{Easy} Chicken Marsala

So remember my new commitment to no mushrooms left behind? Starting over? No awkward glances and all that?

Well, I decided that if I was to really be an adventurous, willing-to-taste-anything kind of cook, then mushrooms and I better start working on our relationship. For real. So you know what I did? I chose a dish packed with mushrooms. It can't get much more mushroomy than chicken Marsala, right?

And oh, my gosh. I was blown away. This dish is not only simple, not only elegant, but it is so amazingly delicious! And rather than being delicious in spite of the dreaded fungus, it seems to, suspiciously enough, be because of them! How do you like them apples? Er...mushrooms?

The chicken is deliciously moist and the sauce is out of this world. As a suggestion, I believe the Marsala sauce was invented to swim atop a pile of homemade mashed potatoes. Just sayin'.

So I'd say we're better friends now. I mean, not like the kind of friends who have sleepovers and tell all their deepest, darkest secrets...but at least I think we're more than acquaintances. Though really, you'd have to ask the mushroom.

Chicken Marsala

(printable version)

from Savory Sweet Life

Serves 4

2 chicken breasts, split and pounded to 1/4 in. thick

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup flour (or corn starch for gluten free)

Up to 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced and cleaned

2 TB butter

1/2 cup Marsala wine

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup sherry or dry white wine

Optional: 2 TB heavy cream

Garnish with chopped parsley or oregano if desired

Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.

Heat oil over medium-high heat. Fry chicken 3-4 min. on each side or until they are golden brown. Remove and place on a serving platter and cover with foil. Carefully soak up any excess oil in pan with paper towels.

Reduce heat to medium and add butter and mushrooms. Sauté mushrooms for 4-5 min., making sure to season them with salt and pepper lightly. Add Marsala wine, sherry, cream, and chicken stock, allowing the liquid to reduce slightly- about 3 min. Pour mushrooms and sauce over chicken and serve. Enjoy!

12 Most Viewed Posts from 2012

As a tribute to the year 2012 (in which the world, notably, did not end), here is a list of the 12 most viewed (most popular?) posts and recipes written in that year!! I must say, you all have great taste!

And the winners are (in order):

1) Soft and Chewy Vanilla Butter Cookies

2) Mango Pineapple Orange Smoothie

3) Best Ever Potato Salad

4) Best Ever Cream Cheese Cookies

5) Spaghetti with Mozzarella-Stuffed Turkey Meatballs and Chunky Marinara

6) Texas Sheet Cake

7) Easy Taco Casserole

8) Shepherd's Pie

9) Blueberry Honey-Crumb Muffins

10) Pepperoni Pizza Pinwheels

11) Amish Friendship Bread

12) Nutella Cinnamon Rolls

21 Scrumptious Cookies and Other Goodies for Christmas

In case you haven't been inundated with enough recipes for Christmas goodies already, I'd like to share a few of my favorites with you!

Apple Pie Bars

Best Ever Cream Cheese Cookies

Buckeye Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Cappuccino Fudge

Caramel Apple Crumble Bars

Chewy Chocolate Cinnamon Cookies

Chocolate Coffee Cookies

Coffee and Cream Drops

Double Chocolate Mint Cookies

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Minty Frosted Brownies

Nutella Cinnamon Rolls

Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies

Petite Vanilla Scones

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Reese's Peanut Butter Temptations

Soft and Chewy Vanilla Butter Cookies

Soft Ginger Cookies

Spiced Baked Cake Donuts

Spritz Cookies

Reese's Peanut Butter Temptations

There was never a truer name for a cookie. Temptation is right.

Be prepared to either gain a few pounds or exercise extreme forms of self-control.

Now that I have duly warned you, you are in for a treat. Packaged up in a delightful wrapping of peanut butter cookie dough, you'll find a miniature melty, of-course-always-amazing-no-matter-how-you-dress-it-up Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Yep. Right there in the middle of a cookie.

Genius, you say? So do I.

I was first introduced to these little gems as a young girl by an older lady on our street named Romayne, who took my siblings and I under her wing as her adopted grand kids. She refers to herself simply as "Grandma Ro" and we are blessed to know her- not only because she is as sweet and grandmotherly as they come, but because she is an amazing cook! After learning that these peanut butter cup cookies earned her accolades at the local county fair, it was with great boldness I asked for the recipe. She was gracious enough to share and I'll be forever grateful! I don't think a Christmas has gone by since then where I have not baked these delectable treats.

You won't regret trying these (unless of course you're on a diet- maybe not even then) for your holiday party or family gathering this year- they're sure to be a hit and may even become your family's new tradition!

Reese's Peanut Butter Temptations

(printable version)

by Hershey's (and Grandma Ro)

makes 40-60 cookies

40-60 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures (make sure you have enough!)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375. Remove wrappers from candies. If desired, line mini muffin cups with paper baking cups. Otherwise, grease lightly.

In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, peanut butter, egg and vanilla until light and fluffy. In separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. 

Shape dough into 1 inch balls; place one in each prepared muffin cup. Do not flatten.

Bake 9-10 min. or until puffed and lightly browned; remove from oven. Immediately press peanut butter cup into each cookie. Cool at least 5 minutes in muffin tin, then remove carefully to cool completely.

