Ingredients:

• 4 quarts of chicken stock
• 1 13 oz. can of shredded cooked chicken
• 1/4 cup of fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 8 oz dried wide egg noodles
• 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons of Old Bay
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Place a soup pot over medium high heat and cook until liquid is reduced by 1/3..

2. Add the noodles and vegetables. Bring pot to a simmer for approximately five minutes. Reduce heat and cook for approximately 20 to 30 minutes to allow noodles to cook through.

3. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and fresh black pepper before serving.

And that’s all there is to it. It’s very, very tasty and really simple.

They’re easy to make, albeit a tad time consuming. Since you’re getting a whole bell pepper, you’re getting a lot of veggies, and the ground chicken with melted Parmesan is really warming. Here’s how you make it.

Ingredients :

• 1 lb. Fresh Ground Chicken
• 2 cloves garlic diced
• 1/2 cup chopped Spanish onion
• 1 tablespoon ginger
• 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (gluten free)
• 4 medium sized red, green or yellow peppers
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Heat the oil in a pan; add garlic, onion, ginger and ground chicken; cook until chicken is cooked through and white in color.

2. Drain any grease from the pan add tomato paste, water and soy sauce.

3. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.

4. Cut the tops off of the peppers; remove the seeds and the white inner fleshy parts (veins).

5. Stuff each pepper with the cooked chicken mixture, sprinkle stuffed peppers with Parmesan cheese. We layer our cheese throughout, building it the same way you would a layer cake.

6.Place your peppers on a non-stick baking sheet and bake at 325°F, until they are brown or the cheese melts (about 30 minutes).

Makes 4 servings.
Nutritional info:
Calories: 431
Total Fat: 19g
Sat. Fat: 8g
Cholest.: 139mg
Sodium: 2,800
Carb.: 20g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 44g

They’re absolutely fantastic and impossible to screw up.

Grilled Chicken in Feta Cheese Sauce

Here’s how you do it.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 onion sliced thin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 TBS olive oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 2 chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon of corn starch

Preparation:
1. Heat a large grill pan over medium high heat. Grill chicken breasts for 6 to 8 minutes per side.

2. As chicken grills, heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium high heat, add onions, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened and beginning to caramelized (about 6 minutes). Add garlic, cook for 1 minute.

3. Add half-and-half and feta cheese. Stir until thickened and cheese begins to melt. For a thicker sauce dilute corn starch in a 1/4 cup of water and add to sauce gradually. Stir constantly until desired thickness is reached.

We served ours with asparagus spears and some sliced cherry tomatoes. The feta sauce was great over the asparagus as well. Give her a go. Let me know how it turns out.

We did our spinach pesto over a grilled chicken and paired it with balsamic marinated asparagus spears and fresh Roma tomatoes seasoned with salt and pepper. Here’s how you do it.

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1/2 fresh lemon squeezed
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons garlic salt
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preparation:

1. Heat a grill pan on medium high heat. Lightly oil the grill pan. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and some garlic salt. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Grill asparagus that has marinated in balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper on separate portion of the pan. Turn asparagus at the same time you turn the chicken. Remove after about 6 to 8 minutes. It should cook a little faster than the chicken. Just set it aside to cool.

2. While you’re grilling, combine the spinach, pine nuts, lemon juice, and lemon peel in a food processor. Lightly pulse. Pause occasionally to gradually add the 1/3 cup of the oil, blending until the mixture is creamy.

3. Transfer the spinach mixture to a bowl. Stir in the Parmesan. Season the pesto with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. Spread the pesto over each piece of chicken and serve.

It’s awesome and super fast (like 15 minutes fast). I don’t think I’ve made something recently that Vita has enjoyed so much. She was raving about the spinach pesto and found herself looking for things to put it on after the chicken and tomatoes were gone. Enjoy!

The real secret is good chicken breasts and the right blend of Greek spices. The best in my opinion is the blend my mother uses, which we buy at Rafal Spice Company in Detroit’s Eastern Market area. You can order it online here.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Red onion – chopped
• 1 Red Bell Pepper – Diced
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper – Diced
• Black Olives – Diced
• Cherry Tomatoes – Halved
• 2 medium sized chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons of Greek Seasoning Mix
• 4 cups pre-packaged salad mix
• 2 tablespoons low-fat Greek Dressing
• 4 tablespoons Feta cheese

Preparation:
1. Preheat grill pan over medium high heat. As your pan is heating, coat both sides of chicken breasts with the Greek seasoning mix.

