Pardon Me Vinaigrette

If you don't have one already, you really ought to invest in one of these:

They're in the grocery store and it even comes with a packet or two of that delicious Good Seasons salad dressing mix. And if you've never made your own vinaigrette before, just follow the directions on the box and you'll realize how easy it is to substitute your own ingredients. Like this one for example:

• In your bottle, shake together (or whisk in a bowl if you really aren't going to get one, sheesh) a couple spoonfuls of Grey Poupon, a squirt of honey, a generous shake of sage, a little garlic powder & black pepper with white wine vinegar (I also used apple cider vinegar... good, but not as awesome). The amount of vinegar should be a bit above the line marked on the bottle since the mustard takes up more volume (yeah, volume... right?) than just a packet of seasonings. 
• Add a little dash of water and your olive oil. The ratio for these two can change to fit your own health requirements and consistency preferences. Give the bottle one more good shake to combine (or a few good whisks) and you're done!

**Tastes best served over salad with the following ingredients:

• romaine lettuce
• arugula
• carrots
• cucumber
• red onion
• chicken (browned with sage & garlic)
• sliced strawberries
• sunflower seeds

Mascarpone & Basil Tomato Sauce with Chicken Sausage

You really can't go wrong with these basic ingredients, no matter how you combine them. But here's how I go about it:

What You Need:

• An onion, diced.
• Olive oil, a... dollop?
• A few cloves of garlic, chopped.
• 1 big can of crushed tomatoes with basil.
• 1/2 small can of tomato paste.
• Lots of fresh basil, chopped.
• Sun-dried tomato & basil chicken sausage.
• Mascarpone cheese!!

Put it All Together:

• Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, add onion to soften. Add half your garlic when onions are almost done. (If you add the garlic with onion right away it tends to get bitter.)
• Pour tomato sauce & paste in. Add salt & crushed red pepper to taste -- as well as a sprinkling of sugar. Simmer for a bit.
• Add chicken sausage, cut into chunks.

• Add the rest of the garlic and lots of freshly chopped basil, turn the heat down low, partially cover and let it "simmer" for about an hour. (More like stew together.) Mix every so often.

• Just before serving stir in a few tablespoons of Mascarpone cheese (don't be shy) until melted.

Would have been even better with some freshly grated Romano cheese on top, but, alas... I had none. Nonetheless, it was delicious and super easy. 

⚡

Heeyyy Yoouuu Guyyysss!! It's Pizza Night!

Ah, yes... pizza. But don't pick up the phone for it -- or go to the freezer. It's so much more satisfying to do it yourself. Ideally, you should make it with a bag of fresh dough from a local bakery or pizzeria -- they usually have some at the grocery store. But, of course, dear Bravo (the grocery store around the corner from me) had none of these. My only option was Pillsbury dough in a can -- not bad, but not my first choice.

ANYWAY. Other than dough, you can pretty much do your own Pizza Night however you want. Whatever toppings you like.

Here's what I did -- after pre-baking the crusts for about 5 minutes, like the directions say. It's important -- you don't want to get stuck with soggy crust!! Spray your cookie sheet AND sprinkle a little flour over the top to prevent any sticking. (I used a regular crust for #1 and the thin crust for #2):

PIZZA #1: Barbecue Chicken.

• Pour about 1/3 of a bottle (depending on size) of barbecue (this one is amazing -- sweet, smoky and a little spicy) sauce onto your crust. Use a little less of this sauce than you would tomato sauce -- it tends to be pretty salty and very tasty.
• Add chicken strips on top. (Just cut up & brown chicken breast in a skillet with some olive oil, garlic, paprika & cumin... or whatever.)
• Dump more than half of a bag of shredded mozzarella cheese on top.
• Final touch: Thinly sliced rings of red onion.
• Bake in the oven around 400 until the cheese is melty and the crust is browned to your liking.

PIZZA #2: Classic with Onions and Pepperoni.

• In a small pot, soften about 1/3 of an onion (cut into rings) in olive oil with garlic (I just used powder because I had no cloves!). Once softened, add half a can of tomato paste and about 5 tablespoons of crushed tomatoes (the kind with basil). This ratio can change depending on the thickness you prefer, but I found extra tomato paste was better for the pizza. Add some salt and crushed red pepper. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes then spread over pizza crust when ready.
• Add shredded cheese on top -- four cheese Italian blend was perfect. (I also added some of the leftover chicken since there wasn't enough to save for later.)
• Slice up some good pepperoni and spread over the cheese -- You know, an actual stick of pepperoni. 
• Bake in the oven around 400 until the cheese is melty and the crust is browned to your liking.

Perfect accompaniment for pizzas? Well, salad -- definitely. (I went the super-easy lazy route and just used a bag.) But more important than salad? The movie... ⚡

Chicken Parmesan

If you don't like chicken parm then you are un-(italian)american.

This is the best chicken parm I've ever made...

3 chicken breasts, butterflied in half.

flour, salt and pepper

2 -4 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup red or white wine

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

pinch sugar

grated sharp provolone cheese

Pound out butterflied chicken breasts until they are very thin. Coat each side with salt and pepper and then dredge them in flour, shaking off the excess. Meanwhile in a deep skillet (with a cover which you will need later) heat up the olive oil and butter to med high heat. Once the skillet is hot, place the chicken in and cook each side until nice and golden. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside. If needed add a little more olive oil to the pan and then add onions, cooking until translucent. About a minute before they are done cooking, add the garlic. Cook garlic until fragrant. Then add wine to deglaze the pan. Stir until wine is reduced slightly. Add tomatoes. Stir everything around and reduce the heat to low, letting the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes. Add a pinch or two of sugar to reduce the acidity of the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once the sauce is ready, lay the cooked chicken in the pan on the sauce and add the grated provolone over it (more is better). You can melt the provolone in two ways; one is to place a cover on the pan and let the sauce simmer on low heat until the cheese is melted, or you can stick the skillet under the broiler until the cheese melts. Your call.

Once the cheese has melted sprinkled some chopped or dried parsley and serve. Great as a sandwich or over spaghetti :)