Chicken Pesto Panini

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 pieces Boneless Breasts Of Chicken, Pounded 1/2" Thick
• 1 cup Pesto
• 1 loaf Italian Bread, Cut Into Thick Pieces
• 1 jar Roasted Red Peppers (drained)
• 6 slices Sharp Provolone Cheese- Cut Thick
• Salt And Pepper
• 3 Tablespoons Butter Or As Much As Desired, For The Bread Slices

First start off making a fresh batch of Pesto.   Sheilah's Pesto
 If you don't have time, store bought will do
Serves 6

Place chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap and use a mallet to flatten chicken to 1/2 inch thickness. Put chicken in a zip top bag and add 3 tablespoons of pesto into the bag. Seal bag and massage pesto into the chicken. Refrigerate and marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour. Remove chicken from the marinade and salt and pepper each breast.
Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot add the chicken. Grill chicken approximately 5-8 minutes on each side or until no longer pink.
Lay your slices of bread out on a work surface. Spread some pesto on one side of each slice of bread. On 3 of the bread slices add one layer of peppers, one piece of chicken and a layer of provolone cheese. Top with another slice of bread (pesto side in).
Spray your grill pan with olive oil spray and heat it over medium high heat. Lightly butter the outsides of each sandwich. Grill each panini until cheese slightly melts and the bread is toasted to your liking.

Marinade one or more hours in refrigerator

Grille chicken for 5-8 minutes per side.

Spread bottom and top of bread with pesto, top with thick provolone cheese.

Add your sliced roasted peppers.

Top with your grilled chicken.

Place on hot grill.

Top with weighted press, flip when golden brown.

Enjoy!!

 

Pesto

Fresh pesto, super easy to make and a great way to use up some or your basil!  This recipe was adapted from Mary A. Esposito.

Pesto:
1 1/2 cups basil leaves packed
3 Tablespoons fresh grated parmesean
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1 clove garlic

Directions:

In a food processor combine the basil and garlic.  Puree.  Add the cheese and blend.  With the motor running slowly stream in the olive oil.  Add the pine nuts and mix until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.
Store in a jar, pour a thin layer of olive oil over top to preserve the pesto.  Store in refrigerator

G G's Zucchini Bread

Printable Recipe

Every summer my dad would plant a veggie garden in the back yard that would produce an abundance of veggies, and zucchini was one of them.  Though this recipe only uses a couple of zucchini's, its still worth making! My mom would triple up the recipe and freeze the bread so we would have some all winter.  This time I threw in a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. The fresher the zucchini, the moister your bread will come out!

Ingredients

•  3 eggs
•  1 cup brown sugar packed
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips ( optional )

Preparation Instructions

Heat oven to 325 F. Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Use a mixer to beat eggs until frothy. Stir in sugars, oil, vanilla and zucchini. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl combine dry ingredients (flour through salt). Then stir this mixture into the zucchini mixture until well mixed. Stir in nuts. Fold in chocolate chips is using.
Pour the batter evenly into 2 well greased 9x5x3 inch pans. Bake one hour or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Cool before serving.

Apricot- Balsamic Pork Chops

This dish is quick and simple, can be made in one pan, and

 you probably have all the ingredients in your kitchen.

You're going to love the tangy sweet and sour taste .

Ingredients:

4 Bone in Pork Chops

1/3 cup Apricot Preserve (I used Trappist apricot pineapple this time)

2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 Red Onion Chopped

Olive Oil  ( enough to coat bottom of pan )

Bells All Natural Seasoning

Salt and Pepper

                            

Directions:

1.  Chop your red onion and saute on medium heat in olive oil for

 five minutes.  Remove cooked onion from pan, set aside.

2.  Salt and Pepper both sides of your pork chops. 

 Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with the Bells seasoning.

3.  With the oil that is left in the pan, brown your chops, 6 minutes each side.

4.  To your pan, add your apricot preserve, balsamic vinegar and cooked red onion. Cover and  simmer for an additional 10 minutes.  Spoon your sauce over the pork chops as it simmers.

5.  Spoon sauce over pork chops and serve.