Barefoot Bloggers: Pasta, Pesto & Peas

PASTA, PESTO & PEAS

This was my first Barefoot Bloggers post. How exciting!! Barefoot Bloggers is an event dedicated to Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. This group is perfect for me because Matt & I both love Ina.

This recipe was chosen by Elizabeth of Ugg Smell Food. The pasta turned out delicious. I halved the recipe, as it makes a TON. I didn't end up making my own pesto, but I will next time for sure. My recipe, with changes, is below. Be sure to check out Barefoot Bloggers to see the results and check out Food Network for Ina's original recipe!

PASTA, PESTO & PEAS

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 pound fusilli pasta
3/4 pound bow tie pasta
1/4 cup good olive oil (I omitted)
1 1/2 cups pesto, packaged or see recipe below
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cups good mayonnaise (I omitted)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted
1/3 cup pignolis (pine nuts)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until each pasta is al dente. Drain and cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the Parmesan, peas, pignolis, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.

PESTO:
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts)
3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Notes:
Air is the enemy of pesto. For freezing, pack it in containers with a film of oil or plastic wrap directly on top with the air pressed out.

To clean basil, remove the leaves, swirl them in a bowl of water, and then spin them very dry in a salad spinner. Store them in a closed plastic bag with a slightly damp paper towel. As long as the leaves are dry they will stay green for several days.

Yield: 4 cups

Shish Taouk

SHISH TAOUK

Thanks to Katie for this great recipe. I made dinner for the family yesterday and these kabobs were perfect. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so I has to take a de-skewered picture after I got home. Regardless, YUM! They were a big hit! I tripled the recipe!

I served these with salad, hummus, pita bread, kibbee and rice pilaf. Stay tuned for kibbee recipe. It was soooo good!

Recipe from: Good Things Catered ~ Katie

INGREDIENTS:
4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded evenly and cut into 2 in pieces
1 large red pepper
1 large yellow pepper (I used green instead)
1 large sweet onion (I used a combo of red and sweet onion)
2 large zucchini (I omitted)
1/3 c. olive oil, divided
1 lemon, juiced
1 can (6oz) tomato paste
1 c. yogurt
3 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 Tbsp za'atar
1 Tbsp paprika
1 teaspoon salt, divided
2 teaspoons black pepper, divided

DIRECTIONS:
In large bowl combine 1/4 c. oil, lemon juice, tomato paste, yogurt, garlic, za'atar, paprika, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 1/2 tsp pepper.

Stir to combine thoroughly and add chicken pieces.

Coat chicken pieces evenly with marinade and place into fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 10.

Preheat grill on high while you make skewers.

Wash, prep and cut peppers, onion and zucchini into 1 1/2 - 2 inch pieces.

Place cut vegetables in a large bowl and coat with remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

Take chicken out of fridge and out of marinade onto paper towel lined plate.

Pat some excess marinade off chicken (not all) and thread onto skewer.

Thread peppers, onion, and zucchini between pieces of chicken.

Repeat until all ingredients are made into skewers.

Turn grill down to medium and place skewers on grill racks.

Cook until nice grill marks are obtained and flip.

Repeat on other side and turn the heat down to low to finish cooking.

When chicken has reached proper internal temperature (no longer pink) remove from grill and place on plate tented with foil for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the meal.

Spicy Garlic Roasted Broccoli

SPICY GARLIC ROASTED BROCCOLI

This is ladychicago's famous broccoli recipe. It is, honestly, the only way to eat your broccoli. The flavor is amazing. Be prepared to fight for the garlic slices leftover in the pan! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
2 large broccoli florets
olive oil
4-5 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced (or more, or less)
crushed red pepper, to taste (optional, but recommended)
salt, to taste
lemon pepper (or black pepper), to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Clean the broccoli by rinsing with cold water. Next, trim the base of the stem. Cut the broccoli into large chunks and place on a baking sheet.

Coat the broccoli with olive oil. Add the garlic slices, crushed red pepper, salt and lemon pepper. Toss to coat.

Bake for 15-20 mins, or until the garlic begins to lightly brown.

Creamy, Tender Pork Chops!

CREAMY, TENDER, PORK CHOPS

I made these today and I will say they were the best pork chops I've had in a long, long time. I will definitely be making these again. I could barely pull the chops out of the slow cooker in one piece. They were so tender! Yum!

INGREDIENTS:
4 thick center cut pork chops
1/2 cup flour
salt & pepper, to taste
1 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
10 3/4 ounce can cream of mushroom with roasted garlic soup
1/2 soup can of water
1/2 soup can of dry white wine
1 teaspoon lemon juice


DIRECTIONS:
Trim excess fat from chops, rinse with water and pat dry. Spray slow cooker insert with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine flour, salt, pepper, dry mustard powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge pork chops in flour mixture.

Heat olive oil in skillet. Brown chops on both sides. Place chops in slow cooker.

Combine soup, white wine, water and lemon juice. Pour over chops.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours. If you do not have a slow cooker, you can also bake these at 350 degrees for 1.5-2 hours. Be sure to coat your baking dish with nonstick spray.

Blackened Chicken

BLACKENED CHICKEN

I love blackened chicken. I've been making this a lot lately ... like 3 times this week. Not only is it healthy, it's tasty and easy to throw together. I found the original spice recipe on Allrecipes and have changed it to suit our taste.

INGREDIENTS:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (pounded thin)
Salt, to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a small baking dish with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.

Rinse the chicken breasts under cool water and pat dry with a paper towel. Season both sides with salt.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Once combined, rub the spice mixture on both sides of the chicken. Place the chicken in the prepared baking dish and bake for 20-30 mins, or until no longer pink and the juices run clear.

Lemon Pasta

LEMON PASTA

I had seen this recipe on Brooke's blog today and just had to try it. The 'original' version of this recipe comes from Lovestoeat.

I made a few changes to the original recipe and it turned out delicious. Such a light, flavorful dish that went great with our blackened chicken. We'll definitely be making this again!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 box whole wheat thin spaghetti

2/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

1-2 tbsp dried basil

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/4 cup Pecorino Romano

Crushed red pepper, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Whisk all other ingredients together. Toss pasta with the lemon sauce and serve immediately.

Pepper Steak

PEPPER STEAK

So, I had bought some sirloin tips on sale over the weekend and thought this would be the perfect recipe to use them in ... and it WAS! This was soooo good! Believe it or not, I've never had pepper steak, so I relied on Matt to tell me if this tasted like it was supposed to and he was very impressed.

I found this recipe on Food Network and altered it a tad. My recipe with adaptations is below. For the original recipes, be sure to follow my link over to Food Network/Rachael Ray.

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pounds tenderloin tips or sirloin, cut into chunks
Coarse salt

1 red bell peppers, seeded, 2 inch dice

1/2 white onion, sliced

1 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 cup dry sherry

3/4 cups low sodium beef broth

1 teaspoon coarse black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to really hot pan. Dry meat with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Add meat to pan and sear on all sides, 5 minutes. Remove meat to a plate and cover meat loosely with foil to hold heat.

Reduce heat on pan to medium. Add remaining vegetable oil. Add peppers and a little onion. Saute peppers and onions 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook 1 minute longer. Whisk in sherry and start to pick up pan drippings. Whisk in beef broth and continue whisking. Add tomato paste, black pepper, garlic powder and crushed red pepper. Slide meat back into the pan and coat with sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until meat is tender.

Serve with rice.

BBQ Baby Back Ribs

THE BEST BABY BACK RIBS

Honestly, I've never thought to make ribs because we don't have a grill . . . damn condo association. However, when I was at the meat market today, the baby back ribs were on sale for $2.99/pound, so I figured what the heck.

After searching online, I found a recipe on Epicurious. These ribs turned out so, so good. They were very tender and falling off of the bone. If you follow the dry rub exactly, these will be very spicy, which we LOVED! Enjoy!

The Best Baby Back Ribs - Epicurious

INGREDIENTS:
1 rack of pork baby back ribs (mine was a little over 2 pounds)
BBQ Sauce to taste (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)

Dry rub:
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon or less of cayenne pepper (unless you like it HOT)
1 tablespoon chili powder

DIRECTIONS:
Mix the dry rub ingredients in a bowl.

On the back of the ribs will be a very thin but very tough membrane that you must remove. You can't really see it well, but trust me that it's there. I usually use a knife to pry up a corner of the membrane, then I just pull it down the entire length of the ribs. Sometimes it tears and you have to try a few times, but you definitely don't want to skip this step unless you want to deal with the membrane while you're EATING.

Once the membrane is removed, put the dry rub all over the ribs (both sides) and rub it in. The meat will take on some of the colors in the dry rub and look a little reddish. Wrap the ribs in some heavy duty tin foil and let them hang out in the fridge til you're ready to cook them.

Cook the ribs:
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.

Place the ribs wrapped securely in tin foil onto a cookie sheet (sometimes juice/fat can escape the tin foil) and place them in the oven. Cook for 2 1/2 hours.

