New Potatoes

Mmmmm we went to the Farmer's Market today and got lots of delicious treats! For Maci, I made fresh beets, zucchini, yellow squash, and broccoli. For us....dinner consisted of steaks, the bacon wrapped green beans posted below, new potatoes from the market and some delicious asiago cheese bread we got there too! Yum. Cannot wait for Maci to try her new foods!

My grandma used to make new potatoes this way when we would freshly dig them from the garden.

Notice how many are already out of the bowl...I hardly had time to get out my camera!


Ingredients:
New potatoes-white
butter
salt
pepper

Directions:
Wash potatoes well, leave skins on. Boil them till you can prick easily with a fork. Melt butter in a skillet and brown potatoes until golden. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy. So delicious. I love summer.

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

Thanks Laurel for this DELICIOUS way to prepare green beans. Everyone was raving over it!

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen green beans (you can use canned whole but frozen works best) **I used fresh and blanched them first**

1 package bacon with strips cut in half

salt

pepper

garlic powder

brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.

Grease casserole dish with a little bit of oil/butter/pam.

Take a bundle of green beans, about 6 or so, and wrap a half slice of bacon around them, lay in casserole dish with the seam side down.

Repeat until casserole dish is full, you can crowd them pretty tight, just keep the bacon from touching other strips of bacon otherwise they will get stuck together.

Sprinkle entire dish with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Sprinkle a little brown sugar on the top of each strip of bacon.

Bake for 15-20 minutes (I honestly forget how long to cook it, but when you smell bacon, it's pretty much done.) **I broiled them for a bit at the end to crisp them up**

Chicken Broccoli Braid

Thanks to my friend Andrea for this one:)

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat
• 1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped **I omitted**
  
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise **I used plain yogurt, I really despise mayo**
  
• 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 egg white, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees F).
2. In a large bowl, toss together chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, salt, almonds and onion.
3. Unroll crescent roll dough, and arrange flat on a medium baking sheet. Pinch together perforations to form a single sheet of dough. Using a knife or scissors, cut 1 inch wide strips in towards the center, starting on the long sides. There should be a solid strip about 3 inches wide down the center, with the cut strips forming a fringe down each side. Spread the chicken mixture along the center strip. Fold the side strips over chicken mixture, alternating strips from each side. Pinch or twist to seal.
4. Brush braided dough with the egg white. Bake in the preheated oven 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden brown.

Chicken Crostina

Got this from the Olive Garden website per my friend LeeAnne:) I think it made way too much crust and dredging mixture, but it was yummy:)

http://www.olivegarden.com/Connections-to-Italy/Recipes/Main-Dishes/Chicken-Crostina/

Ingredients

1. 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2. 2 cups & 1 Tbsp flour
3. 1 Tbsp salt
4. 1 Tbsp pepper
5. 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
6. 1 Tbsp roasted garlic, minced
7. 1 cup white wine
8. 1 ½ cups heavy cream
9. 5 Tbsp Colavita® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
10. 1 lb linguine
11. 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
12. 1 cup roma tomatoes, cored & diced
13. 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
14. POTATO CRUST
15. 1 ½ cups seasoned breadcrumbs
16. ¼ cup melted butter
17. ½ tsp garlic powder
18. ¼ cup parsley, chopped
19. 1 small potato, peeled & grated
20. ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
21. Salt & pepper to taste

Procedures

1. MIX all ingredients for Potato Crust in a bowl and set aside.
2. MIX 1 ½ cups flour, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in the mixture, shaking off any excess. Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a large skillet. Cook chicken breasts 2 at a time over medium-high heat until golden brown and crisp, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Add more oil for each batch as necessary.
3. PLACE cooked chicken breasts on a baking sheet or dish and top with potato crust mixture. Transfer baking sheet to a pre-heated broiler until golden brown (1-2 minutes).
4. COOK pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
5. HEAT 2 Tbsp oil in a sauce pan. Add roasted garlic, cook for 1 minute.
Stir in 1 Tbsp of flour and wine and bring to a boil. Add cream, parmesan cheese, 1 Tbsp parsley, and tomatoes. Sauce is done when it is bubbling throughout and has started to thicken.
6. COAT pasta with sauce, then top with chicken and remaining sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Asian Pork Tenderloin

Thanks to my friend Jessica for this one. It was just delicious! Picture to come when I upload:)

Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin (8-12 ounces)

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon chili sauce (whatever you have on hand will work)

3 teaspoons minced garlic

2 green onions, sliced

2 teaspoons canola oil

Directions

Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, chili sauce, garlic, and half of the green onions in a large resealable freezer bag. Add the pork tenderloin and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours; occasionally turning the bag.

Preheat the oven to 425°. Heat the oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Remove pork from the bag and reserve the marinade. Brown the pork on all sides; about 1-2 minutes per side. Place the pork (pan and all) into the oven and cook until a meat thermometer reads 155 degrees; 15-30 minutes. Tent with foil and let it stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, bring the reserved marinade to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Cut the pork into 1/4 inch thick slices and drizzle with the sauce and remaining green onions.

Chicken Parm Meatball Subs

These were delicious! Thanks Jessica P. for sharing with me:)

Original Recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/chicken-parm-meatball-subs-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• Handful of chopped parsley leaves
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling plus, plus 3 tablespoons, 3 turns of the pan
• 2 large cloves garlic, cracked from skin and split
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, a healthy couple of pinches
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Salt
• Pepper
• 8 to 10 leaves fresh basil, torn or shredded
• 4 (6 to 8-inch) crusty sub rolls
• 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place chicken in a bowl and season with grill seasoning. Add egg, half of the grated cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, and a serious drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to the bowl. Mix the meat and form 12 large meatballs. Squish the balls to flatten them a bit like mini oval meatloaves. Be careful not to form the balls wider than your bread. The flattened balls will stay put on your sub, no roll-aways! Bake the meatballs 15 minutes until golden and firm. Switch the broiler on.

While the meatballs bake, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and garlic and cook 5 minutes then remove the cloves. Add crushed red pepper flakes then tomatoes and stir in the chicken stock. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and simmer 10 minutes, adjust seasonings and stir in the basil. Reserve a extra sauce for dipping on dinner table.

Remove the meat from oven and loosen with a thin spatula. Turn meat balls in sauce.

Cut sub rolls making the bottom a little deeper than the top. Hollow out a little bread and lightly toast the sub rolls under broiler. Fill the bottoms of the breads with flattened balls and sauce. Combine the provolone and remaining Parmigiano. Cover the subs with cheese and return to broiler to melt the cheese until golden.