Quitting A Chicken Marsala Habit

First, allow me to confess that I love chicken marsala. If I see it on a menu at a restaurant I feel compelled to order it, even if there are other and seemingly better options. Worse, it often occurs in the kinds of places where one should never order chicken marsala, like that airport where the dish definitely came from a vacuum packed NASA or Army-type ration meal... Second confession, I've never attempted to make chicken marsala at home. It would be too devastating if I failed miserably as my taste buds have long ago decided exactly what a chicken marsala should taste like.

Also, chicken marsala is a heavy dish, especially restaurant style, and is laden with butter, oil, flour, wine, and probably sherry. So this dish is like chicken marsala-light. It has the essence of the dish--mushrooms, chicken, wine--but is a lighter, different dish all on its own. It doesn't quite taste exactly like a chicken marsala, but it's close enough to fool me into thinking that I've quelled that craving for the time being.

Chicken with Mushroom Pasta
--1/2 cup dry bowtie or penne pasta
--2 cloves garlic, sliced into thin intact pieces
--1 cup sliced button mushrooms
--2 TBSP butter
--4 boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
--3 TBSP cup flour, seasoned with garlic salt & fresh black pepper
--1 egg, beaten
--cooking spray
--1 shallot, diced fine or minced
--1 cup dry white wine, divided
--2 cups chicken broth, divided
--1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Cook the pasta omitting any oil.

In a medium skillet, sauté the mushrooms and garlic slices in the butter over medium heat until soft and tender.

While the mushrooms and pasta cook, dredge the chicken alternately in the egg and flour until evenly coated. In a cooking spray-coated medium skillet on medium to medium-high heat, cook the chicken tenders for 4-5 minutes on each side. Add 1/2 cup of the wine and 1 cup of the chicken broth and allow the sauce to boil and reduce. Set the chicken aside and pour any remaining sauce over the top of the chicken.

Spray the same skillet the chicken was cooked in with a little more cooking spray. Add the shallots and sauté until browned, stirring regularly. Add the remaining wine to the skillet. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits before adding the rest of the chicken broth. Allow the sauce to reduce a little so that it is less liquid but not so much that it is too thick.

Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Pour the mushrooms into the pot and add the tomatoes. Pour the sauce into the pot and stir to combine.  Plate the pasta and then add 2 chicken tenders to each plate. Drizzle any remaining sauce onto the chicken and serve. Garnish with fresh parsley and 1 oz. of grated Parmesan, if desired.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 2
Calories: 607 per serving

Party Hardy Rock n' Roll

I would like to take you all into the way-back machine. You'll be shocked to know (yeah right) that I come from a long line of ladies who can boss around a kitchen and are famous for their mad party-throwing skills. Imagine, if you will, the tiny future bacon princess (that's me!) running underfoot, dragging a chair to the counter so I can watch my mama, hard at work making one of her famous party dishes. For a time, my parents even ran their own catering company. Cookin' and eatin' you see is in my DNA!

One of the staples that kitchen boss Mom would make was her crab-stuffed mushrooms. She would stuff hundreds of little fungi caps and send them out to the starving masses only to have the plate return, empty, moments later. So, clearly, it's one of my go-to party platters as well.

Recently I had the honor of hosting a baby shower for my former partner, Kathryn. In the spirit of a divide-and-conquer approach, each of us opened our arsenal of crowd-pleasers (because people, you never ever argue with a pregnant woman with knife skills when she says she wants to cook things too!). So here you go, Mom's famous crab stuffed mushrooms, just for you!

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

--1 lb. mushrooms (about 3 dozen), washed and dried, stems removed
--4 TBSP butter
--1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
--garlic, finely minced
--1 1/2 cups bread crumbs, finely minced
--1 TBSP Worcestershire
--salt and black pepper
--shredded mozzarella (no more than 1 cup)
--2 cans lump white crab meat, drained, rinsed, and minced

Take the mushroom stems and finely chop enough stems to measure about 1/2 cup. Melt 3 TBSP of the butter in a large skillet or frying pan (the one I used had deep sides to allow me to stir the mixture without slopping over the sides). Stir in the chopped mushroom stems, garlic, and green onion, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs, Worcestershire, a pinch of salt, a few turns of cracked black pepper, and the crab meat.

