Chicken Milanese with Arugula Salad

Ingredients:
1 lb thinly sliced chicken breast
salt and pepper
1 cup flour
3 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs
Canola oil
1 bag of arugula
1 container cherry tomatoes
olive oil
parmesan cheese
1 lemon
1/8 cup champagne vinegar
1/2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Place tomatoes on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir with your hands so all the tomatoes are covered in the seasoning. Place in a 375 oven for 20 minutes until tomatoes slightly burst.

2. Make vinaigrette - combine 1/8 cup lemon juice, 1/8 cup champagne vinegar, 1/2 tsp. honey, 1 tsp. dijon mustard, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper in a small dish. Stir until combined. While stirring, drizzle in 1/4 cup of olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Set aside.

3. Set up breading station - one dish with the flour, one dish with the eggs whisked, one dish with bread crumbs. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Coat chicken in flour, dust off excess. Then coat chicken in egg and wipe off excess. Finally coat chicken with bread crumbs and dust off excess. Set aside coated chicken on a plate.

4. Add oil to large saute pan so it is about 1/4 inch thick, Heat pan over medium high heat. Place breaded chicken in the pan and fry on one side until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Flip chicken and cook on other side another 4-5 minutes until golden brown. (Tip: if chicken is browning too quickly and meat is under cooked inside, place it on a foil lined pan in the oven at 350 for a few minutes until cooked through.)

5. Toss together tomatoes, arugula and vinaigrette in a small bowl. Place a chicken breast on the plate and top with the salad. Garnish with a few shreds of parmesan cheese and some lemon wedges and serve!

BBQ Chicken Pizza Rollup

This dish was super simple to put together! I could see making this again with different pizza combinations. I highly recommend making this if you are a beginner or something to do with kids. 

Ingredients:

1 refrigerated pizza crust

½ cup BBQ sauce

1 ½ cups shredded rotisserie chicken

½ red onion, finely chopped

1 cup shredded cheese 

¼ cup parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. 

2. Roll out the pizza crust into a rectangle. Spread on the BBQ sauce. 

3. Top with chicken, onion, cheese, and parsley. Roll it up longways, and cut into slices. 

4. Bake face-up for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Mediterranean Orzo Salad

This is a great make ahead dish because the longer it sits, the more the flavor melds together. You could mix it up with any veggies you like. I added a little extra cheese when serving mine so feel free to customize this dish to your tastes!

Ingredients
1 box orzo
1 bell pepper, medium dice
1 container cherry tomatoes, halved
1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced
1 container pearl mozzarella balls, drained

Dressing:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 lemon, zseted and juice
1 TBS chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
2 tsp salt
1tsp pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

1. For dressing: combine all ingredients in a jar. Put lid on tightly and shake to mix. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.

2. Boil water and cook orzo to package directions.

3. While water boils, cut up vegetables.

4. Drain pasta and add orzo to a bowl. While orzo is warm add half of the dressing (mix dressing before adding). Toss gently to combine.

5. Allow orzo to cool on the counter for 5 minutes so you don't cook the veggies when you add them.

6. Add veggies and rest of dressing and mix. Serve now or better yet let it marinate in the fridge overnight and serve at room temp the next day!

Grilled Skirt Steak and Arugula Salad with Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette

I wanted to start off the new year trying to eat healthy but I know it needs to be satisfying and flavorful if I'm going to stick with it. I came up with this salad because I wanted meat and potatoes but in a way that was better for me. I've already made this dish again since the first time I made it and it's really great. The roasted tomatoes are a great way to add flavor and moisture to this dish and I plan to add this to more recipes!

Ingredients:

Dressing:
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Zest and juice of 1/2 large lemon, about 2 tbsp.
1 tbsp. champagne vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Zest and juice of 1/2 large lemon

Salad:
2 pounds skirt steak, grilled and sliced
1 pounds baby yukon gold potatoes, sliced
2 large tomatoes, sliced into eigths,
salt and pepper
4 cups arugula (about 4 ounces)
parmesan curls, optional
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted, optional


Directions:
1. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a heavy baking sheet with foil. Set aside.

