Favorite 2010 Recipes "Chicken Cacciatore" Repost

Keith Young's Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients

• Flour, to coat chicken
• 2 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) chickens, cut into 8 pieces with the breasts cut into 1/3's
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• 10 to 12 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• 2 green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, with their juice, crushed
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 leaves fresh basil, chopped

Directions

Place the flour in a shallow dish and coat the chicken pieces, shaking off any excess. Heat the oil in a large saucepot over medium-high heat.

Add the chicken in batches and fry until golden brown on all sides. When all the chicken has been cooked, set it aside. Add the garlic to the pan and cook until it turns golden brown. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until they release most of their liquid. Add the onion and bell peppers and saute until the vegetables are soft, approximately 6 minutes.

Add the wine and let reduce for about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, crushed red pepper, salt oregano and tomato paste. Return the chicken to the pot and bring the liquid to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Stir in the fresh basil just before serving.

This dish goes well with any pasta or rice and tastes even better the following day.

This was the first time we have ever made Chicken Cacciatore, and we really loved the recipe.  It was just delicious, and the best we have ever tasted.  We served it over spaghetti, next time we want to try it over rice.  We highly recommend this recipe and we think Firefighter Keith Young is the bombdiggity!!!!  

"Mama mia, così delizioso"
Il mio amore per te,

Mimi

Italian Gravy & Meatballs 'Cause I Miss My Grands

Now that summer is here and I don't see my grands everyday, I'm missing them. I miss them saying "Mimi, what's for dinner?"

So, I thought I'd post their favorite meal in the whole wide world.

Here they are eating brownies one day after school. I miss these cute faces.

Get your meatballs ready and start cooking them on medium heat and brown them on both sides.

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil, until soft, add 1/2 cup of red wine and let it reduce for a couple of minutes, then add the two cans of tomatoes (San Marzano) and l can of tomato paste.

Add a teaspoon of basil, oregano and parsley, (Italian Blend is good too), salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.

Add meatballs.

Cover and simmer 2-3 hours.

The pasta you see here is linguine, my grands like it on all different kinds of pasta. Any pasta you like will do.

I Wish You Love and The Joy That Being A Grandma Brings,

Mimi

Chicken Alfredo Quick & Delicious, Too!

I know I've got this chicken recipe thing going on, but I boiled a whole chicken last week, which only cost me $3, by the way. I made chicken stock, chicken and rice(which I forgot to take pics of), Chicken Alfredo for the grands, and chicken salad. That chicken went a long way. Had to stop inventing dishes to make after that because there was not more chicken left! I do have chicken stock in my freezer though.

I boiled the chicken until it was done, and after it cooled, I removed all the chicken from the bones and proceeded to just make everything I could think of, assuming I had all the ingredients on hand.

This is how I made Chicken Alfredo.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, I used spaghetti, because that's what the kids like, and that's what I had on hand. Drain.

Heat up the Alfredo sauce in a pot. Add chicken and cooked pasta. Sounds so easy, right. Well it is, and that's what I like about it..........and my grands just loved it so much that they ate it for two days in a row.

Sometimes you have to be able to make a meal in 10-20 minutes. My mom sure did. When you have a whole bunch of people arrive at your home after a sporting event and they are hungry, you do whatever you have to do to get them fed as quick as you can. And if it tastes good, that's even better!!!!

Oh well, badda bing badda boom, that's it that's all:)
Love ya,
Joyce

Baked Ziti With Italian Sausage And Garlic Buns

Ingredients:

1 Box of Ziti Rigati

1 lb. of Mild Italian Sausage

1 35oz. can of Plum Tomatoes

1-1/2 cups Olive Oil

1/2 cup Dry Red Wine

1 cup Fresh Parley

1 cup Fresh Oregano

1-8 oz. triangle of Parmesan Cheese

1-16 oz. Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese
1-15 oz. Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

2 pinches of Nutmeg
6-7 cloves of garlic
1 Large Onion

Salt & pepper to taste

1 package Brown & Serve Rolls

Fill a large pot with water for cooking the Ziti Rigati. Bring to a full boil and add pasta and cook until al dente.

Dice up the onion.

Saute the onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet until soft.

Remove casing from Italian sausages and dice up 3-4 cloves of garlic.

Crumble the sausage as you add it to the skillet.

Add the garlic.

Cook until sausage turns brown.
Add 1/2 cup of Red wine and reduce.

Add 35 oz. can of tomatoes with juices and cook uncovered on medium low heat for about 1o minutes.

Then throw in 1/4 cup of diced oregano, give it a stir and turn down the heat to low.

Now, in a large bowl, combine 15 oz. Ricotta cheese, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of chopped parsley, salt & pepper to taste.

Shred the whole 16 0z. Mozzarella cheese.

Add cooked Ziti to the bowl of ricotta mixture along with 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella.

Add the tomatoes and sausages to the bowl.

Mix together.

Oil the bottom and sides of a large baking dish, I used the olive oil. No, these are not my hands. Those little beautiful hands belong to my 7 year old granddaughter who wanted to help. She was my taster and said, "Mimi, you are such a good cook", and after that she was allowed to do what ever she wanted:)!!!!

Place all the ingredients you have in your big bowl into a baking dish and sprinkle Parmesan and mozzarella on top and try to take the picture before you put in into a 425 degree oven for 25 minutes, or until bubbly!!!! I had already put it in the oven when I realized I didn't take the picture of putting it in the baking dish and sprinkling the cheese on top. I was sooo excited that my granddaughter loved my cooking that I just forgot!!!!! So I pulled out of the oven took the pic and back in it went.

"Mama Mia", I even surprised myself!

But we need garlic buns, and

this is what you will need.
Garlic, Olive Oil, Parsley, & Parmesan of (GOOPP).

Put 3 cloves of garlic, 2 small chunks of Parmesan cheese, about 1/8 cup of chopped parsley and about a 1/2 cup of olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste in food processor and let her spin. I just eyeball the amounts so you can add according to your preference. It also depends upon how many rolls you are making. You may need more and you may needs less. You may also have to add more olive oil depending on the thickness, because you want to be able to pour it on top of the hot buns, therefore it shouldn't be too thick. I was so carried away with the GOOPP that I forgot to take a picture of it in my mini food processor, so this is what it looked like after I took it out and poured it on the hot buns.

Bake the buns as directed on the package. Of course you can use your favorite kind buns or rolls, or you can make your own. We just happen to love these. And I really didn't have time to even think about making my own!!!!

Pour the GOOPP on top of the hot buns right out of the oven and then shred some more Parmesan cheese on top.

"MAMA MIA"

Now it's time to serve it up.

I hope you enjoy making and eating this very authentic Italian dish. My family and I did. It was even better the second day. Please feel free to email me with any questions.

I Wish You Love, Vi Auguro Amore
~Mimi~