Melt the remaining 1 TBSP butter in a shallow baking pan. Fill the mushroom caps with the stuffing mixture. Place them filled side up in the baking pan and sprinkle them with the cheese. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, then turn the broil setting on and broil them for 1-2 minutes to brown the tops. These are best served warm. You can prep them and stuff them the day before or earlier in the day and then sprinkle with cheese and bake when you are ready to serve.

Bonus: Here I am enjoying all the treats from the party. Cheers!

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 45 minutes
Serves: About 36 mushrooms
Calories: About 47 per mushroom

Dear Breakfast, I Love You

Tip for making breakfast: Cook stuff you like. I happen to like goat cheese and portabella mushrooms. My BF would disagree (he can't stand goat cheese) and would vote for Swiss cheese and broccoli. Conveniently both of these are great breakfast choices when gently encased in a fluffy egg exterior. Omelettes people, omelettes. (Or perhaps scrambles people, scrambles).

Picking a vegetable and a cheese and putting it in an omelette is a surefire way to say, "Dear breakfast, I love you. Let's run away together to the Amalfi coast." It's okay to talk to your food. It is not okay if your food talks back.

Portabella Goat Cheese Omelette
--1 TBSP olive oil
--1/2 small onion, diced
--garlic, minced
--1 portabella mushroom cap, washed and sliced into 1" long x 1/4" wide pieces
--1 oz. goat cheese
--cooking spray
--4 eggs

Heat a skillet over medium heat. When the pan is warm add the olive oil and coat the pan. Sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes, stirring regularly. Add the mushrooms and sauté for several minutes, stirring regularly, until they begin to soften and cook down. Using a fork, scrape off the goat cheese log into the pan. This will give you small crumbles that will melt and coat the veggies nicely. Stir to combine and remove the filling to a small plate.

Wipe out the frying pan with a paper towel, working quickly so as not to burn yourself. You don't need to get all the sticky bits off, just wipe it out well enough to give yourself a clean-ish cooking surface. Spray the skillet with cooking spray and return it to the hot burner. Use a small skillet if you wish to make two omelettes instead of one to share...

Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk together using a fork [I don't use milk but some people like to add a little cream]. Still whisking, pour the eggs into the frying pan. The eggs will spread out to make a nice circle inside the pan. Cook for 2 minutes or until the bottom of the egg pancake is solid but the top is still liquid. Add the filling to the center or one side of the pancake. Using a flat spatula, carefully close the omelette by flipping the empty side of the pancake onto the full side to cover the contents, creating a half-moon shape.

Wait 90 seconds before attempting to flip the entire omelette over (though you might not need to as the eggs were mostly cooked before you squished it all together).

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2
Calories: 313 per serving

I'm Not Julia Child, But Who Is?

In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child writes, "As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good bouef bourguigon." I've never actually cooked any of Julia's famous recipes nor do I own any of her famous cookbooks (though Christmas is coming up *wink*wink*) but I absolutely appreciate her approach.

You see, there isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to cook necessarily--many good dishes come out of different styles. If following a recipe exactly isn't for you (and trust me, it's not for me) then think of each recipe as more as a guideline. The changes you make, the ingredients you add or remove, the ideas you glean, these all make the dish your own by putting your very own personal stamp on it. (And for those of you who think you're hopeless cooks, following the recipe step-by-step does NOT make you a bad cook. Some follow rules, others like to break them.)

Beef Burgundy (or bouef bourguigon to Julia) is a rich dish of wine soaked beef, carrots, onions, noodles, carrots. Part stew, part pasta, it is an excellent cure for the winter blahs or to warm cold bones. It makes enough for a feast to feed a large crew or to freeze portions for later.

Beef Burgundy
--6 pieces of bacon
--1/2 cup flour
--salt & pepper
--1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat
--1/2 small onion, diced
--garlic, minced
--2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
--3 dry cups assorted sliced mushrooms
--bottle dry red wine
--1 heaping spoonful of tomato paste
--14.5oz can of diced tomatoes
--thyme
--oregano
--1 small bag of frozen peeled pearl onions
--egg noodles
--beef broth

Cook the bacon strips in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. I use scissors to cut mine up into smaller pieces before sautéing. Once the bacon is mostly cooked (crisp but not too crisp), use a slotted spoon to remove it from the pan, leaving as much of the bacon grease/drippings in the pan as possible.

