Last week came and went in a flash with another person sent packing during American Idol’s Top 12 week. The gorgeous and talented, Karen Rodriguez, couldn’t quite bring in the votes with her version of Taylor Dayne’s “Love Will Lead You Back”. Her time may be up on Idol, but I have a feeling we’ll be hearing more from Miss Rodriguez. **Side Note: girl was looking fierce in that black sparkly dress and sky high boots.
Whether you were dabbing your tears or jumping for joy over Karen’s departure, I hope you had the chance to enjoy my Idol top 12 recipes. Yahoo’s super fab music lover and creator of the popular “Reality Rocks” blog, Lyndsey Parker, posted some more quick and easy snacking recipes from yours truly.
I’ve had the amazing opportunity over the last few weeks to lend my culinary creativity to Lyndsey’s series “Snackin’ With Sarah Sellers”. So check out these tasty treats and let me know what foodie fare you’d like to see in next week’s column.
Head over to Reality Rocks for this weeks Top 11 recipes and check back at the end of the week for my recap.
Happy Eating!!
Tomato and Garlic Bruschetta
Ingredients
- 1 baguette, cut in to 3/4-inch vertical slices
- olive oil spray
- garlic powder
- 2 lbs vine-ripe tomatoes, chopped, seeds removed
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (2/3oz) container of fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup of good extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella, crumbled
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Spray each piece with olive oil spray, and lightly dust the tops with the garlic powder. Bake until lightly crisp, around 4-5 minutes.
Combine the tomatoes and the next 5 ingredients, through the mozzarella, in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Spoon a heaping amount of the tomato mixture on top of each baguette slice, and sprinkle with the crumbled mozzarella.
Turn the oven on high broil.
Broil the bruschetta until the cheese is melted.
Chicken Skewers with Pesto Dipping Sauce
Yields 4 appetizer portions
Chicken- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Pesto
- 2 cups (packed) basil leaves, plus 1tsp chopped for garnishing
- 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
For the chicken, if you are using wooden skewers make sure you soak them in water for 30 minutes prior to grilling to avoid burning the skewers. Slice the chicken into 1/2 thick strips. Place the chicken in a large bowl with the oil, salt, and pepper and mix until well coated. Place the slices of chicken, end to end, through the skewers. Each skewer should hold around 5 pieces of sliced chicken.
Heat the grill to medium high and grill the chicken for 4 minutes on each side, flipping only once, or until cooked through.
For the pesto, mix all of the ingredients, up to the olive oil, into your blender or food processor. Slowly poor in the oil while mixing until well combined.
Garnish the chicken with the extra basil. Serve the chicken skewers alongside the pesto for dipping. For more of heavier meal, serve with a Caesar salad!
Lissie’s debut album “Catching a Tiger” has been playing non stop on my iTunes. Her eclectic combination of rock, folk, indie, and even hints of country lend to some great tunes. Check out one of my favorite songs off the album then watch her live performance of “Everywhere I Go” with one of my favorite Brits, Ellie Goulding.
Sarah's Musical Kitchen 