CHICKEN CORDON BLEU BREAD BOWLS

I made these yummy little bread bowls a while ago, with the arrival of my Cuisine at Home Magazine. We thought they were amazing with a double thumbs up from my husband. I thought at the time what a perfect fall dish this would be. I hope you'll give it a try and let me know what you think.


CHICKEN CORDON BLEU BREAD BOWL
(Recipe adapted from Cuisine at Home)

For the Chicken:

4 T. butter

16 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast cubed (about 3 chicken breasts)

1/2 C. minced shallots (or onion)

2 T. flour

1 C. apple juice

1 1/4 C. chicken broth

1/2 C. heavy cream

1/4 C. grated Parmesan

2 T. mustard

1 t. thyme

2 C. broccoli florets, blanched

salt and cayenne pepper to taste

For the Casserole:

4 round sourdough loaves (or medium bread bowls)

4-8 thin slices smoked ham

4 large slices Swiss cheese

4 t. grated Parmesan, divided

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a small baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a saute pan. Add the chicken and saute until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the shallots and saute until softened, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle mixture with flour, stir to incorporate.

4. Combine the apple juice and broth; slowly add, stirring constantly to avoid clumping.

5. Stir in cream, Parmesan, mustard and thyme; simmer after each addition until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli; season with salt and cayenne. Reduce heat to low.

6. Hollow out the loaves by cutting off the tops and tearing out the insides. (Remove as much bread as possible.) Compress any remaining bread inside the loaves to make room for the filling. Toast loaves directly on oven rack, about 5 minutes; remove to prepared baking sheet.

7. Arrange the ham slices in the bottom of each loaf. Using a slotted spoon, divide chicken mixture evenly between loaves, reserving sauce in the pan.

8. Top the chicken in each loaf with a slice of Swiss and sprinkle with 1 t. Parmesan.

9. Bake the bread bowls until the cheese melts, about 10-15 minutes. Serve each bread bowl with reserved cream sauce.

10. Makes 4 bowls.

CREAMY CORN FETTUCCINE w/ grilled chicken

This is my favorite time of year...well one of them :) I love when the weather starts to cool off just a bit, and the anticipation of fall begin's. And of course it's still peach and corn season...two of my favorite foods.

When I came across this recipe in my Cuisine at Home Magazine...I instantly knew it would be a winner! So run down to your local produce stand, before they close in a few weeks, and gets some yummy fresh corn for this dish. Trust me, you won't be sorry!

(You'll notice in my photo that I used spaghetti noodles instead of fettuccine. That's just what I had on hand. Really you could use any pasta you like.)

CREAMY CORN FETTUCCINE w/ grilled chicken
(Adapted from a Cuisine at Home recipe)

½ lb. fettuccine noodles
1 ½ C. fresh corn kernels
2 T. butter
½ C. onion; diced
1 T. garlic; minced
1/2 C. heavy cream
1 t. sugar
1 C. grape tomatoes; halved (or diced fresh tomatoes)
¼ C. fresh basil; thinly sliced
1 t. fresh lemon juice
¼ C. Parmesan; grated
salt & pepper to taste
2 large chicken breasts; grilled and sliced

1. Boil water and cook fettuccine noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. Sauté onion and garlic in butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add corn kernels, cream and sugar; simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes, basil, lemon juice and Parmesan. Cook for 2 minutes or until ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Season with salt & pepper.
6. Toss in the pasta and serve topped with grilled chicken.
7. Serves 4.

OLIVE CAPER CHICKEN PASTA

Last week I was playing around with some ingredients and an idea I had. A combination of a recipe I found in a magazine and a dish I had years ago at an Italian restaurant in New York's Little Italy.

This was the final result and it was so yummy, I just had to share!

As a side note:

If you haven't cooked with capers, I beg you to try them. Capers are the buds from the Caper Bush. They are usually pickled and have a salty, vinegary, tangy flavor. They bring a little burst of flavor to Italian and Mediterranean dishes. You can find them in most grocery stores. Sometimes they are in the condiment isle, or by the olives, or specialty section. I can even get them at Walmart. If for some reason you have a hard time tracking them down, just ask a grocery store employee to direct you.

OLIVE CAPER CHICKEN PASTA
(Mindi Original)

¼ C. olive oil
2 T. shallots; minced
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts; cubed
Salt & Pepper
1 C. black olives; chopped
½ C. capers
2 C. or 1 pkg. grape tomatoes halved (or use diced fresh tomatoes from the garden)
2 T. lemon juice
½ C. cream
½ lb. pasta; cooked aldente
2-3 T. fresh parsley

1. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the shallots are caramelized and the chicken begins to brown.
2. Add the olives, capers and tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes start to break down slightly, about 2-4 minutes.
3. Add the lemon juice, stir to combine.
4. Add the cream, stir just enough to incorporate.
5. Toss in the pasta and parsley.
6. Serve immediately.
7. Serves 4 adults.

*This dish would be just as delicious without the chicken, for all you vegetarians out there.

ROASTED VEGGIE CHICKEN LASAGNA

Can you tell I'm working on a theme here? Not really intentionally, more out of a need to utilize the plethora of veggies being harvested from my garden right now. This recipe was a 'middle of night, can't sleep, thinking about what to do with all my veggies' idea! I had several different ideas, but they morphed into lasagna...chicken lasagna...with roasted veggies!

So, you're probably going to look at this recipe and think it's too long, too involved and/or too hard. I'm not going to lie and tell you its one of those throw together super easy meals, but I assure you it isn't as time consuming or difficult as it may read. Minus the cooking time, all the prep took me less than an hour. I would call this a 'Sunday dinner' or 'special occasion' recipe. And I promise you, it's worth a little work. It was delicious!!

ROASTED VEGGIE CHICKEN LASAGNA
(Mindi Original)

For the Veggies:
1 small yellow squash
1 small zucchini
1 small sweet potato
5 button mushrooms
½ red onion
3-4 small tomatoes (home grown or roma)
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

1. Dice all the veggies into ¼ inch cubes.
2. Spread onto a large baking sheet, sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.
4. Roast in a 450 degree oven for 30 minute. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you prepare the sauce for the Lasagna.

For the chicken:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1-2 qt. water
2 t. salt
2 bay leaves
½ C. lemon juice

1. Put everything in a large stock pot. Chicken can be frozen.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
3. Remove from heat, drain and allow chicken to cool. When cool, shred with a fork.

For the Sauce:
¼ C. butter
4-6 cloves garlic
¼ C. flour
1 C. heavy cream
2 C. chicken stock
1 C. Parmesan cheese
Prepared shredded chicken from above
Salt & Pepper

1. In a larges sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the garlic and allow to cook over low heat until the garlic starts to brown slightly.
2. Add the flour to form a rough.
3. Add the cream and stock. Increase heat and bring to a boil.
4. As the sauce begins to thicken, add the cheese and chicken.
5. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

For the Lasagna:
1 recipe roasted veggies
1 recipe sauce
12 lasagna noodles; cooked aldente, drained and dried
2-3 C. mozzarella cheese

1. Layer the lasagna into a 9x13 dish, sprayed with cooking spray, as follows:

Tiny bit of sauce on the bottom
4 noodles
1/3 veggies
1/3 sauce
cheese
4 noodles
1/3 veggies
1/3 sauce
cheese
4 noodles
1/3 veggies
1/3 sauce
cheese

2. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

*For you non-meat eaters out there...Lisa...wink, wink...just leave the chicken out of the sauce and this will still be super yummy! You can also use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.

HAWAIIAN BBQ CHICKEN WRAPS

I've had a bit of an obsession with wraps lately...have you noticed? I don't know why, they just seem like an easy summer meal. I always have plenty of tortilla's on hand...and they're just begging to be stuffed with something yummy.

My latest creation is a twist on my favorite Papa Johns pizza...all the deliciousness of the Hawaiian BBQ Chicken...tortilla style!


HAWAIIAN BBQ CHICKEN WRAPS
(Mindi Original)

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt & Pepper
BBQ Sauce – Your favorite brand
4-6 slices of bacon; diced
1 small red onion; diced (or ½ of a large onion)
1 – 8 oz. can pineapple tidbits
2 Roma tomatoes; diced
1 C. shredded romaine lettuce
4-6 flour tortillas
1 C. mozzarella cheese

1. In a medium skillet cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and drain off the fat, leaving about 1 T. in the pan.
2. Add the onion and pineapple to the skillet, cook until the onion’s start to release their juices, about 3-4 minutes. Add the bacon back to the pan and continue cooking over medium heat until the onion’s start to caramelize.
3. In the mean time, season the chicken with salt & pepper. Grill approximately 6 minutes per side, basting with barbeque sauce as they cook. When the chicken is done, remove from the grill and allow to rest.
4. Sprinkle a generous amount of mozzarella cheese on the tortilla’s and broil on high for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
5. Slice the rested chicken into thin strips.
6. Stack the wraps as follows:

Tortilla with cheese
Sliced chicken
Bacon/pineapple/onion mixture
Tomatoes
Lettuce
BBQ sauce

7. Roll up and devour! Serves 4.

HONEY SOY CHICKEN

I think I've over-herbed my family these last few weeks. Is over-herbed a word or acceptable phrase?? If it is, the definition would be...cooking every meal with basil, mint, chives or a combination of any or all of the above. I guess it's a side affect of growing said herbs in my little garden. They are growing like weeds and I feel bad letting any go to waste. As a side note, if you are one of my neighbors or live close by, feel free to come pillage from my garden...there is plenty to go around.

