Category: New Menu Monday

This recipe was featured in TJ Wilde Mysteries: Underway, and I realized that because of the travel component in Full Sail, there will be no companion recipes. Too much going on for TJ to bother with cooking.

When I went to look for this recipe to share, I forgot this fun tidbit:

“It was so unusual, my most reliable recipe testers politely declined my dinner invite. Totally understandable. But I will tell you I was pleasantly surprised how well this turned out. If you like pork and apples, this has a similar flavor palate. It was also quick and easy to prepare. I’m glad I decided to experiment.”

I really like to whip up quick flavorful dinners.  Buffalo chicken is a favorite and I’m always experimenting with making it better.  This time I tossed the chicken in seasoned potato starch and thought it was the ingredient that had been missing. It makes the chicken pieces crisp up nicely and added a depth of flavor beyond the sauce.

It is great served over rice, salad, mashed or baked potatoes, drizzled with bleu cheese dressing, and a side of celery.  All the flavor of wings without the prep time or mess.

Skillet Buffalo Chicken Bites

Continuing with the lemon theme, this dish is super easy to prepare and delicious.  The recipe for those delicious butter potatoes can be found here.

Chicken Piccata

• 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp basil, crushed
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• ½ tbsp olive oil
• 4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded flat
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon, sliced into very thin slices*
• ½ cup water
• 2 tbsp fresh snipped parsley
• 3 tbsp lemon juice

bowl, skillet

And we are back. I took last week off because I had some deadlines to meet, including finalizing the cover for Full Sail.  Stay tuned for a sneak peak soon.

I hadn’t made this recipe in quite a while and had forgotten what a good combination butter, lemon and in this case, pecans are with pork. But I had some misfit lemons I bought at the store that I needed to use up and lots of pecans, so I searched through my recipes and this one popped up.

Lemon-Nut Pork Chops

• 4 boneless pork loin chops (approx. 1/2 to 3/4” thick)
• ½ tsp crushed garlic
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup finely chopped pecans or hazelnuts (the finer the grind, the better this works, if you have a coffee grinder that’s best)
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 lemon, quartered

skillet

One of my neighbors left us this past week. I only knew him in passing, meaning every day when I walked the dogs, if he was out on his porch, he would say hi and inquire about how we all were doing. When Bixby died, he was sad with us; when Trixie was a rambunctious puppy flopping around on her leash, he laughed with us. I will miss all of that.

I wanted to do something for his family, and as we do during these times, we bring food and flowers. So I bought some pansies for his front garden and made Snickerdoodles for his grandkids.

I like them for gifts because they don’t have nuts or chocolate in them, so I feel like I don’t have to worry about allergies when I drop them off.

Snickerdoodles

• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

***

• 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon, for rolling
• 2 tbsp sugar, for rolling