Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pie and It's Not Mama's

This one is just as good as this one posted here from quite a while back. (Back when all of my pictures had a yellow, red, or green hue to them. So sad.) Anyhow, I do like to use puff pastry as the top of my pot pies, though I'm not fond of the double or bottom crust. Just seems like too much to me. Yes I do love pot pies, I have made many a chicken pot pie though not so many in the beef variety. I have one in mind though and hopefully will get around to making and blogging it. Trust me it was a beautiful presentation and sounded equally wonderful. In any event, this one comes to us from Better Homes and Gardens and has a surprise ingredient in it. Most of us only use it once a year. I have seen Rachael Ray use it in various ways to try and use it up. Can you guess what it is?

Start by sautéing the leeks, mushrooms, and celery.

Yep!

Poultry Seasoning!

You know the one you only pull out for the holiday bird? 

Make your rue adding the flour, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Cooking until it thickens to a pasty consistency. Do not let it brown it though. You want a white cream sauce.

Add broth and half and half. Cooking until thickened and bubbly. Stir in chicken and remaining vegetables.

Cover with pastry (of your choice). You can make your own, or use pre-made pie crust if you like. I like the flakiness of the puff pastry myself, it feels a little lighter. Though I use the frozen pre-packaged, as I haven't mustered up the nerve to try and make it myself.

The finished pot pie is really tasty just by adding that magical spice from that little yellow box. You know it's hiding up there in your cabinet too.

I plan on finding more ways to use poultry seasoning in recipes, as it contains a large variety of spices already mixed into one little box.

Chicken Pot Pie

Courtesy: Better Homes and Gardens, once again!

Ingredients

Puff pastry sheet for Topper

1 cup chopped leek (3 medium) or onion (1 large)

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

¾ cup sliced celery (1-½ stalks)*

½ cup chopped red sweet pepper (1 small)

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
⅓ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1-½ cups chicken broth

1 cup half-and-half, light cream, or milk

2-½ cups chopped, cooked chicken

1 cup loose-pack frozen peas or frozen peas and carrots**

1 egg, beaten

Directions 

In a large saucepan cook leeks, mushrooms, celery, and red pepper in butter over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the flour, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add broth and half-and-half. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in chicken and remaining vegetables (your choice). Pour into a 2-quart rectangular baking dish.

Place pastry over chicken mixture in dish. Turn edges of pastry under; flute with a fork to edges of dish. Brush pastry with some of the egg. If desired, place cut-out pastry shapes on top of pastry. Brush again with egg.

Bake, uncovered, in a 400° F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand for 20 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

*I omitted the celery (just didn't have any that day)

**I used fresh carrots, diced, frozen peas, plus I added in ½

cup of frozen green beans

We're Linking this post up with:

Mouthwatering Monday

Melt in Your Mouth Monday

Made by you Monday

Tuesdays at the Table

Tasty Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Tasty Tuesdays

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Real Food Wednesdays

Whatever Goes Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

It's a Keeper Thursday

36thAvenueParty Time

Delicious Dishes

Things that Make You Say: "Mmmmm"

Feed Your Soul

Friday Favorites

Foodie Friday

Food Trip Friday

GCC Recipe Swap

See Ya in the Gumbo

 

Carla
&

Michael

Carla's Roasted Chicken Sandwich

This has become one of my favorite lunches ever. I saw this Grilled Chicken and Avocado Napoleons on a Giada at Home re-run and I knew I had to make it. I thought even though I didn't have any puff pastry thawed out, I could do this sandwich one better. Besides I thought that three sheets of the puff pastry was a bit too much "bread" for my liking. I'd had a large roasted chicken breast left over one night and sliced into thin slivers to make sandwiches with. I've made this three times over the last 10 days. Once on a large toasted croissant (the best), once on a toasted onion roll and this one on a small burger bun (hey, it was already thawed and at the ready).

Roasted Chicken, Avocado, and Spinach Sandwich

Courtesy Recipe Addict

Ingredients

Thinly sliced roasted chicken

Smoked Provolone cheese slices

Fresh baby spinach leaves

Red onion, sliced thin

Avocado slices

1 Tablespoon Sambal Oelek (ground fresh chili paste-found in the international isle)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Toasted croissant or bun of your choice

Directions

Make the chili mayo and refrigerate. The amounts are up to you. I make mine fairly spicy. Upon your toasted croissant or bun, layer the roasted chicken on the bottom half, smoked provolone, baby spinach leaves, sliced red onion, and sliced avocado. Top with a healthy slather of the chili mayonnaise and the top half of your bread. Sit back and enjoy one of the best sandwiches you have ever had.

This would also be excellent with turkey. Maybe some bacon too!

Linking this up to:

Tuesdays at the Table

Recipes I Can't Wait to Try

Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

It's a Blog Party

What's on Your Plate

Cast Party Wednesday

It's a Keeper Thursday

Transformation Thursday

This Weeks Cravings

Full Plate Thursday

 

Carla and Michael

Braised Chicken Thighs - Death Row Meal

When I'm desperate to make something different other than the "same old - same old", I go on a massive internet search. Chicken thighs, I've used them in many different ways, one of my favorite is this Pollo Guisado , I used chicken breasts and thighs in this posted recipe. However I've often made it with only the thighs. In any event, I had chicken thighs and was looking for something different and simple to make with them. That's when I stumbled upon this fabulous website, Stella Culinary . I love it. We loved this recipe too.

Chef Jacob says "Chicken thighs are the most used muscle of the animal, making it full of all sorts of great flavor. You see, the more exercise an animal’s muscle gets, the more connective tissue and collagen it is able to build up. This makes the cut of meat tough if cooked incorrectly (read seared rare), but if cooked low and slow in a braising liquid, all that collagen and tissue breaks down into gastronomic heaven!" I couldn't agree more.

Chicken, mushrooms, blanched garlic, shallot, and balsamic vinegar.

Chicken broth and baby spinach.

Sear the chicken over a med-high heat in a heavy pan with the skin side down. Cook until crispy golden brown. Flip and repeat for the other side. Remove to a plate and reserve.

Add the mushrooms and  butter to the pan, stirring to deglaze and pick up the fond (crispy brown bits in bottom of pan) in the bottom. Season with a bit of sea or kosher salt when mushrooms are softened and pan is almost dry. Add balsamic vinegar. Cook, reducing balsamic vinegar by half. 

Once the balsamic vinegar has reduced by half, add in the blanched garlic. Stir the mushrooms, garlic and balsamic together. Cook another couple of minutes, stirring mushrroms, garllic and vinegar to incorporate. Add in enough chicken stock to cover the thighs by 3/4's of the way up, leaving only the skin exposed.

Braised Chicken Thighs
Adapted from Stella Culinary


Ingredients
8 Chicken Thighs (Bone in, skin on)
1 lb Button Mushrooms
8 Tblps (1 stick) Butter
1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
15 clv Garlic (Blanched)
2 cups Chicken Stock
1 bag Baby Spinach

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Sear the chicken over a med-high heat in a heavy pan with the skin side down. Cook until crispy golden brown. Flip and repeat for the other side. Remove to a plate and reserve.
Add the mushrooms and butter to the pan, stirring to deglaze and pick up the fond (crispy brown bits in bottom of pan) in the bottom. Season with a bit of sea or kosher salt when mushrooms are softened and pan is almost dry. Add balsamic vinegar. Cook, reducing balsamic vinegar by half.
Once the balsamic vinegar has reduced by half, add in the blanched garlic. Stir the mushrooms, garlic and balsamic together. Cook another couple of minutes, stirring mushrroms, garllic and vinegar to incorporate. Add in enough chicken stock to cover the thighs by 3/4's of the way up, leaving only the skin exposed.

Bring this back to a simmer and then place into the oven for 45 minutes to an hour.When the thighs are cooked (165 degrees internal temp on meat thermometer) remove from oven and place thighs on a plate and cover to keep warm. Place pan back on the stove over med-high heat and reduce the braising liquid until it coats the back of a spoon. Add in the spinach and cook just to wilt it. Serve this sauce over the chicken, accompanied by some brown or white rice or even a short pasta.
Serves 4

I'm linking this up with:
Recipes I Can't Wait to Try with At Home With Haley
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
Tasty Traditions at Coupon Cookin
It's a Blog Party at Delicious Dishes
I'm Lovin It Fridays with Tidy Mom
Follow Me Home Friday with A Moderate Life
Frugal Friday with Life as Mom
Foodie Friday with Designs by Gollum
Friday Potluck with EKats Kitchen
Food Trip Friday with Happy Meals
What's on Your Plate with Good Cheap Eats
Fat Camp Friday at Mangoes and Chutney
Rcipe Swap Thusday with Prairie Story
Froday Favorites at Simply Sweet Home
GCC Recipe Swap at Grocery Cart Challenge
Friday's Favorites at Whistlestop Cafe

We hope you'll give this a try. You'll be surprised that such few ingredients can turn out such a succulent meal. Also stop by Stella Culinary and poke around. I'm sure you'll put them in your favorites as I did.