To take a little brake from the herb fest, I decided to go Asian for a night and came up this yummy concoction. It was delicious! I hope you enjoy!

HONEY SOY CHICKEN
(Mindi Original)

For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ C. honey
¼ C. soy sauce
½ C. olive or Canola Oil
2 t. garlic powder
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper

For the sauce:
4 T. honey
1 T. soy sauce

2-3 T. toasted sesame seeds

1. Mix together the honey, soy sauce, oil, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Add the chicken and marinate for at least 2 hours or up to 6.
2. About 30 minutes before you plan to cook the chicken make the sauce by combining the honey and soy sauce. Stir until the honey dissolves into the soy sauce. Set aside.
3. If you don’t want to purchase toasted sesame seeds, you can toast your own by placing them in a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Stir the seeds until they start to brown and become aromatic.
4. Grill your chicken until desired doneness. With the honey in the marinate you will get some charring, but don’t worry the chicken will still be yummy.
5. After grilling, drizzle the with the honey sauce and top with toasted sesame seeds.
6. Serve with Rice. Serves 4.

RANCH CHICKEN TORTELLINI SALAD

When you love to cook, you get inspiration in just about everything and everywhere. Sometimes I'm eating out and I'm inspired to recreate my meal at home. Sometimes I'm watching a cooking show or reading a cooking magazine and I get idea's about food combinations, flavors, unique ingredients etc...and I I'm inspired to try something new. Some times I'm just at a loss for dinner idea's and I open my pantry and play my own version of Door Knock Dinners...

...by the way, does anyone remember that show. A chef would be lucky to knock on my door. I always have full pantry and freezer. The possibilities would be endless...

Anyway, we were discussing inspiration. So this dish was inspired by my good friend Lisa. she brought a really yummy tortellini salad to our 4th of July BBQ. Believe it or not, I had never cooked tortellini before. I've eaten it in restaurants, but never cooked it or had it at home. Lisa's salad was so good, I just had to do a little experimenting of my own. This is what I came up with.

I'm a big fan of tortellini now and plan to try a few more ideas in the near future....stay tuned.


RANCH CHICKEN TORTELLINI SALAD
(Mindi Original)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. red wine vinegar
4 T. olive oil
2 t. garlic powder
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 lb. cheese tortellini; cooked to package directions and set aside (I use Bertolli)
½ C. roasted pine nuts (optional)
½ C. basil; rough chopped
½ C. Parmesan or Asiago Cheese; grated
2 large Roma tomatoes; diced (or one pkg. grape tomatoes; sliced in half)
1 C. Ranch Dressing (I make Hidden Valley, but feel free to use what ever brand you prefer.)

1. In a zip lock bag or bowl, combine the chicken, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
2. Grill the chicken, then allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice thin and set aside.
3. Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain, and set aside to cool.
4. When the chicken and the pasta are cool, Toss together and add the nuts, basil, cheese, tomatoes and dressing. Mix until well combined.
5. Eat immediately or allow to chill in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour. If you’re making it the night before and plan to take it to a party or event, you may want to wait to add the dressing until right before serving, or you can just add a little more dressing later.

BUFFALO CHICKEN WRAPS

I'm definitely of the "Friends" generation and I've pretty much seen every episode more times that I should admit. When the show was airing live...I was about the same age as the characters and me along with all my 'friends' never missed a Thursday night airing. In those days we didn't have DVR's....is it possible that life with out DVR's can already be referred to as 'back in the day', I suppose it is. And for those that may be wondering....I'm a slightly less OCD version of Monica...and slightly less skinny.

So while all the friends on "Friends" hung out at Central Perk...me and my friends hung out at Wings and Things. It was a little wing dive in downtown Salt Lake and we would often meet there after work to eat, have a drink, and sometimes play pool. Ok, so I never played pool...I suck at it...but the guys often did. Except for the one time that Nate made me try and after a few minutes of foolishness, he laughed and agreed that I suck. My self esteem is still recovering. But I digress...

It was around this time that I began my obsession with the spicy hot chicken, cool blue cheese dressing, carrots, celery combination. I still love it and it still takes me back to those days...those fun friend days when we were all trying to figure out life, struggling to make it in our careers, trying to find love, and dreaming about our futures. Those were some good days!

