Shrimp Enchiladas

Happy New Year!
Somewhere around Christmas I lost my camera cord...so I've got a camera full of recipes I want to share from the holidays, but I'm determined to find that cord first! My guess would be that the cats have found it and buried it in a couch cushion somewhere :)

I promised my sister and a friend of James's that I would get them my recipe for shrimp enchiladas, which I forgot to take a picture of, so here you go! This is one of my favorite recipes to make for company. It has so much flavor, and the shrimp are a nice change from your standard enchiladas.


Shrimp Enchiladas
Adapted from Annies Eats

Shrimp Enchiladas
Ingredients:
1/2 cup bell pepper, diced (I prefer to use red, orange or yellow...but green's cheaper!)
1/2 cup shallots (regular onion will work, I love the flavor of shallots though)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp. butter, divided
1 pinch oregano
1 pinch black pepper
A dash of cayenne pepper
1 pinch smoked spanish paprika
1 cup cream
1 ½ tsp. all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

milk
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup tomatoes, diced
6 flour tortillas

Directions:

Sauce:
Melt 2 tbsp. of butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Reserve a few tablespoons of bell pepper for topping enchiladas. Add remaining peppers, garlic and ¼ cup of shallots to the skillet and sauté until crisp-tender. Add oregano, salt, cayenne powder, black pepper, and flour; blend well. Cook the butter in the flour for a few minutes until it starts to darken some in color. Add cream. Lower heat to medium and cook until slightly thickened. Add 1 cup shredded cheese and stir until melted. It will be very thick at this point. Set aside.

Shrimp:
In a skillet, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. Add shrimp and remaining ¼ cup onion to the skillet and sauté shrimp until pink. Season the shrimp with salt and paprika. Remove shrimp from pan with a slotted spoon and chop; return to the skillet. Add 1/2 cup of the cheese sauce.

To build the enchiladas: (this gets messy!)
Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease an 8×8” baking dish.
Mix remaining cheese sauce with some milk (I eyeball this, probably somewhere from a few Tbs to 1/4 cup) to thin to a pourable sauce consistency.
Dip a tortilla into the sauce, flip to coat completely. Spoon some of the shrimp mixture onto the tortilla. Roll up tightly and place in the baking dish, seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Top with remaining sauce, remaining cheese, and sprinkle remaining bell peppers and tomatos.
Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Serve with additional diced bell peppers and tomatos.

Shrimp and Bacon Vodka Pasta

It's much too late for me to come up with a clever name for this. It started out with James wanting Penne a la Betsy, but I have vodka I really needed to use, so I decided to make a Vodka sauce, which I have never even tasted. So I researched and found that all good vodka sauces start with pancetta. Being lazy and cheap, I decided to use bacon and make it up as I went along.

What resulted was a slightly sweet, slightly smokey, very flavorful vodka sauce that James liked even better than Penne a la Betsy (but isn't everything better in the variation with bacon??)

Shrimp and Bacon Vodka Pasta

1/2 lb pasta (we used spaghetti. use whatever you have)
6-8 slices of bacon (we used turkey bacon) cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 lb raw shrimp, peeled without tail

1 pinch smoked paprika

1 dash cayenne pepper

1 dash salt
1/3 cup vodka
1/2 cup half and half
1 1/2 cups prepared tomato sauce

1. Boil pasta per directions

2. Fry bacon over medium heat in a skillet until it starts to get crispy, but not completely finished.

3. In the pan with the bacon, stir in shrimp, paprika, pepper, and salt. Cook shrimp until opaque and pink. Remove shrimp (but not the bacon!) from the pan.

4. Add vodka to bacon, bring to a boil, and let it simmer until reduced by half.

5. Add half and half and tomato sauce. I used a storebought (GASP!) spaghetti sauce. If you're using the pure plain stuff, add some seasonings here.

6. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

7. Combine shrimp, pasta, and sauce, and serve!

Penne a la Betsy

Happy Mother's Day!

We had both families over yesterday to celebrate mother's day and I used it as an excuse to make something wonderful and fattening that I've been wanting to try.

If you haven't been to Pioneer Woman's cooking blog, you're missing out. Check it out. Then buy a case of butter at Sams, because your adventure is about to begin! For Mother's Day dinner I made her famous "Penne a la Betsy," a tomato cream sauce with shrimp and penne pasta. It was a huge hit. I might try it again at a later date with half and half or something, but most likely I'll just save it for very special occasions.

This picture is from PW's site, mine got eaten too quickly and I forgot to take pictures!