Season the flour with salt and pepper. Dry the beef with a paper towel and then toss in the flour to coat. You want the beef nice and dry so it will sear beautifully. Working in batches, sauté beef in the bacon grease until browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.

In the same pot, saute the onion and garlic for a minute or so until it is fragrant. Add the sliced carrots and saute a minute before adding the mushrooms. Saute until both are tender but not soggy. Add the meat back in to the pot. Dump in the bottle of wine, add some tomato paste, the diced tomatoes, and the spices. Cover and simmer for one hour, stirring only occasionally.

After one hour, add the pearl onions and egg noodles. Pour in enough beef broth to cover the noodles and stir all to combine. Cover and simmer on medium heat for 20 more minutes. Remove the cover and, if necessary, boil to the consistency of sauce you desire (though the noodles should soak up most of the added broth). Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 2 hours
Serves: 6
Estimated Calories: 780 per serving

Pita Pear Pizzas

If we're lucky, we'll still have some delicious pears for a few more weeks. Pears, like grapes, do best in wine country climates like the Pacific Northwest (or the Western Slope in Colorado), where the combination of hot-cold and wet-dry work together to create supple sweet luscious fruits. Beyond being eaten plain--like an apple--pears work well in hearty salads, warmed as a compote, or baked and softened as a side or dessert.

Or, in our case, on a pita bread pizza! When my friend Cha-Cha and I get together it usually means business. But as two busy girls on the go, we were both exhausted from our respective workdays and wanted something healthy and filling to mow down on as we sunk into the couch to become zombies in the warm glow of the television. Cue the pizza idea--and one that works well with kids or adults alike because of the versatility. When making a mini-pizza you can make it anything you want. I of course, had to make ours a little fancy...just like us.

Pear Pita Pizzas
--2 round whole wheat pitas
--2 TBSP tomato paste
--1/4 cup grated cheese (mozzarella or a pizza/Italian blend)
--2 pieces of bacon
--sliced mushrooms
--1 pear, sliced or chopped into chunks
--fresh spinach leaves
--crushed red pepper
--2 TBSP feta crumbles
--balsamic vinegar
--olive oil
--black pepper

Place the pitas on a cookie sheet. Use a spoon to coat the top of each pita with the tomato paste. Feel free to season with oregano, pepper, or whatever your heart desires. Sprinkle with some of the grated cheese, but leave enough to put a little more on top.

Chop the bacon into smaller bits and fry over medium heat (I use scissors to easily chop mine) to desired crispy-ness. Drain on paper towels and place on the pizza.

Add the sliced mushrooms and pear pieces, evenly distributing the ingredients both around the pizza and between the two pizzas. Top with some spinach, the remainder of the cheese, the feta crumbles, and a few healthy dashes of crushed red pepper flakes. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (just a little as it goes a long way) and a few cranks of fresh black pepper.

Heat in the oven at 300 degrees for 10 minutes or until shredded cheese is melted and pizza and ingredients are warm throughout.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2 pizzas
Calories: 477 per pizza

Domo Arigato Mister Risotto

I was craving some warm, comforting flavors and here's what I came up with.

Prosciutto is like ham's fancy cousin (which makes it closely related to our good friend bacon) and is one of those meats that "plays well with others" and can be easily added to many dishes.

Risotto is equally versatile and can be part of many dishes, no matter the season. It can be a process to make, simply because you need to add lots of liquid and stir often, so when making risotto it's always helpful to have a kitchen partner in crime.

Risotto with Prosciutto and Sage
--1 lb. risotto (also called arborio rice)
--1 cup of dry white wine
--2+ cups chicken broth
--olive oil
--4 slices of prosciutto, chopped into smaller chunks
--fresh sage (to taste)
--sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
--grated asiago cheese
--salt & pepper

In a pot or large pan, cook the risotto to package instructions substituting 1 cup of liquid with the wine and using chicken broth as your cooking liquid (no water).

Cooking risotto is a batch process so you'll start out with one cup of liquid and once the grains suck that up you'll add another cup of liquid, stirring all the while until that liquid is sucked up and then you'll add more liquid...

While the risotto cooks, heat a medium sized skillet on medium heat. Add a quarter-sized pour of olive oil and allow the oil to heat for a few moments before adding in the prosciutto chunks.

