Quick and Easy Chicken Caprese

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So quick and easy and so good!  All shortcuts make this the perfect week night meal. Only 30 minutes start to finish! Tender melt in your mouth chicken topped with pesto and tomatoes and topped with a thick slice of Mozzarella cheese.  YUM.  

Quick and Easy Chicken Caprese

 

4 (6- 8 oz each) Chicken Breast Cutlets, each sliced on bias in 4 equal pieces 

4 tablespoons Basil Pesto Sauce, divided 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 8 Tablespoons of Bruschetta Topping, divided 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

1/2 of an 8 oz log sliced fresh Mozzarella Cheese sliced 

 

 

 

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Arrange chicken on parchment paper-lined baking sheet, shingled, in 4 portions.  Add salt and pepper top and bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spoon a tablespoon of pesto over top of each portion. 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place a slice of cheese on each portion. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top each portion with 2 tablespoons bruschetta.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake about 30 min until internal temp of chicken reaches 165 degrees (check by inserting thermometer halfway into thickest part of chicken.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake with Buttered Bread Crumb Topping

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I cook so much that I dream of cooking.  And sometimes I wake up and know exactly what I want to create the next day.  I create the way I think I personally would like a dish to taste.  This time I wanted creamy and savory and cheesy… gotta have cheese…and lots of it. And different kinds to give it a unique flavor. That would work, but I needed a protein of some sort and decided that left over chicken breast I had in the fridge would be perfect. But wait, I had to have the right texture and so I added pasta to the mix. Then one last thing...a crunchy topping. So I added some buttered bread cubes and Voila!  It was exactly like I dreamed it would be.  PERFECT and OMG so delicious.  Just made it up today so I don’t even know what to call it.

 

Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake with Buttered Bread Crumb Topping

 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 tablespoon butter

1 or 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pan fried

4 slices bacon, fried crispy and diced

1-16 ounce box of Cavatappi or any pasta you like

 

Boil your pasta in salted water as directed on package. Cook to al dente and reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before draining.  Add pasta back to pot with no heat and set aside.

 Season your chicken breast with salt and pepper.  Add oil and butter to a medium skillet and pan fry the chicken on medium high heat until golden brown and cooked through.  Temp should be 160 degrees when done. Remove from skillet and cut into bite sized pieces.  Transfer to plate and set aside. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sauce

 

3 cups heavy cream, at room temperature 

2 tablespoons grated onion 

2 teaspoons grated garlic 

Pinch fresh or dried nutmeg 

8 ounces smoked Gouda, shredded 

8 ounces Gruyère, shredded 

2 ounces of Parmesan, shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound Pasta (I like Cavatappi pasta, cooked al dente) 

1/4 cup pasta water reserved 

 

In a large skillet, add 3 cups of heavy cream. Turn the heat low and allow to simmer.  Add the grated onion, and the grated garlic and stir to combine. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprinkle some nutmeg into the sauce and stir.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 Add the 8 ounces of grated Gouda and Gruyere cheese and 2 ounces of Parmesan and stir the sauce until cheese has melted.  Remove from the heat and stir in the reserved pasta water. Taste and season with salt and pepper.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the chicken and bacon and stir to combine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Pour the pasta and sauce into the dish. Pan will be full.  Set aside.

 

Topping 

2 ounces Parmesan, grated or shredded

2 ounces of Gruyere Cheese, shredded

8 slices of bread, cut into cubes

1 stick of butter or more as needed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining Gruyere and Parmesan. Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the casserole.  Put a baking sheet under the skillet to catch any spill overs.  There will be some.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a large skillet add the stick of butter over low heat. Toss the bread cubes with the butter until all bread is coated. Arrange bread cubes on top of casserole.

 

Bake uncovered until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Bread cube topping should be golden brown.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Carefully remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.