Carla and Michael

Chicken Cordon Bleu for My Funny Valentine

I would have to guess my life long motto should be "better late than never". Well I did promise you my sweeties favorite V-day meal, and no it couldn't be simpler. It really isn't (or didn't start out as) a french dish. It is thought to be an American take on a Swiss dish of Veal Cordon Bleu, in which veal is wrapped around the ham and cheese. It became an American classic in the 1960's and appeared on many a fine restaurant menu in it's day. In any event I have made this for Michael many times over the years, usually only for his birthday and it really is so simple and delicious I don't know why it's not a meal in our "rotation" of things to prepare. I did switch it up a bit by using Emeril's Esscence Seasoning which I make myself. He has it posted all over the food network. The basic recipe I followed is Emeril"s Chicken Cordoon Bleu here at MarthaStewart.com.
Served with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli, this was an excellent valentine/birthday dinner. Michael was a very happy man again this year.

Pound chicken breasts, roll up and seal, dredge and bread, then brown outside and finish off in the oven.

Slice into rounds.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse's 20-40-60:Fresh Food Fast,

Courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ingredients
4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces sliced Swiss cheese (4 to 6 slices)
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto or Black Forest ham
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons Emeril's Original Essence or Creole Seasoning
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup fine unseasoned dried bread crumbs
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons good dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mayonaise


Directions

Cut each piece of chicken in half horizontally and place each piece between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Using the smooth side of a meat mallet, pound out to a 1/4-inch thickness.
Place the 8 chicken pieces on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix mayonaise and dijon mustard and spread over chicken breasts. Divide cheese evenly between 4 pieces of chicken. Arrange prosciutto ham slices evenly over cheese; top with remaining 4 pieces of chicken. Tuck in any cheese or prosciutto ham that extends over the edges. Secure chicken pieces together using toothpicks along the edges to seal the edges.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
Place flour in a shallow dish; season with 1 tablespoon essence. In another shallow dish, mix together eggs and milk using a fork. Place bread crumbs in a third shallow dish; season with remaining 2 teaspoons Essence. Dip a chicken bundle in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip chicken in egg mixture, followed by seasoned breadcrumbs; transfer to a plate. Repeat process with remaining chicken bundles.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken bundles in skillet and cook, until browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn chicken and cook 2 minutes more

Transfer to prepared baking sheet and place in oven. Cook until cheese is melted and bubbly and chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove toothpicks and serve immediately.

*Note: I did not have to use the baking sheet as my skillet is oven safe.


I served ours with Mornay Sauce.
Mornay sauce is simply a traditional Bechamel sauce with the addition of shredded or grated cheese.

Mornay Sauce
Adapted from Cooks Recipes


Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups hot milk
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Dash ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons dijon mustard


Directions
Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour and cook slowly for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. The mixture should get foamy or frothy but not brown.
Add the hot milk and whisk vigorously until smooth. Add the seasonings and return to the heat and boil for about 1 minute over medium high heat. Remove from heat, add cheeses and stir until incorporated completely. Add dijon mustard and cayenne.

Makes about 2 1/4 cup.

Chicken Cordon Bleu drenched in Mornay Sauce with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli.I hope if you've never tried to make this, you will now. I know I am going to be making it a little more often than once a year.

I am linking this up with:
Sundays At  One Food Club at Cocina Diary
Magazine Mondays at Cream Puffs in Venice
Delicious Dishes at It's a Blog Party
Foodie Fridays at Designs by Gollum
Friday Potluck at E-Kats Kitchen
Fat Camp Fridays at Mangoes and Chutney
Saturday Swap at Quit Eating Out
GCC Recipe Cart Challenge at The Grocery Cart Challenge
Friday Favorites at Whistle Stop Cafe








 

Carla and Michael

The Quest for the Best - Chicken Tortilla Soup

Brrrr! That is the only thing that I say lately. Even with the heater running inside the house I'm still cold. This Florida girl can't take it. So I've been making lots of warming dishes like this Chicken Tortilla Soup to warm up with. I had searched and searched and could not come up with a recipe that I liked or one that was close to the Chicken Tortilla Soup I remember eating at a restaurant in Florida many years ago. So I have devised (took from many) my own recipe and I was so thrilled with how it turned out. I think in my opinion Chicken Tortilla Soup should have a rich smoky depth of flavor,. Otherwise your simply making a glorified chicken soup recipe. The chili powders I used gave this soup a nice smoky flavor and is heart and belly warming on these cold and blustery days. This soup makes me a happy.

BRRRR!!!

BRRRR some more!!!

I buy a variety of different types of dried peppers at my latin market, then remove the stems and shake out all of the seeds and blend them in my spice grinder into a powder and label each of them. I much prefer this to the pre-mixed "chili powder" already bottled for our convenience.

