Tasty Tuesday

Inspired by Italian cooking I came home ready to cook. Caprese salad was a food staple for us on our trip for lunch and dinner. Caprese salad is a very easy dish to prepare, but up until my trip it was not a favorite of mine. I'm not a big fan of raw tomatoes. I love them hot and made into sauces, but raw is another story. Early on in the trip we had it with some salt and pepper and that made a world of difference. It really enhances the flavor of both the tomato and the mozzarella. I made this salad a day or so after returning home. Slainte!

Caprese Salad (serves 2)
Ingredients
1/4 pound fresh mozzarella cheese (water packed), sliced 1/4 inch
1 ripe tomato (but not too soft), unrefrigerated, sliced 1/4 inch
3-4 fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry
2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (it's important to use good quality evoo, the kind used for eating not cooking)
coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Lay tomatoes out on plate, top each slice of tomato with a slice of mozzarella cheese. (The cheese and tomato can also be layered alternately around the plate)
2. Place basil leaves in the middle of the plate or, if you prefer, top each slice of cheese with a leaf.
3. Just before serving, drizzle olive oil generously over tomatoes, cheese, and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Since I don't love tomatoes all by themselves, I take a piece of tomato, a piece of cheese, and a piece of basil in one bite and it is delicious! Add a glass of wine and it's a very light lunch or dinner for the summer.

Tasty Tuesday

It was a beautiful day today so I wanted to cook something outside on the grill. I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and it's very easy. So easy in fact that even after putting the food on the grill and then the grill running out of propane I was able to schlep it back inside and cook it all in a grill pan. Slainte!

Grilled Peanut Chicken
Ingredients
2 tbsp reduced fat peanut butter
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 dash ground cayenne pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions
1. Spray grill with Pam or light oil. Preheat grill on high heat.
2. In a bowl, mix together the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Note: I added about 1 tsp of hot water to the mixture to soften the peanut butter a bit and make it mix together a little easier.
3. Place chicken on grill and brush with 1/2 the sauce. Grill 6 to 8 minutes. Turn chicken, and brush with remaining sauce. Continue grilling 6 to 8 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Remove from grill using a spatula to keep crispy bits on the chicken rather than on the grill.

I served with grilled zucchini and rice. It was so easy and very tasty. Next time I will double the peanut butter mixture to serve with the rice or for dipping sauce.

Tasty Tuesday

This week's recipe I also make every year for St. Patrick's Day. I spent the summer of 2000 in Ireland and ate this incredible brown bread just about every day for breakfast. It is dense and very hearty. It's also very easy as there is no yeast and nothing has to rise. Slainte!

Irish Brown Bread

Ingredients

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 cup oats (I use Quaker Oats)
1.5 tsp baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
2 Tbsp molasses



Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. I use my stand mixer and use that bowl for my dry ingredients.

2. In a smaller bowl, combine the buttermilk and molasses. 3. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry. I do this using the dough hook. The dough holds onto the dough hook when it is thoroughly mixed.

4. Lightly knead the dough 3 or 4 times on a floured surface. It can be sticky so add more flour if needed. Divide the dough into two rounds and score an X in the top about 1 inch deep using a knife. Place the rounds on a baking sheet and bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 and bake another 25-30 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and let cook on rack. Slice into 1/2 inch pieces. The bread is good warmed or toasted.

I made this recipe quite a bit before I had a stand mixer. It's tougher to make because it is hard to stir bread dough, but it can be done. If you have a stand mixer, use it because it is so simple - no heavy mixing needed!

Tasty Tuesday

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It just so happens that this week's Tasty Tuesday is a recipe that I make every year for St. Patrick's Day. Actually, I made it this weekend for my St. Patty's Day party on Saturday, but that's just because I'm too busy to make it during the work week. It sounds a little strange, but it is fantastic!!!

Steak and Guinness Pie

Ingredients

1 pie pastry for double 10-12 in. pie
1 2-lb Round steak
1 TBSP Flour
1 TBSP Brown sugar
1 TBSP Raisins
1 small-med onion
1 bottle Guinness stout
8 Slices bacon
3 TBSP shortening
Directions

1. Cut the steak into bite sized cubes, roll in seasoned flour, and brown in the shortening with the bacon, chopped small.

2. Place the meat in a casserole, peel and chop the onions, and fry until golden before adding them to the meat. Add the raisins and brown sugar, pour in the Guinness, cover tightly and cook in a very moderate oven (325-350F) for 2 1/2 hours.