Penne a la Betsy

Full credit for the recipe and the photo go to Pioneer Woman

Since there isn't a printable recipe on PW's site for this, I copied the instructions from Dinner and Dessert. Thanks!

Ingredients:

¾ pound penne pasta

3 tablespoons butter, divided

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 pound large shrimp

1 small white onion, finely chopped (I used shallot)

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup white wine1 (8-ounce) can plain tomato sauce

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

basil leaves, to taste, chiffonaded

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, while water heats and pasta cooks, make the sauce. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a few minutes, until opaque. Remove to a plate to let cool. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally.

While the onion and garlic are cooking, chop the shrimp into small, bite-sized pieces.

Add the wine (or chicken broth) to the pan and allow to reduce for a few minutes.

Stir in tomato sauce. Add the heavy cream and stir well to combine. Add shrimp back to the skillet and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the parsley and basil and mix well.

Drain pasta and return to pot. Add the sauce to the pot and stir well to combine. Serve.

Pancetta Frittata

I tested the following recipe out last night because I want to make it for easter brunch. James's comment "That's one of the best flavored things you've made in a long time!" Sorry, pictures to come after I make it for Easter!

Pancetta Frittata
by me! :)

1 1/2 cups of egg beaters (or 6 eggs lightly beaten)
2 oz of deli counter pancetta, sliced thick, diced fairly small
2 oz of crumbled feta cheese
2 oz shredded cheddar cheese (I used the 2% milk sharp cheddar)
1-2 Tbs chopped fresh basil
Black pepper
8 inch oven/broiler safe skillet

In a dry 8 inch skillet, crisp up the pancetta over medium heat. It has plenty of its own fat so I didn't add any oil. The pancetta from the deli is really already cooked, so you're just browning it up and drawing out some of that salty ham goodness. This would be a good time to add some onion too, but then James wouldn't have eaten it.

Turn heat to medium low and pour all of the eggs over the pancetta. Sprinkle with the feta cheese and black pepper to taste. (I didn't need salt because the feta is so salty).

Turn on your broiler.

Let it cook on the stove for a minute or two, and when the bottom is starting to set, lift all the edges with a spatula so the uncooked egg floods underneath. Do that a couple of times until the egg is mostly set, but still fairly wet.

Sprinkle cheddar cheese and basil on top, move to oven 5 or 6 inches from the broil. Broil for 3 or 4 minutes until cheese starts to brown and everything sets.

The frittata should slide out easily onto a cutting board so you can cut it with a pizza cutter. For easter, I plan to do 12 eggs with a large shallow saute pan.

Nutrition facts for 1/4 of the frittata (not a huge serving, but we ate it with veggies, etc)

Nutrition Facts
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 193.1
Total Fat 12.1 g
Saturated Fat 5.7 g
Cholesterol 27.2 mg
Sodium 595.8 mg
Potassium 321.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 0.9 g
Dietary Fiber 0.1 g
Sugars 0.6 g
Protein 17.8 g

Happy Thanksgiving!

In the excitement of hosting my first Thanksgiving, I completely neglected to take any pictures, oops!! I worked on my menu, grocery list, and day-of schedule for several weeks, and still managed to have a few bumps in the road, but in the end we had a wonderful, tasty Thanksgiving with my husband's family.

As for the bumps in the road, here are a few things I learned:
1) Reynolds cooking bags, while BIG enough for a turkey are certainly not STRONG enough for a turkey. After putting 2 gallons of brine and an 11 lb turkey into the bag, I attempted to pick it up. Before my husband could get the words out of his mouth to tell me what a bad idea that was, my entire body and my entire kitchen were covered in garlicy brine, not to mention salmonella poisoning, as the bag busted and the turkey splashed back into the sink. I just stood there and laughed, what else can you do?? On the second attempt, we put a large glass bowl under the bag.
2) You don't need a large house with an island kitchen and a dining table that seats 20 to have a home. I've been a little house crazy lately and looking around our small apartment filled with family I realized that for now, this is our home. We have an open door policy,we want our friends and family to feel welcome any time. Come over for lunch, come over for dinner, come over for coffee and pie. We're so blessed, and so thankful, for all the wonderful people we're surrounded with.




Anyway, sap aside, here is the menu!





Roasted Turkey
Sausage Dressing
Sweet Potato Casserole
Mashed Potatos
Macaroni and Cheese
Challah
Cranberry Applesauce
Apple Pie

Roasted Turkey Brine:
Adapted from allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS
2 gallons water
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
6-8 peeled whole garlic cloves
1/4 cup whole black peppercorns
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar



DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan, boil 2 quarts of water and salt, garlic, peppercorns, worcestershire sauce, and sugar until salt and sugar are dissolved. Add remaining cold water and cool brine, then add to turkey. I used a Reynolds cooking bag set inside a really big glass bowl to contain my 11 lb turkey. Soak turkey in brine for 12-24 hours.



