Bruschetta Chicken w/ Bruschetta Linguini

Bruschetta Chicken

adapted from: http://thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com/2009/04/grilled-bruschetta-chicken.html

Ingredients

2 large chicken breast

1 cup Sun-dried tomato dressing

2 plum tomatoes, diced

Fresh Basil

1/2 Cup Shredded Mozzarella

Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to broil.

Marinade the chicken breast in sun-dried tomato dressing for a couple of hours. When done marinading, grill chicken breasts. Put chicken on a cookie sheet. Place tomatoes on top of chicken, followed by basil, and topped with mozzarella and Parmesan. Place in oven and broil until cheese is melted.

Bruschetta Linguini

Ingredients

1 pound linguini

1 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup EVOO

Salt & Pepper

Italian Seasoning

Fresh Basil

Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook linguini according to package directions.

In a large skillet place evoo. Once heated add garlic and onions. Cook until translucent. Add drained diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, and a dash of italian seasoning. Cook for 5-6 minutes. Add white wine and cook for 10 minutes. Once linguini is done, add it to the sauce and cook until pasta is coated with sauce. Add fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Garlic Bread

Garlic Bread

Ingredients

1 loaf of ciabatta bread

1/2 stick of butter, softened

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt & Pepper

Parmesan Cheese

Mozzarella Cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to broil.

Cut ciabatta loaf in half. Place on cookie sheet. Place in oven till the bread starts to toast. Remove from oven and set aside.

Put softened butter into a bowl, mash with garlic cloves, salt & pepper. Spread onto bread. Sprinkle with parmesan and shredded mozzarella and place back in oven until cheese is melted.



Feta and Gruyere Macaroni & Cheese

Feta and Gruyere Macaroni & Cheese

adapted from: http://annies-eats.com/2010/04/05/shrimp-feta-and-fresh-herb-mac-and-cheese/

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta shapes

10 oz. feta cheese, crumbled and divided

½ cup Panko breadcrumbs

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped, divided

5 tbsp. butter, divided

4 tbsp. all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

8 oz. Gruyere cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)

½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to the package directions. Drain well; set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400˚ F. In a small bowl, combine a handful of the feta, 2 teaspoons of the parsley and 1 tablespoon of the butter, melted. Toss with a fork to combine; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour to form a paste. Cook 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly, until light golden brown. Whisk in the milk. Continue to heat the mixture, stirring frequently, until it bubbles and thickens, about 5 minutes. As soon as the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the remaining feta, Gruyere, remaining parsley, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the pasta; toss well to coat.

Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased 2½ or 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumb-feta mixture evenly over the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Greek Chicken Thighs

Greek Chicken Thighs
adapted from: http://www.singforyoursupperblog.com/category/greek/

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil, divided

1-2 shallots, sliced into thin rings

1 clove of garlic, minced

6 boneless/skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of any fat

Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Garlic powder, to taste

Dried oregano, to taste

Handful of grape tomatoes

Small handful of kalamata olives, sliced in half

1/2-1 lemon juiced

1/4 cup white wine

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (divided)

2 tbsp feta cheese

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat 1/2 tsp of olive oil in an OVEN SAFE skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the shallot and cook, stirring frequently until soft and tender (about 2 minutes), add garlic and cook for an additional 45 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the remaining olive oil to the same skillet and turn the heat up to medium high heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano to taste on each side. Once the pan is very hot, add the seasoned chicken breast to the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown on one side, flip the chicken and add the grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, shallot and garlic mixture, lemon juice, white wine, and half the parsley then season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Place in the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the remaining parsley and the feta cheese. Serve with couscous.

Scallops Provencal & Garlic Rice Pilaf

Scallops Provencal

Ingredients1 lb. fresh bay or sea scallops
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black peper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
½ cup minced shallots (about 2 large)
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2-3 tbsp. flat-leaf parsley, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, halved

DirectionsIf using bay scallops, leave them whole.  If using sea scallops, cut them in half horizontally (or, leave them whole and cook a bit longer).  Season the scallops with kosher salt and black pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.

In a large skillet or sauté pan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling.  Add the scallops to the pan in a single layer.  Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on one side without moving.  Then turn and brown lightly on the other side.  This should take about 3-4 minutes total (closer to 8 minutes for sea scallops left whole).

Add the rest of the butter to the pan with the scallops and let it melt.  Add the shallots, garlic, and parsley to the pan and sauté for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops.  Add the wine to the pan and cook for 1 minute.  Taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust as necessary.  Serve hot, with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice over the scallops.

adapted from: http://annies-eats.net/2010/01/25/scallops-provencal/

Garlic Rice Pilaf

Ingredients2 tbsp. butter
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup long-grain white rice
2½ cups chicken broth, divided
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
Squeeze of lemon juice

DirectionsPreheat the oven to 375° F.  Have ready a covered casserole dish.  In a saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and rice to the pan and cook until both are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.  Stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Pour the mixture into the casserole dish, cover, and bake for 25 minutes.  Stir in the remaining 1½ cups chicken broth and bake, covered, for another 45 minutes.  About 15 minutes before it is finished baking, stir in a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

adapted from: http://annies-eats.com/2009/09/23/garlic-rice-pilaf/