A to Z Recipes
Newsletter

Baked chicken with artichokes, mushrooms and a sherry glaze. A unique combination AND a scrumptious dish.

Yields 4 to 6 servings.

3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons sherry
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained

1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2 Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and paprika to taste. Melt butter or margarine in heavy skillet and brown chicken on all sides. Remove to covered 9x13 inch casserole.

3 Add mushrooms to pan drippings and saute. Add flour and gradually add stock or broth and sherry. Season with rosemary; deglaze skillet.

4 Arrange artichoke hearts among the chicken pieces and pour sauce over all. Cover and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 40 minutes or until tender.

Makes 5 servings

Nutrition Info: Amount Per Serving: Calories: 457, Total Fat: 13.2 g, Cholesterol: 183 mg, Sodium: 1467 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 13.7 g, Dietary Fiber: 3.3 g, Protein: 67.3 g

ITALIAN FRITTATA

~Submitted in by Anita, Battle Ground, WA

I use to make this for Sunday Morning breakfast, after Saturday night tacos, using the leftover diced onions and chopped tomatoes.

1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 med-size onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. leaf oregano, crumbled
8 eggs
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 oz. (2 slices) Provolone cheese, shredded (I have used mozzarella cheese, or whatever is left over from the tacos, including cheddar.)

1. Saute green pepper and onion in 2 Tbs. butter until soft, about 5 minutes. In a small skillet, add tomato, 1/2 of the salt and oregano. Cook slowly, 10 minutes, stir occasionally until all liquid is absorbed; reserve.

2. Beat eggs slightly in medium size bowl with remaining 1/2 tsp salt and pepper.

3. Heat 10" skillet for 5 seconds. With fork, swirl the remaining butter over bottom and sides.

4. Pour in egg mix. Cook stirring with flat of fork and shaking pan back and forth until omelet is firm on the bottom and almost set on top. Spread tomato mix evenly over top. Sprinkle with cheese; cover skillet for about 2 minutes or until cheese starts to melt. Cut in wedges to serve. (we liked this served with Creole sauce)

WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY TRUFFLE CHEESECAKE

~Submitted by Carol, No. CA

Top Secret Recipes version of The Cheesecake Factory?® White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle?® Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
or 20 crumbled Oreo cookies (filling removed)
1/3 cup margarine, melted

1/2 cup raspberry preserves
1/4 cup water
4 8-ounce pkgs. cream cheese
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 eggs
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped into chunks
Optional Garnish
2 ounces shaved white chocolate
whipped cream

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place a large pan or oven-safe skillet filled with about 1/2-inch of water into the oven while it preheats. This will be your water bath.

2. Combine the raspberry preserves with 1/4 cup water in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 1/2 minutes on high in your microwave. Stir until smooth. Strain to remove the raspberry seeds (toss 'em out), then let the strained preserves sit to cool, then put the bowl in the refrigerator until later.

3. Measure 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (or crush 20 Oreo cookie wafers -- with the filling scraped out -- in a resealable plastic bag) into a medium bowl. Mix in 1/3 cup melted margarine. Press the crumb into a 9-inch spring form pan that has been lined on the bottom and side with parchment paper. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press the crumb mixture flat into the bottom of the pan and about 2/3 the way up the side. Wrap a large piece of foil around the bottom of the pan to keep the cheesecake in the water bath. Put the crust in your freezer until the filling is done.

4. Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese with the sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix for a couple minutes or until the ingredients are smooth and creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and then add them to the cream cheese mixture. Blend the mixture just enough to integrate the eggs.

5. Remove the crust from the freezer and sprinkle 4 ounces of white chocolate chunks onto the bottom of the crust. Pour half of the cream cheese filling into the crust. Drizzle the raspberry preserves over the entire surface of the filling. Use a butter knife to swirl the raspberry into the cream cheese. Just a couple passes is fine, you don't want to blend the raspberry and cream cheese together too much. Pour the other half of the filling into the crust.

