Caprese Panini

So today since Bobby didnt have the day; we couldnt have lunch together, BUMMER!

Instead, Claudia came over and was granted the title of taste tester #5.

Made my own basil pesto for the recipe instead of doing purchased pesto. Bobby got me my first food processor so i was super excited to use it. The pesto came out pretty good but i used a little too much olive oil. I didnt go by much of a recipe really, ive just watched so many cooking shows so i pretty much know what to add and when to add it. I just used fresh basil, pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, a little parmesan cheese and salt & pepper. Pulse it a little before you add the oil, when its minced up fine, slowly add the oil until its liquidity but not insanely. Id say the measurement for the oil would be about a cup. A little less oil next time for me and it wouldve been perfect, still was pretty good though for a first attempt.

Not too many ingredients and a little FYI: George Foreman grill makes great paninis! For the Caprese Panini (Cuisine At Home), you can either make it in a skillet to toast the bread or try a small grill.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp capers; drained
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 4 slices sourdough bread, 1/2 inch thick
• 1/4 cup pesto
• 6 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add tomatoes, capers and pepper flakes; sauté until tomatoes break down; about 3 minutes.

Off heat, add vinegar.

Brush oil on one side of each bread slice, spread other side with 1 tbsp of pesto. Arrange mozzarella and tomato mixture on pesto side of one of the slices, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with other slice of bread, oiled side up.

Toast sandwiches on both sides and until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Since Claudia was my only taste tester this afternoon, this critic is solely based on her taste buds.

She claimed it was amazing and she ate not only her sandwich but the other half of mine! So i guess it was pretty delicious. Even though i was a little hesitant on the pesto, she said it was really good nonetheless. I had to agree with her. It was pretty tasty. Happy Times!

Tomorrow is dinner again and everyone in my house is pretty excited. Its getting goooood...

Restaurant Style Chicken Piccata

DELICIOUS = tonights dinner. (also from Cuisine At Home)

Let me start off by saying what i forgot to mention in yesterdays blog.

The difference between DRY white wine and WHITE wine.

DRY white wine and WHITE wine have only one thing different, their RS (Residual Sugar). Long story short, the DRY part means less sugar and when it doesn't say dry, the wine is usually a little sweeter tasting. Some dry white wines are Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanc and Riesling. Some white wines are Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris. Me and Bobby are going to try to do some wine tasting so i can learn what it means when people say "full bodied.. earthy..", and why they swirl it around in wine glasses! So we will definitely make a post about that.

Tonight was Chicken Piccata. I fell in love with Chicken Piccata when Bobby bought a frozen version of it. The frozen version (which i think im going to try and make myself) is with tomatoes and artichokes. ITS SOO GOOD for a frozen food. This recipe was pretty good too and it wasn't hard to make or time consuming. Pretty useful for weeknight meals.

Ingredients:

*most recipes are servings for 2 unless otherwise noted.

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded into cutlets
• salt & pepper
• all-purpose flour
• nonstick spray
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp drained capers
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• fresh lemon slices
• chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

Season cutlets with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour. Coat a sauté pan with nonstick spray, add oil, and heat over medium-high.

Sauté cutlets 2-3 minutes on one side. Flip cutlets over and sauté the other side, covered, 1-2 minutes. Transfer cutlets to a warmed platter; pour off fat from the pan.

Deglaze pan with wine and add minced garlic. Cook until garlic is slightly brown and liquid is nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Add broth, lemon juice and capers. Return cutlets to pan and cook on each side for 1 minute. Transfer cutlets back to a warm plates.

Finish sauce with butter and lemons. Once butter melts, pour sauce over cutlets.

Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately.

AND THE JUDGES DECIDE....

Mom: liked it but she liked last nights dinner better, she said it was a little too lemony for her.

Me: i liked it a lot also, its a super light dinner but im definitely going to try another variation of it.

Bobby: he LOVED it! he licked the plate. no, he really did though!

Dad: liked it; but of course!

Now im going to go make some fresh pesto for tomorrows lunch. exciting!!

2nd dinner down... this summer conquest is looking pretty damn good.

Old-World Greek Chicken Roulades

Dinner today was really really good. Dont mean to toot my own horn but *TOOT*!

I took some before pictures as well as after pictures, so enjoy those.

The recipe came from Cuisine At Home. I stuck to it except i didnt add olives (HATE).

Greek Chicken Roulades with white-wine reduction

Here are the ingredients:

• 12 pitted kalamata olives, divided
• 3 tbsp fresh bread crumbs
• 3 tbsp minced oil-packed sun dried tomatoes
• 1 tbsp minced lemon zest
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/4 dry white wine
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp cornstarch

Preparation:

Dice 6 olives; set aside. Process remaining 6 olives, bread crumbs, tomatoes, zest, garlic and oregano in a food processor until minced.

Using a meat mallet, pound chicken between plastic wrap to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Spread olive-tomato filling on chicken. Roll chicken; secure with toothpicks.

Sauté roulades in oil in a large non stick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, 4 minutes. Remove roulades to a plate. Add onion to skillet; sauté 2 minutes. Add wine; cook until liquid is reduced by half, 1-2 minutes. Add broth. Bring mixture to a boil; add diced olives and roulades.

Cover skillet; reduce heat. Simmer roulades for 10 minutes; remove roulades to a plate. Whisk together cornstarch and lemon juice; stir into sauce in skillet. Simmer 1 minute. Slice roulades; serve with sauce.

Now the recipe also said it could be made with Creamy Orzo with feta & sun-dried tomatoes.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup of dry orzo pasta
• 2 tbsp minced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
• 1/8 tsp each salt and black pepper

Preparation:

Bring broth to a boil in a small saucepan; stir in orzo. Return liquid to a boil. Cook orzo, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed, 9 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat.

Stir tomatoes and feta into orzo, mixing until feta melts slightly. Season orzo mixture with salt and pepper. Serve with Chicken Roulades.

My mom, who isnt too crazy about feta cheese, loved the orzo because the cheese was more of just a salty element as a pose to a salty piece of cheese.

Bobby (my boyfriend aka my favorite taste tester), liked it alot also. He liked the orzo, but he likes alot of feta so MORE feta for him next time.

I thought the chicken couldve maybe been seasoned on the outside with some sort of rub or seasoning, nothing over powering.

My dad, well? My dad loves everything i make :)

So all in all my first day and first recipe and blog worked out pretty well and came out very tasty.

See you tomorrow for dinner!

summer is here.

so here it goes.

this blog is going to be about food. everything about it & even drinks.

my love for food started at a very young age. i knew the food industry is where i need to be and it will be where im going to be, this is just my foot in the door.

i guess my inspiration came after i saw the movie Julie & Julia, i knew i wanted to start cooking somewhere i just didn't know quite how. so after the movie, i knew exactly what i would do.

i have decided to collect all the cooking magazines that ive collected on a monthly basis and pick the most intriguing recipes and make them. i also want to uncover certain myths and truths to certain ingredients as well as visiting certain markets, restaurants, bars and little hole in the wall places that have amazing things that are just waiting to be noticed.

i will be making one meal a day except Fridays and Saturdays: Mondays &Tuesdays will be dinner plates; Wednesdays will be lunch plates; on Fridays and Saturdays the kitchen takes a break; Saturdays will be my day to roam around NYC and find something awesome; Sundays might be everyones favorite day as i dedicate it only to desserts.

i want to enlighten not only myself but other people so that is my mission this summer.

indulge yourself, it'll be a DELECTABLE trip.