Baked Sun Dried Tomato Gnocchi

Gnocchi, little morsels of comforting potato goodness.  An awesome side dish and so versatile.

1 package gnocchi
1 jar (8 ounce) sun dried tomato pesto (I like Classico)
3/4 finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Kosher salt
Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil, add 1-1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt to the boiling water, then add gnocchi.  Return the water to a boil.  Cook gnocchi for 3 to 4 minutes drain.

Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a separate bowl, combine the gnocchi, sun-dried tomato pesto, half of the Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Turn in to prepared casserole dish and top with the mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese.

Bake on the preheated 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes.

My family devoured this cheesy goodness!

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Easy Chicken Saltimbocca

I know, I know, traditionally veal is used, but a girl can color outside of the lines sometimes, can't she?  This savory, quick Italian saute' includes mouthwatering Prosciutto di parma, lots of  fresh melty mozzarella cheese and a touch of sage to make it interesting; in short, you will find this simply irresistible!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage (1 teaspoon if using dried) plus 4 whole sage leaves for garnish
4 slices Prosciutto di Parma
8 ounces of fresh mozzarella, sliced very thin
3/4 cup Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio

Generously season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and set aside.

Place flour in a shallow dish and dredge the chicken through the flour, shaking off the excess. 

Over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and melt the butter in a large skillet.  Add the chicken breasts and cook until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Turn and brown the other side, about another 6 minutes.

Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and sprinkle the chopped sage over the chicken breasts.  Top each piece of chicken with a slice of prosciutto and then with a couple slices of mozzarella.  Tightly cover the skillet and cook for about 1-1/2 minutes, until the cheese is melted.  Move the chicken to a baking sheet and tent with foil.

Return the same skillet to the stove and increase the heat to medium-high.  Once the skillet is heated back-up, add the wine, scrape up the browned bits and de-glaze the skillet.  Continue cooking for about 3 minutes until the wine is reduced to about 1/4 cup.  Remove the skillet from the heat and swirl in the remaining tablespoon of butter. 

Remove the foil tent from the chicken and place each piece of chicken on a plate.  Spoon the sauce equally over each piece of chicken and garnish with a sage leaf.

Saltimbocca means "to jump in the mouth".  This will definitely jump in your mouth and before you know it, there's a party going on! 

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Chicken Scarpariello

This recipe comes to us via Sam's blog, My Carolina Kitchen.  Her brother-in-law, Stuart, who I had the pleasure of meeting at our blogging get together in June, made this dish for Same and her husband some time back.  You can bet I was sure to tell Sam and Stuart I had tried this dish and how completely thrilled I was with the results as was the rest of my family.

Although I haven't visited Italy yet,  the deep flavors of this wonderful meal sure made me feel like I was enjoying a meal in a rustic Italian village.

There was no reason for me to even try to change a thing about this recipe, so I am sharing it true to the Sam shared with her readers.

12 chicken thighs bone in, skin on (2 per person)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed
1/2 lb. sweet (may be called mild) Italian sausage, preferably without fennel seeds), cut into 1-inch pieces
10 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
4 pickled cherry peppers, cut in half and stemmed
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock or reduced sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Wash the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.  Generously season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet.  Once the oil is heated, add as many pieces of chicken (skin side down) to the skillet as you can comfortably fit without them touching, be careful not to crowd the skillet.  You will more than likely have to do this in batches and possibly add a little more oil as needed in order not to burn the brown bits that you will need later!

Brown the chicken on all sides, about 8 to10 minutes.  As room becomes available in the skillet, add the sausage pieces to the to brown.  Place the browned chicken and sausage on a platter lined with paper towels to drain briefly, then move them to a roasting pan large enough to accommodate them in a single layer.

Add the garlic to the skillet and cook until golden brown, being very careful not to burn.  Scatter the cherry peppers in the skillet and season with salt and pepper.  Stir for about 1 minute the add the vinegar and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits.  Continue cooking until the vinegar is reduced by half.  Add in the white wine, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Now pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Pour the sauce over the chicken in the roasting pan, stir to coat the chicken.  Place the chicken in the oven to roast, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and sticky, like molasses, about 10 minutes.  If the sauce is still too thin, place the roasting pan on the stove top over medium-high heat stirring until the sauce is reduced which should take about a minute or two.  

Once the sauce is thickened, toss in the parsley and serve.

Okay, so I added a little shaved Asiago cheese, because that's just how I roll.

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Meatball Casserole

When I do find the time to make Spaghetti and Meatballs, it pains me to see any of it go to waste.  Even with the influx of lots of teenagers practically eating us out of house and home this summer, I had way too many meatballs leftover from this weekend to allow to go to waste.  Let me ask you this, doesn't hungry and teenager go hand in hand?  

