Chicken Scarpariello

I think chicken "scarpariello" typically involves chicken thighs, but since my husband does not care much for the dark meat, I used chicken breasts, and this turned out very delicious in my opinion.

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 large boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves, cut up into slightly bigger than bite sized pieces
1/3 pound Italian sausage
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
2-4 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar (adjust to taste; increase for more tanginess)
1 teaspoon dried oregano

1. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle the kosher salt and pepper over the pieces of chicken. Working in batches if necessary (don't crowd the chicken too much or it won't brown well), add the chicken to the hot oil and toss after a minute or two. Add the sausage (break the sausage into small chunks in the pan.) Cook the sausage and chicken in the pan until the sausage is done and the chicken is browned all over, about 10-15 minutes.
2. Add the slices of garlic to the pan and stir to distribute. Let cook and caramelize about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the vinegar and stir to coat. Let this cook about 3 minutes. The chicken should be browning nicely on all sides and becoming coated in the all the cooking liquids.
4. Stir in the oregano and turn heat to low. Cover and cook until chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 5-6 more minutes.

This should make about 4 servings!

Chicken and Artichoke Panino

This is really good if you like artichokes and basil. I love them. Make sure you get really soft and delicious bread from the bakery (or make some yourself!) I suggest a french boule, which can be purchased at Wal-Mart! This recipe is for two sandwiches. The ingredient amounts are really up to you, and you will be able to tell how big you want to make your sandwich and how much bread you want to use. These are more like guidelines.

Ingredients:

4 pitted Kalamata olives
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
pinch of lemon zest
1-2 heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise (not MiracleWhip) 

1/2 (12.5-ounce) can premium white meat canned chicken, drained
1/4 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
one good squeeze fresh lemon juice
ground black pepper to taste
1-2 teaspoons torn fresh basil leaves
1/2 roma tomato, diced
2 teaspoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 loaf white french boule or other soft white bread (sourdough would be excellent)

In a food processor or mini-chopper, combine the olives, oil, garlic, and puree until well combined. There may still be small pieces of olive; that is ok. Add the mayonnaise and pulse a few more times.

Preheat a panini maker or skillet.
In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, artichokes, basil, tomato, lemon juice, cheese, and pepper.

Cut the bread to make four slices (to make two sandwiches) and hollow out a bit of the bread from each piece so that there will be more room for filling. Spread the olive and mayonnaise on one side of each piece of bread. Divide the filling evenly among the two sandwiches.

Lightly brush oil on the panini maker and place the sandwiches on it. Press the top down onto the sandwiches firmly and allow to crisp for a few minutes. Do not let get too brown or too hot. This should be slightly warm, but not piping hot. Carefully transfer the sandwiches to a plate and serve!

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake

Oh, yes. This one is worth it. (Worth the money and the calories, that is...) It IS expensive to make, which is why it was a Christmas gift to my brother, who loves cheesecake. The reason this one is a snickerdoodle variety is because he also LOVES snickerdoodle cookies. I wanted to make this one special, so I decided to combine the two. I made a snickerdoodle cookie crust (yum) and then flavored the cheesecake portion with a bit of cinnamon. Here goes:

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the cheesecake:
4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
7 large eggs
3 (8-ounce) containers sour cream
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
ground cinnamon


To make:
1. First mix up the cookie dough crust. In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1 cup sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar and beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer, and then mix the rest in by hand. Cover and chill dough about one hour or until firm.
2. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Once the dough has been chilled, lightly (very lightly) butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with about 3 inch sides. Roll the entire blob of dough in the sugar and cinnamon mix, coating it thoroughly. Evenly press the cookie dough on the bottom and about half-way up the sides of the pan . Make sure it isn't too thick, you may not use all of the dough. The bottom should be about 1/3 inch thick. Bake the cookie crust in the oven until lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. The cookie should feel slightly firm but still soft. The dough you pushed around the sides will likely have fallen a bit; that is okay. Don't worry if the cookie crust doesn't seem perfect, it should still turn out great. (I thought for sure that the cookie part wouldn't work because it rose up and fell back down when I took it out of the oven.) Let that cool slightly while you make the cheesecake batter.

