Dinner and a...flight?

I flew to Connecticut with my uncle to a really great restaurant in Connecticut called the 121 club. The restaurant sits right on the runway of the airport in Waterbury Oxford. They have the most amazing burgers ever!!! but since I am dieting I got a soup and salad :( lol Here are some gorgeous photos from the flight we took:

Beef Quesadillas

1 lb ground beef
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup salsa
1/4 cup water
3 tbs taco seasoning
8 medium sized quesadillas

Brown meat in a fry pan on medium-high heat .. drain onto paper towel to get the grease and fat out. Put back into pan. Add water, taco seasoning, salsa, & shredded cheese to meat and bring to "boil". Let simmer for 10 minutes on medium-low heat.

I used my lovely hamilton beach quesadilla maker that I won at an event. It was the first time I used the quesadilla maker and I LOVED it! So easy and sooo fast.

I enjoyed this meal :) and will make it again soon!

Chicken Stir-fry

Chop the following: (all fresh ingredients) Onions, peppers (red, yellow and green), 4 garlic cloves

Thin chicken cutlets, cut into bite size pcs - season with salt, pepper and basil

4oz of sliced mushrooms

Sliced up zucchini

Broccoli

1 tbs butter

1 tbs pure sesame seed oil

Balsamic glaze

*Served this with white rice

Use your handy dandy wok to make this one. Heat up sesame seed oil and cook chicken for a few minutes (toss frequently to prevent sticking). Place chicken aside in a bowl.

Place 1 tbs butter into wok and melt - Saute broccoli and mushrooms first for a few min - then add your chopped ingredients and continue to saute for 5 minutes. Add in chicken and place heat on low. Add in balsamic glaze and mix.

Stir-fry dishes are very easy - you can add anything!!

Fried Goat Cheese (over salad)

My favorite damn thing ever!! My mom made this for me years ago and I fell in love. Although, I don't typically use flour in this recipe ever, I decided to try it. I didn't notice much of a difference at all.

1 roll of goat cheese (small roll makes about 5)
1 egg, beated
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
Small amount of Olive Oil
2 separate bowls

Cut roll of goat cheese into slices about a 1/2 inch wide. Beat egg in bowl 1, pour breadcrumbs into bowl 2. Dip goat cheese slices into egg wash. Cover entire slice in breadcrumbs. When your goat cheese slices are ready, heat up olive oil into small fry pan (medium-high heat). THESE FRY VERY QUICKLY, like barely a minute on each side. Wait until they are golden brown then place onto paper towel over plastic plate just to soak up any extra oil.
These will be ready to place over your salads, they are so delish when warm!

* My salad included a spring mix of lettuce, sautéed walnuts, and sliced strawberries. I put some extra raw goat cheese in there just so we didn't waste it :)

mm Mozzarella!

These were tasty - like my friend Matt said, a lazy chef's version of chicken parm
(no sauce lol) Love fresh mozz! :)

Wok style chicken

Chicken Cutlets, bite size pcs
Salt & pepper
Basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
my favorite spicy BBQ sauce

Mix chicken in a bowl with the above ingredients and let marinate for a little while.
Cook in the wok for about 5-7 mins on medium-high heat until chicken is golden brown.

Veggie Pizza

I think this recipe has been perfected! Although I don't use exact measurements, you can see from the pics about how much broccoli, mushrooms etc to use.

1 pizza dough (store bought or homemade)
Fresh broccoli
2 tbs olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 oz of mushrooms
3 small peppers, diced ( I used red/orange)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
Sprinkle of Red Pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 450 degrees -- with pizza tray/stone inside oven. Let tray/stone get hot for about 15 to 20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare your dough on the counter. Today, I put sesame seeds on the bottom of the dough.
Steam broccoli for 2 minutes, then place into saute pan with onion, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat.
Spread the 2 tbs of olive oil on top of your dough and place onto hot pizza tray/stone. Bake the dough for 9 minutes in the oven then take it out.
Spread layer of cheddar cheese on partially baked dough, then your veggie mixture, then a layer of mozzarella cheese. Add parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes as well.
Bake in the oven for another 9-11 minutes, or until desired crispiness.

The flavors were great on the pizza - and it looked quite pretty! :)

Teriyaki Chicken

1 lb chicken cutlets
1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce (I love Veri Veri Teriyaki)
Salt & Pepper
Optional: Sliced up scallions, cashews


Slice up cutlets into bite size pieces. Marinate in bowl with salt, pepper and teriyaki sauce. Cook in wok on medium heat until chicken is golden brown. I add in the cashews a few minutes before the chicken is done. I served this meal with my Aunt's broccoli recipe and white rice.