Chicken Sandwich with Mozzarella and Roasted Red Pepper

This is one of my favorite sandwiches at the pub that hubby and I go to for date night each week.  Mine is like theirs, except on steroids!  

You can use jarred commercial red peppers but I recommend taking the time to make these roasted red peppers with garlic that I made!  They make quite a difference! 

Chicken Sandwich with Mozzarella and Roasted Red Pepper 


1/4 Cup Olive Oil
4 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast Halves
1 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1 Egg, Beaten
4 Kaiser Rolls
4 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
4 1/2" Thick Slices Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
1 Cup Roasted Red Sweet Peppers 


Thinly slice the chicken breasts into cutlets, you should get about 3 to a breast.  Dip each cutlet in egg and then dredge in breadcrumbs to coat. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Slice the rolls in half.  Dip the bottom half of the roll into a plate with balsamic vinegar poured into it.

Place two of the cutlets on the bottom half of roll.  



Top that with a slice of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of roasted peppers. 

Cover with top of roll and serve.

Makes four sandwiches.

Roast Beef, Carrots, and Potatoes

A simple to make yet hearty meal that is satisfying and makes awesome leftovers!

Roast Beef, Carrots, and Potatoes

4 To 6 Lb. Beef Ribeye Roast

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Salt &Pepper 
2 Lbs.  Potatoes, Halved Or Quartered
One 16-Oz. Package Baby Carrots
2 Medium Onions, In 1-Inch-Thick Wedges


Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.


Place roast, fat side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper or your favorite seasoned salt; I use Tony Chachere.  Do not add water or cover. Roast in 350 degree oven approximately 1-3/4 to 2 hours for medium rare; 2 to 2-1/2 hours for medium doneness.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine potatoes, carrots, onions and sprinkle with seasoning; toss to coat. 

Remove the roast from the oven after an hour and add the vegetables to the roasting pan.  Return to oven.

Remove roast to carving board when meat thermometer registers 135 degrees for medium rare, 150 degrees for medium. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees; continue roasting vegetables 15 minutes or until tender and lightly browned, stirring once. 

Carve roast into slices; serve with vegetables. 

Roasted Sausages & Vegetables

In my mind this is is truly comfort food.  Hot, savory and completely satisfying!  I cook the whole thing in a large cast iron skillet.  But you can use a roasting pan if you don't have one.

Roasted Sausages & Vegetables

8 (4″ long) sweet Italian sausages
4-5 medium red potatoes
4 large carrots
1 large onion
1 fennel bulb
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp oil
freshly cracked black pepper
2/3 c. chicken broth
4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Brown the sausages.  Don't cook them all the way through, just brown the outsides.  Cut partially slice the sausages in half once they've cooled.

Quarter or half the potatoes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Peel one large onion, and cut into wedges.

Remove the base and stalks of the fennel, and cut into wedges.  Peel and slice the carrots and cut into chunks.  





Pour the broth into the skillet or roasting pan.  Add all the vegetables.  Season generously with salt and pepper . . . I used Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning.  Toss the vegetables to distribute the seasonings and coat with broth.


Cover the tray with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes the potatoes and vegetables should be fork tender. Place the sausages in with the vegetables and pour the balsamic vinegar all over sausages and vegetables.

Place the tray back in the oven, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes.

After 15 minutes, flip the the sausages and ladle some of the juices lurking at the bottom all over the vegetables and sausages. Put it back in the oven for the remaining time, until everything is nice and brown.

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Oven-Roasted Fresh Beets

Beets are easy to grow and very nutritious.  The best part is that you can eat both the greens and the root.  The greens are delicious sauteed with garlic in olive oil or in a salad.

Oven-Roasted Fresh Beets

Fresh whole beets 

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place rack in middle of oven.

Wash and scrub the whole beets to clean off any dirt. Leave the beet whole unless you have some extra large ones (if extra large, cut in half). Trim off the stems (leafy tops) and ends of the beets.

On a large baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil. Place beets on the baking sheetin a single layer.Toss lightly with some olive oil to coat the beets. Place another large sheet of aluminum foil on top of the beets and crunch up the sides of the aluminum foil together to seal.

Roast in the oven for about 1 to 2 hours (depending on the size of your beets) or until tender.

Remove from oven and take off the top foil. Set aside to cool enough to handle. When cool enough to handle, peel the skin off - you should be able to do this by hand.

Serve them as they are with salt or with feta cheese or however else you want to use them.  

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Pork Roast with Roasted Root Vegetables

Pork Roast with Roasted Root Vegetables

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, Plus 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt

1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme Leaves

1/8 Cup Wasabi Mustard (Any Mustard Will Do)

1/8 Cup Brown Mustard (Any Mustard Will Do)

1 (3-Pound) Pork Roast

3 Small Fennel Bulbs, Tops Removed, cut into wedges

8 Carrots, Peeled, And Thickly Sliced 

6 Medium Potatoes, Quartered

2 Yellow Onions, Thickly Sliced

4 Tablespoons Good Olive Oil

4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a food processor or blender, process garlic,  1 tablespoon salt, and thyme leaves. Add the mustard. Spread the mixture over the loin of pork and allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.






In a large roasting pan (I used a great big cast iron skillet), toss the fennel, carrots, potatoes, and onions with the olive oil, melted butter, salt, and pepper to taste. 

Place the vegetables in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. 

Toss the vegetables then add the pork loin to the pan and continue to cook for another 30 to 50 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. 

Remove the meat from the pan and return the vegetables to the oven to keep cooking. 

Cover the meat with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

Slice meat and serve with vegetables.

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Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

1 Medium Head Garlic

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

2 Pounds Russet Potatoes

4 Tablespoons Butter, Softened

1/2 Cup Milk

Salt And Pepper To Taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Drizzle garlic with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Wrap in aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.

Peel potatoes and cut into 1 - 2 inch cubes.  Put into a pot of salted water.  Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a mixing bowl or back into pot.

 

Remove the garlic from the oven, and cut in half. Squeeze the softened cloves into the potatoes. 

Stir in butter, milk, salt and pepper.

Blend potatoes with an electric mixer or a hand masher until smooth and creamy.

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Balsamic Roasted Broccoli

A friend and I have a veggie swap going on.  She gives me things I'm not growing in my garden and I give her stuff that she doesn't have.  It works out quite nicely.

Along with some other veggies, this week she gave me two big heads of broccoli.  One of my favorite ways to cook broccoli is to roast it.  I decided to try something a little different this time and this is the simple and delicious recipe that I came up with . . . 

Balsamic Roasted Broccoli 

2 Pounds Broccoli Crowns

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Sugar

Ground Black Pepper 

Preheat oven to 450F. Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with aluminum foil  . . . to aid in clean up. Place dish on the lowest rack of the oven while oven heats up.

Cut broccoli into pieces. Place broccoli in bowl and add olive oil, salt, sugar, balsamic vinegar and pepper to taste.  Toss to combine. When oven is heated, place broccoli in pan and roast for 11 minutes (until slightly browned).

Serve and enjoy!  It’s excellent cold or reheated, as well.

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