Category: SAUCES, SEASONINGS, DRESSINGS, DIPS, RELISHES, GRAVIES & RUBS

CREAMY PARMESAN CHICKEN & PROSCIUTTO


1 + 2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon WONDRA flour
1 tablespoon avocado oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 pieces prosciutto
1-2 cloves garlic, FINELY minced
1/2 cup FRESH small green peas
1 teaspoon red chile flakes, crushed
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1 LARGE lemon, juiced
2 cups penne pasta
1/4 cup FRESH chopped Italian Leaf parsley
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup FINELY shredded Parmesan cheese

  • Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
  • Add pasta cook al dente, 9-11 minutes.
  • Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.
  • In a large skillet add a drizzle of oil over medium high heat. Add prosciutto slices in a single layer, cooking 2-3 minutes per side until crispy. Do not clean pan.
  • Drain on paper toweling.
  • Pat chicken dry and generously season with FRESH ground sea salt, black pepper and crushed red chile flakes.
  • Add butter to skillet.
  • When melted add garlic sauteing 30 seconds.
  • Add chicken steaks sauteing 2-3 minutes per side until cooked through.
  • Transfer chicken to cutting board.
  • Whisk flour into drippings.
  • Add cream cheese and heavy cream to skillet, whisking to combine.
  • Adjust seasoning to taste.
  • Add lemon juice and parsley, stirring to blend.
  • Add pasta and peas, folding in to coat, cooking a couple minutes until warmed through.
  • Slice chicken breasts into strips.
  • Plate pasta.
  • Top with chicken slices, prosciutto and Parmesan cheese.

RECIPE REVIEW
TASTE: Creamy and full of rich flavor.
TEXTURE: Al dente noodles and crispy chicken in a creamy sauce are the star of this meal.
EASE: Easy to Moderate.
APPEARANCE: Appetizing and visually appealing.
PROS: Great meal for company.
CONS: None that I found!
WOULD I MAKE THIS AGAIN? DEFINITELY Yes.

GRILLED SHRIMP SALAD with LIME VINAIGRETTE

GRILLED (or sauteed) SHRIMP SALAD with LEMON LIME VINAIGRETTE
1 pound FRESH LARGE shrimp
1 teaspoon avocado oil
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
2 avocados, halved, seeded, peeled and sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
1/4 cup FRESH chopped cilantro

  • Peel and devein shrimp.
  • Coat shrimp with avocado oil and sprinkle with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Thread shrimp onto skewers if grilling.
  • Grease grill rack and grill skewers 3-4 minutes, turning once, until the shrimp are opaque.
  • Arrange shrimp, avocados, tomatoes, cucumber and onions on plate.
  • Drizzle with the vinaigrette and sprinkle with cilantro.

VINAIGRETTE
1 LARGE lime, zested and juiced
1 LARGE lemon, zested and juiced
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons avocado oil

  • Whisk together the lime juice, zest, cayenne pepper, FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Slowly whisk in oil until well blended.

CHICKEN BLT PASTA SALAD

This recipe has needed a makeover for years and especially needed a new picture! I posted it 13 years ago when I was hosting a now defunct food blog with a friend and we had many ongoing regular memes, such as Stretch Your Food Dollar.

CHICKEN BLT PASTA SALAD
SALAD
16 ounces macaroni (or your choice)
1 pound of bacon, chopped in small pieces and fried crisp, for garnish
2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
1 LARGE red onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups chopped Romaine Lettuce
1 1/2 cups chopped Ice Berg Lettuce
3 cups total shredded Sharp Cheddar and Monterey Jack or flavor of choice
FRESH chopped tarragon, for garnish

  • Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and cool.
  • In a cast iron skillet, render the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon to drain on paper towels.
  • In a LARGE mixing bowl, mix together the cooled pasta, chicken, onions, tomatoes, lettuce and shredded cheese.
  • Pour the dressing (recipe below) over the salad and mix well.
  • Cover the salad and place in the refrigerator for at LEAST 2 hours before serving.
  • Garnish with the crisp bacon and fresh herbs before serving.

HERB DRESSING
1 cup DUKES mayonnaise
3 tablespoon Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
3/4 cups WHOLE milk
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons FRESH chopped tarragon
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 pinch red pepper flakes

  • Whisk all the ingredients in a jar.
  • Place the lid on the jar and shake until the dressing is completely mixed.
  • Chill until ready to serve.

NOTES:

  • Add more milk a little at a time until you have the consistency that you want.
  • If you’re in a hurry, you can substitute 1 1/2 cups Buttermilk Ranch dressing.
  • If you plan to have leftovers, toss with lettuce just prior to serving each time.

