Italian Dressing Drumettes

It did not occur to me to take a photo of this dish because I was just mindlessly preparing a meal, and did not realize it would turn out so yummy. This is the most simple and easy recipe you will ever find, and soooooo good!

- 10 chicken drums
- one bottle of Italian salad dressing
- 2 large handfuls of mushrooms

Marinate the chicken drums and mushrooms in the entire bottle of Italian dressing over night. Neatly lie the meat and mushrooms (still with all the dressing) in a baking pan. Cover with foil. Bake for about one hour at 370 degrees. The juice will bubble in the oven with flavor, and when done, the chicken will nearly fall of the bone.
Serve over rice or cous cous.

Garlic Seafood Pasta

Break free from marinara as a topping for spaghetti with yummy seafood and veggies.

- 3/4 bag of spaghetti
-3 cups baby spinach
-1 tomato or 2 handfuls cherry tomatoes
-half an onion
-1 pound shrimp
-1 pound pre-cooked mussels
-5 garlic cloves
-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
-2 tablespoons butter
-olive oil
-salt
-pepper
(I did not have white wine on hand, but that would be a wonderful addition to this recipe)

Cook spaghetti in boiling water. Drain, and return to saucepan. Stir in spinach and tomatoes. Cover and keep warm. While pasta is cooking, cook the onion in olive oil over medium-high heat for one minute. Add the shrimp, mussels, garlic, and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently for no more than three minutes. Stir in wine (if using), salt, and pepper. Cook until shrimp are thoroughly cooked, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter until butter is melted. Add mixture to pasta. Toss.

Buttermilk-Battered Chicken Breast with Sweet Corn Sauce

The picture might not look so good, but Paul liked it. I will make it again this week as i still have some chicken breasts marinating... let me know what you think.

so, anyway, I made this tonight. Paul ordered something similar on vacation and he gave me a bite of it and i have been craving it ever since.
When Paul ordered this on vacation, well his didn't have a sauce, but i will make this since i have most of the ingredients. I got the recipe from Epicurus and it says "Scott Uhelein, executive chef at the renowned Canyon Ranch Health Resort in Tucson, Arizona, provides an easy technique for a dish that is good enough to eat every day — you can't even tell it's good for you!" I don't know about that, but this is what i am making tonight. I have been marinating for hours. I think that that is the trick, as i could really taste the buttermilk in that bite i had...

I think i like it better without the sauce, but the sauce made it interesting. Things go better with sauce, eh Saucy?

Ingredients:
Sauce
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels - i used canned.
1 tsp minced garlic - didn't add
1/4 cup diced onion - didn't add
1 1/4 tsp olive oil
1 tsp minced jalapeno pepper- i am going to leave this out. Paul doesn't like them....
2 tbsp minced red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of black pepper
2 tsp fresh lemon juice


chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 pinch black pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp granulated garlic - didn't have any
1/2 tsp onion powder - didn't have any
1/2 tsp dry mustard - i put some grey poupon in the sauce instead for the bite.
1/4 tsp celery seed - didn't have any
1 tsp olive oil

preparation
In a medium pan, saute corn, garlic, and onion in oil over medium heat 1 minute. Add jalapeno and bell pepper. Cook 30 seconds. Add stock. Reduce liquid by half. Season with honey, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Transfer to blender and puree.
With a meat mallet, pound chicken breasts to about 1/2 inch thick. In a shallow glass baking dish, combine chicken with buttermilk and black pepper. Marinate at least 2 hours. In a medium bowl, combine flour, paprika, salt, granulated garlic, onion powder, dry mustard and celery seed. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour until well coated. Heat oil in a large pan and add chicken. Over medium heat, cook chicken 3 to 5 minutes on each side until golden. Serve each breast with 1/2 cup Sweet Corn Sauce.

Love Pizza

Embrace your love for food by baking this heart-shaped pizza!


Preheat oven 425 degrees. Place pizza stone in oven for one hour.