2. Dice vegetables and spray grill pan with non-stick spray. Grill chicken four minutes per side and grill veggies until tender. Turn chicken and remove from grill. Allow chicken to rest.

3. Slice chicken and add to salad. Distribute toppings and dress to your liking.

This is so simple and so good. Vita’s dinner is pictured below.

Not really a complex recipe, but it’s really, really tasty. It’s so much more fun to make your own grilled salads anyway.

Looks pretty appetizing huh? Allow me to attest, the dressing is AMAZING. I’ll be using it for everything from salads, to marinades Here’s how to make the whole shebang.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons (for marinade) plus 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds (the original recipe calls for a course crush, but Vita isn’t a big fennel fan. I left them intact for a milder flavor)
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 large clove garlic
• teaspoon grated lemon zest

Preparation:

MARINADE:

Whisk in 1/3 cup of oil, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, fennel seeds, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a heavy-duty, zippered, plastic bag. Add the chicken and seal the bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day, turn the chicken occasionally if you have time. Just be sure you get to toss it every now and again before you bring it to the grill.

DRESSING:

Blend the basil, garlic, lemon zest, remaining 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a blender until smooth. Once you’ve got it evened out, blend in the remaining 1/3 cup oil. Season the basil sauce, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired. I don’t think you’ll need it though, as it’s already a flavor backed punch.

GRILLING
Prepare the barbecue for medium-high heat or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to plates. Drizzle the basil sauce over and serve.

Thoughts;
The lemon basil sauce adds a huge kick to the chicken, giving it a lot flavor. The marinade makes the chicken really, really moist and the fennel adds a lot of earthy tones to the meat. This is a recipe I have a feeling I’ll be making over and over again. Vita said the chicken “dances” in your mouth. I’d agree, it’s really strong and very zippy. Try it, I have a feeling you’ll like it.

When I was still laying in bed Sunday morning I was dreaming of buffalo wings and then drifted to pizza. And where I ended up was just combining the two together. I had seen some of the delivery joints offering pizzas similar to this, but I was sure they weren’t using Danish Bleu or the scallions that I had in mind. Believe me, you can get this done in 45 minutes, which we both now is about how long you’re going to wait for delivery during peak hours during football Sundays.

Ingredients:

• 1 large boneless chicken breast
• 1.5 large scallions diced
• 1/4 cup Danish bleu cheese
• 1 large Boboli pizza crust (you can always make your own, but I love these when pre-game is on!)
• 1/4 cup Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce
• 1 stalk celery diced
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese

Preparation:
1. Slice chicken into thin pieces and toss them in salt and pepper. Preheat oven and pizza stone to 450 degrees.

2. In a medium sized skillet, saute chicken for a few minutes. Don’t cook it all the way through as it will finish in the oven.

3. Remove pan from heat, allowing chicken to cool. Slice vegetables and add sauce to crust. Add mozzarella cheese and scallions and put the celery aside (Vita reminded me that warm celery is just gross).

4. Put chicken into a zip lock bag or bowl and toss with 1/4 cup of wing sauce. Add chicken and crumbled Danish Bleu to your pizza. I like to drizzle olive oil on the outside edge of the crust and then add garlic salt to the oil. It adds another dimension to the crust.

5. Bake for 12 minutes.

It’s excellent, extra spicy and really, really good. Vita loved it, and I think you guys probably will to. If you do give it a whirl, let me know.

First off, let me preface that my wife is a wonderful cook in her own right, and I was probably quick to call her a “snob” in the previous post on Chicken Marsala. She is developing an increasingly broad palate now that I have her eating chicken and turkey again (she was pretty much vegetarian when we first started dating two years ago). Nevertheless, it still sometimes surprises me when she grabs things at the grocery store and our local warehouse club that look a lot like red meat, as was the case with these pre-made Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Meatballs.

We grabbed them because she started a new surgical rotation on Monday and we were unsure how much time we’d have to devote to our nightly cooking this week. And as we meal planned on Sunday, she thought it a good plan to make kabobs. The carnivore in me smiled so wide I think you could see rays of light emitting from my dimples that I hate to admit are there . Here’s what Vita skewered for me to grill up.

