Flavorful Chicken

I found this recipe in my collection and it sounded good and I had all the ingredients. Plus it only made 2 servings, which is perfect for me. I'll definitely make this again...the chicken had really good flavor. Next time, I may add some sliced potatoes and veggies to the chicken to make it a complete meal. I doubled the amount of butter an soy sauce to give the chicken some extra flavor and instead of just dipping it in the marinade, I let it sit in the fridge for about an hour.

Flavorful Chicken (2 servings):

2 tbsp butter, melted (I used 4 tbsp)
1 tbsp soy sauce (I used 2 tbsp)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp grated parm cheese (I used 2 tbsp Parmesan-Romano cheese)
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic salt (I used garlic powder)
1/4 tsp paprika

In shallow bowl, combine melted butter and soy sauce. Dip or marinate chicken in sauce. Place chicken in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and spices.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 25-30 min until juices run clear.


Chicken marinating in melted butter and soy sauce...

Paprika, Garlic Salt and Italian Seasoning mix...

Spices and cheese sprinkled onto chicken pieces...

I served my chicken with a wild rice pilaf and cheese melted on top..yum! Enjoy!

Open-Faced Tuna Sandwiches

I don't really have set measurements for this recipe. My mom told me what to put in it so I just added everything to taste. I can give you a rough estimate of what I used. It was a good lunch and I'd definitely make it again.

1 can (3 oz) of tuna fish in water (I used the brand above)
1-2 small pieces of celery, chopped
1-2 tbsp pickle relish (I used Heinz dill relish)
1/4 c mayo
2-3 tbsp capers

Mix all ingredients together to your desired consistency, adding more mayo as needed. Serve on toast. Enjoy!

Israeli Couscous with Veggies

I was looking through my cupboards tonight trying to figure out what to make for dinner. I found some fish in the freezer so I started looking for a side to make. I was just about to start slicing up some polenta to fry up when I noticed my box of Israeli couscous in the back. I have yet to make this type of couscous and the directions on the box seemed easy enough but I wanted something else to go with it. I had some little bell peppers so I sliced some of those up. Then I went on the foodnetwork and found a recipe for Israeli couscous that included a lemon-balsamic vinaigrette. I I made up the couscous according to the box, added some bell peppers and garlic and made up the vinaigrette to drizzle over it. I would definitely make this recipe again and I think I can put the vinaigrette on most things. Side note..the vinaigrette calls for an aged balsamic vinegar. My balsamic vinegar is from Italy and it's really thick and tastes amazing with this dressing. Not sure how any other dressing will taste so if you have an Italian balsamic vinegar on hand, I highly recommend you use that! Very rich tasting! I didn't have a shallot on hand so I used about 2 tbsp of a white minced onion.

Israeli Couscous with Veggies:

1 box (8 oz) Israeli Couscous (I got mine from Trader Joe's)
3-4 mini bell peppers or 1-2 regular sized bell peppers, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tbsp canola or veggie or olive oil, divided
1 small shallot, minced
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
3 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3/4 c EVOO
1 tsp dried parsley

For the vinaigrette, mix the minced shallot, lemon juice, lemon zest, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar and EVOO. I put mine in a shaker/pourer to make it easier to pour on the couscous. Shake it up and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil and fry up the garlic and peppers until tender. Set aside.

In a 2 qt saucepan, saute the couscous with 1 tbsp oil over med heat until couscous is lightly browned, about 5 min. Slowly add 1 3/4 c boiling water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low and cover. Simmer for 12 min or until liquid is absorbed.

When there is about 1 min left of the cooking time, reheat the peppers and garlic. Add to the couscous and sprinkle with the dried parsley. Pour desired amount of vinaigrette over the couscous.




The mini bell peppers and garlic...

The balsamic vinegar that I bought in Italy...

The vinaigrette...

Smoked/Browned couscous...

Boiling water added to the couscous...

Couscous served with my fish..Enjoy!

Fiesta Smothered Chicken

I found this recipe among my other typed out recipes, so I'm not sure where it came from. I usually use chicken breasts that I get from Schwans. My mom orders it for me and then when she's in town, delivers it. I'm out of chicken so I picked up some from Target to hold me over until next weekend. I think I've gotten spoiled because the stuff from Target isn't half as good. For one thing, I bought a 4 oz pkg and instead of a chicken breast or 2 of them, it came in different sized strips. And there was a lot of fat that I had to trim off. Oh well, it worked and I get my Scwans order next weekend. I didn't have any jalapenos so I used an Asian red chile pepper. And I had some zucchini on hand so I added that to the onion mixture. I think I used more onion but I love onion, so it worked. I didn't chop it, I left it in slices. I also doubled the marinade for the chicken to make sure the chicken had a lot of flavor. I also didn't have any pepper jack cheese on hand so I used the shredded cheddar-jack cheese. This dish serves 2.

Fiesta Smothered Chicken;

3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 c chopped onion
4 tsp chopped seeded jalapeno pepper (I used a small red chile pepper)
1/2 zucchini, sliced
6 tbsp butter, divided
1/4 c shredded pepper jack cheese
1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese

In large resealable plastic bag, combine soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; set aside.

In large skillet, saute onion, chile pepper and zucchini in 2 tbsp butter until tender. Remove and keep warm.

Drain and discard marinade. In same skillet, cook chicken in remaining butter (I only used 3 tbsp of the remaining butter) over med heat for 4-5 min on each side or until cooked through. Spoon veggies over chicken; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook 1-2 min or until cheese is melted.




Veggies cooking...

Chicken cooking in butter...

Veggies added to the cooked chicken....

Enjoy!

Asian Glazed Scallops

I don't know where I found this recipe. I have a habit of collecting recipes and in order to save room in my apartment, I type out the recipes that look good and keep them on my computer. I randomly went through my seafood files the other day and decided to try this one. I haven't had scallops in a while..I forgot how good they are! And they smell so good when they are cooking..kind of a buttery smell. Super easy recipe to make. I had a hard time finding the bottle of minced garlic but I finally found it at Rainbow. And I have no idea where I got the chili sauce..I've had it forever. One change I would make..less of the chili sauce..it's spicy! But still good. I'd definitely make this again. And it makes plenty of extra sauce to put on something else. The only weird thing I have noticed is that there's a slight crunch with every couple bites..from the garlic I think. It's tastes okay though..just a little weird texture. I also patted my scallops dry since they cook better that way. There's no measurement about how many green onions to use..since I love them I chopped up four of them. I served the scallops with rice I made in my rice cooker. It serves 4.

Asian Glazed Scallops:

5 tbsp sesame oil, divided
2 tbsp bottled minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 c sweet hot chili sauce
1/4 c teriyaki sauce
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
12 large fresh sea scallops
1/2 tsp salt
Garnish: Chopped green onions

In small saucepan, heat 3 tbsp sesame oil over med heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook for 2 min, stirring constantly. Add chili sauce, teriyaki sauce and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer; cook 5 min, stirring occasionally.

In large skillet, heat remaining 2 tbsp sesame oil over med-high heat. Sprinkle scallops with salt. Add scallops to skillet; cook 2-3 min per side or until golden brown. To serve, spoon sauce over scallops. Garnish with green onions.




Bottled minced garlic

Chili Sauce...

Ginger & garlic cooking...

Scallops patted dry...

Scallops cooking..

The sauce...

Enjoy!