This post originally ran at 3 Sides of Crazy for these memes:

Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Jen over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, Tuesdays at the Table is normally hosted by Andrea over at My Chihauhau Bites but Andrea is taking a break while she has her baby and is being hosted by Cole for a while. Trista over at Southern Fried Mama hosts Tasty Thursday and Joy of desserts hosts Vintage Recipe Thursday.

Originally posted at OKK July 8, 2009
Updated August 31, 2022

EVERYTHING BAGEL SEASONING

For years I’ve eaten EVERYTHING BAGEL spice from Trader Joes. But now there are no Trader Joes where I live and I need more! I always thought it was called EVERYTHING spice because it had a little of everything in it. I was SOOOOOO wrong. It is SOOOOOOOO simple with only 5 ingredients so why not make your own? And by the way, it’s called EVERYTHING spice because you can use it on everything 😀

The combination of toasted, salty savory flavors blend together so well that it seems like you’re truly getting EVERYTHING, but yet each bite is a slightly different flavor.

EVERYTHING SPICE

1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon dried garlic
1 tablespoon dried onion
2 teaspoons coarse salt

  • Grind together.
  • Store in a sealed container.

NOTE: Adjust amounts to your personal preferences.

SKILLET PASTA with VODKA SAUCE

SKILLET PASTA with VODKA SAUCE
1 bunch green onions or 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vodka pasta sauce, homemade or jarred – your choice
3 cups homemade beef stock
12 ounces penne pasta
1/4 cup chopped marinated sun-dried tomato pieces
1/2-3/4 cup quartered marinated mozzarella balls
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

  • Coat 12 inch non-stick skillet with non-stick cooking spray. I like to use my heavy enameled cast iron crock pot skillet.
  • Heat over medium-high heat.
  • Add beef, sweet Italian sausage, most of the green onions (save some for garnish), FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper to taste, cooking 8-10 minutes and breaking up the meat into small crumbles until meat is cooked through.
  • Add garlic and stir 30 seconds until fragrant.
  • Drain the meat and discard the grease.
  • Add 1/2 cup of the sauce and water to skillet. Bring to boil.
  • Add pasta and red pepper flakes.
  • Cover 10-12 minutes and cook JUST until tender.
  • Stir in meat and remaining sauce, cooking a couple minutes to heat through.
  • Gently fold in Mozzarella ball pieces.
  • Top with scallions and serve immediately.

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE CHICKEN – PAN SEARED CHICKEN with a TANGY & CREAMY STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE SAUCE

This recipe is tender, juicy, looks elegant and pairs wonderfully with any green vegetable.  It is truly my intention to try AT LEAST 1 recipe a week from my RECIPE SCRAPS.  My original version was a CREAMSICLE CHICKEN.

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE CHICKEN – PAN SEARED CHICKEN with a TANGY & CREAMY STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE SAUCE serves 4
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see notes)
3 tablespoons brandy
1 1/4 cups pineapple juice (see notes)
4 green onions, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
6 ounce CHOBANI raspberry lemonade yogurt (see notes)
FRESH ground salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon water
scant tablespoon avocado oil
Strawberry and lemon slices for garnish
Jasmine rice, prepared per package
Vegetable of choice, prepared accordingly

  • Heat avocado oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat.
  • Generously season chicken pieces with FRESH ground salt and pepper.
  • Saute’ chicken breasts 2-3 minutes per side until golden.
    Remove chicken to plate, tent with foil and keep warm.
  • De-glaze pan with brandy.
  • Add the pineapple juice, garlic and green onions.
  • Bring to a boil for 2 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to simmer 2-3 minutes.
  • Whisk together cornstarch with water.
  • Whisk cornstarch mixture into yogurt.
  • Whisk yogurt mixture into pan sauce and adjust seasoning.
  • Simmer until thickened and cooked through.

NOTES:

  • If you prefer 8 thighs substitute easily.
  • I sometimes use a pineapple orange juice to alter the flavor a bit.
  • CHOBANI yogurt flavors work beautifully. Raspberry lemonade is another favorite.

CALABRIAN CHILE TOMATO SAUCE

Every now and then we like to spice up a red sauce and just eat plain pasta with it. No veggies. No proteins. Just a good handmade pasta and full bodied spicy sauce! YUMMY! 😀

CALABRIAN CHILE TOMATO SAUCE
1 tablespoon avocado oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, FINELY diced
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 teaspoons Calabrian chile paste
1/4 cup water
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons Marscarpone cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Prepared pasta of choice, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water

  • Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.
  • Add garlic and shallots, sauteing 2 minutes until softened.
  • Add tomato paste and chile, stirring to blend well for 2 minutes.
  • Add tomatoes and water.
  • Season to taste with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper and cook 2-3 minutes until liquid is reduced by half.
  • Fold in prepared pasta and add as much of the pasta water as necessary to reach your desired consistency.
  • Turn off heat and add Marscarpone cheese, blending well.
  • Adjust seasoning to taste.
  • Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

