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Easter Eggs

Written by Lisa on March 16, 2008 – 1:17 pm -

If you want dye your Easter Eggs naturally, it is quite easy. Look no further than your pantry!
Yellow - Simmer 2 - 3 tablespoons of turmeric or cumin in a saucepan of water for 20 - 3o minutes.

Pale Orange - Simmer 2 - 3 tablespoons of paprike in a saucepan of water for 20 - 3o minutes.

Brownish Orange - Simmer several handfuls of yellow onion skins.

Blue - Summer 4 cups of chopped red cabbage in a saucepan of water for an hour.

Light Purple - Same directions as blue but use either frozen blueberries, grape juice concentrate, or hibiscus tea.

Green - Simmer 4 cups of spinach or parsley in water in a saucepan.

Pink - Summer beets in water in a saucepan, or use the juice from a can of beets or jar of pickled beets.

Red - Simmer red onion skins, pomegranate juice, crushed cranberries, or red wine.

As you can see, you pretty much simmer the spices in water until you have a strong color. Then you should add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar, and hardboiled eggs. It can take several hours of soaking to get the color you want (and they tend to pastel). If you want a deeper tint, you can simmer the eggs right in the dye. However, I don’t suggest eating those!


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Posted in Holiday | 4 Comments »

Chicken Breast Wellington

Written by Lisa on March 2, 2008 – 11:00 pm -

Chicken Breast Wellington

2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1 package (10 oz) fresh spinach, rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
4 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 packages (17.3 oz each) frozen puff pastry sheets (3 sheets), thawed
1 egg white, beaten
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 jar (7 oz) roasted red peppers, drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

Serves 6

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt butter in a skillet; add 2 cloves of garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add spinach and salt; cook, covered 2-3 minutes. Drain well.

Place chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap; pound with a meat mallet to about 8 inches in diameter. Combine Parmesan and basil; sprinkle 1 tablespoon of mixture over chicken breasts. Fold 2 sides of each breast over filling and roll up tightly. Coat rolls with remaining Parmesan mixture.

Spread pastry sheets on lightly floured board. Cut each sheet in half to create six 10-x5-inch sheets. Place 1 chicken roll near the end of each sheet; fold pastry over ends and roll to enclose. Trim off any excess pastry; press edges to seal. Place seams sides down on an ungreased jelly roll pan.

Brush rolls with the egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Make cuts on top of each roll to vent. Bake until golden brown (about 35 minutes)

Puree peppers, oil, vinegar, and remaining clove garlic in blender; serve sauce with chicken.


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Posted in Chicken, Dinner | 1 Comment »

Spinach and Herb Chicken

Written by Lisa on February 17, 2008 – 11:14 am -

2 Tbsp. Spinach & Herb Dip Mix (this is bought from tastefully Simple)
Seasoned Salt to taste
1 cup crushed cornflakes
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 - 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter

Combine first 4 ingredients in resealable plastic bag. Shake until well mixed. Dip chicken breasts into melted butter; place in bag. Shake until coated. Place chicken breasts on greased baking sheet; bake at 375° for 30-40 minutes or until no longer pink.

Makes 4-6 servings.


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Posted in Chicken, Dinner | 3 Comments »
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