Chicken Piccata

I absolutely love Chicken Piccata so I wanted to try and make it at home...which by the way I found to be much healthier than when you order it at a restaurant.  This is such a fresh dish with all the lemon taste and the light sauce.  I really like the taste of lemon so this dish is certainly full of it but don't worry, you can tone it down a bit if you'd like.  I served this with the Feta Bruschetta recipe that I have on here and it was a delicious compliment to this yummy dish.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Chicken Piccata


What you will need:
3 chicken breasts
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp Butter
2-3 lemons juiced
1 cup Chicken Broth (I prefer the reduced sodium and less fat kind)
5 tbsp of Capers (drained)
Flour
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Linguini Noodles

First, cut your chicken breasts into thirds then grab a large cutting board, saran wrap, and a meat tenderizer.  Place 3-4 pieces of chicken with about 2-3 inches of space between them onto the cutting board.  Completely cover them with saran wrap leaving excess saran wrap around the edges.  Take the meat tenderizer and beat the chicken to make it flat and thin.  You do not have to beat it a lot, just so it spreads out and is flat so it can cook quick.  Place the beaten pieces of chicken onto a plate and repeat the process until all of your chicken has been thinned out.

  

In a medium sized bowl, pour about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of flour in and add 1 tsp of Ground Black Pepper, 1 tsp Garlic Powder, 1 tsp Onion Powder.  Next grate the rind of one lemon into the bowl so you get the zest.  Mix it all together with a fork.

Now you can put a piece of chicken into your flour mixture and coat thoroughly on both sides.  After you have it coated, place the piece of chicken onto a plate and repeat the process of coating the chicken with flour until all of your pieces are coated.  Set this aside.

Next place a large sauté pan on the stove top and add 4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Turn your heat on medium-high and grab the plate of coated chicken.  After the oil is hot but not burning, add pieces of chicken with tongs or a fork one by one until you cover the pan's surface.  I usually have to do 2 batches of chicken.  Let the chicken cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side and then flip them over using tongs or a fork and cook for 3-4 more minutes.  After the chicken is cooked, remove each piece and set onto a large clean plate.  Repeat this process until all of the chicken is cooked.  I usually add more olive oil to the pan for each new batch.  Once you have pulled all of the chicken out, you can turn the burner onto low/simmer for the next step.

Now grab a sauce pot and begin boil your linguine noodles using the directions on the box.  The great thing about noodles is that you can let them be and you can go back to cooking your chicken.

Go back to your sauté pan and add 1 cup of Chicken Broth, 2 tbsp Butter, Juice from 2-3 lemons (love lemons? use 3), and 5 tbsp Capers.   Be sure to mix it all up while scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the browned pieces left from cooking the chicken.  Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for about 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes your sauce should be a little thicker.  Now add all of the chicken back to your sauté pan with the sauce.  Let this cook together covered on low for about 5 more minutes.

By now your noodles should be ready and you can drain them and you are ready to serve!  Place a nest of noodles about the size of your fist on a plate and then place 2 pieces of chicken on it.  Next you can drizzle the sauce over it and serve.   This dish makes enough for about 4-6 people.  I served this with the Feta Bruschetta as an appetizer and a glass of Cupcake Vineyards' Red Velvet Wine.  I hope you enjoy this delicious meal!

Garden Markers

Last year we planted an awesome garden full of tons of different kinds of vegetables and herbs.  When we would have guests over I loved taking them out to the garden to show them all of our "treasures" and where some of the ingredients in our dinner were coming from.  Well, here's the problem...we planted so much at once that I forgot where everything was.  Was that where I planted the cilantro or the parsley?  Is that were the cucumbers or the watermelons are planted?  Of course when everything started growing you could tell what was what but I decided that this year, we would put Garden Markers to identify our various veggies and herbs.   Below are all the simple instructions you need to make these super cute, cheap, and easy Garden Markers.  I have already begun using some of mine since we still have our Collard Greens from last year growing, yummy carrots are finally growing big enough to eat, and we planted some more yummy veggies on Sunday afternoon!  I hope you have fun making these!

Garden Markers

What you will need:

Wine Corks...I save mine after we finish the bottle b/c they are super handy for all kinds of things
Bamboo Barbecue Skewers (they make it easy to put in the cork b/c they are sharp on one end)
Acrylic Paint
Super Fine Point Paint Brush

First you will need to insert the Barbecue skewer into the cork where it already has a hole from the cork screw.  No need to push far in, as I found that it tends to be kind of difficult, but just enough that the cork is secured onto the skewer.

Now get whatever paint color of your choosing.  I chose to coordinate the color with the color I think of for each plant.  Squirt a tiny dab of paint onto a paper plate or any throwaway surface.  Next dip your paint brush into the paint and then begin writing on your cork.  Don't worry about being precise, it looks fun when it is not perfect.  I painted the name of the plant on two sides of the cork and then put the first letter of the plant on the top of the cork.

 

To let them dry, you can stick them in the ground, garden, or another potted plant you have so they do not roll around and smudge.

When they are dry, stick them in the garden or pot with the corresponding plant and voila, you know what is planted where!

How simple is that?

