Balsamic Grilled Chicken with Mozzarella and Pesto
c/o Stephanie Cooks
2 chicken breasts
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2-4 thick slices fresh mozzarella
Pesto
Directions
1- Place the chicken and 1/2 cup of the balsamic vinegar in a large bag or bowl and marinade for 1 hour. (Do not marinade over night- the acid in the vinegar can affect the texture).
2- When ready to cook, heat a grill pan and grill the chicken until cooked through.
3- Meanwhile, pour 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for about 15 minutes, until reduced and thickened.
4- When the chicken is cooked top with the slices of mozzarella and place it under the broiler until the cheese melts. Top with a spoonful of pesto and drizzle with the balsamic reduction.
Cinnamon Bun Popcorn
c/o Lauren's Latest
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
a few dashes of salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon, or more if desired
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon half & half
Directions
In a small bowl, mix butter and cinnamon together. Set aside. In a separate small bowl, mix powdered sugar with half & half until smooth. You may have to stir in a little more half & half to get it to drizzling consistency. Set aside.
Place oil and popcorn kernels into a large pot. Cover with tight fitting lid or foil. Place pot over high heat. Shake pot back and forth over hot burner to heat kernels evenly. Continue shaking the pot until the popcorn starts to pop. After a minute or two, the popping will slow right down and you’ll have a pot full of popcorn. Dump the hot popcorn onto a baking sheet and drizzle with cinnamon butter immediately. Stir to coat. Drizzle the icing over the top and toss to coat as well. Serve warm, or let it cool so the icing can harden up a bit.
Recipe notes: It’s important to keep the pot moving the entire time its over the heat–this ensures the kernels don’t ever burn.
Homemade Garlic Hummus and Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
1 15. oz can of garbanzo beans, reserve the liquid
2 large garlic cloves, cut into smaller pieces
2 tbsp. tahini (recipe below)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
Large pinch of cayenne, more to taste
Salt, to taste
Olive oil
Dash of paprika for garnish
Directions
- In a food processor add the beans, garlic cloves, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne, salt, a couple tbsp. of reserved liquid, and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Process until well pureed. If it doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere, not getting pureed, drizzle in more olive oil and thin it out with the reserved liquid.
- When ready to serve, spoon into a small dish/bowl and sprinkle paprika on top. Serve with pita chips, olives, anything you want!
- This can be covered and refrigerated for 1-2 weeks.
