Chive and Garlic Butter

We originally enjoyed this butter at a local restaurant.  My son loved it and one day mentioned that he would like to be able to enjoy it at home.  This is the recipe that I came up with and he assures me it tastes exactly like what Harry's serves.

1 stick of butter, softened  (I use real butter not margarine)
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped; or more to taste
1 teaspoon minced garlic or more to taste (I often use the store bought minced garlic)
2 tablespoons sour cream
Salt to taste (if necessary)

To soften butter, allow to come to room temperature.  Put all ingredients except the salt into a bowl, mix until well blended.  Although it doesn't taste as good as this point, spread some on a bite of bread to test and see if you want to add salt, more chives or more garlic.  For a creamier consistency, which is how we prefer this butter, add more sour cream if necessary.  Refrigerate for at least six hours to allow the chive and garlic to flavor the butter.

Tarragon Chicken

This is one of our favorite recipes.  It's very easy and makes a good Sunday dinner too!  I often make this smaller recipe when it's just me and my son.  Of course you can easily double or triple this recipe if you're having a lot of people.

1 whole chicken (2-3 pounds)
2 zucchini
1 carrot
2-3 springs of tarragon
olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425.  Grate zucchini and carrot into large bowl.  Mix in just the leaves from the tarragon sprigs.  I usually chop the leaves, but I've been in a hurry before and put the leaves in whole and it turned out fine.  Stuff the chicken with the zucchini/carrot mixture and then place the chicken into a roasting pan.  Rub outside of chicken with olive oil.  It doesn't take much.  Use just enough to give it a thin coat.  You can also use butter if you don't have olive oil.  I simply prefer olive oil.  In a pinch I've also used my Pam spray olive oil if I was out of regular olive oil.  Salt and pepper the chicken to taste and garnish with more tarragon springs if desired.  Roast chicken at 425 for 45 minutes.  Turn oven down to 350 and roast another 45 minutes or until done.

Brazilian Chicken Curry

My son and I really enjoyed this tonight.  My son does not particularly care for curries of any type, so I was surprised when he went back for seconds and ended up finishing off everything I made.

1 1/2 cups yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups red bell pepper (or any color bell pepper available),
  coarsely chopped
1 cup baking potato, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely grated
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound), cut into bite-size pieces
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup regular rice, uncooked
1/2 cup light (can also use regular) coconut milk*
1 tablespoon tomato paste*
2 teaspoons minced garlic*
     *I doubled this part of the recipe and would recommend doing so when you make this meal.*

1.  Prepare rice according to package directions.  After I had turned my rice to low to cook, I threw the leftover coconut milk into the rice rather than throw it out.  I did not alter the amount of water used, I simply added the coconut milk (approx. 1 cup) to the rice.

2.  Preheat large nonstick saute pan on medium-high 2-3 minutes.  Coat vegetables with cooking spray, then place peppers, onions, and potatoes in pan; cook 3-4 minutes or until browned.  (Instead of spraying my veggies with cooking spray I simply heated up some olive oil in my pan.)

3.  Coat chicken with cooking spray, then season with salt, pepper, and curry powder.  Add chicken to vegetables; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until chicken has browned on all sides.

4.  Whisk coconut milk, tomato paste, ginger, and garlic until smooth.  Reduce heat to low , add sauce to chicken, and cover; simmer and stir 3-4 minutes or until potatoes are tender and chicken is done. 

5.  Serve over rice and sprinkle with cilantro just before serving.

Serves 4
Calories:  310
Fat:  5 grams
Cholesterol:  65 mg
Sodium:  250 mg
Carbs:  39 grams
Fiber:  4 grams
Protein:  28 grams
Vitamin A:  40%
Vitamin C:  170%
Calcium:  6%
Iron:  10%
*Obviously these values change if you alter the recipe as I did.*

Cheese Crusted Fish with Creamy Grits

This has been the best meal we've had all year!  I was amazed at how good this meal was, and it was such a simple recipe.

Cheese Crusted Fish

1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup egg substitute (or 2 large eggs, beaten)
2 cups crunch cheese flavored corn snacks (such as Cheetos)
Large ziptop bag
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 firm, white fish fillets (like tilapia or cod), 20-24 oz; thawed
2 tablespoons canola oil

1.  Place flour on plate (may be paper); places eggs in shallow bowl.  Place cheese snacks in large ziptop bag; seal tightly and crush with fingertips until ground finely.  (I cheated and used a food processor.)  Add panko, parsley, coriander, ad pepper; mix until well blended.  Place mixture in a second shallow bowl.

