Michelle and Britt's Tour Of Italy Couples Night

Brittany's Food:

Chicken Parmigiana Rollatini 

serves 6 (if you use big chicken breasts it serves double that) 

 I got this recipe from: http://www.mykitchenescapades.com/2013/10/chicken-parmigiana-rollatini.html

(recipe inspired by skinnytaste.com)

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 4 lbs

8 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry of liquid

2/3 C part skim ricotta cheese

1/4 C freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

1 egg

2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced

1/2 C italian seasoned bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten with a dash of milk

1 C marinara sauce

salt and pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees and lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.  Lay one chicken breast on a cutting board with what would have been the skin side up.  Place your hand on top, and using a chef’s knife, cut the breast down the middle being sure to stop before cutting all the way through.  Open the breast so the cut surface is exposed, cover with plastic wrap and lightly pound the chicken to an even thickness.  Season both sides of the chicken well with salt and pepper.  Repeat with remaining breasts.

2.  In a medium sized bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, half of the mozzarella, half of the parmesan, garlic and 1 egg.  Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper to the mixture.  Evenly divide and spread the filling on the inside cut side of the chicken.  Roll up the chicken and place it seam side down on the work surface.

3.  On a plate, mix together the bread crumbs and the remaining parmesan cheese.  Place your 2 beaten eggs with the dash of milk in a small bowl.  Dip each breast first in the eggs, then roll them into the breadcrumbs to coat.  Place them on your greased baking dish seam side down.

(I skipped step three becasue my rolls were huge. I placed them seam down and then brushed them with the egg mixture and threw the bread crumbs and cheese on the top casserole style. Turned out 

4.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and top with marinara sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese.  Bake for another 3-4 minutes.  Serve with marinara sauce

**For gluten free, be sure to use gluten free bread crumbs instead!

Zuppa Toscana (Copycat)

Ingredients:

1lb ground Italian sausage

1 ½ tsp crushed red peppers

1 large diced white onion

4 Tbsp bacon pieces

2 tsp garlic puree

10 cups water

5 cubes of chicken bouillon

1 cup heavy cream

1 lb sliced russet potatoes

¼ of a bunch of Kale

Prep Instructions:

Sautee Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.  In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic for approximately 15 mins or until the onions are soft.  Mix together the chicken bouillon and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour. Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in the sausage. Add Kale just before serving 

Bread Sticks

Ingredients:

1 ½ Tbsp yeast dissolved in 2 ¼ C warm water

3 Tbsp Sugar

¾ tsp salt

5 ¼ C flour

Prep Instructions:

Mix together and Knead three minutes. Let rest 10 min.  Melt 1 cube of butter on baking sheet.  Roll out dough and cut into strips. Place back together in same rectangular shape on baking sheet, turning in melted butter to coat both sides. Sprinkle generously with garlic salt and Parmesan cheese.  Let rise 15-20 min Bake at 375 for 15-20min. 

Madi Gras Celebration April 2014

Britt's Food

I got the gumbo recipe from simplyrecipes.com and have just substituted her words for my own. 

v

Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Sausage Recipe

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
• Yield: Serves 6-8

A note on File: this thickens the soup after it's all done. Please just come borrow mine. I rarely use it. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup peanut oil, or other vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 quart shellfish* or chicken stock, plus 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 8-12 ounces smoked andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds( I used harmon's uncooked sausage for the above and just cooked it prior)
• 2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3-5 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
• File powder (optional)
• Hot sauce (such as Tabasco) to taste

The author says that you can make your own shellfish stock with the shells from the shrimp. This is what I did and it turned out great. You put the shells and tail tips into a pot and cover with 2 quarts of water. Bring it all to a boil then reduce to a simmer. You then simmer uncovered for an hour. You then just strain and use in the recipe. She says you can also use diluted clam juice. 

You can see her pictures and actual recipe here : http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/shrimp_gumbo_with_andouille_sausage/#ixzz3UNYk3f22

Directions:

1 First,you make the roux. (this part is the hardest. You have to be patient)The author suggests to heat the peanut oil in a large bottom pot like a dutch oven but I used my non stick stock pot and it was fine. So heat the oil on medium high heat, for a minute or two. You then whisk in the flour and lower the heat to medium. This next part is important so don't get distracted by something else. You need to stir the roux almost constantly, make sure you are scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir. You want the roux to cook until it's the color of peanut butter and then you lower the heat to medium.You continue cooking on medium and stirring very carefully so as not to burn it. You will stop when it's the color of an old penny. She says that takes 20-30 min but I'm remembering that I chickened out before mine cooked that long. Go off the color. Literally find an old penny and set it down next to you.

2 So in New Orleans when you combine green pepper, onion and celery they refer to that as the "holy trinity. So go ahead and add the "holy trinity" and increase the heat to about medium-high. You will cook for about 5 min stirring constantly.. Add in the garlic and cook for another two minutes. Next stir in the Cajun seasoning.

