- Lemony Chicken Salad with Lemony Dressing -

I'm sure all of you can tell from my last post that I'm a health food nut, right? Wrong! But honestly, who is? Everyone want's chocolate cake, not everyone wants salad. This is the sad truth. But people, it's short sleeve weather, you're all going to be in bathing suits this summer, and it just might be the right time to put away the cake plate (at least for a little while). Don't worry, my next post will probably be heavy and fattening too, this isn't a diet blog ;). But really, I am working on keeping healthy, and chicken is the way I like to do it. I'm not the biggest fan of salad, so I have to find ways to make it delicious and tempting. This recipe does just that. Giada would be proud of this recipe ('cause you know how she loves her lemons!). After all, we need to prove to the world that lemons aren't just for throwing at people, right? So pull out the bathing suit and dig into this salad, you won't be sorry!

 

Lemony Chicken Salad with Lemony Dressing

For Chicken and Marinade:

2 Chicken Breasts (pounded to a 1/4-1/2 inch thick)
1/4 c. Olive Oil
The Zest from one Lemon
The Juice from one Lemon
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper

For Salad and Dressing:

8 c. Lettuce (I used Romaine)
1 c. Grape Tomatoes
1/8 c. Olive Oil
The Zest from One Lemon
The Juice from 1/2 a Lemon
Pinch of Kosher Salt
A couple cracks of Pepper

Directions:

In ziplock bag add chicken, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Seal the bag and shake around, mixing everything together. Put into the refrigerator to sit for 2 hours.

Heat up the grill and take the chicken out of the bag. Grill over medium-low heat till cooked all the way through (took me about ten minutes or less). Cut the chicken breasts up into strips or cubes, whichever you like

Divide the lettuce between 4 plates. Then divide the chicken and the tomatoes between the plates. In liquid measuring cup whisk together olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over the four salads and serve.

Serves 4

Enjoy!

- Celebrating Dad's Birthday -

I think heaven visited me the other day, and I ate it. I'm feeling really guilty right now...

Yes, around here on birthdays the only cake to be had is chocolate with chocolate and extra chocolate. This time I decided to go overboard and make six layers of chocolate. Everyone was happy and stuffed and said they wouldn't be able to eat anymore... It was gone the next day. I think it goes without saying that this cake was a hit. For the cake part and all its dense, moist, chocolaty goodness, I used this recipe: Six Layer Chocolate Cake with Marshmallow Filling and Malted Chocolate Frosting. But for the filling I used ganache (About 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2-3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, the cream is heated till it boils and then add the chocolate, let sit five minutes, whisk together. Put in fridge to chill for about 45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes until it is spreadable). And for the frosting I used Duncan Hines chocolate frosting 2 1/2 containers. On the first layer of cake, spread ganache, add another cake layer, spread Duncan Hines frosting, add another cake layer, spread more ganache, another cake layer, more frosting, another cake layer, more ganache, add the last cake layer, and then frost the whole cake with more Duncan Hines frosting. The end result is that you will have three ganache layers and two frosting layers plus the outer frosting, and not to mention six layers of chocolate cake! Pretty rich and delicious! I hope you guys have a chance to make this some time, pretty yum!

- Summer's on the Way! -

So happy to be grilling again!

 

 

- Red Raspberry Smoothie -

Smoothies are the epitome of health food, apparently, and the nice thing about them is how versatile they are. You can have them with breakfast, as a snack, after a meal, or after every meal! Plus there are so many different flavors you can choose from. I prefer berry types. No green! I've had cherry smoothies, which are really delicious, but my favorite berry is the raspberry, so naturally.... Red Raspberry Smoothie! I also think putting a bit of lime in it wouldn't go amiss either. Maybe for another day...

Red Raspberry Smoothie

1/2 c. Water

1/2 c. Sugar

12 oz. frozen Raspberries

1 1/2 c. Vanilla Yogurt

Whipped Cream to top.

Directions:

To make a simple syrup, put the water and sugar together in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Stir with wooden spoon till the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes.

In a blender, add together the raspberries, yogurt, and simple syrup. Turn blender onto high till everything is blended together and brightly colored!

Pour into two tall glasses and top with dollops of whipped cream.

Enjoy!

- Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart -

Okay, so creating this was a bit of a crazy process for me. I had to make caramel! From scratch...make up the recipe...on my own...it was terrifying! Now I'm real into pastry making, but not making the recipes up! It was scary knowing that I had to deal with sugar, and boiling hot sugar at that! Well it all worked out, and needless to say I was dancing around the house like an idiot with excitement. It was just too much fun! So, don't be afraid of making this caramel from scratch, it is really very simple!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart

For the Pastry:

1 1/2 c. All-Purpose Flour, plus more for flouring the counter
1/4 c. Cocoa Powder
3 T. Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 sticks chilled Butter, cubed
1/4 cup cold Water

For the Caramel:

1 1/2 c. Granulated Sugar
1/2 c. Water
1 T. Light Corn syrup
1 stick cubed Butter
1/2 c. Heavy Cream
1/4 tsp. Course Salt

Chocolate Ganache:

1/2 c. Heavy Cream
3/4 c. semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
Dash of Vanilla
Fleur de sel for sprinkling

Directions for Pastry:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In food processor fitted with blade, blend together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, salt. Add the butter, a couple of cubes at a time, blending the whole time. Slowly add the cold water till the dough come away from the sides and forms a ball. Liberally cover the counter with flour and knead the dough, adding more flour to the counter till the dough is no longer sticky, about 3 minutes of kneading. Then, with a rolling pin, roll the dough into a circle, about an 1/8-1/4 of an inch thick. Place the dough in the a 9'' tart pan, and cut away any excess dough. Line the dough with foil and evenly weight with pie weights or beans. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack. 

Directions for Caramel:

In medium saucepan heat the sugar, water, and corn syrup  over a medium-high heat, boiling till it turns a caramel color (not too dark, once it starts to turn it will turn quickly), around 15-20 minutes it took for me. Once ready, turn the heat down to low, and immediately add the butter and heavy cream. It will bubble, and that's good. Mix with wooden spoon for a couple more minutes. Remove from heat and pour into the cooled tart crust. Let sit and cool until set up, a 3 or more hours is best.

IMPORTANT NOTE!: I've made a hard caramel before with just the sugar and water boiled to a caramel color, and I was told, whatever is left in the bottom of the pan, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES RINSE WATER INTO IT!  It WILL explode in your face, no joke! I'm not sure with the butter and cream and all if it acts the same, but I wasn't about to test it, so here's a tip: Let whatever is left in the bottom of the saucepan cool and harden. Then fill the saucepan with water and put it on the stove over a high heat till it boils, then you can just pour it all down the drain. Safety first, always!

Directions for Ganache:

Heat heavy cream in a bowl in microwave until it starts to boil. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla and let sit for a couple of minutes in the cream. Then mix together with fork until smooth. Cover and put in refrigerator for half an hour, stirring every ten minutes. Pour over the cool, set caramel. Sprinkle with a little fleur de sel. Let set completely before serving. I think it tastes better the next day, just be sure to sprinkle on the fleur de sel the day you are going to serve it.

Serves about 8

Enjoy!

- Chicken with Maple Cream Sauce -

When I made this recipe for my family, my sister said "This is like eating pancakes with chicken!" It does sort of have the feeling of breakfast with all the qualities of dinner. So for all of you people out there who don't like breakfast for dinner, try this, because this is about as close as you can get without being "breakfast for dinner"! 

 

Chicken with Maple Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

1 c. Heavy Cream

1 1/2 T. Maple Syrup 

6 Chicken Breasts

3 eggs

1 c. Flour

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Pepper

1 1/2 c. Panko Breadcrumbs

Olive Oil

2 strips cooked bacon, crumbled 

Directions:

Over medium/low heat, whisk together heavy cream and maple syrup. Let sit at a simmer and reduce to about half of what it was, whisking occasionally.

Meanwhile, while that is reducing, pound out your chicken breast till about 1/4 to a 1/2 inch thick. Whisk egg together in a bowl. Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a plate. Put breadcrumbs on a separate plate. Coat the bottom of a large pan with olive oil and heat on medium heath. Coat each chicken breast in the egg, then in the flour, then in the egg again, and lastly in the the breadcrumbs. Once the oil is hot, put in the chicken, letting cook for about 3-5 minutes on one side, and then 3-5 minutes on the other. When the chicken is cooked all the way through, remove from pan and arrange on a plate. Pour the maple cream sauce over it and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon. 

Enjoy!