Dinner party vs. betty crocker?!
Dinner party vs. betty crocker?
My husband invited two other couples over on friday for dinner... Not that I mind.. but one of them I swear in another life is Betty Crocker herself... How can I serve up something delicious..( recipies please) and serve/arrange.. to show that I too watch the food channel and HGTV!!! Mind you I also have to plan food for the Superbowl on Sunday!! SO need things that taste like it took forever to make... but DIDNT!!
Answers:
Bruschetta
slice and toast your baguette
mixed together finely chopped garlic, chopped tomatoes, finely chopped fresh basil, finely chopped green onion, crumbled feta cheese and shredded italian cheese and salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle with olive oil. You can do two things from here, one simply bake this mixture for a few minutes or you can top each piece of bread and then bake it that way. I prefer the first one, it is easier to serve and you can put the baguette on a platter with the mix in the middle. This takes care of both your bread and your salad.
For your entree, brown some boneless, skinless chicken breast in a large skillet, when that is done add some chopped onion and garlic, saute this for a few minutes. Then add jarred alfredo sauce, some fresh chopped basil and some lemon zest. Pour this over the chicken and bake in the oven. When you pull it out, slice the lemons and place over the chicken for garnish and extra flavor.
Serve this with the pasta of your choice I prefer bucatini rigatti by Barilla. You may want to to have some french bread on the side for dipping in the sauce.
For dessert...
4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Butter four (3/4-cup) custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place on baking sheet.
MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Blend in eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk. Stir in flour. Divide batter between prepared custard cups.
BAKE 13 to 14 min. or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 min. Carefully run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately, topped with whipped topping.
To help in saving money buy the boneless skinless chicken that is the frozen in the bag, buy store brands. Check out Walmart and Aldi.
Good Luck...
Now for the superbowl, stick to tailgating/picnicing type food. Hot sausage and meatball subs with red sauce. Wings, veggies trays, cheese and lunch meat trays, fruti trays etc...
Mcdonalds on skewers, that's high class according to their commercial.
I tried to copy a restaurant dish that works wonders and tastes really good. Sautee chicken in "EVOO" (Rachel Ray - and btw it means extra virgin olove oil) and garlic - lots of garlic (dont worry about the garlic as you can just throw out whatever gets overdone). Finish with sun-dried tomatoes and basil - lots of basil. Serve over your favorite pasta with some extra EVOO. You can add a french loaf, green salad, and some quick/easy dessert.
Voila! It is very very good and quick as well. Adjust as necessary for the number of people - I find that a 16oz bag of pasta and 1.5lbs of chicken feeds my family of 4 quite nicely.
Keep it simple.
Look up some recipes (cook.com) for some nice and simple appetizers. Crock pot meatballs, crudites, dips & crackers.
Crock pot/ Bread Machine
TRY THESE DISHES, THE PRESENTATION IS REALLY NICE AND THE FOOD IS DELICIOUS.
Grill Seasoned Steaks and serve with Baked Acorn Squash Glaze with Brown Sugar and Butter (recipe follows) and topped with Mashed Potatoes. A Caesar Salad would be a wonderful accompaniment (recipe follows) For dessert Lemon Curd and Strawberry Pound Cake (Recipe Follows)
2 Acorn Squash washed then cut into 1/2" thick rings,
scoop out seeds in center
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 Rounded TBLS. brown sugar (you could use maple
syrup as substitute)
Paint both sides of the squash rings and place them on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes. Pierce with a fork for desired tenderness.
Scoop mashed potatoes neatly into the center ring of the squash.
Leave 1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced in 1/2 cup olive oil (don't use any other oil) for up to 24 hours.
Saute 1 cup cubed French bread or bagel slices (my personal favorite) in 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil.
Break up into 2-inch lengths: 2 heads romaine. Wash and dry well. Place the romaine in a salad bowl. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the lettuce.
Sprinkle over it:
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
A generous grating of black pepper.
Optional: 5 fillets of anchovy, cut up small or mashed to a paste; a few drops of Worcestershire sauce)
Add 3 tablespoons wine vinegar and the remaining 6 tablespoons garlic oil.
Add the croutons and 2-3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Toss.
One Frozen Sara Lee Pound Cake sliced into three layers.
Butter the layers with Lemon Curd (found in jams and jellies aisle)
Top each Lemon layered cake with sliced strawberries
Put the filled cake bake in the loaf pan, cover and pop in the freezer for about an hour. When ready to serve, top with whipped cream and slice so that each beautiful layer is showing.
www.allrecipes.com is a great website that has real people's recipes, that have been tested and rated by other users.
Creole Pecan Chicken Breasts
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 egg whites, beaten until frothy
6 tablespoons Creole mustard, divided
1 cup finely ground pecans
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup skimmed evaporated milk
toasted pecan halves
Preparation:
Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Blend egg whites and 4 tablespoons mustard in a second bowl. Combine pecans and breadcrumbs in a third bowl. Dredge each chicken breast in flour, shaking off excess, then in egg white mixture, then in pecan mixture. Press so that coating adheres to both sides.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken breasts about 3 minutes or until crisp and brown. Turn, reduce heat to medium and cook about 5 minutes or until chicken has lost its pinkness.
Meanwhile, in a 1 quart saucepan, warm evaporated milk over medium heat. Stir in remaining mustard. Cook about 5 minutes or until heated. To serve, slice chicken breasts diagonally and top with sauce. Sprinkle with toasted pecan halves.