Meal of the Month

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Chicken Piccata

Try this out in July!  You will be glad you dild!

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • Salt and pepper
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • Cooked pasta

Directions

  • Using a mallet, pound the chicken breasts until slightly flatten. Season with salt and pepper, and dredge both sides of chicken in flour. Shake off the excess flour. 
  • Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and oil in a large skillet. Fry chicken breasts in hot oil, about 5 minutes each side, until cooked through and golden brown in color. Transfer chicken breasts to a plate.
  • Add the remaining butter to the skillet, add garlic and capers. Add lemon juice, wine, and chicken stock, bring to boil, scraping off the brown bits from the skillet.  Season with salt and pepper. 
  • Return chicken breasts to the skillet. Cook for another 5 minutes until the sauce is slightly reduced. Transfer chicken to a large plate, pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with cooked pasta.

Appetizer of the Month

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Pancetta, Pear & Pecan Puffs

Ingredients

  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
  • 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled fresh goat cheese
  • 3 tablespoons crumbled crisp pancetta or crumbled cooked bacon
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped peeled ripe pear
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans, toasted

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, unfold pastry dough. Using a 1-3/4-in. round cookie cutter, cut dough into 24 circles. Transfer to parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
  • Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, honey, salt and pepper until well blended. Fold in goat cheese, pancetta, pear and pecans.
  • Halve each cooled pastry. Spoon cream cheese mixture over bottom pastry halves; cover with top halves. Serve at room temperature.

Craft of the Month

Let's talk backyard privacy.......

Drink of the Month

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Red White and Blue Pina Colada

Enjoy this July drink! 

Ingredients

Yield 1 serving
3 oz. Bacardi Rum
3 oz. Dekuyper Blue Curacao
6 oz. pineapple juice
4 ½ oz. Cream of Coconut
1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
2 cups ice

Directions

Add rum, pineapple juice, cream of coconut and ice to a blender.  Blend until smooth.
Pour around ⅔ of the mixture into a separate container, leaving the rest in the blender.
Add strawberries to remaining mixture in blender; blend until smooth.
Pint Mason jars work best for this cocktail but use any tall cocktail glass. Pour strawberry mixture into the glass. Slowly pour 1/3 of the reserved Pina Colada mixture into the glass.  Pour the remaining reserved mixture and Blue Curacao into the blender; blend until combined.  Slowly top off with the blue mixture.

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