Basil Lemon Roast Chicken

This is a very quick and easy dish to make.  You could stuff the chicken if you wanted but I made this one empty.

Ingredients:
1 large chicken ...think this one was about 3 1/2 lbs.
1 whole lemon
2-3 stems  fresh basil
2 fresh thyme springs
salt and pepper

Preheat oven 375°
Rinse the chicken and pat dry.  Place in a roasting pan, put a little salt inside the
cavity, the loosen the breast skin and place a thin slice of lemon and some basil between the skin and the meat.  Squeeze some juice on top then put the rest of the lemon and basil inside the cavity.  Put in oven uncovered and bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.  Test with thermometer for internal temp to be 160° - 175° and juices run clear.
With the drippings from the chicken you can make a nice gravy.  Just add some cornstarch or coconut flour *(low carb) to some water then to your drippings.  Add some thyme and salt and pepper to taste.
You can serve this with so many things for a quick meal.
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day and Remember to Find The Time to Do all the things YOU love.
Donna

Basil and Garlic Italian Bread

We had Italian Food again the other night,  it's a toss up whether we like Italian or Mexican better.  There are so many good recipes out there so you really have an endless supply of things to try.  Of course with putting your own twist on them makes it even better.

This is the bread I  made.  It's my simple go to recipe that can be changed to suit your likings.  This time I did basil and garlic.  I have fresh basil in my herb pot so what better to make than BREAD.   The family love it too.

This recipe only has 1 rise so you can have bread within 1 1/2 hours or less.  Fresh hot and tasty right out of your own oven.

Ingredients:
2 pkgs instant yeast
2 TBL sugar
2 1/2 tsp salt
4 1/4 - 4 1/2 cups ap flour  (you could use 1/2 whole wheat)
1 3/4 cup warm water
2 TBL veg. oil
2 tsp garlic powder
2 - 3 TBL fresh chopped basil
egg for wash on top

Directions:
In large bowl of mixer add the yeast, sugar, salt and 2 cups of flour.  Mix with paddle attachment until combined.  Add the water and oil and on medium speed beat the mixture for 3 minutes.  Change to the dough hook and 1/2 cup at a time add the remaining flour.  You may need more or less depending on the weather.  Mix for 6 minutes until you have a soft dough, it should not be sticky.  Remove from bowl and let it rest for 10 minutes.  It will rise a little, punch down then form you loaves.  This makes 3 large loaves so this recipe would be perfect for making and then freezing 2 loaves for your next Italian meal.  (I always wrap mine in aluminum foil then in freezer wrap, fresh bread every time.  Just pop in the oven for 5 minutes, be sure the bread is defrosted.
Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the Things YOU Love.
Donna

Lemon Basil Cookies

My herbs are doing great this year.  My lemon basil was starting to flower so I thought I'd try making a cookie with it.  They would be great on St. Patty's day because they are light green.  The basil flavor is not overpowering and the icing adds just the right amount of sweetness.  Think next time try these I wills use regular basil and lots of lemon zest and juice to see if they have a different taste.
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1 cup fresh basil leaves (or lemon-basil) I used lemon basil
1 cup sugar (divided)
1 stick unsalted  butter, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 tbs. lemon zest
2 large egg
2 1\4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325
 Pulse basil and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor or blender until blended.

Beat butter at medium speed in mixer fitted with paddle attachment until creamy. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating well. Add lemon zest and egg, beating until blended. Gradually add flour and basil mixture and continue  to beat until mixed.
 Drop by large TBL on parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake for about 20-22 minutes until bottoms are brown.  Ice when cool.
             
                                                       OR

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet lined with parchment or silpat. Flatten balls slightly with bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.
Bake at 325° for  20-22 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire rack  to cool completely.
These are really refreshing and would be great with a nice light summer dinner or large salad.
Thanks for taking time from your busy day to stop by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the time to Do ALL the things YOU Love.
Donna

Crusted Baked Tilapia with Mango Pineapple Salsa

 

This is a low calorie delicious dish.  The flavors of the pineapple and mango are so light and refreshing.  I added some fresh basil from my herb pot.  I buy my Tilapia frozen and individually wrapped that way I can use as much as I want and the rest still stays fresh.  I really enjoyed this dish and will make it part of my  go to recipes.  Also I cooked this in my toaster oven because it's been sooooooooooooo hot here I didn't want to heat up the house.

