Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Tomato and Basil and Potatoes with Peppers and Onions

Total Time: 27 min
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 12 min
Yield: 4 servings
Level: Easy

Ingredients

1 1/2 to 2 pounds fingerling potatoes or red skin baby potatoes
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 Italian mild green pepper, cubanelle, seeded and thinly sliced
1 medium yellow skinned onion, thinly sliced
4 large cloves garlic, cracked away from skin
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Coarse salt and pepper
2 cups shredded Parmesan, available in tubs near deli -- make sure to get shredded cheese, not grated
4 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 plum Roma tomatoes or small, vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
15 to 20 leaves fresh basil, pile leaves, roll then thinly slice -- chiffonade
Directions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Cut fingerling potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on thickness of fingerlings -- thin, small fingerlings may also be left hole, larger potatoes should be quartered to speed cooking process. If you are using small red potatoes, halve or quarter them in the same way.

Cover a large cookie sheet with foil. Place potatoes on cookie sheet. Combine with peppers and onions, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Coat the potatoes, peppers and onions with extra-virgin olive oil just enough to coat vegetables in a thin layer, 2 to 3 tablespoons. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Place potatoes in the oven and roast 20 to 22 minutes, until potatoes are just tender and peppers and onions are crisp at edges. Toss mixture with tongs, turning the potatoes after 15 minutes. When the potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a serving dish and peel the foil off the cookie sheet and discard for super-quick clean up!

While potatoes cook, prepare chicken. Roll out a 2-foot piece of waxed paper or foil near the stove top. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat -- your pan must be very hot when the chicken is added. Pile the shredded cheese on the work surface created with the waxed paper or foil. Season your chicken breasts with black pepper but no salt; the cheese will add enough salt to the taste of the dish. Press the breasts firmly into the cheese. Coat both sides of breasts with as much cheese as possible. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet, 1 turn of the pan. Set breasts into the skillet and cook 7 minutes on each side, until cheese forms an even, golden casing around the tender chicken breasts.

While chicken cooks, combine chopped tomatoes with basil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to your taste.

Drain off any excess oil from chicken as you remove it from the skillet. Top chicken with big spoonfuls of raw sauce and serve with potatoes, peppers and onions.

PANKO-CRUSTED BAKED SALMON

Panko-Crusted Baked Salmon

Panko is a Japanese type of bread crumb that is especially light and crunchy, popular with chefs because it doesn’t get soggy. What I love about this way of preparing salmon is that the panko topping seems to hold in the salmon’s moisture while roasting, so the salmon doesn’t get dried out at all. Some honey mustard spread over the top of the fillets provides the “glue” that holds the seasoned panko on to the fillets.
The result? Salmon that is perfectly tender, flakey, and seasoned. And it takes less than 30 minutes to make!
This recipe comes by way of my friend and neighbor Evie Lieb, who is a pastry chef, baker, and cooking teacher. This is one of her favorite recipes that she shared with a cooking class I attended. Evie now has her own food blog at www.evielieb.com.

Panko-Crusted Baked Salmon Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutesCook time: 12 minutesYield: Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
4 teaspoons olive oil
4 pieces thickly cut, boneless salmon (each 6 oz)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp honey mustard or sweet-hot mustard
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
METHOD
1 Preheat the oven to 400°F (convection or regular). Set the salmon on a foil-lined baking sheet skin side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
panko-crusted-salmon-method-600-1

2 In a small bowl, combine the honey mustard and 1 teaspoon of the thyme. In another small bowl, mix the panko with the remaining 1 teaspoon of thyme, 4 teaspoons of olive oil, parsley, and paprika. Add salt and pepper (a light sprinkle).
panko-crusted-salmon-method-600-2

3 Using a small spoon, spread the mustard mixture on the salmon; top with the bread crumb mixture.
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4 Roast the salmon for 12-14 minutes (test at 10) or until it is almost completely firm to the touch and flakes when poked with fork

Eyeball eggs on Friday 13th

Who doesn’t love a classic deviled egg? Kick up the fright factor a bit with these inexpensive and easy Halloween appetizers.

The classic deviled egg recipe gets a creepy cool makeover to disguise them as the ultimate Halloween bite. They’re sure to be a hit with all of your ghoulish guests

INGREDIENTS
1 dozen eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup mustard
1 can sliced black olives, drained
Blue food coloring
Hot sauce
DIRECTIONS
Fill up a large saucepan half-way with water and gently add the eggs. Cover eggs with at least 1 inch of water and add a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, cover, and remove from heat. Let sit covered for 12-15 minutes. Drain hot water from pan and run cold water over the eggs. Let sit in the cool water a few minutes, changing the water if necessary to keep it cool.
Peel the eggs and slice each egg in half lengthwise. Gently remove the yolk halves and place in a small bowl. Add mayonnaise and mustard and mix until creamy. Add a couple of drops of blue food coloring to yolk to make a green hue for the eyeballs.
Arrange the egg white halves on a serving platter and distribute yolk mixture evenly. Top each deviled egg with a sliced black olive in the center.
Take a toothpick and draw your hot sauce lightly on the egg white in a squiggly line to make veins. Add a drop of hot sauce in center of olive to make the red middle.

