Soprano Chef

12/02/2013

Free shipping with an order of $75 at www.pamperedchef.biz/soprano.

07/03/2013

Tuscan Turkey Burgers
INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup (50 mL) Italian salad dressing
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 lb (500 g) 93% lean ground turkey
8 oz (250 g) hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1/4 cup (50 mL) finely chopped fresh basil, divided
1 focaccia bread round (about 12 oz/350 g)
Pesto Mayonnaise (optional, see Cook's Tip)
1 medium plum tomato, sliced
DIRECTIONS
1
Prepare grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat. Combine bread crumbs, dressing and garlic pressed with Garlic Press in Stainless (4-qt./4-L) Mixing Bowl. Add turkey, sausage and half of the basil. Mix gently but thoroughly with Mix 'N Scraper®.

2
Form mixture into four round patties, about 1 in. (2.5 cm) thick. Grill, covered, 5 minutes or until grill marks appear. Turn burgers over using BBQ Turner; grill 5-7 minutes or until centers of burgers are no longer pink and Digital Pocket Thermometer registers 165ºF (74ºC). Remove burgers from grill.

3
Meanwhile, cut focaccia bread in half horizontally with Bread Knife. Place, cut side down, onto grid of grill. Grill 1 minute or until lightly toasted. Remove from grill and cut into quarters. Spread with Pesto Mayonnaise, if desired. Serve burgers in focaccia. Top with remaining basil and tomato slices.

Yield:

4 burgers,
4 servings of 1 burger

Nutrients per serving:

Calories 540, Total Fat 21 g, Saturated Fat 4.5 g, Cholesterol 100 mg, Carbohydrate 52 g, Protein 38 g, Sodium 1210 mg, Fiber 2 g

U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving:

3 1/2 starch, 4 medium-fat meat, 1 fat (3 1/2 carb)

Cook's Tips:

Prevent tough burgers by mixing the ingredients just until they are combined. Break up the sausage over the turkey so that it combines quickly without over-mixing.

For Pesto Mayonnaise, combine 2 tbsp (30 mL) mayonnaise and 1 tbsp (15 mL) prepared basil pesto.

Soaking the bread crumbs in salad dressing tenderizes the burgers.

Placing your formed burger patties onto squares of foil makes it easy to transfer them to the grill. Carefully invert the patty onto the grid of the grill and peel off foil.

06/27/2013

Don't feel like cooking in this heat? Don't feel like grilling either? Try this microwave meal....Grilled Chicken Penne al Fresco
INGREDIENTS

4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
3 cups uncooked mezze penne pasta
3 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup dry white wine such as Chardonnay
1/2 tsp each salt and coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, divided
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup packed)
2 cups diced grilled chicken breasts
Additional grated fresh Parmesan cheese and coarsely ground black pepper (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1
Spray Deep Covered Baker with olive oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Slice garlic into baker using Garlic Slicer. Add tomatoes. Cover; microwave on HIGH 4-5 minutes or until tomatoes begin to burst, stirring after 2 minutes. Crush tomatoes using Mix ‘N Chop. Add pasta, broth, wine, salt and black pepper.

2
Return baker to microwave; cover and microwave on HIGH 16-18 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring after 10 minutes. Meanwhile, coarsely chop basil with Chef's Knife. Reserve 2 tbsp for garnish. Grate cheese using Rotary Grater.

3
Carefully remove baker from microwave using Oven Mitts and remove lid, lifting away from you. Add remaining basil, cheese and chicken to baker; mix well. Garnish with reserved 2 tbsp basil, additional Parmesan cheese and black pepper, if desired.

Yield:

,
8 servings of about 1 cup, excluding optional ingredients

Nutrients per serving:

Calories 240, Total Fat 2.5 g, Saturated Fat .5 g, Cholesterol 25 mg, Carbohydrate 35 g, Protein 17 g, Sodium 450 mg, Fiber 2 g

U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving: No information is currently available.