Ingredients
1 large carrot, diced
1 large celery stalk, diced
1 small onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (not pictured)
1 Tablespoon guajillo chile powder
1 Tablespoon arbol chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cilantro, dried (couldn't get my hands on fresh at the time) (also not pictured)
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 cup zucchini, par boiled and diced
1 cup yellow squash, par boiled and diced
1 28 ounce can tomatoes, drained
2 quarts chicken broth
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and diced or shredded
1 lime, juiced

Toppings
tortilla strips
diced avocado
crumbled queso fresco or mild feta cheese
Mexican crema or crême fraiche
lime wedges

Directions
In a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat add 1 tablespoon of oil and saute the onions, carrots, and celery about 6 to 8 minutes or until just tender. Add jalapeno garlic and saute another 2 to 3 minutes. At this point add the chili powders and cook (toast) them over the heat for a minute or two. Add tomatoes and break up with wooden spoon. Then add zucchini, yellow squash, corn, and black beans. Next add the cumin, oregano, and cilantro along with the chicken broth, chicken, and lime juice. Bring up to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour.

While soup is simmering cut 4 small tortillas into strips. Heat small skillet with oil over medium to medium-high heat and fry tortilla strips until lightly golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Serve soup with desired toppings. Makes 6 - 8 servings.

I am linkinig this to:

The Virtual Soup Swap hosted by A Southern Fairytale

Tuesdays at the Table hosted by All the Small Stuff

Sundays at One Food Club hosted by Cocina Diary

Delicious Dishes hosted by It's a Blog Party

Foodie Friday hosted by Designs by Gollum

GCC Recipe Swap hosted by Grocery Cart Challenge

Friday Favorites hosted by Simply Sweet Home

Recipe Swap Sundays hosted by Remodelaholic

Potluck Sunday hosted by Mommy's Kitchen

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday hosted by Blessed with Grace
Tasty Tuesday hosted by Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Friday Potluck hosted by EKat"s Kitchen

 Hearty Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

 

 

I hope you'll give this a try. I know you will love it as much as I did. I am dedicating this post to Heather at Girlichef in her quest to find the best Tortilla Soup recipe EVER. Ithink this is the one.

Carla and Michael

Chicken Larb

Finally a new chef is picked out over at IHCC . Don't get me wrong, I liked cooking with Mark Bittman, though Giada De Laurentiis is one of my favorite TV chefs. I know for many of you, not so much. Too much cleavage and too much over-emphasis on the italian enunciation of the ingredients. However I think she is a pretty classy lady. In any event we are welcoming Giada in with a party. Party food, that is. I went outside the box and decided to start out with something not so traditional for this Italian chef. Chicken Larb. Her version is made with turkey, which you can find here at Food Network . My picture is too blurry to appreciate this lovely lettuce wrap, but trust me we loved this recipe, as I am sure you will too.

Ingredients for the Larb. No pics of the sauce though. Silly me!



Chicken Larb
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

Dressing:
1/3 cup fresh lime juice, from about 5 limes
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 large lemon
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons honey


Larb:
3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1/2 red onion, diced
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 (4-inch) piece lemongrass, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 Thai chile, such as prik kee noo, or 1 serrano chile, stemmed and thinly sliced
Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1 tablespoon toasted rice powder
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, (I used much less)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated 

Serving suggestion: sticky or steamed white rice



Directions

Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, lemon juice, fish sauce and honey. Set aside.

Larb: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, shallots, lemongrass, chile, and salt, to taste. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and season with salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the meat and vegetables are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the toasted rice powder and toss to coat. Cook for another minute or two. Add the dressing to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the mint. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spoon the chicken mixture onto the lettuce leaves and arrange on a serving platter. Serve with sticky rice.




This is a recipe I will make time and time again with many different ground meats. I just adore anything you can stuff into a lettuce wrap. Stop by IHCC and see what everyonehas cooked up, or better yet join us in the fun.

 
 

Carla and Michael

Butter Chicken - My Way

Yes. I too, like so many have been gone for far too long. Let's just leave it at that. I apologize for not being here and now we are back. I am starting back with this recipe for  Butter Chicken  . We tried this some many months ago and never got around to posting it. This will be a new "Fall Favorite" for us. I did adapt my version from the recipe above and this one from  Tasty Kitchen to what I had on hand, and really liked the outcome. If you've never tried a version of Butter Chicken search around and try it. I guarantee you will surely love it.

I soaked mine in a buttermilk and spice solution first, like in the recipe from Tasty Kitchen's recipe. Not having any yogurt on hand, I substituted with the buttermilk.

