Mel’s Chicken Marsala

I am a huge fan of Chicken Marsala! I have always wanted to make it, however I never have marsala wine. 🤷🏻‍♀️  So today I googled how to make chicken marsala without marsala wine. I am very pleasantly surprised! I didn’t know that you could simply use any dry white wine or just use all beef broth! So I thought I would add it to my blog so that I can remember it for the future and share it with you because it was also a very quick meal to make.  I combined a recipe I found from “AllRecipes” along with a recipe I found from the Chunky Chef and then added my own twist. I served this over cooked spaghetti with a side of sweet peas.   I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! ... and yes, that is one of my favorite dish towels.  😂

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 C all-purpose flour for coating

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

4 skinless chicken breasts halved or quartered - pounded to 1/4 inch thick

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 small white onion

1/2 cup beef broth

1/2 cup dry white wine (or another 1/2 cup of beef broth)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

DIRECTIONS:

1.  In a Ziploc bag mix together the flour, salt, pepper, seasoning salt and oregano.  Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture.

2.  In a large cast-iron or non-stick skillet, melt the butter and oil over medium heat. Place the coded chicken in the pan and lightly brown on both sides. Approximately three minutes per side. Once the chicken has been cooked on both sides, add the mushrooms and onions. Pour in the wine and/or beef broth. Sprinkle the thyme over the top. Cover the skillet; and simmer the chicken for approximately 10 minutes turning over once. Make sure the chicken is done when it’s no longer pink inside and the juices run clear.  

3. This can be served by itself, over veggies, over pasta or rice.   Enjoy!

Bannister Better Beef Stroganoff

I have been through at least seven Beef Stroganoff recipes and this one by far is our favorite!
(adapted from 'damndelicious.net')
NOTE:  If you need a faster easier version, this is for you --> https://www.campbells.com/recipes/beef-stroganoff/

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, cleaned well and thickly sliced (canned works as well)
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon of beef base
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose
• 4 cups beef stock
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 oz. tomato paste
• 8 ounces egg noodles uncooked (or cooked spaghetti noodles) 
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and browned, about 3-5 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. 
2. Add ground beef and beef base and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks.  Stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
4. Stir in beef stock, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Cook until bubbly.
5. Stir in Worcestershire, Dijon, tomato paste and egg noodles; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 9-10 minutes.
6. Stir in sour cream until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
7. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Fresh Veggies

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/sheet-pan-gnocchi-8848165

I love this recipe, You can switch the veggies in the recipe to match whatever you have on hand or whatever your garden is producing.  In my recipe I used sweet banana peppers, green peppers, green beans, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, red peppers and yellow and red onions!  I also made the Balsamic glaze by bringing a cup on balsamic vinegar and a half cup of brown sugar to a boil and then simmered until it was a thickened.

Buttery Garlic Mushrooms

I saw these on Facebook and thought we would like them.  They for sure did not disappoint.  I added dried onion flakes and deglazed the pan with sweet white wine. Definitely a side dish keeper, personally I could eat it as a whole meal!

Ingredients:

• Mushrooms
• Unsalted Butter (use unsalted to control the amount of salt added)
• Olive Oil (just a little oil added to the butter gets the mushrooms nice and crispy on the outer edges and prevents the butter from burning)
• Garlic (fresh crushed)
• Herbs (we love parsley and thyme, but you can use oregano, rosemary, or basil)
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Optional:

• Onion (green, white, yellow, or red. This is optional but the onion really enhances the flavor)
• Dry or Sweet White Wine (If you’ve never added wine to your garlic mushrooms, you won’t regret trying it)

Directions:

*This recipe was found on DIY-JOY.

First melt your butter and olive oil and then add your onion, garlic and sauté until tender.  Next add the mushrooms and cook until the desired doneness. If you want to add the wine, add to deglaze the pan when adding the herbs. Serve with your favorite entrée!

https://youtu.be/cvaibAcAFvE

Breakfast Sammies (Kitchen Gadget that works!)

I am a sucker for kitchen gadgets 🤦🏻‍♀️... but I am often disappointed as they never work as advertised or promised.  So I went years without buying any gadgets, until I saw this gadget!  I will admit that no one in the house thought this would work.  Now we are all believers! I’ve owned this for over a year now and it has been THE most used item in the kitchen during quarantine. It really does work as advertised. I’ve included a link to Amazon so that you can see pictures and a video on how it works, but you can buy this from pretty much any of your favorite retailers. I do not receive anything for endorsing this kitchen gadget, lol😁.  I just wanted to share a great item that is easy to use and clean up. 👌 Just be sure to read the instructions prior to use, handy tips that are included like puncture the yolk before closing the lid and spraying the surface with a nonstick spray will help!

https://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-25475A-Breakfast-Sandwich/dp/B00EI7DPOO

French Onion Chicken Casserole

This recipe was adapted from eatwell101:  Pretty tasty!

INGREDIENTS LIST FOR THE FRENCH ONION CHICKEN CASSEROLE

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 or 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Red crushed chili pepper flakes, optional
• Pinch of salt and fresh cracked pepper
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or Gruyere)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 large onions, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 cup crushed salad croutons
• Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the French onion chicken casserole: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly grease a 9×12-inch baking dish and set aside.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-8 minutes until soft.

3. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized – about 15 minutes. Pour in 1/4 cup of broth/white wine to deglaze if your pan gets too dry, and keep stirring until onions are browned. 

4. Stir in fresh minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly.

5. Season chicken breasts with oregano, crushed chili pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Go easy on the salt because French onion and cheese are already salted. Arrange chicken breasts in the baking dish. 

6. Divide caramelized onions on top of each chicken breast. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and bake for 20-25 minutes in the oven (or more, depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts), until fully cooked and cheese is bubbly. Then sprinkle the crushed croutons over the cheese, broil for 2 minutes to crisp up the cheese. Garnish the French onion chicken casserole with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately with steamed vegetables or cauliflower rice. Enjoy!

TIPS FOR THE FRENCH ONION CHICKEN CASSEROLE:

• You can prepare the caramelized onion ahead of time, and just assemble the chicken casserole at the last minute before baking.
• You can flavor up the french onion with a dash of white wine, sherry or balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan.
• The cooking time will depend on the thickness of your chicken breasts. Cut them horizontally if they are too thick. You can also pound the chicken breasts (gently!) to get them to an even thickness.
• You can also use remade grilled chicken breasts. Just add additional beef broth to the bottom of the casserole dish to keep them juicy. 
• Go easy on the salt because French onion and cheese are already salt. The taste of the French onion chicken casserole would be overpowered by saltiness.

Homemade Caesar Dressing

During a time that you may not have all of the supplies you may need, Google will always help you out! I had everything I needed for a Caesar salad... except the dressing.  I thought it’d be impossible to make since I did not have anchovies or anchovy paste.  Turns out using a little extra Worcestershire sauce does the trick. This recipe was adapted from The Chunky Chef. 

Ingredients

DRESSING:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp sugar 
• 3 cloves garlic , pressed with a garlic press, grated, or finely minced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 - 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper , depending on your tastes
• 1/4 cup finely shredded fresh parmesan cheese
• Salt to taste

Best Chili Ever!

So, like with many recipes I typically combine anywhere from 2 to 5 recipes to create the ultimate recipe for my family. Chili has been a long time favorite of ours and we are always looking for the ultimate chili recipe. I found a chili recipe that was originally for the crockpot and was considered a contest winner. With this recipe being the base I also combined it with the 21 day fix chili and a couple others. This chili can be adapted to be mild in spice or major in spice. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients

• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (~2 stalks) celery, finely chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped carrots
• 1 cup (~1 small) yellow onion finely chopped
• 1-2 small jalapeno peppers, optional* seeds removed and finely diced
• 2 cans (15 ounces EACH) chili (pinto) beans in medium sauce
• 1 can (15 ounces) chili (pinto or kidney) beans in mild sauce
• 2 cans (28 ounces EACH) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 2 pounds (32 ounces) ground beef
• 1 cup of sweet red wine

Seasonings

• 4 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt & 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 regular sized beef bouillon cubes
• Optional: fresh cilantro, sour cream, freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, 5 strips of bacon can be added as well as a pound of bulk ground sausage.  

Instructions

1. Remove the stem and seeds from the red pepper. Finely chop. Remove the stem and seeds from the green pepper and finely chop.
2. Finely chop the celery. Remove the peel of the onion and finely chop. Chop the jalapeno pepper and remove the seeds if desired -- leave them in for extra heat.*
3. Add the red pepper, green pepper, celery, onion, and jalapeno pepper to the dutch oven or stock pot with a drizzle of olive oil. Sauté the veggies over medium heat until tender. 
4. Add in the three cans of chili beans (drained and rinsed), petite diced tomatoes, and tomato paste to the pot.
5. In the same pot used to cook veggies, cook the ground beef chuck until no longer pink over medium high heat. If needed, brown the meat in another skillet and drain off all the fat then add to the pot
6. Add all the seasonings to the crockpot. Stir everything together.
7. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook on low for 2 - 3 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings (salt, pepper, chili powder, etc.) Enjoy with fresh cilantro, sour cream and cheddar cheese.

   
   

   

   
   

   Recipe adapted from: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/crockpot-chili/

   
   

Crockpot French Onion Soup

One of the best French Onion Soup recipes I have ever come across.  This soup is EASY to make, simple ingredients and is perfect for cold winter days. The cheese croutons are added perfection of yummy goodness.

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsalted butter

 

6 thyme sprigs

 

1 bay leaf

 

5 pounds large sweet onions, vertically sliced (about 16 cups)

 

1 tablespoon sugar

 

6 cups unsalted beef stock (such as Swanson)

 

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

 

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

 

1 teaspoon black pepper

 

24 (1/2-ounce) slices whole-grain French bread baguette

 

5 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 1 1/4 cups)

Instructions 

Place butter, thyme, and bay leaf in the bottom of a 6-quart electric slow cooker. Add onions; sprinkle with sugar. Cover and cook on HIGH for 8 hours.

Remove thyme and bay leaf; discard. Add stock, vinegar, salt, and pepper; cook, covered, on HIGH for 30 minutes.

Preheat broiler to high.

Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil and heap mounds of the shredded cheese on the bread. Bake at 350 until melted and then broil for 30 seconds to get a few browned areas on the cheese. Scoop into bowls. Top each serving with 2 cheesy bread croutons and enjoy!

*Recipe is adapted from myrecipes.com