Summer Treat: Grilled Peaches with Honey Lime Sauce

Here's the latest recipe from chef Jill Fisher! Jill, a licensed Personal Chef, teaches cooking classes at Conejo Valley Adult School and Williams Sonoma in Thousand Oaks and has written articles for local food magazines such as 805 Living. In December 2009, Jill and her friend released their cookbook "i found my sanity in...My Best Friend's Kitchen."

CLICK HERE for Jill's other recipes published in Conejo Valley Guide!

Nothing says summer like fresh peaches.  This recipe is very simple yet extremely flavorful, especially with good quality fruit and ice cream.  And grilling your dessert as well as your main course is a perfect finish for an alfresco dinner. -Jill

     Grilled Peaches with Honey Lime Sauce

4 fresh, ripe, white or yellow peaches

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp sugar

1 cup honey

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Grated zest of one lime

Cut peaches in half and remove pits.  Sprinkle cut side lightly with cinnamon and sugar.  Grill over medium heat, cut side up, for about 5 minutes.  Then, turn over and continue grilling for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until soft.  Remove from grill and slice.

In the meantime, heat honey until warm and stir in lime juice and zest.  Serve peaches over vanilla ice cream, drizzled with honey sauce. Serves 4.

Take Comfort With This Oven Fried Chicken with Almonds Recipe

Here's a New Year's recipe from chef Jill Fisher! Jill has a B.S. in Food Science and Nutrition and is a licensed Personal Chef. She teaches cooking classes at Conejo Valley Adult School and Williams Sonoma in Thousand Oaks and has written articles for local food magazines such as 805 Living. In December she and her friend Merilee Iverson released their cookbook "i found my sanity in...My Best Friend's Kitchen."

CLICK HERE for other recipes recipes from Jill published here on Conejo Valley Guide!

As we roll into January, we all start thinking about the rolls around our middle!  Yet we still hunger for comfort food because it is winter*.  Here is a recipe that even my kids like!  It is a delicious and healthier way to serve chicken to chicken finger-loving kids that adults will enjoy as well.  It is also good cold for lunch the next day.  Happy 2010! - Jill

* Conejo Joe: That is debatable based on the heatwave we've been having here in January.

Oven Fried Chicken with Almonds

1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs

¼ cup parmesan cheese

¼ cup finely chopped almonds

2 Tbsp parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

¼ tsp dried thyme

pinch of black pepper

¼ cup olive oil

2 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breast strips, 12 pieces

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a medium bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, cheese, almonds, paesley, garlic, salt, thyme, and pepper.  Mix thoroughly.

Place the oil in a shallow dish.  Dip the chicken first in the oil, then dredge in the crumb mixture.  Place the chicken on a foil lined cookie sheet, sprayed with Pam.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Serves 6

Satisfy Every Back to School Sweet Tooth with "Peanut Butter Bliss Bars"

The latest recipe from my friend and masterful chef friend Jill Fisher! Jill has a B.S. in Food Science and Nutrition and is a licensed Personal Chef. She teaches cooking classes at Conejo Valley Adult School and Williams Sonoma in Thousand Oaks and has written articles for local food magazines such as 805 Living. To contact Jill, let us know!

Just in time for Back to School – Peanut Butter Bliss Bars!  It is sure to satisfy every sweet tooth and to soften the blow of homework starting up again.  Nutter Butter crust, Butterfingers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – what’s not to love!

Peanut Butter Bliss Bars

1 (16 oz) package Nutter Butter Cookies

½ cup melted butter

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

½ cup creamy peanut butter

1 Tbsp vanilla

5 (1.5 oz) packages Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, chopped

3 (2.1 oz) Butterfingers

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine crushed Nutter Butters and butter in bowl (I used a food processor and did it at once).  Press crumb mixture into the bottom of a greased 13”x9” pan.  Bake at 350F for 6 to 8 minutes.

Combine condensed milk, peanut butter and vanilla in a bowl, stirring until smooth.

Sprinkle chopped candy bars and chips over crust.  Drizzle milk mixture over the top.

Bake at 350F for 27 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove to a wire rack and let cool in pan.  Cut into thin strips.

** The recipe also called for ½ cup honey roasted peanuts and ½ coconut to be sprinkled on the crust as well.  I omitted them because I thought it would upset the delicate balance between the candy bars (tee hee).

Note from Conejo Joe:  Please do not place this plate of cookies ANYWHERE NEAR ME as they will reside in my stomach in 2 seconds flat.

August BBQ Recipe Featuring Grilled Shrimp with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

No better time than NOW to throw some shrimp on the barbecue and enjoy our hot August evenings. This Grilled Shrimp with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette recipe can work as an appetizer or an entrée. It also looks beautifully displayed on a bed of micro greens from your local Farmer’s Market.

Grilled Shrimp with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

4 strips of bacon, diced

½ cup vegetable oil

4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

4 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp fresh lime juice

4 Tbsp garlic, minced

2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

~20 jumbo shrimp, peeled, de-veined and tails left on

Preheat grill to high.

Fry bacon for the vinaigrette in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Pour off all drippings, leaving bacon bits in the pan.

Stir in ½ of the oil, vinegar, sugar and lime juice. Turn off heat. Season with salt/pepper.

Toss the shrimp with remaining oil, garlic, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Thread shrimp onto metal skewers.

Grill shrimp until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from skewers and arrange on plates, then drizzle with vinaigrette and sprinkle with cilantro.

Serve with Crostini. Call hungry Conejo Joe to share!

My friend Jill Fisher has a B.S. in Food Science and Nutrition and is a licensed Personal Chef. She teaches cooking classes at Conejo Valley Adult School and Williams Sonoma in Thousand Oaks and has written articles for local food magazines such as 805 Living. To contact Jill, let us know!