Chicken Piccata

 I'm always looking for new ways to cook chicken. This chicken piccata is a dish I'm super familiar with but have never made at home. I couldn't believe how quickly this dish came together. This recipe is for the chicken only but I served mine with some israeli cous cous (tiny balls of pasta). This dish could also be served with a leafy green salad, pasta, or some herb rice. 

Ingredients:

1 lbs chicken cutlets or chicken tenders
1 cup flour, for dredging
10 tbsp. butter, divided
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tbsp. capers, lightly drained
Salt and pepper
Chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the flour on a plate. Dredge the chicken in flour and shake off any excess. Discard the flour when finished dredging. 

2. Heat 3 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet set over medium high heat until the butter has melted. 

3. Working in batches, taking car not to crowd the pan, add the chicken pieces and saute until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side, and cooked through. Set the chicken aside on a plate while you finished the sauce. You can cover the chicken loosely in foil to keep warm. 

4. Add rest of butter and olive oil to pan with chicken drippings. Add the shallot to the pan and saute over medium low until soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. 

5. Add chicken stock and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. 

6. Reduce heat to low, then stir in capers, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Taste sauce and check for salt and pepper. Add parsley to sauce if using. 

7. Place cooked chicken on a plate. Top with piccata sauce. Serve with your favorite pasta, salad, or rice. 

Quiche Lorraine

 This recipe is such a hit, I was immediately slice into the quiche and always forget to take a photo LOL. If you're feeling extra fancy you can make your own pie crust but the frozen pie shells save a lot of work. This quiche is great for lunch with a small green salad. 

Ingredients:
1 frozen pie shell

1 tbsp. butter

1 small yellow onion, very thinly sliced

3 strips of bacon

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup shredded gruyere

2 eggs
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. 

2. Thaw pie shell according to package directions. Press a piece of parchment over the crust, then fill with pie weights, raw beans, or rice. Put the pan on a baking sheet. Bake pie shell until crust is set and golden around the edges, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and discard parchment paper and weights. Allow crust to cool for 20 minutes. 

3. While pie crust is baking, cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium low heat until bacon is crispy. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and allow to cool. Once cooled, cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside. 

4. Add thinly sliced onions to saute pan with 1 tbsp. of bacon fat. Add the fresh thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook onions for about 10 minutes until slightly browned and softened. Allow to cool slightly in pan. 

5. Once pie crust is cooked and cooled, add onion mixture to bottom of pie shell. Next add a layer of the bacon bits. Finally add a layer of the shredded gruyere. The key to this step is even distribution around the pie crust. That way you get a little bit of each ingredient in every bit. 

6. In a small bowl whisk the heavy cream and eggs until combined. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour cream mixture over the ingredients in the pie shell. Try to make it an even layer. 

7. Bake quiche on the baking sheet until set and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving. 

Serving Options:

1. Serve a wedge of quiche as is with a sprinkle of chives to garnish. 

2. Serve a wedge of quiche with a small side salad of mixed greens with a lemon vinaigrette. 

Tomatillo Salsa

I was making some street style tacos with carne asada, chopped onion, lime, and cilantro. I wanted to add some more flavor and spice so I tried out a salsa made from tomatillos instead of tomato. The tomatillos added a really nice acidity which brightened up the whole dish. Took me about 10 minutes to make and was really easy. 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs tomatillos, outer papery husks removed
1/2 cup chopped white onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup cilantro leaves (or parsley)
2 jalapeno peppers or 1 serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut in half
1 tbsp. lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut the tomatillos in half and place cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet. Add garlic cloves in their skin as well as the jalapenos to the sheet tray. Place under broiler for about 5 minutes until the tomatillos and jalapenos are slightly blackened. Remove from pan and allow to cool. 

2. While tomatillos, garlic and jalapeno roast, put all other ingredients into a blender. 

3. Once cooled to the touch, roughly chop jalapeno and add to blender. Remove garlic skins, roughly chop, and add to blender. Add tomatillos to blender. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to blender.

4. Blend everything together using the pulse button. Combine until desired texture is reached. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if needed. 

5. Put salsa into a air tight container and allow to cool in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Serve over some tacos or enchiladas and enjoy. 

