Catering done easy and an amazing dinner

After a weekend of take out and left overs, I was back in the cooking saddle today, and having a blast. I started out the day doing the food for a meeting and ended up the day creating a new favorite. Enjoy and mangia!

So simple and easy! Blend goat cheese, lemon zest and fresh rosemary with a little olive oil, pipe onto endive leaves.

Homemade pimento cheese. My tweek? White and yellow cheddar cheeses, rinsed pimentos, Hellmans mayo, lemon juice and a tiny bit of cayenne.

Spiced mixed nuts. 1/2 teaspoon each cumin, cayenne and cinnamon. 3 tablespoons brown sugar. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter. 4 cups mixed nuts.                                                                 Bake nuts in a 425 degree oven until fragrant. Melt butter and add sugar and spices. Toss nuts with melted butter mixture.   

Chicken with Green Olives, Lemons and Artichokes

4 chicken cutlets

1 egg

2 tablespoons Romano cheese

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup green olives, chopped

3 tablespoons artichoke tapanade or finely chopped hearts with garlic added

3 tablespoons scallions (green part only)

1 lemon, sliced

handful parsley chopped

Whisk together egg and cheese with a little water. Dredge chicken in mixture. Immediately saute in olive oil.

Remove cooked chicken, keep warm. Deglaze pan with chicken broth. Add olives, lemons, artichoke and scallions. Cook until reduced, add chicken back to the pan with any juices that have collected. Finish with parsley.

I served over couscous to soak up the sauce.