Recipe of the Week: Pistachio Crusted Chicken with Avocado Cream

Last Tuesday was national pistachio day, one of my favorite nuts.

Pistachio trees are native to the Middle East and the small bush produces bunches of fruit, similar to grapes and the nut is the seed of that fruit.

Pistachios have more antioxidants per serving than green tea.  They are also an excellent source of fiber, copper and Vitamin B6.

This is a an easy chicken recipe and very unique especially with the avocado cream.

Enjoy!
Stacy

Pistachio Crusted Chicken with Avocado Cream

Ingredients:

Salad

1/2 cup pistachio nuts, shelled and finely ground

salt and pepper

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup sweet onion, diced

1 head romaine lettuce, cleaned and torn into bite sized pieces

Dressing

1 teaspoon sweet onion, grated

1 large avocado, pitted and peeled

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix the nuts on a pie plate with salt and pepper.  Press the chicken into the nuts to form a coating.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet and cook the chicken, 3 minutes per side.  Place breasts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until a thermometer reaches 160 and the juices run clear.

Heat the remaining oil in the skillet and add the diced onion.  Season with salt and pepper and cook the onion until browned.

To make the dressing; add grated onion, avocado, oil, lime juice and water in a blender and puree until smooth.

Divide lettuce among 4 plates.  Slice each chicken breast and arrange on top of the lettuce and top with cooked onion and dressing.

8/52: End of Month Mixed Bag and Oscar Party

Last Thursday night's train ride along the Puget Sound.  We finally hit the sound right around sunset and if we have a beautiful day like last Thursday, you can't beat the views.

I worked from home on Friday and treated myself to some flowers from Trader Joe's and all sorts of goodies for the weekend.  Brian and I walked through Lincoln Park on Saturday morning before the showers (mixed with now) arrived.

Saturday we explored the Madison Park neighborhood of Seattle, a place that I've always wanted to check out.  Shops, restaurants, pubs and a wine shop nestled right along Lake Washington.

Sunday was our Oscar Party!  

Did you see Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper?  They killed it!  Best part of the entire show.  We loved all the bright colored gowns.  Did everyone wear pink?  Julie Roberts looked amazing.  We loved Olivia Coleman's speech (what a shocker) and the guy that wore the tuxedo dress!?

Enjoy!
Stacy

7/52: Valentine's and Kasey Musgraves

I didn't get to spend Valentine's Day with my love, but Chick and I had a wonderful dinner and presents in Beaverton and Brian and I set out on an adventure Saturday the weekend after Valentine's Day (Thankfully all the snow had finally melted!)

Monday night was Kasey Musgraves in Portland and she was fabulous.  Soccer Mommy opened the show and they were also really great.

We had an amazing dinner at Swank before the show and although the food was mixed (some dishes were great and others just so so), we had a wonderful bottle of wine, our service was excellent and the restaurant itself had a great vibe.  We'd try it again, or head next door to Swine, their Bistro/Pub next door.

Enjoy!
Stacy

6/52: Epic Snow in Seattle

We had an Epic weekend snow event in Seattle the second weekend of February.

If you are going to get 9 inches of snow, let it start falling at noon on Friday!  I can't tell you how fun it was to lie on the couch with my laptop, watching the snow fall.

It continued snowing for almost 24 hours and we had the most amazing blue sky on Saturday afternoon and we managed to walk 6 blocks up to our local pub, which was packed!

Sunday afternoon it started snowing again and we got another 3 inches on top of the 7 inches that fell Friday/Saturday.

On Monday morning, Brian and I walked down to the bus stop and I was able to get down to the Amtrak Station and get to Portland before Seattle got yet another round of snow showers and another 2 inches.

Enjoy!
Stacy

Old Photo Friday: Happy Birthday, Kenny

WHO:  Ken Hanselman (my step-dad)
WHAT: Playing the bass guitar
WHEN: Late 1980's or early 1990's

Happy Birthday to my Step-Dad Kenny who celebrates a birthday on February 17, 2019.

Love you!

Stacy and Brian

Recipe of the Week: Pesto Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Today is National Fettuccine Alfredo Day! 

Traditionally fettuccine noodles are tossed with butter, cream and Parmesan cheese with vegetables, seafood or chicken added on top.

Although fettuccine with butter and Parmesan cheese was first mentioned in a fifteenth century cookbook, it wasn't until 1908 that fettuccine Alfredo was created by Alfredo Di Lelio who made it for his wife, Ines after she gave birth to their son and trying to get her appetite back.

The original dish was made of rich butter, three kinds of flour and Parmesan-Reggiano cheese.  In 1914, Di Lelio opened a restaurant under his first name and served the dish on his menu.

The dish became popular after Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford ate at the restaurant on multiple occasions during their honeymoon in 1927.  The international press heard the story and spread it around the world.  Within a year, the recipe for the dish appeared in American cookbooks.

Di Lelio sold is restaurant in 1943 and opened a new restaurant in Rome with his son.  It became the go-to place for Americans traveling abroad in the 1950's, and most came to sample the dish.  By the mid 1960's, it became a staple of Italian-American restaurants, but most could not recreated the dishes Italian butter, so heavy cream was used.  

Today the dish is still popular around the world and in Italy where it is often called Fettuccine al burro.

I love this dish with the added pesto and chicken.

Enjoy!
Stacy

Pesto Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

2 x chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon basil pesto

fettuccine pasta

3 tablespoons butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil

Directions:

On a pre-heated grill, cook chicken breasts 5-6 minutes per side, until no longer pink in the middle.  Slice chicken into 1 inch pieces and place in a bowl.  Top with pesto and stir together.  Cover and set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions and set aside to keep warm.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt butter then add garlic and cook garlic for 1 minute being careful not to burn. Stir in flour until smooth and cook mixture for 1 minute.  Slowly add broth, milk and cream, stirring constantly until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.

Add pesto chicken to the cream sauce and the add cooked pasta.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

Top with chopped basil and serve immediately.

5/52: Welcome February

We kicked off February with a girl's weekend in Portland with a Friday night crab feed, Bob Seger in Concert on Saturday night and then Super Bowl Sunday.

Enjoy!
Stacy