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.

IWAD #4 - Read, Re-Read, and Re-Re-Read Labels!

Last night dinner started off with "Asiago Toasts". All I can say about this is DELICIOUS! It's a pretty basic recipe, but I think using fresh herbs in cooking makes a very big difference in the taste. I don't typically use many fresh herbs in my daily cooking, except for the pre-minced garlic in a jar (that's fresh isn't it?). This particular recipe gives the option of using fresh or dried oregano, and optional parsley. I think the outcome of this dish was so good because these were both included fresh. One thing I was wondering while making this was how to measure fresh herbs. When it asks for 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh oregano leaves does that measurement mean pre-chopped or post-chopped because there is a big difference. I have decided that it means post-chopped, meaning you chop up the herbs then measure how much you need.

For the main entree we had "Chicken Piccata" with "Risotto alla Milanese". As I always do on Monday mornings I went grocery shopping for all of the ingredients that I didn't have on hand. There were only a couple of things I needed to pick up including saffron. I have never used saffron before, but I have seen it used on TV cooking shows. I searched the spice aisle at HEB and couldn't find it. I asked an employee for help and he couldn't find it either. We went to the fresh herbs and asked another employee there and he said it was in the spice aisle so we went back. He found it for us...$15! I debated on it and decided I couldn't skip out on something that was a key ingredient in this risotto (plus there was a $1 off coupon...still crazy, I know).

So, Brandy started on the risotto and I started on the chicken. Some things you must know is that Brandy is not a very organized person and we don't necessarily agree on everything in the kitchen. Since I had already made a risotto I thought it would be good for her to take a stab at it too. She doesn't read directions very carefully and even though I had told her that I had already heated the chicken stock for her on the stove she grabbed the can I was supposed to use to make the sauce for the chicken. I saw her just in time and she had only used 1/4 cup of my chicken stock, so no harm done because I only needed 3/4 cup. For some reason I was thinking the can held 1 cup instead of the 2 cups it actually holds.

Brandy continued the monotonous stirring and adding more broth to the risotto and I was working on the chicken. After cooking the chicken in the pan you add the garlic, then the flour/salt/pepper mixture, then you add the chicken stock and lemon juice. For some reason I thought I only had 3/4 cup of stock left in the can and added the whole 1 3/4 cups of chicken stock and lemon juice to the pan. Why didn't I read the label again?! I ruined it!! That's what I thought anyways. I decided to add another tablespoon of flour because I have done this before when trying to make gravy thicker. You must whisk it like a mad woman though to break up the flour chunks. I am still devastated thinking that I totally ruined it and Brandy (being the calm person she is) suggested we just double up on everything else that goes into it. So we added another tablespoon of lemon juice and doubled up on the capers (2 tablespoons), but left the parsley at 2 tablespoons. Well, I'm not sure what it would have tasted like if it were by the recipe, but this "Chicken Piccata" turned out delicious! The risotto turned out okay, but was pretty salty (and we didn't add any additional salt/pepper at the end). I'm not even sure what the saffron did for the dish, if anything. I'm thinking it would have been better if we used low sodium chicken stock to cut back on the saltiness.

For dessert was the bread pudding. The recipe is actually "Panetonne Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce". I have come to find out that panetonne bread is only available during Thanksgiving and Christmas. I do plan to make this again when I can find some of this bread, but after a lot of searching I gave up and decided I would just use some french bread instead. That was probably a big mistake for this recipe. The bread pudding was okay at best. I have made bread pudding before that is much better than this one was, but like I said, it may be much better with the correct bread being used.

On a side note, I did purchase a frozen Vanilla Pound Cake and plan to try the "Limoncello Strawberry Dessert" out again soon!

"Asiago Toasts"

• 1/3 cup HELLMANN'S or BEST FOODS Mayonnaise Dressing with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used Hellmann's Low Fat version)
• 1 cup shredded Asiago or Parmesan-Reggiano cheese (I used Asiago)
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)
• 1/2 French baguette, cut into 18 slices

1. In small bowl, combine all ingredients except baguette.
2. On baking sheet, arrange baguette slices in a single layer; spread cheese mixture. Broil until cheese is melted and golden, about 3 minutes.

"Chicken Piccata"

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained

1. Combine flour, salt and pepper in shallow dish. Reserve 1 tablespoon flour mixture.
2. Pound chicken between weaxed paper to 1/2-inch thickness. (I buy the thin chicken breasts so you don't have to do this). Coat chicken with remaining flour mixture, shaking off excess.
3. Heat oil and butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 4 to 5 minutes per side or until no longer pink in center. Transfer to serving platter; cover loosely with foil.
4. Add garlic to same skillet; cook and stir 1 minute. Add reserved flour mixture; cook and stir 1 minute. Add broth and lemon juice; cook 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. (I recommend using a whisk for stirring) Stir in parsley and capers; spoon sauce over chicken.

"Risotto alla Milanese"

• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 generous pinch saffron threads, ground to a powder
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and black pepper

1. Bring broth to a boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low; keep warm.
2. Heat butter and oil in deep saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallot; cook and stir 30 seconds or just until beginning to brown.
3. Add rice; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until edges of rice become translucent. Add wine and saffron; cook and stir until wine evaporates.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add 1/2 cup broth, stirring constantly until broth is absorbed. Repeat until all broth is used. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

"Panetonne Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce"

• 1/2 (2 pound) loaf panetonne bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (8 cups)
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Caramel ice cream topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 11x7-inch baking dish.
2. Arrange bread cubes in dish. Combine eggs and sugar in large bowl; whisk in half-and-half, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Pour mixture over bread, pressing down to moisten top. Let stand 15 minutes.
3. Bake 40-45 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. Drizzle with caramel topping.

New Adventure

So, last weekend I bought an Italian Cookbook at Barnes and Noble in their bargain priced book section. It is titled "Italian at Home: Favorite Restaurant-Style Recipes". I have always enjoyed eating Italian food out at restaurants and decided I would pick one night a week and try some new recipes out of this cookbook. I am talking 3 course meals once a week and have chosen Mondays (for now) as my night for IWAD, or Italian Wine and Dine. I also have the pleasure of a volunteer sous chef, Brandy! A while back she told me that she would like to learn how to cook a wider variety of foods, and since I love to cook (and I cook 4-5 nights a week) she asked if we could cook together. Well, back then it didn't work out, but that's a whole other story. For now, she is happily (I think...maybe it's the wine involved) being my sous chef.

On our first IWAD last Monday, 6/14/10, we made a wonderful appetizer called "Caprese-Style Tartlets". It was very easy to make and they turned out very yummy! The only recommendation I would have is to be sure to slice the tomatoes very thin so the juice doesn't squirt out and burn you when you bite into them. I also didn't bother with refridgerating the tomatoes in pesto for 30 min to overnight because I didn't read the recipe ahead of time and didn't have time to waste. Not sure that it would have made much of a difference anyways.

For the entree we made "Pest Chicken Mac & Cheese". Not exactly the most sophisticated of names, but I'm not sure what else you could call it. The dish was very tasty, but the sauce did turn out a bit thick. I will take the blame for that though, as I probably cooked it too long. There are two things that bothered me about this dish. First, cooking the pasta and the chicken should be a step in the recipe, not something you find out needed to be done after you get to the last step. Another reason the sauce was too thick was because I didn't have the pasta and chicken ready in time.

For dessert we attempted to make "Minted Pears with Gorgonzola". The first step was to peel the pears and leave the stems on. Well, poor communication from me to Brandy resulted in stemless peeled pears. The second mistake I made was to leave the juice mixture simmering in the pan for longer than 20 minutes. The result was burnt honey mint grape juice. It made a wonderful air freshener though :) I did, however, have to thow my husbands old (supposedly non stick) pan in the trash after that. So, for dessert we had more wine and sauceless, stemless, grapejuice soaked pears. I didn't even bother with the gorgonzola at that point.

