Chicken Breasts with Chive Sauce

Sounds sophisticated, eh? Well I'll let you in on a little secret... my cookbook classifies this as quick and easy. Still somewhat involved, but very doable! You'll use 2 pans, a pot for boiling pasta, and THESE guys:

Chicken Breasts with Chive Sauce  (A Pinch of Salt Lake)

1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, cut into quarters
2 tbsp. sliced green onions with tops
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned and halved
3 tbsp. butter
3/4 c. chicken broth
1 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. butter, softened
1 c. heavy cream
2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives (I used green onions since that's what I have growing out back--basically the same thing!)
*Package of Egg Noodles--the recipe doesn't call for this but I always serve the chicken and sauce over these noodles. If you like the idea, then start the water boiling first so you can throw the noodles in later when you are simmering the chicken. 

In a medium-size skillet sauté mushrooms and onions in 2 tablespoons butter for 2 to 3 minutes. Add lemon juice and set aside.

Slightly flaten chicken breasts. Mix 1/4 cup flour, salt and pepper; coat chicken. Sauté chicken in 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat, turning frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes (do not brown). Add chicken broth and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.

Mix 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon softened butter in a small bowl until smooth; stir in 1/4 cup pan juices gradually. Stir flour mixture into remaining juices in skillet. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream gradually. Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth. Stir in reserved mushrooms, onions and the snipped chives.

Arrange chicken on a serving platter and spoon part of the sauce over; pass remaining sauce. 

 

Pizza Night!

My kids love it when it's pizza night (and so do I)! I love it from Dominos, Papa Johns... but also from scratch. Here is my go-to pizza dough recipe, compliments of the Pioneer Woman! Her cookbook has slightly different cooking instructions than her blog, so here's the book version... which cooks faster so YOU'RE WELCOME!

Pizza Crust (makes 2 pizza crusts or 1 thick cookie sheet crust)
1 tsp. or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)

Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water (not hot, but not luke warm) into a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let sit.

Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just incorporated. Gently stir the yeast/water mixture, then drizzle it into the flour/oil mixture; mix until the dough forms a ball. (You can also mix by hand until the dough comes together.)

Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl. Toss the ball of dough in the bowl and turn over to coat in oil. Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days (or frozen for up to 6 months).
     *The dough could also be used for "focaccia like bread". Spread it on a cookie sheet, brush the top with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and dried herbs (i.e. rosemary, basil, Italian seasonings...)

To prepare the pizza, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Divide the dough in half. Lightly drizzle olive oil on pizza pan(s). Using your hands, stretch the dough to the desired shape, pressing the dough into the pan with your fingers. (Surface of dough will be lumpy from finger marks.)

Lay desired toppings over the dough and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown.

As for the go-to sauce... I use THIS ONE from my "Our Best Bites" cookbook. Sooooo much better than anything you can find in the grocery store, and tastes similar to a sauce found on delivery pizza! You can also try a pesto pizza with THIS pesto sauce. Pizza is hard to mess up, have fun!

Basil!

Fresh basil is one of my favorite herbs to have on hand! I have it growing in pots out back so I can pick some off anytime to make a great-tasting meal.
Here are a few tips about growing your own basil:
-It needs full sunlight (at least 6 hours), and they are both indoor/outdoor plants.
-Clip any buds or flowers off your plant as soon as you see them. You don't want a bitter taste or your plant to go to seed.
-Pruning your plant makes more basil!


Now onto using it! Let me share a couple of our favorite recipes-- Avocado Basil Pasta and Fresh Basil Pesto!

Avocado Basil Pasta (from Peacocks on My Porch)

8 oz. bow-tie pasta
2 med. avocados, halved, seeded, peeled and coursely chopped
6 slices bacon crisp cooked, drained, and crumbled
2/3 c. chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is ALWAYS best)
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 c. finely shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. In a large bowl combine the avocados, bacon, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, pepper & salt. Add the hot pasta and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with cheese.

Obviously any kind of small pasta will work!

 

Fresh Basil Pesto

2 c. fresh basil leaves, packed

1/2 c. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c. pecans, walnuts or almonds (pine nuts is traditional, but pricey-I use what's in my pantry)
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and ground pepper to taste

Combine the basil with the nuts in a food processor and pulse a few times. (If your nuts aren't chopped already, pulse them alone first a few times, then add basil.) Add the garlic and pulse a few times more.

Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. (Check the consistency of the pesto and add more oil if it is too thick.) Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

We like to toss this with pasta, or use this as the sauce on home-made pizza! For the latter, I use my go-to pizza dough recipe, spread pesto on top of dough, sprinkle shredded mozzarella (or slices of fresh) all over, and top with bacon (cooked, drained and crumbled) and fresh tomato slices for us grown-ups. My daughter says pesto is her favorite, so kids DO like the green stuff. :)
 

Almond Bars!

One of my most favorite tastes EVER is almond! Anything with marzipan or amaretto immediately grabs my attention! So this little gem of a recipe jumped out at me. It's quick to throw together and always gets raves... if you like almonds. :)

Almond Bars
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. butter (salted), melted
2 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. almond extract
Sliced almonds (optional)

1.  In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar until lemon-colored.
2.  Add butter, flour and extract; mix well.
3.  Spread into a greased 9x13 pan, and sprinkle sliced almonds on top. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. (Recipe suggests sprinkling with powdered sugar, but I omit that and just go for the sliced almonds).

My mouth is watering!

Chicken Dinners

Lately, I've been liking to do the 2-meals-in-1 thing... saves some time on prep for another meal! As I was flipping through my "Our Best Bites" cookbook, I found a duo that my family loved!

1.  Meal one was easy-- put a whole chicken (insides emptied, chicken rinsed & dried) in a crockpot. I rubbed mine with season salt and stuffed sliced garlic cloves between the skin and the meat. (Book suggests getting foil and making 3 2-inch balls to form a triangle at the bottom of the crockpot to sit the chicken on top of so air will circulate while cooking, which I did.) Cook for 6-7 hours on low. AFTER TAKING 2 CUPS OF SHREDDED CHICKEN AWAY AND STORING IN THE FRIDGE FOR ANOTHER MEAL, I served the remaining chicken with salad for my husband and I, and with mac 'n cheese for the kids... possibilities are endless.

2.  Meal two was more of the tasty one and motivation for the first, so let me share!

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

1/3 c. (3 oz.) cream cheese
1/4 c. green salsa
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic (which is equivalent to 1 clove of garlic)
3 tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 tbsp. chopped green onions
2 c. cooked, shredded chicken
1 c. shredded pepper jack cheese (I used monterey jack--for the kids)
corn tortillas

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add in next 6 ingredients and stir to combine. Add in cilantro, green onions, chicken and cheese and stir.
*For my kids, I did a separate batch where I omitted the green salsa, cilantro, and green onions--they don't like "green things" or onions in their foods.

I put about 10 tortillas in my tortilla warmer at a time, with a splash of water, and microwaved for about 45 seconds.

 If you don't have a warmer, you can wrap 3-4 tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 20-30 seconds so they are soft and pliable. If tortillas crack when rolling, use damper towels and more microwave time.

Place 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture on the lower third of each tortilla, and roll it up.
This recipe says you can BAKE these at 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it lightly with cooking spray. Place seam-side down in a single layer and spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or brush with vegetable oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and ends start to get golden brown. My husband convinced me to do it right and FRY them in oil on the stove-top...  We don't fry much so why not?! If you choose to fry, warm about an inch of oil in a frying pan over medium-high and when it's hot, place the taquitos in oil, seam-side down. It doesn't take long to fry the tortillas and warm the insides, maybe 1 minute. When you flip it over, the seam should be securely attached, and a golden yellow color. When taking them out of the oil with tongs, let the oil drip out of the ends, then place on a paper-toweled (I made up that adjective) plate.

Since I already had the green salsa, cilantro and limes for this meal, I went ahead and made THIS dressing to go on a side salad and to dip the taquitos in. YUM!! Guacamole, sour cream, salsa... you pick!

Salmon Chowder

It's finally soup weather here in Texas, so I was excited to make it all day! My husband requested Salmon Chowder, which I have made before from a recipe from my sister. I adjusted it to our tastes/what I had, and we loved it even more, so here is the new and improved soup:

Salmon Chowder
3 tbsp. butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups diced potatoes
2 carrots, diced
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dill weed
1 tbsp. corn starch
1 (6 oz.) can salmon, skinless & boneless
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 cooked corn on the cob, kernels cut off
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, and garlic powder until onions are tender. Stir in potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, pepper, and dill weed. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. In a small bowl mix the corn starch and about 1 tbsp. of cold water to a smooth consistency. Add to the soup and stir in. Stir in salmon, evaporated milk, corn and cheese and cook until heated through and thickened.

Pumpkin Smoothie

I found the Pioneer Woman's recipe for Pumpkin Smoothie's and couldn't wait to try it. It calls for a 15 oz. can of pumpkin pie filling, but I could only find the 29 oz. cans in my store, so I bought a 15 oz. can of pure pumpkin puree. I tried it today and loved it, though my ingredients and quantities differed some. Here's what I threw together (and my version is healthier!):

15 oz. can pure pumpkin puree
3 cups 2% milk
1/2-1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup sugar (or less, to taste)

AT LEAST A FEW HOURS BEFORE, put the pumpkin puree in a small freezer-safe dish and place in the freezer. This gives it the icy texture needed for smoothies.

Pull out the pumpkin and scoop it into the blender. I actually only used about 2/3 of the can and it was plenty pumpkiny for me. It wasn't all that "icy" so if you like thickness in a drink, you could add some ice. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and blend. Simple, quick and delicious! No pictures because my friends and I drank them up too quickly. :)