So this week's Recipes were: Chicken Marsala with Capellini pasta and Sauteed Spinach (my own recipe) and Becca's Jalapeno Poppers
Thursday
I decided to change up my boring mid-week meal and do something a little "fancier". I did my research and compared some recipes and combined a few for this Chicken Marsala recipe.
Chicken Marsala
Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
8 ounces crimini or porcini mushrooms, stemmed and halved
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions
Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them; pound with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.
Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Slip the cutlets into the pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden, turning once – do this in batches if the pieces don't fit comfortably in the pan. Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.
Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings in the pan, saute for 1 minute to render out some of the fat. Now, add the mushrooms and saute until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
I added the broth and marsala to the mushrooms to deglaze the pan. I also added some garlic (about 4 cloves) because I feel Italian needs garlic! After it was all nice and brown, I added the butter
Meanwhile I cooked the Cappellini (a type of angel hair pasta) for 3 minutes in boiling hot water, koser salt and set it aside
As the chicken was simmering, I prepared my famous sauteed Spinach (just a recipe that I threw together. It consist of:
8 oz of fresh spinach
about 3-4 tbs olive oil plus 1 tbs butter
2 cloves of garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
black pepper and kosher salt (to taste)
2-4 tsp of grated parmesan cheese
The Final Product (with some cherry tomatoes as Garnish).
I placed the chicken marasala over the cappellini and served the spianch on the side
It was so good! My dinner guest said it was like an orgasm for your mouth! LOL!
Saturday
Today's "Game Day" appetizer was Becca's Jalapeno Poppers (with a bit of my improvisation of course. Becca (sisters_luv) had been telling me all abotu her Jalapeni poppers that her son Eric loves and I said I had to try it!. I found a few recipes and I had to combine them. So in a lot of ways....it was Tati and Becca's Jalapeno Poppers! (LOL)
Jalapeno Poppers
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I did my own sun-dried tomatoes. It took me about 6 hrs. I de-seeded some tomatoes, brushed them with olive oil, sea salt, and italian seasonings, put them on a rack, and had them on low for about 8 hrs in the oven...and I let them cool. The rest I froze for later use....
Here is the mixture I had all mixed up. It was VERY tasty. I also added some Queso Fresco to it (just half a small pack crumbled). I think this would also be a good dip for chips!
De-Seeded and stuffed jalapenos...
While the bacon was cooking in the microwave then cooling, I had the toothpicks soaking.
I wrapped them with bacon and secured the jalapenos with toothpicks before placing them on a oil-sprayed racked
After about 30 minutes..VOILA! They were all done! Just oozing out and smelled great!
I poured myself a cold Red Stripe and munched on these while I watched the UGA game
Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them; pound with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.
Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Slip the cutlets into the pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden, turning once – do this in batches if the pieces don't fit comfortably in the pan. Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.
Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings in the pan, saute for 1 minute to render out some of the fat. Now, add the mushrooms and saute until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
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All the ingredients
I didn't have any boneless chicken, therefore I deboned some chicken breast. I saved the bones and etc. to make chicken stock later
I put the chicken between plastic wrap and pounded it (w/ my rolling pin) to about 1/4 inch thick
Mixing the flour mixture for dredging the chicken lightly
Frying the chicken in olive oil until golden brown
I didn't have any panchetta (a type of smoked Italian bacon) so I used some applewood smoked bacon
Ok so I had to do some improvisation with the recipe.
All the ingredients
I didn't have any boneless chicken, therefore I deboned some chicken breast. I saved the bones and etc. to make chicken stock later
I put the chicken between plastic wrap and pounded it (w/ my rolling pin) to about 1/4 inch thick
Mixing the flour mixture for dredging the chicken lightly
Frying the chicken in olive oil until golden brown
I didn't have any panchetta (a type of smoked Italian bacon) so I used some applewood smoked bacon
I added the broth and marsala to the mushrooms to deglaze the pan. I also added some garlic (about 4 cloves) because I feel Italian needs garlic! After it was all nice and brown, I added the butter
Meanwhile I cooked the Cappellini (a type of angel hair pasta) for 3 minutes in boiling hot water, koser salt and set it aside
As the chicken was simmering, I prepared my famous sauteed Spinach (just a recipe that I threw together. It consist of:
8 oz of fresh spinach
about 3-4 tbs olive oil plus 1 tbs butter
2 cloves of garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
black pepper and kosher salt (to taste)
2-4 tsp of grated parmesan cheese
Let it the oil and butter wilt the greens of the spinach, then add the garlic and other ingredients until perfectly cooked. Don't worry if you think you have too much greens. They will wilt with the heat.
The Final Product (with some cherry tomatoes as Garnish).
I placed the chicken marasala over the cappellini and served the spianch on the side
It was so good! My dinner guest said it was like an orgasm for your mouth! LOL!