A couple years ago on a trip to downtown Salt Lake, I tried to take my husband to Wings and Things for a little journey down memory lane...I was sad to learn that it had closed. So this recipe is dedicated to Wings and Things and all the good memory's conjured up with the taste of spicy chicken and cool blue cheese dressing.

BUFFALO CHICKEN WRAPS
(Recipe adapted for Mindika Moments from Martha Stewart Every Day)

¼ C. crumbled blue cheese (or Gorgonzola)
½ C. sour cream (you can use low fat)
1 t. lemon juice
1 t. Bon Appétit Seasoning (If you can’t find this seasoning or don’t want to buy it, you can substitute a dash of Celery Salt, Onion Powder, Salt & Pepper)
2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt & Pepper
1 T. butter; melted
¼ C. hot sauce (such as Franks)
carrots; shredded
celery; diced or julienned
lettuce
4 tortilla shells

1. In a small bowl, combined the blue cheese, sour cream, lemon juice and Bon Appétit seasoning. Stir to combine, set aside.
2. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces or thin strips. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a non-stick skillet cook with a little olive oil until cooked through. (Time may very depending on the thickness and size of your chicken.)
3. While the chicken is cooking combine the melted butter and hot sauce in a small bowl.
4. When the chicken is done, take out of the skillet and toss in the hot sauce mixture. (If you’re sensitive to heat, you can skip this step and just drizzle the hot sauce mixture over the chicken as your assembling the wrap. This will allow you to control the amount of heat.)
5. Assemble the wraps as follows:

Tortilla
Blue Cheese Dressing
Chicken
(Hot Sauce if you haven’t already coated the chicken in it)
Shredded Carrots
Celery
Lettuce

6. Roll up and devour…makes about 4 good size wraps.

SUMMER SKILLET CORDON BLUE

My husbands favorite meal is Chicken Cordon Blue, and although I can make a really good Chicken Cordon Blue, if you ask my husband I don't make it enough. Can you blame me...it's not the easiest dish to make. It's really time consuming, and pretty heavy in my opinion. So, shortly after my husband and I got married I created this version. It has all the flavors of a traditional Chicken Cordon Blue, plus some fresh-from-the-garden additions for summer. It's made in one skillet and comes together in about 20 minutes.

If you're a chicken cordon blue fan as well, I think you'll like it. You can also try my Chicken Cordon Blue Vegetable Casserole, for another easy twist on this classic dish.

One of these days, probably on a special occasion, I'll get around to making the real thing. Next time I do...I promise I'll share it!

SUMMER SKILLET CORDON BLUE

(Mindi Original)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 T. olive oil

salt & pepper

4-8 slices deli ham (My favorite is smoked ham, sliced thin. I put about 2 slices on each chicken breast.)

12 fresh basil leaves

8 fresh tomato slices (about 2 Roma tomatoes)

1 C. swiss or mozzarella cheese; grated (or 4 thick slices)

1. In a large skillet heat the olive oil or medium-high heat.

2. Season the chicken breasts with salt & pepper.

3. Sear the chicken in the hot oil, searing for about 4 minutes per side. Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover and allow the chicken to cook through. Depending on the thickness of your chicken, it could take anywhere from 5-10 additional minutes. If your chicken breast are on the thick side, you may need to add a couple tablespoons of water or chicken stock to the pan.

4. About 2-3 minutes before the chicken in done, remove the lid and top each chicken breast with ham, tomato slices, fresh basil leaves and cheese. Cover and allow to finish cooking.

5. Serve immediately.

6. Serves 4.

SPICY LIME CHICKEN QUESADILLA'S

Years ago when I was living in downtown Salt Lake, there was this hole in the wall "fresh Mex" little dive that my roommate and I absolutely loved. This was years before Cafe Rio, Bajio, Costa Vida etc... It was the first "fresh Mex" place I personally had ever come across. I thought it was kind of genius...Mexican food that was made fresh in front of you, not greasy, any way you liked it. They had homemade tortilla's, fresh grilled chicken, steak or pork, amazing salads, taco's, burritos, and my personal favorite...the quesadilla's. They were so simple; not a lot of ingredients. The chicken was tangy and juicy; full of flavor. They really didn't need much more.

We were a little obsessed, my roommate and I...and that's why we cried when they went out of business. Who would supply us with fresh made tortillas and juicy yummy chicken?? Cafe Rio was still a few years away... Our poor little dive was ahead of it's time. I really wish I could remember the name.

Anyway, that's why I had to come up with this recipe. It's about as close as I could get. Just be sure not to over cook the chicken. It needs to be juicy, not dry. I hope you love!!

