Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta-Italiano

You will need:
1/2 lb. Pasta (Penne is preferred)
4 Whole Sun-Dried Tomatoes (in olive oil)
2-3 Cloves Garlic
1 Tbsp. Fresh Chopped Parsley
1 Tbsp. Fresh Chopped Basil
1/2 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp. Butter
2 Tbsps. Olive Oil
2 Tbsps. Olive Oil (from Sun-dried Tomato Jar)
Salt / Pepper

Add pasta to a pot of salted boiling water. Boil
for approximately 8-10 minutes or until desired
tenderness. While pasta is boiling, prep remaining
ingredients:

Coarsely chop tomatoes and set aside.
Coarsely chop Parsley and Basil and set aside.
Finely chop Garlic cloves and set aside.

In a small skillet, add sun-dried tomatoes, garlic,
butter, 2 Tbsps. Olive Oil and 2 Tbsps. Olive Oil
from the sun-dried tomato jar (that oil is infused
with the sun-dried tomato and adds excellent flavor
to this dish!). Add a pinch of Salt and Pepper. Cook
on Medium heat for about 3-4 minutes, stirring
occasionally. (Don't overcook or burn the garlic!)
Turn off heat and set aside.

Drain the pasta and toss in the Parsley and Basil.
Scoop out pasta on a plate and drizzle over the
Sun-Dried tomato mixture over the pasta. Sprinkle
with grated Parmesan Cheese. Add Salt / Pepper to
taste.

I'm sure there are other recipes out there very
similar to this one, but I'm sharing this one with
you because this is my version ...bon appetite!

Crispy Chicken Cutlets

You will need:
3-4 Boneless and skinless Chicken Breasts
2 Eggs (for dipping)
Olive or Vegetable Oil (for frying)
Crispy Coating Mixture (recipe follows)

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Rinse the chicken breasts in cold water and set aside. Crack 2 eggs in
a shallow dish. Add a splash of milk and quickly wisk - set aside.

Prepare Coating Mixture:

1 C. Italian Breadcrumbs
1 C. Plain Panko Breadcrumbs
1/4 C. Finely chopped fresh Parsley
1 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme
1/3 C. Fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Tsp. Ground (or Fresh) Ginger
1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp. Onion Powder
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

My recommendation: TRY to use FRESH Parsley and Thyme if possible - it DOES make a difference! The best way to mix these ingredients together is to measure each one into a ziplock type back - this method will allow you to zip up the bag and shake it all up!

Place coating mixture in a shallow dish. You will have something similar to an assembly line: chicken cutlets, then egg mixture, then coating mixture.

Slice each breast length-wise to create 2 cutlets for each breast. Take each cutlet and dip in the egg mixture, then press into coating mixture (press firmly on each side to assure that the corse breadcrumbs sticksto the cutlet. Shake off excess gently and set aside on a seperate dish. Repeat this process for the remaining cutlets.

In a large skillet, pour enough vegetable (or Olive) oil to coat bottom of pan. Place skillet on Med-High heat and allow oil to heat up. Fry each cutlet until golden brown (usually around 2-3 minutes on each side depending on thickness). Do NOT place cutlets in tinfoil as the heat from the cutlets will moisten the panko breadcrumbs and get soft. Place the cutlets on a paper towel for a minute or so to soak up any grease.

I have been modifying and re-modifying this recipe multiple times and have found that this recipe is very tasty, crispy and makes very moist cutlets - Bon Appetite!

Italian Triscuit "Snackers"

You will need:

8-12 Triscuits (I prefer Garden Herb)
1 Roasted Pepper
Fresh Basil Leaves
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Arrange Triscuits on a foil lined baking pan (or toaster oven pan). Place a whole fresh basil leaf onto each triscuit. Cut Roasted Pepper into squares and place on each Triscuit over the Basil leaf. Season with Salt and Pepper. Drizzle Olive Oil over each one. Sprinkle with fresh Parmesan Cheese and place into toaster oven or oven at 400 degrees for about 3-4 minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned.

