Lemon & Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

This is a light pasta dish, perfect for summer. It would pair well with chicken or steak and a light side salad. This is quite lemony, so if you want a more subtle flavor, add the lemon juice to taste (or none at all).

Ingredients
1/4 c garlic, lemon and basil infused olive oil
1/2 box spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes, julienned
juice from 1 lemon (optional)
parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions
Combine all ingredients and serve.

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Inspired by The Entertaining Kitchen

Lemon, Garlic, and Basil Infused Olive Oil

This is a wonderful way to add an extra depth of flavor to olive oil. I have so many variations on this recipe tumbling around in my head!

Ingredients
1 c oil
4 cloves garlic
1 lemon skin
handfull of basil

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over high heat. Once it starts boiling, turn heat off and let sit for 1 hour. At this point it is ready to be used or stored.

Source
The Entertaining Kitchen

Chicken Piccata

I've been wanting to experiment with the "classic" Italian methods of cooking chicken, and I figured this would be a good one to start with. It's simple, quick, and the light breading makes it look like chicken nuggets, which never hurts when you are trying to get kids to eat.

Ingredients

2-4 Chicken breast cutlets
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 c flour
salt & pepper
4 Tablespoons olive oil
4 Tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup white wine (can substitute chicken broth)
3 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup brined capers
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions
If cutlets are too thick, place them between 2 layers of plastic wrap and pound with meat hammer (or rolling pin in my case) until they reach 1/4 inch thickness. Dredge chicken in a bowl filled with the combined flour, Parmesan, and salt and pepper. Prepare a skillet by heating olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium high heat. When thoroughly heated add the chicken and cook until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and add wine, lemon juice and capers to the pan, scraping up the brown bits from the chicken. Reduce the sauce by half, then whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Serve the sauce over the chicken and top with chopped parsley.

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Simply Recipes

Strawberry Nutella Crepe Stackers

I had never had Nutella until about a year ago. Some good friends invited us over for dinner and dessert was warm french bread spread with some Nutella. I was instantly smitten. In fact I may have consumed an entire jar and loaf of french bread the following week. I've learned to temper my addiction since then, but there is always a jar in my pantry, and when I see a Nutella inspired recipe my heart beats just a little bit faster.

This was my dish for this month's cooking club. The theme this month was strawberries, and this was a real winner! I wanted something that was small enough to eat without utensils, and while this was good, I think next time I might try to bake the cooked crepes in a muffin tin to make sturdy little cups. I also think that I would toast the hazelnut before grinding next time so that it brings out the flavor a little more.

Strawberry Nutella Crepes

1/2 c flour

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon ground hazelnuts (use a food processor)

1 tablespoon pureed strawberries

1 egg

3/4 c milk

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Mix everything together & pour batter in small 1 inch rounds on a skillet heated on medium. Cook on both sides until lightly browned.

Strawberry sauce

1 c strawberries

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon orange juice

1/2 teaspoon corn starch

Puree everything together in a small food processor. Pour into a small saucepan and cook on medium heat until sauce is bubbling and has thickened.

Strawberry Nutella Crepe Stackers

Strawberry Nutella Crepes

Strawberry sauce

sliced strawberries

Nutella

ground hazelnuts

Place a strawberry slice on each crepe. Top with a dollop of Nutella. Pour a bit of strawberry sauce over it. Top with a tiny sprinkle of ground hazelnuts.

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Inspired by Closet Cooking

Zucchini "Cookies"

These were really good. I really enjoyed the way these tasted even though Philip said they weren't his favorite. Michaela absolutely loooooved these little things. Shhh, come close and I'll tell you why.

I may have told her they were cookies.

Yeah, I know that tricking your kids into eating vegetable by telling them they are something else isn't the best idea. But she ate them. 'Nuf said.

I may have also coerced her into eating the rest of dinner by telling her she could have more cookies if she finished. Don't judge, she actually ate meat because of this!

Ingredients

1 zucchini, shredded finely

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 egg

1/4 cup cheese, shredded

Directions

Mix all ingredients together, then form into patties. Fry the patties in a skillet in a scant amount of canola oil until browned.

Source

Itty Bitty Bistro

Real World Wednesday - Calabazitas

This is one of my favorite side dishes to make whenever we have enchiladas. I love squash and that taste mixed with corn and green chile is oh so delicious. Not to mention this is super easy to put together!

Ingredients*
1/4 c onion
1 clove garlic
1 zuchinni
1 yellow crookneck squash
1/2 c corn (frozen or stripped from the cob)
1/4 c green chile, roasted, peeled, and chopped
1/8 c milk
1/2 c cheese (cheddar or pepperjack)

Directions
Saute the onion, garlic, squashes and green chile in a little bit of olive oil. When tender, add corn & stir. Put in a casserole dish or pyrex bowl, add milk, cover with cheese, and place in 350 oven just until cheese is melted.

*Measurements in this recipe are approximate. I just do it to taste, and adjust the measurements based on how many I'm serving, their tolerance for green chile, etc. Trust me, there's not much you can do too mess up this dish. Any combination of the ingredients would be tasty!

Strawberry Mousse

Strawberries were on sale for .97/lb last week, so I've been on a pretty big strawberry kick. This was the perfect light dessert and tasted great served with graham crackers for dipping. I think this would be yummy atop pound cake too.

Ingredients

1lb strawberries, rinsed & hulled

juice from 1/2 lemon

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c whipping cream

4 egg whites

pinch of salt

Directions

Puree strawberries, lemon juice & sugar. In a seperate bowl whip cream until stiff, then mix gently with strawberry mixture. Beat egg whites and salt until stiff in a seperate bowl. Fold gently into berry mixture. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Source

Easy French Food