3. Stir occasionally, and add a little more Guinness or water if the rich brown gravy gets too thick. Meanwhile, line a deep pie dish with half the pie crust: bake it:

4. Add the Guinness/beef mixture from the casserole, cover with the top layer of pie crust, and bake until finished, probably about 10 more minutes.

Jason was my brilliant sous chef as he made the pastry look beautiful! Really, this dish is so tasty it's not even funny. After attending my party a few years back my friend Amy asked for my recipe and later that year made it for a family get together. The family had an "appetizer contest" and she made Guinness Pie for it. She won the contest with my recipe! It's a prize winning pie and worth a try.
Another delicious St. Patrick's Day recipe next week!

Tasty Tuesday

We had about a week of cold weather and I like soup when the weather is cold. This is a potato cheese soup that is very easy and very tasty. Slainte!

Potato Cheese Soup
Ingredients
5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups milk (I used 1%)
3 tablespoons margarine, melted
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons steak seasoning (I used Montreal steak seasoning)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups shredded cheese (I use sharp cheddar)

Directions
1. In a large pot over medium heat, combine potatoes, carrot, celery, water and salt. 2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Once tender, stir in milk.
3. In a small bowl, combine melted margarine, flour, steak seasoning and pepper. Stir into soup, increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until thick and bubbly.
4. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

I topped with cheese and a little Tastefully Simple Bacon Bacon. It refrigerates well and tastes great as leftovers too!

Tasty Tuesday

Over the last week or so I have been busy and haven't wanted to spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking. I looked in my cookbook cupboard and pulled out a slow cooker cookbook. I don't remember where I got it and I don't think I've ever opened it before. I thought a slow cooker recipe would be ideal for my cooking mood. I found this one. It isn't something that can't be made outside of a slow cooker, but because it cooked for a long time everything was very tender and the flavors seemed to be more intense. Slàinte!

Slow Cooker Southwestern Chicken
Ingredients
2 - 15oz can corn, drained
1 - 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup chunky salsa
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
1 cup Cheddar cheese (I used a little more to serve)
Tortillas (I prefer corn)

Directions
1. Mix corn, black beans, and 1/2 cup salsa together in slow cooker.
2. Place chicken breasts over mixture.
3. Pour remaining 1/2 cup salsa over the top of chicken.
4. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or high for 4-5 hours
5. Before serving, use fork to shred chicken. The longer you wait, the easier it will be.
6. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over the top of the chicken and stir into the slow cooker. Cover and let cook for about 15 minutes.
7. Serve with warmed tortillas and any other condiments you like on tacos.
Note: Be sure to drain the corn and beans well, so it's not too watery. The cheese at the end will thicken it up a bit.

I will make this again for sure, but next time I will add some fresh cilantro to the tortillas before serving.

Happy Birthday To Me!

No, no, it's not my birthday (thank goodness!). One year ago today the Pumpkin Delight Blog was born. I can't believe I remembered since I missed the 100th post milestone, but that's neither here nor there. In order to follow in the footsteps of some great bloggers, I was planning on reposting one of my most commented on posts, but since today is Tasty Tuesday, I didn't
want to break tradition, so, I am reposting my most favorite dessert recipe - Red Velvet Cupcakes. Maybe you'd like to make them this week to celebrate my blogibirthday! Slàinte!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tbsp food coloring
1 tsp white distilled vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.
4. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer.
5. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
6. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled.
7. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
Ingredients
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth.
2. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated.
3. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Tasty Tuesday

I made this as an appetizer for last weekend's Super Bowl. This is a regular staple in my appetizer repertoire an it's always a hit, plus it's super easy! Slàinte!

Mexican Cheese Dip
Ingredients
4 cups shredded Mexican cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 small can diced green chilies
dash of garlic powder
1 small can chopped olives
2 chopped tomatoes
tortilla chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1. In a large bowl, stir cheese, mayo, chilies, and garlic powder until mixed thoroughly.
2. Add 1/2 can of olives to mixture. Save remaining olives for later.
3. Spread mixture into baking dish.
4. Bake at 400 degrees until cheese is melted and just bubbling, about 15 minutes.
5. Sprinkle chopped tomatoes and remaining olives over the top.
6. Serve with tortilla chips.

Sorry the picture is a little blurry because I was being knocked aside by football fans pushing and shoving to get to this dish. Before leaving, I wrote the recipe down for 3 other people. I promise you, it will be a hit!

Note: I know many of you are thinking, "I thought she didn't like mayonnaise?" That's right, I don't! I can't think about it too hard, but because it's all cooked up, I can't tell it's in the dip. The worse part is scooping it out of the jar into the bowl. My 1 cup measurement is always a bit skewed because I look away and sing really loud to myself so I don't have to see it or hear it. Once it's cooked up though, you never know it's there!

Tasty Tuesday

Yes, yes, pasta again! This is an easy one and quite fresh and light too. You can follow the recipe exact, or change up the vegetables for a little variation. Slàinte!

Tomato and Sausage Pasta

Ingredients
1 pound pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pound spicy Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped (or 1 tbsp dried basil)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used Parmigiano-Reggiano)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Begin boiling water for pasta.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil and sausage; cook through until no longer pink. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add onion and garlic to skillet. Add broth, basil and tomatoes with liquid.
3. Add pasta to boiling water, and cook according to package directions.
4. Cook sausage mixture over medium heat for 5 minutes to slightly reduce. Add chopped asparagus (or any vegetables); cover skillet and simmer on reduced heat until asparagus is tender. About 10 minutes.
5. Drain pasta and pour back into hot cooking pot.
6. Add sausage mixture and Parmesan cheese to pasta. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed. Cover pot and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.
7. Sprinkle top of each serving with Parmesan cheese.
Some other vegetable options are spinach or chopped broccoli (about 10 oz, fresh or frozen work well).

Tasty Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday is pleased to announce that all your favorite Tasty Tuesday recipes now have links on the side bar, right below my blog roll. Thanks JLo for kick in the butt to do it.

This week's recipe is really just a sandwich, but it is one of my favorite, super quick meals,

I keep the ingredients in my kitchen so if I am feeling less creative with my cooking I can throw this together and still have a nutritious, satisfying meal. Slàinte!

Greek (because I think some of the ingredients are Greek) Chicken Pita

Ingredients (enough for one pita)

1/2 grilled chicken breast, shredded (best served warm)

Lettuce

1 tbsp feta cheese

1 tbsp chopped kalamata olives

1 tbsp chopped sun dried tomatoes

1 pita bread, cut in half (I used Western Bagel's Alternative Pita)

1 tbsp Greek salad dressing (optional)

Note: There are so many good flavors that I don't usually add the dressing. Since I also pack this sandwich for my work lunches, the dressing would make it too soggy.

Directions

1. Mix feta, olives, tomatoes and lettuce together in small bowl. Add the warm chicken. Combine. If using the dressing, mix that in as well.

2. Open the pita halves and then lightly toast to the pita is a bit crispy.

3. Spoon half the mixture into each pita half.

Here is the pita sandwich served with apples and the best potato chips ever, Salt and Cracked Pepper Kettle Chips. I had it Sunday night for dinner, but made extra to bring for lunches this week.

Tasty Tuesday

Today's TT is in honor of Barack Obama who, in a couple of hours, will be our nation's new President. My students and I will be watching the inauguration ceremony this morning and this is the first time I think that I am looking forward to it. He's got a tough road ahead of him, but I am hoping for the best.

I first tried this week's Tasty Tuesday at a friends house a couple of years ago. Book club was at her house that evening and she ordered pizzas, pastas, and salads from an Italian restaurant in town. All of the food was very good, but this pizza was outstanding. I made a mental note of all the flavors I tasted and tried to recreate it at home. This is what I came up with. Slàinte!

Pear Gorgonzola Pizza
Ingredients
1 round pizza dough (I use Trader Joes)
1 splash extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1-2 bartlett pears, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tbsp gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1-2 cups mozzarella cheese
red pepper flakes (to taste)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees (or according to pizza dough directions)
1. Prepare dough onto sprayed pizza pan according to dough directions.
2. Rub olive oil and spread crushed garlic onto dough.
3. Place pears onto dough in a single layer.
4. Sprinkle gorgonzola cheese over the pears.
5. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top.
6. Add red pepper flakes to taste, to add a bit of spice.
7. Bake pizza at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until crust and cheese has browned a bit.
8. Let set up for about 5 minutes before cutting into slices.

Simple AND delicious!

Tasty Tuesday

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

I made these last week after making the tortillas. It's cheesy and spicy. Slàinte!

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup chili powder
12 oz canned tomato sauce
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
salt to taste

corn tortillas (12 or 13)

2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (I use extra sharp)

2 cups shredded chicken (I grill mine using garlic pepper)

1 8oz can sliced black olives

Instructions

For sauce...

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly.

3. Stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, and onion salt into the flour and chili powder until smooth.

4. Continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.

For enchiladas...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. To make the tortillas more pliable they need to warmed. Heat them on both sides over a gas stove for about 30 seconds each side or cover them with paper towels and put them in the microwave for about 45 seconds.

2. Pour enough sauce in a 9x12 baking dish to just cover the bottom. Pour 1/2 of the remaining sauce into a shallow dish or plate (about the size of your tortillas).

3. One at a time, dip a tortilla into the shallow dish to cover with sauce, turn over and cover the other side.

4. Place tortilla on a clean surface (I use another plate). Add about a tablespoon of chicken, a teaspoon of cheese, and a few olives to one end of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla tightly and place in the bottom of the baking dish, rolled end down so it doesn't unroll.

5. Repeat process until the baking dish is full. (I usually get 9 tortillas lengthwise and then I add 4 more to the sides for a total of 13)

6. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle remaining cheese and olives over the sauce.
7. Place in oven and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Since all the ingredients are cooked, you're just looking to get the insides hot and the cheese melted.
They are best out of the oven, but heat up for left overs pretty well too.

Tasty Tuesday

About a year and a half ago while on a school break I got a bug up my butt and decided I wanted to make tortillas from scratch. I bought myself a tortilla press and then put it in the cupboard and forgot about it as I had to go back to work and didn't have time to experiment. Since I am again on vacation with some time to play in the kitchen, I decided to give it whirl. Slàinte!

The ingredients are simple - a bag of corn masa flour and some water. I used 2 cups of masa, and 1 1/4 cups of water. Depending on how many tortillas you want to make you would adjust the amounts accordingly.

Mix the masa and water together in a bowl. The mixture needs to be a dough like consistency. If it's too dry, add some water, about a tablespoon at a time.

Divide the dough into 16 pieces (or however many tortillas you will be making). Roll each piece into balls. Cover with a wet cloth to keep moist.

The dough can be rolled out into a circle using a rolling pin, but the tortilla press is much easier. The tortilla press needs to be lined with plastic wrap or a freezer bag can be cut into 2 circles and used instead (that's what I used so I could just wash and store it with the press). Place one piece of plastic on the bottom of the press. Place the dough in the middle of the bottom plastic and cover with the top plastic.

Flatten the dough in the tortilla press. I recommend that you don't just flatten it in one push. I pressed a little, opened and turned the dough a little, pressed again, and so on until I got the right thickness. All in one push made mine a little uneven.

Remove top plastic and turn tortilla over onto your hand. Gently peel off the bottom piece of plastic and lay the tortilla into a heated (med-high heat)m ungreased cast iron pan. Cook for about a minute on each side.

Remove from the pan and cover with a towel to keep warm.

The corn tortillas were very good and quite easy once I got the hang of the press. I will definitely make them again. I made chicken enchiladas with 13 of them and will share that with you for next week's Tasty Tuesday.

Tasty Tuesday

This week, Tasty Tuesday may be a day late and a dollar short, but I wanted to share a side dish I made this year for Thanksgiving. I went to my cousin's house for Turkey Day this year (that's a whole other post) and when I asked if I could bring anything I was told that anything was fine, but if I wanted yams to bring them myself since they weren't being made by the cook. I don't particularly like yams or sweet potatoes, but I figured if they were mentioned I might want to bring them. I looked on AllRecipes.com and found several typical yam dishes, but I just don't like them. But I found this recipe that sounded so much better than the typical candied yams business. Disclaimer: If you like candied yams, that's fine, I am not insulting you here, I just don't personally like them. Please don't leave me a comment that I am stereotyping yam eaters, or that I'm not knowledgeable enough about yams to like them. This is just MY opinion. You don't have to agree with it and I don't have to agree with you. This doesn't make me a bad person.

Anyhow, this dish was a hit with the Thanksgiving diners. I changed up the recipe a bit. Below is how I made it, but I have linked the original.

Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole
Ingredients:
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered (Note that sweet potatoes and yams are different. Sweet potatoes are actually a white potato.)
2 tblsp melted butter
2 tblsp brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large cooking apples - peeled, cored, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used Granny Smith)
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:
1. Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook 25 minutes, or until tender but firm. Drain, cool and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 8x10 inch baking dish.
3. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar (2 tblsp), cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. Layer sweet potatoes, melted butter (2 tblsp), brown sugar mixture and apples in the prepared baking dish.
5. In a medium bowl, mix flour, remaining brown sugar, remaining butter and pecans. Spread over the top of the apples.
6. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Here is the dish, put together at home before being baked.

It's a sweeter dish than I prefer, but it was tasty. The caramelized sauce on top is delicious. A few people didn't know it was sweet potatoes and were surprised when I told them after eating it. My cousin who doesn't usually try the yams/sweet potatoes tried it and liked it as well. Maybe you can try it for your upcoming winter holiday or save it for next year's Turkey Day!

