Recently one of my favorite Chinese dishes has been Chicken and broccoli. I know I have not been posting a lot of Asian recipes lately but don’t worry, I still have more. Chinese chicken with broccoli is your basic stir fry. Chicken bits and broccoli florets stir fried with a delicious sauce. The sauce is a basic combination of Asian flavors such as hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, chicken broth and garlic. Red pepper flakes are added for a little heat and can be adjusted to your taste. If you choose the broccoli can be cooked ahead to save a little time. I like to toss my chicken bits with cornstarch to make them a little crispy but it’s totally optional. Normally this dish is not breaded. You could also deep fry the chicken bits and cook the sauce separately. Serve with white rice. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 1/2lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into small chunks)
1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons garlic (chopped)
¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
4 cups fresh broccoli florets
6 tablespoons chicken broth (divided)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
salt and pepper
5 green onions (sliced)
¼ cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
Sesame seeds (for garnish, optional)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Heat a wok (or large skillet) over medium-high heat. Add 1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil. Add garlic and dried red pepper flakes. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add broccoli florets and 4 tablespoons chicken broth. Stir fry broccoli for 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

Step 2: Add a little more sesame oil to the wok (about 1 tablespoon). Season chicken bits with salt and pepper. Add to the wok and cooked until chicken is fully cooked (about 3-5 minutes).
Step 3: Add in remaining 2 tablespoons of chicken broth, oyster sauce, and hoisin sauce. Add broccoli mix well and cook until the mixture has become well heated. Serve with white rice.
(Makes 2 Servings)

Ricotta pancakes are definitely a nice change from your normal pancake. This recipe is the most standard way to make ricotta pancakes with the folding of whipped eggs whites into the batter. These pancakes have an amazingly moist texture and a very nice lemon flavor. The lemon flavor comes from the zest of a full lemon but you can add less if you choose. This recipe makes about 4 medium sized thick pancakes. If you want more you might want to double the recipe. Some people prefer blueberry topping on their lemon ricotta pancakes and that is delicious. I topped mine of with whipped cream and strawberries. You could use just use the classic syrup or jam and butter. These pancakes are so easy to make and they are a fantastic breakfast. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
3 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 pinch salt
The zest of 1 medium lemon (or less, to taste)
1 cup ricotta cheese
½ cup flour
Butter (for frying)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a medium bowl whisk eggs yolks, lemon zest, sugar, salt, ricotta cheese and flour. In a separate bowl beat egg whites with an electric mixer until they form slightly stiff peaks. Fold eggs whites into ricotta/flour mixture until well blended.  
Step 2: Add a little bit of butter to a skillet or griddle over medium high heat. Spoon batter into the pan to form a pancake of the desired size you want. Cook for 1 minute or until the top starts to bubble and/or the bottom is golden brown, flip the pancake onto its other side and cooked until the pancake is cooked thoroughly throughout (About 1- 1 1/2 minutes).  
Step 3: Repeat until the batter is gone.
(Makes About 4 medium pancakes)

If you are looking to put some boneless skinless chicken breasts to good use, give this recipe for Swiss chicken a try. When I first saw this recipe I knew I had to give it a try. I thought any recipe with chicken, mushrooms and Swiss cheese had to be great, and it was. Best of all, this recipe is very simple (only 3 steps), has few ingredients and the oven does most of the work. Just make sure not to splash too much olive oil and vinegar on the chicken J. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 cup green onion (chopped)
1 (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
4 slices Swiss cheese

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a 9×13” baking dish combine olive oil and garlic. Add the chicken breasts and coat them well on both sides with the oil and garlic. Sprinkle with red wine vinegar and Cajun seasoning.
Step 2: Bake for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from the oven and top with green onions and mushrooms. Sprinkle a tiny bit of oil and vinegar over the chicken breasts again. Bake for 15-20 more minutes.
Step 3: Remove from oven and immediately place 1 slice of Swiss cheese over each chicken breast. Chicken should be hot enough so cheese will melt.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Seriously, who doesn’t like chocolate cake? If you enjoy sweets you are sure to love it. I won’t go as far as to say this is the best chocolate cake ever, but it’s really good! Chances are some of you have either tried this recipe or make it on a regular basis. This is the legendary Hersey’s chocolate cake recipe. What I love about this cake is that is has an amazing chocolate flavor, is easy to make and it’s very moist. What a perfect combination. You can frost the cake with chocolate frosting but butter cream frosting goes great on this cake. After I added the water I was a little worried because the batter seemed so thing but it baked up beautifully. This cake can either be made in two 9” round baking pans or a 13×9” pan. If you want to please your family and friends with an extremely delicious chocolate cake, give this recipe a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup boiling water
Butter cream Frosting-
1 cup butter
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
5 cups confectioners sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk (as needed)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease two 9” round baking pans. In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking power, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and oil. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water with a spatula or spoon. Evenly pour batter into both baking pans.
Step 2: Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to fully cool.

