Chicken Marsala-What To Do with Leftover Marsala Wine!

We had bought the Marsala wine for my  My Husband's Birthday Dinner, We certainly couldn't just let the rest of Marsala wine stay in the wine rack, now could we?  Of course, you make the well known Chicken Marsala.We had made it once before, but couldn't find the exact recipe. So my Husband found Emeril's recipe for Chicken Marsala, which we adapted.  We would use more wine and a touch of tomato paste, if we were making this recipe again.The sauce was good, but there wasn't enough of it. My Husband won't change a recipe the first time that he makes it, except we didn't have any chives, so used parsley.  We also used the Cremini mushrooms, Baby Bellas, which are so flavorful. We served this over Linguine, or you could use noodles, also.because this recipe was from Emeril. there is a little"kick" to it, but you could eliminate it you wish.

P.S. Remember LIVESTRONG DAY is this Saturday, October 2nd. if you can participate inWinos and Foodies  LIVESTRONG WITH A TASTE OF YELLOW-HEART SERIES. Check back on October 2nd for my entry!

Chicken Marsala-adapted from Emeril Lagasse-FoodNetwork

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Essence (  recipe to follow)
• 2 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves and pounded thin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups sliced mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shiitake)
• 3/4 cup Marsala
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped chives, for garnish, we used Italian Parsley

***TIP** You can use a heavy bottomed pan to pound the chicken breasts between two pieces of parchment or waxed paper. this pan method works well if you don't have a tool for that

What To Do

1. On a plate  or on a bowl, mix flour and Essence. Dredge the pounded thin chicken breasts in flour.
2.Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat until  hot.  Add 1 Tbsp. of butter and saute the breasts until they are a golden brown, which is about 3 min, per side.
3. Put the chicken breasts on a plate and set aside.
4. Add 1 Tbsp of the butter to pan and add the mushrooms.  Cook the mushrooms until they are brown   around  the edges, and have given off their liquid.
5. Add the Marsala wine and de-glaze the pan, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cookuntil the wine has reduced by half, and the add chicken stock, and cook until the sauce is partially thickened.
6. Lower heat to medium and return chicken breasts to pan, and cook until they are cooked through and the sauce is thickened.  Add additional butter and stir.Optional) if you want lower fat., salt and pepper to taste.
7. Garnish with chopped chives, but we used Italian Parsley.
8. Serve over pasta, noodles or rice.

Essence Recipe from Emeril 

• 2 1/2 tbsp. Paprika-(We used Smokey Sweet)
• 2 Tbsp. salt- You can use less, if you want lower sodium
• 2 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp black pepper
• 1tbsp. onion powder
• 1tbsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1tbsp dried thyme

Combine all ingredients until well mixed and place in an airtight jar or container.  Makes 2/3 cup

My husband had made this previously for another recipe, so we had it on hand.  If you like a little "kick" in you food, add the spice mixture, but personally, I would leave it out next time, but my husband would add it.

My Husband's Birthday Dinner, Almost-Seared Scallops!

I know that this picture doesn't look like seared scallops, but read on, and you'll see why. My husband loves to cook, as much as I like to bake.so, for his birthday dinner it was decided that he was going to make Seared Scallops. We hadn't had them in awhile, so we were looking forward to them. One late afternoon the TV was on and he watching Giada at Home on the Food Network  She was making  Roasted Citrus-Herb Game Hen  with  Olive and-Sun-Dried-TomatoVegetables. That was it, Seared Scallop no longer, and the new menu was to be Giada's!   The Game Hen was rubbed with a zest mixture over the hen and under the skin, of olive oil, shallots, zest of  orange zest, lemon zest, mint,thyme, salt and pepper.You then place the remainder of the zest mixture in the cavities of the hens. After the legs of the hens are trussed together, place hens in a 9X13 baking dish. they are then basted with a mixture of chicken stock, Marsala wine, lemon and orange juice, and dried cranberries and baked.  The house smelled so good , when they were baking.   When they were done baking, the pan juices were thickened and poured over the hens.

Olive and-Sun Dried Tomato Vegetables were very flavorful, especially with the olives and sun dried tomatoes, not your run of the mill squash medley.  The zucchini,  yellow squash, and red peppers were sauteed in the olive oil with shallots until tender and added to an olive oil, sun dried tomato, olives, and thyme mixture. This birthday dinner was a complete success.  There was also an Arugula salad, which we didn't make.  I don't like arugula. A wonderful time was had by all.

