5 minute Chicken Paillards

School is back in session and our afternoons are quickly filling up with activities meaning there isn't always time for an elaborate home cooked meal. By slicing chicken breasts in half and pounding them until they are 1/4 inch thick you can have dinner on the table in no time. A quick infusion of olive oil, butter, and herbs give you a really flavorful and healthy dish.

For 4 people, I use 3 large chicken breasts. You also need:

3-4 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

A few slices of onion

A slice of lemon

2 cloves smashed garlic

A sprig of rosemary

A handful of fresh herbs (parsley, basil...whatever you like)

salt and pepper

Begin by slicing chicken breasts in half directly across the middle and going with the grain so that you split it into two pieces, but do not make it thinner yet. Now place the breast half in between two layers of plastic wrap or in a plastic bag and pound it with a rolling pan until it has flattened to about 1/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside. Continue flattening out the pieces and sprinkling with salt and pepper until you have enough.

Now set a skillet over medium heat and add olive oil, butter, onion, and garlic. Add a dash of salt and pepper and sweat the onions for a few minutes. Toss in your slice of lemon and rosemary. Scoot onions and garlic to the side and place chicken evenly throughout the pan and give each a half inch between, you may need to work in batches so you don't overcrowd the pan. Cook the chicken for two - three minutes undisturbed and then flip over for another two-theee minutes. Voila! The chicken should be finished, add to a plate and drizzle the pan sauce over the plate. Add another pinch of fresh ground pepper and roughly chopped fresh herbs onto the top. Serve with salad or whatever sides you like.

Sour Cream Muffins

This is a great base recipe to adapt based on what fruits you have on hand. Most recently I mixed in a cup of freshly picked and chopped cherries and they were amazing. These muffins are moist, cakey, fluffy, and just a little bit sweet. I think they rise beautifully and are a cinch to make.

What you need:

1 cup sour cream

2 eggs, room temp

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup of sugar

1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter

2  cup self rising flour

1 1/2 cup fruit (cherries, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, plums...whatever you like)

Preheat the oven to 400 and prepare a muffin tin by brushing vegetable oil into each cup or lining each cup with a nonstick baking paper cup. Whisk together all of your wet ingredients until nice and creamy, make sure the butter is melted but has cooled before you stir it in so you don't scramble the eggs. Then stir in your flour and lastly gently mix in your fruit. Fill each cup 3/4 -4/5 full. Place in the oven and bake for 5 minutes then reduce the temperature to 350 and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until the tops are lightly browned and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Calabrian Chili Pesto

Calabrian chilis add a fair amount of heat and smokiness when added to a dish, if they are too hot for you then add less and balance it out with regular red peppers. This condiment is great on fish, chicken, steak, roasted vegetables or simply tossed with pasta. You can elevate just about anything, it's delicious!

What you need:

3/4 cup roasted red peppers

1/4 cup calabrian chilis

2 cloves garlic

1/4 olive oil

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup packed basil

salt and pepper

First temper the garlic in a sauce pan with the olive oil over low heat for about 5 minutes. I don't like raw garlic, so I do this all the time. Then combine the garlic and olive oil with all of the other ingredients in a blender or food processor. Give it all a good rough chop and voila! Enjoy : )