Step 3: To make frosting- In a large bowl cream butter and add vanilla extract and salt. Beat on medium speed adding sugar 1 cup at a time. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until frosting has reached your desired consistency.
Step 4: Frost the cake with a spatula.

Yes, you are seeing it correctly; I am posting a recipe for egg salad sandwiches! These sandwiches have been around nearly forever. Many of you may not have had an egg salad sandwich in years. Well, it’s time to change that! The secret to that perfect egg salad sandwich is getting the mustard/mayo ratio just right. Some people like more mayo some don’t. I would suggest slowly adding the mayo and mustard to fit your tastes. You can either use yellow mustard or Dijon mustard. Some recipes use dried dill but with this recipe, I am going with relish. I feel the relish gives the sandwich great flavor. For condiments, a crisp piece of lettuce tops the sandwich off nicely. This recipe is great for lunches and picnics. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
6 eggs
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon relish
pepper (to taste, optional)
lettuce (optional)
6 slices whole wheat bread

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: To hard boil eggs – Gently place eggs into a single layer in a sauce pan. Add just enough water to cover the eggs completely. Put on the stove and bring the water to a boil.  Just as the water reaches a rapid boil remove from heat and tightly cover with a lid. Let the pan site for 17 minutes. Transfer eggs into a bowl with cold water. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes and peel.
Step 2: Finely chop hard boiled eggs. Place chopped eggs in a medium bowl. Mix in mayo, 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix in mustard, relish and pepper. Put egg salad onto bread slices, top with lettuce.
(Makes 3 Sandwiches)

You can forget about Taco Bell because these chicken burritos are the best. Today I have for you a recipe for restaurant quality burritos. Unfortunately, these are not for everyone. Due to the many different ingredients they can be time consuming and rather expensive if you don’t have a lot of stuff on hand. If these things don’t bother you, you are in for a real threat. These burritos use thigh meat instead of chicken breasts and it was really a great change. Some of the ingredients that go into these burritos include- Monterey jack cheese, black beans, Pico de gallo, guacamole, cabbage and a delicious sour cream/green chili sauce.   If you are in the mood for some amazing burritos give this recipe a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium onion (sliced)
1 small onion (diced)
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 cup canned diced tomatoes (with their juice)
1 large chipoltle (in adobo sauce, reserve adobo sauce)
1 tablespoon adobo sauce (stemmed)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
½ cup low fat sour cream
3 tablespoons diced canned green chilies (drained)
1 ½ teaspoons water
four 12-inch whole wheat tortillas (warmed)
¾ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
1 (15 ounce) can black beans (drained, rinsed and patted dry)
1 cup shredded cabbage
½ cup Pico De Gallo salsa
½ cup guacamole

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Place chicken thighs into a deep large sauce pan. Add onion, garlic and bay leaves. Add just enough water to cover the chicken thighs and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the chicken pulls apart easily with a fork. Remove the chicken thighs from the pan and shred them into bit sized pieces. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Step 2: In another skillet heat oil. Add diced onion and brown sugar. Cook over medium high heat until the onion is golden brown (about 10 minutes). Add the chipotle, 1 tablespoon of the adobe sauce, and canned tomatoes.   Simmer over low (to medium) heat until the mixture has somewhat thickened (about 10 minutes). Pour the mixture in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour over the shredded chicken and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 3: In a blender combine sour cream, green chilies, and water and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 4: one at a time, lay out each tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese, spoon the chicken mixture down the center. Top the chicken with black beans, cabbage, salsa, guacamole and sour cream sauce. Bring the sides of the tortilla toward the center of the filling. Fold the bottom of the tortillas up over the filling and continue to roll until the burrito closes.  

If you are a big fan of seafood you will love this recipe for baked shrimp. One of the best parts about shrimp is it doesn’t take very long to cook. The cook time for this recipe is only 15 minutes. Even better you can be eating this dish within a half hour. I would recommend using larger shrimp for this recipe but medium will work as well. The cooking process is very simple, the shrimp are first placed in a baking dish and then topped with a sauce and baked. The shrimp gets its flavor from garlic and lemon juice; and what would a shrimp dish be without a little heat? Hot pepper sauce and Cajun seasonings are added for just the right amount of kick. If you want a little sauce, you could double the sauce mixture; maybe serve the shrimp with pasta? It’s totally up to you. Enjoy.  