Saute, stirring often, until prosciutto begins to brown. Add in the sage by taking the fresh leaves and tearing them into pieces over the skillet.


Add in the mushrooms and stir the mixture together. Let the mushrooms cook down and add more sage if desired.


Once the risotto is almost done and the mushrooms have cooked down, add the veggies and meat to the risotto pot and stir it all together.


Stir in some of the grated asiago cheese. Season with salt and pepper and dish into bowls.

Top with more asiago cheese and eat!

Two Loves, One Dish

Apparently I'm as obsessed with kale as I am with bacon. Kale seems to be popping up in all of my recipes lately. So today, let's combine my two loves and have a dish with bacon-y (and kale-icious) goodness! This dish can also easily become both vegetarian and vegan by removing the bacon and replacing the bacon grease with olive oil.

Bacon Mushroom Kale CousCous
--3 strips uncooked bacon
--garlic
--sliced button mushrooms
--sliced bella mushrooms
--sliced crimini mushrooms
--1 can of diced tomatoes
--1 bunch of kale
--1 box of couscous, cooked to package directions

PREP:
I have a pair of scissors that lives in the kitchen and is only used for food. I suggest cutting kale with these kitchen scissors, as it's easy to cut along the ribs to get the green parts free and then cut the greens into smaller pieces.

COOK:
In a large skillet cook the bacon on medium heat until done to your tastes. Remove to a plate for later. Pour half the grease into your grease jar and leave the remaining grease in the pan.

Saute the garlic for a few minutes before adding all of your mushroom varieties. Cook until mushrooms are tender.


Once mushrooms have cooked down, add the can of diced tomatoes. Stir well to combine and allow to simmer together for a few minutes.


Chop or tear the cooked bacon into smaller pieces and add into the mix. Add in the kale and mix everything up. Cook until the kale is done and is wilted but not soggy. Mix in the cooked couscous and serve!

Taken From Take Out

Today's recipe is made just for you inspired by one of you! I got an email from reader Shannan who wanted to know how to make her favorite chinese soup at home. She's a vegetarian so the recipe below is also herbivore-friendly, but I added pork to mine (as you'll note in the pictures). She is a kitchen newbie, so I've provided more in-depth directions in certain places.

If you add ground pork to yours you can either cook this separately and add it into the soup, or (and I prefer this method) slice the pork into long strings and add the raw pork during the broth step and allow the heat from the broth to slow cook the pork pieces with all the flavors of your soup.

Hot N Sour Soup
--Olive oil or vegetable oil
--Ginger, minced
--Garlic, minced
--1 package extra firm tofu
--5 fresh shitakke mushrooms, sliced
--1 8oz. can of sliced bamboo shoots
--soy sauce
--chili sauce (I like Sriracha which I forever refer to as "rooster")
--1 32oz. box of vegetable broth (use chicken broth if not vegetarian)
--1/8 cup lime juice
--2 tbsp. corn starch
--1 egg, beaten
--1 bunch of spinach, thoroughly washed and torn into large pieces
--sesame oil
--1 bunch of green onions, green parts chopped into thin slices

PREP TOFU:
Drain the tofu. Obviously you're going to dump the liquid that it comes in, but the tofu has also sucked up more liquid. The trick when cooking tofu is to get out as much of the water as possible. You can use cheesecloth to drain it. Another easy way to do this is to put the block of tofu into a strainer with a bowl underneath. Put a small plate face down into the strainer. Push the plate against the tofu block to squeeze the water out of it. Cut the block of tofu into evenly sized (mouth-friendly) squares like a tic-tac-toe board.

PREP MUSHROOMS:
Cut the mushrooms into thin slices along the length of the mushroom, keeping the shape and the stem intact.

MAKING THE SOUP:
Pour a quarter-sized dollop of olive or vegetable oil into a large stock pot. Heat the oil over medium-high heat for a few minutes before adding the ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring regularly for 2-ish minutes.

Add the tofu, mushrooms, and the bamboo shoots to the pan and keep stirring. Add a few splashes of soy sauce. Add a few dollops of chili sauce. This part is totally to your taste. If you want a spicier soup add more chili, less spicy, add more soy sauce. Cook this mixture until the mushrooms cooks down some and shrink and begin to get tender (maybe 10-ish minutes).

Pour in the box of chicken broth and turn the heat up to high. You want this to get a nice boil.

