Chicken Scarpariello With Heat

This is really a great recipe that is very simple to make. It's packed with flavor and you can control the amount of heat that you want by altering the hot cherry peppers. We like it medium.  We also like this dish with dark meat boneless thigh meat but you surely can use boneless chicken breasts.

2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs - cut in 2-3 inch pieces
Salt & Pepper
1 tsp poultry seasoning
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 chicken sausages (I used roasted garlic and gruyere cheese ones) slice up
2 red peppers cut into 1 inch pieces
Hot chopped cherry peppers in jar (1 Tbsp) add more if you like it more spicy
4 Garlic cloves sliced very thin
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp parsley

Heat a deep pan with EVOO
Season chicken pieces with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning
Add to the hot pan
Don't turn chicken for a few minutes
Let it brown really well then turn over do the same
Remove the chicken once browned well on both sides
Add sausages and browned well then remove
Add your peppers and garlic sauté well
Add wine and reduce it for about 1 minute
Scrape up pan drippings
Add the chicken stock and let it boil up
Add the chicken and sausages back to pan with peppers
Sprinkle parsley on top and cook chicken completely through.

Serve over fresh spinach or even pasta!

Delicious:)

Winter Braised Lamb Shanks

1/2 cup evoo
1 medium onion chopped small
2 garlic cloves chopped
1/2 cup flour with salt and pepper added to it
4 lamb shanks
1/2 cup of red wine
1 cup of beef stock
2 TBSP tomato paste
1/2 teas sugar
2 TBSP of parsley
1 bay leaf
6 carrots cut into 1 inch lengths
6 red pototoes cut into 1 inch chunks
1) saute onions and garlic in EVOO until soft and golden in color.
2) Put into your crock pot once done
3) Shake the lamb shanks in the flour mixture
4) Saute the shanks in EVOO until brown in color transfer to the crock.
5) Clean fat out of pan
6) Add wine to pan to deglaze then pour that over the shanks in the crock
7) Add beef stock, tomato paste, sugar and parsley simmer for a few minutes then pour into the crock
8) In last hour of crocking - add your carrots and pototoes
8) Cook everything on low for about 6-7 hours in your crock.

I did serve this over noodles with a great crusty bread and a nice big salad!

What a great winter meal and really easy to prepare!

Enjoy it!

Brownie OverLoad Cupcakes

This is a totally decadent treat! Everyone will love it and it is so simple to make them you will not believe!

recipe is as follows:

1 package of toll house chocolate chip cookie dough (usually in refrigerator section of supermarket make 24 cookies)
1 Package of Double Stuff Oreos
1 Box of Brownie Mix - I usually don't use nuts in this recipe
Cupcake holders ( they now sell fancy papers holders for every occasion or holiday)
1 can of frosting whichever one you like - I usually use the vanilla with the chocolate it looks nice to have the two colors.

1) make your brownie mix according to the directions
2)press the cookie dough in the bottom of your cupcake holder and spread it out
3)place double stuff oreo on top of the cookie dough
4)spoon the brownie mix on top to cover the cookie
5)bake until the brownie is cooked takes about 20-25 mins depending on your oven.
6)when cupcake is cooled - the I use a pastry bag and pipe the frost on top of the cupcake like the photo.  I just pipe it in the middle.
7)makes 24 cupcakes

Enjoy and then run on the treadmill for at least 3 hours!LOL!

Homegoods has the little paper cupcake picks that I used in this cupcake!

Chicken La Rosa by La Linda'

6 chicken cutlets sliced thin
1/2 cup of panko or bread crumbs
1/2 Eggplant - I used the Japanese one
sliced Mozzarella Cheese-enough to place on top of each cutlet i use 1 slice per cutlet
1 cup of Ricotta Cheese (lower fat one)
1 small can of Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup of Sliced Mushrooms
1/2 cup of Sherry Wine or Cooking Sherry
1/2 cup of Chicken Broth

Oil your baking pan lightly
dip cutlets in beaten egg
coat in bread crumbs or panko
saute in evoo until golden brown
transfer to paper towel coated dish to drain off any excess oil
sliced up eggplant nice and thin lay down a couple of slices
top with the cutlets add a couple more eggplant slices on top
put a couple dollops of ricotta cheese on top
then put mushrooms on top of the ricotta cheese
place sliced mozzarella cheese on top on diagonal
then pour the sherry-chicken broth over the chicken
add a couple spoonfuls of Tomato sauce on top of mozzerella cheese
Cover with foil
Bake 350 preheated oven for 45 minutes

this recipe came from a dear family friend of many years ago (now deceased) name Rose - she was an excellent Italian cook. Haven't made this one in years but since I make Chicken at least 4 nights per week- I was looking for something different and delicious.  Not a diet recipe but just get to the gym before or after you eat this! That's my theory on eating these types of dishes - and I am NOT going to NOT eat them - life's too short!!

New York Strawberry Topped Cheesecake

2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup of butter melted
2 tablespoons Sugar

4 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese,softened
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream

in small bowl mix together the graham, sugar and butter. Keep 2 tablespoons on the side. Then press rest into a 9 inch springform pan.  Put in freezer while mixing rest of ingredients.

in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese till fluffy, then add the sugar, cornstarch amd vanilla. Beat till all mixed well, add the eggs one at time beating well after each egg. Stir in the sour cream.

Pour into your crust. Bake at 325 for 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes outside the oven then loosen the sides of your pan. Let it continue to cool for 45 more minutes then remove sides of your springform pan.  Refrigerate for minimum of 3 hours before serving.

For Strawberry topping:
Fresh large container of Strawberries - green removed
3 tablespoons of good strawberry preserves
put preserves in small sauce pan and melt down -add in the whole strawberries let them simmer just till slightly soft (you dont want them to get mushy)
put in refrigerator till you are ready to garnish your cake.
Arrange strawberries on top of cake, do not use all the liquid just alittle then sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of graham crumbs!

Totally fattening but you'll just have to work harder in the gym this week:) So go for it!!

Veal Goulash

This is a great dish for a winter meal.  I put it all together before leaving for work this morning.  It was really very simple - here is the recipe:
2-3 lbs of Veal Cubes
3 TBS of flour
2 TBS of paprika
salt
Olive Oil
1 medium onion - chopped
1 sweet red pepper chopped
3 TBS apple cider vinegar
1 (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes
1 cup beef broth
2 TBS tomato paste
Cooked Egg Noodles

In a large bowl combine the Veal, 2 TBS of flour, 1 TBS of paprika, salt.
Heat oil
Add the Veal and brown on all sides.
Remove Veal and put in your crock pot
Lower the heat
 add the onion cook about 3 min
add the red pepper cook about 3 min
sprinkle with rest of flour and paprika
cook 1 more minute
stir in vinegar let simmer
add tomatoes and broth
let simmer 2 minutes
pour everything over the Veal in the Crock
let cook on low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours.
Boil up those noodles, drain
put the noodles in a nice pasta bowl
add the veal Goulash
Delicious and Hearty! I served mine with a nice salad on the side.

Power Oatmeal to Start your day

Here is the recipe for this fabulous Oatmeal:

Quaker Oats 1/2 cup
1 Tablespoon of Blueberries I use fresh ones
1 pinch of sliced Almond
sprinkle of cinnamon
1/4 of banana sliced up
1 teaspoon of wheat germ
Skim Milk - add enjoy to make it creamy
Honey - about teaspoon

Mix everything together add honey after you mix otherwise it honey will stick to your spoon.

Microwave for 2 minutes and 40 second
Add more Skim milk if need be

I eat this every single morning with my series of vitamins. 

Enjoy!