CHEERS! CONGRATULATIONS TO ME!

The Year of The Cook has been going strong for a FULL YEAR!!!! It has been a great experience. Thank you Rachel for inspiring me and thank you Dave for being patient and supportive throughout the Year.

While I could just close the book on the blog, I have had a lot of people plead that I keep it going. So while I may take a break here and there...or maybe reinvent the blog...I will hang in there for now.

It has been fun to hear from people who have made some of these recipes, or contributed some of their own....thanks to all of you..

CHEERS!

ENJOY!

LEMON CHICKEN WITH OLIVES AND RICOTTA CHEESE

Lemon and chicken create a perfect combination of flavor. Lemon is a great addition frankly to most dishes. Everyone needs recipes for chicken and this one is fast and delicious.

Ingredients:

8 (no boil-oven ready) lasagna noodles

1 tbl + 1 tsp olive oil

1 lemon

4 boneless chicken breasts cut half

1 cup pitted green olives

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Fresh rosemary for garnish.

In a large stock pot, bring 3 inches of water to a boil and add noddles and 1 tsp olive oil. Cover and cook 6 minutes or until tender, drain. Lay noodles on a single layer of wax paper, cover and set aside.

Zest the lemon and set zest aside. Cut the lemon in half and cut one of the halves into wedges and juice the other half. Sprinkle the chicken with half the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.

In a large saute pan heat 1 tbl olive oil, and add chicken to the pan. Cook about 10 minutes, turning once until the chicken is no longer pink. Add olives and heat through.

In a bowl combine lemon juice, ricotta cheese, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Place bowl in a microwave and heat for 30 seconds. Spoon ricotta mixture into four bowls, top with noodles, then chicken and olives. Garnish with remaining lemon zest, wedges and rosemary and serve.

ANOTHER GREAT CHICKEN DISH!

ENJOY!

GRILLED PORK WITH PINEAPPLE

Pork...sometimes very unforgiving....overcooks in seconds....but we all love good pork chops, tenderloin, ribs..you name it! The secret is to brine pork like we have all learned to do with our Thanksgiving turkey. Simple, salt, sugar, some citrus like orange or lemon, fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme and of course pepper...covered in water for hours or overnight. So after hours of brining..here is a great recipe for pork chops.

Ingredients:

4 boneless pork chops about 3/4 inch thick

1 pineapple thickly sliced

3 tbl orange marmalade

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup roasted cashews, chopped

salt

pepper

Season previously brined pork chops with salt and pepper. On a grill or in a grill pan cook pork about 2-3 minutes a side. Add pineapple to pan. Brush chops and pineapple

with 2 tbl marmalade and grill 3-5 minutes more turning once. Pork should be slightly pink and 160 degrees in the center.

In a bowl combine yogurt and 1 tbl marmalade and a pinch of pepper. Spoon this mixture over chops and pineapple and sprinkle with nuts. Just delicious!

5 INGREDIENTS!

ENJOY!

FRIDAY COCKTAIL - SHAMROCK SMOOTHIE

This is a margarita-style drink using melon flavored vodka. SKYY has a melon flavored vodka as do many other brands...you choose. This is a great option for a fruitier drink at your St. Patrick's Day party.

Ingredients:

2 oz good melon flavored vodka
1/2 oz triple sec
splash of orange liqueur
juice of 2 limes

Option #1:
Pour ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until frothy and strain into a martini glass and garnish with lime wedge.

Option #2:
Blend ingredients in a mixer with 3/4 cup ice and serve in a salt-rimmed margarita glass and garnish with a lime wedge.


HAPPY FRIDAY!
ENJOY!

PUMPKIN BEAN SOUP - 5 INGREDIENTS!

This couldn't be easier and EXACTLY what we need as the next snow storm approaches... aauugghh!!!!!

Five ingredients and ready in 15 minutes. Serve with nice crusty bread or good oyster-style crackers. If you don't want to use chicken broth certainly substitute vegetable broth.

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans rinsed and drained

1 (14 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk

1 (14 oz) can low-sodium broth

1 tsp dries sage crushed

salt

fresh pepper

Here comes the SUPER easy part. Combine first 5 ingredients in a saucepan. Heat through and until everything is combined. Taste to see if you would like a more salty taste. Sprinkle with pepper....A nice twist is to serve it with a lime wedge. DONE!

5 INGREDIENTS, 15 MINUTES - DINNER!

ENJOY!

BANANAS SUZETTE

I know I have disappointed many in the few few few desserts I have blogged. I do like ice cream and depending on the fruit preparation..I am in! So here ya go!

Ingredients:

2 ripe yet firm bananas

1/4 cup orange juice

3 tbl sugar

1 tbl butter

1/4 cup tart dried cherries

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Lots and Lots of vanilla ice cream

Cut the peeled bananas on a diagonal into about 8 pieces each. In a large saute pan combine orange juice, sugar and butter. Heat about 1 minute or until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Add the bananas and cherries and cook for 3-4 minutes just until bananas are tender. Stir in nutmeg.

Place a BIG scoop of vanilla ice cream in a bowl and top with banana-cherry mixture. You will be a hit and these cooked fruit desserts are very elegant and people think they take a lot of effort...!!!!

CHEERS TO DESSERT!

ENJOY!

SAUSAGE-FRUIT KABOBS

Try to find good melons, tomatoes, peaches, plums in our winter climates....the list goes on and on of foods we will have to wait months to get....

One thing we can all count on is apples. This is a great meal for kids who love apples and with this sweet marinade it's perfect. It also makes a great appetizer for your winter party. I serve it as a main course and replace the bread with rice. You can add more veggies or pineapple too.

When cooking with apples be watchful which variety you choose. Cooking apples include; Braeburn, Fuji, Gala and Granny Smith, while Red Delicious are better served raw.

Ingredients:

4 tbl Dijon mustard

4 tbl honey

12 oz cooked smoky sausage cut on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick

1 apple, cored and cut into 1/2 inch wedges

1 zucchini halved and cut into 1/4 inch slices

6 oz crusty bread cut into 1 inch pieces

Olive Oil

Try to use metal skewers so they won't burn, but if you use wooden make sure you soak them for about 30 minutes in water before using. Preheat your broiler. In a bowl combine mustard and honey. On four skewers, alternately thread pieces of sausage, zucchini and apple. Leave a bit of space between pieces. Reserve some of the honey-mustard mixture. Brush remaining mixture over the skewers and place on an unheated broiler pan. Broil 4-5 minutes. Then thread bread on the remaining 4 skewers and lightly brush with oil. Add bread skewers to the broiler pan. Turn sausage skewers. Broil 3 minutes more until sausage is heated through and bread is toasted on all sides. Serve with remaining honey-mustard mixture.

HOPE THE KIDS LOVE THEM!

ENJOY!