Chicken in Basil Cream

Here’s a recipe I had stored in my personal collection of recipes—Chicken in a Creamy Basil Sauce.  My mom used to make a dish similar to this, but without the pimientos.  I really enjoy preparing dinners that are simple and quick, but then again, who doesn’t!  This is one of those meals I don’t get stressed out about cooking.  My family requests this one often, but since I love trying new things, I don’t make it as often as they request!  It’s a very versatile recipe.  This can be served with rice, egg noodles and other kinds of pasta, or even over some nice, flaky biscuits. If you go the biscuit route, I would recommend a larger quantity of sauce, so they can soak up all of that wonderful flavor!  My daughter likes this sauce as an accompaniment to her fresh veggies, like broccoli and baby carrots. If your sauce comes out too thin, add a little flour ‘til you get your desired consistency.  

I personally love the recipe as is, but if you don’t have a certain ingredient or don’t like something in it, try some of these substitutions.  If you don’t have chicken, pork cutlets work just as well.  Switching out regular heavy cream for light heavy cream doesn’t make much of a difference in taste.   Out of chicken broth, but just happen to have white wine?  Some recommend this recipe tastes so much more delicious with using the white wine in place of the chicken broth.  If you’re not too big on the idea of pimientos, try some finely chopped red bell pepper.

Enjoy!

Photo: Real Mom Kitchen

¼ cup milk

1 cup dry bread crumbs

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz. each)

3 Tablespoons butter

½ cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 jar (4 oz.) sliced pimientos, drained

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup minced fresh basil

⅛ Teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Place milk and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls.  Dip chicken in milk, then coat with crumbs.  In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook chicken in butter on both sides until juices run clear, about 10 minutes.   Remove and keep warm. 

Add broth to the skillet.  Bring to a boil over medium heat; stir to loosen browned bits.  Stir in the cream and pimientos; boil and stir for 1 minute.  Reduce heat.  Add the Parmesan cheese, basil, and pepper; cook and stir until heated through.  Pour over chicken. 

Makes 4 servings

Reuben Sandwiches

Alright, everyone, tonight was Reuben Night at my house!  The recipe below is one I adapted from AllRecipes.com.  It’s still tasty using the pre-made Thousand Island Dressing, but I prefer to use my own sauce mixture.  The sauce is quick & easy to prepare:

Take ½ cup ketchup, 1 cup mayo, ¼ cup relish, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce and combine them in a small bowl.  And there ya’ have it!  Use this in place of where Thousand Island dressing is called for, if you prefer. 

Also, instead of using rye bread, which is ordinarily used for Reubens, I used peasant bread. I’ve done these with the rye before, but wanted to try it with another kind of bread.  I really enjoyed this version, maybe even more so than with the rye.   If you plan on using peasant bread, make sure to choose a loaf large in size because well-made versions are made with a lot of ingredients, which is also the reason this type of bread is more appealing to your taste buds. 

Eat this slowly and savor every bite!

Photo: Allrecipes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

8 slices rye bread

8 slices deli sliced corned beef

8 slices Swiss cheese

1 cup sauerkraut, drained

1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing

 Directions

Preheat a large skillet or griddle on medium heat.

Lightly butter one side of bread slices. Spread non-buttered sides with Thousand Island dressing. On 4 bread slices, layer 1 slice Swiss cheese, 2 slices corned beef, 1/4 cup sauerkraut and second slice of Swiss cheese. Top with remaining bread slices, buttered sides out.

Grill sandwiches until both sides are golden brown, about 15 minutes per side. Serve hot.

Olive-Rice Cheese Spread

Serving this delicious spread at my holiday/birthday party!  The rice adds great texture.  Sometimes I add a dash of garlic powder and pitted, finely chopped Kalamata olives in place of the pimiento-stuffed green olives.  I love Kalamata olives and use them frequently, but that's just my personal preference.  I accompany this with crackers, pita chips, or tortilla chips.  Enjoy!

