Lemon Basil Chicken

5 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. garlic, minced or chopped fine

1/3 cup white wine (I used water)

2 Tbsp. lemon zest

1 large bunch of basil, julienned and chopped

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Juice of one lemon (slice and reserve leftovers)

To obtain more flavorful and jucier meat, always brine in advance.  This is a technique I just tried for the first time and I noticed a HUGE difference.  For boneless, skinless chicken breasts you only need to let the chicken brine for 30 to 60 minutes.  In a large plastic bag (or glass bowl or dish), pour 1 quart of cold water, 1/2 cup kosher salt or 1/4 table salt and 1/2 cup sugar.  Mix well, place chicken in bag and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.  Learn more about brining at Cooks Illustrated.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Heat olive oil in a small pan over medium heat.  Add garlic and let cook for about 1 minute, you don't want to burn the garlic.  Remove from heat.  Stir in wine, lemon zest, basil, salt and pepper.

Arrange chicken breasts in a baking dish.  Season breasts with salt and pepper.  Pour lemon basil sauce over chicken and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.  Keep covered and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS:
3 to 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder (I’ve also used boneless pork loin – not tenderloin – but pork loin with good results)
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1 tablespoon hickory flavored liquid smoke
2 cups barbecue sauce
DIRECTIONS:
Rinse the pork shoulder and pat dry. Rub salt and pepper over the pork and place in a slow cooker. Add water and liquid smoke. Cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours, until the pork is very tender.
Remove the pork from the slow cooker and discard the remaining liquid. Shred the pork using a couple of forks. Place the meat back in the slow cooker along with the barbecue sauce and continue to cook for another 20-30 minutes until the pork is hot again. Serve on buns with extra barbecue sauce.

French Bread Rolls

Good for sandwich recipes.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups warm water
3/4 tablespoon instant yeast (or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, give or take a few tablespoons
DIRECTIONS:
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl by hand, combine the warm water, yeast, sugar, oil, salt and 2 cups of the flour (if you are using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, let the yeast proof in the warm water and sugar for about 3-5 minutes until it is foamy and bubbly before adding the oil, salt and flour). Begin mixing and continue to add the rest of the flour gradually until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Judge the dough not by the amount of flour called for in the recipe but in how the dough feels (see a tutorial on working with yeast here). The dough should be soft and smooth but still slightly tacky to the touch.
Knead the dough in the stand mixer or by hand until it is very smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer or 8-10 minutes by hand. Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it has doubled (this usually takes about an hour).
Lightly punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly greased countertop. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and form the dough into round balls. Place the rolls on a lightly greased or silpat-lined baking sheet about an inch or two apart. Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap taking care not to pin the plastic wrap under the baking sheet or else the rolls will flatten while rising. Let the plastic wrap gently hang over the sides of the pan to fully cover the rolls but not press them down. Let the rolls rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through.
*Freezable Option: I almost always make a double or triple batch of these rolls. Once they are baked and cooled, I place them in a zipper-lock freezer bag and put them in the freezer. I either take them out a few hours before I need them or I take them out frozen and microwave them for about 2-3 minutes on 70% power.

Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe

Amy's Mesquite Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. Grill Mates “Mesquite Marinade”

• 1 lb. chicken breasts or tenders

• 1 red onion

• Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Make marinade according to directions on package. Put chicken in marinade and allow to sit in fridge for at least 15 minutes. The longer it marinates, the more flavorful the chicken will be!

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put chicken in a baking dish or cookie sheet and bake chicken for about 20 minutes or until almost done.

3. While the chicken is cooking, slice red onion into thin rings.

4. After the 20 minutes, remove the chicken and place red onion rings on top of chicken. Cover with mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake for about 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.