"Caprese-Style Tartlets"

• 3 tomatoes -Small/medium sized
• 3 tablespoons pesto -I get low fat pesto..yes, there is such a thing...or you could make your own
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (thawed) -In order for me to make six 4 inch rounds I needed 2 sheets (each package comes with 2) and you can make up to eight tartlets
• 6 oz fresh mozzarella cheese -I just bought a log and sized however much I needed from it
• 2 tablespoons kalamata olive tapenade -This was by the jarred tomato sauce in my grocery store

1. Slice each tomato into thin slices (about 1/3 inch thick). Discard tops and bottoms (DUH!). Place tomato slices in resealable food storage bag with pesto, tossing to coat. Refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight. (Like I said before, I didn't refrigerate, but continued directly with step
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Cut out 6 (4-inch) rounds from sheet of pastry. I used a plastic cup that had a 4-inch diameter rim and made 8 rounds out of 2 sheets of puff pastry. Top each round with 2 slices marinated tomato. Bake 12 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and puffed.
4. Preheat broiler. Turn your oven to "broil" setting. Slice mozzarella cheese into 1/4 inch thick slices. Top each tartlet with 1 slice of cheese. Broil 1 minute or until cheese is melted. Top tarts evenly with tapenade. Serve warm.

"Pesto Chicken Mac & Cheese"

• 4 cups milk
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter -I used margarine
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 8 ounces fontina cheese, shredded
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup pesto
• salt and black pepper
• 1 package (6 ounces) baby spinach
• 1 package (16 ounces) radiatore or penne pasta, cooked and drained -I couldn't find radiatore and used penne
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

1. Bring milk and garlic to a boil in small saucepan. Reduce heat; keep warm. Discard garlic. Make sure you leave the garlic clove formed (not chopped up) so you can fish it out of the milk with a slotted spoon.
2. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat; whisk in flour. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly until smooth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir 10 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Make sure it doesn't get too thick as the cheese is going to thicken it further!
3. Add cheeses to the sauce, whisking until smooth. Stir in pesto; season with salt and pepper. I didn't add any additional salt and pepper. Toss spinach, pasta and chicken with pesto mixture until spinach wilts. Serve immediately.

"Minted Pears with Gorgonzola"

• 4 whole firm pears with stems, peeled
• 2 cups concord grape juice
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

1. Place pears in medium saucepan. Add grape juice, mint, honey, cinnamon stick and nutmeg; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, 15-20 minutes, turning pears once to absorb juices evenly. Cook until pears can be pierced easily with fork. Remove pan from heat; cool. Remove pears with slotted spoon; set aside. Discard cinnamon stick.
2. Bring juice mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Place pears on individual serving plates. Pour juice mixture over pears. Sprinkle gorgonzola cheese evenly around pears.

Emerilized Chicken Cordon Bleu (by Emeril Lagasse)

Things you'll need:

• 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (cut in 1/2 lengthwise and pounded flat, or you can buy 8 thinly sliced chicken breasts) - about 1.5-2 lbs
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 8 Thin Slices Prosciutto
• 8 Thin Slices Emmentaler Cheese
• 1 Cup Flour
• 2 Large Eggs
• 2 Tbsp Milk
• 1 Cup Bread Crumbs
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 4 oz Chunk of Prociutto
• 1 Cup Peas (canned, fresh, or frozen- defrost if frozen)
• 2 Cups Mornay Sauce:
• 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 1/4 Cup Flour
• Pinch of Ground Nutmeg
• 2 1/2 Cups of Milk
• 1/2 Cup Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese

How To:

1. Put the 1 cup of flour on a paper plate; beat the eggs and milk in a medium sized bowl, and put the 1 cup of bread crumbs on another paper plate (This will be the assembly line to dip your chicken sandwiches in)
2. Take plastic wrap and lay it on a cutting board; put 1 piece of chicken in center and cover with another piece of plastic wrap. Pound Chicken with a Meat Malet until 1/4 inch thick (be careful not to over pound it).
3. Season both sides of  each piece of chicken lightly with salt and pepper.
4. Lay out 4 pieces of the chicken and top each with 1-2 slices of prosciutto, 1-2 slices of the emmentaler cheese, then top with another piece of chicken and press firmly together. (You should make 4 chicken sandwiches)
5. Leave chicken and make Mornay Sauce (or you can make this sauce ahead of time and it keeps refrigerated for up to 2 days, then reheat on low when ready to use):
1. Heat the butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat until melted.
2. To melted butter add the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg then whisk all together for about 2 minutes (creates a roux- thick dough like substance)
3. Slowly add the milk, turn burner to high, and continue whisking.
4. After the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until it thickens to a gravy consistency (about 4 minutes)
5. Add the cheese and whisk until melted completely then remove mixture from heat.
6. Now back to the chicken. Take each chicken sandwich (1 at a time) and place chicken in flour coating it completely and shaking off any excess, then into egg mixture coating completely and shaking off any excess, then into bread crumbs coating completely and shaking off any excess.
7. Heat olive oil in a large (12"+) saute pan/skillet over medium high heat. Test oil by throwing in a pinch of flour - if it sizzles then the oil is ready.
8. Place each coated chicken sandwich in the hot olive oil (don't move it around) and cook for about 4 minutes before flipping over with tongs, then cook another 4 minutes. Both sides should be slightly browned.
9. Remove chicken from pan and place on plate lined with a paper towel to drain excess oil.
10. Take your 4 oz chunk of prociutto and cut into thin strips.
11. In a small saute pan melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat.
12. Add the prociutto strips, peas, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
13. Add this mixture to the Mornay sauce and stir to combine.
14. Spoon sauce onto the center of the serving plate and top with chicken....and Voila!!

Chicken Lasagna

Things you'll need:

• 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1 (14 oz) Can Chicken Broth
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• 8 Quick Cooking/Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles (no boiling necessary)
• 3 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 8 oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Fill 3 qt saucepan 1/2 full of water and bring to a boil
3. Add chicken breasts and boil for 20 minutes (otherwise known as poaching the chicken)
4. While chicken is "poaching" mix the next 5 ingredients together in medium bowl and set aside
5. Drain the chicken and chop it up into bite sized chunks
6. Spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and put a small layer of soup mixture to coat bottom
7. Now layer 4 Lasagna Noodles, then 1/2 chicken chunks, then 1/2 soup mixture, then 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
8. Repeat layers as above, then top with mozzarella cheese
9. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes

Chicken (Pot Pie) Casserole

Things you’ll need:
• 1 Box Chicken Stove Top Stuffing Mix
• 1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut up into 1 inch cubes
• 4 Tablespoons or ¼ cup butter/margarine
• 1 ½ cups Hot Water
• 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1/2 can Milk
• 10 oz frozen mixed veggies

How to:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.) In medium sized bowl add butter and hot water…stir to melt butter.
3.) Add Stuffing Mix and stir to moisten
4.) In Casserole Dish (9x13 approx.) add Cream of Chicken Soup and Milk and stir to combine.
5.) Add Chicken and Veggies to Casserole and stir.
6.) Top with Stuffing Mixture.
7.) Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. (If you use pre-cooked chicken, you don’t have to wait as long…just until bubbly and heated through)

Chicken Tortellini with Sundried Tomato Alfredo Sauce

Things you’ll need:
• 1 lb Boneless/Skinless Chicken Pieces (I buy “boneless chicken breast chunks” at HEB)
• Bread Crumbs (I buy parmesan bread crumbs)
• Olive Oil
• 1-2 cups Peas (frozen or canned)
• Tortellini (I buy HEB’s Butolli fresh tortellini…all flavors are good, but frozen would work too) – prepare per directions on package
• Sundried Tomato Alfredo Sauce (located next to regular pasta sauces at HEB…you could use regular pasta sauce or alfredo sauce instead if you prefer

How to Chicken and Sauce:
1.) Heat large skillet on Medium High heat and coat bottom with olive oil.
2.) Cut up chicken to bite sized pieces (1 inch cubes).
3.) Place cut up chicken in a bowl and sprinkle with bread crumbs to coat chicken.
4.) Place Chicken pieces in skillet and cook until no longer pink in middle and browned on the outside.
5.) Add the Sundried Tomato Alfredo Sauce and Peas to chicken and heat on medium until heated through.