The Woman Within

For lunch today, I had some left over Ziti and wondered what to do. A little bit of quick innovation led to a tasty lunch. First I drizzled some EVOO and a pat of butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium/high heat Add fresh chopped garlic, then a bit of mushrooms followed by some chopped Kalamata Olives. Stir in a splash of equal amounts of Sherry and Marsala and let the alcohol burn off for a moment or two. Reduce heat to medium Add light sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese and Parmesan. Modify as you like.  This made for a tasty and quick lunch today!

This is a personal creation based upon several non-related dishes I have prepared prior..... Basically it is Chicken served in a garlic and shallot white wine reduction with sour cream and paprika tossed with Linguini Trust me that if you make this, you will eat the entire thing! Here we go... To start: 3 boneless chicken breasts two tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper flour 1 tablespoon butter 1 shallot diced 1/2 yellow onion diced 1 cup of mushrooms finely sliced 6 cloves of garlic, chopped finely 1/3 cup white wine 1 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley 1 1/2 cups sour cream 1-2 tablespoons paprika 14-16 oz. of linguini  (I used basil/red pepper linguini) Put chicken breasts in a ziplock bag and, using a meat mallet, vent your day's frustrations until the breasts are flattened. season the breasts with a bit of salt and pepper and dredge in flour. In a dutch over (spaghetti pot), heat the olive oil and add the chicken. Cook on mediu

A creamy base with chunks of chicken, vegetables and spices, guaranteed as a cold buster.... Eats like an entire meal and very satisfying on a cold winters day... or a day when one may have a winter's cold..... 2-3 Chicken Breasts - cut into small pieces 6 cloves of garlic 1/2 of a red, yellow and green pepper each, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 1 cup of mushrooms, chopped Pinch of salt and pepper 4 cups of chicken broth (low sodium better... salt is in the canned items following) 1 cup carrots sliced finely 3 stalks of celery sliced finely 2 scallions, chopped 1 tomato chopped finely 1 can of diced tomatoes with chilis sprinkling of Onion Powder 1 tsp Curry Powder (or cumin works just as well) 1 can of black beans, drained 1 can of chili beans, drained 1 cup of lowfat sour cream small amount of flour 1 small bundle of Soba noodles Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese 1) Precook Soba noodles as per packaging, drain and set aside 2)  Heat a large pot (dutch o

Pineapple Rum Cake Ingredients Topping: Pineapple Rings (I like to use cut and core my own from a fresh pineapple) 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/4 cup unsalted butter Cake: 1/4 cup unsalted butter 1/2 cup regular sugar 1 egg (or equivalent egg substitute product) 1 tsp. vanilla 1/8 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt 1/4 cup light sour cream 1/4 cup light rum 1 cup all purpose flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda Preheat oven to 390 degrees F. Place 1/4 cup butter (half of a stick) into a 8" square non-stick pan and insert into preheating oven You can move on to assemble the cake now.... but remember to remove the pan just as the butter all melts. Remove pan from oven and add brown sugar.  Mix and spread to coat evenly, the entire base of the pan. Assemble pineapple slices by laying them to cover the entire bottom. For the cake, melt butter (I place the other half stick of butter in the mixing bowl and microwave it)

This recipe is designed for use with breadmakers but may also successfully be created manually as well. To the pan of your breadmaker, add the following ingredients in the order outlined below: 1 1/2 cups warm (but not hot) water 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 Tablesppon Olive Oil 3 1/4 cups bread flour (may substitute 1/4 cup wheat flour to add more body) 1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon of finely crushed rosemary Add all ingredients and set breadmaker to "dough cycle".  When kneading stops, wait 15 minutes and then remove dough.  Place dough on cookie tray that has been lined with parchment paper and form into two long loaves.  You may need some additional  flour to get the dough from sticking to your hands or to form the loaves but try not to use too much. Cover the loaves and let them rise for about 40 minutes in a warm area or until the size has approximately doubled. Preheat oven

Reference for those who may not know what Moussaka is.... Moussaka is basically a lasagna, except that the name allows for this "lasagna" to be created in a variety of new and exciting ways.  It is basically a product of the Balkan states and Southeastern Europe.... with Greece being the well known centerpoint.  I grew up with many Greek Relatives and a household full of scents and smells of foods that took pretty much an entire day to assemble and food was ALWAYS a counterpoint of every family gathering.. There are Greek versions which utilize eggplant.....and, for those, like me who can tolerate eggplant but would prefer something else.... versions which use potato....  I offer this more obscure latter version for your consideration.... Please note... you can vary most of these ingredients, omit, add or do whatever you want.....and it can become your own personal creation..... like mine was with bacon! Adaptations by:  Christen Bustani *******************

Reference for those who may not know what Moussaka is.... Moussaka is basically a lasagna, except that the name allows for this "lasagna" to be created in a variety of new and exciting ways.  It is basically a product of the Balkan states and Southeastern Europe.... with Greece being the well known centerpoint.  I grew up with many Greek Relatives and a household full of scents and smells of foods that took pretty much an entire day to assemble and food was ALWAYS a counterpoint of every family gathering.. There are Greek versions which utilize eggplant.....and, for those, like me who can tolerate eggplant but would prefer something else.... versions which use potato....  I offer this more obscure latter version for your consideration.... Please note... you can vary most of these ingredients, omit, add or do whatever you want.....and it can become your own personal creation..... like mine was with bacon! Adaptations by:  Christen Bustani *******************

1.5 pounds of potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly 1/2 pound bacon     (I use low fat turkey bacon) 1 medium yellow summer squash sliced thinly 1 medium green zucchini sliced thinly 1 medium yellow or sweet onion - cut in half and then sliced into half rings About 4 ounces of mushroom sliced shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend) 6 eggs       (I use no-fat and no cholesterol eggbeaters) Spicy Wing Sauce 3 tablespoons roughly of Olive Oil or Grape Seed Oil This recipe can be modified to suit tastes...... use this as a guideline going forward.... Add Olive Oil to a large skillet and heat. Add the potato slices and onion and cook over medium heat  for 20 minutes, turning frequently. Zucchini, Summer Squash, onions, mushrooms and bacon go in next.  Cook for 5 minutes longer. Preheat Oven to 350 degress F. Grease with a little Olive Oil, the bottom of a shallow glass casserole dish such as pictured. Lay a coating of scrambled egg into the botto