{Oh-So-Cute} Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies

Sometimes you just need cute cookies. And most definitely at Christmas. These adorable reindeer cookies deliver the cuteness factor in full force! From their chocolate brown eyes to their shiny red noses, they'll steal your heart away in no time! They are easy-peasy (being just a simple peanut butter cookie dough) and fun to put together! Kids will love helping poke the M & Ms into the cookies (just make sure you help them so they don't burn their fingers!).

If possible, do try and find mini chocolate covered pretzels for the antlers. As you can see from the picture, I did not. I couldn't find any that I thought suitably small, so I opted to try using regular mini pretzels. Unfortunately  there isn't any chocolate "glue" to hold these antlers on, so I improvised by using brown frosting to stick the "antlers" to the cooled cookies. It worked, but it's definitely more tedious. So scour your supermarket- surely the mini chocolate covered pretzels are out there!

However you assemble your team of reindeer, the effect on your friends will surely be worth it!

Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies

(printable version)

adapted slightly from Bakergirl

makes about 40

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup shortening

3 TB milk

1 TB vanilla

1 egg

1 3/4 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

chocolate covered mini pretzels

mini brown M&Ms

regular sized red M&Ms

Combine brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add egg; beat until just blended.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.

Divide dough in half and roll each half into a log about 8-10 in. long. Shape logs into triangles (3 flat sides), wrap in wax paper and chill about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375.

Working with one log at a time, unwrap and slice into 1/4 in. slices. Place on cookie sheet about 2 in. apart. Bake 7-8 min. or until set and just beginning to brown.

Remove from oven and immediately (and gently) press two mini pretzels into the tops  of the cookies (one of the flat sides of the triangle is the top of the head) for antlers. Press two mini brown M&Ms in for the eyes and one red M&M for the nose (at the bottom point of the triangle). 

Allow to cool 2 min. on the sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Penne Gorgonzola with Chicken

I have recently discovered another love. Can you guess what it is?

I suppose "cheese" would always be a safe guess. And if that's what you said, you'd be darn right! No, I haven't recently discovered a love for cheese in general. I have loved cheese since...well, probably since I could eat cheese! But for many, many years, my knowledge of cheese was limited to varying shades of cheddar. Which is amazing, by the way. But along the way of my cooking journey, I have discovered SO MANY kinds of cheeses! Amazing cheeses!! Soft cheese, hard cheese, crumbly cheese. Who knew there were so many kinds to love??

Among the many textures, flavors, and colors, there is one in particular that I have recently been over the moon about. Gorgonzola. OH. MY. GOODNESS. This cheese is so incredible. I think it started on our anniversary this summer when we ate an appetizer of Gorgonzola Waffle Fries with a Gorgonzola dipping sauce. I could have eaten that alone for dinner. Every once in a while, I daydream about it. Wish I could find a way to replicate it. *sigh*

Anyways, this cheese, with its contrasting sharpness and sweetness, has captured my heart and my taste buds, which is why I cannot wait to share this fabulous pasta recipe with you! It is creamy and flavorful and laced with the pleasant flavors and aroma of fresh herbs and a quality cheese.

Penne Gorgonzola with Chicken

(printable version)

slightly adapted from Taste of Home

serves 8

1 package (16 oz) whole wheat penne pasta

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 in. pieces

1 TB olive oil

1 lg. garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup white wine

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 cups (8 oz.) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

6 to 8 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

extra Gorgonzola and fresh parsley for garnish

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, over med. heat, brown chicken in oil on all sides. Add garlic, cook 1 min. longer. Add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan.

Add cream and broth; cook until sauce is slightly thickened and chicken is no longer pink. Stir in the Gorgonzola cheese, sage, salt and pepper. Cook just until cheese is melted.

Drain pasta; toss with sauce. Sprinkle with additional cheese and parsley.

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

I don't know about you, but I loooove chicken caesar salads.

I don't care if there are anchovies in the dressing!

Who brought that up anyway??! Back to the salad.

A Caesar salad is such a simple thing. Romaine lettuce, Parm, croutons. Occasionally chicken. And the dressing. Mmm, the dressing. My current favorite is Ken's Lite Creamy Caesar. It really doesn't taste light. It is yummmy.

So you know what is just a crazy genius idea? Putting all that Caesar salad goodness into a sandwich! And even more awesome? Let's use the crock pot! Or this would also be amazingly simple with leftover shredded chicken.

It is really amazing just how much these sandwiches taste like a classic Caesar salad. There's chicken, totally soaked in your favorite Caesar dressing. Then there's Parm- mixed in to the chicken and sprinkled on top. There's a good helping of crispy green romaine. And even the buns, golden toasted, pose pretty convincingly as croutons.

Wow, seriously. If you're having a Caesar salad craving, try one of these sandwiches. So good and incredibly simple!!

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

(printable version)

slightly adapted from Chef in Training

makes about 6 large sandwiches

2 lbs. chicken breast (or leftover shredded cooked chicken)

1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite Caesar dressing

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp pepper

2 cups shredded or chopped romaine lettuce

6 hamburger buns (you could also do sliders!)

Place chicken in slow cooker. Cover with 1-2 cups water, cover and cook on low 4-6 hours. 

Remove chicken and shred. Pour water from the slow cooker. 

Return chicken to slow cooker and add dressing, Parmesan cheese, parsley and pepper. Stir until combined. Cover and cook on high 30 min. or until hot.

Toast hamburger buns until broiler until just browned.

To assemble, put some chicken mixture on each bun, top with extra Parmesan cheese and lettuce and serve!