Chicken Marsala

Ingredients

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)

1 cup flour

S&P

1/4 cup EVOO

4 oz sliced up ham

8 oz baby bella mushrooms, quartered

1 small shallots, sliced

1 medium summer squash, cut into 1/2'' cubes

1/2 cup Marsala wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/8 cup finely chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

Directions

Pound out the breasts to 1/4''. Put them in a ziplock bag - makes it easier. Put the flour in a large pie tin and season with fresh ground pepper and sea salt - mix to combine. Dredge the chicken in the flour.

Heat the oil over high heat. Cook the chicken 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a platter and cover.

Add the ham to the pan with the drippings. You can also use prosciutto instead of ham. I happened to have ham handy....also it's cheaper. Saute the ham or prosciutto for about a minute so it renders. Then add the mushrooms (I said quartered, half the smaller ones) squash, shallots, parsley and S&P. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the Marsala. Cook for two minutes and then add the chicken stock. Cook for another minute. Put the chicken back into the pan to warm through.

Chicken & Mushroom Casserole

Ingredients

Cream of Mushroom Sauce:

1 tablespoon EVOO

3 tablespoons butter

10 button mushrooms, sliced

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup 2% milk

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Nutmeg, a pinch

S&P

Casserole:

1 pound egg noodles

2 tablespoons EVOO + another 3 tablespoons for the chicken marinade

3 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into slices

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 lemon juiced

2 small (1 large) zucchini chopped

1 cup grated mozzarella

1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan

Directions

In a medium mixing bowl add the chicken, 3 tablespoons of EVOO, thyme and juice of 1 lemon. Stir to combine and set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil (add a splash of EVOO to flavor pasta). Cook noodles to package directions to al dente. Drain and add back to the empty pot. Drizzle some more EVOO over the pasta to keep it from clumping. Stir to combine.

Heat 1 tablespoon EVOO and 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium pot over medium high heat. Add the button mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes stirring regularly. Add the flour and cook for an additional minute. Then pour in the chicken stock, milk and heavy cream. Reduce the heat and simmer.

Heat 2 tablespoons EVOO medium high heat then add the zucchini and chicken. Cook for 5 minutes...just to brown the chicken. Then add it to the pot of noodles and stir to combine.

Spray casserole dish with canola oil cooking spray and transfer the chicken and noodles. Top it with the mushroom ragout and then finish it off with the cheeses.

Cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Then put broiler on high for 4 minutes.

Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup garlic powder

1/8 cup onion powder

3 tablespoons EVOO

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 orange bell pepper, chopped

1 red onion, sliced

5 oz white button mushrooms, sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup white wine

1 (14 oz) can of diced tomatoes

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons capers, drained

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil

Directions

Combine flour, garlic and onion powders in a tin. Dredge the cutlets in the flour mixture so they are completely covered.

In a large pan heat the oil over medium high heat. Brown the chicken 5 minutes on each side. Take out of the pan and set aside. Add the veggies and season with a bit of salt. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it reduces. Cook the wine down for 3 minutes. Then add the tomatoes, stock, capers, oregano and basil. Now put the chicken back in the pan and cover on medium heat for 30 minutes. Serve with some spaghetti.

A Mild Pastalaya

This is a combination jambalaya pasta dish. For the purposes of my house I made it milder than your typical Jambalaya... you can substitute and add some things to make it a more classic Jambalaya. Oh, and no picture to post....I lost my camera card while in Mexico....will replace camera soon... So, I'll just post a picture from Mexico....lol. This picture was taken our first night at Bar Frida for dinner. There were more naked pictures of Frida Kahlo then I found appetizing.

Ingredients

1 lb penne rigate

2 tablespoons EVOO plus more to drizzle

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 lb mild italian sausage, casings removed

4 cloves chopped

1 anaheim pepper, ribbed, seeded & chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, ribbed, seeded & chopped

1 red bell pepper, ribbed, seeded & chopped

3 small celery stalks, chopped

1 white onion, chopped

S&P

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup beer

1 cup chicken stock

1 (14 oz) can whole tomatoes

a dash of hot sauce

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

1/2 lb chicken breast, chopped into small pieces

1/2 lb shrimp, cleaned, tails removed

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 green onions, sliced on an angle

Directions

Cook the pasta by the box directions to al dente. Drain and drizzle with EVOO.

