It’s fast.  It’s easy. It’s simply awesome!

Bright, juicy tomatoes, sweet niblets of corn and tender chicken are the epitome of summer scrumptiousness. The tomatoes soften and burst in the heat and their juices mingle with the light creamy sauce.  Made in a single skillet this dish is healthy and happy.

 

Skillet Chicken with Creamy Corn and Tomatoes

 

4-6  chicken tenderloins, cut into pieces

O1 teaspoon kosher salt

¾ teaspoon ground pepper

1 to 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, diced (~1 ½ cups)

4 cups cherry or grape tomatoes

2 (15oz) cans corn, drained and patted dry

¼ cup cream

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ to ½ cup chopped basil 

 

Add the olive oil to a large skillet and warm over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium high and sear the chicken until light golden brown.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. It’s okay if the chicken is not fully cooked, as it will continue to cook later when it’s added back to the pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the diced onion to the skillet and sauté until soft and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the corn and stir until onions are mixed in.  Heat for 5 minutes stirring constantly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the tomatoes to the pan. Cover with a lid and allow them to cook for 12 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Towards the end, you can press some of the tomatoes with a wooden spoon to gently burst them and release their juices into the sauce.   Add the cooked chicken and stir to mix.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Reduce the  heat to medium-low, and let the mixture mingle and simmer for about 5 minutes; the liquid will slightly reduce and the chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 to ensure its cooked through. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toss in fresh basil and serve!

 

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How To Make A Perfect Poached Egg

 

Let me begin this little cooking lesson by telling you that I love poached eggs.  I love eggs made any way but I am especially fond of poached because I love runny egg yolks!  Some of you may already know how to poach eggs....there are how to's all over the Internet that's for sure.  And if you watch cooking shows, you are sure to see a TV chef making them at one point.  But my way is simple. It's tried and true and fail proof.  Nothing special like making little ripples in the water or adding vinegar.  No need to buy special poaching pans or tools. You don't need any of that.  Just follow my simple instructions. 

How To Make A Perfect Poached Egg 

1 large fresh egg 
salt and pepper 
toast for serving 

First crack your egg in a small bowl. We want to slip the egg slowly into the water, rather than dropping it right in and running the risk of breaking that beautiful yolk. 















Next you want to add about 3 inches of water to a skillet with deep sides.  Turn the heat to medium and bring it to a nice simmer.  You do not want your water to boil.  You want just tiny bubbles all over the bottom of the skillet. A gentle simmer.  

Once you have those nice tiny bubbles in your water, slip the egg in by gently pouring it out of the glass bowl.  The outside edges of the egg white may swirl around a little in the water but don't worry, the main part of the egg white will be just fine. Don't panic.  If you want you can take a wooden spoon or rubber spatula and nudge the white closer to the yolk but it's really not necessary.  You'll see. 























Next cover your skillet and turn off your heat. Let the egg sit in the water for about 4 minutes with the lid on.  If you like your yolk even runnier you can leave it there for 3 minutes but four minutes will give you a perfect poached egg. 

After 4 minutes, get a slotted spoon and scoop out your perfect poached egg.  Any loose white will fall off as you scoop, giving you a nicely shaped egg.  

Got your buttered toast ready?  























There’s nothing quite so wonderfully comforting as a piece of warm buttered toast with a poached egg on top.  

So how'd we do?   Look at that yolk.  Perfection! 

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Grilled Chicken Kabobs

 Grilled Chicken Kabobs

What’s a summer without Kabobs?  You have to have at least one cookout with beef, shrimp or chicken kabobs.  The best thing about them is that you can put just about anything on some sticks and they turn out great.  You can be creative with your meat or veggies and make a different meal every time!  I love to mix and match veggies with whatever kabob I make and of course chicken is always a favorite covered in a sticky sweet glaze.  Yum!

Grilled Chicken Kabobs

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1 red bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces

1 green or yellow bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces

1 red onion cut into 1 inch pieces

Cherry or grape tomatoes

Whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, honey, garlic and salt and pepper in a large bowl. 

 

 

Add the chicken, bell peppers, tomatoes and red onion to the bowl. Toss to coat in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.

Soak wooden skewers in cold water for at least 30 minutes. 

 

Preheat grill to medium high heat. Thread the chicken and vegetables onto the skewers.  Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side or until chicken is cooked through.    

 

 

Serve on skewers or remove from skewers and serve over rice.

 

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Beef Kabobs with My Favorite Marinade

Beef Kabobs with My Favorite Marinade

When my Dad comes over for a cookout, he calls these his “favorite food on a stick.” Let’s face it, that’s what it is and they are delicious when you make them correctly. You just don’t throw some meat on a skewer and throw them on a hot grill and hope for the best.  

There is a trick to getting tender and juicy kabobs. Whether you make them with pork or beef the trick is the marinade. I only use one and I have been using it for 20 years.  You will love this marinade because not only is it delicious, it will also tenderize and add flavor to any meat.  I make it ahead of time and keep it in a mason jar in the fridge for up to three weeks.

My favorite Marinade

1- 1/2 cups olive oil

³⁄₄ cup soy sauce 

¹⁄₄ cup Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

2 teaspoons dry parsley flakes

¹⁄₂ cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic 

¹⁄₃ cup teriyaki sauce

¹⁄₂ cup honey 

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend for about a minute. Add meat to plastic bag and pour in marinade. Squish it around to make sure it's covered and lay the bag flat on its side. Keep in refrigerator overnight or for at least for 8 hours.  You can use this marinade for chicken too but do not marinade for more than 5 hours or it will ruin the chicken.

Beef Kabobs

2 lbs boneless top sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 bell peppers, any or all colors color, sliced into 1-2 inch pieces
1 large onion, sliced into 1-2 inch wide pieces
cherry tomatoes, optional

Soak wooden skewers in water for about an hour prior to using. Remove meat from the bag and dispose of used marinade.  Thread the meat and veggies onto the skewers.

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Place skewers on the grill and cook, with lid closed for about 8 minutes, turning as needed. 

Don’t crowd your skewers. You want a little space between your meat and veggies so your food grills on all sides.  I like to cook mine for 8 minutes for rare and 12 minutes for medium. 

Remove from the heat, cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 2 to 3 minutes prior to serving.  Serve your kabobs with rice or any vegetable. I  like to remove my grilled veggies and meat from the skewers and serve on a bed of rice.

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