Chicken Caprese- Olive Garden Style

It seems we have started a Valentine tradition since the past 2 years we have gotten together with our friends Matt & Annie to celebrate the "holiday." None of us are big "romantic types" - so we just make it a fun night and give the guys a chance to do something sweet for us. So Friday night, Mark and Matt made this pretty involved dish for us (along with dessert and chocolate dipped strawberries) and it was fabulous!! It is pretty easy, it just has a ton of steps. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!


Ingredients:
- 8-10 Roma tomatoes
- 30 fresh basil leaves
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus 1 tbsp, divided
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2 cups flour, plus 1 tbsp, divided
- 1 lb dry angel hair pasta

Tomato and Basil Preparation:
-cut tomatoes and basil leaves into 1 inch pieces
-combine tomatoes, basil, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, 1½ teaspoons of Italian seasoning and 1½ teaspoons of salt in a large bowl and blend thoroughly.
- cover, set aside and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.


Chicken Preparation:
-preheat oven to 350.
-coat a large, non-stick skillet with vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat.
-combine 1½ cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of salt, black pepper and 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning in a shallow dish
-dredge chicken in the mixture
-place chicken in skillet and saute for about two minutes on each side
-transfer chicken to a large baking dish and place in oven to cook for approximately 10 minutes or until chicken is 165 degrees

Pasta Preparation:
-cook pasta according to package directions
-drain and set aside until needed

Sauce Preparation:
-heat 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
-add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and sauté for approximately 1 minute
-add 1 tablespoon of flour and stir to combine
-add white wine and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute.
-drain tomatoes and basil from liquid and set aside until needed. Add ½ cup of the marinade liquid and sauté for approximately 1 minute.
-add heavy cream. Lower heat and bring to a simmer
-add grated Parmesan cheese

Assembling Chicken Caprese:
-remove chicken from baking dish and set aside until needed
-transfer pasta to baking dish and partly coat with sauce
-pour desired amount of the remaining sauce on pasta and evenly distribute tomatoes and basil over pasta
-place chicken on top of pasta
-sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over chicken
-place baking dish under broiler for approximately 2-3 minutes to melt cheese

Here's a picture of the boys being proud of their meal!!

Potato Soup

Here is another easy crock pot soup, it is so easy and yummy!

4 cups diced potatoes
1/2 onion diced (or amount to your liking)
Combine potatoes and onions in saucepan, cover with water and cook until tender. Leave water on them.

In crock pot mix the following ingredients:
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cups skim milk (you can use any kind of milk, skim just makes it less fat)
1/4 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
1/2 tsp. garlic salt (I used minced garlic)
Tabasco sauce to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

To this mixture add the cooked potatoes, onions and water.

I prefer thicker soups so I added about a tablespoon of cornstarch.