Toasted Pecan & Goat Cheese Salad

1 head of Green Leaf or Red Leaf Lettuce       

2 Tablespoons of butter

¼ cup of Pecan pieces

2 teaspoons of sugar

Heat butter over medium heat

Add pecan pieces and stir for about 2 minutes to evenly coat and to toast slightly

Remove from heat and add 2 teaspoons of sugar; toss well

Let cool and use as topping for salad

For dressing, I like Hendrickson’s sweet vinaigrette – found at most Kroger stores

Chicken in a Bag

6 -8 chicken thighs

2 tsp of olive oil

8 Tablespoons of butter

4 teaspoons of minced garlic

8 ounces of white wine

1 teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of pepper

1 Tablespoon of Thyme – if using fresh, then 3 sprigs, uncut, for each thigh

Preheat oven to 425F

Mix all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and let marinate while you make the bag

To make the bag:

Use 2 pieces of aluminum foil, about 3 feet long each.

For each piece of foil, fold in half and then fold in half again to make a double thick bag.

Leave one end open on each bag.

Fold the sides over twice, creating 2 sealed edges; leave one open end.

Place mixture in the bag, including all liquid. Don’t pierce the foil!!

Close the final opening by folding the side over twice. 

Make sure bag is tightly sealed on all sides & carefully slide onto roasting tray.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from oven, place onto a large platter and break open at the table.

Stir Fry Veggies

3 cups of chopped broccoli florets

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise and then cut in half

1 green bell pepper cut like red bell pepper

2 yellow squash, diced

2 zucchini squash, diced

1 Tablespoon of minced garlic

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

1 ½ cups of chicken stock

2 teaspoons of cornstarch

¼ cup of Soy Sauce

Heat oil in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.

Add garlic and ginger – cook 1 minute

If using the stems of a head of broccoli add them here, but save the florets for later.

Add onions & bell peppers – cook 2 minutes

Add broccoli florets – cook 2 minutes

Add Soy Sauce and cook 2 minutes or until veggies are only slightly crisp

In a small mixing bowl, dissolve cornstarch in the chicken stock; add to skillet.

Simmer 2 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Great served over rice!

Chocolate Bananas

6 Bananas

½ cup of chocolate chips

Aluminum foil

Preheat oven to 400F

Hold banana so that the curve side is up – like a smile or a bowl shape.

Using a butter knife, slice along the banana from the tip to the bottom, as close as you can to the top (curve side that is up) but don’t remove the peel.

Use this knife or a small spoon to dig a trough inside the banana – try to make the banana look like a canoe.

Reserve the banana you dig out.

Place as many chocolate chips as you can inside the “canoe”.

Lay peel back onto banana.

Wrap in foil. Adjust the foil so that the banana stays up the way you were holding it – like a canoe.

Bake for 20 minutes – depending on how ripe the banana.

To determine doneness, the banana peel should be black. A more ripe banana will take less time to cook than a banana with a green tip.

Great served over Ice Cream!!

Food Costing

Toasted Pecan Salad:

Green Leaf Lettuce                   $1.79

Pecans                                     $0.87

Salad dressing                          $1.00 or less

Butter                                       $0.26

Sugar                                       $0.01

Salad total                                $3.93

Chicken in a Bag

Chicken Thighs             $4.93

White wine                               $2.00 (on a $8 bottle of wine)

Stick of butter                           $1.00

Oil, spices and herbs                 $0.79

Entrée total                               $8.72

Stir Fry Veggies

Broccoli                                   $2.99

Onion                                       $0.77

Red bell pepper                        $0.99

Green bell pepper                     $0.89

Yellow Squash             $0.96

Zucchini Squash                        $0.86

Minced Garlic                           $0.10

Ginger                                      $0.12

Soy Sauce                                $0.04

Cornstarch and stock                $0.11

Side Dish total                          $7.83

Chocolate Bananas

Bananas (1 per person) $1.59

Chocolate Chips                       $0.63

Dessert total                             $2.22

Food total                               $22.70