PAN SEARED CHICKEN with SHERRY PAN SAUCE

PAN SEARED CHICKEN with SHERRY PAN SAUCE
4 flattened chicken breast steaks
1/4 cup flour
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 + 1 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon FRESH chopped parsley
1/4 cup cream sherry
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons QUALITY honey

  • Heat avocado oil and butter in large skillet over medium heat.
  • Generously season chicken with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Dredge through flour, shaking off excess.
  • Sear chicken 2-3 minutes per side until cooked through.
  • Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.
  • Add cream sherry, vinegar and parsley to pan.
  • Cook stirring constantly and scraping bits from bottom until thoroughly combined and slightly thickened.
  • Turn off heat and stir in remaining butter and honey.
  • Serve immediately.

ORANGE SOY MARINADED SPRING STEAK TIP SALAD with HONEY POPPY SEED DRESSING

STEAK TIP SALAD
1 pound steak tips in bite size pieces
torn romaine lettuce
sliced cucumbers
halved cherry tomatoes
sliced red onions
sliced green onions
marinated artichoke hearts
crispy onions
FRESH grated Parmesan cheese
or any other toppings of choice

ORANGE SOY MARINADE
½ cup Bragg’s liquid aminos
½ cup FRESH squeezed orange juice
4 tablespoons QUALITY honey
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons avocado oil

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the liquid aminos, orange juice, and honey.
  • Add the salt and pepper and whisk together.
  • Put half of the marinade in another bowl to use as a vinaigrette if not preparing the honey poppy seed dressing.
  • Add the avocado oil to the vinaigrette mixture and put aside in the refrigerator until ready to dress the salad.
  • Add the steak tips to the marinade bowl and cover. If possible, marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Otherwise, marinate for at least an hour in refrigerator before cooking.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a cast-iron pan to medium-high, cook steak tips 2-3 minutes per side (for medium rare), turning every few minutes to brown all sides.
  • Let steak tips rest for 5-10 minutes.

HONEY POPPYSEED DRESSING ALA Molly Yeh
Zest of 1 lemon plus 1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4-1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, to taste
1 tablespoon (17 grams) honey mustard
2+ tablespoons (42 grams) QUALITY honey, to taste
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1/3 cup (72 grams) avocado oil

  • In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon zest and juice, vinegar, honey mustard, honey, poppy seeds, salt and several grinds of pepper.
  • Add the avocado oil and whisk to emulsify.

KARAAGE AMAZU? AMASU? Chicken I’ll just call it TANGY YUMMY Fried Chicken

I have a small piece of a note that says AMASU Chicken on it from an old folded recipe in an antique box I found in an antique store. I have no idea when or even when I found it. I started researching it and came up with a few recipes that sounded interesting, but none of them sounded interesting enough by themself to be worth trying in my book. So, I piece mealed the bits and pieces of all of them into a recipe we like.

Karaage is basically a Japanese term/technique for deep frying in oil. It is most often used for chicken. The meat is usually coated in a corn or potato starch dredge before frying.

Amasu – means “leave over” in Japanese
Amaza – means “ no one knows everything” in Zulu

Karaage Amazu? Amasu? Chicken I’ll just call it TANGY YUMMY Fried Chicken Serves: 4-6 people
3 pounds chicken thighs (cut into bite size) OR chicken wings
1 cup cornstarch
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
1/2 cup Mirin
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar (unseasoned)
1/4 cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
1/2 cup water
1 small can crushed pineapple (DO NOT DRAIN)
1/4 cup ketchup (Jalapeno ketchup adds a bit of a kick!)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice (1 LARGE lemon)
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon FRESH, FINELY chopped cilantro coriander
1 teaspoon red chili flakes (or more if you like more heat)
Chopped green onions for garnish

  • Marinate the chicken pieces with liquid aminos and set aside.
  • Combine mirin, rice wine vinegar, water, pineapple, salt and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to medium and cook until the liquid thickens.
  • Completely cool the mixture.
  • Whisk in lemon juice, cilantro and red chili flakes, to taste.
  • In a large ziploc bag coat chicken in cornstarch, shaking to coat well. Tap off excess cornstarch before frying.
  • Heat oil to 350° and fry until crispy and cooked through.
  • Add chicken to large bowl.
  • Pour sauce over and toss to coat.
  • Plate, garnish and serve hot.

ALL DAY MEATBALLS with CHERRY SAUCE or WHISKEY SOUR JELLY SAUCE

If you are anything like me, you have a drawer or even a box full of recipes from newspapers, magazines, old maiden aunts, grandmothers, friends and every potluck you ever went to and said I have to have that recipe! I originally started making this recipe (and posted it too) about 15 years ago. I haven’t made many changes since that initial time – it’s just that good!