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs large shrimp (peeled and deveined with tail on)
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 garlic cloves (minced)
¾ teaspoon old bay seasoning
¾ teaspoon Cajun seasoning
¾ teaspoon hot pepper sauce
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13×9” baking dish. Rinse shrimp and pat dry with paper towels. Place the shrimp into a baking dish and set aside.
Step 2: In a small bowl combine melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic, old bay seasoning, Cajun seasoning, hot pepper sauce and black pepper. Mix well and pour the mixture over the shrimp. Toss and coat the shrimp and arrange shrimp in a single layer on the baking sheet.
Step 3: Place into the oven uncovered and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Here is another delicious hamburger recipe – onion burgers. These were a fantastic change from the burgers I’m used to making. The highlight of this recipe is the beer braised onions. They really added an amazing sweet flavor to the burgers. This recipe uses a bit of beer, so if you are not into cooking with alcohol, this recipe probably isn’t for you. Not only does beer go into the onions but it goes into the burger patties as well. The patties get most of their flavor from beer, garlic and Dijon mustard. I grilled the burgers but they could be fried in the pan as well if you prefer. Another great addition to this burger is to add slices of crispy bacon on top. Sadly, I didn’t do this but I wish I had! You can also add an assortment of optional condiments such as lettuce and tomato if you choose. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs ground beef
Hamburger buns (lightly toasted)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
¼ cup red pepper (finely diced)
¼ cup beer
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper (to taste)
2 cups cheddar cheese
Beer Braised Onions-
1 large onion (sliced)
1  tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sugar
¾ cup beer

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a large bowl combine ground beef, garlic, red pepper, ¼ cup beer, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined. Form mixture into 4 patties that are 1” thick. Grill on medium heat for 4-6 minutes per side.

Step 2: While burgers are cooking, to make beer braised onions- Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook while stirring over medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until tender. Add ¾ cup of beer and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Cook until beer is absorbed and the onions are lightly browned (about 15 minutes).
Step 3: Just before burgers are done cooking top each burger with shredded cheese and heat until slightly melted. Remove burgers from the grill. Serve on toasted buns and top with onions.
(Makes 4 Burgers)

There are so many different ways to make tacos but lime chicken tacos are some of the best. These tacos are a delicious and light meal, great for summertime. The flavors of lime and various seasonings blend perfectly with the chicken. You can cook the chicken just in the pan or leave it whole, grill it, slice it and then transfer it into the pan for a few minutes. These delicious tacos will only take about 30 minutes total to prepare. Some of the condiments you could add are lettuce, tomato, salad, sour cream or whatever you like. If you are looking for a nice and refreshing change from your normal tacos, give this recipe a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into small pieces)
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
½ lime (juiced)
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 green onions (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
10 (6 inch) flour tortillas
1 tomato (diced)
¼ cup shredded lettuce
¼ cup Monterey jack cheese
¼ cup salsa
Sour cream (optional)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Add a little oil to the pan and sauté chicken pieces in the pan for 20 minutes over medium-high heat. Add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onions, garlic and oregano. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
Step 2: Warm tortillas and add chicken mixture to each one evenly. Top with cheese, tomato, lettuce and salsa.
(Makes 4 servings)

If you enjoyed my recipe for chicken bruschetta, you will love this. Tomato bruschetta uses no meat and is absolutely delicious. This recipe doesn’t just use roma tomatoes but also uses sun dried tomatoes as well. It gets most of its flavor from seasonings such as fresh basil, fresh garlic and balsamic vinegar. It is of course important to allow the mixture to set so the flavors blend. If you don’t have any fresh basil or just don’t care to use it, dried basil will work as well. For the sliced French baguette, this recipe calls for use of the broiler but I brushed the slices with olive oil and grilled them instead. Tomato bruschetta is a very tasty appetizer that is quick and easy to prepare. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
6 roma tomatoes (chopped or diced)
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¼ cup fresh basil (chopped with steams removed)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 French baguette
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a large bowl combine diced roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt and pepper. Mix well and allow the mixture to sit for at least 10 minutes.
Step 2: Slice the French baguette into ¾” thick slices. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Using the broiler setting on your oven, broil for 1-2 minutes turning half way through or until slices are lightly browned on both sides.
Step 3: Divide the tomato mixture evenly onto all the baguette slices. Top with mozzarella cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted (about 5 minutes or less.)
(Makes 12 Servings)