I began cooking when I was about 11 or 12 years old, and it was almost therapuetic, even then. After I got married, in 1982, I began really trying to come up with recipes and menus of my own.
I catered a few parties here and there, but I have no artistic abilities, so cake decorating wasn't my thing, and that limited my opportunities.
I do make a lovely display of food, and can, given time and space, make a lovely buffet or tablescape, but my food is what I focus on. After all, the beautiful cakes, etc. only look that way until they are cut... it is then that the true test of the cook begins. I'm not saying my food is ugly, because it isn't. You eat with your eyes first, so it has to be visually appealing.
I cook some really fancy things, and I will include those recipes here and there. But everyday food is where the majority of cooks need help. It is the newly married couple, or the beginning cook I want to reach; those struggling to come up with tasty dishes for the average Sunday meal or a dish they can make over the weekend and re heat or restyle during the week, to broaden their menu on a smaller budget.
I love to smoke foods, grill a steak, etc. But I am a southern "if it ain't fried, it ain't supper" kind of gal. Most of my dishes aren't typically low fat nor are they figure friendly. They are comfort food... pure and simple.
One of the hardest things I learned to make was a good mashed potato dish... sounds simple, but there are so many potatoes out there, and some are great for roasting, but few lend themselves to that creamy texture we love when sitting down to a true "Sunday supper at Grandma's" taste.
So it is the everyday cook who should most enjoy my dishes. I certainly don't advocate fried food everyday, but I truly enjoy my share of country fried steak and gravy, fried chicken, pot roast, pork shoulder, etc. I love to eat, I love to cook for others and my motto is "Never trust a skinny cook; if they don't eat their own food, why should I?'"
There are plenty of folks out there who can show you how to make a standing rib roast, and I may publish my own version, but I want you to be able to take that unexpected afternoon off or that lazy Saturday and turn it into something that takes you back to your childhood, or makes you think of your Grandma or Great Grandma when you eat it.
Please let me know how these recipes work for you and your family. Tell me and the followers if you put your own spin on a dish. I'd love to know if the tips, recipes, etc are helpful....comment on individual recipes or post as you like. I love to hear how someone has made a dish their very own.

The photos of recipes you will see here are pics of the actual dishes I have made and served my family... if you look closely, you may see a dirty dish or two, or a hand in the photos... I think you should only publish a recipe you have tried and tested on your own family. ENJOY!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Chicken Marsala

Okay, this is not my recipe, but my adaptation of several different recipes. I love the Olive Garden Chicken Marsala, and I think this is every bit as good. I usually use a good wine (if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it is what I had heard) but I recently made it with Marsala off the grocer's shelf, and it was terrific...
I also get my chicken at Sam's, so they are huge... I pound them, then cut them into three easier to manage pieces, and it looks like I have more on my plate than I do, and Olive Garden serves you three pieces of chicken cutlet, so...

1 Large boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded to about 1/4" thickness
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt ( I use less, because I am not a salt person)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano flakes
1/2 stick real salted butter
4Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
very thinly sliced onion, optional ( I don't use this)
3/4 cup chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup marsala wine

Pound breasts, cut into smaller pieces, or they won't cook through before the oil and butter burn.
Melt butter in the oil over medium heat.
Dredge chicken into flour after adding the salt, pepper and oregano to the flour
Drop pieces into the oil and cook about three minutes per side. If you haven't pounded it thinly enough, you may have to keep turning it to cook it without burning it on the outside. Transfer cooked pieces to warm plate, if you have too much to cook at one time.
When all the chicken has cooked, add another little bit of butter and drop the mushrooms in, cooking just until heated through.
Drop some of the flour mixture in and whisk it till smooth, then add the stock, and stir until heated and bubbling. Add wine, cook until bubbly, then pour over the cooked pieces of chicken.

I usually serve this with garlic bread and garlic mashed potatoes or a salad...
Reheats well, too!

No comments:

Post a Comment