Chicken in Lemon-Olive Sauce

2 lemons

1 chicken breast (chopped into small strips)

salt and pepper

flour

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic

10 large green olives (pitted and cut into strips)

1/2 cup white wine

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

4- 6 cups rice (fully cooked)

Squeeze juice from 1 1/2 lemons and thinly slice other half removing seeds. Season chicken with salt and pepper then lightly coat with flour. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in pan until butter starts to foam. Add chicken in batches and cook until lightly browned. Remove and drain on paper towels. Pour off fat. Add remaining butter, oil, garlic and lemon slices to skillet. Cook until garlic is golden brown. Remove lemon slices and set aside. Add olive slices to skillet and cook for about another 4 minutes. Pour in wine and cook until reduced by half. Pour in chicken stock, bring to boil. Add lemon juice and enough slurry of 1 tablespoon flour and 1/4 cup of water to thicken sauce. Taste and add more salt if needed. Return chicken to skillet tossing in sauce until warmed and completely coated . Serve over white rice and garnish with lemon slices. Enjoy!

TIP OF THE DAY

If you love to bake, save on cleanup time by using parchment paper to line pan before baking your favorite desserts.

Sticky Buns with Cream Cheese Glaze

1 cup warm milk

2 eggs

1/3 cup butter, melted

4 1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons yeast (1 packet)

Filling:

1 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

5 tablespoons softened butter

Glaze:

5 ounces softened cream cheese

7 tablespoons softened butter

2 cups confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In large bowl mix yeast with warmed milk, let stand 10 minutes until it doubles in size and is foamy. Add sugar, melted butter, salt, and eggs mixing well. Add flour to yeast mixture knead dough into large ball with hands dusted lightly with flour. Place buttered sheet of saran wrap on top of dough ball and cover with a towel. Let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until doubled in size.

After dough has doubled in size turn it out onto lightly floured surface. Roll dough into 16 x 21 inch rectangle. Mix filling ingredients and drop dollops of mix over total surface of rolled dough. With a spatular evenly spread filling over entire surface of dough. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in parchment lined and buttered 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise again for about 30 minutes until doubled. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake rolls in preheated oven for about 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown. While rolls are baking beat together glaze ingredients until smooth. Invert rolls onto cookie sheet when done and spread glaze over warm buns.

Alternative Sticky Topping:

3/4 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

In a small saucepan combine sugar, butter, honey and corn syrup over low heat. Stir until sugar and butter are dissolved. Fold in nuts. Pour mixture into greased pan before placing cut dough on top of nut mixture. Then follow above instructions cover with plastic and let rise again before baking.

P.S. If you like; you can add nuts, raisins etc. to filling before rolling dough up.

Chicken Wrap with Curry Spiced Mayonaise

chopped cooked chicken

1 pita wrap

mayonaise

curry powder

salt and pepper to taste

Mix chopped chicken with mayonaise then sprinkle a small amount of curry powder. Mix all ingredients together.Test flavor add salt, pepper and more curry powder if you like it extra spicy. Meanwhile heat pita wrap in pan till slightly bubbly on surface. Fill pita with chicken mix and serve. Enjoy!

P.S. I love to serve this wrap sandwich with my roasted vegetables, you can find the recipe here on my blog.

Cake Pops

Any leftover cake (chocolate, vanilla, carrot, lemon etc.)

frosting (any flavor you like)

chocolate chips for melting (any flavor or color you like)

sprinkles, jimmies,coconut,chopped nuts (anything you would like to decorate pops)

lollipop sticks (you can get these at craft stores)

styrofoam block (you can also use a cardboard box with holes punched in top)

Crumble leftover cake into small bits. Add enough frosting to make mix into putty consistency. Form mix into small balls and refrigerate for about 10 minutes until chilled. Melt chocolate over double boiler or in microwave for about 30 seconds on defrost setting at medium heat. Dip tip of lollipop stick in melted chocolate then stick halfway into chilled cake ball, stick into foam or box chill for 5 minutes. Pour melted chocolate over chilled cake balls till coated then dip into sprinkles, jimmies, etc. then chill finished balls until your ready to serve. Enjoy!

P.S. You can make as many or little cake pops as you like with this recipe depending on how much cake and frosting you have. You can also lay the pops on waxed paper to set if you don't mind the pops having a flat side.

Chicken Cordon Bleu with White Wine Sauce

4 boneless chicken breast

4 slices swiss cheese

4 slices ham

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup white wine

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (I use Better than Bouillon)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup light cream

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 egg

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pound chicken breast till they are about 1/2 thick. with chicken breast skin side down place cheese then ham slice on each breast leaving about 1/2 inch from edges. Fold edges of chicken over and secure with toothpicks.(Make sure you count how many you use so you will remove all before serving.) Mix flour and paprika in small bowl, and egg in another bowl. Brush chicken with egg first then coat in flour mix. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil in large oven proof pan. Brown chicken in pan on all sides for about 10 minutes, then transfer to 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set chicken aside on plate. Add 1 tablespoon butter, wine, chicken bouillon granules and cornstarch to browned bits in pan. Wisk at medium heat till thickened then add light cream and chicken broth and cook until thickened again. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve finished sauce with chicken breast. Enjoy!

P.S. I like to slice these at an angle when serving. this is great served with brown rice and your choice of vegetable. (Make sure you get all the toothpicks before serving)

Chicken Croquettes

2 cups cooked finely chopped chicken

1-2 teaspoons celery salt

Pinch cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1-2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 cup Thick Cream Sauce (recipe follows, I double batch to serve with finished croquettes.)

2 eggs lightly beaten

2 cups bread crumbs (I like to use Progresso Italian style panko bread crumbs)

oil for frying ( I like to use a combination of olive oil and Wesson vegetable oil)

Mix chicken, celery salt, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, onion powder, parsley and cream sauce until well blended. At this point taste mix and add more seasoning if you prefer. Cover with plastic or foil and refrigerate till chilled, then form into small cones, about 1 1/2 inches at base and about 2 inches high. Dip cones into beaten eggs, then roll into crumbs covering completely.

Set them on wax paper. Heat about 2-3 inches oil to medium heat. Add croquettes let brown and turn until all sides are browned. Brown croquettes in small batches and drain on paper towels. Serve with white sauce.

Thick White Sauce Recipe:

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup heated milk

salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in saucepan add flour and cook stirring until it starts to bubble about 2 minutes. (don't let it brown) Add hot milk stir while sauce thickens. Bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat and cook stirring for 2-3 minutes more. Remove from heat. Cool, covered with wax paper to prevent skin forming before folding into chicken mixture for croquettes.

P.S. I usually add 1/4 - 1/2 cup chicken broth to thin this recipe out and add more flavor before pouring over finished croquettes as a serving sauce.

P.S. I love to make a double batch of croquettes and freeze until needed. You can warm these in a microwave or covered heated skillet until center is hot.