Ingredients:

• 1 package pre-made Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Meatball Kabobs (we found some organinc pre-made meatballs at Sam’s Club
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper (sliced into kabob-size pieces)
• 1 Orange Bell Pepper (sliced into kabob-size pieces)
• 1 small can Mandarin Oranges
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Pre-heat grill to 400 degrees
2. Skewer meatball onto wooden or metal skewer (pre-soak wooden skewers) and flank with bell peppers. Add oranges, and repeat process until skewer is filled. Repeat as needed.
3. Salt and pepper kabobs and brush with Teriyaki sauce.
4. Grill for 2 minutes a side, turning as needed.

The kabobs were really great. We really didn’t need to do anything drastic to the meatballs and Vita’s idea of using mandarin oranges gave a really nice sweetness that complimented the Teriyaki flavor of the meat to an absolute T. We paired our kabobs with a really great summer salad.

Watermelon and Tomato Salad with Feta and Kalamata Olives

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound watermelon, seeded – large dice (about 1.5 cups)
• 1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded – medium dice
• 1 small English cucumber, peeled, seeded – medium dice
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup pitted and halved kalamata olives
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves torn and bruised
• 1 ounce feta cheese (I’d suggest the crumbled, dried version, brined feta will add too much salt – if brined is all you have, omit the kosher salt mentioned above)
• 1 teaspoon of lime juice

Preparation:
1. Combine watermelon, tomato, and cucumber in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt, and gently toss to combine. Transfer mixture to a colander and let drain. After 5 minutes, return mixture to bowl after wiping it down with a paper towel.

2. Combine vegetable mixture with olives, vinegar, olive oil, mint, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle cheese over the top and serve. Can’t be less difficult and it’s VERY refreshing and matches perfectly with the meatballs and a nice glass of wine. As strange as the mint and lime juice might sound here, they’re key elements that gives the whole dish a special something. Kudos to Kate over at Chow for coming up with a real winner.

I’m happy to report that last night, I hit a home run with an adaptation of Gourmet’s version of Chicken Marsala.

Let’s do it.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth (14 fl oz)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 10 oz mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into halves or thirds for larger breasts(1 lb total)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry Marsala wine
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation:
1. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over high heat, then boil, uncovered, until reduced to about 3/4 cup. This took about 20 minutes

2. Cook shallot in 3 tablespoons butter in an 8- to 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until shallot begins to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, 1 teaspoon sage, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. As your shallot and mushrooms marry, put flour in a wide shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Gently pound chicken to 1/4 inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap using the flat side of a meat pounder or a rolling pin.

4. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper, then dredge in seasoned flour, 1 piece at a time, shaking off excess. Transfer to sheets of wax paper, arranging chicken in 1 layer.

5. Heat 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter in a 12-inch heavy saucepan over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté half of chicken, turning over once, until golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer cooked chicken to a platter, arranging in 1 layer. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and cook remaining chicken in same manner.

6. In the same pan your chicken was sauté d, add 1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine to and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, about 30 seconds. Add reduced chicken broth, cream, and mushrooms, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened. Introduce chicken to the pan after 4 minutes, and simmer for additional 2 to 4 minutes. Just before plating, add lemon juice 2 tablespoons wine and 1/2 teaspoon sage.

Serve with your favorite pasta. Vita and I went with whole wheat spaghetti because we were very low on fettuccine.

We served our Chicken Marsala with a field green salad with bell peppers, spanish olives and feta cheese, a selection of Italian meats and fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese and marinated mozarella balls. To help soak up the extra Marsala sauce, we provided ourselves with roasted garlic Italian bread.

All in all, I spent about an hour in the kitchen on this, despite having done some prep work on Monday night. Since I commute such a long time each night, I probably won’t tackle this one on a weeknight again, but in all honesty, it was the most fun I’d had in my kitchen for some time and I was blown away by how good it was. I don’t normally impress myself with my own cooking, but I’d put my adapted version of Chicken Marsala up against any local Italian joint we have in southeast Michigan.

If you give it a go, let me know how it works out. Just be sure you use a sweet Marsala. We went with Lombardo, which I picked up at Holiday Market for $9.99. Don’t go cheap on the wine, it’s crucial to the development of the sauce. It’s not as difficult as you might imagine it would be, and the payoff on the flavor makes any hassle in cleanup or preparation well worth it. Happy cooking.