SPICY LIME CHICKEN QUESADILLA'S

(Mindi Original)

For the Chicken:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

zest of 1 lime

juice of 1 lime (about 1/4 C.)

1/2 C. hot sauce

1/2 C. canola oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1. Place the chicken in a large zip lock bag. Add all the ingredients for the marinate.

2. Seal the bag and allow the chicken to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to 6.

3. Grill the chicken. Allow to rest for about 10 minutes, then slice thin on a 90 degree angle.

4. Set the chicken aside.

For the Quesadilla's:

grilled tortilla shells

sliced chicken

mozzarella cheese

hot sauce (optional)

1. Assemble the quesadilla's by layering a tortilla shell, cheese, chicken, a splash of hot sauce (optional), then topped with another tortilla shell.

2. Place the quesadilla's in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese melts.

3. Serve with guacamole, salsa & sour cream.

CHICKEN SPINACH AND POTATO HASH

When I bought a large package of bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts for my Roasted Barbeque Chicken from Tuesdays post, I needed to come up with some other recipe using bone-in, skin-on chicken. Luckily I came across this fun summer dish by Martha Stewart...love her or hate her...the woman is an amazing cook.

I love the simplicity of flavors in this dish. It's light and fresh but at the same time it's comfort and hearty. Genius!

*If you've never cooked with bone-in, skin-on chicken I really hope you'll give it a try. Don't be intimidated by the bones and don't worry about the fat. If you discard the skin it's still healthy. What the skin does is lock in the juices and add a ton of flavor. Yes it adds a little fat to the meat, but no more than cooking your boneless skinless breast in a little olive oil. Also, you can get great deals on bone-in skin-on chicken. It goes on sale at the supermarket all the time, and is often half the price of it's boneless skinless friends.


CHICKEN SPINACH AND POTATO HASH
(Recipe by Martha Stewart)

2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
2 t. olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1 T. fresh rosemary or 1 t. dried
1 ½ lb. Yukon Gold potatoes; washed and cut into ½ inch pieces
1 T. olive oil
½ small onion; diced
2 cloves garlic; minced
½ lb. spinach; washed and roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lemon; about ¼ cup
Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Place the chicken breast on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and rosemary.
3. Roast in the oven until the chicken in cooked through, about 35 minutes.
4. When the chicken in cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside.
5. Meanwhile in a medium saucepan add the potato’s to salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
6. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft.
7. Add the potatoes, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until browned, about 7 minutes.
8. Add the chicken and spinach. Cook, stirring until the spinach wilts, about 2 minutes.
9. Squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the top of everything and serve.
10. Serves 4-6.

ROASTED BARBEQUE CHICKEN

This post is dedicated to my baby brother, Brady. He had one favorite meal while we were growing up and it was my mom's Roasted Barbeque Chicken. We could count on this meal for every one of his birthday's or any special 'Brady' day. I hadn't thought about it for years. In fact I don't think I'd ever made it, since living on my own...and that's been a long time.

But for some odd reason I found myself thinking about this chicken recipe a few weeks ago. I remembered really liking it as well. So I thought I'd give it a try. I wasn't sure if I would love it as much as the memory...but sure enough, I did! And so did my family.

A couple notes:

My mom always used a whole fryer chicken, but we're not lovers of dark meat, so I used whole chicken breasts. It worked the same. If you want some dark meat, but don't want to use a whole chicken, you can use a mixture of whole chicken pieces.

You absolutely must use bone-in, skin-on chicken. It's the mixture of the BBQ sauce with the chicken drippings that make up the amazing sauce.

You can use any recipe for BBQ sauce that you would like. My favorite is this one. But honestly for a quick and easy meal, a bottle of your favorite store bought brand works great.

ROASTED BARBEQUE CHICKEN
(Recipe from Dixie Nordfelt...my mom)

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, or 1 whole fryer chicken

1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce, or 1 recipe barbeque sauce of choice

4 C. cooked white rice

1 large roasting bag

1. Take a large chicken roasting bag and place it in a 9x13 (or larger) pan.

2. Rinse and dry your chicken pieces or whole chicken.

3. Place your chicken pieces or whole chicken into the roasting bag, as seen above.

4. Pour the BBQ sauce over all the chicken evenly.

5. Seal the bag and place in a 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown.

6. When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven, open the bag and remove the chicken.

7. Drain all the juice that has collected in the bag, into a serving bowl. Stir well.

8. Take the chicken and remove it from the bone, discard all the skin and bones. Shred the chicken.

9. Serve the chicken over rice, topping with the BBQ sauce.

10. Serves 4-6.

SPINACH BASIL PASTA

Anyone in the mood for some escargot? Because my garden has been infested with snails. They ate all my zucchini and squash plants. I've now replanted for the 3rd time. We finally figured out the problem and put down some snail killing stuff. As you can see, I'm real technical with my gardening vocabulary. Anyway, we woke up two days ago to dozens of dead snail along the perimeter of the garden. Yesterday morning there were about 10 more. Yikes...I've become a snail murderer. Hopefully my little garden is safe now.

