Cup)...Calories: 140; Total Fat: 8g; Sodium: 300 mg; Fiber: 2g