After a Monday that was REALLY a "Monday", I threw this together.  This was the ticket and the best part, well actually there were two best parts...no three best parts...I had no leftovers, we all loved it, I had everything and didn't have to make a trip to the grocery store!

If you don't have leftover meatballs, buy a bag of the frozen meatballs and use a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce.  Also, if you don't have the Johnny's Garlic Spread Seasoning, instead make a blend of 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese and 1/2 teaspoon dried basil.

2 cans crescent roll dough

1 block (8 oz.) of light cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon Johnny's Garlic Spread Seasoning

1-1/2 to 2 lbs. leftover meatballs (depending on size, cut in half or quartered)

3 cups spaghetti sauce

2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick coking spray.  Unroll the crescent roll dough and press into baking dish, covering bottom of dish and pressing it half way up the sides of the dish.

Place the cream cheese in a small bowl and mash it with a fork.  Add in the Johnny's and thoroughly blend it in the cream cheese.  Spread the cream cheese in a thin layer over the crescent roll dough.  I found it easier to spread it out with my fingers than using a spatula.

Combine the meatballs and spaghetti sauce in a large bowl and the carefully pour or spoon it over the cream cheese and dough.

Sprinkle the shredded Mozzarella cheese over the top and pop that baby in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.

Yum, melted Mozzarella cheese wrestling! Is that a sport?

If I don't get my fair share there will be some serious yelling going on!

I am so glad pictures of melty, stringy Mozzarella cheese are against the law (yet).

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Crockpot Mediterranean Chicken Ragu with Orecchiette

I saw this recipe over at Reeni's blog, at Cinnamon Girl Recipes     When I find a gorgeous looking Crockpot recipe such as this, I can't wait to try it.  As an added bonus, my husband, A.J., told me with almost every spoonful, "Honey, this is REALLY good.".

When I first started blogging, Reeni along with 6 other bloggers were the first to comment and encourage me to continue.   

If you haven't visited Reeni before, what are you waiting for?  She has the best, original, good home cooking recipes around.  Plus her photography is gorgeous!  This isn't the first recipe of Reeni's I've tried and as always, was another winner.

I did have to make one substitution, the fennel stalks.  I forgot to get fennel at the grocery and after just getting back from the store to get the chicken (which I forgot to get the day before), I didn't feel like getting out again.  I used 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds, slightly crushed.

1-1/2 cups chicken broth

1 can (14 ounce) petite diced tomatoes

8 artichoke hearts, cut in half

1 roasted red pepper, diced

3 fennel stalks, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

2 tablespoons capers

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1- 1/2 pounds chicken breasts or cutlets, boneless, skinless

8-12 ounces Orecchiette pasta

Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

In you slow cooker, combine broth, tomatoes, artichokes, red pepper, fennel (seeds), onion, capers and garlic. Stir in Italian seasoning, parsley, salt and pepper. Then, nestle in the chicken breasts. Cook on high 4 hours or low 6-8. Remove chicken and shred with two forks, stir back in.

Cook pasta to al dente, drain and stir into sauce, turn crockpot down to warm and allow to set for 10 minutes so the pasta can soak in some of the sauce.

Serve garnished with grated Parmesan cheese.

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Southern Tuscan Grits

The Italians and the French like to add butter and grated Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese to their grits right before serving to make them even more tasty and extra creamy.  This is a great side dish for pork, I served it along side Grilled Pork Chops with Garlic Relish It's too quick and easy not to try.

1-1/2 cups chicken broth

1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick cooking grits, uncooked
3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
3/4 cup grated Asiago cheese
1 teaspoon fresh basil, finely chopped or 1-1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons butter + butter for serving
1 tablespoons salt + Salt and Pepper to taste

In a small bowl or condiment bowl, blend together the basil garlic powder and onion power and set aside.

In a medium size pot, bring the chicken broth, milk to a boil.  Once the liquid begins to boil add the tablespoon of salt and gradually whisk in the grits.  Lower heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until thickened.

Remove the pot from the heat and . Stir in Romano and Asiago cheese, the seasoning blend, butter, and parsley.  Stir until well blended and don't be afraid to put some muscle into your stirring.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with a pat of butter on top.

Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Rolls

Please forgive the blurry pictures.  My camera battery died  and I tried using A.J.'s camera which I don't know how to work or set.  I know how to charge the battery and that's about it.  Don't let the shoddy photography fool you, wait until you see how to make these; you will adore them!

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and pounded thin or 8 chicken cutlets pounded thin.

1 Five ounce jar sun-dried tomato pesto

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

4 slices prosciutto, cut in half

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend (salt, pepper, garlic powder, Asiago cheese, basil, and onion powder)

1 cup chicken broth

8 wooden toothpicks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Lay out the chicken cutlets and season both sides with salt and pepper.  One one side of the chicken, spread a generous but thin layer of the sun-dried tomato pesto within a 1/4" of the edge of the cutlet.  On top of the pesto, place one of the half slices of prosciutto and then a generous, but thin layer of the mozzarella cheese. 