Pull them out and open the tin foil completely. At this point you can brush some BBQ sauce on them, or leave them the way they are. Crank up the heat to 350 and put the ribs back in the oven with the tin foil open. After half an hour, they're done!

Cheesy Stuffed Crust Pizza

STUFFED CRUST PIZZA

Yes, it's true. I'm a sucker for good advertisement. Lately, all I have been seeing are Pizza Hut commercials for their stuffed crust pizza. Well, I had Monday off and searched for a recipe I could handle. I saw this one and decided to give it a whirl.

This turned out really good. Next time, I may search for a different dough recipe. This one was a tad too sweet for my liking. I'd also cut the cornmeal in half. There was a bit too much. Other

STUFFED CRUST PIZZA
(Food Network)

INGREDIENTS:

Crust:
1/4 cup warm water
4 tablespoons sugar
1 package dry yeast
3/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
3 tablespoons cornmeal, plus more for the pan
1 egg, beaten 1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces mozzarella
Olive oil, for coating bowl

Topping:
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup prepared marinara sauce
1/2 cup canned stewed tomatoes, strained and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (we used red bell pepper)
1/4 pound sliced pepperoni (we used turkey pepperoni)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F

To make the crust: Stir the water, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and the yeast together in a small bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, add the butter, and stir until melted.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, remaining sugar, egg, milk mixture, yeast mixture, and salt until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, adding flour as needed if dough is sticky, about 10 minutes. Clean the bowl and coat it generously with olive oil. Form the dough into a ball, put it in the bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Punch the dough down and let rest for 10 minutes.

Cut the mozzarella into sticks about 3 by 3/4 by 3/4-inches. Sprinkle a large baking sheet with cornmeal. Place the dough on the baking sheet and stretch it into a 15-inch circle.

Arrange the mozzarella sticks around the dough about 1-inch in from the edge, then roll the dough over the cheese to form the stuffed rim.

To make the topping: Stir the sugar into the marinara sauce and spread onto the pizza dough. Scatter with the stewed tomatoes, then the mozzarella. Add the onions, mushrooms, and pepperoni. Sprinkle with basil and oregano.

Bake until crust is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Ground Turkey Pasta Bake

GROUND TURKEY PASTA BAKE

This was so quick and easy. I wanted to throw something together with what we had in the house. This worked out great and it was so tasty. I served it with a tossed salad. YUM!

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound of ground turkey
2 cups macaroni noodles, uncooked
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
1/2 cup white wine
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon Italian breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8x8 baking dish.

Cook pasta as directed.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium/medium-high heat. Add onions, ground turkey and cook until browned. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add white wine and cook until reduced by half. Add tomato sauce, bay leaf, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and simmer for 20 mins. Remove bay leaf. Add Pecorino Romano and stir.

Add cooked pasta to sauce and stir to coat. Pour pasta mixture into the greased baking dish. Top with breadcrumbs and mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese melts, about 10 to 15 mins.

Black & White Cupcakes

BLACK AND WHITE CUPCAKES

This recipe is originally from Buttercup Bakes at Home, but I had seen the recipe on Bake or Break. I altered the recipe, as I didn't have chocolate chips and used reduced fat cream cheese. The changes I made actually reduced the cooking time to 16-20 mins.

I actually was very happy with the way this recipe turned out. It had the perfect amount of sweetness and the perfect amout of richness. These will be perfect to take into the office tomorrow.


INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/3 cup plus 1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips (I omitted)
1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Beat cream cheese, egg, and 1/3 cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Stir in the chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center, and add water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Mix just until blended.

Fill each muffin cup one-third full with the chocolate batter. Top with a spoonful of cream cheese mixture, until cups are about two-thirds full. Bake 16 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 24 cupcakes.

Creamy Orzo

CREAMY ORZO

YUM! This was so good! I'll definitely make it again. I didn't add the peas, but ended up serving them as a side. Matt picked out the tomatoes, WHATEVER! I loved it, so that's all that matters!

P.S. I halved this recipe and it still made a TON!

Creamy Orzo
(Food Network - Giada)

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, juices drained
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
1 cup frozen peas, thawed (I omitted)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes (I added)
Parsley (I added)

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a heavy large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic, and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cream and peas. Add the orzo and toss to coat. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the Parmesan to the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Stir the pasta mixture until the sauce coats the pasta thickly, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to maintain a creamy consistency. Season the orzo with salt and pepper, and serve.

Pork Milanese

PORK MILANESE

I had some pork chops thawing out in the fridge and went on a mad-search for a new pork chop recipe. This recipe was very good ... not overly healthy, but good. The pork chops were very moist and the crust was delicious.