This "Snacker" is SO refreshing with the sweetness of the basil and the roasted pepper adds a fresh garden taste and remains juicy while delivering a crunch of the Triscuit ... - Healthy, Delicious and almost fat-free!

Bon Appetite!

Homemade Meatsauce Over Homemade garlic Toast

This homemade meatsauce is my version of a very tasty sauce and I've married this with homemade Garlic Toast! The taste is incredible - I use Garlic Toast instead of Pasta giving this meal a very flavorful palette and a crunchy texture!












You will need:

1.5-2 lbs. of Ground Beef
1/2 lb. of Hot Sausage
2 - 29.oz Cans of Tomato Sauce
2 - 12 oz. Cans of Tomato Paste
1 Medium Onion
5 Cloves of Garlic
Fresh Basil
Fresh Thyme
Fresh Oregano
Olive Oil
Sugar, Salt, Pepper

Preparation:

Herbs

Basil: Coarsely chop Basil to equal a few tablespoons.
Thyme: Finely chop this herb to equal about a tablespoon
Oregano: Finely chop this herb to equal about a teaspoon

Combine these herbs and set aside.

Onion / Garlic

Coarsely chop onion and garlic. Combine these 2 ingredients and
place into a small fry pan. Drizzle a few tablespoons of olive
oil and lightly season with salt and pepper (I use fresh cracked
peppercorn - it does make a difference).

Cooking:

Begin sauteing the onion and garlic; stirring occasionally until
the onion becomes translucent - set aside.

In a large fry pan, fry the sausage just until cooked and break
apart so it's almost "crumbly" or finely chopped. Add the ground
beef and cook until browned. Drain fat.

Add the sautéed onion and garlic to the ground beef and sausage mixture. Cook over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and place mixture into a 7-Quart Saucepan.

Open the 2 cans of tomato sauce and 2 cans of tomato paste and add this to the saucepan. Take the empty can of Tomato Sauce and fill twice with water and add to saucepan. Add Basil, Thyme and Oregano.

Season with 1 Teaspoon of Salt and a 1/2 Teaspoon of Pepper. Measure 1 Tablespoon of sugar to this (this will remove some of the tartness)

Blend everything well and place on medium heat until sauce has a slight boil to it. Turn down heat to simmer and cover. Stirring occasionally, allow meatsauce to simmer for approximately 3 hours - this will "cook it down" and allow the marriage of all these flavors to be combined.

Meatsauce will be thick - this is a meatsauce and not a spaghetti sauce! This meatsauce will yield a little over a gallon! I make sure I make enough to freeze and store the sauce in quart size containers. You can then take out what you need for your next meal! - This sauce is also great for Lasagna too!


Homemade Garlic Toast

While your meatsauce is simmering, you can begin prepping the Garlic Toast for this meal. There is no pasta involved in this meal, so get that out of your mind right now :)

What you're going to do is pour the meatsauce mixture OVER the garlic toast! "Normally", you would have garlic toast WITH meatsauce over pasta, but during my "kitchen time", I have experimented with meatsauce over fresh-made garlic toast and it is VERY tasty!

You will need:

Fresh loaf of Italian Bread
1 Stick of Butter (softened, but NOT melted)
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 Tsp. of Italian Seasoning Mix (I use Good Seasons)
Fresh grated Parmesan Cheese

Place butter in a small mixing bowl.
Mince 2 cloves of garlic and place in bowl.
Add 1 tsp. of Italian Seasoning Mix

Take a small spoon and blend these ingredients well - Set aside.

Slice the italian bread into 1/2" slices and place on a foil-lined baking pan (or non-stick baking sheet)

Spread a liberal amount of garlic/butter mixture on each slice. Top each slice with a liberal amount of fresh grated parmesan cheese. Place the toast in the oven (or toaster oven) at 425 Degrees until cheese is lightly browned (about 10 minutes).

Place a few slices of garlic bread on a plate and ladle meatsauce over the garlic toast! This meal is extremely tasty and a different twist to the standard pasta that you would normally use!

For a "Lighter" version of garlic toast:
Use Margarine instead of Butter and eliminate the Cheese

All I have to say is .... ENJOY!

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