Currently I am in New Mexico with my son, daughter-in-law and two beautiful grandchildren.  My blog will update as usual because I have done several recipes that I've wanted to share, so please be sure to come and visit.  When I return I will post some pictures of my visit.
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Ingredients:
2-4 Tilapia fillets
1/4 cup mayo
Italian Bread Crumbs for coating

Salsa
1 fresh pineapple cut into chunks
2 mango's cut into chunks
1/4 cup  fresh basil chopped
**optional** 1/2 small red onion diced (I didn't add this because I don't like raw onion)
1/2 large red sweet pepper, finely diced
pinch of salt

Direction:
thaw fillets, brush each with mayo on both sides, then coat with bread crumbs.  Place on a cookie sheet lined with that parchment aluminum paper.  (makes for great clean up)  Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes until fish flakes and breading is golden.  Top with chilled salsa.  Enjoy

Salsa:
Combine all ingredients and chill until ready to serve. 
Thanks for stopping by,  have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU love.
Donna



 

Green Chilli Pizza

Recently we celebrated yet another birthday. This was JR's birthday, I call him my adopted son. :) On birthdays we celebrate by either cooking a meal requested by the birthday person or going out to eat at their place of choice. It's all up to them. So JR said he wanted me to make Pizza, everyone love's my Pizza.......me too! :-) My daughter has made this version before and last time JR and I had pizza together I made this for him and he really liked it. I don't care for things that are hot or spicy but my family and some friends do. They all say this has a wonderful flavor, so hopefully you'll try it and let me know. There's really nothing hard about this recipe. Just make the dough and then add your toppings. I usually make my dough the day before so it has time to sit in the refrigerator. This dough freezes well also. I use provolone and mozzarella cheese on my pizzas I never use shredded cheese.
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Dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp. yeast
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil
2 3/4 cups bread, ap or high gluten flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
1 small can green chilli's diced (or a couple of Anaheim peppers roasted and chopped or peppers of your choice for heat)
1 - 2 large fresh tomatoes sliced thin
3-4 slices of provolone cheese
3-5 slices mozzarella cheese
1 or 2 springs fresh basil chopped
oil for bowl
corn meal sprinkled on peel *if you have one*
If you don't have a peel, transfer your rolled out pizza dough, onto a large enough size piece of parchment paper then put all your topping on, then put the paper onto a cookies sheet turned upside down and slide it off onto the stone. After about 2 or 3 minutes pull out the paper and bake on the stone for the remaining time.

Dough
Add sugar to water mix well and get to temp *115, then add yeast and proof. When foamy add 1/2 the flour and the semolina flour and mix well. I use a Kitchen aide for all the mixing and kneading. Add the remaining flour until you get a soft and slightly wet dough. DO NOT add too much flour. If you have a dry dough it will affect the end result. Put dough in oiled bowl and let rise covered. Punch down when ready and either use the dough then or put it int he refrigerator for a day. It gives it so much more flavor if used the next day. Be sure to take the dough out 30 minutes before using. *You can also make into balls wrap separately and then freeze until you are ready to use them up to 6 months* If you do freeze be sure to take out the morning of, put in the refrigerator and then 30 minutes before you want to make it leave at room temp.
Roll out dough, Sprinkle just a little evoo then place thin sliced tomatoes around then top with chilli then the cheeses topped with basil. You can reverse the chilli and cheese if you like, no special way to build except for the oil and tomatoes goes first and basil last. Bake in hot oven 500 for about 12 minutes on pizza stone or unglazed quarry tiles, You can use a cookie sheet turn upside down or a pizza pan but you won't get the same flavors or good pizza affect.

Tomatoe Basil Pizza......YUM

This is a simple, but delicious dish.  The pizza crust recipe is the best I've found.  The topping is simple.