Pork Milanese
(Food Network - Giada)

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
2 large eggs
4 boneless pork loin chops, pounded thin to 1/3 inch-thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Coarsely crush the panko into a large shallow bowl. Stir the cheese into the panko. Lightly beat the eggs in another large shallow bowl. Sprinkle the pork generously with salt and pepper. Dip the pork, 1 piece at a time, in the egg, allowing the excess to drip off, then dredge the pork in the crumb mixture, patting to coat completely. Place the pork on a small baking sheet.

Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the pork to the hot oil and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then transfer them to a clean baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven.

TCHO

TCHO ~ CHOCOLATEY

So, yesterday, the package arrived. As soon as I opened the mailbox, I knew exactly what it was. To be 100% honest, it was Ally's blog that led me to Blake Makes ... more specifically, her cute little cheesecakes with PBDDL. So, thanks, Ally!

Blake had an awesome TCHO giveaway last week and I was lucky enough to be one of the 50-something to win!

Now, on to the goodness ... this was the best dark chocolate I've ever had. HONESTLY! I had planned on using it creatively in a baked good, but couldn't resist and ate it as-is!

The packaging was super cute. So cute, that I didn't even want to open it!

Thanks so much TCHO and Blake. I'm so glad I was given the opportunity to sample such a great product. I can't wait to get my hands on some more!

Mujadarah - Lentils & Rice

MUJADARAH

This is one of my favorite Lebanese family recipes. Basically, it's rice, lentils, onions and spices. This is such an inexpensive dinner to put together, makes great leftovers and tastes so good! This goes great with pita bread (see recipe below), hummus and a nice side salad.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 cup lentils, rinsed
2 cups instant rice
3 large onions, finely sliced
4 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon cumin
salt and pepper
1/2 cup oil (I use Canola)

DIRECTIONS:
In a deep frying pan, add oil and finely sliced onions. Cook over medium-high heat. Try not to stir too often, as this slows down the browning process. At first it may appear you have a ton of onions but, trust me, they cook down a lot. Fry onions until dark brown, but not burnt.

onions before ...

and after ...

Meanwhile, in a large pot, combine lentils, water and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, or until lentils are half way cooked.

Add rice and cumin. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until water is absorbed and rice is tender, stirring often. Once the water is absorbed, remove from heat.

When the onions are dark brown, add to the rice/lentil mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS

This was a nice change to the typical hummus we have. Next time, I'll add an extra clove of garlic but, other than that, this was very good! I followed the recipe almost exactly. The only things I changed was that I streamed in a little olive oil to get the hummus to a consistency that we liked and I roasted the red pepper under the broiler. My changes are bolded below.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

(Food Network - Robin Miller)

INGREDIENTS:

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained

1 cup sauteed red peppers (I roasted 1 red pepper)

1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 to 4 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and ground black pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves (I used dried)

Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your broiler and then broil the red pepper for a couple minutes, turning it once the skin has blistered and blackened. After all sides of the pepper look charred, remove it from the broiler and put it in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to let the pepper cool.

When the pepper is cool enough to handle, peel the skin off (it should come off easily at this point) and slice it.

Rinse and drain 1 can of the chickpeas. Place drained chickpeas in a blender and add red peppers, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and cumin. Process until smooth. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with parsley.

Pita Bread

LEBANESE PITA BREAD

Thanks to Ally for sharing this recipe and her helpful tips today. I've finally conquered my first baking experience that involved yeast. These were very easy to make and tasted soooo good. Just like the bread at a local Lebanese establishment! I can't wait to use the rest of the bread for sandwiches and maybe some pita pizzas! YUM!

We will definitely be making these again!!

Lebanese Pita Bread
(fabulousfoods.com)

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups warm water (no warmer than 110 degrees)
1 tablespoon yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Place 1/4 cup of water in a small bowl and sprinkle yeast and sugar over the water. Stir to blend and let sit until dissolved.

Place flour, salt and oil in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast mixture and remaining water and beat (preferable with a heavy duty electric mixer) until flour is completely integrated. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, elastic and no longer sticky, adding flour as needed -- about 5-8 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl and oil top of dough lightly. Cover with a warm kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubles in size, about 1 1/4 hours.

Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead to remove the air bubbles. Roll into a log and divide dough evenly into 12 pieces. Pat each piece of dough into a ball, them use a rolling pin to flatten into discs about 1/4 inch thick and 6 inches in diameter.

