Lemon Chicken Piccata

Tonight I made one of our favourites: Lemon Chicken Piccata. It's not a very complicated dish, but it does require a little more effort than some of my other dishes, which is why I usually like to save this dish for my days off.

If I remember correctly, I think this was the first main dish I made after my husband and I returned from our honeymoon; boy am I glad this one worked out the first time. Although, I may have set the bar a little high for myself, because I now feel like those real simple dinners like chicken nuggets or hot dogs don't really qualify as dinner. There have certainly been times when I have been stuck on dinner ideas and my husband has to remind me that fish sticks and french fries are great too. Today however, was my day off. So I took advantage of my time and made something I knew would make my husband smile, no matter what kind of day he had.

Lemon Chicken Piccata
Time: 50 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lemon-chicken-piccata/


Ingredients

• 3 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, or as needed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 4 Tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
• 6 Tbsp butter
• 4 Tbsp minced parsley 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200° F. Place serving platter into the oven to warm.
2. Season chicken breast pieces with salt and pepper to taste and dredge them in flour. Shake off excess flour. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet; pan-fry chicken pieces until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Work in batches and do not crowd skillet, adding oil as needed. Place chicken pieces onto warmed platter in the oven. When finished with all the chicken, drain most of the oil from the skillet, leaving a thin coating on the surface of the pan.
3. Cook and stir minced garlic in skillet until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Pour in chicken broth. Scrape and dissolve any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Stir in lemon slices and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces to about 2/3 cup, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add lemon juice and capers; simmer until the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes more. Drop butter into the skillet and swirl it into the sauce by tilting the skillet until the butter is melted and incorporated. Add the parsley, remove from heat and serve over chicken pieces and rice.

Since we usually enjoy this over rice I double the recipe for the sauce, because the rice tends to absorb much of it. The recipe above is the doubled recipe, so if you decide to serve this dish over pasta, or simply as larger pieces of chicken I recommend halving the above recipe for the sauce. Please feel free to attempt, tweak, and enjoy my first official dish. 



Kage

Honey Sesame Chicken

The other day we had some friends over for dinner to celebrate a birthday. However, I knew I wasn't going to get home from work until about 7, so I didn't want to spend much time preparing dinner. Yet, I also wanted to prepare something a little healthier and impressive than KD. Therefore, I pulled my handy dandy Crock Pot out of the cupboard and made Honey Sesame Chicken, another Pintrest find. It took no time at all to prepare, and once we finished work all I had left to do was prepare some rice, shred the chicken, and pull out the prepared salad and fresh veggies.

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken
Makes: 6 Servings
Total Time: 4 hours & 15 min

http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/04/crock-pot-honey-sesame-chicken/

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lbs boneless chicken thighs (or breasts)
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 Tbsp diced onion
• 4 Tbsp ketchup
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• Sesame seeds

Directions

1. Season both sides of chicken and place in crockpot.
2. In a small bowl combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour over chicken.
3. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, or on high for 1 1/2 to2 1/2 hours, until chicken is cooked through.
4. Shred chicken with a fork. Serve on rice, topped with sesame seeds. 

 Please feel free to attempt, tweak, and enjoy this simple yet savoury recipe as I have.



Kage 
 

Moist Pulled Pork

This past weekend the in-laws wanted to go camping, so the four of us packed into one car and drove up north to a camp familiar to me and my family. I was in charge of preparing one meal for not only the four of us, but my mom and two sisters who happened to also be there the same weekend. I didn't want to spend too much time preparing dinner - it's camping, who does? I decided to heed my step-mother's advice and do pulled pork in the slow cooker. It was incredibly easy and all the prep work was done by the slow cooker as we were out kayaking, sunbathing, and relaxing for the day. The pulled pork sandwiches turned out to be incredibly moist and a huge hit. My father in-law enjoyed seconds and my twelve year old sister gave me a thumbs up, which is quite a feat for such a picky eater. All-in-all it was the perfect summer meal.


Incredibly Moist Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Makes: 8 Servings
Total Time: 7 hours
 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-pulled-pork/

Ingredients

• 1 (2 lb) pork tenderloin
• 1 can root beer
• 1 bottle of your favourite barbecue sauce (we used maple flavoured)
• 8 hamburger buns

Directions

1. Place tenderloin in the slow cooker; pour root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until pork is well cooked and shreds easily, 6 to 8 hours. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce and serve over hamburger buns.

This, with some fresh veggies, turned out to be the perfect meal for us hungry campers. Please feel free to attempt, tweak, and enjoy this easy, thoughtless and delicious summer recipe.




Kage

Almond and Peach Crusted Pork Chops

My dad was alone tonight, which is usually our family dinner night, so my husband and I had him over for dinner. Having an additional mouth to feed, I thought it was a great time to reattempt that peachy almond pork chop recipe I burned earlier this month. Tonight, it turned out wonderfully. I didn't burn it this time, and my dad even helped himself to seconds, which is always a good sign. I did however have to alter the original recipe slightly in order to cook the pork through without burning them, again. Next time I will probably try to buy a thinner cut. Tonight, I will share the recipe I used and when you decide to attempt it, feel free to make any alterations as you see fit.


