Chicken Francese with Garlic and Oil noodles

Let me tell you, there is absolutely nothing better than a good meal, with your loved ones, on a bitter cold night. Afterwards you can curl up by the fire with some socks on, with a cappuccino. Man, that sounds nice right about now.. (:

This chicken francese recipe I’m going to give to you, would be perfect for a exclusive, romantic evening with your special someone this holiday/winter season. You can set the table with a nice, dark cloth, a few lit (probalby not scented..save those for later) candles, and a glass of your favorite wine. (A dry aromatic wine, like a Sauvignon blanc would pair quite nicely, of course the beverage is completely your choice! I mean, this is a food blog, not a wine certification test, (; ). Turn on a little romantic jazz, Sinatra , Harry Connick Jr., Michael Buble,  Dean Martin. Oh yes, it’s perfect….

So, in Tarrytown, NY, there is this little hole in the wall pizzeria/Italian restaurant that is a must whenever I visit New York. It’s run by a small Italian family, and everything they make is homemade, and completely fresh, cooked to order. Everything fixed there is amazing, but I especially love the chicken francese, with garlic and oil penne pasta, and a mixed green salad. It’s perfectly seasoned, and moist, and fresh, and yummy. That’s all I can say, I mean it’s just…hmm…(:

Anyway, I am writing you today to give you my own take on a classic that I absolutely adore. If you fix this for your special someone, I can guarentee you it will impress!

Ingredients: (for 4 servings)

·         ½ cup of all-purpose flour (it’s just for dredging the chicken, so you might use more

·         4 eggs beaten (also for dredging)

·         4 smallish chicken breasts, butterflied.

·         ½ cup of white wine. (Doesn’t have to be fancy, just so you get the flavour.)

·         3-4 cups of chicken broth/stock.  (If you want a richer sauce, use stock.)

·         2 ½ lemons, juiced

·         1/3 cup of butter

·         2 tablespoons of fresh parsley

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         1 ½ teaspoon of flour or cornstarch.

·         ½ cup of olive oil

·         2 ½ cloves of garlic, chopped semi-finely

·         Package of pasta.

Steps:

1.       Cut off the fat from the chicken, and butterfly them so they’re thinly sliced, you may need to pound it slightly with a mallet to make it thin enough so it cooks thoroughly

2.       Combine the flour, salt and pepper onto a plate, and the beaten eggs on another plate/shallow bowl

3.       Coat the bottom of a large skillet with about 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and turn on the heat.  

4.       Coat a piece of chicken in the flour, and then in an egg bath. Saute in the skillet until it has completely cooked through.

5.        Repeat step 3 for each piece of chicken that you are cooking.

6.       In a smaller different pot, add the remaining olive oil, and the garlic. Let it saute and merry together! :D

7.       Once the chicken is completely cooked, combine the wine, broth, and lemon juice to the skillet. Let it saute together for about 4-5 minutes.

8.       Combine your butter and the 1 ½ teaspoons of flour into the sauce to thicken. Also add most of the parsley

9.       Stir for 4-5 more minutes. Begin to boil water for your pasta while this is stirring, be sure to generously salt the water

10.   Once the pasta is a little less than al-dente, add it to the oil and garlic

11.   Pour over the chicken, and garnish with the rest of the parsley, and maybe a little lemon.

12.   Serve your meal with a little pasta and a piece of the chicken! :D ENJOY!

I really hope that you enjoy this meal. It is absolutely delicious, and I can guarentee someone will think that you are a world class chef if you make this for them!

Spanakopita

If you know me at all, then you should know that I absolutely LOVE greek food. It's simple to put together and DELICIOUS. My good friend gave me this recipe that she has been using in her family since she was little, and let me tell you, it is absolutely νόστιμα. That means delicious in greek, btw.

Okay, I'll stop bantering for the moment...-grumble-

Here is the recipe! :) I realy hope that you like it as much as I do.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of fresh spinach or 2 10-ounce packages of chopped frozen spinach
• 2 onions- use spring onions if they are available, if not use two regular small white onions. They work the exact same way
• 4 tablespoons of butter (or to make it healthier use 1/2 cup of olive oil)
• 6 eggs beaten
• 1 lb of feta cheese, finely crumbled
• 2 tablespoons of minced /dried dill
• 1/2 lb of melted butter (now this is just what the recipe called for, but you can most certainly reduce this. It's to make the filo dough extra crispy and yummy)
• 20 sheets of filo dough
• salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

1. Wash spinach throughly. It's very important you let the spincah drain completely- for several hours or overnight is even better
2. Saute the onions lightly in butter or oil until translucent
3. After spinach has dried, chop the onions very finely, and add the rest of the ingredients togteher except for the filo and melted butter. Toss well.
4. Line a 10x16" (or whatever size you have) greased pan with half of the filo dough sheets. Brush each peice with butter until half of the sheets have been used
5. Place the spinach mixture over the filo dough, and cover with the remaining half
6. Role and tuck all filo into the edge of the pan. Lightly score into squares. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 55 minutes, or until nice and golden brown.
7. Cut and serve! :)

Italian Meatballs

Hiya! :)
I'm SO terribly sorry for my lack of entries here lately. Ever since school started back after the holiday break, things have been extremely busy, and...yeah. My life revolves around AP World and Theatre rehearsals/auditions! haha :) Anyway, I am back, at least for today


Okay, so...
If you're anything like me, you know that there is nothing better than a good, Italian meatball, especially when you pair it when a perfectly seasoned tomato based sauce, and noodles!


Today I will be sharing my perfect meatball recipe. It's a fail-free recipe, that I can hopefully guarentee that you will absolutely adore! :)

Ingredients:

·         1 lb of ground beef. I use about 80/20 because you want some fat to make them extra juicy, but it’s whatever you like the best. (:

·         Box of Panko bread crumbs

·         2 eggs

·         2 tbsp of dried basil (or more if you prefer)

·         2 tbsp of dried oregano (or more if you like)

·         1 tbsp of Italian seasoning

·         1 cup of grated parmesan cheese

·         3 garlic cloves FINELY chopped OR about 1 tbsp of garlic paste

·         Juice of half of a small lemon

·         Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

·         Generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper

Recipe:

1.       Combine all of the ingredients into a medium sized bowl, and mix all of the ingredients really well

2.       Coat your hands with extra virgin olive oil, and roll the mixture into medium-large sized balls

3.       Heat up a frying pan and cover the pan with a drizzle of olive oil.

4.       Place the balls into the frying pan once you hear the oil start to sizzle

5.       Cook them until they are brown all the way around, and mostly brown inside.

6.       Serve with sauce, and noodles, if you so prefer! J

My homemade sauce recipe will come soon. I really hope that you enjoy these meatballs as much as I do. Spaghetti isn’t the same without a good meatball.