Chicken in a Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Wine Sauce with Pasta

Chicken in a Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato and Wine Sauce served over Pasta
3 T butter
1 T olive oil
4 lg boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into strips
2 T all purpose flour
1 lb bowtie pasta
2 shallots, monced (I used garlic cloves)
1/2 c white wine
1 c whipping cream
1/2 c oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
3 T chopped fresh basil
salt & pepper

1. Bring large quantity of salted water to a boil in a stockpot.
2. Melt butter and oil in a large skillet. Toss chicken strips in flour and sear over med-high heat until golden brown and just cooked. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate.
3. Add pasta to boiling water. Add shallots to the skillet and saute over medium heat for 1 minute. Stir wine, cream, tomatoes, and basil into the skillet, scraping up bits of chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the sauce thickens.
4. Return chicken to skillet to heat through. Salt & pepper to taste.
5. When pasta is al dente, drain, reserving 1/2 c water to add to sauce if it needs more liquid, or for added richness, add more cream. Serve sauce over pasta.

Serves 4-6


Courtesy of diva cook and dear friend Stephanie Arnold.

Chicken with Rosemary Sauce

Chicken with Rosemary Sauce
Chicken with Rosemary Sauce Cooking Light recipe WW 4 points
1 t Olive Oil
4 4 oz breast halves
1/4 t salt
1/8 t black pepper
1/2 c chopped green onions
1/4 c dry white wine
1 t minced fresh rosemary
1/2 c chicken broth (fat-free and low sodium)
1/2 c half & half

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with S & P.
2. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side.
3. Add green onions, wine, & rosemary; cook 30 seconds.
4. Stir in broth; cook 2 minutes.
5. Add half & half; cook 2 minutes. Serve
183 calories; 6 g fat; 27.5 g protein, 0.5 g fiber

Courtesy of Stephanie

Cat's Classic Chocolate Cake

I just love that alliteration. But I love this cake more. And Catharine even more! :)

Cake:

1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
1 cup chocolate morsels
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped walnuts

Glaze:

2/3 cup chocolate morsels
2 tbsp butter
4 tbsp dark corn syrup
2 tsp milk

***Chopped nuts and fresh raspberries as topping

Directions:

Preheat over to 350. Grease and flour 9 inch baking pan. Combine corn suryp and butter in a sauce pan, boil, stir continuously. Add chocolate until melted. Remove from heat. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Blend in flour and walnuts. Pour mixture into pan. Bake until toothpick comes out clean , 30 mins. Cool and then turn out.

For glaze, combine chocolate, butter and corn syrup in a sauce pan, cook over low heat until chocolate melts. Remove from heat; stir in milk. Pour over cake. Let stand and serve with fruit and nut toppings - or preserves like Catharine does.

Midnight Mass crepes

This is a special treat my family makes on Christmas Eve and also sometimes New Years Eve. My Mom has prepared the fillings while my Dad has always made the crepes. This is one of the only traditions in my family that I would dub as official :)

Here it is as documented by my sister Sarah, the keeper of treasured family secrets.

Crepes ala Mendonca family


2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons melted butter
Butter, for coating the pan

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.

Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

Note from Sarah: It helps to let the batter sit for awhile, I've found, before making them. It can also be refrigerated, if you want to make extra for the next day. Double or triple recipe for more people.



* favorite fillings of ours are shrimp and crab mixed with cream cheese and green onions. My favorite is simple butter, lemon juice and powdered sugar. You can fill crepes with any sort of warm fruit compote!