Garlic Bread

This Garlic Bread is the perfect companion to Provencal Chicken Alfredo. Enjoy it with Italian food or a nice large salad as a treat.

Servings: Covers one loaf of bread

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Butter
• 4 Minced Garlic Cloves
• 1 Tsp. Salt
• 1 Tsp. Pepper
• 1/4 Tsp. Basil
• 1 Loaf of Fresh Italian Bread (You can buy this at your local King Soopers for $1.69)

Directions:

Set your oven to High Broil. Mix salt, pepper, garlic, and butter together in a bowl. Cut your loaf of bread in half. Spread the garlic and herb butter evenly over both halves of the loaf. Set the halves with their butter side up on a baking sheet and put into the oven once hot. Broil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and slice.

Serve with your favorite dish and enjoy!!!

Image found on Google Images.

Provencal Chicken Alfredo

This chicken alfredo draws on the delicious flavors of southern France. Creamy and delicious, this pasta is sure to be a wonderful close to a long day.

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 4 Large Garlic Cloves (keep the cloves in their skin)
• 2 Tbs. Butter
• 1/3 Cup Vermouth
• 1/2 Tbs. Lemon Juice
• 3 Tbs. Flour
• 1 Tsp. Oregano
• 1 Tsp. Thyme
• 1/4 Tsp. Sage
• 2 Chicken Breats
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/2 Package Fettuccine Noodles
• 2 Cups 2% or Whole Milk

Directions:

Poor Olive Oil into a small sauce pan and melt the butter into the pan. Put cloves into pan once the butter is melted. The cloves need to be partially submerged in the oil/butter mixture. Cook on low heat for 8 minutes. After the eight minutes, take two forks and remove the skin on the garlic. After the skin is removed, mash the garlic clove in the oil. If there are any crispy pieces of garlic, remove these.

Add the vermouth to the oil mixture and whisk. Reheat the sauce. Add lemon juice into sauce pan. Add flour, oregano, thyme, and sage into sauce and whisk until all lumps are smooth. Remove from heat.

Cube and grill the two chicken breasts in a separate skillet. Before grilling the chicken, add about 1-2 Tbs. of olive oil to help distribute the heat evenly. Salt and pepper lightly. Tip for browning: after the chicken is cooked, take a paper towel and soak up the excess moisture in the bottom of a pan by rubbing it around with a fork or spoon. Allow the chicken then to cook on the dry skillet until golden.

After the chicken is grilled, return focus back to sauce. Put sauce pan back on low heat and cook for about 2 minutes. Whisking instead of stirring. Slowly add the milk while whisking. Increase heat to medium temperature, whisking constantly to ensure it is completely mixed. Heat util the sauce is thick (approximately ten minutes). Once the sauce is thick and hot, salt and pepper to taste. Then, add the grilled chicken pieces and mix with a spoon.

Bring water to a boil in a large stew pot. Once the water is boiling, add Fettuccine noodles and reduce heat to a simmer. Fettuccine noodles take about 10-15 minutes to cook because they are thicker. After this time, test a noodle, if it is not soft and limp continue cooking. Once cooked, turn off burner, strain noodles, and rinse the noodles with hot water while in strainer then poor the noodles back into pot to keep warm.

Poor sauce over the noodles and serve with green beans (I just warm up frozen green beans) and garlic bread (my recipe will be posted shortly). My wine suggestion would be a nice red wine mix, the wine we had was Fluer De Lyeth Proprietary 2009 blend and it was delicious!

Enjoy!!!

Caution: Please, note that the Vermouth still has some alcohol content in the sauce. If you would prefer to not use alcohol, add another tablespoon of lemon juice and a quarter cup more of milk.

