April 29 - May 5

I'm back and do I have a fun week in store for you...Saturday is one of our favorite holidays...Cinco de Mayo! Have a margarita with someone you love! Chris is out of town the first part of the week, so I'm trying a few recipes out on my mom this week...Isn't that fun?

Monday: Thai Chicken Pizza from Karen Patterson Ray
Tuesday: Tomatillo Roll-up (Real Simple)
Wednesday: Apricot Crockpot Chicken (Recipes.com)
Thursday: Golden Chicken with Tomato & Olives (Real Simple)
Friday: Grilled Hot Dogs (We love Nathan's All Beef Franks - we can typically find them at Marsh Supermarket) & Homemade Macaroni 'n Cheese (Alton Brown)
Saturday: Cinco de Mayo Celebration
Sunday: Grilled Filet Steaks, Red Potato & Onion & Green Salad


Thai Chicken Pizza
Ingredients:
1 Pizza dough
1/2 cup duck or plum sauce
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 10 oz. bag shredded provolone cheese
1/2 red pepper thinly sliced
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. hot sauce
2 tsp. grill seasoning
4 chicken breasts (or Morning Star grilled 'chicken' tenders)
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1/4 seedless cucumber
4 scallions
1 c. beansprouts
palmful fresh cilantro
1/4 cup peanuts

Bake crust with duck sauce, red pepper flakes, cheese and bell peppers

In a small bowl, combine oil, soy sauce, peanut butter, hot sauce and grill seasoning (microwave peanut butter to loosen itself up) and coat the chicken with miscure and let stand 10 minutes. Cook chicken and slice into thin strips

While chicken cooks, mix honey and vinegar in bowl. Add the cucumber and coat in the dressing.

When the crust is done baking, top with chicken scallions, sprouts, and cilantro. Drain cucumbers and scatter over pizza. Garnish with peanuts. Enjoy with a big cocktail!!!!

Tomatillo Roll-up (Real Simple April 2007 pg. 298)
Ingredients:
1 3 1/2- to 4-pound rotisserie chicken, shredded
1/2 small red o nion, thinly sliced
1 cup tomatillo sauce (also called green salsa)
3 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets & steamed
4 pieces thin flat bread or tortillas, warmed
2 avocadoes, one diced and one sliced
1 lime, cut into wedges

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, onion, tomatillo sauce, tomatoes and pine nuts. Add the steamed broccoli and toss. Divide the chicken mixture among the flat bread or tortillas, top with the diced avocado, and roll up. Serve with the remaining avocado and lime wedges.

Apricot Crock Pot Chicken
This recipe is great for a tasty meal when you don't have much time to cook in the evening.

6 frozen skinless, bonelsss chicken breasts (not thawed)
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup Russitan or French salad dressing
1 cup apricot preserves or jam

In 3-4 quart slow cooker, arrange chicken pieces. Mix remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and pour over chicken. Stir to coat. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender. Serve with hot cooked rice or pasta. Serves 6

Golden Chicken with Tomatoes & Olives (Real Simple May 2007 pg. 318)
1 cup long-grain rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thirds
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large yellow onion or other kind of onion, thinly sliced
1 cup large pimiento stuffed olives, quartered
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
3/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Cook the rice according to the package directions. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Cook until golden brown, about 3 mintues per side. Thansfer to a plate. Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly soft, about 5 minutes. Add the olives, garlic, and tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Return the chicken to the skillet, add the wine, and bring to a simmer. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has slightly thickened, 4-6 minutes. Atir in the parsley. Divide the chicken among individual plates and spoon the sauce over the top. Serve with the rice.


Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe (Alton Brown )

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Grilled Red Potato & Onion
Cut potatos into quarters (try to keep the potatos close to the same size to ensure even cooking). Dice onion and mix with the potatoes. Put the potato and o nion mixture on a large piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Fold up foil to make a packet and put directly on the grill. Grill for 1 hour.

So after I typed all of this, I realized that it's a pretty chicken heavy week...I'll try to mix things up a bit in the future.

Bon Appetit!