Seared Tuna with Avocado, Soy, and Jalapeno Dressing

I was super lucky to be given a bunch of fresh tuna - thanks Bucky! I typically like to eat tuna in poke so I did some of the same flavors with a pan seared tuna and rice. When searing the tuna, make sure to count in your head how long you cook each side to make the sear as even as possible on both sides. 

2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

1/2 jalapeno, sliced (keep seeds and ribs if you want more spice)

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, grated

1 limes, juiced

1/2 tsp sugar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 (6-ounce) block sushi-quality tuna

1 ripe avocado, halved, peeled, pitted, and sliced

1 cup white rice, cooked according to package directions

Directions: 

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the cilantro, jalapeno, ginger, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir the ingredients together until well incorporated.

2. Place a skillet over medium-high heat and coat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the tuna generously with salt and pepper. Lay the tuna in the hot oil and sear for 1 minute on each side to form a slight crust. Pour 1/2 of the cilantro mixture into the pan to coat the fish. Serve the seared tuna with the sliced avocado and the remaining cilantro sauce drizzled over the whole plate.

Lemon Orzo Pasta with Chicken, Spinach, and Tomatoes

I found this pasta in a 30 Minute Meals book with Rachel Ray. She had a different dressing for the pasta but I liked the idea of cooking the thinly sliced spinach in the pasta. I went with a lemon dressing for the pasta since it would add some nice brightness to this summer dish. You could make this a main course by adding some grilled chicken or keep it vegetarian for a great make ahead side dish.

Ingredients:

Dressing:
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, grated or finely minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
1/2 tsp. italian seasoning

Pasta:
1/2 lb orzo pasta
1 cup fresh spinach, thinly sliced
1/2 lb cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup shredded chicken, optional
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbsp chopped basil

Directions:
1. Boil a large pot of salted water. Combine all dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together until combined. Set aside.

2. Cook orzo pasta according to package directions. (Typically 4-6 minutes depending on the brand).

3. While pasta cooks, thinly slice spinach leaves and halve cherry tomatoes. Add to bowl with dressing but wait to stir together.

4. Once pasta is cooked, drain excess water and add to bowl with dressing and veggies. Toss everything together. The goal is for the hot pasta to slightly wilt the spinach and warm the tomatoes. The pasta will soak up some of the dressing. Add in half of the parmesan cheese and basil and stir gently until combined.

5. Take pasta mixture and put on a plate. Top with reserved parmesan cheese and basil. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Hilton Hotels Recipe

So it's quarantine, which means restaurants and hotels are releasing "secret" recipes. This cookie recipe is super similar to the one I normally make (the toll house cookie recipe) with two surprising ingredients - cinnamon and lemon juice! The small additions of those flavors really elevated the cookie! The Hilton recipe has rolled oats and walnuts which I left out.

Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter, at room temp
3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Optional:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Add butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar to a bowl. Combine with an electric mixer until well mixed and slightly fluffy, 2-4 minutes.

3. Add eggs to butter mixture one at a time and mix until well combined. Add in vanilla extract and lemon and mix until combined.

4. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl (and rolled oats if using). With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture. Mix until just combined, do not over mix.

5. Add chocolate chips to dough (and walnuts if using). Stir gently by hand until mixed in.

6. Put balls of dough (about 2-3 tbsp) onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20-23 minutes, turning sheet tray 180 half way through for even cooking.

7. Remove from oven and remove from pan. Serve slightly warm, maybe with some ice cream.

Chicken Tetrazinni - Keene Family Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 pound angle hair pasta
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp. grated parmesan
3 Tbsp. white wine
2 cups shredded chicken
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Make Ahead:
Combine soup, cheese, water, and chicken in a bowl. Add in sour cream and wine. Stir everything until combined but be careful to break up chicken too much. Cover with plastic wrap and store in fridge for up to 24 hours.

When Ready to Eat:
1. Preheat an oven to 350. Remove sauce from fridge to bring to room temp. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Once boiling, cook noodles to package direction. Combine cooked noodles into pre-made sauce.  Stir gently until everything is combined. Pour into a buttered baking dish.

3. Combine bread crumbs and olive oil in a small bowl. Top pasta with bread crumb mid. Bake for 30 minutes until heated through and bread crumbs are lightly toasted. Serve warm with a sprinkle of basil on top and a side of your favorite vegetables.