Happy Hour: Sour Appletini

End your Friday with a nice relaxing drink.  I'm not a big drinker but from time to time I like to enjoy a nice drink.  This Sour Appletini is not only easy to make, but it's really good.  Make this Sour Appletini, sit back and enjoy!

Using Sour Apple Pucker Schnapps will enhance the sharpness as will the lemon juice. 

Ingredients

Ice

2 ounces of Vodka

1 ounce Sour Apple Pucker Schnapps

1/4 ounce lemon juice

Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes, shake well.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Enjoy!

Southern-Style Skillet Cornbread

This is a savory Southern-Style Skillet Cornbread.  Cornbread in the South is usually made without sugar and flour. I wanted to make a cornbread that was savory, with hearty corn flavor and after looking through one of my favorite books, I found this recipe.  

I love eating cornbread right out of the oven with a little butter on top and a nice cup of coffee.  This is not a mix from a box, this is made from scratch and it's really yummy.  

Chicken Piccata

This Chicken Piccata is a classic Italian dish that is very light with a lemony sauce.  You can enjoy it with a side of roasted potatoes, root vegetables or mashed potatoes and a nice glass of wine.  This is an outstanding dish for any day of the week.

This is a very easy dish and it only takes a few minutes to cook.  The chicken is tender and the sauce is really, really good.  Great choice for a Monday night dinner.

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded into cutlets

salt and black pepper

all-purpose flour

nonstick spray

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tsp mince garlic

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp drained capers

2 tbsp unsalted butter

fresh lemon slices

Season cutlets with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour.  Coat a saute pan with nonstick spray, add oil, and heat over medium-high.  Saute cutlets 2-3 minutes on one side.  Flip cutlets over and saute the other side, covered, 1-2 minutes.  Transfer cutlets to a warm platter; pour off fat from the pan.

Degraze pan with wine and add minced garlic.  Cook until garlic is slightly brown and liquid is nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes.  Add broth, lemon juice and capers.  Return cutlets to pan and cook on each side for 1 minute.  Transfer cutlets to warm plates. Finish sauce with butter and lemons.  Once butter melts, pour sauce over cutlets.

Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately. 

Tip:  Turkey tenderloin makes a great substitute for chicken breast.

Source: Cuisine at Home

Strawberry Shortcake

As promised, here is a fantastic and delicious Strawberry Shortcake recipe. This dessert is perfect for Valentine's Day.  Make this for your significant other, and they will love you even more.  This is a really easy recipe to make and the results are impressive. 

The Week in Review

Happy Saturday!!

1.  It was a really cold week here in Georgia.  Even my babies (dogs) didn't want to go outside. Big Brother Cayman went outside one day and ran back inside.  Baby Caico didn't really care about it, he was running all over the place.  Baby Caico gained 7 ounces in 2 weeks, he is exactly 3 pounds now.  He is getting so big, too quick.

2.  Last Saturday my husband and I put away all of the Christmas decorations.  I love Christmas and decorating, but I hate to take decorations down.  Have you taken down your decorations?

Chicken Pasta

I wanted to eat pasta and not feel so bad about it.  I decided to make my pasta sauce and chicken as my protein.  I used a healthier carbohydrates pasta and by making my own sauce I was able to control the ingredients I was adding.

The final result, a delicious and somewhat healthy dish. 

Thai Pork Loin

Cold weather is not going to stop me from grilling.  I decided to make a Thai Pork Loin and I did it right on a stove top grill plate.  If you don't have one of these, I suggest you get one.  You can grill all winter without having to step out on your deck to do so.

By marinating the pork loin, it gave it a nice flavor and it's super tender too. Enjoy with a side of Brown Rice or this Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice, Original Recipe.  You can find it in the supermarket in the rice isle.  Just follow the instructions on the box.  enjoy!!

Ingredients

2-3 pounds pork loin

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 thinly chopped shallots

2 garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 tsp minced ginger

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Rinse and pat dry the pork loin.  Place the pork loin in a plastic bag.  In a bowl add all of the other ingredients and mix well then pour into bag. Shake the bag to make sure the pork loin is covered with the marinade.  Marinade the pork loin over night or at least a couple of hours before grilling.  Place on a grill and cook on medium-low heat until well done.

Pan Seared Tilapia

Tilapia is a fish that I actually enjoy eating.  This Pan Seared Tilapia is nice and light and perfect for staying on a healthy path.  You can have it with brown rice, Greek or Caesar salad or you can have my favorite Black and Cannellini Bean Salad. 

I seasoned the fish with Penzeys Spices.  These spices are excellent and a little bit goes a long way.  If you don't have these spices, then use any fish spices you have in your pantry.  

The fish is flaky and moist and with a side of the beans salad, this dish is just perfect.  If you don't want to cook tilapia fillets you can substitute for flounder fillets.

Ingredients

3-4 ounce Tilapia or Flounder fillets

salt and pepper

Penzeys Spices-Northwoods Seasoning

Penzeys Spices-Bangkok Blend

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

Season the fillets with salt, pepper, Penzeys Spices like Northwoods Seasoning and Bangkok Blend.  These spices are great for fish, but you can use any fish spices you have available.  Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet on medium heat then add the fillets.  Cook the fillets until they flake easily with a fork, about 4 minutes on each side.  Serve immediately.

Steak, Onions and Peppers Wrap

I wanted to start the new year eating healthier than I have been for a little while now.  I wanted to make something quick, delicious and figure friendly.  I made this Steak, Onions and Peppers Wrap using all low fat ingredients and the wrap is low carbohydrates too.

The Week in Review

Happy Saturday!!

1.  First let me just say Happy New Year!!  I hope this year brings us lots of love, compassion, understanding, peace and good health.

2.  I took a few days off from posting to the blog.  I had some homework to do being that I will start posting healthier dishes on Monday.  I've been going through many of my books and writing down some of my healthier recipes so that I can share them with you.   Since Valentines Day is next month, I will eventually post some chocolate recipes that you can make for your significant other on that special day.