In good garden news, our meal last night included the very first harvest of our herb plants. They seem to be snail free. I love cooking with fresh herbs, and when I can grow them myself it saves me quite a bit of money. Who doesn't love that?

SPINACH BASIL PASTA
(Mindi Original)

½ lb. pasta (bowtie, penne, what ever you like)
1 T. olive oil
1 large or 2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
½ C. chopped fresh basil
¼ C. chopped fresh mint leaves
salt & pepper
½ C. heavy cream or half & half
½ C. grated Asiago cheese (you can also use Parmesan)
1 egg
5 C. fresh spinach leaves

1. Cook the pasta according to the package. Drain the pasta and set aside.
2. In a small bowl combine the cream, egg, and cheese. Whisk and set aside.
3. In a large skillet heat the olive oil. Add the chicken, season with salt & pepper and sauté’ over medium high heat.
4. When the chicken is about half way cooked, add the lemon zest, juice, basil and mint. Finish sautéing until the chicken is done.
5. Turn the heat to medium and add the cream mixture. Stir to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the cooked pasta and the spinach. I usually add the spinach about 1 cup at a time, stirring until the spinach wilts into the pasta.
7. Once all the ingredients are combined, serve immediately.
8. Serves 4 people.

BALSAMIC HONEY LIME MARINATE

I have a love hate relationship with summer. I really do love summer and we are having the best summer. Long hours playing in the sun, long days at the pool, vacations planned, a few camping trips coming up, and many many barbeque's.

But at the same time I'm feeling so overwhelmed. I have so much on my plate, so many obligations. After all, I am the mom. Who do you think plans, organizes, and executes all the summer fun? Mom does, of course! And that's the part I really hate some times.

I know it's worth it! Summer is worth it! I mean this is what I've been waiting for all winter. I just need to commit to the love, despite all the hard work. Because there really are sooo many things to love!

Like this recipe for one! I like to grill all year round, but it so much more fun in the summer. The last couple weeks I've been experimenting with all kinds of marinates, and this is one we have deemed a new favorite! It is absolutely amazing!! You really really need to try it.

I cubed my steak, marinated it, and made shish kabobs with fresh veggies. I can't wait until the veggies can be fresh from my garden.

BALSAMIC HONEY LIME MARINATE
(Mindi Original)

½ C. honey
½ C. lime
½ C. Balsamic Vinegar
½ C. canola oil
2 t. garlic powder
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper

1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Wisk to combine.
2. Poor over steak, chicken or pork.
3. Allow the meat to marinate for at least 2 hours or over night.
4. Grill meat accordingly.

CHICKEN WALDORF PASTA SALAD

One of my absolute favorite salad recipes is this Chicken Waldorf Salad from CPK. I got the recipe from the CPK cook book several years ago, and it's definitely a regular meal around here.

One night a couple weeks ago I was getting ready to make this salad for yet another dinner, when it hit me..."I should make this salad into a pasta salad. It was a fun twist on something we already love.

Now I'm not sure which way I like it better!

CHICKEN WALDORF PASTA SALAD
(Inspired by the CPK Salad)

2 large grilled chicken breast sliced thin
1 lb. bow tie pasta; cooked aldente, drained and chilled
1 granny smith apple cubed
1 C. red seedless grapes sliced in half
1 C. chopped celery
½ -1 C. Crumbled Gorgonzola Blue Cheese (to your taste)
1 recipe Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette (see below)

1. Combine and toss the chicken, pasta, apple, grapes, celery and cheese.
2. Poor the Vinaigrette over top and toss again. Allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
3. Serves 6-8 people.


DIJON BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

½ C. Balsamic Vinegar
2 T. Dijon Mustard
1 T. Garlic minced
½ t. pepper
½ t. salt
1 ¼ C. olive oil

1. Wisk together or blend in a blender. (Blended in a blender makes it much creamier and smooth.)

CAESAR CHICKEN SALAD WRAPS

In my quest for simple, easy, light and refreshing summer dinner's, I came up with this little gem last week. There's just something about taking a salad recipe and wrapping it in a tortilla that makes it an even more fulfilling meal for the man in my life. This was a huge success. The chicken was so juicy and full of flavor. Then topped with yummy Caesar dressing...so delicious! This may become one of my "go to" summer meals.




