Hi Everybody,

It rains every late afternoon now, making it feel like a rainforest. I'm not complaining, as long as the plants are happy and thriving, I'm happy.

Tonight I figured we would enjoy Chicken Romantico, Carrot Souffle, Papas Brava and a light salad. And later with a nice cuppa a slice of Northwest Pear Bread with Maple Walnut Butter.

Enjoy!

Chicken Romantico

serves 6

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. honey
1. T. olive oil
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. chopped parsley
1 t. chopped basil
1 t. chopped oregano
1/2 t. curry
1/2 t. ground coriander
2 c. shredded Fontina cheese
1 bag fresh spinach leaves
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Cut a slit horizontly on each breast. Marinate with a mixture of honey, oil, lemon juice and all thea seasonings. Coat well and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for 2 hours.

Oven at 350 and grease a casserole. In a bowl, mix together the cheese, spinach, bell pepper and garlic. Stuff the pockets of the breasts and place in the casserole. Bake 20 min. Sprinkle water with your hands over chicken and bake another 10 min.CARROT SOUFFLE

1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced
salt to taste
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. baking powder
3 T. flour
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1/4 t. Spice Blend*

*Spice Blend is a jar of spice I bought at Pier One a couple of years ago. When I went back to get more, they were out. Luckily I keapt the jar with the ingredients and now I make my own. It is simply equal portions grounded of:
ground coriander, ground cloves, ground cinnamon, sugar, aniseed, fennel seeds, and ground ginger. I ground it in the coffee machine grounder. It is fabulous.

Cook carrots in small saucepot in salted water covered til tender. Drain. Combine with butter in a blender or food processor and process till smooth.

Combine the sugar, baking powder, flour, eggs and vanilla in a bowl. Mix well and add to the pureed carrots and mix well.

Spoon mixture into a greased baking dish and bake at 350 for 45 mts.Papas Brava
This is an old Spanish recipe for potatoes, these are good in the morning with breakfast eggs. They are also good as an accompaniment to a meat dish.

3-4 potatoes, washed, peeled and sliced
3 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
1 med. onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 T. parsley
paprika

Saute onions, bell pepper and garlic in oil for 5 mts. Add potatoes and seasonings and toss to coat well. Adjust the cayenne pepper to your taste. Cover as the steam will tenderize the potatoes, at first cook over med. heat and as they cook, turn to low.

Northwest Pear Bread with Maple Walnut Butter
recipe courtesy of Pear Bureau Northwest

2 eggs
3/4 c. canola oil
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 Bosc Pear, cored and grated
2 c. all-purp. flour
1 t. soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped walnuts plus 1/4 c. chopped walnuts for garnish
1 Bosc Pear, cored and sliced for top garnish
1/4 c. honey for glaze

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a metal loaf pan.
Beat together til ight and fluffy eggs, oil, and sugar. Add vanilla d grated pear. In a second bowl combine all dry ingredients and walnuts. Add this mixture to the wet ingredients stirring just to moisten. Spoon into the prepared pan. Arrange pear sliced on top and sprinkle with 1/4 c. nuts.
Bake 50-60 min. Cool 15 min. before removing from pan. Brush with honey. Serve with Maple Walnut Butter.

Maple Walnut Butter
1 c. maple syrup
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/2 stickes butter, melted
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
In a small saucepot boil syrup with whole cinnamon 8-10 min. until the syrup has reached soft-ball stage. Remove from heat and remove cinnamon. Whisk in butter until opaque and thickened. Stir in walnuts. Chill to firm. Makes approx. 1 1/2 c.