Month: June 2011

Chicken Pesto Quesadillas

Thanks again to our friend Chuck for this great recipe. Use it for an easy meal or prepare it and cut into quarters as an appetizer. Experiment with different fillings…Larry and I tried it Greek style with feta (instead of the goat cheese), black olives and oregano. Serve it with a side of homemade tsatziki (Greek sauce with cucumber and dill, blended into drained yogurt). I will try to send that recipe at a later date, but you can always buy that at your local grocery store too…

If you do it Greek style, omit the pesto.

You could also do it as a nacho quesadilla with ground beef, taco seasoning, grated cheddar and sour cream. Be daring!!!

Chicken Pesto Quesadillas

12 – 6″ flour tortillas

2 cooked chicken breasts

3 oz goat cheese

3 tbsp sour cream

Pesto sauce ( available in most grocery stores)

Heat oven to 350 F

With a hand mixer, blend goat cheese and sour cream until you have a spreadable paste.  Use more sour cream to thin the goat cheese if needed.

Lay out 4 or 6 tortillas on a baking sheet

Spread a thin layer of pesto on each

Shred or slice chicken and spread out on the pesto’d tortilla.

Optionally add crumbled bacon or diced sun dried tomatoes on top of the chicken.

Spread a layer of the goat cheese mixture on 4 – 6 tortillas, and lay them on top of your existing ones, cheese side down.

Bake for approx. 10 – 12 min or until tortilla turns slightly brown.

Cut into quarters and serve with salsa, pico de gallo, or guacamole.

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Shrimp Ceviche

This recipe is from the Jicama Grill and can be found online at Food.Com, along with other great recipes. We made this for my son-in-law’s graduation from Law School and it was a definite hit. You could serve it in individual martini glasses!

NB..If you go to the website, you can adjust the quantities up or down in the event you are having a large group.

Shrimp Ceviche
1 -1 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, diced
1/2 serrano peppers or 1/2 jalapeno, diced
4 limes, squeezed
4 lemons, squeezed
1 oranges, squeezed (preferably sour oranges)
1 large avocados, diced
1 large cucumbers, peeled and diced

Directions:
Prep Time: 30 mins Total Time: 4 1/2 hrs
1 Blanche shrimp in boiling water for about 5 minutes, then shock in ice cold water. Strain when cooled. (TO SIMPLIFY THIS I USE FROZEN COOKED SHRIMP WITH TAILS REMOVED)
2 Cut shrimp into 1-inch pieces and add to bowl.
3 Add citrus juice and marinate for 2 hours.
4 Add red onion, tomatoes, chilies and cilantro, marinate for 2 more hours.
5 Add avocados and cucumber before serving

Grapefruit Mimosas @ Champagne

We don’t know a lot of people who like champagne…LOL. If someone happens to give you a bottle, this recipe is great for an afternoon by the pool! And…it is a great way to use it up quickly…

Grapefruit Mimosas

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons Triple Sec
  • 1/2 cup fresh squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice
  • 2 cups Champagne
  • 1 slice ruby red grapefruit, cut into quarters

Directions

Place 1 tablespoon of Triple Sec in each of 4 Champagne flutes. Top with 2 tablespoons of the grapefruit juice and 1/2 cup of champagne. Garnish with a wedge of the grapefruit and serve.

Note: this recipe makes a classic, old-fashioned mimosa (more Champagne than grapefruit juice). Should you prefer a more juice-laden drink, feel free to experiment so that the proportions suit your taste.

 

Molasses Marinated Pork Chops

We had these recently at a dinner at our friends – Chuck and Joanne. They were well worth the time and effort, and serving the sauce with them was incredible. Both Chuck and I like to cook, so we often turn to the Internet for new recipes. We can both recommend this one! Thanks, Chuck! …Thanks Alton…

Molasses Marinated Pork Chops
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2009 Food Network

Ingredients
1 cup cool strong coffee
6 ounces molasses, by weight
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (6 to 8-ounce) bone-in, 1-inch thick pork chops

Directions
Place all of the ingredients into a 1-gallon zip top bag, seal, and shake to combine. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Remove the pork chops from the marinade. Transfer the marinade to a small saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high, and boil gently, stirring often, until reduced to about 1/2 cup liquid, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the thyme stems after the glaze has reduced. Meanwhile, grill pork chops 3 to 4 minutes per side or until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Allow the pork chops to rest 4 to 5 minutes before serving with the glaze.