Seared Chicken Breasts

This is more a TIP than a recipe. Allison who works with my son went to chef school and Jesse passed this on to me. It is SO worth the extra step for moist, flavorful chicken to use topped with a sauce or whenever cooked chicken is called for in a recipe.

I use grapeseed oil to sear the chicken. This oil tolerates high temperatures without burning.
Use a skillet and drizzle enough of the grapeseed oil to coat pan lightly.
Heat pan on medium to medium high heat.
Rinse, pat dry chicken and salt and pepper both sides.
Sear 5 minutes per side.
Finish the chicken in a 350-degree oven for about 10-15 minutes until cooked through.

I have placed extra in the freezer covered in chicken broth for future meals.

Be sure to use the browned bits left in the skillet bottom to saute onions, celery and carrots. Then add chicken broth to loosen all the pieces. Great base for soup, noodle or rice dish.

Goat Cheese, Bacon and Pistachio Truffles

I LOVE goat cheese! These can be made a few days ahead of your party and has the Freezer Queen stamp of approval. Well if any are left!
Ingredients:

• 8 ounces creamy goat cheese, softened ( I used Whole Foods brand)
• 1/4 cup cooked bacon ( about 3 slices), crumbled
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder ( I like Roasted Granulated Garlic from Savory)
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios ( I think I used more because did not read "finely chopped"!)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, beat together goat cheese, bacon, garlic powder and onion powder. 

Roll into 1-inch balls with your hands or use a small cookie scoop.

Roll into the chopped pistachios. The pistachios I had on hand were unshelled and was a bit time consuming to unshell them, but that is what "recently retired" husbands are for. I used my small food processor to chop...

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Mini Jalapeno Popper Cheese Ball Bites

These scream Party! Recipe was snatched on Pinterest: chocolatemoosey.com So pretty on the off white plate. Serve with crackers and crack open the DeLoach Zinfandel! Freezer Queen stamp of approval!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese ( I use Tillamock)
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder ( I like Roasted Granulated Garlic from Savory)
• 1/4 cup minced jalapeno (seeds and membrane removed)
• 1/4 cup cooked bacon ( crumbled) ( Whole Foods brand)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, beat together 1 cup cheddar cheese, cream cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, jalapeno and bacon. 

Roll mixture into 1-inch balls.

With the remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese; chop finely with a sharp knife. Roll the cheese balls in the cheddar cheese; covering as much as you can. 

Refrigerate at least one hour.

Honey Mustard Chicken Skewers

The recipe originated from one of Nordstroms cookbooks: Easy Enertainment. The chicken is sweet, moist and delicious! I like to reserve some of the marinade (1/4 cup) to drizzle over the skewers hot off the grill. Easily doubled and or reheated with success.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder ( I like Roasted Granulated Garlic from Savory Spices)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 clove fresh garlic, finely minced
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions:
In medium bowl combine the mayonnaise, mustard, honey, garlic powder, salt, pepper and garlic.
Whisk to combine. Measure out 1/4 cup of the mixture, cover and refrigerate until needed.

Place the chicken pieces in a 1-gallon zip-lock plastic bag. Pour the remaining honey-mustard mixture over them, coating well. Squeeze all the air out of the bag and seal it.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

Soak 6-8 skewers for a couple of hours. Drain.

Remove the chicken from the marinade.
At this point I bake the chicken on a parchment-lined cookie sheet in a 350-degree oven just to firm up the chicken pieces (about 12 minutes). In the mean time preheat your grill on medium to mediium high; brushing the grates with oil.

Remove the chicken from the oven. thread through skewers and finish them on the grill; turning once. Grill about 2-3 minutes per side, until cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the skewers on a platter and drizzle the reserved honey-mustard mixture over the top or serve as a dipping sauce.

Yum!