Chicken Satay with Peanut sauce

I use bottled Peanut Sauce, but wanted to make a yummy marinade for the chicken. This would be even better on the grill, but I did it on the stove. I sliced the chicken breasts into strips and put them on skewers, but you can use chicken tenders also. Even without the peanut sauce they were so great!

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

1lb chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 bottle House of Tsang Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce (found in Thai aisle).
1/2 C chopped dry roasted peanuts lightly salted kind.
marinade:
3 cloves of garlic, chopped or minced
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp light brown sugar
1/4 C Tamari soy sauce
1 T lime juice and zest of 1 lime
3 T olive oil
Cayenne (to your liking---we like it spicy--few shakes)

Soak wooden skewars in water at least 15 minutes (during marination time)
Combine all marinade ingredients and put chicken strips or tenders in marinade, cover and put in fridge for about 15-20 minutes. Skewar each chicken strip or tender. Cook in pan on med for about 2-3 min on each side (until no longer pink inside). Serve with peanut sauce for dipping with chopped peanuts.

Tequila and Lime Grilled Chicken

I got the original recipe from Katie#s: http://goodthingscatered.blogspot.com/2008/05/tequila-and-lime-grilled-chicken.html
I made a couple of changes and I cooked it on the stove (we dont have a grill). Here it is...it was AMAZING! And nice and spicy! I was looking for a great recipe for Cinco de Mayo (late on the BUs). I only used 1 lb of chicken and had lots of extra marinade (dont mix it all in, save it and you can use it on more chicken, shrimp, etc)

Tequila and Lime Grilled Chicken

1 lb chicken breasts (thin sliced)
1/4 C tequila
1/3 C fresh lime juice
1/4 C olive oil
1 C fresh cilantro
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Jalepeno, sliced
1 shallot, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cumin

Add all ingredients except chicken to food processor and blend well. Add chicken to marinade (like I said this makes extra so I put the chicken in a dish and poured just enough marinade to cover the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (not too much longer because the lime juice will cook the chicken and make it tough). I cooked on the stovetop in a pan on med about 3-4 min on each side, until no longer pink inside.

Morton's Tri Tip Steak

This comes already marinated from Costco...it was great!!! I made a mushroom sherry cream sauce.

An approximate recipe for the mushroom sherry cream sauce

2 T. olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2 pkgs baby bella mushrooms (baby portabella), sliced

dry sherry (enough to cover the mushrooms (1/2 cup????)

Heavy Cream (1/2 Cup??)

Saute Garlic in olive oil for about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and stir. Add sherry, and cook until most of liquid is cooked off. Add Heavy cream until it seems right (I know that is no help, but I didnt measure it.). About a 1/2 cup or so. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over sirloin.

Key Lime Pie

You can also add shredded coconut to the crust recipe (only if you are sure your guests or you like it). I would use 1/2 cup if you are going to use it.

Key Lime Pie

Crust:

1 and 1/4 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs

1 C chopped Macadamia Nuts

1/4 C sugar6 Tbsp Butter, melted

Combine all ingredients and press into a 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.

Pie Filling:

14 oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk

3 egg yolks

1/2 C key lime juice ( I use Nellie and Joe's)

1/4 c Cream cheese (can use low fat)

Combine ingredients until smooth with hand mixer. Pour into cooled pie crust and bake 350 for 15 minutes. Chill at least 3 hours. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Berries with Limoncello

This is a Cooking Light Recipe. I served it over Lemon sorbet. I bet you could incorporate it into a martini. Only 136 calories!

Berries with Limoncello

2 C fresh raspberries

2 C fresh blackberries

2 C fresh strawberries

1 C fresh blueberries

1/4 C sugar

1 T grated lemon rind

2 T lemon juice (fresh)

2 T Limoncello

1/2 C. torn mint

Combine first 8 ingredients in bowl. Let stand 20 minutes, stir in mint with spatula. serve over lemon sorbet.

Vegetable Lasagna

This is made with a bechamel sauce, but not as bad as most, I used skim milk (you would never know). Wegmans makes fabulous fresh lasagna sheets that you dont even need to cook, just assemble the lasagna. It is a little time intensive, but worth it!!!! You can do it hours ahead and keep it in the fridge and bake it later. I used Broccoli and Carrots, but you can use whatever vegetables you like.

Vegetable Lasagna

Bechamel Sauce (makes approx 5 cups)

5 Tbsp Butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

5-6 Tbsp flour

5 Cups skim milk

3 Tbsp Cream Cheese (can use low fat)

1 Cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)

Melt butter over med heat, and saute garlic 1 minute. add flour and whisk, cook until golden and flour smell is gone (about 3-5 minutes). Add milk slowly, whisking constantly until smooth. Allow to thicken (5 or so minutes). Keep whisking to keep it smooth. Add Parmesan, mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lasagna:

Fresh Lasagna sheets (depending on the size) enough for 6 layers.

5 Cups Bechamel sauce

1 and 1/2 of 10 oz package of frozen chopped broccoli, steamed and drained

1 pkg shredded carrots (10 oz)

Parmesan cheese, shredded (approx 1 and 1/2 cups)

Butter to dot the top of the lasagna

Preheat oven to 350 F. No need to boil lasagna sheets if they are fresh. Layer 2 ladels bechamel sauce on bottom of pan. Place lasagna sheets on top of sauce to fit pan. Place a layer of broccoli, lyer of bechamel sauce, layer of parmesan. Repeat with pasta sheets, layer of carrots, layer of bechamel, layer of parmesan. Repeat so there are two layers of broccoli and two layers of carrots. Place lasagna sheets over top. Pour remaining bechamel sauce over top, layer parmesan cheese. Dot with butter and Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes *uncovered*. Turn on broiler to brown top (make sure you watch closely). let sit about 3 min. before cutting.

So I made dinner for my parents and In-Laws

It turned out so great! I did it two nights in a row...the first night the menu was:

various appetizers

Vegetable Lasagna (with a white sauce) and steamed green beans

Berries in Limoncello over lemon sorbet

the second night:

various appetizers

Tri Tip Steak (bought at Costco, already marinated) with a mushroom sherry cream sauce

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

Roasted Asparagus

Homemade Key Lime Pie

Going to put the recipes next.