Baked Brie with Fig topping

Baked Brie with Fig topping

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delicious, baked brie melted inside buttery golden puff pastry. Fig spread adds just the right amount of sweetness and pecans give a little crunch.   Seriously, this recipe is so good, you may want to make it an everyday recipe. Serve it with bread rounds, apples, crackers….or scoop it up in a spoon, lol.  This is so easy to make.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baked Brie with Fig topping

 2 sheets frozen Puff Pastry, thawed (I use Pepperidge Farm)

All purpose flour for sprinkling work surface

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup Fig spread or jam

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 (16 oz.) Brie cheese round (about 6-inches in diameter)

1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice off the top rind of the brie and discard.  Mix together the fig spread with the pecans and set aside.

The Wrap 

I usually just pull up the sides and gather all the dough at the top and then cut off the excess.  But there is another easy way to wrap your brie and I will show you how. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 On a lightly floured work surface, roll each pastry sheet out to a 12-inch square. 

Trim the corners of each sheet to form two circles.  

Set the scraps aside; you can use those later for decorations if you want. Put one of the pastry rounds on the prepared baking sheet. 

Cut off the top rind of the cheese and place the Brie on top of the pastry, rind side down. Drizzle the top of the cheese with the honey, and then top with the fig spread and pecan mixture.

 

Brush the exposed edges of the pastry with the egg mixture. Cover the Brie with the other pastry circle; press against the sides of the cheese and the bottom pastry to form a tight seal. Using a pizza cutter, cut off the excess dough, leaving a generous 1-inch border. 

Crimp the edges firmly with a fork to seal. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Let stand for 45 minutes, then serve with fruit and crackers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Best bite is the first bite!  Delicious served with bread rounds, crackers, grapes and apples.  YUM.

 

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Sweet Corn Flans

 

I bet you think of dessert when  you hear the word flan, don't you? Well there are savory flans too and this happens to be one of my favorite side dishes. There's just something about that creamy custard whether sweet or savory. Today I bring you my Sweet Corn Flans that would be perfect for any dinner side dish! 

Sweet Corn Flans

1 cup sweet corn kernels (fresh or canned) 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

2 cups heavy cream 

5  large eggs 

1 teaspoon salt

black pepper to taste 

non stick cooking spray

8 ramekins

  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In a large bowl, whisk together heavy cream and eggs and season with salt and pepper.  Stir in the chopped parsley.  Spray ramekins with cooking spray, making sure to coat them well. 




















Spoon about 2 tablespoons of corn into each ramekin, portioning evenly. Next, pour the custard over the corn in each ramekin. Do not overfill. 

Transfer ramekins onto a 9 x 13 rimmed baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper and bake for 35-40 minutes or until tops are lightly brown and egg custard is set.   

Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes before un-molding.























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Rigatoni Pasta with Corn

 

 

I really had my doubts when I first saw this recipe on one of the cooking shows.  Corn and pasta?  Well I have a friend that is a huge fan of corn.  When we go out to eat and they ask what two vegetables he wants with his meal, he orders corn and corn.  And if you ask him what his other favorite meal is, he will tell you Pasta. Any kind of pasta.  So you see why this recipe sounded perfect.   And it was perfect.  A light summery meal that was sweet and crisp and we loved it.   Put this one high on your delicious easy to make list! 

Rigatoni Pasta with Corn 

1 teaspoon salt, plus more for the pasta water

6 ears corn  (or use 20 ounces of frozen sweet corn)

1/2 cup heavy cream 

2 tablespoons salted butter, cut into pieces 

Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

1 pound mezzi rigatoni or other short tube pasta 

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped 

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add in your pasta and follow directions. Pasta should be cooked until tender.  If using fresh corn on the cob, slice the kernels off the cobs and put them in a large bowl. With the dull side of a knife, scrape each cob over the bowl to remove any remaining kernel pieces and the creamy liquid.  Pour corn in a medium skillet. If using frozen corn, pour directly in skillet.  Turn heat to medium.

Add the heavy cream, butter, red pepper flakes and the salt to the corn kernels.  Stir occasionally until the butter is melted and the corn is al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. The cream should start to thicken slightly at this point.
 

Drain your pasta, reserving ½ cup of the liquid. Add your pasta to the skillet of corn and continue to heat over medium heat until heated through.  If sauce gets too thick add in some of your reserved pasta water and stir.  

 




















Sprinkle the chives, Parmesan and parsley over the hot pasta  and serve. 

















Enjoy!

 



 


Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.