LIVESTRONG DAY OCTOBER 2ND, 2010

This is my LIVESTRONG bracelet, which I wear to raise the awareness of cancer and to support the Lance Armstrong Foundation. LIVESTRONG DAY, for those of you who don't know, is a movement of approximately 1,500 individuals and organizations taking action globally, nationally and locally in the fight against cancer, with the 2010 theme being the “global cancer crisis.”It was started by Lance Armstrong to bring awareness to cancer and bring it to the forefront. To commemorate the event,  Winos and Foodies, have a food blogging event, LIVESTRONG with a Taste of  Yellow.2010, Heart Series, which supports the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Food and Wine bloggers around the world can share their stories, and celebrations, as well as sad times. Participants will make a food or drink containing   yellow food  This will be my first time participating in the even, but I haven't decided what I'll make for that special day., only that it will in memory of my Mom, who  passed away 3 yrs ago with multiple myeloma, as one of the contributing factors.. All the details are at Winos and Foodies blog.  If cancer has touched you or any loved one, or friends, please participate on LIVESTRONG DAY,  October 2nd, in Taste of Yellow, 2010.

Returning Home and Mad for Mango! Rum Dee Dum

We returned home from a little get away to Lake Geneva, WI., this afternoon.  It is fun to get away, but it's always good to come home.  However, I was wondering what I would find on my computer,.when I got back. I have been ".disconnected" from the blogging world because I don't have a laptop. It felt strange, like I was going through "computer withdrawal."  Later on, however, "out of sight, out of mind",  came int play, and I didn't think of the computer and what I was missing. that much. However, on the ride home, the first thing that I was going to do was check the computer. and my blog.  If you stopped by the blog you saw that The Mom Chef, Christiane, of  Taking on Recipes One Magazine at a Time, was the guest blogger while I was gone Christiane writes about making recipes from magazines while juggling  being a  Mom  with the humor and reality that ensues.  Christiane did a wonderful job and I am very grateful for her guest blog, a wonderful post as always. Thank you Christiane for being a guest blogger for me. The second thing that I did was have a Rum Dee Dum.

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What is Rum Dee Dum you ask?  Well,  Rum Dee Dum is my favorite drink, next to the Mango Margarita.  When I first met my husband, he always drank Meyers Rum on the rocks with a squeeze of lime. I tasted the drink and thought how could anybody drink that . Well, now I really like the dark, sweet rums that evoke memories of our Caribbean trips, aqua blue waters and warm ocean waters.We have been on Windjammer cruises and they served "Swizzle" at Happy Hour, which is 151 proof rum, orange juice, pineapple  juice, and lime juice. After one of those, you really Happy.  Unfortunately, the Windjammer cruise line  is out of business now:)  Barefoot cruises my be a thing of the past.

Rum Dee Dum

Crushed ice
Juice of 1/2 lime
1-2 shots of Dark rum, preferably Meyers, depending on how your day went
1-2 oz. of Trader Joe's  Orange, Peach, Mango juice.
Fresh mango for garnish, if available.

1. Fill shaker 2/3 full of crushed ice.
2. Add lime juice on top of crushed ice
3. Add rum and then the juice
4. Do a little dance and shake your shaker.
5. Pour in glass and garnish with fresh mango
6. Close your eyes, sip, and dream of Caribbean beaches!

Should Guest Bloggers Attempt New Recipes?

Are there rules about this kind of thing? Becky went and left me in charge of her blog for the evening, obviously not knowing that she's left this wonderful work of hers in the hands of a blogosphere-challenged Mom Chef. I did warn her that I make recipes from magazines (this month I'm going through Food Network Magazine's September 2010 issue), though when she comes back there's a good chance that she's going to expect to see a beef brisket recipe instead of Gnocchi with Wild Mushroom Ragu.

I actually did go and check to see if there are any rules that guest bloggers are supposed to follow. There's some funny stuff out there. One guy actually had ten rules that he wants his guest bloggers to make sure they follow before they're allowed to post anything on his site. Even the government has rules; rules that include phrases like, "maintain a germane status," and "having a relevant resume or curriculum vitae."

The truth of it all is that I'm like every one of us who blogs. We have a passion for something and we love to share that passion. Even if only our moms' read it regularly (and maybe our spouses with us holding their arms up behind their backs), we write for them. It's all about the love pouring out, right?

Tonight my love poured selfishly. I love mushrooms. I'm the only one in my family that loves mushrooms. In fact, my husband and daughter can't even stand the smell of them. I made a dish that's main focus was wonderful, pungent, earthy mushrooms. There's nothing better than when an ingredient says something like, "2 pounds of wild mushrooms." What freedom! My wild ones included Porcini, Matsutake, Maitake, Chanterelle, and Trumpet.