Feta Bruschetta

I came across a recipe the other day for a dip that used feta, tomatoes, green onions, and olive oil and thought that it sounded yummy.  As I was preparing it, I did my usual and added a zillion different spices that I like to spruce it up a bit.  I served it on Wheat French Bread and it was a hit!  I ate so much of it that I could have just made my meal out if it alone.  I definitely recommend this recipe for any time you need to just throw something together and have an appetizer ready or when you need to take an appetizer or side dish somewhere.  I know I am going to be making this a staple for dinners.  It is absolutely incredible!  And just as good the next day!

Feta Bruschetta


What you will need:

Tupperware or dish that is 8"X8" or a bit larger (see image below)
3-4 large Roma Tomatoes (I like roma's because they are denser and have less seeds)
3-4 green onion bunches (about 7-8 of the long green parts)
1 package Feta Cheese Crumbles...I love the reduced fat kind
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Tony Chachere's Seasoning
Greek Seasoning
Ground Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Wheat French Bread

First, pour olive oil into your dish so it covers the entire bottom...just enough to cover the bottom will work great.  Shake several dashes of the greek seasoning all over the olive oil.

Next you can begin dicing your tomatoes into small pieces and add them to the olive oil as you go.  No need to stir yet.  Chop your green onions into small pieces and add them to the dish.  Now you can put the entire package of feta cheese crumbles on top of the tomatoes and green onions.

Now for the spices, I used several more dashes of the greek seasoning and several dashes of Tony Chachere's seasoning.  I then used about 1 tsp of black pepper and a couple dashes of sea salt (not too much though because the feta already has a sort of salty taste).  Do a few sprinkles of garlic powder and onion powder and then mix it all together.  The below picture is what it will look like when it is all mixed together...getting hungry yet?

After you have it all mixed together, cover the dish and put it in the refrigerator.  I let mine sit in there for about an hour while I cooked the main course for dinner, which was yummy Chicken Piccata (recipe to come soon!).  I then served a spoonful of the mix onto warm freshly toasted wheat french bread.  I hope you enjoy this super easy and delicious recipe as much as we did!

Taco Soup w/ Mini Cheese Quesadilla's

Taco Soup is one of my favorite cold weather treats!  I would be lying though if I said I only eat it when it is cold outside...I love it year round!  It is so easy to throw together and let it cook while you go about doing other things around the house.  You could easily use this recipe and throw it in the crockpot all day too.  I always have thought that Taco Soup is like making Chili but with a Tex Mex flare so since I eat grilled cheese sandwiches with my Chili, I thought why not make the Tex Mex version of a grilled cheese, which to me is cheese quesadilla's, to go with my Taco Soup?  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!  This made so much that I had plenty of leftovers to take to work for lunch and to eat for dinner again.  You can also freeze this in a freezer bag for another time when you don't feel like cooking.


Taco Soup


What you will need:
**Do not drain any of your cans!  You will want to use the sauce and all!

1 deep cooking pot (this recipe makes a lot!)
1 package Ground Turkey (about 1.2 lbs)
1 packet Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch mix
2 packets Taco Seasoning
2 cans of Black Beans (reduced sodium if you can find it)
1 can Navy Beans
1 can Whole Kernel Corn
2 cans Rotel (or diced tomato's with green chili's)
1 28 ounce (large can) of Whole Tomato's
1 Red Onion (medium sized)
1 Green Bell Pepper
Messina's Cajun Creole Season (from New Orleans)
Cumin
Garlic Powder
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

First, put your ground turkey in a skillet and let it brown slowly.  Add in a few dashes to your liking of the Messina's Cajun Creole Seasoning and 1/2 tsp of Garlic Powder and Cumin.

While the ground turkey is cooking you can start chopping your onion and bell pepper.  Add it to your big pot (not the skillet with the meat) and put about 1 tbsp of Olive Oil in and let it sauté on medium.  You will want to stir this often as the veggies have a tendency to stick to the bottom.

After the veggies are sautéed, you can add in your browned ground turkey.  Add one packet of the Taco Seasoning and mix it around well with the meat and onion and bell pepper.

Next, add your Black Beans, Navy Beans, and Whole Corn.  On top of those sprinkle the packet of Fiesta Ranch and the other packet of Taco Seasoning.  On top of that add your Rotel and Whole tomato's.  Now you can sprinkle on some dashes of garlic powder and cumin and more cajun seasoning if you like spicy :)
Now mix it all together and let it cook on low for about an hour or more.  The longer you let it cook on low, the more the flavors combine.  I cooked mine for about 2 hours.  Be sure to stir it often so nothing sticks to the bottom.

When you are ready to eat you can serve this with a dollop of sour creme and Mini Cheese Quesadillas if you'd like.  I hope you enjoy it!

Mini Cheese Quesadilla's (makes 2 servings)

Shredded Cheese (I prefer sharp cheddar or mexican blend)
2 tortilla's

You will want to sprinkle plenty of cheese onto one side of the tortilla that you can already have sitting in a skillet to be browning on medium heat.  Top it with another tortilla and let it cook for about 1-3 minutes on each side.  Just keep checking it with a spatula and look for a golden brown color.  When the bottom side is cooked, flip it over carefully because the cheese tends to make the tortillas move around and put the uncooked tortilla side down on the skillet.  Cook for about 1-3 more minutes.  When it is golden brown and the cheese is melted, with a spatula remove it from the skillet and place it directly on a cutting board and cut it in half and then half again and then half again to form 6 triangular pieces. Serve immediately with your Taco Soup.