Tilapia Piccata

Tilapia is a mild tasting fish and when you add this yummy lemon sauce you have a great meal. Healthy too! It can be on the table in 18 minutes - great for the busy family.

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb (about 6) tilapia fillets
4 tsp canola oil
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs chopped parsley
1 Tbs. nonpareil capers, rinsed and drained, optional

1. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dredge fish in flour mixture, coating well.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium-high. Add fish and cook until brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook another minute. Transfer fish to a platter and keep warm.
3. Increase heat to high, add broth to skillet, and bring to a boil. Cook until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup; it'll take about 3 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in 1 Tbs water; whisk into broth. Cook another minute, then stir in lemon juice, butter, parsley, and capers, if using them. Spoon sauce over fish. Makes 4 servings.

Chicken Picatta

Here is a simple Chicken Picatta recipe I made for dinner tonight.

4 Chicken Breasts
2 eggs lightly beaten
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp dry white wine

Flatten chicken to 1/4" thick. Mix bread crumbs, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Coat chicken with flour, dip into beaten egg and coat with bread crumb mixture. Heat margarine and oil in pan over medium heat. Cook chicken for 8 to 10 minutes turning once, until done. Remove chicken and cover to keep warm. Stir lemon juice and wine with drippings in pan. Heat to boiling and pour over chicken.

Yummy Deviled Chicken

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com today. I had taken chicken breasts out for dinner tonight and had no idea what I was going to do with them. While surfing today I found this recipe. It actually turnout pretty good. I made it my own by changing some things.

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons prepared mustard
4 skinless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 cups four cheese bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt margarine and mix in a small bowl with mayo and mustard. Pour mixture into a shallow bowl or plate (pie plates work great). Roll chicken breasts in mayo mixture, then dip in bread crumbs and place in a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until juices run clear.

Note: I served this with my Roasted Red Potatoes w/Bacon and Cheese - my family went for seconds.

Spicy Jerk Chicken

I made this for dinner tonight - my family thought it was bit spicy. I on the other hand thought it was pretty good. But I like a little spice in my food. Anyway I got this recipe from Paula Deen's Home Cooking show. Enjoy!

2 teaspoons ground allapice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
5 cloves garlic
1 habanero pepper (Paula's recipes called for two but one made it plenty spicy)
1 (5 pound) chicken, skin on
1 cup lime juice

Combine all ingredients except the chicken and lime juice in a food processor and puree until pretty smooth. Place the chicken and lime juice in a mixing bowl and pour about half of the jerk sauce over it, tossing the chicken around to coat it well. Place in a container and pour the remaining sauce on top of chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the chicken pieces from the jerk marinade and place them, skin side up, on a rimmed baking sheet or dish. Bake in the oven for 45 to 55 minutes until cooked through and the juices run clear when pierced with a fork.

String Cheese Meatloaf

This is a great recipe for meatloaf I got from a Quick Cooking magazine many years ago and changed a few things to create a my own variation. I am not a lover of meatloaf but this one is really good. Tastes almost like meatballs. I've included a picture - although it doesn't do it justice.

Ingredients

1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce, divided

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I use Contadina Four Cheese)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 pound ground beef

3 pieces of string cheese

In a bowl combine 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce, egg, bread crumbs, and garlic. Crumble meat over mixture and mix well. Press half into a greased 8" x 4 " x 2" loaf pan. Place two pieces of cheese, side by side, near one end of the loaf. Cut the remaining piece of cheese in half; place side by side on opposite end of loaf. Top with remaining meat and press down firmly to seal.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until meat is no longer pink and a meat themometer reads 160 degrees; drain. Drizzle with the remaining spaghetii sauce; bake 10 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Yield: 6 servings

Note: I usually make some pasta and pour the rest of the spaghetti sauce over it to serve with the meatloaf. This means no waste!

Comfort Food

Plain and simple...the following recipe is pure comfort food. We are still in a deep freeze here - they are saying 25-30 below with the windchill tonight. Great - like we haven't had enough. Below is a recipe from Paula Deen I changed it a little. It was very yummy and easy to make. I included a photo this time - beware it may make you hungry.....

Chicken Florentine

2 (10 ounce) packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

6 chicken breast halves (about 4 pounds), cooked, boned and shredded

2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans of of condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs

2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 pan. After draining spinach, put into a large bowl. Add the shredded chicken.

In a medium bowl, combine the soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, cheddar cheese, lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste, and wine. Whisk together to make a sauce. Pour the sauce over the spinach and chiken. Mix well.

Place the mixture into the greased 13 x 9 pan. Pat down evenly and smooth with a spatula. Combine the Parmesan and bread crumbs and sprinkle over the top. Dot with butter.

Bake for about 30 minutes until bubbly.

Mozzarella Chicken

This one is yummy. Takes a little bit of prep but definitely worth it.

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup butter, divided
Salt & Pepper to taste
4 slices of mozzarella cheese
1 egg beaten
2 cups all purpose flour for coating
1 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs (I like four cheese bread crumbs)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup dry white wine

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and greasea 13 x 9 pan.
2. Place chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and flatten with a meat pallet.
3. Spread 1/4 cup butter over the inside of the chicken, then add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Place a slice of cheese on chicken, roll and close with toothpicks.
5. Repeat with each breast.
6. Dip rolled breast in flour, then egg, and then bread crumbs.
7. Place coated breast in greased pan.
8. To made sauce, melt 1/4 cup butter and add garlic. Add wine and simmer all together - about 5 minutes.
9. Pour sauce over chicken and bake in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes.

Serve with noodles & butter and a side salad.

Northern Italian Pasta Shells

This is a great recipe for some good Italian comfort food. It makes quite a bit, I sometimes fill another pan and freeze it - or just cut the recipe in half. This recipe is compliments of the Paula Deen show on Food Network. It takes awhile - but is worth it.

3 pkgs frozen, chopped spinach, thawed
3 lbs ground beef
2 (8 oz) cream cheese
2 large onions, chopped
1/2 cup Grated parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 jumbo eggs
1 (1 lb) package jumbo pasta shells, cooked
1 jar spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain spinach well and place in large bowl. Brown beef, drain, reserve 2 tbsp beef fat in pan and place meat in same bowl with spinach. Stir in cream cheese until blended with the meat and spinach. Saute the chopped onions in the reserved meat fat. Transfer onions to the bowl with the other ingredients and stir to combine. Add grated cheese, salt & pepper. Let mixture cool and then add eggs. (If mixture is too warm the eggs will start to cook.) Stuff the shells with the meat mixutre. Place in large pan and cover with jarred spaghetti sauce. Cover with foil and bake for approximately 1 hour.

Note: I use my hands for mixing and stuffing the shells - it is messy but much easier. The shells are less likely to break also.