Italian Chicken with Tomatoes in White Wine Marinade

So, this weekend, we decided to try a couple of our favorite recipes paired with a new dish, italian chicken with tomatoes marinaded in italian dressing and white wine. It turned out to be absolutely delicious! I'd say a perfect summer meal. I can not wait to eat the leftovers.

Ingredients:

1/2 a small carton of baby tomatoes

1/2 a bottle of Italian Dressing

1/2 cup of white wine

3 chicken breasts

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

italian seasoning to taste

garlic powder to taste

salt and peper to taste

First, slice tomatoes into halves or thirds and place in a bowl. Coat in italian dressing and place in the fridge. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Then, after cleaning chicken breasts, grill for about 6 to 8 minutes and place in a baking dish.

Season chicken breasts with pepper, italian seasoning and garlic powder to your liking. Remove tomatoes from fridge and add white wine, mixing a little bit. Pour additional italian dressing over chicken. Then pour the tomatoes directly on top of the chicken breasts.

Cover the baking dish with foil and place in the oven. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked all the way through.

Serve with your favorite side dishes! We chose the Pear & Roquefort salad (see recipe in the Colorblock Dinner Party) and our favorite roasted potatoes.

Enjoy with a glass of white or red wine. We paired with a Pino Grigio by Beringer. Let us know what you think!

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Ahi Tuna Perfection

One of my favorite meals has always been Ahi Tuna. It can be very pricey to order at a restaurant, so I looked in to the cost of making it at home. Surprisingly, it is much more pocket book friendly, as the ingredients last a long time and fresh tuna fillets can be found at an affordable cost when on special. Frozen Tuna will also work and can be found for a very reasonable cost at your local grocery store.

Ahi Tuna is the perfect meal for a special night in with your honey or when you just need a fast meal for yourself. I love the versatility of this meal, perfect for lunch (over a salad) or for dinner. And the best part is it literally takes minutes to prepare! Because who wants to spend all of their time cooking on date night anyways?

**And guys, this meal would definitely be an impressive and tasty meal to surprise your lady with...and so easy, anyone can pull it off effortlessly!**

Ingredients:

4 small to medium Tuna fillets

1/4 cup white sesame seeds

1/4 cup black sesame seeds

1 tsp powdered ginger

1 tsp wasabi powder

1 tsp garlic powder

soy sacue

sesame oil

salt and pepper to taste

Brown rice

Your choice of vegetables

Instructions:

Start cooking the rice first, since it will take the longest. Rinse the tuna fillets off under running water and set on a plate. On a small place mix the black and white sesame seeds, ginger, wasabi (add more if you like it hot), garlic powder and a small amount of salt and pepper.

Pour about two teaspoons of sesame oil into a sauce pan over medium heat. Add 2 tuna fillets and turn heat down to medium low.

Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, just searing each side. Add about a teaspoon of soy sauce right before pulling them out of the sauce pan.

Make sure that your plate with the sesame seed mixture is close by.

Dip each side of the seared tuna fillets in to the sesame seed mixture, making sure to completely cover each side.

Return tuna fillets to sauce pan with more sesame oil and soy sauce. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. The middle should be pink, but warmed through. Repeat with the other 2 tuna fillets.

Remove fillets from heat and set aside. Place rice, which should be done at this point, int he middle of four plates.

Place tuna fillets on top of the bed of rice. Garnish with whatever vegetable you choose to cook and enjoy!! (You can also make this meal for lunch and serve over mixed greens or salad with an Asian inspired salad dressing, delicious!)

Hope you enjoy!!

XOXO, CutieTwins

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Watermelon Glazed Chicken with Corn and Blueberry Salad

Watermelon is a staple of Summer! It is served at almost every summer cookout or BBQ, adored by children and adults alike. It is so juicy and refreshing on those hot summer days, especially this summer! Plus, it's good for you! But what else can you do besides eat watermelon raw?

I discovered this summer that you can actually do a lot with it, including cook. So of course, I had to try it for myself! It was definitely a success, my family loved these recipes together. Much different than you might imagine just from hearing it but the Watermelon Glaze was the perfect mixture of sweet and spicy for a good summer meal. The Corn and Blueberry Salad was a great complement to cool the whole meal down while still adding its own unique flavors to the mix. It was a crowd pleaser to say the least!

Watermelon Glazed Chicken




Ingredients:

1 Watermelon glaze

3 1/2 lbs. meaty chicken pieces

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

fresh herbs (optional)


Instructions:

1) Prepare Watermelon Glaze; remove 1/3 cup and set aside.

Watermelon Glaze:

1 small watermelon

1 12-oz. jar of apple jelly (I used apple and cranberry chutney)

zest and juice of 1 small lime

2 tsp. red Chile flakes

1 tsp. jalapeno hot sauce or salsa

2) Cut half of the watermelon from the rind in to chunks and the other half in to wedges to serve with the chicken. Place chunks in a blender or juicer and blend until smooth. Pour into a fine mesh sieve over a bowl. Reserve 1 cup of the juice and discard the rest.

3) Melt jelly over low heat, stir often. Stir in 1 cup watermelon juice, lime juice and zest. Then add red Chile flakes, jalapeno hot sauce or salsa and a pinch of salt. Mix and taste. Use warm or let cool and refrigerate (will keep for 2 days).

4) Pat chicken dry with paper towels and prepare grill for indirect grilling.

5) Brush chicken with olive oil and salt and pepper both sides. Place skin down over indirect medium heat.

6) Grill 25 minutes. Turn chicken over and brush with glaze two more times. Let rest for 10 minutes. Serve with fresh watermelon wedges and sprinkle with fresh herbs.



Corn and Blueberry Salad

Ingredients:

6 ears fresh sweet corn

1 cup blueberries

1 small cucumber, sliced

1/4 cup red pepper (or red onion if you like), chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

Dressing:

2 tbsp. lime juice

2tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. honey

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Instructions:

1) Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add corn. Cook, covered, for 5 minute or until tender. Cool and cut corn off the cobs.

2) In a serving bowl, combine corn, blueberries, cucumber, red peppers (or red onion), cilantro, and jalapeno.

3) To make dressing, combine lime juice, oil, honey, cumin, and a 1/2 teaspoon salt in a screw top jar. Cover and shake well. Add to salad and toss!

The salad stays good if refrigerated for up to 24 hours. So make it in advance and sereve with the Watermelon Glased Chicken at your next cookout. I promise it will make the perfect end of summer meal and leave your guests begging you for the recipe!

Hope you enjoy!!

XOXO, CutieTwins

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