Artichoke Gratinata (crowd pleasing veggie dish!)

Artichoke Gratinata (crowd pleasing veggie dish!)

Ok, throw me a bone here friends, this is another Giada Recipe I saw her whip up on Food Network.

I've been waiting for a chance to try this recipe - and Saturday night (same night of the goat cheese stuffed mushrooms) was the perfect night. I was sick of my usual Arugula Salad, or grilled veggies (to be honest I don't like many veggies so it gets hard to be creative) but this one is a true crowd pleaser. I made a few adjustments that I'll list below the regular recipe!!

What You'll Need:
*3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* 1 garlic clove minced
* 1 lb frozen artichoke hearts, thawed & drained
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 3/4 teaspoons salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1/2 cup chicken broth
* 1/4 cup Marsala wine
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/3 cup plan bread crumbs
* 1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese.

*(My modifications: I doubled the recipe to accommodate 6 as this recipe says it's for 4. Instead of sauteing everything in olive oil, I used my left over bacon grease that I had made for my stuffed mushrooms (naughty, I know.) I also used more like 3-4 minced garlic cloves and a little extra red pepper flake)

To Do:

* Preheat Oven to 450 degrees

* Warm olive oil (or bacon grease in my case) in a heavy bottom skillet (I used cast iron) over medium - high heat. Add the garlic & cook for 1 minute. Add the artichoke hearts, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and cook until the artichoke hearts are starting to brown a the edges around 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and wine and simmer 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a 2-4 quart baking dish.

* Melt the butter in the same skilled used to cook the artichoke mixture. In a small bowl mix the melted butter with bread crumbs. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and top the artichokes with the bread crumb mixture. Bake until top is golden around 10 minutes.

Serve With:
This is a great side for beef (I made bacon wrapped grilled filets); pork; meaty fish dishes or even chicken.

(apologies for not having a photo of the dish, I had too many balls in the air and next thing I knew it had been consumed! Everyone loved this dish - I feel it's a good crowd pleaser and even a kid friendly veggie dish! Give it a try and report back)

HAPPY EATING FRIENDS!!!
XOXO
THE WILSONS

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Champagne Chicken

Champagne Chicken!

I was in a pinch for dinner last week and hadn't gone to the Market - having been way too busy! I assessed my fridge and freezer. I had some raw chicken strips and I was going to make a homemade marinade, but I had nothing with acid - no lemons - nothing.

So, I pulled out my one of my favorite Salad dressings -- Girard's Champagne Salad Dressing -- that I have loved since college. I wasn't sure if this would work as a Marinade so I did a quick Google search and sure enough, the Girard's website they recommended using the dressing as a Marinade.

To Do:
* Marinade the Chicken in the dressing for a couple hours.

* Heat a saute pan to medium/medium high, drizzled a bit of good Extra Virgin Olive Oil and saute the chicken until it is golden brown all over. (about 4-5 minutes per side depending - just monitor closely)

HOW EASY IS THAT - AND it tastes much fancier than it obviously is. You could EASILY use this to serve for company because it tastes rich and complicated. The Chicken was tender & had a nice tang, slight bit of spice, and really just was one of the most delicious and easy pieces of chicken we've had in a very longtime.

Serve It With:
* Porcini Mushroom Risotto
* Green Salad with a light but creamy dressing

Let us know if you try this and what you think! If you haven't had Girard's you gotta try it. It makes a great salad dressing for a special occasion too - especially if you don't have time to make something from scratch!

Do what you do, eat what you like!
-The Wilsons

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Cameron's Kickin' Crispy, Cheesy, Wrap That Husbands Will Love

Cameron's Kickin' Crispy, Cheesy, Wrap That Husbands Will Love

My husband has declared on at least a dozen occasions over the past few months that he could "Whack down about 5 more of these" and that he could "Eat these at least 6 nights a week" about my Crispy, Cheesy Wrap Sandwich.