Roasting Turkey
I used Kidd Kraddick's brown bag turkey instructions!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 large onion, cut in large chunks
Several stalks of celery (I use the leafy inside stalks that I usually throw away for veggie trays)
1 whole head of garlic, with the top cut off
Olive Oil
Turkey



DIRECTIONS
Rinse turkey after brining, both inside and out to remove any remaining salt. Place turkey in a roasting pan on a rack breast side up and put the vegetables inside the large neck cavity. Rub the entire outside of the turkey with olive oil, be sure to get inbetween the wings and legs and the breasts. Place a probe thermometer into the turkey breast, make sure it does not touch the bone. Slide the roasting pan with the turkey inside into a brown paper grocery sack. (If the sack has a logo on it, be sure the logo is on the bottom or the ink will bleed onto your turkey.) Sprinkle water over the top of the bag so the moisture can get out. Roast at 375 degrees for approximately 15 minutes per lb, or until the thermometer reads 170 degrees. At the end, I tore the top off of the bag and allowed to the top of the turkey to brown a little more for 15 minutes.





It turned out really great! Every single scrap of turkey was eaten. There was SO much flavor from the brine and the turkey was really moist.





I put the whole carcass, with the vegetables still inside, into the crockpot to make broth after dinner.



That's all for now, I may post more of the recipes later.

Salmon Cakes

We had crab cakes Saturday night at a restaurant in Austin and to my surprise, James loved them! Maybe he's not nearly as picky of an eater as I think he is. Well I had been considering making them, then I logged on to the Whats For Dinner board on the nest and someone had posted this amazing salmon cake recipe. To my delight, farm raised salmon filets were also on sale at my grocery store--bonus! These turned out great. They're worth the little bit of work they take, and I followed the recipe exactly except I added a little salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to the flour before dredging. Definitely use the panko, so crunchy and yummy!

Pan-Fried Fresh Salmon Cakes

from Flymanswife's blog, adapted from Cooks Illustrated

1 1/4 lb salmon fillets, skinned, any bones removed

1 slice high-quality white sandwich bread, such as Pepperidge Farm, crusts removed & finely chopped

1/4 cup grated onion

2 Tbsp fresh parsley leaves

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

3-4 Tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup panko, or plain dry bread crumbs

Chop salmon into 1/2-inch pieces and mix with chopped bread, onion, parsley, mayonnaise, salt & lemon juice in medium bowl. Scoop a generous 1/4 cup portion and use your hands to form into a patty measuring roughly 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining mixture, making 6-8 patties. Freeze the patties until the surface moisture has evaporated, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, spread the flour in a shallow dish. Beat the eggs in a second shallow dish. Spread the bread crumbs in a third. Dip the chilled salmon patties in the flour to cover and shake off the excess. Transfer to the beaten egg and with a slotted spatula, turn to coat; let the excess drip off. Transfer to the panko, shaking the dish to coat the patties completely. Return breaded patties to baking sheet.

Heat olive oil in large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until simmering, about 3 minutes. Add salmon patties and cook until medium golden brown on the bottoms. Flip cakes and cook until medium golden brown on the other side.

Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and allow to drain for a minute. Serve hot.

Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

I normally avoid anything with soy sauce in it, because James says he hates it. I've been wanting to try Giada De Laurentiis's Balsamic Chicken Drumettes, hoping the balsamic flavor would be strong enough to overpower the soy. Thanks to a recommendation from a friend (Thanks Sarah!) I decided to try it on the half of a pork loin I had in the back of the freezer. (Tip: Kroger has whole giant pork loins on really good sales all the time, so I buy them and cut them in half to freeze separately for two little roasts that are the perfect size for us!)

I brined the roast first, since I have a nagging fear of pork drying out. I always do this when I cook pork, and I've never had a dry pork chop or roast in my house! It makes the meat really juicy and flavorful.

Note: If brining, allow 12 hours or so for the meat to brine before putting in the marinade.

Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

(adapted from foodtv.com)

3-4 lb whole pork loin

For Brine:

1/2 cup salt

1/2 gallon (8 cups) water

1/4 cup honey

For marinade:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium soy)

3 sprigs of rosemary

5 garlic cloves, halved

1. Dissolve salt in 1-2 cups of hot water. Add remaining cold water and honey.

2. Place pork roast in a gallon size ziploc bag, pour all of the brine over it. Seal the bag well, and place it in a shallow dish in the refrigerator for 12 hours. (2+ days is recommended for a whole pork loin).

