Colorful Salads/ Shrimp Ceaser and Chicken & Edamame Salads!!!

Some basics for Easy, yet Delectable Salads this Summer!

Lance grilled some yummy shrimp the other night on the charcoal grill and it was DIVINE! Decided to toss some greens in ceaser salad slice up some tomatoes and Bam- had a mouth watering Grilled Shrimp Ceaser Salad!!!!

We also grilled chicken and pulled it apart for leftovers the second night and I put together a very colorful salad of Grilled Chicken, mixed greens and the best thing on a salad ever...... Edamame. It was WONDERFUL! Had never tried that before but will be always adding it to a fresh salad now! ENJOY!

Chicken Scampi

 

This was a very awesome italian dish! Smelled like a little bit of Italy in the house!!! This is a mock scampi of Olive Gardens recipe. It turned out wonderfully and full of Italian flavors and my favorite: GARLIC! It was a little time consuming but dont let that scare you, it was totally worth it! Hope you try it and like it!!!!

INGREDIENTS:

WHITE SAUCE


1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup milk, hot


SCAMPI SAUCE

3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon dried cilantro (optional)
2 teaspoons italian seasoning
black pepper
3/4 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth

REMAINING INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb angel hair pasta, cooked and drained
2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
10 garlic cloves, roasted
2 chicken breasts, sliced
olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1 ROASTED GARLIC: Separate head of garlic into individual cloves still in 'paper'. toss in olive oil and wrap tightly in aluminum foil or a small pint sized dish with a lid. bake in 350* oven for 45 minutes. when the garlic has cooled to the touch you should be able to squeeze it out of the 'paper' shell of the individual cloves.

2 For white sauce: Heat 1 tablespoons butter in sauce pan, add 2 tablespoons flour and cook for 2 minutes on med. heat. heat stirring constantly. slowly add 3/4 cup hot milk (hot so it won't get lumpy). Set aside. (Make sure that the white sauce is hot when adding to the scampi sauce).


3 For scampi sauce: Heat butter over low heat. add the garlic, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper and black pepper. cook for about 2 minutes on low heat. add the wine and chicken broth. stir until combined. (I usually cook mine for about 30-40 minutes). add 1/4 cup white sauce and cook till slightly thickened.

4 In a large skillet, saute chicken in a little olive till nearly done. add the peppers and onions, saute till chicken is done. add the sauce. saute until everything is warmed. add roasted garlic cloves. serve over pasta.

Easy "Leftover Chicken" Cacciatore!

This recipe came about on a night I had 2 cups of leftover shredded rotisserie chicken and no idea what to make for dinner. I had never made Chicken Cacciatore before, but knew that it consisted of pasta, red sauce and chicken, all of which I had on hand. So I made up an easy recipe for a "Like" Chicken Cacciatore recipe. You can add more or less of any of the ingredients I have listed below, but these were the measurements and basic ingredients I chose to put in to make it feel like the real cacciatore! Hope you try it and like it!



Leftover Chicken Cacciatore
2 cups of leftover shredded rotisserie chicken

1 Box of pasta, "I used rotoni"

2 cans of mushrooms and stems, drained

2 cans of petite tomatoes, "slightly drained both cans"

1 can tomato paste

1 TBS Italian seasoning "more or less"

2 garlic cloves minced

2 TBS olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan Cheese for garnish



In a saucepan, heat oil and minced garlic over medium heat. Gradually add 2 cans of petite tomatoes, "both slightly drained", tomato paste, Italian seasonings and salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Lastly add mushrooms and chicken; mix well and bring to a 2nd simmer for 10 more minutes. Serve over hot pasta and garnish with Parmesan cheese. “And That’s What’s Delectable for Dinner Tonight!”

Shrimp in Angel Hair Pasta Casserole

Well, I contemplated doing this recipe for a while. On one hand it was a recipe my Grandma Campbell gave me a long time ago because she knew I loved shrimp so I really wanted to try it! On the other hand it was loaded in cheese so I knew it wasn’t the healthiest recipe to be feeding my family. However, we had my Mother-in-law coming in town and I knew she liked shrimp as well, so I figured it was the perfect time to try it out. Boy am I sooooooo glad I did. This was one of the best casseroles I have tried in a long time! It was sooo yummy. It is very different than most casseroles, since it had salsa and shrimp in it, but let me tell you, it was divine! I hope you will try this "family" recipe my Grandmother passed on to me, I sure wished I had tried it sooner; it will definitely be a repeat for company! Hope you try it and like it! ENJOY.