3 In this next section it is important to follow the recipe or you will "break" the roux. It happens if you were to add cold water to your roux. If that were to happen you would see a pool of oil on top of your soup. So in a separate pot, heat up the stock and water until it's steaming. Next you slowly add the hot stock and water to the bell pepper onion roux mix, make sure to stirr constantly.( Are you sensing a theme yet :) ) Bring the gumbo mixture up to a  simmer and then add the Worcestershire sauce and salt to taste.Next you simmer slowly for 30 minutes.

Quote from the author: "If you find that the roux has broken a bit and oil is pooling on the surface of the gumbo, whisk in about another 1/2 to 1 cup of water. This will often "fix" it"

4 Next you stir in the andouille sausage( I got mine from harmon's It was their fresh uncooked sausage and just cooked it before because I like their fresh sausage better than the precooked stuff) So just heat that for 5 minutes.You then add your shrimp and bring it back up to a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes, until the shrimp have just barely cooked through.(shrimp get tough when they overcook.)  Add some salt and black pepper to taste.

You serve this dish over white rice and garnish with green onions and sprinkle with file powder and a dash or two of hot sauce if you want a kick to it.

Salads, Soups and Sandwiches by Angela Miller

Salads:

Caesar Bowtie Salad (from Bite Size Cafe)

Romaine Lettuce
Bowtie Pasta
Black Olives (I leave mine whole)
Cherry tomatoes
Artichoke Hearts
Grilled Chicken
Croutons
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Caesar Dressing (I use Newman's Own)


Chicken Strawberry Salad (from Plates and Palates) 

Lettuce
Spinach
Strawberries
Craisins
Grilled Chicken
Bacon
Cashews
Feta Cheese
Honey Lemon dressing

Honey-lemon dressing from Jamie Oliver (this was the recipe I used, but I tweaked it until I found the taste I liked.  Then I added poppy seeds because it looked prettier :)

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon good honey

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Soups:

Zuppas Cauliflower soup - from Jamie Cooks it up

Time: 30 minutes Yield: 6-7  (1 cup) servings Recipe adapted from Butter with a Side of Bread SOUP:1 medium onion, chopped 3 T butter 2 pounds cauliflower 1/4 C flour 2 C half and half 3 1/4 C water 2 chicken bullion cubes, or 2 tsp bullion granules 1 1/2 C sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 1/2 C pepper jack cheese, shredded 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp Dijon mustard TOPPINGS: Bacon Cheddar Cheese Green Onions 1. Chop a medium-sized onion. 2. Grab a large soup pot and toss 3 tablespoons of butter into it. Melt it over medium high heat, then add the onion and let cook until the onions are translucent and have a beautiful golden brown color. Should take about 5 minutes. 3. While your onions are sauteing, wash a lovely head of cauliflower and remove the green leafy portion. Chop it up into pieces that are roughly 1 inch in size. Don't get out a ruler, okay. Just give them a rough chop. 4. When your onions are golden brown add 1/4 cup flour to the pot, stirring quickly to incorporate and make a roux. (A roux is the pasty substance you see above. It will act as a thickener for your soup). 5. Add 2 teaspoons chicken bullion granules to 3 1/4 cups hot water. Pour the broth into the pot about 2/3 cup at a time, whisking the mixture until it bubbles and then adding more broth. 6. Add 2 cups half and half, a little at a time whisking as you go. It may seem a bit tedious, but the soup will heat up much faster if you add just a bit of the liquid at a time. 7. When you have a nice simmer, add the chopped cauliflower. Bring the mixture back up to a simmer and let the vegetable cook until soft. Should take about 15 minutes. 8. When the cauliflower is fork tender, turn the heat off and blend the soup up. You can either stick an immersion blender into the pot and blend it until smooth. Or, you can carefully pour the hot soup into a blender. 9. When the soup is smooth, add 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, stirring to incorporate. 10. Add 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese. (It's best to use freshly grated cheese here, it will melt a lot better for you). 11. Stir the cheese in, allowing it to melt. Serve with bacon, more cheese or even a few green onions. Enjoy! Amy's Tortellini Soup 1 lb Italian Sausage 1 onion chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 (13-ounce) cans beef broth  1 cup water 1/2 cup apple juice (I like to add more juice to give a sweeter taste) 3 carrots sliced 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes 1 tsp basil and oregano 1 cup sliced zucchini 4 tbsp parsley, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped 8 oz cheese tortellini (refrigerated or frozen) Cook sausage.  Drain fat and add chopped onion and garlic and cook until tender.  Add everything except tortellini.  Simmer 30 min.  Add tortellini 5-10 minutes before serving and cook until tender, but not soggy.

Sandwiches:  ( I use the torta rolls from Costco)

Italian Club Sandwich (from Zuppas)

Ham, Salami, Turkey, Roasted Sweet Red Peppers, Muenster Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes, & Balsamic Spread ( I made a balsamic spread with balsamic vinegar, garlic, mayonnaise, italian seasoning)

Turkey Bacon Guacamole Sandwich

Turkey, Bacon, Lettuce, tomatoes, Guacamole, Mayo

Desserts:

Mason Jar Desserts

http://lifeloveandgoodfood.com/10-mason-jar-summer-desserts/

This website has 10 different mason jar desserts. 

 I did the salted caramel brownie and a variation of the punchbowl cake