Shredded Chicken with Balsamic BBQ Sauce

When it gets too hot to grill outside here’s a sweet alternative that can even be made ahead of time so that you can spend more time with your guests or have a quick meal when you get home from work. It’s easy fast and tastes as good as anything you would get in a restaurant. Just think of juicy shredded chicken bathed in barbecue sauce tinged with the tart taste of balsamic vinegar and the sweetness of apricot jam.

Makes 4-5 Sandwiches

Ingredients

3 Boneless Chicken Breasts or Thighs

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 TBS Canola Oil

1 C Balsamic BBQ Sauce *

4 Hamburger Buns *

1 TBS Unsalted Butter

Optional

1 C Cole Slaw

Preheat your oven to 325°F.

Sprinkle the boneless chicken breasts with salt and pepper and let them sit covered with plastic wrap for 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Heat the canola oil in an oven safe large skillet over high heat. Place the chicken breast in the hot skillet and cook until each side has a light brown color. Pour 1 cup of balsamic BBQ sauce over the chicken and put a cover on the pan. Place it in the 325°F oven for 15 minutes. Remove and let it cool with the cover on for 10 minutes.

While the chicken is cooling spread a little butter on the inside surface of the hamburger rolls and cook them on a hot griddle until golden brown. Alternatively brown the rolls on a hot grill.

Using two forks shred the chicken in the frying pans so that it soaks up the BBQ sauce.

Pile the chicken on the grilled rolls and top with the cole slaw.

* PRONTO SUBSTITUTE

Balsamic BBQ Sauce – You can find the recipe for this on my blog or you can substitute your favorite BBQ sauce.

Hamburger Buns – The platform for this sandwich can be everything from a Kaiser roll to Italian bread to the naked goodness of a plate. The choice is yours.

To print this recipe, go to Shredded Chicken in Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Balsamic BBQ Sauce

This simple BBQ Sauce will play wonderful games with your mouth. The full bodied sourness of the balsamic vinegar will be perfectly counterbalanced by the sweetness of the apricot jam and the savory kick of the garlic. It's great for grilling chicken or ribs, as a dip for chicken tenders, or mingled with shredded chicken.

Balsamic BBQ Ribs

Makes 1 1/4 C of barbecue sauce

Ingredients

1 TBS Olive Oil 

2 Cloves Garlic (minced)

1/2 C Catsup 

1/4 C Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 C Apricot Jam 

Mince the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat and sauté the garlic for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add the catsup, balsamic vinegar, apricot jam and bring to a low boil. Lower the heat to a low simmer and cook for 10 minutes stirring frequently. Note: this can be made up 2 days ahead and refrigerated until needed.

Spiced Chocolate Zucchini Cake

It's that time of year for those of use that grow zucchini - what do we do with it? It seems that it almost doubles in size overnight and we can't even give it away. Here's a sweet way to use that zucchini and and satisfy your sweet tooth, Spiced Chocolate Zucchini Cake. It's sweet, chocolaty, and spicy and gives you another way to sneak in a vegetable to your family's diet without them knowing it.

Ingredients

Cooking Spray        

1 pkg Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake Mix*

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

¼ tsp Grated Nutmeg

3 Lg Eggs

1 C Water

1/3 C Vegetable Oil

2 C Grated Zucchini (2-3 small zucchini)

Preheat the oven to 350°. 

Spray two 8 or 9 inch cake pans or 1 bunt pan with cooking spray and coat each with 1 TBS of cake mix. Alternatively you can make cup cakes using cup cake liners or just coating the cups with cooking spray—no cake mix is needed. 

Grate zucchini and set aside.

Mix the remaining cake mix with the cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl with a rubber spatula or whisk until you have a uniform color.  Add the eggs, water and vegetable oil and mix well.  Add the zucchini and stir it in.  Divide the batter into the prepared cake pans and spread the batter evenly with a rubber spatula.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (no wetness). See cooking times below. Let the cake sit on a cooling rack for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. 

Eat your cake and have your veggies at the same time.

* Pronto Substitute

Cake Mix – You can use any brand of cake mix but I would stick to the chocolate varieties.

Cooking Times
2 - 8” Cake Pans	350°F	26-31 Minutes
2 – 9” Cake Pans	350°F	24-29 Minutes
1 – Bunt Ban	350°F	33-36 Minutes
6 C Cup Cake Pan in a Toaster Oven	325°F	15 Minutes
Cup Cake Pan in Conventional Oven	350°F	18-20 Minutes

  To print this recipe, go to Spiced Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Simply Italian Cooking Classes

I have just come off of the most incredible experience working with the Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network. This group of very hardworking women help people who have lost everything get their lives back together. They provide families with shelter, meals, case management and educational services for homeless families in addition to promoting action and awareness in the community regarding homelessness. Over the last 4 weeks I've had to privledge to teach 8 wonderful women at the groups temporary housing unit how to make the basic Italian foods that that I grew up with. I had a great time teaching them how to use simple ingredients to make dishes that that are healthy for their children and taste great at the same time. These women have earned a second chance at life. They are working very hard to get their lives in order so that they can live on their own and give their children a better life. The best part of working with them are the new friendships and a great feeling of giving back to the community. If you have the opportunity, I highly suggest that you get involved with this great group either through a local church or directly with the Hospitality Network.

