Chicken with tomato cream sauce

While looking for something wonderful to make with chicken, I stumbled upon this recipe on All Recipes.  I was intrigued.  And being a P in the Myers Briggs, I can almost NEVER follow directions. It can be a blessing.  Or a curse.

The original recipe called for this:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
3/4 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter

Directions
In a saucepan, saute' onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Make sure it doesn't burn. Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and continue to boil 5 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in whipping cream and butter. Reduce heat and simmer 5 more minutes.

I made some changes.

I use two cans of tomatoes, skipped the sugar and the salt, added a tablespoon of chicken base, added a tablespoon of oregano, and upped the heavy cream.

I added cooked chicken to the mix when it was mostly done and let the chicken heat up in the sauce. I serve it over pasta, any kind will do.  For leftovers, I add a little chicken broth and heavy cream while heating it up.

It is utterly amazing.

Easy Rosemary Chicken Skewers

Deirdre found this recipe, and since we both like grilled chicken and almost anything to do with rosemary, we gave it a go.

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

- 2 Tablespoon diced fresh rosemary

- 1 Tablespoon spicy mustard

- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce

- Juice of 2 lemons (about 6 Tablespoons)

- 2 cloves garlic minced

- Salt and Pepper to taste

- 7-9 wooden skewers

Instructions

1.  In a medium bowl combine and the ingredients except the chicken.

2.  Place the chicken in a zip-lok bag and pour the marinade over the chicken.  Seal the bag and allow to marinate for 6 hours or overnight.

3.  When ready preheat your grill.  Remove the chicken from the bag and thread the cubes onto the skewers.  5 to 6 pieces of chicken should be on each skewer.

4.  Grill the skewers for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through.

5.  Serve warm

Cook's Notes:

-  Place the wooden skewers into a shallow pan and cover them with water for at least an hour before you grill.  This will help keep the skewers from burning.

- We used Dijon mustard for the "spicy mustard," but I think that any mustard would do.  Next time, I might use a honey Dijon mustard.

Sesame Pork Chops

OK, this is a recipe I just sort of made up.  We are fortunate to have access to the Meat Lab at Michigan State University.  We have used the animal protein we have purchased from the Meat Lab to our benefit.  The spouse of one of my co-workers at GE Aviation is a Ph.D. candidate at State and he lets me know what beef, pork, lamb and poultry is available for purchase from the Meat Lab.  The pork chops from the Meat Lab have never let us down, and I made up the recipe because we like everything in it.  Here we go:

Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 T sesame oil
- Seasoning to taste
- 2-4 pork chops (can be boneless or bone-in)

Instructions:
Season the chops to taste with salt and pepper.  Place the chops in a zip lock bag or sealable plastic container.  Mix together the soy sauce and the sesame oil, and pour the mixture over the chops.  Place the chops in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for 4-6 hours.  Remove the chops from the refrigerator about and our before you place them on the grill.

Prepare a your grill.  When the grill is up to temperature, cook the chops until done, 12-14 minutes total.  Remove the chops from the grill and place on a plate or a cutting board and cover loosely with aluminum foil for 8-10 minutes to rest.  After the chops have rested, serve and enjoy.

Cook's Notes:
You can season the chops as you like, but we use a seasoning called "All American Season."  You can purchase this amazing season at this website.  We know the owner, Mickey, and we can vouch for all of his products.

Tri-tip Sirloin Steak Marinade

A few weeks ago, my oldest friend shared a trip-tip sirloin marinade recipe with me, and he urged me to try it.  I told my friend that I would make it that night as we had a sirloin steak with us at our cottage.  I made the marinade, and we had a lazy day at our place.  We eased into the evening, and I did not put the steak on the grill until almost 7:30PM.  We did not finish dinner until almost 8:30PM and we were not disappointed with the result of the marinade.  My friend sent me a text message just as we finished dinner asking me if we liked the marinade, as he was concerned that he had shared a bad recipe with me.  Well, I am happy to report that we loved the marinade.  It has just taken me some longer than I thought it would to post it.  So, here is the recipe for the marinade:

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup garlic salt
- 5-6 crushed or minced garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup dried onion
- 2 lb trip-tip sirloin steak

Directions:
Place all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix well.  Once well mixed, place the sirloin in a zip-lok plastic bag and pour the marinade into the bag.  Force the air out of the bag and seal the bag.  Place the bag in the fridge and let the meat marinate for 4-6 hours.

Prepare a grill.  When your grill is ready, remove the steak from the bag and discard the marinade.  Cook the steak to desired doneness.  Once the steak is done, remove it from the grill, place it on a slotted cutting board and cover the steak loosely with aluminum foil.  Allow the steak to rest for 8-10 minutes.  Slice and serve.

Cook's Notes:
This marinade was fantastic!  I would use it on virtually any tender cut of steak.  I used Lawry's Garlic Salt for my first attempt at the marinade and I was very happy with the outcome.