Eggs in bread bowl

Ingredients

6
kaiser rolls (4 to 5 inches in diameter)
6
Land O Lakes® all-natural farm-fresh eggs
6
teaspoons heavy whipping cream
6
tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3
teaspoons chopped fresh chives
3
teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions
1Heat oven to 400°F. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. Cut thin 3-inch round slice from tops of rolls; reserve tops. Leaving 1/2 inch around side of each roll, remove bread from inside, creating 1/2-inch deep cavity; discard bread crumbs. Place bread bowls on cookie sheet.
2For each bread bowl, crack egg into cavity. Top egg with 1 tablespoon whipping cream, 1 tablespoon cheese, 1/2 teaspoon chives and 1/2 teaspoon parsley; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3Bake 10 minutes; place reserved tops on bread bowls. Bake 2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and whites and yolks of eggs are firm, not runny.

Tips
If you prefer, you can substitute whole wheat, white, brioche, or challah rolls for the kaiser rolls. Feel free to use fresh basil, thyme, or any other fresh herb you have on hand. For added variety, substitute grated Cheddar, mozzarella, gouda or crumbled feta cheese for the grated Parmesan cheese. All would taste wonderful baked in your egg bowl.

Pepperoni pizza pockets

Pepperoni Pizza Pocket

Total Time: 50 min
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing
1/2 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
4 to 6 leaves fresh basil, torn
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 pound pizza dough, divided into 4 balls
2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella
12 ounces pepperoni, thinly sliced
Grated Parmesan, to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add in the tomato paste and saute for 1 more minute. Stir in the diced tomatoes, sugar and season with salt and pepper. Add the torn basil leaves and bring to a slow simmer. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes while you make your pizza pocket.

Roll out the dough balls on a lightly floured surface into 4 equal rounds. On half of each round, layer some mozzarella, and then some pepperoni slices. Fold in half, covering the filling, and then fold the outer edges up and crimp the edges with your fingers to seal. Place the pockets on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Bake until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with the sauce on the side.

Citrus chicken

Citrus Chicken
Total Time:
Prep: 15 min
Inactive: 6 hr
Cook: 1 hr 30 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, about 2 oranges
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon chiffonade fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons chiffonade basil leaves
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon celery seeds
Glaze:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 cup orange marmalade (look for marmalade with small rinds)
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup reserved marinade, strained
Directions
Glaze, recipe follows

Combine all the ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving 1/4 cup for glaze and put the chicken in a 13 by 9-inch pan and bake for 45 minutes. Baste with the glaze, turn the pieces over and bake for an additional 15 to 25 minutes, basting every 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and arrange the chicken on a serving platter.

Glaze:
In a small saucepan, over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot add the shallots and ginger and saute for 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Baste the chicken with the glaze after 45 minutes.

CANDIED BACON

Candied Bacon   Candied Bacon I like bacon. I do. But against what seems to be the social norm these days, I like bacon in moderation. There I said it. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I am clear to move on with a clear conscious. A friend of mine is an avid bacon lover. Well, he'd been talking about the fifty (50) pounds of bacon he'd been curing and it got me to thinking about things I could make with the bacon I currently had in my fridge. I've been on a bit of an ice cream and sweet treats kick lately so thinking of bacon made me think of candy and so this blog was born. Candied Bacon can have different flavors. One common flavoring is maple while another is spicy chipotle and even a combination of both sweet and spicy with the saltiness of the bacon is wonderful. While this treat can be eaten with breakfast, I've made mine to be sampled as an Hors d'oeuvre and to be added to other desserts, like say bacon brownies, chocolate dipped bacon, or bacon ice cream just to name a few. Luckily, this recipe is super easy to make and requires just 2 or 3 ingredients and a modicum of time. My family was wild over candied bacon. But again, all things in moderation. Ingredients:  12 slices bacon, about 1/4-inch thick Finely ground black pepper (optional) 1/3 cup light brown sugar Equipment: 2 baking sheets, preferably the same size Directions: Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Put all the bacon slices in a large bowl, season them with pepper (optional) and toss with the brown sugar. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the bacon in a single layer on top. Sprinkle any sugar left in the bowl over the top of the bacon. Top with another layer of aluminum foil and top it with another baking sheet. The baking sheet keeps the bacon flat as it cooks. It you need more room, add another tier following the same instructions. Place the tray in the center of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Check the bacon by lifting the top tray and parchment. If it is not yet crisp, cook it for 10 to 15 minutes longer. Check it again. The bacon will crisp up a bit more as it cools. Caution: The syrup on the bacon is very sticky and hot. Hot sugar will cause serious burns so use caution when transferring your bacon to the cooling tray. Avoid paper towels as it will stick. Cool and enjoy.