Tuscan Spinach Bake

I recently had some friends over for brunch and I didn't want to make the usual pancakes and eggs. I decided to make this Tuscan Spinach Bake which reminded me of a dish we make at Christmas. What I came up with was a tall baked pie that was loaded with salty pancetta, spinach, creamy ricotta, sweet peppers and savory Fontina cheese encased in a buttery, flaky puff pastry. What made it even better was that I was able to make it ahead of time and pop it in the oven just before my company arrived so that I could spend time with them instead of being in the kitchen.

Makes 8-12 servings

1 pkg. Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets (thawed)

1 Yellow Onion (diced)

1 TBS Olive Oil

¼ tsp Kosher Salt

4 Cloves Garlic (minced)

2 10 oz. pkg. Frozen Chopped Spinach (thawed, drained)

3 oz Pancetta (diced) *

6 Lg. Eggs

1 ½ C Fontina Cheese (shredded) *

1 C Whole Milk Ricotta

2 TBS Grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese

2-3 dashes Hot Sauce

1 C Red Bell Pepper (diced)

Thaw the puff pastry according to package directions. Preheat oven to 400°F.

Unfold the puff pastry on a floured board. Roll out one sheet to 12” x 12” and the second sheet to 11” x 11” square.

Spray a 9” springform pan with cooking spray and place the springform pan on a cookie sheet (to catch any drippings). Place the 12” x 12” puff pastry sheet in the springform pan with the corners draped over the edge of the pan (see photo).

Diced the onion finely and mince the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and the salt and cook until translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Transfer to a medium sized bowl.

Dice the pancetta. Add to the frying pan that you just used for the onions and cook until crispy. Drain on paper towels.

Drain the spinach by squeezing the spinach in your hand to remove excess moisture. If you don’t squeeze out the water your bake will be soupy.

Beat the 6 eggs in a separate bowl. Reserve 1 tablespoon of egg to brush the top of the pastry.

Add the spinach and fried pancetta to the bowl with the onions along with the 1 ½ cups of shredded Fontina , one cup of ricotta, two dashes of hot sauce, two tablespoons of grated Romano cheese and the beaten eggs.

Diced the red pepper. Pour half of the spinach mixture in the pastry lined springform pan. Top with half of the diced peppers. Add the remaining spinach filling and top with the remaining red peppers.

Place the remaining 11”x 11” puff pastry on top of the spinach filling. Trim the pastry so that 2” of the pastry can be folded over the edge. Pinch the edges to seal. Brush the top with the remaining egg and cut some steam vents in the top of the pastry.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and remove the sides of the springform pan.

NOTE: This can be prepared up to 12 hours in advance. If chilled bake at 350°F for 50 – 60 minutes or until golden brown.

* PRONTO SUBSTITUTE

Pancetta – Substitute bacon for the pancetta.

Fontina Cheese – Fontina is a soft Italian cheese. You can substitute a mild Swiss or cheddar cheese if you can’t get Fontina.

To print this recipe, go to Tuscan Spinach Bake

Triple Chocolate No Bake Cookie Bars

During the weekends I love to have a snack in the middle of the afternoon with a cup of tea. The majority of the time this snack consists of chocolate graham crackers covered with Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread. Yesterday it struck me – what if I covered it in semisweet chocolate. That’s how I came up with my triple chocolate no-bake cookies. After all who wants to heat up the oven in the middle of the summer and it only has three ingredients?

Nutella^®, chocolate graham crackers, and semi-sweet chocolate fused into a cookie is chocoholics’ heaven.

Makes 24 Cookies

12 Chocolate Honey Made Graham Crackers*

2/3 C Nutella^® Brand Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

1 ½ C Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips *

Using a serrated knife cut each graham cracker into 4 equal pieces. This gives you more even pieces than trying to break them along the serration marks on the crackers.

Spread a level ½ teaspoon of Nutella on half of the graham crackers and top with another piece of graham cracker.

Place a glass or metal bowl over a pot of boiling water. Place the chocolate chips in the bowl and mix with a rubber spatula until melted and a smooth.

Holding the end of the graham cracker sandwich (see photo) spread a thin layer of melted chocolate on the four long sides. I usually wear plastic gloves to do this (it keeps me from licking my fingers).

Place the iced bars on a sheet of wax paper to cool.

Store in an air tight container for up to 1 week.

* PRONTO SUBSTITUTES

Chocolate Graham Crackers – I used Honey Maid Chocolate Grahams but you can use any flavor of graham cracker you like.

Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips – You can also use white chocolate chips.

To print this recipe, go to Triple Chocolate No-Bake Cookies