Courtesy of Taste of Home

Ingredients

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons prepared Italian salad dressing

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup cooked wild rice

2 tablespoons diced carrot

2 tablespoons minced chives

1 tablespoon sliced ripe olives

1 tablespoon sliced pimiento-stuffed olives

Directions

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, salad dressing, basil and pepper until smooth. Stir in the rice, carrot, chives and olives.

Transfer to a serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  Makes 2 cups.

Parmesan Potato Wedges

Yesterday was a long, rough day.  Nobody had had time to eat anything substantial throughout the day, so for supper I wanted to spice things up while keeping it simple and somewhat quick.  Had already thawed out a small pork loin that was waiting for me in the fridge.  I made a simple meat rub, rubbed it on, let it sit for just a few minutes, and threw it in the oven at 350 degrees F for about an hour and a half.  The internal temperature of pork loin shouldn't exceed 145 degrees F.  Just keep that in mind.

To make the rub, combine in a small bowl extra virgin olive oil, McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning, and a dash of salt.  Couldn't be simpler.  You want the consistency to be easy to spread around, but not too oily.  The seasoning should soak up the majority of the olive oil.  Rub it on your pork loin.  I like to rub it on thick.  It forms a nice, peppery crust once cooked.  It's too much for some people.  Once the pork loin is cooked, slice it up and serve.

The pork was accompanied by some steamed broccoli and Parmesan Potato Wedges.  The potato wedges turned out really well.  They didn't have an overwhelming flavor.  Perfect with the spicy, peppery-ness of the pork loin!

Parmesan Potato Wedges

Prep: 25 minutes  Bake: 30 minutes

Photo from Quick Dish by Tablespoon

Ingredients:

6 medium baking potatoes

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed

Directions:

1.  Line a 15x10x1-inch  baking pan with parchment paper or foil; set aside.  Cut each potato lengthwise into 8 wedges.  In a large bowl, stir together butter, garlic, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and a dash of salt & pepper.  Add potato wedges and stir thoroughly to coat.  Be gentle with your stirring as not to break the wedges.  Place wedges on the prepared baking pan.  

2.  Bake, uncovered, in a 425 degree F oven about 30 minutes, or until tender. 

Chocolate Almond Bark

AllRecipes

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped almonds

2 cups milk chocolate chips

1 tablespoon shortening

 

Directions

Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside. Put chopped almonds In a skillet. Cook, stirring often over medium high heat, until golden brown. Remove from heat.

In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate chips and shortening until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 the toasted almonds. Spread onto the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining almonds, and chill 30 minutes, or until solid. Break into bite-size pieces to serve.

Amish Friend's Caramel Corn

AllRecipes

Ingredients

7 quarts plain popped popcorn

2 cups dry roasted peanuts (optional)

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup margarine

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Place the popped popcorn into two shallow greased baking pans. You may use roasting pans, jelly roll pans, or disposable roasting pans. Add the peanuts to the popped corn if using. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, margarine and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will be light and foamy. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pans, and stir to coat. Don't worry too much at this point about getting all of the corn coated.

Bake for 1 hour, removing the pans, and giving them each a good stir every 15 minutes. Line the counter top with waxed paper. Dump the corn out onto the waxed paper and separate the pieces. Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers or resealable bags.

Chocolate-Filled Crescents

A Pillsbury Recipe

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) can Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Powdered sugar, if desired

 Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Separate dough into 8 triangles.  

Place tablespoon of chocolate chips on wide end of each triangle. Roll up, starting at shortest side of triangle, rolling to opposite point. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Roasted Garlic, Sun-Dried Tomato, and White Bean Dip

Time to get healthy!  This is light and delicious, but is definitely not lacking in flavor!

Cooking Light Nov 2007

Ingredients

1 whole garlic head

1 cup water

1 (3.5-ounce) package sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (15.8-ounce) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°.

Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate the cloves). Wrap head in foil. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes; cool for 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins.

Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add tomatoes; cover and remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain tomatoes in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup liquid.

Place garlic pulp, tomatoes, 1/4 cup reserved liquid, oil, and remaining ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth.