Marinated Olives

So the holidays are coming...very soon! These olives are simple to make and you can customize them according to your tastes. They make a very nice "thank you" gift for the teacher/employer/person you appreciate, and are the perfect snack to put out for guests. Here, I have a recipe for both citrusy green and herbed black olives.

Lemon-Garlic Green Olives:
1 1/2 cups green Greek olives in brine, liquid drained
Juice of 1 lemon
Lemon rind strips, white bitter pith removed
1/3 cup garlic infused olive oil

Citrus Herbed Olives:
1 1/2 cup good quality black olives, liquid drained
1 sprig fresh rosemary
4 strips of orange rind, white pith removed
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

Combine ingredients for each olive mixture in a mason jar. Seal tightly and wrap a decorative ribbon around lid. Make a fun holiday label for your jar. Refrigerate overnight before enjoying the olives!

Easy Chicken Marsala

To Make Chicken Marsala:
4 chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each, but not a big deal if they are a different size)
10 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms (I bought mine pre-sliced at TJ's)
1 small diced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon parsley
1/2 cup Marsala
1/4 cup Sherry
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup flour
Salt
Pepper


Preheat oven to 250.

Rinse chicken well and pat dry with paper towels. Cut off any visible fat. Flatten chicken with meat pounder, using wax paper over chicken if available.

Put flour on large plate. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in flour, shaking off excess.

Melt butter in large saute pan over medium high heat. Add chicken breasts and brown both sides. Remove from pan, set in oven dish and place in oven to keep warm.

Add olive oil to saute pan. Add onion, garlic, mushrooms, parsley and thyme. Saute until juice from mushrooms has evaporated, stirring to prevent vegetables from burning.

Add Marsala and sherry to saute pan. Let mixture come to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.

Add chicken stock and chicken pieces. Cook at low simmer for 15-20 minutes, then remove chicken pieces and place on a plate.

Add milk to mushroom mixture and let simmer 10-15 minutes until thickened. Add chicken pieces to warm them up before serving.

Plate chicken breasts on 4 plates and scoop mushroom and sauce over meat.

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Easy Strawberry, Goat Cheese & Spinach Salad

This is a classic early summer salad. Pair with a frittata and some crusty bread, and you have an easy, flavorful Mother's Day brunch!

Ingredients:
2 cups strawberries
4 oz crumbled goat cheese
8oz baby spinach
Balsamic vinaigrette

Wash strawberries well and remove stems. Slice in half vertically.

Wash spinach and let dry.

Divide spinach among 4 plates. Top each with 1 oz goat cheese and 1/2 cup sliced berries. Drizzle vinaigrette over salads.

Fresh Ricotta Cheese

I was just talking with my mom about making sfogliatelle, these Italian puff pastries filled with ricotta and happiness. We both think fresh ricotta would work much better in the pastry recipe, but Duluth, Minnesota lacks a specialty (or near-specialty) food shop. Happily, Epicurious has a recipe that looks easy.



Ingredients:
8 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice*
Cheesecloth

Line a colander with 4 layers of cloth. Set colander in sink.

Bring milk and salt to simmer in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in lemon juice. Let simmer until curds form, 1 to 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer curds to cheesecloth. Let drain about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl, cover and keep refrigerated.

The cheese is good for 2 days.

The cheese can be used in desserts, pasta, sandwiches, eggs, almost anywhere!

*Save the lemon rinds to use in my other recipes, like a Sour Cherry and Ricotta Tart!

Parmesan Chicken

This is one of my go-to recipes. It always turns out and I usually have the ingredients in my fridge. I got it (I think) from Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. It is nicely paired with a side of baby greens with citronette dressing or a caprese salad.

4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 large eggs
3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or a Parmesan-Romano blend)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Wax paper
Meat mallet

Preheat oven to 275. Place pie dish in oven on middle rack

Rinse chicken breasts under cold running water and cut off any visible fat. Dry them with a paper towel and place one breast between two sheets of wax paper onto top of a large cutting board. Pound meat on one side, then flip over and pound until it is about 1/4 inch thin (more or less). Repeat with additional breasts.

Combine flour with pepper and salt in large ziploc bag or on large plate.

In a medium-large bowl, break eggs and beat them. The bowl should be big enough to fit the breasts.

Mix bread crumbs and cheese on large dinner plate.

Using large saute pan, melt 1/2 tablespoon butter and 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium heat, if begins to sizzle/brown, turn heat down to medium low.

Coat chicken breasts evenly with flour. Dredge in egg mixture. Then place on bread crumb cheese mixture and flip, making sure the whole breast has been covered.

Place in saute pan and turn heat down to medium low. Two chicken breasts should be cooked at a time for about 3 minutes on each side. After sauteing, place in pie dish in oven. Repeat with remaining breasts, using the rest of the oil and butter. Leave breasts in oven for about 10 minutes, until table is set and you are ready to eat. They will come out incredibly moist with a crispy cheese breading.