CAESAR CHICKEN SALAD WRAPS

(Mindi Original)

For the Chicken:

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ C. lemon juice
½ C. olive oil
1 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. hot sauce
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper

1. In a large zip-lock bag, combine the chicken and all the ingredients for the marinate. Zip up and shake well. Allow to marinate for about 1 hour (or up to 4).
2. Grill until chicken is done. Take off the grill and allow to cool. Slice into thin strips. Set aside.)

For the Caesar Dressing:

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 C. sour cream
3/4 C. olive oil
1 C. grated Parmesan
1 t. coarsely ground black pepper

1. In a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients above.
2. Pulse or blend until dressing comes together.

*If you don’t have a blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bow and beat with a wisk until dressing forms. The dressing won’t be as creamy, but it will still taste yummy.

For the Wraps:

6 flour tortillas
6 Romaine lettuce leaves
Sliced tomatoes
Sliced chicken
Caesar dressing
Garlic Croutons

1. Layer each tortilla with sliced chicken, dressing, lettuce, tomatoes, croutons, and a little more dressing. Wrap and devour.

ROASTED BEET SALAD WITH SWEET CITRUS DRESSING

A few weeks ago my good friend, Iliana, told me I needed to come up with a recipe for a roasted beet and citrus salad. She had a salad similar to this at a local restaurant, and loved the flavor combinations. I personally thought the ingredients sounded strange and pretty random, but I've been known to love crazy salad combinations before. So I figured what the heck...

After some experimentation and a few minor changes to her suggested ingredients (I add chicken to make it a meal), the final result was a big hit. In the process I also got to introduce my little r to beets. I'm thrilled to announce that she loved them.

So Iliana...this one's for you! Thanks for the suggestion. Hopefully its somewhat close to the salad at Harvest. If not, I'll have to visit and taste for myself then go for round two.

Honestly one of my favorite elements of this salad was the chicken. It was so tangy and flavorful. I may just use this dressing as a marinade by itself from time to time.


ROASTED BEET SALAD WITH SWEET CITRUS DRESSING

(Mindi Original...with the help of Iliana of course )

For the dressing/marinade:
½ C. orange juice
½ C. lemon juice
1 T. lemon zest
1 T. orange zest
2 T. red wine vinegar
2 t. Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic; minced
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
1 C. olive oil

1. Place all the ingredients, except the olive oil, into a blender. Bend for a couple minutes to combine.
2. With the blender on medium speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until it’s well emulsified.
3. You will have about 2 ½ C. of dressing. Set 1 ¼ cups of the dressing aside for the chicken marinade. Refrigerate the rest to use with the salad.

For the Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 ¼ C. of the dressing

1. Place the chicken in a Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for about 4 to 6 hours.
2. Take the chicken out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you plan to grill.
3. Grill the chicken for about 6 minutes per side, or the time needed to cook the chicken through, depending on the heat and temperature of your grill.
4. After you take the chicken off the grill, allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice the chicken on a bias to create long strips for the salad.

For the salad:
8 C. spring salad mix
6 small beets or 3 large beets
2 T. olive oil
salt & pepper
1 large ripe avocado (or 2 small); diced or sliced
½ red onion; sliced in thin bite sized strips
1 pink grapefruit; segmented*
2 large oranges; segmented*
6 oz. Gorgonzola (blue cheese), crumbled (you could also use feta or goat cheese)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash the beets. Cut off the tops and bottoms and remove the thick outer skin. Cut into bite sized cubes about ½ inch. Place on a baking sheet covered with tin foil and sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the beets are fork tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
5. Assemble the salad ingredients into 4 portions, onto large plates including; salad mix, beets, avocado, red onion, grapefruit, orange, blue cheese, and chicken. Top with dressing and serve immediately.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

Sometimes simple really is the best. Most of my favorite recipes are the most simple ones. Like this yummy recipe for sweet & sour sauce. I've had this recipe for over 15 years, when I found it in a magazine. I love how easy and quick it comes together. I also love that it has no additive, preservatives or food coloring. I can whip this up with some fresh stir fried veggies, what ever meat I have on hand, and some sticky rice...dinner is ready in no time.

This sauce can also be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

1/3 C. rice vinegar
4 T. brown sugar
1 T. ketchup
1 t. soy sauce
2 t. cornstarch mixed
4 teaspoons water

1. Combine the vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup and soy sauce in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
2. Mix together the cornstarch and water, add to the other ingredients and stir until it thickens.

3. Remove from heat and serve with stir fried veggies, meat, egg rolls, wontons...just about anything.

I love artichokes and mushrooms!

Last week my husband went out of town on a business trip. Don't get me wrong, I really do miss my husband when he's gone, but...I also try to take advantage of his absence by cooking food he would never eat if he were home. You see, although he denies it, my man is a picky eater. He'll try most anything, but that doesn't mean he likes it or wants to eat it ever again. Unfortunately for me, some of my favorite foods happen to be on his "never again" list. Things like artichokes, mushrooms, shell fish, beets ect... the list could go on. But I still love him, despite his picky palate.

So, with the picky palate out of town and my book club coming over, I decided to create a little dish using a couple of my favorite things... I was in heaven. Too bad I have to wait for another business trip before I can indulge again.


LEMON ARTICHOKE CREAM SAUCE
(Mindi Original)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast; cubed
2 T. olive oil
Salt & Pepper
3 cloves garlic
½ small white or yellow onion; diced
3 T. butter
Zest of 2 lemons
Juice of 2 lemons (1/2 C.)
2 C. mushrooms; sliced
1 Can Artichoke hearts; ruffly chopped
5 T. flour
1 ½ C. chicken Stock
2 C. heavy cream (if you choose to use half & half or evaporated milk, adjust the flour to 6 T.)
6 oz. Parmesan cheese; grated
2 T. hot sauce
2 t. sugar
Salt & Pepper

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the chicken and season with salt & pepper. Then add the garlic and onion. Reduce the heat to medium high and cook until the chicken starts to brown.
2. Add the butter and toss until it has melted.
3. Add the zest and lemon juice. Cook for 2 minutes or so and the lemon juice has reduced.
4. Add the mushrooms, cook until they release their juices and become tender.
5. Add the artichokes and toss to combine.
6. Add the flour and mix until it has been absorbed into the juices.
7. add the chicken stock and cream. Stir and bring to a boil, cooking until the sauce starts to thicken.
8. Add the cheese; stir until melted.
9. Season with hot sauce, sugar and salt & pepper. Simmer until the flavors all combine, about 2-3 minutes.
10. Serve over pasta or rice.

It's like pizza and a salad...all in one...

You may remember the Pareo Chicken Wraps that I posted a couple weeks ago. I mentioned that the Chipotle Ranch Dressing for the wraps, made quite a bit. More than you really needed for the wraps, but that the recipe would be difficult to cut down.

Long story short, since we had some extra Chipotle Ranch Dressing hanging around, I decided to come up with a Chipotle Ranch Chicken Pizza!

All I'm going to say is that I made two 12" pizza's and we couldn't stop eating. They were so incredibly yummy!! You have to try this!

CHIPOTLE RANCH CHICKEN PIZZA

(Mindi Original)

1 Pizza dough recipe (Click HERE for my favorite recipe, or use one of your own. I'm going to come clean here and confess that this particular night I used frozen RHODES dough. It works pretty well when you're in a hurry and need a quick dough.)

1 C. chipotle ranch dressing (Click HERE for the recipe)

1 large chicken breast grilled (or boiled) then shredded

6 strips bacon; cooked and grumbled

1 recipe Pico de Gallo; divided (see below)

3-4 C. Mexican cheese blend (you could also just use Monterey Jack, or Mozzarella)

3 C. Romain lettuce; chopped

2 avocados; diced

2 t. lime juice

salt & pepper

1. Roll out the pizza dough into two 12" pizza's or one large pizza. (If making two pizza's, divide all the ingredients between the two.)

2. Spread the chipotle ranch dressing onto the dough, as the sauce.

3. Top with the shredded chicken and bacon.

4. Divide the Pico de Gallo in half. Spread one half on the pizza and save the other half for after the pizza is cooked.

5. Top with cheese.

6. Cook the pizza in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is nice and brown. (Be sure and use the cooking instructions for the dough recipe that you use. If you use the Rhodes dough, like I did, cook two pizza's at 400 for about 2o minute. If you make one large pizza, cook at about 375 for 25-30 minutes.)

7. While the pizza is cooking. Toss the Avocado's with 2 t. lime juice and season with salt & pepper.

8. When the pizza is cooked, remove it from the oven. Top the pizza with lettuce, avocado's and the remainder of the Pico de Gallo.

9. Serves 4.

PICO DE GALLO

(Mindi Origingal)

3 Roma tomatoes; diced

4 green onions; diced

2 T. cilantro; chopped

zest of 1 lime

juice of 1 lime

1 t. vinegar

salt & pepper to taste

1. Combine all the above ingredients, stir and allow to chill.