Stuffed Chicken Breasts Marsala

Don't let this recipes instructions deter you from making this delicious dish.  It is easy and you can have it ready to cook in about 20 minutes.
I can never get the chicken breasts to be thin enough...so I don't worry about that (I usually slice a standard breast in two and then pound until my arms are tired)
I didn't have any kitchen twine so I used cotton yarn that I use to crochet dishcloths--LOL

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (pound thin)
chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
ricotta cheese.
4 slices prosciutto, THINLY sliced
nutmeg, salt, pepper
mushrooms (fresh is best but canned will do)
Marsala Wine
chicken broth
flour for dredging and thickening
kitchen twine
butter, olive oil

Season breasts with salt and pepper, top with about 2 tablespoons of ricotta cheese, sprinkle with nutmeg, add a small "handful" of spinach, spreading across the surface of the breast.  Top with a very thin slice of prosciutto. Roll up and tie with kitchen twine, dredge in flour
Set aside

Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter and saute mushrooms until tender.  Remove mushrooms from pan, add chicken breasts and cook until golden brown on all sides (adding more butter or oil as needed)
Remove chicken breasts and keep warm
Deglaze pan with 1/3 cup Marsala wine (or to taste)
add 1 can chicken broth (or 1 1/2 cups) and some flour to thicken.  Heat until bubbling and thickened, stirring occasionally.
Add breasts back to pan to re-heat

Serve with rice, couscous or pasta. 
Enjoy!

A Lovely Summery Scallop dish

A week or tow ago I had DH bring the patio furniture up from the basement as April is usually cool enough to enjoy dinner outside.  Summer is just too hot and humid here in the Ohio Valley...but I've had it with the  less than ideal SPRING Weather (we were in the basement as the result of a tornado warning at 1am this morning!) and am ready for summer!
...Hence this summery seafood dish

Pan-Fried Scallops with Mango Salsa

For the Salsa
1-ripe mango, peeled and diced, reserving as much juice as possible
Diced red onion to taste (I used about 1/3 a medium red onion
1-2 jalapenos (seeded and diced)
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of one lime
Mix well and refrigerate until served

I served 4-5 SEA Scallops per person
Rinse scallops, pat dry and season with salt.
Pan "fry" in a skillet with olive oil, about 2 minutes per side (allow a brown "crust" to form for added flavor.)  Or you could grill the scallops if desired

Spoon the scallops onto a warm plate, top with salsa and serve with fresh broiled asparagus and wild rice. 
Yum! 

Please Hurry Summer! 

Shrimp Tacos--a new recipe!

I am trying a new Recipe tonight--Shrimp Tacos

I am going to cook some thinly sliced onions (and maybe a pepper) with shrimp on the grill
Then I'll toss that with a clove of minced garlic, the juice of a lime and a container of the Santa Fe Blend PHILADELPHIA COOKING CREAM.
Salt and pepper to taste
Spoon into soft flour tortillas and top with a Cole slaw mix and cilantro, maybe some sliced jalapenos, sour cream and salsa...

I think I'll serve it with Mexican rice and fried plantains
Hope it's yummy!  I'll let you know

Chicken Rollups

This is an easy dish when you need a tasty meal fast--which I always do during Track season

Market Day chicken steaks, 1 per serving (I love the size of theses fillets, perfectly sized cutlets)
salt and pepper
garlic powder
paprika
provolone cheese
fresh asparagus, washed and trimmed
wooden toothpicks

Pat chicken to dry
Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic salt and paprika
Place a layer of cheese on the breast, top with 4-5 spears of asparagus
roll up and secure with a toothpick

Place in a microwave safe baking dish, top with waxed paper
Cook according to your microwaves directions, until juices run clear
Serve with a fresh salad and wild rice and hot rolls

Dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes!

Shrimp and Grits

This is a delicious and hearty meal
Serves 4 with some grits left over for breakfast the next morning

Cheese Grits
Bring 1 half-pint cream, 1-14 oz container chicken broth and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. (Add 1 clove minced garlic if desired)
Add 3/4 tsp salt and 1 cup quick cooking grits to liquid, simmer about 10 minuets until thickened
add 8 oz shredded SHARP white cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup good quality shredded Parmesan cheese and hot sauce to taste. Keep Warm

Shrimp
Cook 6 slices of bacon in a heavy duty skillet, set aside bacon
in the remaining drippings (remove some of the grease if necessary) saute 8 oz sliced mushrooms, a bunch of diced green onions an 2 cloves minced garlic until tender.
Remove shells from 32 large shrimp (devein if desired)
Salt and pepper shrimp, dredge lightly in flour
Add shrimp to skillet and saute until pink, adding more bacon grease if necessary
add 1/4 -1/4 cup chicken broth and hot sauce to taste
allow sauce to thicken

Spoon grits on to serving plates,
top with a serving of shrimp mixture
top with crumbled bacon (and some extra green onions if desired)
DELISH!
Enjoy with a loaf of crusty french bread and a side salad.

Ranch Chicken over noodles

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
6 slices of bacon
2 TBS flour
1 package dry ranch dressing mix
1 1/2 cup milk
egg noodles

Prepare egg noodles according to package direction, set aside, keep warm

Salt and pepper chicken, cut into bite-size pieces and set aside
Cook bacon, draining off all but 2 TBS grease
Saute chicken in remaining bacon grease
When chicken is nicely browned and no longer pink, sprinkle with the flour and the ranch dressing mix. Toss to coat. Add the milk, stir and allow sauce to thicken. Serve over egg noodles.

New Year Resolutions

I have a well stocked pantry and am known for buying items when they are on sale (Yes, I have 10 jars of marinara sauce on hand--but never pay more that $1.00 a jar for this either. which results in a FULL Pantry but money tied up in inventory)

Therefore, this year I RESOLVE To use what I have on hand rather than buy, buy, buy more. This is going to be a hard one for me to be disciplined enough to NOT purchase when on sale for a period of time and it will also require some creative cooking and new recipes (share yours) but I am up for the task!