chicken cacciatore...

Italian food lovers rejoice!
Here's one that super easy and super de duper delicious.
Be sure you have lots of fresh crusty bread for dipping...
you most definitely don't want to miss out on this sauce.


Start with about 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts... hand trimmed.



1 medium onion... chopped.


1 red bell pepper... chopped.

1 1/2 cup of white wine.

Capers... about 2 tablespoons, chicken stock... about 1 cup,
and diced tomatoes... a 28 oz can.

Start by heating up about 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 tablespoons
of butter in a skillet.

While your oil is heating up put about 1 cup of flour into a shallow dish.

Salt, pepper and flour each side of your chicken.


Place in your hot skillet and brown on each side... about 5 minutes per side.
We only need to brown them... we'll finish cooking them a little later.

*faint* Oh. My. Doesn't that make your mouth water?

After you get your chicken good and brown,
transfer to a plate and set aside.

Now, see this here? This is good stuff, man.
Here's where you need to turn your heat
down just a bit and grab your wine...

With your wine in one hand and your spoon or spatula in the other,
pour in the wine and begin scrapping all the goodness from
the bottom of the skillet... this is what you call deglazing.

After you finish deglazing your pan, add in the
chopped red bell pepper and onions.
Give it a good stir to combine.


Throw in your can of diced tomatoes.

Pour in the chicken stock.

Oh, um... yeah, here's where I had to do a
switch-a-roo to a bigger pot. Don't be like me...
YOU can start from the beginning in a pot like this.

Ahhh... that's better.

Add the capers.

Stir to combine.
Here is where you'll want to turn your heat back up a bit,
throw in a dash or two of salt, some fresh
ground pepper to taste, and 1 teaspoon of dried Oregano.

Remember your chicken you browned?
Yeah, well, here is where you'll add it back in.
I sliced mine in half pieces because I'm a freak about
chicken cooking all the way through.

Bring all the yumminess to a boil, reduce your heat to
medium-low, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes.


That gives you plenty of time to cook your pasta...
I used good ol' fashioned spaghetti.

*faint*

First bite... *faint again*

Oh. My. Word. This is delicious.

Make it for your family... they'll love you forever.
Don't forget the bread!

Enjoy!
rolo

meatball sliders...

I made these the other night and they were, aside from being
super simple, simply scrumptious.


The Pioneer Woman posted about them last week.
She made her meatballs from scratch.


Since I'm trying to avoid standing over a hot stove more than I
have to this summer, I opted to buy a bag of pre-made frozen meatballs.


And it worked just fine.

Maybe PW should have done the same... 'cause it actually
ended up being about a "16-Minute Meal" with
the frozen meatballs.

Try 'em this weekend for quick and filling lunch or dinner.
Your family will love you for it!

Stay cool,
rolo

Oh, and please excuse my blog for the moment...
it's under a little construction.

shrimp & pasta with roasted red pepper alfredo...

Are you a shrimp lover?
How 'bout a pasta lover?
What about a cream sauce with roasted red peppers lover?
*Raises hand* Oo, Oo, Ooo, Pick me, Pick me! I'm all of the above.
Are you? If yes, then you'll most definitely want to make this.

I made it last week, and let me tell you it was yum, yum, yummy.
It was so good. It was delicious. It was lip smackin'.
And, it was yummy. Did I say that already?
Just looking at the photo is making my mouth water... and my thighs ache.

Oh, and the best part was, it was super-de-duper easy...

because I used a jar sauce.

And now, I'm on a mission to recreate my own homemade version.

Here's all you do for the jar sauce version...

*Shrimp & Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo*

~Saute about 2 pounds of shrimp in a little olive oil, butter
salt and pepper... Right now (in my hood anyway) seafood prices
haven't skyrocketed yet because of the oil spill.
I felt lucky to find these beauties on sale.
~Cook 1 pound of angel hair pasta according to package directions, drain.
~Add 2 jars of Classico Roasted Red Pepper Sauce to the shrimp.
Bring to a simmer over medium to low heat for about 5 minutes...

Serve the shrimp and sauce over the pasta with some
fresh bread and watch it disappear... fast.

Make it soon... you'll be a hero.

Love,
rolo

14 and her favorite pasta...

My baby girl turned 14 the other day.
Oh boy.
Oh boy, does time fly.

I can still see her twirling around in her tutu,
on stage at the Majestic, pointing to the other little
preschoolers to where they should be standing.
She was so bossy.
Still is.

Yep, that's my baby girl.

I still see her as my baby girl...
with her ear buds tucked in her ears,
applying mascara and straightening her hair,
with a social calendar fuller than the President's...
no joke!

Yep, she'll always be my baby girl.

And I hope all her wishes come true.