While I usually keep the combination of ingredients, spices and seasonings somewhat intact, I do make changes to those recipes to make them more palatable to my family. So I always keep a list of likes, dislikes and allergies and am constantly altering recipes to fly by the seat of my pants.

These recipes have been floating around so long in the box that I have no idea where they actually originated, but one looks like a page from an old, and I mean OLD magazine and the other is handwritten. I have them stapled together with a note to combine them together.

I’m like that – whatever works for my family. I had a girlfriend in college who loved fashion but was on such a strict budget there wasn’t room for the things she eyed the most. I remember Julie borrowing a fancy designer dress from a Joann, a girlfriend of ours for an event and then later that night she took it apart, made a pattern and made her own dress before putting Joann’s dress back together. To my knowledge Joann never knew. Now I can’t do that with recipes literally, but I do do it in my mind while I’m reading the recipe(s) as if I’m eating a particularly tasty tidbit. Some days I feel like an archaeologist unearthing pieces to make a whole from.

This is one of our particularly favorites recipes from my archaeology days of recipe hunting. It’s also versatile in that you can easily change the sauce to whatever your tastebuds crave that day whether it’s one of the ones I have listed or one you make up to fit your family. Serve it with salad, in a pasta dish or even on a sandwich!

ALL DAY MEATBALLS
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
3/4 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup Panko read crumbs
1/2 cup WHOLE milk
1/4 cup powdered Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup garlic salt
FRESH ground tricolor pepper, to taste
1 small Vidalia onion, chopped fine
2 LARGE eggs

  • In a large bowl combine the quick cooking oats, milk, eggs, onion and garlic salt.
  • Crumble the beef over top and then mix in well.
  • Shape into 1-2 inch balls.
  • Place in slow cooker.
  • Pour sauce of choice over meatballs. If using my whiskey sour sauce, save sauce until serving.
  • Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until the meat is no longer pink.

CHERRY SAUCE
3 tablespoons QUALITY vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup tart cherry jam (or jam flavor of choice)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup jalapeno ketchup

  • Mix together the ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, jam and brown sugar

NOTE: Cherry, raspberry and apricot pineapple jams work extremely well with this recipe.

WHISKEY SOUR JELLY SAUCE
3 limes, juiced (6 tablespoons)
2 lemons, juiced (6 tablespoons)
1 orange, sliced, rind removed, each slice quartered
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup bourbon
3 ounces liquid pectin (1/2 of a foil pouch)
1/4 cup maraschino cherries, quartered

  • In a heavy saucepan stir together the lime juice, lemon juice, sugar, water and bourbon.
  • Bring to a FULL rolling boil, boiling hard for a full minute, stirring constantly.
  • Quickly stir in pectin.
  • Return to boil, boiling hard for a full minute more, stirring constantly.
  • Fold in oranges slices and cherry pieces.
  • Pour over meatballs before serving.

NOTE – Make a LARGE batch of sauce and use it for pretty gifts. Add an orange slice and maraschino cherry before ladle into sterilized jars. Water bath to seal.

PORCUPINE MEATBALLS

PORCUPINE MEATBALLS 4-6 servings

This is a super simple weeknight meal – it can even be prepared in advance and be all the better for it as the flavors meld to make deep and rich sauce!

So why are they called “PORCUPINE”? As the meatballs bake in the incredible sauce and the rice bakes it plumps up and starts sticking out the sides just like porcupine quills. 😀

1 pound QUALITY 80/20 ground beef
1 LARGE egg, lightly beaten
1/2 small onion, finely diced
1/2 cup long-grain white rice
1 tablespoon chopped FRESH parsley
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, FINELY minced
FRESH ground sea salt & black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons avocado oil
One 28-ounce can tomato puree
1/4 cup jalapeno ketchup

  • Preheat the oven to 350°.
  • Use your hands to mix together the ground beef, egg, onion, rice, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning, half the garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper in a large bowl until well combined.
  • Roll the meat mixture into 24 golf ball sized meatballs.
  • Heat the avocado oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium high heat.
    Once shimmering, add the meatballs and cooking 1-2 minutes  on each side until lightly browned all over.
  • Reduce the heat to medium.
  • Whisk together the tomato puree, ketchup, remaining Italian seasoning, remaining garlic, FRESH ground sea salt and pepper to taste.
  • Stir into pan, simmering until the  sauce is WELL combined and meatballs are WELL coated.
  • Cover tightly and transfer to the oven.
  • Bake 45-60 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and no longer pink, the rice is tender and poking out and the sauce has reduced slightly.
  • Garnish with more chopped parsley and serve.