While you wait for the soup to boil, pour the lime juice into a measuring cup. Take one tablespoon of the corn starch and add it to the lime juice. Stir it well until it dissolves. Add the second tablespoon of starch and stir that up until it dissolves. Once the soup comes to a big boil, add this lime juice mixture by stirring with one hand while you pour the mixture with the other hand.


Turn the heat down to low. Add the spinach pieces in and give the soup a good stir so that all is mixed together.

Now take the egg and if you haven't already, crack it into a small bowl and beat it. With one hand, stir the pot of soup. With the other hand pour the egg into the soup in a steady stream.



Add a few splashes of sesame oil and the chopped green onions. Stir.

Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes. Crack some fresh black pepper into it. Stir and serve!

Family, Friends and Cafe Berlin

Good morning and Merry Christmas Eve! I love this time of year. The lights, the music and especially the food! This is the time when everyone pulls out all the stops, forgets the diets and just eats for pure enjoyment.

That being said, last night we went out to CAFE BERLIN for dinner--a perfect place to go on a cold and snowy night. It is a small German restaurant in downtown Denver with good a atmosphere, good libations and definitely good food. I have eaten here before and I am never disappointed.




I sipped a glass of dry Riesling, as I perused the menu. I usually order something different whenever I am in there, but last night I went back to my favorite, the Jagerschnitzel. A classic German dish of breaded pork in a creamy mushroom sauce. A good hearty meal after a 2 block walk in the snow.

I started off with a bowl of White Bean and Bratwurst soup, which was very good. It was a solid broth base with a nice blend of beans. diced brats and spices. After a decent time interval ( I hate restaurants that bring your entree before you even finish you starter!!!) my Jagerschnitzel arrived.

It was exactly as I remembered. A perfect blend of pork, mushrooms and sauce, nothing over powering the rest of the ingredients. I chose spatzel and the green beans with bacon as my sides. I like my vegetables on the crisp side, so I thought the beans were a bit overcooked but still very good. There was just a bit of bacon in the beans but they must have been sauteed in bacon fat because they were very flavorful.

Everyone at the table ordered something different and of course there was a bit of sharing going on, which is the way family meals should be. We ordered the apple strudel and chocolate cake for dessert and 6 forks. Both were wonderful, but since the chocolate cake had a hint of cherry to it, I stuck to the cake.

As we left Cafe Berlin, we were treated to a shot of Apple Schnapps and a Fröhliche Weihnachten! Overall a great evening.

I am including a recipe for Jagerschnitzel that I make. It does not have a heavy cream sauce, so it is a bit healthier. You can always make a sauce for it if you prefer. This recipe will serve 4 to 16 people depending on if it is the whole meal or one of several courses.

Mise en Place:
Sauce pot, meat mallet, plastic wrap, nonstick frying pan, a large plate, a small mixing bowl and a serving platter

Jagerschnitzel:

--6 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided into 2 and 4 teaspoons
--3 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
--3 cups coarsely chopped red bell peppers
--2 cups coarsely chopped onions
--1 cup thinly sliced carrots
--2 minced garlic cloves
--1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes undrained
--1 tablespoon all purpose flour
--1 teaspoon paprika
--2 tablespoons water
--1 lb Pork tenderloin
--1/2 teaspoon coarsley ground pepper
--1/4 teaspoon salt

Trim fat off of pork and slice crosswise into about 16 pieces. Place between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and flatten into 1/4 inch thickness with the mallet. (If you do not have a mallet, use a rolling pin or the base of a drinking glass). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside on the large plate.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in the sauce pan over med-high heat. Add next 5 ingredients and saute for 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.

While vegetables are cooking, Place the frying pan with 4 teaspoons oil on med-high heat. When hot ( splash a little water into pan, if it pops, the oil is hot) add pork in batches and cook 4 minutes per side. When each batch is done set it on to the serving platter, try not to overlap the cutlets.

In a small bowl, combine flour, paprika and water. Stir into tomato mixture cook 3 min until slightly thick. Do this while last batch of pork is cooking.

The serving of this meal is very versatile. I usually serve this with egg noodles, and either place the egg noodles, sauce and pork in different serving bowls and platters, or put the egg noodles in a bowl and the pork, with the sauce over it, on a separate platter. A third option is individual plates, egg noodles, pork then sauce.

Hope you enjoy!