3. Remove roast from brine, rinse (to get any remaining salt off the surface) and pat dry. Pour out brine.

4. In another gallon sized ziploc bag (I used the same one after I poured out the brine) ombine the balsamic, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary sprigs, and garlic cloves. Shake and squeeze the contents of the bag to dissolve the honey and the brown sugar.

5. Add the roast to the bag and seal with as little air as possible.

6. Marinate for 2 hours.

7. Remove roast from marinade, do not discard the marinade.

8. Roast in a 325 degree oven for 55 minutes, or until roast reaches 160 degrees in the center.

9. Meanwhile, place the marinade in a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil (in order to kill bacteria). Reduce the heat to simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes. Reserve.

10. In the last 10 or 15 minutes of roasting, brush reduced marinade onto pork loin. When you remove it from the oven, brush on one last coat of the glaze.

James absolutely loved this. I told him later there was soy in it and he was totally surprised! It was just as good in leftovers, and great on a cold sandwich the next day.

Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Garlic

I've heard about the magic of goat cheese, but had always been afraid to try it for myself. For our one year anniversary, my husband treated me to one his favorite places: Texas de Brazil. He loves it for the endless cuts of steak they bring as long as you'll eat, but he never told me about the amazing salad bar. It was filled with pestos, cheeses, meats, vegetables, and all manner of amazing antipasta choices. One option was goat cheese with roasted peppers. I figured if I didn't like it, I could leave it on my plate. Turns out goat cheese is amazing!

I was sad to discover it cost $1 per oz at my grocery store, but since I rarely buy anything not on sale, I went for it.

I didn't alter this one at all, it's straight from Cooking Light. James even liked it! I served it over whole wheat spaghetti and with a green salad.

Ingredients:

4 ounces goat cheese, softened

3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil, divided

1 tablespoon minced garlic

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 (25.5-ounce) jar fat-free Italian herb pasta sauce

3 whole garlic cloves

3 cups hot cooked fettuccine (about 6 ounces uncooked pasta)

Preparation

Combine goat cheese, 2 tablespoons basil, and minced garlic; set aside.Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each half to a 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Divide the cheese mixture evenly among breast halves. Roll up jelly-roll fashion. Tuck in sides; secure each roll with wooden picks.
Heat the pasta sauce and whole garlic cloves in a large skillet over medium heat; add chicken. Cover and cook 25 minutes or until chicken is done. Serve over pasta. Garnish with 1 tablespoon basil.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken roll, 3/4 cup pasta, and 1/2 cup sauce)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 503(15% from fat); FAT 8.3g (sat 4.7g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 57.2g; CHOLESTEROL 112mg; CALCIUM 137mg; SODIUM 785mg; FIBER 5.5g; IRON 3.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.1g

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2003

Happy Mothers Day!!

We had both fabulous moms (along with my dad and sister) over for Mothers Day dinner. It was great to spend the evening with family and have great conversation and great food!

The menu:
-Grilled White-wine salmon
-Garlic Risotto in Parmesan Frico cups
-Mixed fruit salad in orange cups
-Grilled zuchinni

Recipes:

Grilled White Wine Salmon

Salmon Filet, cut into portion sized peices.
Olive oil
White wine (I used Smoking Loon Chardonnay)
Salt and pepper

-Several hours before cooking, prepare fish and marinade. Mix 1/4 cup of Olive oil with 3/4 cup white wine. Place fish in a baking dish skin side down and pour marinade on top.
*You can use less or more marinade depending on the amount of fish. This 1 cup marinade was perfect for a 3 lb filet arranged in a 7x11 baking dish
-Grease grill grates with cooking spray or a papertowel soaked in veg. oil. Prep the grill to medium heat.
- Arrange fish skin side down directly on the grill. Grill for 6-8 minutes, rearranging fish pieces over hot spots as needed, until it is almost cooked through.
-Flip the salmon with a flat spatula (the fish will start to flake, and tongs could cause it to fall apart)
-Grill for 3-4 minutes top side down until fish develops a nice crust.

-Slide fish onto a spatula, peel off and discard skin (after cooking, the skins slides off easily) and flip over to serve top side up.

Garlic Cheddar Risotto

Adapted from this foodnetwork.com basic risotto recipe. I added 4 cloves of roasted garlic (roasted ahead of time, use less of raw, minced) when I added the rice to the onion. Then I added 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese at the end of cooking. Otherwise I followed the recipe! Mine got a little overcooked, risotto is best when served right out of the pot, otherwise it starts to get overly soft and starchy.

