Happy Monday good people, I hope you all enjoyed your weekend! I've got another "in case you missed it" today.... I posted this last week on my Foodie Blog and it is alllllll about Potatoes. Yes. Potatoes, the most beloved starch on planet earth. Well, at least at my house. In case you are wondering, "Why all the repeats?" Well, I am training for my first Half Marathon and we are down to crunch time, so all I have time to do is run, stretch, eat clean and drink water... and sleep and work too. That being said I'll be re-posting some of my favorite and most popular posts over the next few weeks as I continue to prepare for those 13.1 miles. Wish me luck! Now on to the Potatoes!!

Kartoffeln. Patatas. Aardappelen. ΠΑΤΑΤΕΣ. pommes de terre.

Delicious fall salad

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ½ shallot diced
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• a few pinches White Spice

Instructions:

1. Whisk vinegar and mustard in a small bowl.
2. Add in diced shallot and a few pinches of White Spice
3. Whisk oil in a slow steady stream until fully incorporated
4. Taste and and adjust seasoning if necessary.
5. Enjoy over your salad or even use as a marinade!

(Printable recipe here.)

I hope you enjoy this delicious salad! What 'recovery' foods do you eat after the holiday's? Post your comments below. Have a wonderful week. See you next Monday!

Thanks for reading!

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Last week we started talking about the beginning of football season and all the eats that come along with it. This week, we are going to delve into Salsa and Guacamole. No, not the crap in a jar or the premade tubs of stuff in the produce section, I’m talking about fresh, homemade, can-I-get-some-more-of-that, famous Chef Michelle’s Salsa and Guac. The best thing about these two yummy dips is that they are super easy to make, but always impress a crowd.

Let’s get started, here are the recipes.

Football season is approaching us yet again, and with it, it brings potlucks, parties and gatherings. Every (wo)man should have their go to dishes that will woo their company. I’m not talking about wings and meatballs, let’s change it up (just a little) this year. On the menu this season we’ve got some homemade versions of some classic snacks, Mediterranean chicken skewers, Salsa, Guacamole and Spinach dip with Crostini to name a few.
Today let’s take a look at Mediterranean Chicken with Greek Yogurt dipping sauce.

Mediterranean Chicken Skewers

What You'll Need:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast tenders
• 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbs Olive oil
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• 1 Tbs fresh chopped Parsley
• ½ Tbs Salt/Pepper
• ½ Tbs fresh chopped Oregano
• ½ Tbs fresh chopped Thyme
• Bamboo skewers
• Greek yogurt dipping sauce
• 8oz plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cucumber seeded and finely diced
• 2 Tbs minced garlic
• ½ tbsp salt/white pepper

1. Mix lemon, olive oil, salt/pepper, oregano and thyme in a Ziploc bag (large enough to hold the chicken).
2. Add the chicken to the Ziploc bag mixing well to ensure it is completely coated and allow to marinade for 30 minutes to an hour.
3. While the chicken is marinating, empty the yogurt into a bowl and add garlic, cucumber and salt/pepper.
4. Mix well and taste, add more salt/white pepper if necessary and refrigerate.
5. Once chicken is done marinating, skewer down the center and place on a foil lined baking sheet.
6. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes or until done.
7. Serve with Greek yogurt dipping sauce.

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Happy Monday folks! I hope you all had a marvelous weekend.

I had to laugh when I saw E.Payne’s post last week, A Family of Four & Forty Pounds of Chicken. Mrs. E.Payne, (and the Mr. on the grill) created some really yummy looking dishes with their first 10 pounds of chicken. It got me thinking, how many times do people look in their freezer, see chicken (come on, chicken is always in the freezer) and then turn up their nose and say, “I’m so sick of chicken, what can I make with it now!?”

This post is for those days. 10 Chicken recipes, 10 different ways.