Shrimp in Angel Hair Pasta Casserole

2 eggs
1 cup half and half
1 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1.2 cup grated swiss cheese
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Oregano
1 lb. med shrimp
1/2 cup grated monteray jack cheese
1 pkg angel hair pasta
1 jar (16oz) Thick and Chunky Salsa


In a bowl mix eggs, half and half, yogurt, feta and swiss cheeses, parsley, basil and oregano.
Spread half of the cooked angel hair pasta on bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish,

Cover with salsa.

Add half of the shrimp, cover with remaining pasta.

Pour and spread egg mixture over pasta, add remaining shrimp and top with monteray jack cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. ENJOY!

Parmesan Chicken

So my picture doesnt do this meal any justice! It is a pan seared Chicken Parmesan and let me tell you, it is to die for!!!! Its so simple and was even pulled from my Busy Family Cookbook, but it tastes like you've been cooking for hours! I will say the tablespoon of butter and tablespoon of oil are not particularly good for you I know, and I try not to "pan fry anything" but once in a while its okay and it was totally worth it for this recipe!  Hope you try it and like it!!!!

Parmesan Chicken

4 boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used Italian)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (I actually used fresh shredded and it was great, but either will work)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 egg
1 TBS butter
1 TBS vegetable oil

Flatten chicken to 1/4 in thickness.

In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and basil.

In another shallow bowl, beat the egg.

Dip chicken into egg then coat with crumb mixture.

In a large skillet, brown chicken over medium heat in butter and oil for 3-5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

ENJOY! (Picture doesnt do it justice, it was Phenomenal!!! Crispy perfection!

Braised Pork Chops

This was a recipe out of my large Taste of Home cookbook I tried last week. It was very good and very flavorful pork! This was also very simple if you are looking for something quick to do with your pork chops! Be very careful not to over cook your pork when browning in skillet, its very easy to do!!!!!! Just a tip I learned from Sandra Lee, for extra flavor and moisture, top the cooked meat with a seperate finishing sauce and let it stand for 5 minutes before serving. So when you make the wine sauce with this recipe, ladel it over the pork and let stand for more mositure!!!! Enjoy!!! Hope you try it and like it!

Braised Pork Chops

1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 boneless pork loin chops (1/2 inch thick and 4 ounces each)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine or apple juice, divided
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Directions

•Combine the sage, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper; rub over both
sides of pork chops.

In a large nonstick skillet, brown chops on
both sides in butter and oil. Remove.

•Add 1/2 cup wine or juice to the skillet; bring to a boil.

Return chops to pan. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or
until meat juices run clear, basting occasionally.

Remove chops to a serving platter and keep warm.

•Add the remaining wine or juice to the skillet. Bring to a boil,
loosening any browned bits from the pan. Cook, uncovered, until
liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup.



Pour over pork chops; sprinkle with
parsley.

Yield: 4 servings.

"Corder Coffee Pot Roast"

Well, I got a Crockpot for Christmas this year which was a great gift knowing I would be a little tied up with 2 children when trying to prepare dinners in the evenings now. It definitely comes in handy when you don't want to fool with thinking about what’s for dinner at 5pm in the evening. However, I definitely plan to make delectable dinners from scratch as often as I can still (it’s my passion!).
I made a coffee pot roast last night and it was divine! :) I’m not big on pot roasts but this one I found online sounded worth trying. I put a little of my own spin on it and kind of made it my own, so I named it Corder Coffee Pot Roast as opposed to just Coffee Pot Roast. I figured a Crockpot recipe every now and then could still be a delectable entry for the blog, so here it is. Hope you try it and enjoy it!

Corder Coffee Pot Roast
2 large onions quartered
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 lbs chuck roast
1 cup brewed coffee
1/4 cup soy sauce
pepper to taste
1/4 cup cornstarch
8 tablespoons cold water


Quarter the beef roast.
Place half of the onions and garlic in the bottom of the crock pot.
Add half the beef.
Repeat.
Combine the coffee and soy sauce over beef and onions.
Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Remove beef.
Combine the cornstarch and water whisking to smooth.
Add to the juices in crockpot and stir well.
Return beef to crockpot and cover, cooking for another 30 minutes on high.