Chicken Jerusalem

One of the restaurants I used to work at in college served this at banquets. It was delicious. This recipe is a modified version of several that I found on the web. Serves two but can be doubled.

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp butter
1/3 to 1/2 cup flour in a shallow dish
salt and pepper to season flour
1/2 tsp fresh chopped garlic
1 cup button mushrooms
1/2 cup quartered artichokes
3/4 cup of sherry
1/3 cup of heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Trim the chicken pieces and lightly pound to even half inch thick pieces. Cut each piece in half. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour. Saute in butter until cooked. Remove chicken from pan. Add to pan garlic, mushrooms, and artichokes; saute for 5 minutes. Add sherry and heavy cream. Cook carefully at medium high heat until reduced by half. Reduce heat and add chicken back into pan and warm in sauce for about 1 minute. Serve with rice pilaf.

Shrimp Ceviche

Ingredients:

24 large shrimp, cooked
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 large tomato, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
2 tablespoons cilantro
2 tablespoons ketchup
6 drops hot sauce

Directions:

Remove shells from shrimp. Gently combine everything together and chill. May be chilled up to 3 hours, but take care since the acidity of the lime juice can cause the shrimp to become “overcooked” after extended periods of time.

Divide into 4 servings as an appetizer or into 2 servings for a light meal. For extra flair, serve in martini or parfait glasses or brightly colored dishes. Garnish w/ tortilla chips, avocado slices, and/or lettuce.

Note: sea scallops may be substituted for the shrimp or a mix of both can be used. You can add more or less tomato, onion, and/or cilantro, depending on your tastes.

Clam Linguini

This is my mom's awesome recipe. She doesn't technically follow it and claims she never makes it the same way twice, but this is a great guide. Tweak it to your liking.

Ingredients:

*1 lb linguini
*1/4 cup olive oil
*1/4 cup butter
*3 cloves garlic, minced
*2 cans minced clams, juice reserved
*1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
*2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
*salt and pepper to taste
*1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large pot with boiling salted water, cook linguini until al dente. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook oil, butter, and garlic until garlic is translucent, approximately 1 minute. Add clams, reserved juice, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil. Simmer 3 minutes on low. Toss pasta with clam sauce and garnish with cheese. Makes 4 servings.

*To make red sauce, add 2 diced tomatoes when adding clams and spices.

You Put the Lime in the Coconut

Dinner on Monday night was Thai green curry over rice with pina coladas.

For the curry:
1/2 pound large shrimp, shells removed
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1/2 large red bell pepper, juillenned
1/4 pound green beans, cleaned
One jar of Trader Joe's Thai green curry simmer sauce

Stir fried beans and peppers for 5 minutes, removed from pan. Stir fried shrimp and green onions until shrimp became pink, about 4 minutes. Added simmer sauce and covered with lid. Simmered for 10 minutes. Served over cooked white rice.

For the pina coladas:
Ice
Fresh pineapple
Pineapple juice
Coconut milk
Coconut rum

I don't know the exact measurements because I adjusted as I blended the ingredients together. I made way too much since I used the whole can of coconut milk...will be drinking again tonight!

Slow Cooker Pork Chops

I found this recipe on All Recipes and tried it out in my brand new crockpot.

Ingredients:

*1/4 cup olive oil
*1 cup chicken broth
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 tablespoon paprika
*1 tablespoon garlic powder
*1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
*1 teaspoon dried oregano
*1 teaspoon dried basil
*4 thick cut boneless pork chops
*salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, chicken broth, garlic, paprika, garlic powder, poultry seasoning and basil. Pour into the slow cooker. Cut small slits in each pork chop with the tip of a knife, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place pork chops into the slow cooker, cover, and cook on High for 4 hours. Baste periodically with the sauce.