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Company's Coming! Santa Fe Glazed Chicken with Goat Cheese & Sautéed Shrimp with Tomatoes, Herbs & Feta

by on ‎09-24-2013 06:34 PM

I’d love to tell you I’m calm, cool, and collected when I host guests for the weekend. But, I get stressed! I just smile and pretend I don’t. Smiley Happy Does this sound like you, too? Then be sure to join me tomorrow at 7pm ET and Thursday at 3pm ET for two special You’re Home with Jill episodes that deal with our dilemma at hand: company’s coming!

Let me start by saying that while a smile goes a long way, preparation is really the key. It’s doing the littlest things now so you’re never dealing with that last minute crunch. For me, I like to set the table early; it inspires me because it’s pretty and it makes the rest of the house look great. If I don’t have time to do a deep-down through cleaning, I put lots of pretty things out so they can’t see that I didn’t dust that top shelf! Fresh flowers are a great example…everyone loves to look at flowers. I think the simpler the arrangement, the better it looks.

I also think, too, for company, you can’t put so much pressure on yourself to make everything from scratch. Inevitably, someone always asks what they can bring and I jump on that opportunity. “You can bring wine, thanks.” “Something for dessert would be wonderful.” For those times when it’s not appropriate to ask, I’ll stop at the store while I’m running errands and it’s one less chore on my to-do list.

Now, how about some crowd-pleasing recipes! Both came courtesy of friends…and good friends and good food just seem to go together! Tomorrow, we’re making my Santa Fe Glazed Chicken with Goat Cheese. And, this was actually Carolyn Pollack’s recipe. I absolutely love the southwest. And, actually, right before I met my hubby, I was looking to buy some property in New Mexico because I just love the area and culture so much. Well, Carolyn knew all of that and she sent me this flavorful dish. I tweaked it just a bit to make it a little more gourmet, but it’s still really easy to prepare.

Santa Fe Glazed Chicken with Goat Cheese

Santa Fe Glazed Chicken with Goat Cheese

Ingredients:



  • 1/2 cup flour

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

  • 3 Tbsp butter

  • 3 Tbsp olive oil

  • 1/4 cup celery, finely chopped

  • 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

  • 2 Tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped

  • 1/4 cup chicken stock

  • 1 (10-oz) jar red chile jelly

  • 1 cup goat cheese, crumbled



Directions:

1. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Roll the chicken in the flour mixture and shake off excess. Set aside.
 
2. In a heavy skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Lightly sauté the celery, onions, and parsley. Remove the veggies from pan with a slotted spoon and reserve.
 
3. In the same pan, sauté the chicken until lightly browned in the remaining butter and oil. Sprinkle the reserved vegetables on top of each chicken breast. Add the stock, then cover and simmer for 6 minutes.
 
4. Remove the skillet from the heat and spread each breast with jelly and sprinkle with cheese. Broil until the jelly melts. (The cheese won't melt, but will brown slightly.)

And now, here’s my recipe for YHJ on Thursday: Sautéed Shrimp with Tomatoes, Herbs & Feta.


Sauteed Shrimp with Tomatoes, Herbs & Feta



Sautéed Shrimp with Tomatoes, Herbs & Feta
 
This recipe is prepared with the Cook’s Essentials® Color Smart 11-Piece Aluminum Nonstick Cookware Set (K36181).
 
Ingredients:



  • 6 Tbsp olive oil

  • 1/4 cup onion, diced

  • 1-1/2 cups canned chopped tomatoes (juice reserved)

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

  • 2 Tbsp dried parsley

  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano

  • 1 tsp salt, or to taste

  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1-1/2 lbs raw shrimp with tails

  • 1/4–1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled

  • Cooked pasta (optional, for serving)

  • Cooked rice (optional, for serving)


 
Directions:
 
1. Heat the olive oil in a medium-size sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes and then add the tomatoes (with their juice), wine, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.
 
2. Add the shrimp and cook just until pink, approximately 2 minutes. (Be careful not to overcook the shrimp, or they'll taste rubbery.) Add the Feta and cook until melted. Serve over the prepared noodles or rice, if desired.

One of the gals in my neighborhood gave me this recipe….she makes it every year for a cookie exchange and serves it as an appetizer. I always find myself hovering over the bowl. I just love the tomato, feta, and the lightness of it. So, I asked my friend about it and she explained it’s actually more of an entrée that you can serve over rice or pasta, but as I could attest, it’s also a great appetizer. I tweaked this recipe just a bit, but it’s definitely one of my faves. I just love multitasking recipes that taste gourmet but are so easy to make and serve.

So now the only question that remains is…what’s for dessert? Might I suggest my Apple Brownies or Harvest Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting? Both are perfect for the season and sure to please your guests. But remember--if you don't have time to make dessert, visit your local bakery!

I’ll see you tomorrow at 7pm ET and then on Thursday at 3pm ET.

From my home to yours,
—Jill