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Thursday, April 24, 2008

Chicken Club Salad

8 slices bacon
4 chicken breasts
3 small tomatoes, seeded (I especially like cherry)
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, plus leaves
1/2 cup mayo
1 T. white wine vinegar
lettuce

Preheat oven to 400˚. Line baking sheet with foil and arrange bacon. Bake about 10 minutes. Turn over and slide over to one side of the pan. Season chicken w/ salt & pepper and place on other half of pan. Bake 15 - 20 minutes.
While that is baking, combine tomatoes, onion, celery, leaves, mayo and vinegar in a bowl.

Transfer bacon to a paper plate and crumble. Let chicken cool. Cut chicken into chunks & add to bowl. Season with salt & pepper and toss to coat. Serve over lettuce and sprinkle bacon on top.

Tip: The celery leaves are a must have. Use all the leaves in the bunch, not just leaves on the two stalks. They have so much flavor packed in and - just trust me - you want them in there.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Lettuce Wraps

3 tablespoons oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup water chestnuts
2/3 cup mushrooms
3 tablespoons chopped onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
iceberg lettuce leaves

Special Sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon hot mustard
2 teaspoons water
(1-2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste)

Stir Fry Sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Make the special sauce; dissolving the sugar & water in a bowl. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil. Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve. Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well. At the table you can add your desired measurement of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps.

Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan. Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done. Remove chicken from the pan and cool. Keep oil in the pan, keep hot. As chicken cools mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas. Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl. When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are. With the pan still on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil. Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan. Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and sauté the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce cups. Top with special sauce.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Pan Pizza

olive oil
3/4 c. + 2 T. milk, warm
1 T. sugar
2 1/3 c. flour
2 1/4 t. yeast
1/2 t. salt

Mix warm milk, sugar and 2 T. oil. Mix flour, yeast and salt in the mixer with the dough hook. Slowly add wet ingredients and turn mixer up to medium low. Mix for 5 minutes. Let rise in a warm oven until double in size, about 30 minutes.
Divide the dough in half. Roll out and shape the dough into 9 1/2" rounds. Place dough in a cake pan oiled with 2 T. olive oil. Let rise on counter 20 minutes.
Top with 2/3 c. sauce and 1 1/2 c. mozzarella and bake in 400˚ oven for 15 minutes.

Tip: If you are topping with pepperoni, bake them for just a couple minutes - it cuts down on the grease a little and you know they're better crunchy anyway.