Dough

BEST PIZZA

1 1/2 cups very warm water

2 teaspoons yeast

2 teaspoons sugar

16 ounces (about 2 3/4 cups) bread flour

3 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup) semolina flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tsp. olive oil

you will also need:

a food processor or Kitchen Aide type mixer

about a tablespoon of olive oil

a large bowl

Instructions:             Makes 2 Medium Pizzas

Using your food processor or mixer,   Place very warm water (about 115), yeast and sugar in food mixer stir.  While most recipes will tell you to use lukewarm water when making yeast dough, I find that by the time you take hot water, put it into a measuring cup and then into a food processor, it has cooled significantly.  I always use water that is almost too hot to the touch, and have always had great luck with this dough.  Let sit while you measure out the dry ingredients.

After 2-3 minutes you will see small bubbles forming in the liquid in the food processor, which indicates that your yeast is working.  Dump in the dry ingredients and turn on the food processor.  The machine will go all the work, including the kneading.  After about a minute the dough should form into a ball going around in your food processor.  Open the machine and take a look.  If you think the dough is too wet, you can add a bit a flour, but know that too wet is better than too dry, and the dough will loose some of its stickiness as it rises.

Place about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl.  Take the dough out of the food processor or mixer (putting a little olive oil on your hands will keep it from sticking) and form it into a ball.  Place in the bowl and turn to lightly coat with the olive oil.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let dough rise in a warm, draft free place for about an hour or until doubled in size, before rolling out and baking.  For a crust with a perfect pizzeria taste and texture, I recommend baking on a pizza stone in a very hot oven (500 - 550EF for about 10 -12 minutes.   You can store this dough in the fridge for up to 5 days.  Just take out and let it come to room temp before baking.

 Topping:

Fresh Basil rough chopped.

you can use either fresh tomatoes sliced and arranged on top, or use you favorite sauce.  I also put dollops of cream cheese before covering completely with mozzarella cheese.

Looks Delish...right?  It does really taste as good as it looks. 

Hope you'll try this.  Let me know if you do.

Thanks for stopping by,  have a wonderful weekend and Remember to Find the Time to do ALL the things YOU love.

Donna

 

Pasta with Roasted Sweet Pepper Sauce

The other night I made some Italian bread hero's to put some sausage I got from NY. While I was in Maine one of Orm's friends, Vic, went to NY for a visit and I asked him if he would buy me some Cheese And Parsley Italian Sausage. If you have never had this and you happen to be in the NY area try it...OMG! You serve it on a hero roll with green peppers and onions. I'll post that soon. Anyway, back to the pasta...I wanted a side dish to go with the sandwiches, but also wanted something new and different. So what better than a Pasta with Roasted Sweet Red Pepper sauce.
Printable
4 red bell peppers or a 12oz jar of roasted peppers
1/4 cup olive oil
1 bunch of green onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic
1 TBL Butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. celery seeds
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 pkg of your favorite pasta *tonight I made medium size shells*

If using fresh peppers brush them with olive oil and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (helps with clean up) place on highest oven rack and put the oven on broil, Broil for about 5-7 minutes, be careful and watch them so they don't get too charred. Sorry but I don't have pictures of them. (next time I made this I will be sure to take pictures of this step and repost to this post) When one side is done turn them over and complete the cooking. Immediately put them in a bowl and cover with clear wrap. After about 15 mintues cut peppers, remove the seeds and peel the skin. The skin should come off very easy.
Chop the peppers and put them in the blender or food processor. When ready to make sauce, puree peppers and slowly add the heavy cream, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Blend until creamy. In large skillet saute onions and garlic for about 4-5 minutes, add pepper puree and cook for about 10 minutes. A minute before you are ready to serve add the basil, stir in cooked pasta and serve immediately.

This is the pasta without the fresh Basil.

And this is it with the Basil getting ready to go to the dinner table. I hope you give this a try, it's a great change from the normal marinara sauce and I think you'll enjoy it. My family really liked it, especially the kids...so that's a plus too. My youngest grandson AJ just walked by while I was doing the drafts for this and said "oh is that the pasta you just made, boy that's good stuff." So there's and first hand response to this dish. ;)
Have a wonderful day and I'll be back with a dessert I made recently.
Thanks for stopping by and I'd love to hear from those of you that take the time to come by. Remember to Find the Time to Do all the things you LOVE.
Donna