Cajun Chicken Pasta

With the recommendation of a friend, I would like to share this recipe with you all. She claims it is just like something you would order at a good restaurant. I'll take her word for it, and make this next week!

Ingredients

• 4 ounces linguine pasta
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 4 fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Place the chicken and the Cajun seasoning in a plastic bag. Shake to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the chicken in butter or margarine until almost tender (5 to 7 minutes).
3. Add the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms and green onion. Saute and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat.
4. Add the cream, basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper. Heat through. Add the cooked linguine, toss and heat through. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Jurasic Pork Roast

This little piggy deserves nothing but the hungriest of families at the table! A delicious flash back to my childhood.

Servings: 8

• 1 boneless pork top loin roast (3 pounds)

• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

• 3/4 teaspoon ground thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon ground sage

• 3/4 cup low-sodium, reduced-fat beef broth

• 3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice

• 1/4 cup apricot jam

• 1-1/2 cups peeled and chopped Granny Smith apples

• 1 tablespoon low-fat sour cream

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

1. Cut 8 deep slits in the top of roast. Using a very sharp knife. Insert garlic into slits.

2. Mix mustard, vinegar, thyme, and sage in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, coat roast with all of the mustard mixture. Place roast in roasting pan.

3. Warm the broth, apple juice, and jam in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until jam melts. Pour over roast. Arrange chopped apples around roast. Cover. Roast at 350 for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours, basting every 30 minutes or so.

4. Remove roast from pan and keep warm. Reserve 1/2 cup pan juices. Pour remaining pan juices and apples into a medium saucepan. Skim off as much fat as possible. Into reserved 1/2 cup pan juices, add sour cream and mix well. Add cornstarch and blend again until smooth.

5. Bring pan juices and apples (in saucepan) to a boil. Whisk in sour cream mixture and cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, until bubbly and thickened. Serve apple gravy over thin slices of pork roast.

German Beef Rouladen

When American cuisine starts to get awfully dull, switch things up with a touch of German tradition!

Prep Time:
20 Min

Cook Time:
35 Min

Ready In:
55 Min

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 8 (4 ounce) pieces round steak, pounded 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 8 slices bacon
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 (12 ounce) can beef broth
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Spread 1/2 tablespoon mustard over one side of each piece of meat. Sprinkle the onion, paprika, salt, and pepper evenly over the steaks. Lay one slice of bacon on each piece. Roll the steaks jelly-roll style and secure with toothpicks.
2. Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook meat on all sides until browned. Add the beef broth and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low; cover and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Remove the meat rolls. Strain the broth mixture and return liquid to the skillet. Whisk together the cornstarch and 1 cup of water. Slowly pour the cornstarch slurry into the skillet, stirring continually until the sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the sour cream. Return rolls to the sauce; serve immediately.

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Significantly Famous Three Letter Acronym'd Restaurant's SECRET RECIPE

'K...ahem...F...*Cough* C' 11 Herbs and spices Seasoned Flour
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons Accent (MSG) ...Or...y'know, Not...(See note)
Combine seasonings and grind into powder
Mix seasonings in medium mixing bowl, half filled with flour.

Modify amounts for larger batches of chicken
Putting it All Together
Marinate the chicken over-night in a mixing bowl of milk, with enough to cover the chicken.
Poach chicken in the marinating milk; Boil , then immediately knock back to a simmer for 20 minutes.
Let sit in marinade while it cools.
Double coat chicken with seasoned flour; Take from marinade, coat in flour, dip in milk, coat in more flour.
Shake off excess seasoned flour.
Deep -fry the chicken for 2 minutes.
Place on paper towel, pat it down to get the grease off.
Eat it.

Note: You can replace the accent MSG with cajun seasoning.

Summer Zucchini Bread

I'm making this RIGHT NOW! For a summer treat that destined to be a favorite of all ages, give this zucchini bread a try! (I add chocolate chips to the finished batter before baking for an extra sweet treat!)

Ingredients ( 2 loaves )

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Shameless Rip off of Emeril's Vanilla Ice Cream

• 4 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split in half and scraped
• 6 egg yolks

In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla bean with pulp. Bring to a simmer. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Add 1 cup of the hot liquid to the egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Add the yolk mixture to the saucepan of liquid and whisk until incorporated. Bring the liquid back to simmer and continue to cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Pour the mixture into a glass bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture. This will prevent a skin from forming while cooling. Cool the mixture completely. Process the mixture according the ice cream machines instructions.

Honey Lemon Chicken Alfredo

When I first married my husband, we were not exactly rolling in the dough. When grocery day arrived we had to limit ourselves to basics and so I started experimenting with my spice rack. This is one of the recipes I created, and my husband loves it so much it is often one of the things requested for dinner.

Honey Lemon Chicken Alfredo
1 Lemon- Halved, ½ juiced
Garlic to taste
Ginger to taste
½ cup honey
2 tsp ground black pepper
4 cubed chicken breasts


Thin Slice the other half of lemon
Add all above ingredients to skillet
May require extra sugar to taste
Let Chicken Caramelize

Fettuccini Noodles
Alfredo Sauce
Water

Boil a pot of water and prepare your Fettuccine noodles. When cooked, drain and return to the pot and add in a bottle of your favorite Alfredo sauce.

If you're feeling like it needs to be spicy, feel free to toss in some crushed red pepper!!