Next I cooked the chicken until it was nicely browned.

Lastly I made the sauce and finished cooking the chicken in the sauce until cooked through.

Chicken Makhani 

Adapted from Allrecipes and Tasty Recipes

Ingredients

For the Marinade:

4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 cups buttermilk

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon cardamom
pinch of saffron

For the Sauce:
1 tablespoon oil
1 small onion, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ginger, finely grated
2 garlic cloves, minced into a paste
2 teaspoons garam masala, divided
1 bay leaf
1 can (14.5 oz. can) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz. can) petite diced tomatoes
1 pint whipping cream
1 bunch chopped cilantro, to taste
 
 
Directions
 
Combine first 10 ingredients and marinate overnight.
 
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Saute onion until soft and translucent. Stir in butter, lemon juice, ginger, garlic , 1 teaspoon garam masala, cumin and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in cream. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.


Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat, and season with 1 teaspoon garam masala and. Stir in a few spoonfuls of sauce, and simmer until liquid has reduced, and chicken is no longer pink. Stir cooked chicken into sauce.

Mix together cornstarch and water, then stir into the sauce. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.
Top with cilantro, if desired.
Serves 4.

This is definately a palate pleaser. I will be making this and trying out different versions of this dish thoughout these cooler, chilly months ahead.

Carla and Michael

Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta with Love

I've told you before about how Michael cooks from the cuff. This is one of those dishes were he went into the kitchen and cooked from a pick and choose method, with what we had left in the kitchen. We were trying to avoid doing any grocery shopping for the week (before last), as we knew we would be going out of town for 4 days. This dinner turned into one magnificent tasting dish with a mediterranean flair using the tomatoes and herbs from our garden. I must also tell you that we are in love. {; o)  Oh you already knew that. I mean with College Inn's White Wine with Herbs Culinary Broth. I keep several boxes in our pantry for those times when we've run out of white wine for cooking and forgot to buy more.

This recipe came together pretty fast after the initial grilling of the chicken. His ingredients of choice were as follows; 2 of the 3 pk. of grilled chicken breasts, EVOO, lemon juice, butter, house seasoning (salt, pepper, and garlic powder) C.I.'s White Wine with Herbs broth, garlic, shallot, bell pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and basil. Approximately a half pound box of your choice of short pasta.

Saute shallot and garlic in EVOO and butter.

Add peppers and mushrooms and saute until tender. Then add the grilled chicken, tomatoes, broth, lemon juice, and herbs.

Toss with cooked pasta and enjoy.

Michael's Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta

Courtesy of RecipeAddict

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, grilled

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tablespoons house seasoning

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, diced
1 teaspoon each fresh oregano, thyme, rosemary and parsley
1/2 teaspoon fresh basil
1 cup white wine and herb broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 bell pepper, julienne sliced (into strips)
1/2 cup slliced mushrooms
10-15 small tomatoes (grape or cherry)


Directions

Season chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon house seasoning mix.Grill chicken breasts and set aside.

In a large non stick skillet heat EVOO and butter over medium heat. Saute garlic and shallot until translucent and tender. Add peppers, mushrooms and remaining 1 tablespoon of housse seasoning mix and saute until tender.
Start a large pot of water on high heat and bring to a boil. When boiling add a good amount of salt and add pasta. Cook to al dente.
While pasta water is coming to a boil ,add the grilled chicken, tomatoes, broth, lemon juice, and herbs to the sauteing vegetables, simmering over low until flavors have a chance to marry and tomatoes break down a bit.
When pasta is cooked drain and add to the skillet.
Top with crumbled feta or grated parmesean if desired.

Makes 4 servings


This was so wonderful and comforting that I actually had some of the leftovers for lunch the next day. I (Carla) never do this as I have a problem with having the same dishes in a row, usually spreading out by a day or two, the repeat of a meal. I am going to be having this dish on a monthly basis now. I know it is a very basic recipe. There was just something about it that pleased all my senses. Most likely the white wine with herbs broth mixed with the lemon juice that danced on my tongue. I hope you'll try it.

With that said, I am sitting here today, Thursday, Sept. 2nd, 2010 waiting to see what this stupid hurricane is going to do. The weather outside is very windy and gloomy here in central N.C. today. I just hope it makes the turn more northward as they are now predicting. I guess Hurricane Earl is ushering out the last of Summer and hailing in the beginning of the Autumn/Fall season.
Monday is officially the end of Summer. Good-Bye Summer. Cooler nights are upon us now and hopefully soon, cooler days as well. I wish everyone a safe and fun filled Labor Day week-end.










Carla and Michael