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Fresh Basil Pesto

Posted on July 11, 2024 | Leave a comment
photo 2 (6) Chicken and Pesto on the Grill
photo 2 (8) Pasta Pesto

The original recipe for this delicious pesto appeared back in May 2011 on Cooking with Candi and this pesto sauce has summer written all over it. Basil is abundant in the summer and it’s great on pasta as well as chicken. Yummy Pesto was the original title for this recipe way back in 2011.  This is the same recipe from my BFF Suki. I have tried many pesto sauces and this remains my absolute go to favorite. It is super easy and while the basil is abundant you should make it and freeze it. When you freeze the pesto in a container, pour a thin layer of olive oil over the top . I have it frozen for up to 3 months. I use it on chicken, pasta, and it’s wonderful as a spread. This recipe is good for 2 lbs. of pasta usually. So I use 1/2 and freeze the rest if it’s just the 2 of us.

Enjoy!

Pesto Chicken on the Grill with Grilled Peppers and Roasted Sweet Potatoes
DSCN3588 Fresh Basil

If you are going to use on chicken , just brush on the chicken sprinkle a tiny bit of  kosher salt on it and  let it marinate for a few hours at least and it can be marinated  overnight in the refrigerator. Take it out of fridge and let it sit at room temp. before putting on the grill. That’s it!

*You’ll need a food processor

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil (washed)

1/2 cup romano cheese (grated)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese ( grated)

1/2 cup pignolli nuts or walnuts

1 cup extra virgin olive oil–use a good one

1 – 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter (it’s good if the butter is softened before adding) you can soften in microwave

4 cloves garlic – peeled and whole

freshly ground black pepper–to taste

*kosher salt to taste if you feel you need it after finished making pesto

Directions:

I put all ingredients except for olive oil in the food processor. Give it a few grinds using the blade attachment. Then I slowly add in the olive oil through the top of processor while it’s on. Beautiful green pesto! so easy. Taste for salt and pepper

Cook pasta and drain and add pesto. Done!

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Lime-Garlic and Ginger Chicken —

Posted on July 10, 2024 | Leave a comment

Vm I made this recipe for dinner last night and it was just delicious. It elevated the weeknight bbq chicken for sure . The only thing is this recipe is best left to marinade for at least 6 hours. After breakfast I made the marinade and let it sit all day. This chicken can sit in the marinade for up to 8 hours–just let it come to room temperature before cooking. Not so tough to do and worth the results. If you don’t have an outdoor grill use a grill pan on medium-high . I plan on making this chicken all year round. Not a lot of ingredients at all and very easy to put together.

This can easily be doubled.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs which is what I used but feel free to use chicken breasts

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/3 cup Mayonnaise — now I don’t use diet mayonnaise and the mayo burns off so you won’t be tasting it -the mayo makes it moist and yummy

1 Tablespoon Lime Zest — app. 2 limes and save the lime to squeeze over the chicken

1 Tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger — if no fresh ginger use about 1/8 of a teaspoon of powdered ginger –1/8 to 1/4 of powder is equivalent to 1 Tablespoon Fresh

2 garlic cloves finely minced — I always put my garlic in my mini processor for a fine mince . If you don’t have a mini processor you can just mince by hand but it’s a great little machine to own.

Directions:

Pat the chicken dry with some paper towels.

In a large enough bowl to add the chicken stir together the mayonnaise, lime zest, garlic, ginger and 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and about 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Add the chicken to the mayo mixture and stir to coat. I put my chicken in the fridge for the whole day and removed it about an hour before cooking to bring to room temperature.

To grill: Heat your grill to medium high and grill the chicken till cooked through I cooked for about 5 minutes per side and they were perfect. Breasts will cook up faster so just watch them . They’re finished when juices run clear. Turn as necessary to avoid burning them.

If cooking inside the house with a skillet/grill pan cook over medium-high heat also about 5 minutes per side.

I squeezed the fresh lime over before serving and they were just delicious.

Enjoy!!! Simple and Delicious!

 

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Summer Salad

Posted on July 8, 2024 | 2 comments

I made this salad the other night and it came together so beautifully and it was very very tasty if I do say so myself. I made it with grilled chicken and bacon but if you want to keep it vegetarian you can . You can also serve chicken and bacon on the side if you’d like. It’s a yummy chopped up salad with lots of tasty items that I love together. The lemon vinaigrette dressing has a bit of kick but you can easily leave out the crushed red pepper. I used fresh butter lettuce but any lettuce will do .

Enjoy!

