Chicken Breasts in Caper Cream Sauce

Paired this with the Greek Orzo from last post for a dinner. Contrasting flavors, but it worked out for me.

Chicken Breasts in Caper Cream Sauce
Recipe from Allrecipes

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

Preparation:
1. Season chicken breasts with lemon pepper, salt, dill weed, and garlic powder.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place breasts in skillet, and increase heat to medium-high. Turn chicken frequently, until brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, until breasts are cooked through. Remove chicken to a warm serving platter, and cover with foil.

3. Return skillet to stove, and increase heat to high. Whisk in whipping cream, whisking continuously until reduced to sauce consistency, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in capers. Pour sauce over chicken, and serve.

Tine's Notes: The only change I did was use only 2 chicken breasts and 1 tbsp of butter. The amount of seasoning I used was the same and it made for a really tasty chicken breast.

School Lunch menu: Friday = Pizza Day

Remember those days when you would get a printout of the lunch menu for the entire month in elementary school? Every Friday was designated Pizza Day. I have to admit, I actually wasn't so grossed out with school cafeteria food until middle school when almost every meal was drowning in oil *shudders*

Just because I check an older age box now doesn't mean I can't enjoy pizza every once in a while. I just have to watch what's in it... hello pretty pizza.

Ricotta Cheese Pizza
Recipe from Allrecipes



Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 (8 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 (12 inch) pre-baked pizza crust
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh broccoli
1 (3 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained

Preparation:
1. Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken in the butter until no longer pink and the juices run clear, 7 to 10 minutes; remove from heat and set aside.

3. Combine the ricotta cheese, 1 tablespoon butter, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 1 minute; stir to combine. Spread the mixture over the pizza crust. Scatter the mozzarella cheese evenly over the pizza. Arrange the cooked chicken, broccoli, and mushrooms evenly on top of the pizza.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

Tine's Notes: I used homemade pizza crust for this using the bread maker. It irks me to buy that kind of stuff sometimes because of how inconvenient it is to store it unless you plan to use it right away. Really who stocks up on pizza crust? You? Oh sorry then. I always have flour. Also, I used fresh mushrooms and frozen broccoli. I guess we're even then.

I haz chiken?

I know, I know. The meme is so played out. Give me a break, I cook all these dishes and I'm supposed to worry about what to title a blog post? Priorities.

To the food!

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
1/4 c. Italian dressing
1/2 c. plain bread crumbs
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp basil leaves
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 parsley flakes
1 tsp garlic salt
1/4 c. grated Parmesan
1/2 c. tomato sauce
1/4 c. Parmesan
1/4 c. Mozzarella cheese

Cooking:
1. Dip chicken in Italian dressing. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl except for remaining cheeses and tomato sauce.

2. Bake chicken for 10 mins per side. Generously top with sauce and cheese, cook for another 2 minutes.

Tine's Notes: I used the NuWave oven for this but the HI setting is equivalent to a 350 degree oven so no worries about that. For the mozzarella, I used an Italian blend. And because you can't have too much cheese, I threw in a couple tsps of grated Pecorino Romano. You'll probably need to avoid salt for a bit after this meal.

Also, a couple of days later, I also made Tofu Parmigiana. I warned you I like Italian flavors...

Thing I learned: This dish is entirely too easy to make. Will not be ordering it at a restaurant again. And neither should you.

P.S. I bought a springform pan so be on the lookout for that Mocha Mousse Cheesecake soon. =)~

Hmmm pie + chicken

That's right, the quintessential home-cooked meal. Chicken. Pot. Pie. I remember the first time I had one at a friend's house down the street. It was of the personal sized pre-frozen variety, but I was so intrigued by this pie that was not a dessert.

Now is the time I have to admit something to you, fair reader(s). Sometimes I cheat. At cooking, I mean. I consider some forms of cooking to be shortcuts and I'm fine with them, other times I just can't conceive doing something like cooking an entire meal in the microwave. I draw the line there. Other than the microwave, I'm not really opposed to exploring other methods. Thus enters... the NuWave oven. Yes, we have one. Ok, fine we have two, but that's a story for another time. Back to the oven-- it takes up a good amount of counter space so I decided that it needed to earn its due if it was going to stay there or be demoted to the bay window sill, or worse, under the counter cabinet. I am not usually the cook who used it so this would be something I needed to do a little research. If you've seen the infomercials, I'm sure you know all the bells and whistles this thing can do. Me? Sort of, I just knew I could cook frozen things in there. Great! Convenient for me! No more thawing!

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
1 (10 oz.) can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 1/2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
3/4 cup chicken broth combined with 3 tablespoons flour
2 Pillsbury pie shells

Cooking:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix soup, vegetables (may use fresh vegetables), chicken, and broth. (The mixture should be somewhat thick.)