2. Arrange potatoes on 1/2 of the sheet tray in an even layer. Arrange the tomatoes on the other 1/2 of the sheet tray in an even layer. Season with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Roast until cooked through and browned about 30 minutes.

3. For the dressing: Put garlic and shallot into a small sauce pan over low heat and add olive oil. Cook stirring occasionally for 3 minutes to slightly cook the shallots and flavor the oil. Do not let garlic get too dark. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil mix, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, thyme, salt, pepper and lemon zest until smooth.

4. In a large bowl, toss together 3 tbsp. of the dressing with the arugula. Arrange on a platter. Place the roasted potatoes, tomatoes, and steak on top and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and chopped walnuts if using.

Strata with Tomatoes -Make Ahead Brunch

For Christmas we normally do a family brunch. I always like to find a make ahead dish so I can just enjoy hanging out with everyone instead of being stuck in the kitchen the whole time. This dish turned out really awesome! It had so many veggies that I felt like I was eating healthy and it would be a great way to sneak some veggies to your kiddos. 

Ingredients:

6 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups whole milk
8 large eggs
10 ounces Italian fontina cheese, grated (about 3 cups)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1 -pound loaf sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
4 cups chopped greens, such as spinach or arugula
1/2 lb bacon, cooked until crispy

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Toss the tomatoes with the thyme, olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper in a bowl. Spread on a baking sheet lined with foil and roast, stirring once or twice, until the tomatoes are slightly dried and browned in spots, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

2. Whisk the milk, eggs, fontina, 3/4 cup parmesan, the cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl. 

3. Add the bread cubes,bacon and greens and toss to coat. Pour into a buttered 3-quart baking dish, then top with the roasted tomatoes. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle the strata with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan and bake, uncovered, until golden brown and almost set, about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven, but keep the strata inside 10 minutes before serving. You can serve this dish at room temp but it's best warm. 

Cheese Fondue

I got this recipe from an old college friend of mine who made it, shout out to John Bessolo. It came out really well and I plan to make it again! Make sure to preheat the fondue pot as you're melting the cheese so the fondue doesn't cool down once you've finished it, you want it to stay warm and bubbly.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup fontina
1/4 cup gruyere
2 - 4 tbsp. flour
1/4-1/2 cup white wine
4 tbsp. chicken stock
1 tbsp. butter
1 garlic clove
Pretzels, green apple slices, toast sticks with garlic, salami (prep before making fondue)


Directions:
1. Shred the two cheese and put into a bowl. Coat them with a light layer of flour (this will help them from sticking together).

2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. You want a pan with a rounded bottom so no cheese gets stuck in the edges and burns.

3. Add clove of garlic to pan and allow to cook slightly until it is just browned, don't let butter get too brown. Discard garlic.

4. Add in 3tbs white wine and stir. Add a small pinch of cheese (about a tbsp) and whisk until cheese is melted. Add more cheese and whisk until melted. Repeat adding cheese in small bits until all of the grayed cheese is gone. If the mixture gets too thick, add a splash of wine or chicken stock to thin out.

5. Pour fondue into a preheated fondue pot so cheese stays warm. Place on the table with dipping choices and serve! 

Grilled Ribeye with Agrodolce Sauce

I wasn't able to take a pic of this dish but the sauce was really good! It was a nice balance of tart and sweet and since Brian loves vinegar, I will definitely make this again!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
4 sprigs thyme
3 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. butter, at room temp

Directions:
1. Combine the vinegar, garlic, and thyme in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer until reduced by half, about 5-10 minutes. Add the honey and simmer until mixture has thickened slightly, about 3 to 4 minutes. Make sure to stir every once in a while so the sauce doesn't burn. Stir in the butter and set sauce aside.

2. Cook meat of your choice, beef and pork are the best choice. Once the meat is rested and sliced, drizzle the sauce over top and serve!