1. Coconut Curry Chicken recipe by Chef Michelle


2. Chicken Roulade (Stuffed with Spinach and Goat Cheese) recipe by Chef Michelle


3. Chicken and Broccoli Curry Casserole recipe by Y. Harper


4. Chicken Cacciatore recipe by Rachael Ray


5. Pecan Chicken recipe by Paula Dean


6. Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Rosemary-Orange Dressing (for the Grill) recipe by Bon Appetit


7. Mustard Chicken Salad recipe by Ina Garten


8. Crispy Chicken Cutlets recipe by Jennifer Hess from Last Night’s Dinner


9. Chicken Quesadilla recipe by Guy Fieri


10. Chicken , Sausage and Red Pepper Paella recipe by Thirschfeld

I'm happy to introduce a new weekly feature to the blog: Monday's With Michelle! Michelle is an Atlanta-based chef and foodie behind Citrus Catering & Events and The Foodie Blog. She's been cooking and catering for over 10 years and provides various services from Personal Chef to Event Catering. She's going to be dropping in every Monday to share her passion, food and all things related to food, with us.

I'm happy to present Michelle!

I want to give a big thank you to E. Payne for allowing me to guest post on his very fun and charming blog. His adventures in marriage and parenthood make me realize that I am terrified can’t wait to be a Wife and Mother.

Now on to the good stuff...food!

As much as I love to spend hours experimenting in the kitchen, sometimes life happens and I just don’t have the time. I know so many of us face this same dilemma, between work, school, kids, spouses, the gym (ha!) and every other miscellaneous thing that enters our stratosphere. That being said, I thought I would share one of my “Too-late-to-cook-but-we’re-starving” go-to meals, Shrimp in a White Wine Butter Sauce over Jasmine rice.

First, I should mention that I always keep frozen shrimp on hand. It thaws out quickly and it’s super versatile. I typically get the medium, large or jumbo frozen-raw-deveined 1 pound bag (either tail-on or off whichever is available) out of the freezer section in the grocery store. That way all you have to do is defrost under cold running water and not worry about shelling or deveining (a huge time saver) and it’s totally budget friendly, about $8 for a 1lb bag at Wal-Mart.

For those of you (Moms, Dads and child-free people alike) that aren’t confident in the kitchen, relax, I promise this isn’t hard at all. All you need is the ingredients below, a sauté pan, a one button rice cooker (or a stove top), a few utensils and 20 minutes.

Here’s the recipe:

Shrimp in a White Wine Butter Sauce Over Jasmine Rice

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Large Shrimp (frozen/raw/deveined)
• ½ cup Dry White Wine
• ¼ Stock or broth (Chicken/Vegetable/Seafood)
• 4-6 Tbs Butter (unsalted)
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• 1 Tbs chopped Parsley
• Salt/pepper
• Cayenne
• 1 cup Jasmine rice
• 1 ½ cups Water

• Set the frozen shrimp in a bowl in the sink and run cold water over to defrost.
• Put the rice on while you wait for your shrimp to defrost- I personally love my rice cooker, but the stove top works just as well. 1 cup of rice to 1 ½ cups of water.
• Once the shrimp is defrosted, dry well and season to taste (a few pinches will do)—salt, pepper and a touch of cayenne for an extra kick. Set to the side.
• Place your sauté pan on medium heat; Add 2 tablespoons of butter, once melted add your minced garlic.
• Once the garlic is fragrant, add 2 more tablespoons of butter and drop the shrimp in and let cook for a few minutes.
• Add the wine to your pan (I used some Pinot Grigio that I already had open in the fridge… don’t forget to pour a glass for the cook!)
• Add stock (I use chicken stock because I like the flavor, but veggie or seafood stock works too.)
• Let the shrimp finish cooking and let the sauce cook down just a tad (about 5-6 minutes depending on the size of your shrimp).
• Once the shrimp is done add 1-2 more tablespoon of unsalted butter and your fresh chopped parsley. Remember to taste—adjust seasonings as needed.
• Serve the Shrimp and white wine butter sauce over the rice.