Mr. Food Recipes: Week of July 6

Garden Chicken Bake
4 servings

1 (0.7-ounce) envelope dry Italian dressing mix
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 to 1-1/2 pounds total)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 medium onion, cut in half then into 1/2-inch slices
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Tear 4 pieces of aluminum foil, each about 12" x 18".
2. Place the dry dressing mix in a shallow dish. Coat both sides of the chicken breasts evenly with the mix then lay each piece of chicken on a piece of aluminum foil.
3. In a large bowl, combine the bell peppers, zucchini, onion, and Italian dressing, and toss until the vegetables are completely coated. Distribute the vegetable mixture evenly over the chicken breasts and drizzle any remaining dressing over the vegetables.
4. Distribute the mozzarella cheese over the vegetables (1/4 cup per packet) and seal the packets tightly. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until no pink remains in the chicken and the juices run clear. Serve in the foil (see Note).

NOTE - I like to let adult guests open their own chicken packets at the table but make sure they’re careful to open the packets away from them. The steam from the packets is very hot!

 

Summer Food Safety Tips

Safely preparing food should be a number one concern every day of the year. Since many of us have two “kitchens” during summer – the indoor one and the outdoor one, here are some ideas to keep everybody safe:

• Always start with clean hands and clean surfaces. When working with raw meats and fresh fruits and veggies, to prevent cross-contamination and confusion, use different colored cutting boards, maybe red for raw meat, chicken and fish; green for strong-smelling veggie items like garlic and onions; and white for everything else.
• Always put cooked food (from the oven or the grill) on a clean plate, never on the same one used for raw food (unless the plate has been thoroughly washed with soap and hot water)!
• While on a hot grill, meat and poultry brown quickly on the outside, sometimes before the inside reaches a safe internal temperature (one at which any harmful bacteria is killed), so use a meat thermometer to check for proper cooked temperatures.
• Perishable food should never sit out more than 2 hours at room temperature, and even less than that in the hot summer sun, so use a cooler packed with ice when picnicking; at home…“back in the fridge” is the rule!

Grilling Shortcuts

It’s grocery shopping list time, and if we’re wishing we could add some pizzazz to our grill-fest at any time, but our work-week has us too tied up to make a “from-scratch” fuss, we can still be kitchen heroes. How? Our markets are loaded with shortcut helpers, and sometimes we just need a little reminder to pick them up. And sure, any brands are fine:

• We’ve all seen seasoning rubs that are simply combos of just the right herbs and spices. We simply apply them to our food then throw them on the grill and our meals taste like we labored over them…only we know we didn’t!
• Don’t forget the loads of varieties of bottled marinades and packets of dry marinade mixes that we just add water to. All the work's been done for us, and many of them do the trick in only 30 minutes!
• For last-minute entertaining, this shortcut is great for easy cleanup: Marinate in a resealable plastic storage bag that can simply be tossed out when you’re done! Your food's ready to go from the fridge to the grill.

If we put some of these timesavers on our shopping list, we get the tasty credit! They’ll never know how we got to the goal of... OOH IT'S SO GOOD!!

 

Breezy Summer Pasta
6 to 8 servings

4 medium-sized ripe tomatoes cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 medium-sized red onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, dill, salt, and pepper; mix well. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a soup pot, cook the pasta according to package directions; drain and place in a bowl. Cover the pasta with the chilled tomato mixture, sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, and serve immediately.

 

Sunny Lemon Squares
12 to 15 squares

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for topping
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups flour, butter, and confectioners’ sugar; mix until crumbly. Press into the bottom of a 9”x13” baking dish to form and crust. Bake