Chicken Piccata

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 large egg
flour (for dredging)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon paprika
kosher salt
ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
1 large shallot, minced fine
3 garlic cloves, minced fine
1/2 cup sweet vermouth or sherry wine or white wine
1 cup prepared bouillon, with
2 teaspoons flour, blended together
1 lemon, juice of
2 teaspoons lemon peel, grated
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed and lightly crushed
1 lb sauteed fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley, roughly chopped
1 lemon, sliced thinly


Thoroughly wash and pat dry chicken.

Pound chicken flat - 1/2 inch (Cook's Tip: Place the chicken between two wax paper sheets and use gentle strokes when pounding - The meat can tear easily. Pounding the chicken is a very important step if you wish your chicken to be tender.)

Beat the egg in a bowl large enough to hold chicken.

In a shallow pie plate, combine flour, Parmesan, paprika, salt and pepper.

Dip chicken in egg, then in flour mixture until well coated.

Heat a wide skillet and melt the butter, then add the olive oil.

When hot, add the chicken (Do not crowd skillet.) Quickly brown the chicken on both sides, adding more butter and oil as needed (Fry until appearance is golden and chicken is cooked.)

Remove chicken to serving platter, keep warm.

In the drippings, sauté' the onion, shallot, and garlic for about 1 minute.

Add the vermouth/sherry/wine and the bouillon; deglaze the skillet - stirring to get all of the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.

Return the chicken to the skillet.

Pour the lemon juice, grated lemon peel, capers and mushrooms over the chicken; gently turn chicken to coat with sauce.

Simmer for another 15 minutes

Chicken Scampi

White sauce base:

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in nonstick skillet.

After it's melted, add 2 tablespoons flour and cook for 2 minutes on med heat.

Slowly add milk and stir constantly to get rid of lumps. when you have added enough milk, you should have like a white gravy consistency.

Set this aside.

You will have much more white sauce than you will actually need.

Scampi sauce:

2 sticks butter
2 tblspns crushed garlic (real garlic; not salt or the dried stuff
2 tblspns chicken stock
3/4 cup chablis (actually, I used riesling and it worked fine) or any white
wine that's not too sweet
1 cup water
1/4 cup white sauce
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tblspns italian seasoning

chicken tenderloins (how much chicken you want)
black pepper to taste .



Heat butter over a slow heat. add the garlic, italian seasoning and crushed
red pepper.

Cook for about 2 minutes on low heat, add the wine, water, and chicken base.

Stir until combined add the white sauce mix and stir until
slightly thickened.

The rest of it...
1/2 package of angel hair, cooked according to package directions
thinly sliced bell peppers (red, green and yellow)
thinly sliced red onions
about 10 whole garlic cloves

Put the garlic cloves in a small nonstick skillet with some oil and braise
them for about 20 minutes on low heat. Just put the lid on the skillet and
let them cook...they should be golden and really soft when they are done.

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the peppers and onions for a few
minutes. also, saute chicken tenderloins (however many you feel like
cooking or eating!)Add the angel hair and pour the sauce over. saute until
everything is mixed together and sauce is reheated. add garlic cloves

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick) butter
4 tablespoons hot sauce (not like Tabasco but more a Louisiana-style “Frank’s” is good)
2 1⁄2 cups shredded cooked chicken (from a precooked deli chicken)
1⁄2 cup blue cheese salad dressing any kind, but the chunkier, the better (optional)
1 12-inch ready-made pizza crust, like Boboli
1 cup shredded mozzarella
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

In a small pot, melt the butter with the hot sauce, stir well, and remove from the heat.

Add the chicken and mix well.

Spread the blue cheese dressing on the pizza crust, then top with the chicken mixture. (Don’t worry if it’s messy, because it will be).

Top with the mozzarella. Bake until bubbly and brown looking, (12 to 15 minutes.)

Sprinkle with the cilantro, cut into wedges, and serve.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

1 pound hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
3 cans (15 ounces each) Italian-style tomato sauce
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)
1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
15 uncooked lasagna noodles

Cook hamburger and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hamburger is no longer pink; drain.
Stir in tomato sauce, basil and salt.

Mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. (Refrigerate remaining mozzarella cheese while lasagna cooks.)

Spoon one-fourth of the hamburger mixture into 6-quart slow cooker; top with 5 noodles, broken into pieces to fit.

Spread with half of the cheese mixture and one-fourth of the hamburger mixture.

Top with 5 noodles, remaining cheese mixture and one-fourth of the hamburger mixture.

Top with remaining 5 noodles and remaining hamburger mixture.

Cover and cook on Low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or until noodles are tender.

Sprinkle top of lasagna with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

Cover and let stand about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Cut into pieces.

Italian Beef Kabobs

1 pound beef bone-in sirloin or round steak 1 inch thick
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. dried oregano leaved (1 tbsp. fresh)
2 tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. marjoram leaves
1 tsp. sugar

Cut and discard most of the fat and the bone from the beef.
Cut beef into 1 inch pieces.

Peel and finely chop the garlic.
Make a marinade by mixing the vinegar, water, oregano, oil, marjoram, sugar and garlic in a large bowl.

Stir in beef until well coated.
Cover and refrigerate at least one hour, stirring occasionally.
(If you are using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes before using to prevent burning).

Move oven rack so it is near the broiler.
Set the oven to broil.

Remove the beef from the marinade, reserving the marinade.
Thread the beef onto the skewers leaving a 1/2 inch space between each piece.
Brush the kabobs with marinade.

Place the kabobs on a foil lined baking sheet with tops about 3 inches from the heat for about 6-8 minutes for medium-rare to medium doneness, turning and brushing after 3 minutes.

Discard any remaining marinade.

**To save time use 2/3 cup purchased Italian dressing instead of making the marinade**