Oh, boy. It is starting to heat up in New England and my dear boyfriend has been working hard outside. In order to surprise him for being such a good worker, I thought I would make him one of his favorite dishes, Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken! However, in my attempt to make it a smidgen more healthy, I didn't use any cream, and I added some flavorful sun dried tomatoes. This is the type of meal that is a definite treat. It is incredibly decadent, creamy, and perfect for an "every once in while" occasion.
Ingredients:
3 Chicken breasts, trimmed of all the fat
1 lb. fettuccine or fettuccine fini pasta
1 T olive oil
4 T butter, divided
2 T flour
3 1/4 C. whole milk
1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 C. sun dried tomatoes (any variety EXCEPT smoked) cut into small strips
3/4 C. Mascarpone cheese
Salt, Pepper, Garlic powder, hot pepper flakes
Instructions:
1) Cook a package of fettuccine pasta to al dente, according to box directions. Next, in a large, heavy bottomed skillet, add olive oil and 1T. of the butter on medium/low heat.
2) Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place in skillet and brown on both sides. Approximately 3 minutes per side, or until they look like this:
3) Place the browned chicken on a plate and cover with foil. Drain any remaining oil in pan, then return pan to heat.
4) Add remaining butter to pan and stir until it melts, then add the flour and stir for about 1 minutes.
5) Add milk to pan, and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen up all the leftover flavor from the chicken.
6) Add at least 1/2 t. of salt, pepper, and garlic powder while the sauce slightly thickens. Taste the sauce as it cooks, if it tastes bland, it's because it needs more salt. Add a pinch of hot pepper flakes for heat. Cook sauce for about 5 minutes.
7) Stir Parmesan cheese and sun dried tomatoes into the sauce.Add Mascarpone cheese, and stir until dissolved. Check one more time for seasoning. Slice up chicken breasts and stir into the sauce for 1-2 more minutes until cooked through.
8) Add pasta into the sauce, and continue to cook on medium-low heat until pasta is coated in sauce, and the sauce is desired thickness.
Enjoy! Serves at least 5 hungry people!
Hello, all! Today I have a very special recipe to share. This was my Grandmother's banana bread recipe that I grew up eating at almost every family function throughout the years. Whenever I make banana bread, it reminds me of my Grandmother, and how great of a cook and baker she was! I hope to one day be as great of a person as she was.
This banana bread recipe is simple with no frills. No cinnamon, nutmeg, five-spice, or any embellishments that people cram into desserts these days. This recipe is really meant to showcase the star ingredient; banana. By keeping the pungent spices to a minimum, the bread really shines like an old, classic recipe.
When making banana bread, PLEASE REMEMBER to ALWAYS use incredibly overripe, brown or black bananas. I recall watching an episode of "Cupcake Wars", in which experienced bakers with their own storefront were making a banana cupcake, and used just barely ripe bananas. I was honestly taken aback over the fact that these professionals didn't mention, or seem to understand that when making banana-flavored/based desserts, you will get 10x the flavor if the banana is almost completely brown. As long as your bananas aren't moldy or rotten, they are safe to use.
Ingredients:
1 stick soft salted butter (or unsalted butter + 1/2 t. salt)
1 C. white sugar
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 t. vanilla extract
1 1/2 C. AP flour
1 t. baking soda
Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl or standing mixer, beat together butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until combined.
2) In separate bowl, mix baking soda into flour.
3) Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a spatula just until combined.
4) Pour batter into greased loaf pan, and bake for approximately 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean after inserting. If the top is getting too dark for your liking, just cover with tin foil.
Hello, all! Although we are halfway through June, Connecticut is clinging on to cool temperatures with all its might! We have had about five 80° days so far, and the rest of the time it has been fairly cool. But the summer recipes must go on! Salads are a great option for summer dinners and lunches, because the meat can be grilled outside, and the rest assembled in the kitchen without turning on the oven or stove and heating the whole house up. Although it isn't too hot outside yet in New England, my kitchen is already starting to get uncomfortably warm when I cook indoors, so a salad recipe is in order.
Fennel is often found in Italian recipes, and it pairs wonderfully with seafood. It has a texture similar to a firm raw onion, but it tastes nothing like an onion. It has a mild licorice taste, much like a fennel seed. If you have never tried it, you should! It can be eaten raw, but make sure to slice it as thinly as you can manage, so it can really soak up the vinaigrette. Fennel is also wonderful when cooked in a fish stew or soup. I have a fabulous Cioppino recipe that I will share this summer that utilizes cooked fennel. But for now, give this wonderful summer salad a try, and keep cool!
Ingredients:
1-2 heads of lettuce ( I used red leaf lettuce. You could use romaine, mixed greens, or any kind you like)
1 bulb fennel, thick outer layer removed. Sliced thinly
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 lb. raw shrimp (peeled and de-veined, and patted dry with paper towel)
1 large naval orange, zested and juiced
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. red wine vinegar
4 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 T. dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions:
1) For the vinaigrette: whisk together lemon juice, orange juice, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, and a pinch of cracked black pepper and salt. Once combined, slowly drizzle in oil while whisking constantly until emulsified.
2) In a large bowl, combine shrimp, 1 T. of vinaigrette and zest of the orange. Let sit while grill heats up.
3) Grill shrimp for 1-2 minutes per side, or until the pink and curled up.
4) Mix thinly sliced onion, fennel, and torn lettuce with vinaigrette. Top with Grilled shrimp.
As you can see, I grilled my shrimp in a grill basket, because my grill can be inconsistent and flare up for no good reason. You do not need a grill basket for this recipe to come out tasty!
Anyone else out there in love with roasted vegetables? Roasting vegetables renders a slightly sweet, caramelized flavor that cannot be replicated in any other way (in my opinion). If you are the type of person that doesn't particularly enjoy vegetables, I strongly suggest you try roasting them. All you really need is olive oil, salt, and pepper to make a wonderful dish of veggies.
Today, I wanted to make a healthy meatless meal that even my carnivorous boyfriend and father would enjoy! I was surprised that a simple roasted vegetable sandwich would go over so well! I got several compliments on the meal, and zero complaints! I'd say that's a good meal! Feel free to mix up the vegetables and roast whatever you have on hand!
Ingredients:
1 large white or yellow onion
1 head of garlic, cloves separated but still in their skins
2 eggplants
2 red, orange, or yellow bell peppers
about 1/4 cup of olive oil
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
4 Ciabatta rolls or any type of sandwich roll
Slices of tomato
mayo (to taste)
Sliced cheese of your choice (I used a mild cheddar)
Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 375.
2) Chop all veggies into relatively equal size chunks. Between 1"-2" is fine.
3) Mix raw veggies and garlic cloves (still in their papery skins) with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Make sure everything is evenly coated.
4) Arrange veggies in a single layer on a baking sheet or baking pan. Bake for about 1 hour, flipping veggies half way through cooking time. All veggies should be fully cooked and tender.
5) Carefully pop the flesh of the roasted garlic out of its papery skin. Smear the roasted garlic onto the ciabatta roll. Place cheese over roasted garlic smear.
6) Stick the rolls under the broiler until the cheese is bubbling and roll is toasted.
7) Spread mayo onto the bread, and arrange tomatoes and roasted veggies onto bun.