Fresh Taco Salad

My husband and I love Tacos and Nachos, they are the BEST! Although, these things are not necessarily the best for you- health-wise. To get the delicious flavor of tacos while also making them more healthy, fix this delicious taco salad!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Lb. Ground Beef
• 1 Large Onion (Diced)
• 2 Large Chipotle Chiles (Diced) - You can find these canned in adobo sauce (DELICIOUS)
• 1 1/2 Tsp. Ground Cumin
• 2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 Tsp. Paprika
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 Head Romaine Lettuce
• 1 Bell Pepper (one half sliced and the other half diced)
• Tortilla Chips
• Chedder and/or Pepper Jack Cheese (Grated)
• Sliced Olives (either black or green)
• Ranch or Caesar Dressing (I recommend Caesar)

Directions:

Rinse and chop the head of romaine lettuce and then refridgerate. Saute and brown the ground beef and onion. Once the meet is cooked, reduce heat to low and add the chipotle chiles, cumin, garlic powder, and paprika. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cover your plate with a layer of tortilla chips (15-20 strips). Sprinkle your cheese over the chips. Next add a layer of lettuce (a good amount, this is the main part of the dish afterall). Then drizzle either caesar or ranch dressing over the lettuce (as much or as little as you want). Then, add the diced bell pepper and the sliced olives. Follow up with the ground beef and onion mix (this can either be served at room temperature or hot depending on you preference. I prefer hot and right off the stove). Finally, garnish with the sliced bell pepper. If you would like to add a touch of spice, add some hot sauce for extra kick.

Serve with a Margarita and enjoy!

Garlic Basil Vinaigrette

This dressing is a healthy alternative to store bought dressings. The garlic and basil blend deliciously with a sweet beginning and a spicy garlic finish.

Servings: Covers one large head of chopped lettuce. Makes 3 servings if used as the main course or 6 servings as a side salad.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tbs. Lemon Juice
• 3-4 Large Garlic Cloves (minced)
• 1 Tbs. Basil (either fresh or dried, I used dried)
• 1 Tsp. Freshly Ground Pepper (grind pepper in a pepper mill into a napkin and pour into teaspoon)
• 1 Tsp. Sea salt (grind salt in a salt mill into a napkin and pour into teaspoon)

Directions:

Combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice into a bowl and whisk until well mixed. Mince 3-4 large garlic cloves (the more garlic used, the spicier the dressing, I recommend using 3 cloves) into the bowl and whisk. Add basil, freshly ground pepper, and freshly ground sea salt into the bowl and whisk. Pour the dressing over one head of chopped lettuce and toss. Refridgerate until ready to serve.

Serve with grilled chicken, strips of carrot (use potatoe peeler to make large, thin slices of carrot), and chopped walnuts and make the salad into a meal.

Enjoy!!!

Rocky Mountain Chili

Rocky Mountain Chili is a smoky, slightly spicy chili that provides a warm conclusion to a cool fall day.

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 small chicken breasts
• 3 Chipotle chiles from a can (diced) - these are found at your local grocery store canned in adobo sauce (don't wipe off the sauce it adds a wonderful touch of flavor!)
• 1 4 OZ can diced green chiles
• 1 14.5 OZ can diced tomatoes
• 1 16 OZ can pinto beans
• 1 16 OZ can dark red kidney beans
• 1 15 OZ can black beans
• 32 OZ chicken broth (I prefer to use "Better Than Bullion")
• White Pepper
• Cumin
• Black Pepper
• Salt

Directions:

Dice onion and mince garlic. Put in a large stew pot and saute over medium heat with olive oil until golden yellow. Stir frequently to keep from burning. Cut into small cubes the chicken breasts and add to onion and garlic. You can either saute the chicken until golden (in which case additional olive oil will be needed to keep from sticking to pot) or add the other ingredients and boil the chicken until cooked. I prefer to saute the chicken for additional flavor.

Add the chipotle chiles, green chiles, tomatoes, pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, and chicken broth. Allow the soup to come to a boil and reduce to a simmer. If you use Better Than Bullion to make your broth, use 1 tsp mix to 8 oz water. Add 1/2 tsp white pepper, 2 tsp ground cumin, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. If you used "Better Than Bullion" salt is not needed. If you used standard chicken broth, salt to taste. Cooked covered for 30 minutes. Remove lid and reduce for 30 minutes or until desirable thickness is reached. Cover and simmer until ready to serve.

Serve with sprinkled cheese on top and corn bread on the side. For a quick and easy extra touch, mix honey into butter for delicious "whipped honey butter" spread for the corn bread. Combine 2 tbs of honey to one half cup salted butter and whisk until mixed.

Enjoy!!!

Photo found on Google Images.