3. Beat cream cheese at medium-high speed with a heavy-duty stand mixer until fluffy. Gradually add 1 3/4 cup sugar, beating well and scraping sides with a flexible spatula. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream, vanilla, and a couple of dashes of cinnamon; beat at low speed until smooth, remembering to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Pour batter into prepared pan with cookie crust. It will come all the way up to the top of the pan. Place half-teaspoons of cinnamon in a few places on the top of the batter and swirl with a knife or spoon to create decorative swirls.

4. Bake at 300ºF for 1 hour 25 minutes. Turn off oven, and leave cheesecake in oven 4 hours. (DO NOT open oven door to peek)

5. Remove cake from oven carefully. Run a knife or small metal spatula around the very edge of the cake to help prevent cracks (this allows the cake to contract freely when cooling) Cool completely on a wire rack, about 3-4 more hours. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator at least 8 hours.

6. When ready to serve, remove sides of springform pan carefully. Store in refrigerator.

Yields about 12 servings.

*You don't even want to know how many calories my husband and I figured up in this total cake. Also be warned, this is pretty expensive to make and takes a lot of time and patience. Like I said though, it is worth it.

Braised Chicken Breast with Provolone

This one comes from a cookbook I recently received as a gift; Lidia's Italy in America, by Lidia Mattichio Bastianich. (There is a slight ingredient change, since smoked provola was not available at my grocery store.)

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon kosher salt
All-purpose flour, for dredging
2-3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
8 large fresh basil leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried crushed basil)
4 thin slices prosciutto
1/2 cup dry Marsala 
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 slices provolone cheese

Slice open the chicken breasts crosswise to butterfly, so they open to a flattened, even thickness. Season the chicken all over with salt. Lightly dredge the chicken in flour, shaking off the excess.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until the butter is just melted. Add the chicken to the pan, and brown each side for about 2-3 minutes.

Once it is browned, top each breast with a basil leaf or sprinkle even amounts of dried basil over each breast and add a slice of prosciutto. Increase heat to medium high. Push-aside the chicken to make a clear spot in the middle of the pan, and pour in the Marsala and the white wine. Drop in the remaining basil leaves. Bring to a boil, and simmer until reduced by half, about two minutes. Add the chicken broth and cover, simmering to blend the flavors, about three minutes.

Uncover, top the chicken with the sliced provolone and cover again. Adjust heat to a simmer, cooking about five minutes to melt the cheese, then uncover. Bring to a boil and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is reduced to your liking, about 8-10 minutes more. 

Serves 4.

Banana Bread

I made a few changes to this recipe from  The Martha Stewart Cookbook.

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2 medium bananas)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 medium banana, medium diced

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating well.

Stir the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and then combine with the butter mixture. Blend well. Add the mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir well. Fold in the nuts and diced banana and pour into the prepared pan.

Bake 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

Makes 1 loaf.

Chewy Sugar Cookies

These are gooey, chewy, soft sugar cookies that melt in your mouth! I got the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens' cookbook, Celebrating the Promise; Limited Edition.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar for coating

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for about 30 seconds. Add the 1 1/2 cups sugar, beat until combined. Beat in eggs, cream of tartar, baking soda, vanilla, and salt until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the electric mixer and stir the rest in by hand, mixing well. Divide and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Shape small portions into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in enough sugar to coat. Place balls on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

3. Bake 10-12 minutes until very light brown, rapping the sheet hard a couple of times throughout the cooking process to make the cookies fall. When cooked, let cool on the sheet for about 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. 

Provençal Potato Salad

I love this version of potato salad even more than the creamy, eggy, mustard and relish version you always find at barbecues. It is a little more appealing to those who gag at the word "mayonnaise" and who won't eat anything they can't identify all the ingredients. (ahem...my husband about most foods and definitely about mayo.) This version is an alteration of a recipe in one of Ina Garten's cookbooks, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

Ingredients:

2 pounds small boiling potatoes (white or red)
2 Tablespoons dry white wine
2 Tablespoons chicken stock
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
7 Tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 Tablespoon dried dill weed
1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dried basil)
1/2 pound (or less, depending on your taste) haricots verts, stems removed
1 (4-ounce) can best quality all-white tuna, drained and flaked
1 Tablespoon capers, drained
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in fourths

1. Drop the potatoes into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until they are just cooked through. Drain in a colander and place a towel over them to steam for 10 more minutes. Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, 1 Tablespoon at a time to make an emulsion.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into halves or fourths, depending on the size, and place in a bowl. Toss potatoes gently with the white wine and the chicken stock. Allow the liquids to soak in for a few minutes while you bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Then, add the vinegar mixture to the potatoes and add the parsley, basil, and dill, and more salt and pepper to taste.