6. Carefully place the cheesecake into the water bath in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes at 475 degrees, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake turns a light brown or tan color. Remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool. When the cheesecake is cool, use the foil from the bottom to cover the cheesecake and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

7. Before serving, sprinkle the entire top surface of cheesecake with 2 ounces of shaved white chocolate. To serve, slice the cheesecake into 12 equal portions. Apply a pile of canned whipped cream to the top of each slice and serve.

PIZZA RUSTICA

~Submitted by Larry Holmes, Ontario, Canada

Pastry:
3 eggs
2 tablespoons salad oil
2 tablespoons water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:
1 tablespoon salad oil
1/2 pound (3) Italian sweet sausage
3 eggs
1 1/2 pound (3 cups) ricotta cheese
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 slices prosciutto ham (1/4 pound)
coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
dash black pepper
6 hard-cooked eggs
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water

Pastry: In small bowl, beat together 3 eggs, 2 tablespoons oil, and 2 tablespoons water. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Make well in center. Pour in egg mixture. Stir with work until blended. Turn dough onto lightly floured board. Cover dough with bowl to rest 10 minutes. Then knead until smooth -- about 3 minutes. Shape pastry into a ball; wrap in waxed paper; refrigerate until ready to use. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly greased a 10-inch flan pan (with removable bottom) or 10-inch pie plate.

Make filling: In hot oil in medium skillet, saut?© sausages until browned on all sides. Discard fat. Slice sausages 1/4 inch thick. In large bowl, beat eggs until blended. Add ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, with Parmesan cheese, prosciutto, parsley, pepper and sausage. With wooden spoon, mix well. On lightly floured board, roll half of the pastry into a 13-inch circle. Trim edges; reserve trimmings. Fold rolled pastry in half; transfer to prepared pan. Make sure fold is in center; unfold, carefully fitting into the bottom of pan.

Turn filling into pastry-lined pan. Place eggs in six indentations made with spoon in filling; cover eggs with filling. Roll trimmings 1/8-inch thick; with cookie cutter or knife cut out 8 leaves/ Roll remaining pastry into 12-inch circle; trim edge. Place pastry on top of filling. Fold edge of top crust under bottom; press together to seal. Make slits near center to steam vents; arrange leaves on top. Brush with egg yolks beaten with 1 tablespoon water. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve warm.

Makes 10 servings.

ORANGE JUICE CAKE

~Submitted by Joyce, IL

1 Box yellow cake mix (Duncan Hines Butter is my favorite)
1/2 cup Crisco oil
4 eggs
1 cup Orange Juice
1 small box instant vanilla pudding

Mix all ingredients, scrape bowl. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes.

Pour into well greased and floured bunt pan.

Bake at 350* for 35 to 40 minutes.

As soon an cake is removed from oven, (leave cake in pan) prepare topping.

TOPPING:
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup orange juice

Bring all ingredients to boil until all have melted. Immediately pour over cake. Let sit for 6 to 8 minutes. Flip cake on to serving dish.

NOTE: This cake is marvelous, and the first time I made it and pour that hot syrup over my cake, I thought I have made the biggest mess. But have faith, let that syrup sit on that cake, I sometimes use wooden kebob stick and put a few holes to let the juice soak in. It isn't necessary, as it will all absorb.

Click here to submit an item for posting in this section.
"It is a requirement that items sent for posting NOT be from other newsletters."

For Two...

ASPARAGUS AMANDINE
Servings: 2

~Submitted by Jean, Syracuse, NY

Ingredients:

1/2 pound asparagus
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds, blanched
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped

Preparation:

Trim the asparagus spears by removing the tough ends and peeling the stalks with a vegetable peeler.

In a medium sized saute pan, big enough to hold the asparagus, blanch them for approximately 1 to 2 minutes. You want the asparagus to be cooked but still crispy.

Drain the spears and keep warm.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and cook until the butter starts to brown. Season with salt and pepper, add the lemon juice and parsley.

Plate the asparagus and top with the spears with the almandine sauce.