Roll the cutlet beginning with the thin end or small end in a coil and secure with a toothpick or two.  Brush the chicken with the olive oil and place in an oven safe dish.  Sprinkle each chicken roll with the Italian seasoning blend.  Pour the chicken broth around the edge of the dish, not on top of the chicken roll (so you don't wash the seasoning off  the chicken).  Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Carefully uncover the dish and bake for 10 more minutes to brown the chicken.  Remove, baste with the liquid in the dish and allow to rest for about 5 minutes, then serve.

Antipasti My Way!

The kind people at Girard's sent me a sample of four of their gourmet salad dressings!  So difficult to choose which one to try first.  I do have a little swag for you too!  Click here for a $2.00 coupon for one of Girard's salad dressings.

A.J. and I tossed around a few ideas and decided on my antipasti salad: 

One bowl of washed Romaine lettuce.

The lettuce is liberally garnished with marinated artichoke hearts, organic salami, kalamata olives, fresh basil from our garden, and Parmigiana Reggiano cheese.

I'm drooling just reliving this salad through the pictures.

How to choose?  Each pick a salad dressing and share! 

A.J.'s comment:  "Honey that was delicious!  Bet that salad would be even better with a steak."

Silly me, thinking the salami would tide over his meat craving.

Hurry over and get your coupon!  Didn't know we were going to have a field trip did you?

Easy Brees-y Pasta

Today's offering is a combination of fantastic simple flavors.  This pasta dish is more of a method more than it's a recipe.  It has base ingredients or base sauce and you can pick and choose which "extras" to add to suit your taste.  Talk about a a keeper! 

Also Easy Brees-y Pasta is a tasty side for your Super Bowl Party; believe me people will come back for more!

Preheat over medium-low heat a large high sided skillet or pot and saute 4 cloves of thinly sliced garlic for about one minute.

Add 2 pints of cherry tomatoes and drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the tomatoes and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Leave the temperature on medium-low and slowly roast the tomatoes and garlic for about 40 to 45 minutes. 

You will see juices coming from the tomatoes into the pan.

While the tomatoes are roasting, heat another large pot over med-high heat and add in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Once the oil is heated, add 1 lb. of sweet Italian sausage to the pot and brown.  Once the sausage has browned, remove from pot, drain and reserve.

To the same pot, add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil and three baby zucchinis, peeled and sliced and 4 ounces of sliced cremini mushrooms.  Saute until the zucchini pieces start to brown around the edges and the mushroom slices are golden brown.  This should take about 5 minutes.

Heat the water to boil 1 lb. of your favorite short pasta.

Add the sausage back to the pan and lower heat to simmer.

Once the tomatoes are roasted, put about a half dozen tomatoes on the side and reserve for later.

Pour the remaining tomatoes and garlic into a heat safe container and use an immersion blender to puree. 

Pour the "sauce" back into the pot it came from.  Season the sauce with a teaspoon of sugar.

 Add the sausage and veggies to the pan with the sauce. 

Add in 1/2 cup of chicken stock or broth to thin out the sauce a bit.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Heat through to a low simmer.

Toss the cooked and drained pasta into the pot and thoroughly combine with the meat and vaggies.

Garnish with the reserved tomatoes, basil and Parmesan.

Spaghetti Bolognese

I was looking for a recipe to use up some ground beef I had and knew I was craving something with an Italian flair.  I came across a recipe by Ellie Krieger that looked pretty good.  Ellie Krienger's recipes have always won over my heart  but then I read the reviews.  All 41 of them!  The majority said this was the biggest Ellie disappointment they had ever cooked; it was too dry, had no taste and tasted horrible.  Many people posted the changes they had made.  I went ahead and printed out the recipe anyway and adapted to our tastes and to use up a few pantry items.

This dish turned out phenomenal!  Another great feature is you can add or delete ingredients to suit your taste and/or pocketbook.

Here's my version:
3/4 pound thin spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 bell pepper, chopped 
2 stalks celery, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
8 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 sun dried tomatoes chopped
1 pound lean ground beef (90 to 95 percent lean)
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons driend basil
2 (14 1/2-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes with juice
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz.) jar marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup evaporated milk or regular whole milk
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

Add the sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts garlic, ground beef, basil and thyme and cook until the meat is browned, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks.

Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce and broth and cook for 5 minutes, or until sauce is thickened.

Stir in the milk and cook for 1 minute more. Season with sugar, salt and pepper.

Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil, cook and drain the spaghetti.

When the pasta is done, drain it, put it back in the pasta pot, add the sauce and stir the sauce and pasta together.

Put into serving bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.