Parmesan Frico Bowls

From Confections of a Foodie Bride's blog. I used two small dessert ramekins to shape the bowls, they turned out great! A really easy way to dress up plating and make something simple look super fancy!

Fruit Salad/Zuchinni

Okay, I'm not going to give you a recipe for these. For the salad, mix your favorite fruits! I split and hollowed oranges instead of using bowls for a fun touch. I used blackberries, strawberries, watermelon balls, and pears with a little orange juice squirted on top. Chill the mixture so the flavors have time to meld.

For the zuchinni, I just sprayed a little olive oil from my kitchen mister (that I took from my mom!) and sprinkled with kosher salt and pepper, and threw it on the grill.

Here's to moms, who allowed us to stand underfoot in our childhoods so we could learn a whisk from a spatula. I love you mom!

Pictured: My grandma Genie, my mother in law Brenda, and my mom Faye!

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

I'll add a picture of these when I make them later this week. I've made them several times, and they are one of my all time favorite recipes! If not the best, it is one of the best things my mom makes. All credit goes to her, for her famous chicken enchiladas!

Faye's Chicken Enchiladas

-1/2-1lb chicken breasts (3 cups cooked)
-1/2 cup onion
-1 small can green chilis
-1 can cream of chicken soup
-milk
-10-15 corn tortillas
-Shredded cheddar cheese
-1/2 cup sour cream

Instructions:
1. Boil chicken in water for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Shred the chicken, save the broth.
2. Saute 1/2 cup chopped onion in butter or olive oil until clear in large skillet
3. stir in 1 can green chilis (can use a large can if you like it spicier)
4. stir in 1 can of soup
5. fill soup can halfway with milk, add to soup mixture
6. fill soup can halfway with broth from previously cooked chicken, add to soup mixture
7. stir soup mixture in skillet until warm.
8. (THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART) Put tortillas, 3 at a time into soup mixture in skillet. Add one tortilla at a time as you build each enchilada. Use the tortilla that has been in the mixture the longest to build each enchilada, they should soak for 1-2 minutes or so, until soft but not falling apart.
9. to build each enchilada, pull a tortilla out of the skillet, add some chicken and cheese, roll up, and place seam side down in a 9x13 glass baking dish.
10. As you build tortillas and the soup mixture starts to diminish, add broth 1/2 cup at a time as needed to stretch soup mixture.
11. When the pan is full, add 1/2 cup sour cream into remaining soup mixture. Pour on top of enchiladas. Top with more shredded cheese.
12. Top with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

These can easily be prepped ahead of time and baked later. They're so good!

Sesame Chicken

CNN did a story this week about how unhealthy and fattening chinese food is for you. This came as no shock to me, I've always known every yummy, greasy bite was full of fat and sodium. The story did inspire me to start looking around for recipes so I could recreate one of our favorites at home, where I could control the ingredients at least somewhat. Sesame chicken is the only thing James will eat at Chinese restaurants, and it's usually my favorite too. I combined several different recipes from allrecipes.com to come up with this final product. It's still breaded and fried, but it's a lower sodium, all white-meat version of the original.

James told me all weekend he was going to be scared of this recipe, but the skeptic came around when he tasted it: "Babe, this is actually pretty dang good, can I have a lot more?" Yay!

Sesame Chicken

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I KNOW I said no more white flour, but I was scared to try wheat flour. I'll try it next time!)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder (a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and white pepper)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, cut into wedges
1/2 cup green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1/8 cup low sodium teriyaki sauce
1/8 cup tablespoons honey

1 Tablespoon pineapple juice

2 Tablespoons sesame seeds

1 teaspoon brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour, black pepper, five-spice powder, and red pepper flakes. Place a few pieces of chicken at a time into the bag, and shake to coat. Remove to a platter.
Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.

Place chicken into skillet, and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.

Stir onion wedges and bell pepper slices into the skillet with the chicken; cook until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
In a separate bowl, mix honey, teriyaki, pineapple juice, brown sugar and sesame seeds. Add it to the chicken and vegetables, stir until sauce thickens.

I served it with a box of Simply Asian noodles.

3/26 Edit: I made this a second night in a row tonight, but skipped the flour and used the same amount of seasonings to season the dry raw chicken breasts pieces. Then I sauteed the chicken in a pan with a little cooking spray, and did the rest according to the recipe. It turned out great! I would cut down some on the red pepper flakes, for some reason skipping the dredging escalated the heat a lot! It's a little different, but a much lower-fat alternative that will be great for normal dinners. It passed the James test too!