Saturday
Today's "Game Day" appetizer was Becca's Jalapeno Poppers (with a bit of my improvisation of course. Becca (sisters_luv) had been telling me all abotu her Jalapeni poppers that her son Eric loves and I said I had to try it!. I found a few recipes and I had to combine them. So in a lot of ways....it was Tati and Becca's Jalapeno Poppers! (LOL)
Jalapeno Poppers
12 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup of crumbled Queso Fresco
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or less, to taste
· 4 large garlic cloves, minced
· 1/4 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomato
· 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
· 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt (to taste)
· 1 lb bacon
toothpicks, soaked for about 15 minutes in water
Directions
Mix cream cheese, garlic, sundried tomatoes, cilantro and salt and spices until well blended. You can now set the mixture aside or even freeze for up to a couple of months in a freezer bag. 2
You'll want to wear some kitchen gloves for this step! Slice the jalapeños lengthwise, being careful not to slice them in half. Then slice at the top along the width of the pepper just about a quarter inch below the base of the stem until you cut through the core, again being careful not to cut completely through the pepper (This step will probably take some practice). Now you need to decide whether you want to keep the seed webbing for those that like it really hot, or remove them for a lot less heat. I like to do about half and half so that you can please everyone. Anyway, if removing the seeds, gently remove the core using a paring knife by spreading the pepper carefully, you may need to shake some of the remaining seeds out.
Separate the strips of bacon and cook in the microwave for about 5 minutes on high, just enough to give it a head start. Then pat dry with paper towels. Just to soak up some of the grease. Set it aside to cool. Fill either a pastry bag or just a freezer bag (cutting one corner out), and pipe some of the filling into each pepper until full but still able to almost close the pepper. Wrap each pepper with a strip of bacon then use two or three toothpicks to secure the pepper closed. Bake on a rack on a cookie sheet (with foil underneath) for about 25-30 minutes until the bacon is crispy
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup of crumbled Queso Fresco
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or less, to taste
· 4 large garlic cloves, minced
· 1/4 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomato
· 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
· 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt (to taste)
· 1 lb bacon
toothpicks, soaked for about 15 minutes in water
Directions
Mix cream cheese, garlic, sundried tomatoes, cilantro and salt and spices until well blended. You can now set the mixture aside or even freeze for up to a couple of months in a freezer bag. 2
You'll want to wear some kitchen gloves for this step! Slice the jalapeños lengthwise, being careful not to slice them in half. Then slice at the top along the width of the pepper just about a quarter inch below the base of the stem until you cut through the core, again being careful not to cut completely through the pepper (This step will probably take some practice). Now you need to decide whether you want to keep the seed webbing for those that like it really hot, or remove them for a lot less heat. I like to do about half and half so that you can please everyone. Anyway, if removing the seeds, gently remove the core using a paring knife by spreading the pepper carefully, you may need to shake some of the remaining seeds out.
Separate the strips of bacon and cook in the microwave for about 5 minutes on high, just enough to give it a head start. Then pat dry with paper towels. Just to soak up some of the grease. Set it aside to cool. Fill either a pastry bag or just a freezer bag (cutting one corner out), and pipe some of the filling into each pepper until full but still able to almost close the pepper. Wrap each pepper with a strip of bacon then use two or three toothpicks to secure the pepper closed. Bake on a rack on a cookie sheet (with foil underneath) for about 25-30 minutes until the bacon is crispy
**********
I did my own sun-dried tomatoes. It took me about 6 hrs. I de-seeded some tomatoes, brushed them with olive oil, sea salt, and italian seasonings, put them on a rack, and had them on low for about 8 hrs in the oven...and I let them cool. The rest I froze for later use....
Here is the mixture I had all mixed up. It was VERY tasty. I also added some Queso Fresco to it (just half a small pack crumbled). I think this would also be a good dip for chips!
De-Seeded and stuffed jalapenos...
While the bacon was cooking in the microwave then cooling, I had the toothpicks soaking.
I wrapped them with bacon and secured the jalapenos with toothpicks before placing them on a oil-sprayed racked
After about 30 minutes..VOILA! They were all done! Just oozing out and smelled great!
I poured myself a cold Red Stripe and munched on these while I watched the UGA game
**********
Tomorrow I'm having a pretty traditional Southern dinner: baked ham, string beans, mac and cheese and candied yams. It's been a while since I just ate back to my roots.
Next Week's New Recipes: Canelloni stuffed w/ Ricotta and Spinach. and Steak Diane
Stay Tuned, ya'll!!! This has been VERY fun to share every week!
Tomorrow I'm having a pretty traditional Southern dinner: baked ham, string beans, mac and cheese and candied yams. It's been a while since I just ate back to my roots.
Next Week's New Recipes: Canelloni stuffed w/ Ricotta and Spinach. and Steak Diane
Stay Tuned, ya'll!!! This has been VERY fun to share every week!
Yum! THis is a whole feast laid out right here. I've been looking for a GOOD chicken marsala recipe for a few years, actually, as it's always been one of my favorite dishes at Olive Garden. Im excited to try this one!!!
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