*this served 4

Salad Ingredients:

8 slices bacon — I used microwave bacon and cooked for 3 minutes and cooled it off and crumbled it. Of course you can use any type of bacon or omit — up to you

app. 1 pint blueberries

1/2 cup crumbled Feta or Goat Cheese — I hate blue cheese but if you love it use that

1 handful small cut up basil leaves

app. 4 cups farmers market lettuce or any lettuce you like — I used a soft butter lettuce this time–I tore it into small pieces

3 corn on the cobs kernels removed — leave it raw — it’s sweet and delicious

1-2 avocados — depending on the size of your avocados — I used 2 small ones

Grilled Chicken:

I used about 4 chicken breasts — small ones and brushed some olive oil and salt and pepper and a little dried oregano and grilled them on the grill for a few minutes on each side till done and set aside with aluminum till ready to serve salad and then cut up chicken into small pieces.

Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing:

I made salad dressing in my mini chopper — Perfect and easy if no mini chopper just mince garlic by hand and whisk all ingredients together adding olive oil in last slowly.

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

1/4 cup Champagne Vinegar

3 Tablespoons fresh Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons Honey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt — more to taste — didn’t need it

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

I used my mini chopper and started with the garlic and put all other ingredients and added the olive at the end slowly.

Taste for salt and pepper but it was fine by me.

  • 1/2 teaspoon or more or less crushed red pepper flakes –we like kick and so did our guests so you may or may not want to use this which is fine

In a large salad bowl add in lettuce, chicken , blueberries, cheese, basil leaves, crumbled bacon, avocado and corn. Drizzle with the vinaigrette or serve salad and let your guests dress their own — up to you. Once salad is dressed serve immediately. I

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Lemon Orzo with Feta

Posted on July 6, 2024 | Leave a comment

I love this recipe from Ina Garten’s Modern Comfort Food Book.

This is a delicious side dish for Chicken , fish ,and meat. I particularly like it with Roast Chicken. In the photo I posted here I served it with onion crusted chicken, oven roasted string beans, and homemade cranberry sauce. It was sort of perfect.

Get a good block of Feta or buy the crumbled one . I diced up a block of Greek Feta Cheese and it was just perfect but a nice crumbled one would work equally as well.

If you compare my recipe to Ina Garten’s original recipe you’ll notice I have omitted the salt, it was too salty for me. I tasted for Salt and Pepper when finished and added a little bit to the orzo when I cooked it. Everyone has a different palate for Salt so my suggestion is to taste at the end and add then, this recipe is easy to add at the end. Same goes for pepper just add to your own taste. Feta was plenty salty.

Simple to make and Delicious to eat .

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup Orzo

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 Tablespoons Freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons good Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon minced fresh dill

1 cup small diced Feta ( try a good greek Feta ) or crumbled Feta Cheese

*kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste– see note above

Directions:

In a large saucepan , bring 2 quarts of water to a boil, and cook the orzo according to package directions al dente.

Once orzo is cooked and drained transfer to a bowl and stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil , dill, fold in the feta and taste for salt and pepper. I added no salt but about 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. This is up to you . Serve hot or at room temperature .

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Farro Salad

Posted on July 2, 2024 | Leave a comment

This is a delicious farro salad made with arugula — this salad is similar to my take on Jennifer Aniston’s Salad but with arugula and shaved parm instead of feta. This is light and yummy and you can add a protein and make it a dinner salad if you’d like. Original recipe credit goes to the chef Charlie Bird on this one.

You can obviously add what you like and remove what you don’t like . Feel free to swap cheeses, or onions for radishes, etc and chopped up dates would be just fab.

Enjoy!

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Ingredients:

1 cup Farro– I use pearled farro

1 cup apple cider not apple cider vinegar

2 cups of water

2 teaspoons kosher salt, and more to your own liking

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup extra -virgin olive oil* you can double if you’d like for a bit more dressing

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice-  * you can double if you’d like for a bit more dressing

app. 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan Cheese , I used a vegetable peeler but I do know you can buy Parmesan Cheese shaved this way ( time and mess saver)

app. 1/2 cup shelled Pistachios–I used salted pistachios and chopped them myself. You can use raw pistachios but they’re a tad tasteless or you can leave them whole up to you or substitute with any other nut you prefer or omit totally if you prefer gutless

app. 2 cups Arugula

app. 1 cup torn Basil Leaves or 1 cup chopped basil

app. 1 cup Mint leaves-cut up into smaller pieces– I prefer to chop it

2 large radishes sliced thinly or rough chopped–optional and you can use red onion here as well — sliced thinly or chopped into small pieces — totally optional but I love the crunch and the flavor of a fresh radish

app. 1/2 cup sliced grape or cherry tomatoes — totally optional

Directions:

Farro:

In a medium saucepan, bring farro,  apple cider , dash of kosher salt , 2 bay leaves and 2 cups of water to a simmer. Simmer until farro is tender and liquid evaporates, about 30 minutes. If farro is cooked but there is still water I put in a colander/strainer and leave it till it cools down. If on the other hand the water evaporates before the farro is done, you’ll have to add a little more water. You can always strain it so no worries–but don’t overcook. Let farro cool down and discard the 2 bay leaves.