While the water is heating for the pasta, heat a large skillet or wok with the EVOO & butter over medium high heat. Add the sausage (use andouille sausage for classic jambalaya) by squeezing it out...discard the casings. Then ground it up and brown for 5 minutes. Remove with a spider or slotted spoon and set aside. Add the garlic, peppers, celery and onions to the pan with the sausage drippings. Stir and dredge for 6 minutes while adding S&P to taste. Add flour to the veggies and cook for another 2 minutes or less. Slowly stir in the beer until it's tan a creamy for an additional 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes (take a potato masher to them to crush them), thyme and the dash of hot sauce(at this point add 3 tablespoons for the classic jambalaya). Bring to a simmer then add the chicken and shrimp. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the sausage (andouille) for another minute.

Then combine the pasta and jambalaya mixture into the large pot that was originally used to cook the pasta. Stir to combine well. When serving garnish with the green onions.

Grilled Chicken with Sesame Noodles

Marinade

4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 cloves of garlic minced

1'' ginger minced

2 tablespoons cilantro chopped

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about a pound)

1 lb whole wheat fettuccine

3 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons peanut oil

4 green onions chopped on an angle

1 red bell pepper diced

1'' ginger minced

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 teaspoon red chili paste

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons hot water

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Whisk together all ingredients for the marinade. Put the chicken and the marinade in a ziplock bag. Refrigerate for 1 hour, up to 6 hours.

Grill in medium heat for 4 minutes each side. Set aside to cool a bit. Slice into thin pieces.

Bring a big pot of water to boil - add a tablespoon of peanut oil into the water. Cook the fettuccine according to package instructions (al dente). Drain the pasta and toss with the sesame oil.

In a medium sized pot heat the peanut oil over medium heat. Add the green onions, red bell, ginger, garlic and chili paste. Cook for about 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce and hot water. Stir until all is melted and combined.

In a large mixing bowl combine the pasta, chicken and peanut sauce. Then garnish with the sesame seeds. This dish can be served room temperature or chilled.

Grilled Chicken with an Asian Influence

I got this idea from a recipe from Tyler Florence. Like I've said, I only learned how to cook since my move to Las Vegas. I've gotten somewhat comfortable in the kitchen. Now I want to start grilling. So far, I haven't gone near our gas grill. I'm going to change that this year.

That said....it will be trial and error figuring out how long to cook things at what temps. This first attempt came out a little too crispy. I cooked it at too high a temp. I will adjust for the next time. It was delicious and worth repeating with some changes.

Ingredients

1 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 lime juiced (put in microwave for 10 sec first)

2'' fresh ginger chopped

1 lg garlic clove (2 small) chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (set a little bit aside for garnish)

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1.5 lbs)

Directions

Combine ingredients (not the breasts) in a bowl and whisk together, then pour into a gallon ziplock bag. Then add the chicken and seal with as little air as possible. Marinade for one hour.

Preheat grill on high for 10 minutes. Then TURN DOWN THE HEAT just a bit. (I didn't do that tonight. Grill for 8 minutes on each side. Garnish with the rest of the cilantro.

Chicken Cutlets

This is one of the first things I learned to make when I moved out to the desert. After years of watching Lala (my sister) make this, it was the least intimidating place to start my culinary adventures. It was always so much fun watching her get her fingers all goppy while putting the cutlets in the flour, egg and bread crumbs.

Funny thing is...all this time I had no idea I've been making something so fancy...I just called this chicken cutlets. Tyler Florence educated me while watching his Ultimate show. This dish is actually called Chicken Paillard.

Ingredients

1/3 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil)

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)

2 cups flour

S&P

3 eggs

1-2 dashes hot sauce

2 cups bread crumbs

1 cup parmigiano reggiano fresh grated

Directions

One at a time, put the cutlets in a gallon size ziplock bag. Pound each cutlet out - going from center out. They should end up about 1/4 inch thick.

Put the flour with S&P in a pie tin, beat the eggs and add hot sauce in another tin, and in another tin add the bread crumbs. One at a time, dredge the cutlets in the flour. Be sure to get them fully covered and shake off the excess. Then coat them in the egg mixture, again, shaking off the excess. Last, coat them in the bread crumbs. Hint: I keep a little bowl of warm water to the side. I use it to wash off my fingers between cutlets. This addresses the goppy finger problem.

Heat the oil in a large skillet.. Fry the cutlets about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

I serve this with roasted potatoes and asparagus. It's easy...just cut up some red potatoes and coat with extra virgin olive oil, chopped fresh rosemary, fresh grated parmigiano reggiano, S&P. Do the same for the asparagus. Put potatoes on a baking sheet and the asparagus on a separate one. Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes. Put the asparagus in about 25 minutes before the potatoes are done.