Cheesy sticks ~ Mozzerlla Milanese

I remember when I used to go to Chili's when I was a teenager, it was really the place to be back then. I remember everyone used to order their triple dipper. So now I am craving those fried cheese sticks, so I thought why not do it myself.
So this is my fried cheese sticks with an Italian herby twist.

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
3 tbsp corn starch (optional, for a tighter batter)
2 eggs
1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
4-6 basil leaves
4-6 thyme sprigs
1 16 ounce packet string cheese or mozzarella sticks
1 quart of oil for deep frying

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Cut cheese sticks into halves, (if you didn't find sticks, make sure you cut your cheese into 1/4 inch sticks. )
Finely chop the herbs.

Arrange your dredging station:
1-Flour and corn starch
2- whisk water,eggs, and black pepper
3-breadcrumbs and herbs

Roll each cheese stick in the flour, then roll the floured cheese stick into the egg mixture, and finally coat with breadcrumbs.

Refrigerate for at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours (or over night). Fry to deep golden perfection.

Spinach & Feta Orzo Salad

  This dish is perfect for a light lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup orzo pasta (rice shaped pasta)
• A bunch of fresh spinach leaves or 8oz package thawed
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add orzo and (spinach if fresh) and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in bell peppers, onion. Add the feta in last and carefully fold in to avoid breakage. Mix the Dijon Mustard with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and add to salad.

Meat & potatoes

My husband came back home with New York Strip and Rib eye steaks, he did not tell me what he was going to do with them. He said it was HIS secret mix. And because I had to do the cleaning up.. I saw what his ingredients were.
First of all there were 2 kinds of marinades, a dark and a light one. That is why I am calling the steaks- brownies and blondies.

Brownies

Blondies

So I found Balsamic Vinegar, olive oil, Soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, (brownie)

and yogurt, curry powder, and salt and pepper (blondie).

 Unfortunately I do not have the quantities.

The good news is that I did the potatoes, so that you will get :)

Ingredients

1 potato (russet) per person

1 tbsp of canola oil (per potato)

1.5 tsp of kosher salt

1 tbsp of butter (per potato)

Grated Cheddar  + MonteryJack cheese for sprinkling

Scallions/green onions or chives for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Wash potatoes in cold water. Pat them dry with a kitchen towel.

Coat the potatoes with the canola oil and the salt, pierce the potatoes with a fork (around 8 times), this will release the moisture, and stop them from being soggy.

Place the potatoes in the middle of the oven, with a piece of foil under to catch the drippings. Bake for 1 hour. Transfer to a serving plate. Make a long vertical slit, but not completely to the edge. then make a slit across- forming a cross. Push the potato to open it, you will see a pocket. Put butter in pocket and allow to melt. Top with cheese and garnish.

Chocolate Bark

What is chocolate bark? Woof? No :p
Although it might not sound particularly appetizing, it certainly looks tempting.
Chocolate bark is basically a sheet of chocolate with all your favorite toppings, such as nuts, dried fruits, candies..etc. It definitely has the rustic look, and that is what I like:).

Not really a recipe...
16oz semi-sweet chocolate
toppings (you choose)

For the base, you will have to melt the semi-sweet chocolate on a double boiler.

This is a double boiler, just boil some water in a pot and have your chocolate in a bowl placed on top. Just make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.

double boiler

(you must prepare a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper)

When it melts completely mix it well - it must have a nice rich shine to it.

spread it on the cookie sheet forming a rectangular shape. Sprinkle your toppings.
I Just used what I already had- pecans, M&Ms, white chocolate chips, and a Heath bar. I chopped them all up and spread them out with no specific pattern.

                                     

Allow to set in the fridge, up to 2 hours. When set break up into pieces.

Eggs in a basket

These are cute for a weekend brunch.
Very easy to do - a crowd pleaser :)

Ingredients

• 3 large potatoes, peeled
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• Nonstick cooking spray 
• 6 eggs (1 per person)
• 3/4 cup shredded cheese (any kind will do the job) 

Directions

Special equipment: jumbo sized 6-cup muffin tin

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor fitted with the grater attachment, push chunks of the potato through the chute to grate. Once all the potatoes are grated, put them into a piece of cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel and squeeze to remove the moisture. Add the potatoes to a large bowl, stir in the melted butter and season well with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spray the muffin tin lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Press the grated potatoes evenly into the muffin cups being sure the potatoes go up the sides and a thin layer and covers the bottom (shapped like a nest). Bake until the top edges turn light golden brown and the potatoes are cooked through, about 35 to 40 minutes.


Remove the potatoes from the oven and gently crack an egg into each cup. Bake until the egg whites set but the yolk remains runny, about 9 - 11 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set the oven to broil. Top the eggs with grated cheese for it to melt, 1 minute.

Spinach Risotto

This risotto is a must with the Chicken Saltimbocca.

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
• 4 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup of frozen spinach - thawed
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• Salt and pepper

 Directions

.
In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Keep hot over low heat.
In a large saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to foam and then turns brown, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Add the onion and cook, about 3 minutes. Add spinach and garlic and stir for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the vinegar and simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of stock and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue adding the stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of stock to absorb before adding the next. Cook until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining butter season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Chicken Saltimbocca

This is my version of Lilu's Chicken Saltimbocca. End result : yummy (but had different flavors, i remembered after I was done that they have sun dried tomatoes in theirs...next time)

Ingredients

• 6 chicken breasts, pounded to evenly flatten
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Place the chicken cutlets flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.

Squeeze the frozen spinach to remove the excess water. Season the spinach with salt and pepper. In a small bowl.
Arrange an even, thin layer of spinach. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over each. Beginning at the short tapered end, roll up each chicken cutlet as for a jellyroll. Secure with a toothpick.

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Add the chicken broth and lemon juice, and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Simmer the cooking liquid over high heat until it is reduced to about 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Season the cooking liquid with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove toothpicks from the chicken. Drizzle the reduced cooking liquid over the chicken and serve immediately.