Salad:

In a salad bowl (large enough to fold in arugula and mix) whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice, I use a small wire whisk, it’s an amazing kitchen tool.

Salad is always best at room temperature so if you do refrigerate, just bring to room temperature before serving. If you’d like you can put farro and parmesan in the bowl with some dressing and allow it to sit,  this would be the salad base and it can sit for a few hours out without refrigeration. I usually just mix all ingredients starting with the farro then add in everything else gently toss with some dressing and if people want more dressing it’s available. Add nuts at the end so they retain their crunch !

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Simple Cole Slaw

Posted on June 30, 2024 | Leave a comment

I love Cole Slaw and it is such a simple thing to make to add to any bbq or meal. It is especially good in the summer when we all love cold salads. I like it all year round. It’s a great side dish to almost any meat and I really like it with roast chicken.

It’s super easy if you buy the bags of pre -shredded cole slaw. If you want to do it yourself you can just cut a whole cabbage in half and remove the core, wash , drain, dry and shred in the food processor or by hand. I just picked up 2 bags of Cole Slaw available everywhere in the produce section. You’ll need about 8 cups. I used 2 bags about 16 ounces.

This is what I did.

Ingredients:

For app. 8 cups of cabbage/cole slaw mix use 16 oz. app 2 bags of pre shredded Coleslaw mix or cut in 1/2 and use 1 bag

1/2 cup mayo

2 Tablespoons Apple CiderVinegar

1/4 cup Dijon Mustard– I love Dijon so I do 1/4 cup

1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt and more to taste

1/4 tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper and more to taste

Mix dressing in a bowl with a whisk is best.

Start slowly adding dressing to coleslaw mix in a large enough bowl to continue tossing. I added a little bit at a time and kept mixing till it was completely saturated with the dressing.

It’s always best if it gets to sit for awhile so if you have the time make ahead.

Then I refrigerated it till we were ready to eat and gave it a good toss and tasted for Salt and Pepper before serving!

Enjoy!

 

 

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Easy Peasy Chicken Caprese

Posted on June 28, 2024 | Leave a comment

This is one of those recipes that I make that is so super easy. Very few ingredients and other than cutting tomatoes and mozzarella balls, there is very little prep. You gotta love meals like this, especially in the summer when these beautiful heirloom tomatoes are abundant. I really only make this in the summer . It is light and delicious and makes for a beautiful salad as well and you can serve it at room temperature. I made this last night with burnt brussel sprouts on the side . You’re not going to believe how easy this is. It’s amazing!

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Ingredients:

1 container marinated bocconcini ( mozzarella balls) you will need the oil from the container to marinate chicken ( it comes in an olive oil marinade with spices)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves , I buy them pounded thin or use chicken tenderloins –you just don’t want them too too thick

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 pint heirloom ( if you can get them) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

*a little cut up basil is always a good idea!

Directions:

Take bocconcini balls out of the marinade. Cut bocconcini balls in quarters. Transfer about 1/2 of the marinade from bocconcini to a medium size baking dish , add the chicken , salt and pepper the chicken and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before cooking. If you’d like you can refrigerate , and take out and bring to room temperature before grilling.

Put cheese in a bowl, add the remaining oil marinade and add the cut tomatoes to this bowl. Salt and Pepper to taste, give it a good stir and put in refrigerator till you’re ready to cook chicken. I removed from fridge about 1/2 hour before I cooked the chicken. Just bring it to room temperature.

Grill the chicken over medium high heat , till you get nice grill marks, probably about 8 minutes. You can cut the chicken into smaller pieces and mix with tomatoes and cheese. I just plated up the chicken and put tomato/cheese mixture on the plate. Perfect summer meal.

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Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and String Beans Sheet Pan

Posted on June 23, 2024 | Leave a comment

This is an easy dinner with perfectly seasoned roasted chicken with lemon flavor , potatoes and string beans all on one sheet pan. This recipe is good for 3-4 people depending on your eaters. Feel free to double up and make more and you can even use 2 sheet pans — just adjust oven racks accordingly.

If you don’t have a rimmed sheet pan you can use a 13 x 9 baking dish.

We loved the flavors and the chicken cooked up perfectly . I used smallish thighs so it cooked perfectly in the time frame I wrote up. If you have larger thighs you’ll want to cook a little longer till meat thermometer reads 160- 165 degrees in the thickest part of the chicken.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

5 small bone-in skin on chicken thighs — app. 2-3 lbs.