Dough:
-1 package active dry yeast
-2 and 1/2 cups flour
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1 tablespoon salt
Mix the package of yeast with 1/4 cup warm water. Allow to sit about five minutes, until frothy.
Mix flour, olive oil, and salt in a mixer with a dough hook. Add yeast while mixing. When thoroughly mixed, place in a bowl and cover with saran wrap and a towel. Allow to rise for one hour.
Roll dough into desired size and thickness. Shape into a heart with a pizza cutter.
Toppings:
-pizza sauce
-shredded mozzerella cheese
-sliced button mushrooms
-sliced (or cut into hearts) italian sausage,pre-soaked in maple syrup
-sliced black olives
Bake approximately 20 minutes on bottom rack on pizza stone. Keep your eye on it. Remove at desired dough consistency.

Asparagus Risotto

A green forest of asparagus tips rooted in a cheezy, creamy risotto. Serve as a side dish with poultry or fish.

-2 pounds asparagus
-4 cups chicken stock
-4 tablespoons olive oil
-1 onion, finely chopped
-1 and 2/3 cups risotto rice
-3 oz. grated parmesan cheese
-3 tablespoons heavy cream

Wash asparagus and remove woody ends. Separate the tips from the stems.
Cook the asparagus stems in boiling water for about 8 minutes. Drain, and place in a blender or food processor with the chicken stock. Remove when thoroughly blended, then put in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and maintain at a low simmer.
Cook the asparagus tips in boiling water for one minute, drain, and rinse in cold water.
Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion and cook until softened, but not browned. Add the rice and reduce heat to low. Stir briefly, then add a ladleful of the stock. Cook over medium heat, stir continuously. When the stock has been absorbed, stir in another ladleful. Continue this process for about 20 minutes, until all stock has been added.
Add the parmesan and cream, and gently stir. Season with salt and pepper. Poke the asparagus tips into the risotto. Serves four.

Stuffed Red Peppers

I used to prepare this as a vegetarian meal, and it was very satisfying. Now that I eat meat, I add ground turkey to the ingredients. If you are in the mood for ground beef, I am sure that would be delicious also. Red peppers are beautiful and nutritious. Enjoy!

-4 large red peppers, halved and seeded
-1 cup cous cous
-1 pound ground turkey
-1/2 onion
-1 carrot, finely diced
-2 celery stalks, finely diced
-1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 teaspoon cumin
-1 teaspoon chili powder
-1/8 cup chopped oregano
-salt to taste

Cook the cous cous and set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray the pepper halves with oil and season lightly with salt. Place them on a baking pan and bake for 15 minutes until softened a little.
While the peppers are baking prepare the stuffing:
Heat olive oil in a pan, and saute the onion, carrot, celery, pumpkin seeds, garlic, cumin, and chili powder for three to four minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften and become lightly browned. Add the cooked cous cous and oregano to the vegetables, and continue to saute for one more minute, until all ingredients are blended well. Add salt to taste.
Fill each pepper half with the stuffing, and place in a lightly oiled casserole dish. Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 or 25 minutes, until the peppers are tender.

Orange Chicken

This is my first post on Feisty Feasters!!

I made this for the first time last week and we all loved it. I used chicken breasts but the meat was a tad dry. It is possible that I cooked it too long but I think next time I will try boneless skinless chicken thighs.

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 2 in cubes

1/2 c flour

1 t garlic powder

1/2 t pepper

2 t oil

1 1/2 c water

1/4 c + 2 T orange juice

1/2 c rice vinegar

21/2 T soy sauce

1 T orange jest

1 c brown sugar

1/2 t finely minced fresh ginger

1 t minced garlic

2 T green onions

3 T cornstarch

1/4 c water

Directions:

Heat oven to 350. Combine flour, garlic powder, and pepper and coat chicken. Pour oil in shallow baking dish (I used a 9 by 13) and bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in med sauce pan combine 1 1/2 c water, OJ, vinegar, soy sauce, and orange zest and whisk over med heat for a couple of minutes. Then add brown sugar, ginger, garlic and onion. Combine cornstarch with 1/4 c cold water and add to sauce. Whisk until thickened. After chicken has baked for 30 minutes, flip chicken and pour sauce over top reserving some to serve with dinner ( I just poured it all on!) Bake another 30-40 minutes. (Or less, I'd start checking it after 20)