2.  Dip each fillet in flour (coating both sides); shake off excess.  Dip each fillet into egg (allowing excess to drip off).  Finally, dip into crumb mixture (coating both sides); press with fingertips to coat evenly.

3.  Preheat large saute pan on medium 3-4 minutes.  Place oil in pan, then add half of the fish fillets; cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden and crisp.  Place on paper towels to drain.  Repeat with remaining fillets; add a little more oil, if needed.

Serves 4
Calories:  440; Fat:  18g; Cholesterol:  55mg; Sodium:  430mg; Carbs:  33g; Fiber:  2g; Protein:  35g

Creamy Corn Grits

1 (14.75oz) can cream style corn
2 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup plain yellow corn meal
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1.  Combine corn, water, butter, seasoned salt, and pepper in medium saucepan; bring to a boil on high.

2.  Add cornmeal, whisking constantly, until blended.  Reduce heat to low; cook 8-10 minutes, whisking often, or until thickened.

3.  Stir in cheese until well blended.

Serves 8
Calories:  150; Fat:  6g; Cholesterol:  15g; Sodium:  300mg; Carbs:  21g; Fiber:  2g; Protein:  4g

Straight From The Garden Salad

This salad is quick, easy and fresh. Everything in this salad except for the dressing comes from your garden. But the real beauty of this salad is that you don't have to use exac,tly what I used. You can substitute in vegetables you may grow that I don't or take away vegetables you don't care for. You'll also find that I don't put quantities. That's because you can make a single serving or a large batch. It all depends on how many you have to feed when you make this.

bell pepper (today I used red, green and purple, but any color bell pepper works)
cucumber (I used an Armenian cucumber, but any cucumber can go in this salad)
tomato (any type)
onion (I happened to have a red onion, but any variety can be used)
dressing (I have used Italian, balsamic vinegrette, Greek vinegrette and I've also mixed my own using rice vinegar and olive oil)

Cut all vegetables into bite size pieces. If you prefer to peel your cucumber, you can. If you use an Armenian cucumber you should peel and seed it. Once all of your vegetables are cut, pour your dressing over it all and stir. I always use enough dressing to cover the vegetables and then use a slotted spoon to serve. However, you can use as little or as much dressing as you want. This dish can be served immediately or chilled and served later. I also like to spoon this over lettuce or cooked chicken.

Margarita Chicken

This is such an easy recipe! I came up with this recipe because my son and I enjoy Cuban food. As a test, I made some up and took it to my Cuban friend. She was amazed. She said it was like eating her mother's cooking. I knew I hit the mark when my son's pickiest friend ate TWO servings and asks to come over whenever I make this meal!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Margarita mix or lime juice
1 family size package yellow rice
2 large cans black beans or 1 lb dried black beans
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
Cilantro
Olive oil

1. Marinate chicken in margarita mix or lime juice. If you don't have time to marinate, you can simply pour the margarita mix or lime juice over the chicken and then cook. How much you use is up to you.

2. Preheat oven to 350. Cook chicken until done. Depending on the size of the breasts it could be anywhere from a half hour to 45 minutes. This also tastes great if you grill the chicken on a charcoal grill.

3. While chicken is cooking, prepare rice as package directs. If you are using dried beans, you will need to prepare the dried beans as package directs.

4. If you like to prepare food ahead, this step can be done the day before. Chop your tomatoes, 1 green bell pepper and half of the red onion. Combine in large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (less if you're not a garlic fan), lime juice (I usually use the juice from half a lime), and cilantro to taste. Mix well and store in refrigerator until you serve the meal.

5. Chop the remaining green bell pepper and onion and saute in a large skillet until softened. Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add black beans and heat through, cooking until beans are of desired consistency.

6. To serve: Layer rice first on your plate. Then layer your beans on top of the rice. Next put your chicken on top of the beans. Sometimes I go ahead and slice the chicken, other times I don't. On top of that put the tomato relish created in step 4. Sometimes I sprinkle the dish with cilantro.

Greek Pasta Salad

This is the *best* pasta salad.....EVER! And it's so easy too!

1 box bowtie pasta
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 can black olives
1 red onion, thinly sliced (I omit this because my son is not real big on onions)
1 package crumbled feta cheese (I use the 5oz package)
1 bottle Kraft Greek Vinaigrette dressing

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Chop tomatoes, cucumber and red onion if using.

3. Combine cooked pasta, tomatoes, cucmber, olives, onions, feta cheese and dressing in large bowl and mix well.

4. Chill and serve.

**You can serve right away, but I like this salad best when chilled.