At the birthday girls request, I made a yummy dinner
and surprised her with her favorite pasta.

It's really simple and there is no recipe to follow.
Just throw some of this stuff in a bowl and chill it... then enjoy.

Here's what I used...

1 box bow tie pasta, cooked, drained and cooled.
Several Roma tomatoes, chopped
Fresh Basil, chopped
Mozzarella Cheese, cubed
Asiago Cheese, shredded
Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Fresh Spinach

And here's what I did...

~Cook, drain and cool the pasta.
~Toss in a bowl.
~Throw in the tomatoes, basil and cheeses.
~Mix in the olive oil and red wine vinegar.

~Sprinkle in the garlic and onion powder.
~Add the salt and pepper.
~Give it a nice stir... or two, or three.
~Toss in the spinach.
~Stir again.
~Taste.
~Make adjustments.
~Taste again.
~Chill.
~Enjoy!

xo
Rolo

sausage, peppers, and onions...

First, I would like to say...

I love blogging, sharing my life, and what I feed my family with you.

There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not planning a new post.
I think about it so much it makes my head hurt most days... well, maybe
THAT'S not what makes my head hurt most days.
But anyway, it sounds good. ;)

My problem is... well, it's not really a "problem" per se...

No, not really... he's not a problem AT ALL! He's actually quite fun... or funny.
Especially when he's having a fit... most times, anyway, I CAN find the humor.
Well, when my head isn't hurting, that is.

By the way, isn't he precious? Oh, how I love my baby boy.
I snapped this photo of him the other day just before
he got his first hair cut (the sun was in his eyes).
As you can see, his unruly curls had to go. I'll share more on that later.

Back to my point here...

You know what I really think makes my head hurt?
The dang laundry! I did two loads on Sunday, FIVE yesterday,
and I'm on number two out of three today!
YES! It's got to be the laundry!

Wait! What's my point?

Ohh yeah... "the problem". The problem is, I just hardly have time to sit,
upload a bunch of photos, then pour my heart out.
Especially the upload part... on any given attempt blogger
will upload without any trouble and make my day great, OR...
it won't. And then my head will pound with frustration.

I'm contemplating a better system to this blogging thing.
There's got to be a faster, easier way.
More on that later too!

What I really wanted to share with you today is this...

Mouth watering, huh?
Yes, I know!

That's Brat sausage, red bell peppers and onions
on a toasted roll (any kind will work).
You can (as I did) add cheese on top too! YUM!
It's ok, my thighs already hate me.

JB loves these so much he requested I
make them for his birthday and I did!
True story!

They're easy to make. Let me show you...

First, grab a package of Brats... any kind will work.


and brown them in a little oil on each side.
It should only take about five to ten minutes.


While the brats are browning you can go ahead
and start slicing your peppers and onions.


Keep an eye on the brats and remember to keep turning them.
After they are nice and brown on all sides, remove and set aside on a plate.

Then, melt about two tablespoons of butter in your pan.


Add your sliced peppers and onions.
Go ahead and salt and pepper them too.


Cook for about five minutes until nice and brown/sauteed.


While the peppers and onions and playing nice together,
go ahead and chop up some garlic... about 4 cloves.


And some fresh basil... about 1/2 cup.

Toss 'em in with the peppers and onions and give a good toss around.

They're gonna get along just fine!


Lets add about 1 tsp. of dried oregano.


And, about 2 tablespoons tomato paste.




1 cup Marsala wine.


1 15 oz can diced tomatoes.


1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes... more if you like heat!


Give a good stir and let cook for about five minutes over
medium heat.

Slice the brats and toss 'em in.

Combine well over medium low heat...

And cook for about twenty minutes until
the sauce thickens up a bit.

Serve on your favorite sliced and toasted roll.

And go ahead and add a slice of provolone cheese... It's a good thing.

*Sausage, Peppers, and Onion Sandwiches*

1/4 c. olive oil
1 lb. Italian Sausage or Italian Brats
2 T. butter
2 red bell peppers, sliced
1 or 2 yellow onions, sliced
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground pepper
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 c. chopped fresh basil
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 T. tomato paste
1 c. Marsala wine
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, optional
Italian sandwich rolls
Provolone Cheese

~Heat oil, add brats or Italian sausage. Cook until brown on all sides. Remove.
~Add butter to pan, melt. Add peppers and onions.
Cook until brown... about 5 minutes.
~Add oregano, basil, garlic, and tomato paste. Stir.
~Add the marsala wine, diced tomatoes and chili flakes. Stir.
~Slice the brats or sausage, add to pan and stir to combine.
~Cook over medium low heat for about 20 minutes
until the sauce is thickened.
~Serve on a toasted Italian roll with melted cheese.


~Groan with happiness!


Enjoy!

xo
Rolo