Almond and Peach Crusted Pork Chops
Makes: 6 Servings
Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 40 min
 

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/almond-and-peach-crusted-pork-chops/b1c5b55a-51b6-41d6-8bda-c008db0814be

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp peach preserves
• 1/2 cup Original Bisquick mix
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped sliced almonds
• 1 Tbsp cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 pork boneless loin chops, 1/2 inch thick
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Chopped fresh parsley, if desired
• Additional peach preserves, if desired

Directions

1. Beat egg and preserves in shallow dish with fork, breaking apart any large pieces of preserves. Mix Bisquick mix, almonds, cornmeal, and salt in another shallow dish. Dip pork chops into egg mixture, then coat with Bisquick mixture.
2. Preheat oven to 350°
3. Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Cook pork chops in oil 12-15 minutes, turning once, until crust is golden brown.
4. Transfer pork chops to a casserole dish and bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, until pork is no longer pink in center.
5. Top with parsley and additional preserves if desired. Serve immediately. 

The original recipe can be found on the Betty Crocker website. Please feel free to attempt, tweak, and enjoy this crunchy fruity pork chop.



Kage 

Reuben Casserole

I made another favourite for dinner tonight: Reuben Casserole. Basically, this is a casserole version of the German-inspired Reuben sandwich. Growing up, sauerkraut was something my entire family enjoyed. Every fall my mom's side of the family would gather at my grandparents' and together make buckets and buckets and buckets of sauerkraut. I distinctly remember my grandparents' garage stinking for weeks following. Years after the fun times of sauerkraut making, my step-mother introduced me to this brilliant casserole and I simply couldn't keep the recipe to myself. I once made it for my grandparents (my mother's parents) and they were delighted with the originality of the dish. My grandmother then attempted to find the recipe online with little success. Here you go Grandma.


Reuben Casserole
Makes: 6 Servings
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups sauerkraut, drained
• 200 grams corned beef, sliced
• 1/4 cup 1000 Island Dressing
• 200 grams swiss cheese, sliced
• 9 slices rye bread, cubed and dried
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°
2. Spread sauerkraut on the bottom of a 9x13" casserole dish and layer corned beef ontop
3. Pour dressing over corned beef and layer Swiss cheese to cover
4. Toss cubed bread with butter and pile bread on top of cheese
5. Bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bread is brown

Please attempt, tweak, and enjoy this delicious combination of beef, cheese, and sauerkraut.



Kage

Chocolate Waffles with Raspberry Syrup

This morning I had ample time to prepare breakfast. Usually I just whip up some eggs or something simple, but when I have extra time I like to have fun and get creative with breakfast. This morning I tried a chocolate waffle recipe. I know, chocolate for breakfast? But for all those chocolate lovers out there, these are simply to die for. To top it off I made a raspberry syrup to add some goodness to the meal which was the perfect touch to the sweet waffles. I found this recipe through the Betty Crocker e-mails I subscribe to. The original recipe suggests a boozy mixed berry syrup, but my husband and I don't drink, so we didn't have booze on hand, or the fresh berries, so I made do. 


Chocolate Waffles with Raspberry Syrup

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/chocolate-waffles-with-slow-cooker-boozy-berries/41447b18-6f09-46d0-9d3c-fbee4c2668ef


Ingredients
    Syrup:

• 2 cups frozen raspberries
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 cup sugar

    Waffles:

• 2 cups Original Bisquick mix
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
• 1 egg
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a small saucepan bring raspberries and water to a boil. Reduce heat, adding syrup and sugar, simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat waffle iron. In a large bowl mix all waffle ingredients until smooth.
3. Pour 1/2 cup batter onto centre of hot waffle iron (check manufacturer's directions for recommended amount of batter). Close lid of waffle iron. Bake about 5 minutes or until steaming stops. Carefully remove waffle. 
4. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve waffles with warm berry sauce.

Please attempt, tweak, and enjoy our new favourite waffle.




 Kage 

Peppers Italiano

Well today was a fun day. I was all excited to try a new dish for dinner this evening. I find myself cooking with a lot of chicken, which I don't mind, but every once in a while I like to mix it up a bit with something different. Today I was going to try a peachy, almond pork chop. It sounded delicious and I had a rather enjoyable time preparing the chops. However, I misread the directions by a smidgen and ended up burning most of them pretty bad. As disappointed as I am, I am determined to try them again, perhaps next week. Tonight however, we simply ordered in pizza.

I do have a simple recipe to share, since I want to wait to share this pork chop recipe until I have tried it again. This recipe I call Peppers Italiano. My step mother first introduced me to this side dish and it is a favourite amongst my sisters and step sisters.

Sorry I have yet to provide a picture, but I will at my next opportunity.

Peppers Italiano
Makes: 4 Servings
Total Time: 15 min.

Ingredients

• 1 sweet red pepper, cut into chunks
• 1 sweet yellow pepper, cut into chunks
• 1 sweet orange pepper, cut into chunks
• 1 yellow onion, cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup Italian salad dressing

Directions 

1. Heat dressing in a large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Cook peppers and onion in dressing until tender, approximately 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Please attempt, tweak, and enjoy my step-mother's hit, Peppers Italiano.




Kage