Let's keep this thread going. We enjoy Lidia's Family Table/ Italian-American shows. She featured an easy recipe using chicken breasts, capers, red wine vinegar. She said it could be made using pork chops. This appealed to hubby so he made it for dinner one nite this week, using boneless pork chops. It's a delicious sauce. Skillet Chicken Breasts Aglio e Olio source: Lidia's Italy 6 chicken breast halves, skinless and boneless, about 2 pounds (we used boneless pork chops) 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed 1/2 cup flour, for dredging the chicken 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 8 garlic cloves, sliced 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 3 tablespoons capers, drained 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 cup vegetable broth 3 tablespoons Italian parsley, freshly chopped 1 tablespoon bread crumbs Trim the chicken breast halves of all bits fat, skin or connective tissue with a paring knife. Do not cut off the tenders-the small loose flap of muscle on the underside of each half-but flatten them firmly against the larger piece, to form a neat oval. Sprinkle both sides of the breasts with salt, using about 1/2 teaspoon in all. Spread the flour on a piece wax paper and press and toss each breast to coat lightly on all surfaces; shake off excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and all the butter in the pan over medium heat. When the butter is almost completely melted, lay the breasts in the pan, with space between them. Let them cook in place, without moving them, until they're sizzling. After 2 minutes or so, lift the first breast you put in the pan and check the underside. You want it to be lightly tinged with brown (not merely pale, but not brown all over either). Cook longer if needed, and then turn all the breasts over when they've just begun to color. Quickly scatter all the garlic slices into the spaces between the chicken, turn the heat up slightly, shake the pan and stir the slices around in the hot fat so they separate. After a minute or a bit more, when the garlic has begun to sizzle, sprinkle the red pepper flakes in a hot spot; toast for a minute; then spill the capers in several hot spots around the pan. Give the skillet a few good shakes to distribute the seasonings and run the hot juices all around the breasts. Raise the heat another notch: when everything's sizzling hard, pour the red wine vinegar into the open spaces and shake the pan to spread it. Let the vinegar sizzle and reduce for a 1/2 minute or so, then pour in the broth. Cook at full blast now, quickly bringing the liquid to a boil. As it cooks, drizzle the remaining two tablespoons of oil all around the pan and sprinkle on another 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Let the sauce bubble and reduce for a couple of minutes, shaking the skillet frequently, then sprinkle the bread crumbs into the sauce (not on the chicken) and stir and shake to mix it in. Within a minute or two, the crumbs will thicken the sauce visibly; cook, shaking the skillet, until it has the consistency you like. Turn off the heat, scatter the parsley over everything-and shake the skillet again. Serve immediately.

This was the night that we sisters bring in fast food to the Home where my special needs sister lives......sister's night. It was my turn to bring food for Annie. I took chili, baked potato from Wendy's. Chicken McBites from McDs. Sierra Mist special flavor for summer to drink. And stopped at a local bakery who makes the best brownies. I mostly buy large sizes of all the foods so she and I can split the food. Only problem was that they gave me SPICY chicken bites. She ate them but I told the nurse what she had, in case she complains later on. After we ate, we went to her room and cleaned out her closet and her dresser drawers, and to assess what clothes she'll be needing. Shirley

Here's a new one I found at another board APPLE CINNAMON BREAD PUDDING 1-1/4 lbs. (3 medium) Golden Delicious. Gala, or Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered, cored, and sliced (3 cups) Cinnamon/Sugar: 1/3 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon (set 1 teaspoon mixture aside for topping) 3 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, melted 4 large eggs 2 cups whole milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 8 or 9 slices cinnamon-raisin bread, cut in 1/2â cubes (5 cups) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 or 10â deep pie plate. Have ready a roasting pan larger than the pie plate. In a large bowl, toss apple slices with 2 tablespoons cinnamon/sugar. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and spread half the apples to cover bottom. Cook 1 minute preside or until partially cooked. Remove to a large plate. Repeat with another 1 tablespoon butter and remaining apples. Add to plate. Meanwhile, put eggs, milk, vanilla and remaining cinnamon/sugar in the bowl. Add remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter and whisk until ingredients are well blended. Spread bread cubes in pie plate. Arrange apple slices in concentric circles on top. Pour egg mixture evenly over apples; sprinkle with reserved 1 teaspoon cinnamon/sugar. Set pie plate in roasting pan; place pan on middle oven rack and add very hot tap water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of pie plate. Bake 40-45 minutes until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Remove pie plate from water. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.

Butternut Squash Casserole 1 medium to large butternut squash cooked and mashed 3 large eggs 3/4 C sugar (I use brown) 1/3 C butter, softened 1/3 C milk 1 tsp. ground ginger Combine ingredients and put in 8" square baking dish. Bake 350 35 minutes. Sprinkle with crush corn flakes and bake 10 min. more. Spicy cranberries 1/2 C sugar 1/4 C water 2" stick finn. 1 C fresh cranberries orange zest In small saucepan, combine first three ingredients. Bring mixture to boil. Add cranberries and return to boil, boiling rapidly 2 min or until cranberries pop. Put in serving bowl, coll. Cover and chill thoroughly. Remove finn. before serving. Garnish with orange twist. Makes 3/4 cup. Green Beans with Roasted Onions 6 medium onions (2 1/2 lb.) peeled, cut vertically through root end into 12 wedges. 3 lb. greens beans, trimmed 2 cans low sodium chicken broth 6 T. butter 3 T. sugar 2 T. red wine vinegar Spray w large cookie sheets with pam. Arrange onions in single layer. Dot equally with 4 T. butter. Season with salt and pepper. Bake 450 until onions are brown (dark) on bottoms. (35 min.) Boil broth in heavy skillet over high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup (6 min.) Add sugar and vinegar whisking until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to boil. Add onions, reduce to med.. low. Simmer about 5 min. Season with salt and pepper. Can be prepared to this point a day ahead. Cook beans until crisp tender. Reheat onion mixture. Drain beans, add remaining 1 T butter and toss beans to coat. Mound beans in large shallow dish. Top with onion mixture.