For me, the best part is that it's super easy, super fast, and it's actually pretty healthy!!!

What You'll Need:

*Wholewheat Wrap
* 1 slice of fat free American Cheese
* 1 slice, or a couple of pinches of any other favorite cheese, (shredded Mexican Cheese, Provolone, etc)
* 1 grilled chicken breast (or buy a rotisserie chicken from the market)(I usually grill up some chicken to start the week, or get it pre-grilled from the local gourmet market to save time)
*1/4 Red Onion roughly chopped
*Pinch of fresh thyme
*Pinch of fresh chopped basil
*(optional) 1/2 clove of garlic finely chopped
*Dash of organic low sodium chicken broth
*Lemon Juice
*Your favorite Salsa
*Tablespoon of Smart Balance Light
*Olive Oil drizzle for saute
*Kosher Salt & Black Pepper for taste.

To Do:

*In a large skillet on med/high heat melt your Smart Balance Light and drizzle in a bit of really good extra virgin olive oil.
*While your Smart Balance & olive oil is getting ripping hot, chop up your red onion & garlic and drop in to saute/or even caramelize if you want.
*Add a dash of Kosher salt & black pepper

Chicken Mixture:
*Meanwhile, slice up your chicken breast (previously cooked) or use a fork to shred some of the rotisserie chicken breast. Set aside.
*When your onions and garlic start looking like they are on the verge of caramelizing, toss in the thyme, basil, a squeeze of lemon, and then the chicken.
*Add a dash of the low sodium chicken broth to help bring the previously cooked chicken back to life. (I also usually add a splash of dry white wine).
*Add another dash of salt and pepper.
*Once the mixture is nice and coated and the chicken is warm (1 min) set aside the mixture in a bowl.

Wrap:
*Now, on a plate tear up your slice of fat free cheese and put it on the wrap focusing mainly on going up the middle, and a little on the sides.
*Next sprinkle or shred a little bit of a regular cheese of your choosing (Mexican flavored shredded, provolone, cheddar etc) on both sides of the wrap
*Spray the same skillet you used to make the mixture with a light coat of Pam
* Put the wrap (w/ the cheese on it) in the skillet
*Carefully place a nice layer of the chicken mixture that you had set aside down the center of the wrap
*On med/to med/ high heat, put a lid over the wrap so that the cheese can melt while the bottom of the wrap crisps up.
*Once the cheese starts looking melty (couple minutes), check the bottom of the wrap. Add a quick squeeze of lemon juice to the chicken mixture, and few dollops of your favorite salsa to the top of the chicken mixture (but not enough to soak the wrap). Once the wrap has started to get golden brown on bottom, fold the right & left side over the middle, and push down a little so the cheese helps it stay in place
*Put on plate, cut in half, and serve with a super duper chilled Guinness!!!

5 TIPS To Ensure A Yummy Wrap:
1. The thing with this sandwich is I never make it exactly the same twice. I use whatever I have on hand to mix it up, spruce it up, etc.
2. For example, I had some left over prosciutto from a dinner party so last night I chopped that up and let it crisp up with the onions & garlic. It added a nice salty crunchy texture, without overwhelming the grilled chicken.
3. If you have some inexpensive chardonnay or white Burgundy - that is also yummy - pour yourself a glass to drink while cooking, and then add a mini splash to the saute.
4. The key to this sandwich is that you should always have certain items on hand, that way, you can whip it up really quickly with whatever protein, herbs and cheeses you have on hand!
5. The trick to getting huge flavor when you are making basics like this is: fresh herbs. Experiment to figure out what your favorite fresh herbs are and try to keep them around. I love basil, thyme, cilantro, and rosemary. I also always have fresh garlic, onions, scallions, lemons, white wine and low sodium chicken broth, smart balance, and nice extra virgin olive oil. Seems like anything is possible from there.

Cheers to all things crispy & cheesy!
The Wilsons
(and dare we say kinda healthy too!)