4 Step Chicken Cacciatore

Step 1: saute 1 lb cubed chicken breast meat with garlic powder, black pepper, rosemary, oregano in large saute pan.  When half cooked, push to one side.



Step 2: in same pan, saute big chunks of onion and green pepper until partly softened.  (using large chunks makes it easier for picky eaters to push aside the parts they don't want)





Step 3:  add 29oz can plain tomato sauce, 1 can drained whole black olives, 1 can drained mushrooms.  Simmer 15 minutes.




Step 4: serve over pasta or with garlic bread.

Antipasto is Awesome!

From wikipedia: Antipasto (plural antipasti) , often spelled and/or pronounced as antipasta (antipasta salad), means "before the meal" and is the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. Traditional antipasto includes cured meats, olives, peperoncini, mushrooms, anchovies, artichoke hearts, various cheeses (such as provolone or mozzarella), pickled meats and vegetables (both in oil or in vinegar).



It is really just marinated bite-sized meats, cheeses, and veggies, so you could use any that you prefer.  This is what I used:

Stick pepperoni, sliced
Salami, cut into cubes
Smoked gouda, cubed
German butter cheese, cubed
Fresh mozzarella balls
Olives, green and black greek, drained
Marinated mushrooms in oil
Marinated slices of cherry pepper
1 bottle italian dressing

Mix all ingredients.  Allow to marinade at least overnight; two days if possible. Shake container occasionally to distribute marinade.

Seriously, you just buy all these goodies and throw together in a container for a day or so.  Then enjoy the awesomeness!



Serve with toothpicks or on lettuce with fresh veggies.  You could also use ham cubes, proscuitto pieces, artichoke hearts, three-bean salad; anything goes!

Stuff It!!

With a little imagination, you can stuff just about anything :)



Summer Veggie Stuff & Bake:

Hollow out veggies.  Peppers can be cut in half to make two little boats, then blanched in boiling water for two minutes. Drain and stuff.

The round things in this photo are small yellow zucchinis with the stem ends cut off and seeds scooped out.  Also try hollowing out large tomatoes, eggplant halves, onions, or regular long zucchinis sliced lengthwise to make two boats.  Put hollowed veggies into baking pan coated with cooking spray; bake at 350 for about 20 minutes before stuffing.



This stuffing has been approved by my testing victims, who all claimed to dislike stuffed peppers but had only tried the traditional method using green peppers, hamburg, rice, and tomato soup. I find that green peppers develop a bitter flavor when cooked with tomato, and prefer the sweeter yellow or red bell peppers.

Veggie Stuffing:
1 c.grated zucchini
6oz crumbled feta cheese
1/2 c. italian bread crumbs
15oz can small white beans, drained
14oz can diced tomatoes
half of a 3 oz jar Hormel Real Bacon Bits 
1 tsp each oregano, parsley, onion powder

mix & stuff. cover with shredded mozzarella or parmesan.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Broil on low for 2 minutes to toast the cheese.