Creamy Chicken Marsala

 I LOVE ordering chicken marsala out...it's one of my favorite Italian dishes despite not like mushrooms. So yes I did make this dish and yes I did NOT eat the mushrooms, but it was pretty darn near perfect of a marsala recipe that I've made.

Creamy Chicken Marsala
1 lb chicken breast, cut into cubes
10-12 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup marsala cooking wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 lb pasta(I used penne)
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese

Melt 1 tbsp butter in pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper, cook until lightly browned. Remove to a plate.

Cook pasta according to directions.

Melt 1 tbsp butter in pan, add in garlic, mushrooms, and onion. Cook for about 5-6 minutes. Add chicken back in. Combine marsala, cream, and chicken broth and add it to the pan, bring to a boil. Simmer until slightly thickened.

Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Add pasta to sauce and stir to combine. Cook until sauce has been  absorbed a bit by pasta. Add cooking water in needed. Sprinkle with paremsan cheese and season with salt and pepper if desired.

**I almost doubled the sauce mixture...but I figured it was the first time I made it so I wanted to keep it the way it was written until I knew what to change next time. I do think next time I'll double the sauce...I think it also needed to be thicker, but the flavor was SPOT on and delicious!! YUM! Even my boys liked it, which surprised me!

Grilled Chicken Tzatziki

 I'm always looking for new way to make chicken and this sounded tasty and it combined yogurt with chicken for protein packed dinner!


Grilled Chicken Tzatziki-shared from Style At Home
Marinade:
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp fresh lemon juice+2 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp hot sauce
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch of salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

Place all ingredients except chicken in a zip top bag. Mix together until well combined. Add in chicken and cover completely with mixture. Squeeze air out, seal, and allow to marinate for up to 4 hours.

You can then go on to grill the chicken until no longer pink. I cooked it in a 350 degree oven for about 20-25 mins and then turned the broiler on for 5 mins to get the charcoal look!

Let chicken rest for about 5 mins and then slice. Serve as is. OR I took a pita, and spread on some hummus, topped it with some lettuce, and then the chicken and wrapped it up.


**This chicken was SO moist and flavorful! It was the best chicken I've had in a long time. I loved the kick the hot sauce added and the citrus tang. Definitely will be made again! YUM! Even the leftovers were still moist and flavorful!

Crispy Honey Lime Tilapia

 We are trying to get more fish into our diet and we recently discovered Tilapia...we also like cod. This sounded delicious when I found the recipe and couldn't wait to try it!

Crispy Honey Lime Tilapia-How Sweet It Is
1 lb tilapia filets, patted dry
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp lime zest
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1/3 cup flour
2 tbsp olive oil
honey and lime zest for garnish

Place 2 tbsp oil, honey, lime juice, zest, and garlic into resealable bag. Place fish inside and marinate for one hour.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in pan until hot. Season fish with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Once oil is hot add fish and fry until golden brown. Flip and continue to cook on other side. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Drizzle with additional honey and lime zest.


*This was BY FAR THE BEST FISH I've ever had! I can't wait to have it again. It was flavorful and crispy on the outside! YUM-O

Tilapia Peach Packets

In the wake of a Hurricane coming through I decided to start this marinating...if we loose power it will cook wonderfully on the grill! Hopefully I don't/didn't loose power though! Hope everyone stayed safe during the storm!

Tilapia Peach Packets-How Sweet It Is
1 lb tilapia fillets, patted dry
2 peaches, peeled, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley(I used 2 tbsp dried)
1 red onion, sliced

Place ingredients except fish in blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Place sauce in zip top bag and add in fish. Marinate for 12-14 hours.

When ready to cook, take 4 pieces of tin foil(about 10x10 inches) and lay a few slices of onion on each piece. Place fish on top and wrap up. Grill for 10-12 mins or until fish is flaky.

**I have a picture of this...but photobucket doesn't like this computer operating system so if I switch it I'll get the picture for you!

This was tasty and different, plus it was really easy to make!

Big Mac Wraps

For some weird reason I had a craving for a Big Mac last week...I think I have only ever eaten one, but I knew I had this recipe at home so I wanted to make it again. Plus I figured it was a little healthier than the McDonald version. Luckily A requested burgers for dinner because I forgot to put them on my menu! This did hit the spot perfectly!