Cook's Tips:

An additional 3/4 cup chicken broth can be substituted for the wine, if desired.

Any tube-shaped pasta requiring 9-11 minutes cook time, such as penne or rigatoni, can be substituted for the mezze penne pasta.

To grill chicken in the Grill Pan, season 2 chicken breasts, about 6 oz each, with salt and black pepper. Heat Grill Pan over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Spray pan with oil. Cook chicken 4-6 minutes or until grill marks appear. Turn chicken over; cook 4-6 minutes or until center of chicken is no longer pink and Digital Pocket Thermometer registers 170°F.

12/10/2012

Bacon Egg Cups

*Makes 12 cups*
12 slices bacon
8 eggs

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whip the eggs, salt, pepper and cheese with a fork.
Spray non stick spray in 12 muffin tins.
Wrap each piece of bacon inside the sides of each muffin cup.
Fill each bacon lined muffin cup 3/4 of the way with the egg mixture.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the egg cups are golden brown and don’t jiggle.
Use a knife to scoop them out of the tins.
Serve immediately.
Note: If you prefer crispier bacon, partially pre-cook the bacon and then line the muffin tins.

11/14/2012

Get ahead of the game!

Have any recipes that call for diced, cooked chicken? Try these three easy ways to get a head start on your recipe preparation.

Need cooked chicken for a recipe. Get ahead of the game with one of these three quick methods:
Microwave chicken breasts, covered with Parchment Paper in the Small Ridged Baker, for 5-6 minutes or until 165°F. Cool before dicing.
Heat 2 tsp canola oil in 8" Saute Pan over medium heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Cook 5-6-oz chicken breasts, two at a time, 4-6 minutes per side until 165°F; cool and dice.
Buy a rotisserie chicken. Remove and discard skin and remove meat from the bones. Dice and done!

10/08/2012

09/16/2012

Zucchini is best eaten while it is still small. If you've accidentally grown your zucchini to baseball-bat sized, go ahead and shred it and sneak it into your baked goods, pancakes, spaghetti sauces, quiches, etc.

09/16/2012

Chef’s Tip: Dip apple slices in lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. “Share” this if our Taffy Apple Pizza makes your mouth water! http://bit.ly/K91yPK

09/04/2012

A compound butter is a simple way to dress up your food. Compound butter is nothing more than flavored butter, and it's easy to do. I put slices of cold butter in my Pampered Chef Manual Food Processor along with any seasonings of choice. Will probably make some raspberry butter for spreading on bread in the mornings, and I made a delicious Mole' and Sweet Onion butter that I put on our smoked pork from yesterday. Try some with lemon zest, juice, and herbs for topping grilled salmon or a chipotle lime for a steak. It's simple and delicious.

09/03/2012

Making a red cabbage slaw today to go with our smoked pork tenderloin. Processing my heirloom tomatoes today too. What are your Labor Day cooking plans?

08/27/2012

Use the Creative Cutters from The Pampered Chef (aka: me) to make the heart and star shapes. You can also cut a shape out of a piece of wheat and a piece of white bread and reinsert the shape into the opposite kind of bread to make a cute sandwich for your kids. Also a great way to use that crusty end of the bread that most kids don't like. Just cut a shape out, and re-insert after flipping it over.

08/19/2012

"I want you to make pesto more randomly and more eccentrically. In short, I want you to make pesto more like a child would: with radical abandon followed by a lot of smashing." -Nicholas Day on his article Kale and Other Pestos.

Here's his recipe....(and I recommend the Manual Food Processor from your favorite Pampered Chef consultant....me!)
1 big bunch of kale, rinsed, ribs removed and torn into large pieces
3/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Parmigiano, microplaned (I sell one of these too)
2 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped (I sell an awesome peeler)
1/2 cup pine nuts (although any nut will do...my favorite is walnuts)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice