Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter.
Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a large bowl and shred the chicken into bite-size pieces.
Add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become golden, about 8-10 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.
Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.
Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.
This is a great dish for the early days of spring. It’s warm and comforting (because let’s face it, it’s still not THAT warm out yet!) but you get a little taste of spring flavor with the broccoli rabe.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the sausage and cook for about 5 minutes until browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices (breaking up the whole tomatoes with a fork), the red wine, tomato paste, salt, and pepper and let the mixture simmer over low heat while you prepare the pasta and broccoli.
Trim the broccoli rabe to just below the leaves and discard the stems. Cut the leafy part of the broccoli rabe crosswise in 2-inch pieces. Bring a large pot filled with water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the pasta and cook according to instructions on package.
During the last three minutes of pasta cooking, add the broccoli rabe to the pasta and continue cooking for the last 3 minutes, until the pasta is al dente and the broccoli is crisp-tender. Drain in a large colander, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta and broccoli to the pot with the tomato and sausage mixture. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
If the pasta seems dry, add some of the reserved cooking liquid. Serve hot with extra Parmesan on the side.
Life has been crazy busy lately, and I haven’t shared a lot of recipes. I really want to try to be more consistent with it. Cooking is a love language of mine and no matter how busy I get, I still cook dinner most nights. It is something that is extremely important to me and my family.
I want to share more of my go-to recipes to show that no matter how busy life gets, there is still time to get a great meal on the table. You need to plan ahead, but if you are prepared, it takes less time than take out.
I would say that most my recipes are “healthy-ish”. We try to well clean most of the time. I believe in balance, but I believe in butter too. This recipe is a great representation of how we normally eat. Sometimes I will pair it with a salad if we trying to stay on the light side, but it’s also excellent with a lemony pasta.
I also try to cook seasonally as much as possible. Right now, it is citrus everything, and this lemon olive chicken is a favorite of mine.
Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet on medium heat until hot.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess. Place the chicken in the hot skillet and cook until lightly golden, about 3 minutes.
Turn the chicken over, add the lemon juice, lemon slices, garlic, olives, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the parsley, and the salt and pepper. Cook for 5-8 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally and stirring the olive mixture gently to avoid burning the garlic.
Add the butter to the pan, shaking to combine the sauce.
Place the chicken on a serving plate, then pour the olive mixture over the top. Garnish with the remaining parsley.
For turkey day dinner, my family is pretty traditional. We stick with the tried and true staples and family traditions, but then we will throw in one or two new recipes for fun. Here is a collection of some of my favorite new side dishes. Whether you are hosting dinner, or bringing a dish as a guest, these are great additions to introduce to your Thanksgiving table this year.
Lately I have made this rice at least once every week. Roasting the cauliflower is the key - it gives it a much more nutty flavor.
This lasagna is soooooo good and makes a great vegetarian main dish option.
I posted a picture of this salad on my stories a few weeks back and I received many requests for the recipe. I discovered this one from Better Homes and Gardens a few years back and it is a family favorite in the summertime. It's a great side to go along anything on the grill, like these Hot Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches I am serving it with tonight.
You could also add some chicken or shrimp to it to make it a meal in itself.
What's interesting about this vinaigrette is that there isn't any oil in it! It is straight vinegar, sugar, and salt/pepper, but you really don't even miss the oil!
For the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
For the salad, cut corn kernels from the cobs and toss with the remaining ingredients except the arugula/lettuce in a large serving bowl.
Add the dressing and arugula/lettuce. Toss gently and serve immediately.
Every Valentines Day we make dinner together at home and I wanted to make something special this year for our daughter because she is such a picky eater. However, like her mother, she never says no to chocolate. This is such a quick and easy dessert that is sure to impress any Valentine! They can even be assembled ahead of time and then you just pop them in the oven while you are eating dinner. Serve them warm with vanilla ice cream or with this festive strawberry sauce.
Put the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a large bowl and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. You can also place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
The batter can be refrigerated for several hours. Bring to room temperature before baking.
These lettuce cups have been a weeknight staple in our home for years. They are a quick, easy, and healthy dinner you can have on the table in just minutes.
I came up with the recipe as I was trying to recreate some chicken lettuce wraps that we had at a local restaurant. These come together in about 20 minutes thanks to this short cut: Brianna’s Ginger Mandarin Dressing!
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan to stir the almonds. Check every minute until they are the desired color. Remove from oven and let cool.
Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the oil and chicken and cook until chicken is browned, about 3-5 minutes. Add the celery and onion to the pan and sauté for another 3-5 minutes.
Add the dressing to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce slightly thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the toasted almonds. Serve the mixture in the lettuce cups and garnish with the cilantro and orange zest, optional. .
I have had to make another double batch of these because the first round is already gone! They have been the favorite out of all the cookies I have baked this year, and there really isn't much baking involved at all! They are quick and simple to make so there is still plenty of time to whip of a batch. Or four.
Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the pretzels neatly on the baking sheet, then top each pretzel with an unwrapped caramel. Bake until the caramels soften (but are definitely not melting), 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and gently press a pecan half onto each caramel, just enough for the caramel to fill the pretzel. Set aside to cool completely.
It's lunchtime and today I am having this fall apple salad. I thought I would share it because it would also be a great salad to serve on Thanksgiving. I made the candied nuts a few days ago, and honestly, I will use any excuse to add them to my meal. That is the real reason for this salad. The nuts are soooo good.
For the salad, place the lettuce in a large bowl or on a large platter. Top with the apples, feta, pomegranates , and candied nuts.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the honey, mustard, salt, pepper, garlic and balsamic vinegar. Add the oil and whisk thoroughly to combine. Continue whisking until the dressing is fully emulsified.
Pour just enough of the dressing on the salad to lightly coat. Serve immediately.
In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, chili sauce, cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice. Add the cole slaw and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes but longer is preferred.
In a medium sized bowl, toss the shrimp with the jerk seasoning and set aside. Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat and add the coconut oil. Then add the shrimp and sauté until just pink - it only takes about 2 minutes.
To be honest, the only reason I made this salad is because I have eaten a few too many pumpkin cookies from the last post. However this is a very tasty salad packed with lots of good-for-you ingredients. I think the thing that takes this salad to the next level is the slow roasted tomatoes. I used up the last of my cherry tomatoes from the garden. Even though they take about 2 hours to make, it's totally worth!
This is a great salad to make ahead of time because the flavors get better the longer it sits. It's the perfect thing to make on a Sunday and have it ready in the fridge for weekday lunches.
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the cherry tomatoes and garlic to the baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil. Add salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar, then toss to coat. Bake for 2 hours, turning once halfway though. Let tomatoes cool completely, discard the garlic, and add the tomatoes to a large bowl.
While the tomatoes are roasting, make the vinaigrette. Whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Still whisking, slowly add the olive oil to make an emulsion. Set aside.
In the large bowl, add the cooked quinoa, kale, olives, cucumbers, and feta. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Can be served immediately or refrigerated to let the flavors develop even more.
Fresh-from-the-garden corn and tomatoes over a perfectly seasoned piece of grilled fish makes for the perfect summertime meal!
Husk corn on the cob and grill the ears of corn over high heat, about 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until they are slightly charred. Let cool, then cut kernels off of cob with a sharp knife.
In a small bowl, combine the corn kernels, tomato, jalapeño, 1 tablespoon cilantro, and zest and juice of one lime. Season with salt to taste. Set aside.
In another small bowl, combine paprika, cumin, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Cook rice according to package instructions. While rice is cooking, rub the combined seasonings all over salmon fillet. Grill salmon on greased tin foil over medium-high heat, turning once until fish registers 145F, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest.
Once the rice is finished, add remaining 1 tablespoon of cilantro, zest and juice of one lime, and salt to taste. Fluff with fork to combine.
Serve salmon over rice and top with the corn salsa. Enjoy!