Big Mac Wraps-shared from Cooking During Stolen Moments
1 lb ground hamburger
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and garlic powder to taste
flour tortillas
cheese
sliced dill pickles
lettuce(omitted b/c I was out)
tomato(omitted b/c I didn't have any)
Big Mac Sauce(this is half of the original recipe)
6 tbsp mayo
1.5 tbsp ketchup(I did add some more as the flavor wasn't quite there yet)
1/2-1 tbsp relish
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Combine hamburger with Worcestershire sauce, salt, and garlic powder. Mix together until combined. Flatten meat into thin patties and place on hot griddle(or grill pan). Cook until done.

Mix together sauce ingredients and taste to make sure the seasoning is all set!

When ready to eat, lay tortilla down on plate. Slather on some sauce, top with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and cheese. Cut burgers into strips and lay on top. Roll up and enjoy!

**Despite ours being a bit salty tonight thanks to my little helpers...they were fabulous and hit the spot well! We don't remember them tasty that good the first time I made them, but this time they were perfect!

Apple Cheddar Monte Cristos

I found this recipe in of the Rachael Ray's magazine. I have never actually tried a Monte Cristo before, but these sounded good. The original recipe did have bacon in it, but I omitted it as we are trying to have more meat free meals, but I did tell K about the bacon and he agreed it would have been a great addiction. He does have a slight addiction to the stuff.

Apple Cheddar Monte Cristos-shared from Rachael Ray
2 apples, thinly sliced
2-3 slices cheddar cheese
1 egg
2-3 tbsp milk
dash of nutmeg
1 loaf french bread or your favorite bread

Preheat griddle or george foreman grill.

Beat together egg, milk, and nutmeg.*The original recipe called for 3 eggs and half a cup of milk, but this made WAY to much egg mixture for my sandwiches and I used a whole loaf of bread, so I cut down the amounts, you can always make more if needed)

Take one piece of bread and slather/dip it into the egg mix. Lay on griddle or grill. Lay on half a slice of cheese followed by 2-3 slices of apple, followed by another half a slice of cheese.(I had small pieces of bread so you may want 2 whole slices/sandwich). Close grill and cook for about 2-3 mins until golden brown. If you are using a griddle flip once cheese is melted and one side is golden.

**This was a very quick and easy weekend night meal...if I had planned better on the bread, but that was my mistake. I didn't think you could really taste the egg on the outside as the apple and cheddar took over on the flavor scale. We served them with roasted sweet and white potatoes and it was very filling!

Artisan Bread

While I was reading this week's Menu Plans for various blogs I follow, I stumbled upon this bread recipe! I am also looking for new bread recipes and willing to try them. I haven't found "the one" yet, but I think this one change my mind!

Now this bread has a story to it, and you can read more by following the link before on Snowhite's blog. This bread dough is made ahead of time and then can be kept for up to 14 days in the fridge, but I made the whole thing tonight for dinner. But if you don't use it all in one sitting, you can have fresh bread everyday with VERY little effort!

Artisan Bread-Finding Joy in my Kitchen
1 1/2 cups warm water(about 100 degrees)
3/4 tbsp yeast
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 3/4 cup white flour

Place water in a big bowl/container that has a cover.(I used my big tupperware bowl, at least 4 liters) Add in the yeast and salt and let it dissolve. Add in flour and stir with wooden spoon or spatula.The dough is very wet.(if you need to use your hands, make sure you oil it or wet it). *No need to knead it! Cover dough, but do not seal container and let sit on your counter for 2-4 hours. The dough is ready for the fridge when a)the dough has fallen in on itself or b) it is flat at the top(so its no longer dome shape). Place in fridge for up to 14 days.

You will need to the dough out of the fridge 1 hour before ready to bake.
When ready to bake, sprinkle some flour on dough and tear a piece off depending on how big you want the loaf. DO NOT KNEAD IT! Place on cookie sheet and shape into a round loaf and let rise for 30 mins. After 15 mins preheat the oven to 450 degrees. After 30ish mins for rise time, cut an x in the top of the loaf. Fill a pan with 1 cup hot water and place it under the rack where the bread will be baked. Place loaf in oven and close door quickly.(The steams helps give the bread the crusty interior). Bake for 25-30 mins. The loaf will be hard and brown when done.

**I despite thinking I put too much yeast it, it still worked and it was THE BEST BREAD! IT was supposed to make 2 loaves, but I only made one. It didn't rise as high as the original recipe, but that could have been because it wasn't warm enough, didn't rise long enough, or too much yeast. There is only a 1/4 of it left to say the least! Next time I think I might add in some cheese, but it is a super simple recipe and if you make a batch(or double it) you'd be good with dough for a while. It was crusty on the outside and chewy delicious on the inside!