Menu for Grace’s First Holy Communion Party

 Entrees

Lemony Chicken Piccata

Chicken breast lightly floured and sautéed and then baked in a lemon,, white wine and butter sauce with capers and fresh flat leaf parsley.

Homemade Lasagna

Lasagna made with a creamy white sauce in the center, 3  kinds of cheese and a meaty tomato sauce.

Cheese Ravioli in a Pink Vodka Sauce

Cheese ravioli bathing in a creamy pink sauce of fresh basil,, tomatoes, vodka and a heavy cream along with parmesan cheese.

Accompaniments

Antipasti

Roasted eggplant and red peppers,, sautéed asparagus and fresh mozzarella.

Spinach Salad

Fresh spinach tossed with strawberries,, scallions, toasted sliced almonds, goat cheese with a white balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing.

"Kiss Me" Kates

I love chocolate covered strawberries so this is my rendition of them cupcake style. These cuppy cakes are flavored with real strawberries and have a little surprise inside. A milk chocolate Hershey Kiss is hidden in each one of these little cakes.

"Kiss Me" Kates are named after my sweet little 5 year old niece Kate.

Ingredients:

1/4 c. butter softened

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 c. all-purpose flour

2T baking powder

1/4tsp salt

1/3 c. fresh or frozen strawberries pureed

1/4 c. milk

1/2 pkg. sugar-free strawberry jello

2 tsp. vanilla extract

12 Hershey Kisses

For Frosting:

1/2 c. butter softened

2 tsp. vanilla

3 1/2 c. confectioner's sugar

1/2 pkg. sugar-free strawberry jello

3 T milk

chocolate morsels for trim

Method:

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy then add each eggs mixing well after each addition. Then mix together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Mix the pureed strawberry, milk, vanilla and dry jello in a separate small bowl and set aside. Beginning with the dry ingredients, add to the butter and egg mixture and blend well. Alternating with the wet mixture, blend all ingredients together. In muffin tin lined with paper, fill each cup with batter 1/3 of the way full. Then place the candy in each cup point end down, then fill cup until 2/3rds full with remainder of the batter. Bake in preheated oven set at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven when time is up and let cool for about 10 minutes. Once warm remove them from the tin and let cool completely on wire rack before frosting.

To make Frosting:

Beat softened butter and add the vanilla and dry jello. Add the sugar in batches alternating with the milk until the desired consistency is obtained. Frost cooled cakes and trim with the morsels.

Lemony Chicken Piccata

I just made this dish for my daughter's first Holy Communion party this past Sunday and it came out wonderful. I actually took a low calorie recipe and beefed it up by putting the butter back into it. I also added fresh parsley along with the traditional capers. This recipe serves four but since I was serving a large amount of people I decided to cut each of the chicken breast into thirds after pounding out the meat. Try to get the chicken as even as possible when pounding, this will help to insure that all the meat will cook evenly.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

 (rinsed, patted dry and pounded out into 1/4 - 1/2 in thickness)

1/4 c/ all-purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper

olive oil for sautéing

2 T butter

2 T all-purpose flour

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/4 c juice from fresh lemons

1/4 c. dry white wine

2 T capers

1 T. chopped flat leaf parsley

Method:

Heat oil in pan and dredge the chicken in the flour and place in pan. Sautee both sides of the chicken until it is a light golden color, about 2-4 minutes on each side depending on how hot your oil is. Remove from pan and place in baking dish. Add butter to pan and let melt. Then add the 2 T. of flour and make a rough. Add the broth and let thicken a little then add the lemon juice and the wine and let mixture to continue to thicken. If you prefer a thinner sauce add more broth to the mixture. Once it is heated through, add the capers and parsley and pour over the chicken, bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes. You may want to add more parsley for garnish.