Chicken Piccata

anja3582 left me several great and easy recipes. I will give them a shot and let everyone know how they turn out. I know that the bf will be glad to eat something new since my recipe collection is rather limited. I finally made the chicken piccata last night. This is the bf's favorite recipe, so I thought I would share it since it is super easy to make and delicious. Of course, I cannot take credit for it, it came from about.com.


6 to 8 chicken breast halves, boneless, no skin (I used chicken strips. They are easier to cook and tend to brown better.)
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika, or to taste
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chicken broth or water
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 to 8 thin slices of lemon
3 tablespoons capers (optional)

Preparation:
Put chicken breasts between 2 sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap; pound to flatten to about 1/4-inch.
In a shallow bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper and paprika; dredge chicken breasts to coat well.
Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté chicken breasts in batches, about 3 minutes on each side.
Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Stir in chicken broth, scraping to loosen browned bits. Add lemon juice and heat through. Return chicken to the skillet with the lemon slices; heat until sauce thickens. Add capers, if using. Serve with your favorite pasta (I love angel hair pasta).

Happy Independence Day

I will be out of pocket for the 4th and through the weekend so I wanted to say: HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY AMERICA! I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July. I will be soaking up some rays and watching fireworks. Maybe a hamburger and hotdog in there too. My main goal for the holiday/weekend is to keep track of receipts and the categories I spent in. I tend to let my financial tracking slide while out of town. This weekend is going to be an attempt to do better. Will report back on Monday. Until then. . .

Easy Shrimp Skillet

Last night's easy shrimp skillet was excellent. Not only was it easy to make, but it tasted delicious. I got the recipe off of www.kraftfoods.com. Here it is:

1 Tbsp. oil
2 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 small)
1/2 lb. frozen large shrimp, thawed
1 cup (about 1/2 of 14-1/2-oz. can) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
1/2 cup ATHENOS Traditional Crumbled Feta Cheese
1 cup uncooked instant white rice, prepared as directed on package
HEAT oil in nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add zucchini; cook 1 min. Add shrimp; cook until shrimp turn pink, stirring occasionally.
STIR in tomatoes with their liquid and the dressing. Cook on low heat until heated through. Sprinkle with cheese.
SPOON over cooked rice. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

I left out the parsley and used Gorgonzola cheese instead of feta cheese because that it what I had at the house. I will definitely cook this recipe again!