Chardonnay Chicken with Pasta

This is my new favorite pasta recipe. Well, second favorite; my heart will always be with the bourbon based sauce with Italian Sausage, chicken, and mushrooms served over penne or stuffed shells (Shout out to Cafe Italia up in Davis ).
Alright straight to my modified version of this recipe

Serves 1-2 (2 people, if you add sides like a salad and generous helpings of steamed veggies)

Ingredients (I didn't exactly measure...)

1 chicken breast, cubed into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup(or a tad bit more) all-purpose flour
1/2tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1-1.5 tbspn extra virgin olive oil

Sauce:
1tbspn e.v.o.o
2-3 garlic cloves, finely minced (yes, I know the original recipe added 4 cloves to 4-6 breasts and I'm adding it to 1 breast. Sue me. Garlic rules me)
1/2 tspn dried Italian spices (My bottle has thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, and basil)
1/2 cup Chardonnay
1/4-1/2 cup Chicken stock (I dropped a bouillion cube in boiling water and added that)

Also some cooked pasta (I used fettucine noodles)

Method:
Before I go further: I LOVE dishes that can be cooked in one pan.
1. Heat the 1.5 tbspn of olive oil in a frying/stir-fry pan (medium high heat)
2. Mix the flour, salt, and pepper to make a dry batter.
3. Coat the pieces of chicken with above batter and place in frying pan.
4. 2-3 minutes on each side and it should look like its just beginning to brown. Remove from the pan and place in a bowl and set aside.
5. In the same pan,add 1tbspn of olive oil (at this point you could also add a dash of butter as the original recipe calls for, but I left it out) and let it heat up.
6. Add minced garlic and saute for about a minute. To this add the spices as well. Saute for another minute. The aroma at this point should tingle your senses.
7. Add the chicken back and stir so it is covered with the garlic and spices [1minute].
8. Add 1/2 cup of Chardonnay (be careful, alcohol and fire..) and let the alcohol cook off. Iit will take about 5 minutes. The sauce will begin to thicken.
9. At this point, add the 1/4 cup of chicken stock and cook until sauce thickens to desired consistency.
10.Pour over pasta and ENJOY! maybe with some fresh toasted roasted garlic bread.

Sidenote: garnish with Parmesan+Romano or not! Really great either way.

Greek Shrimp

Gotta love them Greeks. They gave us philosophy, togas, parades with phalluses on sticks, and feta. What's not to like? They were also the inspiration for this recipe, which is just another reason to say a great big Opa! I gotta give a shout-out to the Closet Cooking blog for this, even though I didn't follow any of the directions for ingredient amounts.
--AnglophileLV

Ingredients
Shrimp
4 cloves garlic
2 medium tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 splash hot sauce
4 sprigs oregano
4 sprigs mint
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 c. feta
A few sprigs parsley for garnish
Toasted or very crusty bread

It should be noted that I didn't pay attention at all to the measurements of the herbs. I just threw in equal amounts of everything, since I have them all growing on my balcony. Feel free to do the same. It came out great!

1. Saute shrimp and garlic, remove shrimp when done.
2. Add chopped tomatoes and green onion. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
3. Return shrimp to skillet and add the wine and herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Remove from heat and gently mix in the feta.
5. Cover and let rest for 3 minutes. Garnish with parsley.

The best way to eat this is to scoop up the liquid, tomatoes and shrimp with crusty or toasted bread.

Broccoli Risotto

Remember that awesome roasted broccoli recipe? If you don’t, take a look below. As much as I love that broccoli, it’s not exactly a complete meal. So I made some lemony risotto designed to go with it.
--AnglophileLV

Serves 2

½ C. Arborio rice
1 Tb. butter
1/4th onion
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
A dash of white wine
1 2/3 c chicken broth
1/4th cup parmesan
Zest of 1 lemon
A squeeze of lemon juice
Parsley for garnish

1. Brown the Arborio rice in the butter. When it has a nice tan, pour some wine over it. Add
the chopped onion and garlic and stir until liquid is absorbed.
2. Microwave the broth for 2 minutes. Pour a few tablespoons into the rice and stir until it is
absorbed. Repeat, adding splashes of broth, until all of the broth is completely absorbed and
the rice is cooked through.
3. Stir in the lemon zest and squeeze lemon juice over the rice. Sprinkle with parsley and
serve with the roasted broccoli.