Chicken Caprese Pasta

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken cubed
1 box whole wheat spaghetti cooked
2 14.5 oz cans of petite diced tomatoes garlic and onion flavor (low sodium is best because of the mozzarella)
1 package whole mozzarella cubed
1/2 white onion diced
3/4 red onion diced
5 cloves garlic diced
1 small can tomato paste
Salt & pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
fresh basil

Start pasta. In LARGE sauté pan heat olive oil over low. Toss in onions and saute 3 minutes, tossing or stirring often. Add in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Cube up chicken while the onions and garlic cook. Add too the pan and toss it together to cook. Season with salt & pepper. Turn heat to medium high and cook about 7-8 minutes until chicken is still a little pink. Add in tomatoes and cook 3-4 minutes to combine. Stir in half a can of tomato paste, cover and simmer on low for 4 minutes. If sauce is too thick add in 1/4 cup of your pasta water. Strain pasta and portion into bowls. Add sauce and toss to combine. Add in mozzarella and toss to combine. You don't want to do this first or it will melt too much. Top generously with fresh basil.

Using a very sharp knife helps with cutting the mozzarella. Also leave it in the fridge until you are ready to cut it. I've heard people say put it in the freezer but last time I did that I forgot it for a month. I used the red onions in here to get a sweeter flavor. Also, buy good tomatoes. I use the Muir Glen ones. They are about .80 more, but really they add a gazillion times more flavor and actually taste tomatoey, vs, SHITTY. Trust me on this. You can spare the .80 to make this meal pop.

Tuesday's dinner, steak with carmalized onions & garlic, mashies with beef gravy and a caprese red onion salad.

First of all I'm a huge asshole who didn't take a picture even after my husband said are you sure you don't want a picture. But I didn't' because I didn't like the presentation. Yeah I suck I know. This is also another one of those recipes with absolutely no measurements to most of it.

Also the marinade and salad and gravy all tie in so I recommend using my marinade and not your own for this.

Steak
Place on tri tip whole in a large plastic bag add the following (stab it with a knife a few times first)
Balsamic vinegar, umm about a quarter cup
Soy sauce, about the same
5 cloves rough chopped garlic
Lot of pepper
Couple squirts lemon juice
Couple squirts hot sauce
About a tbsp or more of crushed red peppers
about 1.5 cups of water

Allow to marinate on counter for about an hour (on the counter brings the steak to room temperature causing it to be more tender when grilled.)

Throw steak on grill on low heat. I did my outside burners on low and the inside one off. I like to cook slow and steady it taste better and cooks more even.

Mashed potatoes
If you don't know how to make mashed potatoes, I can't help you.

Gravy.
2.5 cups chicken stock
3 beef bullion cubes (I use a lot when its beef because their bullion cubes tend to be less flavorful then chicken.)
Chopped onion, couple tbsp
chopped garlic, couple tbsp
Shit load of pepper
2.5 tbsp butter
2.5 tbsp flour

Bring broth and bullion to a boil and stir until bullion dissolves. Pour into heat safe glass and put butter, onions and garlic in pan and stir over medium heat until bubbly then add in flour and stir until combined and bubbly. Pour broth back in pan, add pepper and stir over high heat until it is almost boiling. Reduce to low heat and stir till it thickens. Keep on low heat and stir occasionally until serving time.

Caramelized onions and garlic
1 Onion sliced into quarter inch rings
lot of garlic sliced
Butter

Throw all this into a pan and allow to saute, being stirred often until onions caramelize. Watch heat level so as not to burn garlic.

Caprese salad with red onions
7 small sweet tomatoes chopped into bite size pieces
1/4 small red onion chopped thin
Basil chopped
about 1.5 cups chopped fresh mozzarella (bite size pieces)
1/2 cup balsamic
couple squirts EVOO
Kosher salt
Pepper

Toss in bowl. Leave on counter to bring to room temp.

When steak is done (about 20 minutes for medium rare) place on cutting board and allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Slice into thin pieces and put on place. Top with onions and garlic. Plate mashies and top with gravy. Add your salad to the side and wala!

Sorry I have no pictures like I said I'm an asshole!

Caprese sandwich (pronounced Ka-pray-say)

This is my favorite quick go to meal. It is caprese (pronounced Ka-pray-say) sandwich's. I have included stp by step photos of this process. This is the freshest tasting meal you will ever taste.

First take your fresh basil and roll it long ways

Then you take you knife and cut it down the roll so you have confetti type stuff (I woulda taken pictures of this but my husband wouldn't get off the Wii)

Here are all the ingredients you will need, fresh sliced mozzarella, tomatoes (I prefer smaller tomatoes they have more flavor), fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, salt, fresh cracked pepper, and some of your favorite bread (I like sliced cibiatta or sliced sweet french), turkey if you have to eat meat!

Preheat a nonstick pan with a good amount of EVOO to medium low, closer to low

Start with your sliced bread

Liberally apply mozzarella to each slice

Then layer tomatoes

Add a generous amount of good Kosher salt and cracked pepper (normal salt will do just use less)

Add fresh sliced basil

Drizzle balsamic onto tomatoes (I do it this way so the tomatoes catch the vinegar and it doesn't get all over the bread and sog it up)

I usually stop here but my meatatarian husband likes the stupid turkey so whatever you can add some turkey.

Put the top slice on the turkey and press it together.

Place in preheated pan

Apply pressure, if you don't have a grill press use another heavy skillet

Cook till the bottom looks like this, and then flip

When both sides look like this, take it out, cut and enjoy!!!!!