Quick Chicken Marsala

One of my favorite things to order when I go out to eat is chicken marsala, but many of the recipes that I've found for this dish seem a bit more complicated than I usually feel like tackling at home. In response, I've come up with my own quick home version that has many of the same flavors. I start by dredging chicken cutlets in some flour seasoned with salt, pepper, and thyme. I saute the cutlets in a bit of olive oil and then stick them in the oven to keep them warm. Mushrooms are a key ingredient in chicken marsala, so I saute those for a bit next. After they've gone for a few minutes, I add a splash of marsala wine (another key ingredient). At this point, the chicken goes back in to meld with the mushrooms and wine. Right before I'm getting ready to serve it, I also like to add a splash of cream. Half and half works too, but it doesn't incorporate into the sauce as well. 

I like to serve the chicken with hot buttered noodles and a vegetable. While it's not as good as good restaurant chicken marsala, it satisfies the craving!

One Pot Chicken and Brown Rice

This healthy chicken and rice recipe is on my regular rotation, even though the brown rice takes quite awhile to cook. I've made a couple minor adjustments to the original recipe- but overall I follow it pretty faithfully. The only major change I've made is using a bone-in skin-on chicken breast instead of chicken thighs. I cook the breast with the rice and veggies, and then toward the end I pull out the chicken and shred it to mix back in.  This recipe is also great for using up some vegetables that are getting a little old, since they simmer in the pot until they're nice and tender. The onions just dissolve into pure yummy flavor. 

Once the wait for the rice to cook is over, I'm left with a healthy and tasty one dish meal. Because it cooks on the stove top, it's okay for any time of year, but I find it especially comforting on a cold winter night.

Vegetable Pad Thai

Chris and I whipped up a simple Vegetable Pad Thai the other night, and while it didn't measure up to the best restaurant pad thai I've ever had, it definitely satisfied the craving. Part of what I love about this recipe is that it's so simple- it contains mostly ingredients that I always have on hand, like lime juice and soy sauce. I also throw in a little sriracha sauce for heat and some extra veggies to bulk it up. The only thing a little exotic is the rice noodles (which I highly recommend picking up at the Asian market, not the grocery store- much cheaper).

We served the pad thai on Chris' classy lighthouse plates, topped with chopped peanuts, green onion, and a squeeze of lime. A tasty vegetarian dinner!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had the day off of work because of the snow today, which is a perfect excuse to bake some cookies. I've been craving chocolate chip cookies, and I decided to make a slightly healthier version and throw in some oatmeal. I used a recipe that I got from  How To Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food. This is one of my favorite cookbooks to refer to for the basics. 

The cookies turned out to be surprisingly fluffy- I don't know if the photo does them justice. They tasted more like a light cake than a chewy cookie. Since I tend to prefer my cookies chewy, I'll probably try a different recipe the next time a cookie craving hits. Still, there aren't too many cookies that I'll turn down...

Sticky Chicken

Chris really likes Sticky Chicken, so last time he visited for the weekend, I made him some. This isn't really a stir-fry, but it definitely includes some Asian flavors, like ginger and soy sauce. It's got quite a bit of sugar in it (that's what makes it sticky), but at least it's low in fat... It does need to marinate for awhile, so getting it started the day before is ideal.  I've also just let it sit for a couple of hours before, and it's still turned out fine.

It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but the chicken should end up covered in a fairly think syrup. Be careful not to burn it though- I've done that before, and it was pretty disappointing. The chicken goes really well with jasmine rice, which helps to soak up the sauce!

Candied Citrus Peel

I'm not much of a winter person, but I do love all the citrus fruit that's around this time of year. I came across this recipe for Candied Citrus Peel, and I thought it was worth a try. It was very simple- all you need is fruit, sugar, and water. To start, you just peel the fruit with a paring knife and boil the pieces for a bit. After that's dried off some, you boil it with some simple syrup until it's candied. Once it's dry, you roll it in sugar and consume!

Though it took awhile, once you've got the oranges peeled it's mostly hands off. I'm not sure whether it's a good or a bad thing, but the recipe didn't make as much as I thought it would (perhaps good because I can't stop popping pieces of it- it tastes almost exactly like those jelly orange slices). On the plus side, I was left with some tasty orange simple syrup to mix in tea as a byproduct.

Chicken Cutlets with White Wine and Garlic

One of my favorite ways to eat boneless skinless chicken breasts is to make Chicken Cutlets with White Wine and Garlic.  It's very quick to make if you marinade the chicken beforehand. I usually get it started the night before, but you can also freeze it or do it about half an hour before you plan to eat.  The recipe calls for fresh thyme, but I've always used dried, and it's turned out just fine.

I served my chicken with some egg noodles and green beans, but it's also really awesome with some sauteed mushrooms and a splash of marsala. This is a quick dinner that's on a pretty regular rotation for me.