cranberry pear chutney

I got this recipe from some girls at work. Except that I never got the exact recipe. I have just been guessing, and I like how it's turned out.

This is delicious on its own, on top of ice cream or yogurt, in a pie shell (drain 1st) or even as a cobbler.

CRANBERRY PEAR CHUTNEY

3 cans whole berry cranberry sauce
2 lemons
4 pears, ripe but still a bit firm
cinnamon
nutmeg
sugar

Dice pears (skin on or off). Empty the cans of cranberry sauce into a saucepan and heat on high. When it comes to a boil, add the pears. Cover with a lid and reduce heat. When pears become soft, remove from heat, squeeze the juice of 2 lemons and sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. Add sugar to taste - it's both with or without.

oven-fried chicken

I went searching for this recipe soon after I fell head over heels in love with Cracker Barrel's boneless, skinless "Sunday Chicken." I think it's as close as I'm going to get.

OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN

3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts*
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
cooking spray**

Preheat oven to 450. Combine chicken and buttermilk in a large zip-loc bag and seal. Refrigerate for 1 hour, flipping periodically.

Combine flour, salt, pepper & spices in a second zip-loc bag. Remove chicken from 1st bag, throw out the buttermilk marinade. Add 1 piece of chicken at a time to the flour mixture, shaking it well so that you coat the chicken. Take the chicken out, shake off the extra flour, spray the chicken down with cooking spray. Return the chicken to the flour mixture for a 2nd round.

Place double-breaded chicken on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 35-40 minutes, turning once after 20 minutes.

*In lieu of boneless, skinless breasts you could use 2 bone-in breasts, 2 drumsticks and 2 thighs.

**I'm crazy about the Pampered Chef kitchen spritzer filled with olive oil.

baked tilapia on tomatoes

It doesn't get any easier than this.

BAKED TILAPIA ON TOMATOES

4 filets tilapia
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 small onions
2 cloves garlic
1 lemon
kosher salt
ground black pepper

Cook onions & garlic in a bit of olive oil on the stove. Add tomatoes, allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour tomato mixture into a casserole dish, place filets of tilapia on top.

Squeeze the juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon onto the fish, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until fish is done.

maria antonietta's tortilla espanola

I'm including this picture because it captures an integral part of pulling off this recipe: the flip.

MARIA ANTONIETTA'S TORTILLA ESPANOLA

5 medium white tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
6 large eggs
salt
pepper

Peel and chunk the potatoes. Cook them in 1/2 cup olive oil over medium heat until they're soft. Use a whisk to beat the eggs, liberally sprinkle salt and pepper into the mixture. When the potatoes are done, pour the egg mixture over the potatoes. Once the bottom seems to have cooked, place a plate on top of the skillet and flip both rapidly. The still-runny side will be on the plate and the cooked side facing up. Then, after drizzling a little oil into the skillet, slide the tortilla back into the skillet (see picture), runny side down. Allow it to cook for a few more minutes, cut into pie-shaped slices and serve.

white wine chicken breasts

I got this one from a recipe swap a few years ago. It's tasty with a capital T. And as an added bonus, it leaves you with almost an entire bottle of white wine to polish off.

WHITE WINE CHICKEN BREASTS

6 chicken breasts

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cup Pepperidge Farm Stuffing

6 slices swiss cheese

3/4 cup white wine

1/2 stick butter

Clean chicken and place in baking dish. Pour a mixture of white wine and soup over the chicken. Place swiss cheese on top of mixture, then stuffing, then butter on top. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Cover with foil for the first half hour.

v-8 lasagna

The V-8 keeps everything nice and MOIST. Hate that word, love this lasagna.

V-8 LASAGNA

1 1/2 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1 T olive oil
12 oz lowfat ricotta cheese
8 oz tomato sauce
1 lb lasagna noodles
2 eggs
1 large can stewed tomatoes
1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup mozzarella
2 envelopes spaghetti sauce mix
2 12 oz cans V-8
parmesan cheese
parsley

Cook meat in a skillet with the oil. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, sauce mix and V-8. Bring to a boil, simmer 10 minutes. In a separate bowl mix ricotta, eggs & 1 cup mozzarella. Cover bottom of greased 9 x 13 dish with a layer of meat sauce. Add uncooked noodles, cheese mixture. Repeat layers, ending with sauce. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Remove foil, sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and return to the oven until cheese melts. Remove and let stand for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

tuna steak tacos

A fresh take on one of my favorite meats. A bit tex-mexy, but so yummy that I pretend it's authentic.


TUNA STEAK TACOS

2 small tuna steaks
6 corn tortillas
olive oil
1 cup shredded lettuce
1/2 cup fresh salsa (like Jack's)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 small onion, chopped
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
3/4 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Drizzle olive oil over tuna steaks then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill on medium heat until they're cooked all the way through. Let them cool slightly then cut into slices.

While the tuna is on the grill, barely cover the bottom of a frying pan with olive oil. Place the tortillas in the oil, one by one, and allow them to slightly brown on each side. You want them to stay soft - don't let them get crunchy like a chip. Place them to dry on doubled paper towels.

To assemble the tacos: place shredded cheese directly onto the tacos, heat under the broiler or in the microwave until cheese is melted. Cover the cheese with shredded lettuce, sliced tuna, salsa, sour cream, chopped onions & cilantro.