2. Put mixture into the bottom pie shell. Cover with the top pie crust and crimp to seal. Slice a few vent holes in the top.

3. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden. Cover pie edge with aluminum foil or a pie shield if it begins to brown too quickly.

Tine's Notes: I used Cream of Chicken and Mushroom soup but it tasted just fine. I also added 2 tbsp of milk to make it more creamy. I used fresh carrots, but frozen peas and corn. Variety is good right? Instead of pre-bought shells, I made my own courtesy of Mrs. Fields and only used it to top the chicken and vegetable mixture. And yes, I sure did use the NuWave oven. 35 minutes on high if you need to know. =)

Yields: One 9-inch pie

Crust:
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 to 3 tbsp ice water

1. With a pastry blender, incorporate the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Toss the mixture with a fork, sprinkling on just enough of the ice water to form a cohesive dough. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 45 minutes. Roll out to an 11-inch circle and fir into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim and crimp edges. 

**This a pic free post. No, I won't be doing it often, I just don't want to steal a pic for this. Just know it didn't take long to eat.

Feelin' Jamaican mon!

This dish actually says to use a grill pan, but it SMELLS so heavenly it kind of makes you want to grill outside so the neighborhood can envy your dinner. Maybe that's just me. I paired this with a rice dish, but you may want to do something else, lighter, maybe some type of salad.

Jamaican-Spiced Chicken
from Cooking Light Eat Smart Guide

Ingredients:
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp finely chopped and seeded jalapeño pepper
2 tsp cider vinegar [I used apple cider]
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 salt
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 lbs)
cooking spray

Cooking:
1. Combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl; add chicken; toss to coat.

2. Heat a grill pan to medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add chicken to pan; cook for 4 minutes. Turn chicken over; cook for 6 minutes or until done.

Yields: 4 servings (serving size: 2 chicken thighs)

Side dish.... this is turned out a bit mushy, I have a feeling it was because I kept adding more water because I didn't want it to burn [I used brown rice] and we're not the type of people who cook rice in pots. Rice cooker all the way! Next time, I'll be sure to use white and see how it goes. The rice has a mild flavor and really pairs well with spiced dishes.



Rice with Peas (kidney beans)


Ingredients:
3 cups of rice
1 can of tinned or 1 cup of fresh red peas (either kidney beans or pigeon peas)
5 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1 uncut scotch bonnet pepper (1 jalapeno pepper may be used as a substitute)
3 Scallion (spring onions may be used as a substitute)
1 tin (or one cup) of coconut milk
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (2 teaspoons of dried thyme may be used as a substitute)

Cooking:
1. Bring seven cups of water to a boil in large pot.
2. Add garlic, kidney beans, coconut milk, rice, pepper and thyme. If using fresh kidney beans, you need to soak them in 3 cups of water overnight and let boil for 40 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients. [I basically used all the substitutes-- canned kidney beans, jalapeño pepper, spring onions and dried thyme. I'm all for simplifying recipes.]
3. Rice should be done cooking in approximately 40 minutes depending on the type of rice used. Garnish with fresh thyme optional.

  

Spicy Basil Chicken

I just LOVE this recipe when I'm craving Thai spices. I'm a huge fan of basil, I pretty much want to put it in every dish. Ok, maybe every other. It's divine.

Spicy Basil Chicken

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons chili oil [I used fresh chilis, you can also the garlic chili sauce]
2 cloves garlic
3 hot chile peppers
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
5 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 cup fresh mushrooms
1 cup chopped onions
1 bunch fresh basil leaves

Cooking:
1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the garlic and chile peppers until golden brown. Mix in chicken and sugar, and season with garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is no longer pink, but not done.

2. Stir oyster sauce into the skillet. Mix in mushrooms and onions, and continue cooking until onions are tender and chicken juices run clear. Remove from heat, and mix in basil. Let sit 2 minutes before serving.

Chicken Saté with Ponzu Sauce and Chinese Napa Cabbage Salad

Decided to get in touch with my Asian side. Hilariously, I mixed Japanese and Chinese influences. Get along, kids.

Chicken Saté with Ponzu Sauce
from Cooking Light Eat Smart Guide

Ingredients:

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used tenders which cuts down on cutting the breasts into smaller pieces later)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sake (rice wine)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
cooking spray

Cooking:
1. Prepare grill. (I used a grill pan which worked just fine)

2. Cut each chicken breast half lengthwise into 4 strips. Combine sugar and next 7 ingredients in a small bowl; stir until sugar dissolves. Combine chicken and half of sake mixture in a large bowl. Let stand 10 minutes. Reserve remaining sake mixture.

3. Drain chicken, discarding marinade. Thread 1 chicken strip onto each of 16 skewers. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 2 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with remaining sake mixture.

Yield: 4 servings (4 skewers/person)

Served with a side dish of 
Chinese Napa Cabbage Salad