IWAD #11- Friendly Neighbors

This IWAD was special because my mom was spending a few days with us. Mark was out of town for work and my mom came to spend a few days with my daughter and I to keep us company while he was gone. Mark dislkes mushrooms so I decided I would knock out a dish with mushrooms in it while he was gone. That's why this weeks dinner was "Chicken Marsala with Fettuccine". For dessert I used those amerreti cookies that Brandy found and made "Mocha Semifreddo Terrine".

The chicken marsala was to be cooked in a slow cooker. Well, I don't have a slow cooker, but I do have a crock pot. I assumed they were the same thing. Before my mom came up I called her and asked her to bring her slow cooker with her. Well, she brought her crock pot. I'm still not sure that they are the same thing, but that's what I used and it worked. If any of you reading this have not cooked with cremini mushrooms you are in for a treat with this dish. A few years ago I made a homemade fresh green bean casserole that called for cremini mushrooms and it was the best green bean casserole I had ever eaten. This marsala dish was good as well. For some reason the sauce didn't thicken up as much as I thought it should have, but it was still a pretty good dish.

For the dessert I made the "Mocha Semifreddo Terrine" in the morning because it had to freeze for at least 8 hours. Before I make a dessert of any kind I normally get out all of the ingredients ahead of time. The last thing I went to get out was the eggs. For some reason I thought I had a full dozen eggs in the refrigerator. Well, I only had 5! Oh no! I needed 3 more eggs and didn't have time to waste so this would be ready by dinner time. My mom persuaded me to go next door and ask the neighbor for 3 eggs. This is not something I would normally do, but I walked outside and luckily my neighbor was outside and I asked if he had 3 eggs I could have and he did! So, I had all of my eggs. This dessert was very good in my opinion. My mother enjoyed it as well. Brandy was not a big fan though. Between the 3 of us we had more than half of the dessert left over. I decided to pay my neighbor back for their 3 eggs and took them the remaining dessert. They said it was very good. Think of it as tasting like a tiramisu ice cream with an ameretto crust. Yummy!

"Chicken Marsala with Fettuccine"

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup marsala wine
• 2 packages (6 ounces each) sliced cremini mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 8 ounces uncookd fettuccine
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
  
  Slow Cooker Directions:

1. Coat slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Transfer to slow cooker.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until translucent. Add marsala; cook 2 to 3 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in mushrooms, broth and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over chicken. Cover; cook on HIGH 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours.
3. Transfer chicken to cutting board; cover and let stand. Blend cream and cornstarch in small bowl until smooth; stir into cooking liquid. Cover; cook 15 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and transfer to large serving bowl. Slice chicken breasts andplace on pasta. Top with sauce; sprinkle with parsley.

"Mocha Semifreddo Terrine"

• 1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 2 1/2 cups (4 ounces) ameretti cookies (about 35 cookies)
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 8 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 cup whipping cream

1. Dissolve espresso powder in boiling water; set aside
2. Line 9x5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. Place cookies and cocoa powder in food processor. Process until cookies are finely ground. Add butter; process until well combined. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Place in freezer while preparing custard.
3. Whisk egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar in top of double boiler or medium metal bowl. Stir in cooled espresso mixture. Place over simmering water. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until mixture thickens, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; place bowl in pan of ice water. Whisk mixture 1 minute. Let stand in ice water 5 minutes or until cooled to room temperature, whisking occasionally.
4. Beat cream and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in large bowl with electrick mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into cooled custard. Spread mixture over crust in pan. Cover tightly; freeze until firm, at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours before serving.
5. To serve, invert terrine onto serving plate; remove plastic wrap. Cut into slices. Serve on chilled plates.