Place discs on a lightly greased baking sheet and let rise, uncovered, until barely doubled in thickness, about 30-45 minutes.Preheat oven to 500° F. and place oven rack in lowest position.Bake the bread, one pan at a time, until puffed and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool breads on a wire rack.

Banana Cookies with Chocolate Chips

BANANA COOKIES WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS

I was standing in the kitchen starting at some ripe bananas today. I almost decided to make some banana bread, but then I remembered that I had seen a recipe the other day for banana cookies. This recipe is from Simply Recipes, one of my favorite sites to visit. These cookies were so good ... such yummy, cakey banana goodness! I highly recommend them!

Be sure to check out Simply Recipes for more great recipes!

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 cups of flour
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground mace or nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 cup of pecans (walnuts and chocolate chips are fine alternatives)

DIRECTIONS:
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

2 In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.

3 Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.

4 Fold into the batter the pecans or chocolate chips if using. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Chicken Francese

CHICKEN FRANCESE

I had to try this recipe after Ally raved about it. Oh my, this was so good! Most definitely a pan-licker! Matt and I both really loved this dish. It really hit the spot! I followed Ally's recipe exactly. The only thing I didn't do was halve my breasts horizontally, so Ally's are much thinner. The breasts I was dealing with were oddly shaped, so halving them would've been nearly impossible. This recipe originates from Cooks Illustrated's website.

Be sure to check out Ally's page for this and other great recipes. She has a bunch!

INGREDIENTS:
SAUCE:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 small onion, minced (about 1/3 cup)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1/3 cup lemon juice from 2 lemons
2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Table salt and ground black pepper

CHICKEN:
1 cup all-purpose flour
Table salt and ground black pepper
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced
fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS:
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack on a foil-lined, trimmed baking sheet and place sheet in oven.

2.FOR THE SAUCE: Heat 1 tablespoon butter in medium nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour and stir until light golden brown, about 1 minute. Whisk in wine, lemon juice, and broth; increase heat to high and bring to boil, whisking constantly. Lower heat to medium-high and cook, whisking occasionally, until mixture is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain sauce through mesh strainer, return to saucepan, and set aside.

3. FOR THE CHICKEN: Whisk together flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk eggs and milk until combined. Season both sides of each cutlet with salt and pepper. Using tongs and working with 2 cutlets at a time, coat cutlets in seasoned flour; shake off excess flour. Transfer cutlets to egg mixture; coat evenly and let excess run off. Return cutlets to seasoned flour; coat evenly and shake off excess flour.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon each butter and oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, place 4 cutlets in skillet. Cook until well browned, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Carefully flip cutlets and continue to cook until lightly browned on second sides, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer chicken to wire rack in oven. After transferring chicken to oven, wipe out skillet with paper towels.

5. TO FINISH SAUCE AND SERVE: Transfer sauce to now-empty skillet and set over low heat; cook until sauce is heated through, about 1 minute. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter; adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove baking sheet with chicken from oven; transfer 4 cutlets to skillet, turn to coat with sauce, then transfer each serving (2 cutlets) to individual plates. Spoon 2 tablespoons additional sauce over each serving and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately, passing extra sauce separately.

Cornmeal Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Poblano and Cheddar

CORNMEAL CRUSTED CHICKEN STUFFED WITH POBLANO AND CHEDDAR

Another fabulous recipe from Elly. This was perfect. Matt loves crunchy, coated chicken. When Matt first looked at it, he was trying to figure out what was in the center. When I told him it was poblano pepper, he was excited because he loves peppers!!

This chicken had such great flavor and was so easy to make. We will definitely be making it again!

INGREDIENTS:
2 chicken breast halves
1 poblano pepper
1/3 cup shredded or sliced sharp cheddar
1 egg, beaten and mixed with a Tbsp of water (buttermilk would also be great here)
1/3 cup cornmeal
salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your broiler and then broil the poblano for a couple minutes, turning it once the skin has blistered and blackened. After all sides of the pepper look charred, remove it from the broiler and put it in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to let the pepper cool.

Preheat the oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean up) and place a rack/cooling rack on top of it. Spray the rack with cooking spray.

When the pepper is cool enough to handle, peel the skin off (it should come off easily at this point) and dice the poblano. Slit a pocket into the chicken breasts. Stuff the pocket with the diced poblano and cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.

Combine the cornmeal with salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper to your tastes. Carefully dip the chicken breasts into the egg wash, and then dredge in the cornmeal mixture.

Place the chicken on the rack and spray the top with cooking oil. Bake about 20 minutes or until done, turning once in the middle of cooking.