Tasty Tuesday

I know, I know, I know...I have posted this recipe before. It pains me to repeat a post and I know I give other repeaters such a hard time, but the repeat is for good reason. Back in August I posted this recipe in my first Tasty Tuesday, but it was August and everyone was hot, from the heat. It is now November and in most of the world it has cooled, except of course in Socal where it's still super hot, so I wanted to remind you about my most favorite and easy soup recipe. So this is not really a repeat but more a public service announcement. Slàinte!

Chicken Tortilla Soup - Slow Cooker
Ingredients
2-3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (can be frozen)
1 (15 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed

1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chile peppers

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups water
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 (10 oz) package frozen corn

1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (add more if you like it like I do)

7 corn tortillas

vegetable oil

Directions

1. Put all ingredients (except tortilla and oil) into slow cooker. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours. Before serving, shred chicken using a fork - it will just fall apart.

2. Preheat oven to 400.

3. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4. Bake in preheated oven until lightly brown and crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Add tortilla strips and any other toppings...serve!

Tasty Tuesday

This week's recipe is so yummy but so sinful! It is not a low-cal recipe, so the health concious beware. I'd like to play with it a bit to see if I can lessen the fat content, but I haven't wanted to ruin it. If anyone has any ideas let me know. I served this at a Christmas dinner last year along with some other Christmasy dishes and it was a hit. If you are looking for something rich and super-duper easy, try this. (I don't have any photos of this one. The next time I make it I will take them.)

Chicken Breasts in Tarragon Cream Sauce
Ingredients
4 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves (about 1.5 pounds)
Salt and Pepper
2 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
3/4 cup dry white wine (I use pinot grigio)
1 cup heavy cream
2-3 tsp fresh tarragon, coarsely chopped
the juice of 1 lemon
12 oz cooked egg noodles

Directions
1. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 3 seconds. Carefully place chicken breasts into the pan and cook them for about 1 minute on each side just until they begin to brown slightly. Transfer the still-raw chicken to a plate.
2. Reduce the heat to low. Add the wine to the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the cream and half the tarragon. Return the chicken breasts to the pan and adjust the heat so that the cream gently simmers. Cover and cook until the chicken is firm and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes.
3. Transfer the chicken breasts to a serving dish. The sauce should be thick enough to lightly coat a spoon. If it is too thin, continue to simmer it for about 1 minute and it will thicken. Stir in the remaining tarragon and the lemon juice, then taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
4. Add chicken to egg noodles and cover with sauce. Mmmm!

Note: Start the water for the noodles so it is ready when you begin the chicken. Add the noodles when you start the chicken. They will be done at about the same time.

Tasty Tuesday

This weekend a friend of mine who moved to Hawaii a few years ago was in town visiting. We got together at my friend Marcie's house for Sunday brunch. Marcie made pancakes, potatos, and "scientific" sausage. Jason made bacon, and I made an egg dish. We had a very nice time visiting, and the brunch was delicious.

(From left to right: Anna, Jason, Marcie...I'm taking the picture)

Cheesy Egg Casserole

Ingredients
12 eggs, mixed
1 cup of milk
1 can crescent rolls
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Sausage links, browned and cut up into bite-sized pieces
Veggies can also be added.


Instructions
Preheat over to 350
Spray 9 X 13 pan with cooking spray
Open crescent rolls, roll out, and lay flat in the bottom of the pan. Smush together so they cover the entire bottom.
Mix eggs and milk together
Add 1/2 cup cheese, sausage, and ???? to eggs
Stir all ingredients until mixed.
Pour into pan, over crescent rolls.
Add remainder of cheese to the top.
Bake at 350 for an hour.

Before taking out of oven, tip pan a bit to see if egg mixture is still runny. If runny cook a little longer. Cheese will be soft but will firm up while cooling.
Cool for a few minutes then cut into squares. I am told that salsa is very good on it (I don't like tomato products and eggs together).

Tasty Tuesday

Since I've been away from the blog all week, this week's Tasty Tuesday comes from Hula Hank. I'm always up for trying a new recipe.

I know a great recipe for your Tasty Tuesday. Dump a jar of Newman's Own pasta sauce on Paul Newman (in the photo of course) and enjoy!!!

I must say, sounds de-lish! I wonder if I can find me one of those at the grocery store. What do you think?

BTW, Hula Hank is having a Leading Men of the Silver Screen Contest. Go check it out and vote for your favorite oldie but goodie.