2. Blanch the haricots verts in the boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until barely tender. Drain. Add to the potatoes. Add the tuna (and you can add as much of that as you like- I don't use the entire 4-ounce can), the tomatoes, and capers to the potato mixture and gently toss to coat and combine. Serve warm or room temperature.

Herbed Focaccia

If you like Macaroni Grill's bread, you should like this as well!

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup olive oil, plus extra for greasing
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
4 - 4 1/4 cups bread flour, plus extra as needed
pinch or two of garlic salt
1 teaspoon combination of dried basil, oregano, and/or thyme.
1 teaspoon chopped FRESH rosemary
course sea or kosher salt for sprinkling

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm water and stir to dissolve. Let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil, the salt, the dried herbs only, 1/4 teaspoon of the rosemary, the pinch of garlic salt, and 1 cup of the bread flour. Beat on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add another cup of the flour and beat on medium-low speed for 2 minutes. Switch to the dough hook. On low speed, beat in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft shaggy dough forms that pulls away from the sides and clings to the hook. Knead with your hands, in the bowl, adding 1 Tablespoon of flour at a time if the dough is sticking until moist , soft, and slightly sticky, about 4-5 minutes or so. Cover loosely and let rest for 20 minutes.

Line a heavy rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and brush the paper lightly with oil. Divide the dough in half and place both halves evenly apart on the sheet. With oiled fingers, press and flatten the dough into ovals. (You can do flatter ovals if you want or thicker ones to save room and have a very fluffy loaf of bread, which is what I like!) Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. 

With your fingertips, make deep indentions in the dough, about 1 inch apart, all over the surface. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and let rise again, about 20-30 minutes at room temperature. Place a baking stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 425ºF. 

When the dough has risen, uncover and sprinkle with a little coarse salt and the remaining fresh rosemary. Place the baking sheet on the stone and bake until the bread is lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes. Check the bottom and bake for a few more minutes if it is pale. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

*I like to serve this with an olive oil dipping sauce. You can simply add freshly ground salt and pepper to Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, or the Pampered Chef makes a great dry dipping sauce mix you can add! 

Baby Carrots in Cream

I found this Italian recipe in The Silver Spoon.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 pound baby carrots

2 Tablespoons butter

2/3 cup heavy cream

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

salt and pepper

Cook the carrots in salted, boiling water for about 10 minutes, then drain and let cool. When cold, cut in halves or fourths. Melt the butter in a pan over low heat, pour in cream, add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, add the carrots and cook for a few minutes, then add the parsley. Mix well to coat the carrots and cook for a couple more minutes. Serve while hot.

Makes about 4 side servings.

If you can't tell, I love cooking with cream. Yum.

Parmesan-Herb Risotto

This one is delicious and different. It is creamy, a bit cheesy, and still has a firm texture like regular rice. I recommend this to someone who can focus on one dish for about 30 minutes, since it takes special attention and constant stirring. Enjoy this with a grilled steak and a baked sweet potato.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted in a deep skillet
1/2 small sweet onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth, heated over medium-low heat
1/4 teaspoon salt (but you may not need this much; the broth and cheese may make it salty enough, just taste and see)
2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or oregano (or a mixture of other fresh herbs)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Over high heat, cook rice in melted butter, stirring constantly for 1 minute. 

Reduce heat to medium-high and stir in onion; sauté for 1-3 minutes until onion is tender, stirring constantly.

Stir in wine and garlic; cooking until wine is absorbed.

Add 1 cup (or one ladle-full) of hot broth, stirring constantly until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat with the remaining broth, one ladle-full of 1 cup at a time, until broth is absorbed after each addition. This should take about 30-45 minutes total. 

Add the fresh herbs and stir constantly 2-3 minutes longer.

Remove from heat and add salt if needed and cheese, stirring vigorously until blended.

Serve hot or warm with a sprinkling of the grated cheese and some pepper to taste.

Makes about 4 side-dish servings.