1 1/2 lbs. small potatoes ( I used a medley of colored potatoes) cut into bite-sized chunks — see pics. If you have a larger potato just cut into chunks– I used small ones so I cut in 1/2 and placed cut side down

1/4 cup Olive Oil and 1 Tablespoon for string beans

1 average size lemon zested and juiced

3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 average sized lemon sliced

6 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

1 small yellow onion cut into chunks — or 1/2 a large sized onion

3/4 lb. green string beans trimmed

Salt and Pepper for string beans

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

Spray a rimmed large baking sheet with cooking spray

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, rosemary , oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Pat chicken pieces dry first ( this is important for a crispy skin) Arrange chicken and potatoes on the prepped baking sheet. Pour the olive oil mixture over the chicken and potatoes and gently toss with clean hands. You can also place in a larger bowl and pour mixture over and coat chicken and potatoes.

Place potatoes cut side down, tuck the garlic cloves under the chicken pieces, place lemon slices and onions around the chicken

Roast in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.

While the chicken is in the oven, I prepped the green beans . Toss clean trimmed green beans with a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.

After the initial 20 minutes I added the green beans and roasted for an additional 20 minutes or until juices run clear and a meat thermometer reads 160 – 165 degrees in the thickest part of the chicken. Veggies and potatoes should be tender.

*depending on the size of your chicken thighs it could take longer .

Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Perfection on a plate .

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Cowboy Caviar

Posted on June 20, 2024 | 2 comments

I made this for the first time and really enjoyed it. It’s a great dip as an appetizer with chips but I served it as a side dish alongside my chicken fajitas along with some chips. Ingredients can be swapped out to use what you like or don’t like just try and keep the quantities the same. I couldn’t find black eyed peas so used pinto beans and it was fine. I love a bit of spicy so used a jalapeño and I love cilantro but so many people don’t like it so I left it out this time. It ‘s very delicious and other than a bit of chopping up veggies which can be done ahead it’s super easy! You can add some fresh avocado chunks at the end right before serving and you can make a day ahead and maybe drain some of the liquid before serving, it’s almost better the next day since flavors meld overnight. A squeeze of fresh lime would also be nice. I wouldn’t omit the sugar as the amount is so small in relation to the whole recipe that health concerns are negligible. The sugar adds overall flavor and adds a balance between the acidity and the saltiness flavor. Have fun with this recipe no matter how you do it — no right and no wrong here do it your way. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

for the dressing:

1/3 cup Olive Oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

3-4 garlic cloves -minced

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Kosher Salt and black pepper

For the Salad:

3 plum tomatoes, cored , seeded if desired and diced — you can also use halved cherry tomatoes and use about 1/2 pint

1/2 red onion, finely diced — app. 3/4 up

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 15 oz. can black eyed peas , rinsed and drained– I used Pinto because I couldn’t find black eyed peas out here in CO whatever beans you like you can even use 2 cans of black beans

1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels ( about 3-4 cobs) or thawed drained frozen sweet corn about 8 oz. or even roasted corn ( Trader Joes) if you like it and can get it– I used 4 cobs of fresh corn which is so abundant right now

1 red, green, or orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced *

*1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves plus more for garnish — totally optional

1 scallion, white and green parts, added at the end before serving for garnish

*tortilla chips, for serving also optional

Directions:

Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to combine– set aside

Add the tomatoes, red onion, drained and rinsed beans, corn, bell pepper, jalapeño, and if you’re using cilantro, Toss to combine with dressing and season for salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving or even overnight.

To serve, take out of fridge, toss well and taste for seasonings. Sprinkle with scallions and if you’re serving as a dip or even as a side dish it’s great with tortilla chips. ( everything is better with chips)

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Cucumber Avocado Salad

Posted on June 15, 2024 | Leave a comment

Light and easy — Cucumbers and Avocado Salad with a light lime dressing. This side salad will disappear very quickly and you’ll be wanting more.

I made it without the green onion so feel free to add it or not it was just as yummy without. Just happen to have avocado and cucumber in the house but next time I will make sure to add a little green onion!

Ingredients:

2 English Cucumbers –Slice Cuke in 1/2 — scoop out seeds and slice or use any cucumbers you like I just like to remove seeds and cut smaller cukes into smaller pieces — it really doesn’t matter how you slice them up– if I use kirby type cucumbers (as pictured) I cut into smaller pieces — totally up to you– it’s all good — small Persians work well here and you’ll probably need 3 or 4 — I don’t scoop out seeds from the Persian cucumbers

1 large avocado pitted, peeled and cut into chunks or slices whichever you prefer

*1/3 cup green onion , chopped

2 Tbsp. Lime Juice from 1 medium lime

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tsp. Kosher Salt or Sea Salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

In a medium sized salad type bowl, combine sliced cucumbers , avocado and if you’re adding green onions.

Drizzle with lime juice, olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. I sliced cucumbers and dressing earlier than right before I served it added the avocado so it wouldn’t brown. The lime juice should prevent it from turning brown though.

That’s it and very delicious side salad .

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