Before the mushroom part however, I had to come to terms with something I've never done before; making gnocchi. I didn't really know what it was. I'm not Italian. I'm French Armenian. I do rice pilaf and pomme frites. I buy my pasta in a box. But, today I made gnocchi and I'm pretty proud of myself.

Just to be sure that I'd time this all correctly, I started by baking my potatoes pretty early in the afternoon. Food Network Magazine does a good job of providing a little section on the recipe page that explains with pictures how to make gnocchi (the more pictures, the more chances of success on my part). I followed everything exactly and I think they came out pretty well. Even though they didn't give any indication as to the quantity their recipe would make, I figured it had to be close since it was right next to the ragu recipe.  For those who try this, it's about 2 pounds of gnocchi and you only need 1 1/2 for the ragu.

Speaking of ragu, (ahem), isn't the word Italian for meat sauce?

Once my gnocchi were in the freezer, I started in on the "ragu." this included cooking onions, carrots and celery, adding the onions, then tomato paste, canned whole tomatoes and seasonings. It's supposed to simmer for 30 minutes, but we had stuff going on and it smelled so good that I let it go longer. There's a wonderful aroma that wafts out with bay leaf, coriander, fennel, and thyme all mixed together. It's worth making the recipe just for that, really.

After the "ragu" had simmered down, I took the gnocchi out of the freezer and put it in a pot of boiling water, a bit apprehensively. At this point the little potato pillows are supposed to rise after three minutes or so. What if they didn't? Does that prove to be gnocchi failure? I didn't have to worry. Mine bobbed to the surface and I carefully removed them and gently mixed them in with the "ragu." I did learn that I had to be very careful. Gnocchi are fragile.

The dish is decorated with mascarpone and mint and served up. I loved it. The spice flavors are amazing. The mushroom combination was perfect. The gnocchi was disgusting. Sorry, I tried. It's slimy. I don't do slimy. Actually, I normally wouldn't do slimy but in this case I was trying to set an example for Dudette so I ate the whole bowl. It is a good thing that the sauce is so incredible. My husband, the anti-mushroom man, also thought the sauce was fantastic. It had enough spice that he could taste it over his cold (now advanced to something our doctor says is squeaking in his lungs) though not enough for him to get past the mushrooms and the slimy gnocchi thing. Dudette had two gnocchi and one mushroom, all doused heavily in sour cream. I think sour cream is the new ketchup.

For those who love gnocchi, this is an absolute win. The flavor is fantastic and very rich. The mushrooms are left to your wildest imagination since the sauce goes perfectly with them. In fact, I would make this again with a box of pasta  in a heartbeat.

Thanks for bearing with me while Becky is away.  Thank you, Becky, for allowing me to come visit your blog like this. I hope I didn't do too much damage.

Cheers ~

Christiane
The Mom Chef

He Cooks-To Die for Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas with Ancho Chile Sauce

My husband, Scott,  got this amazing enchilada recipe from a cooking class that he took at Williams Sonoma.several years ago.The secret to these enchiladas is in the sauce. You use dried ancho chilies and re-constitute them.and then puree them .There are wonderful layers of cheese, sauce, and chicken. We never order the enchiladas when we go to a Mexican restaurant anymore, because they don't taste as good as the ones that we can make at home.  This is a wonderful dish for company and doesn't take that long to put together.  It also freezes well, if you have any leftovers this recipe has become our signature dish, that we our friends request all of the time. The enchiladas go so well with my Mango Margarita to be in an upcoming post.. We modified the recipe from Chef Fredy Hernandez.  You can lighten up this recipe, by using 2% milk cheese, which is what we used.

Scott's Chicken Enchiladas with Ancho Chile Sauce

2 medium dried ancho chili

4 Tbsp EVOO

2C. diced onion

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

3 cloves chopped garlic

1 c good quality chicken broth

4 c canned tomatoes

2 Tbsp tomato sauce

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

12 6" flour tortillas

3 c shredded cheese about 1 lb Jack and cheddar cheese

2-3 c cooled shredded chicken  We used chicken breasts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. In a zip-lock plastic bag, add dried chilies and some warm water.  Close and set aside  until chilies are   soft,  about 20-30 min.

3. In a saucepan, add oil and place over medium flame.  Add onion and chili powder, saute 3     minutes, and then add cumin, garlic, tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato paste, and sugar.   Bring to a boil and simmer 20-30 minutes.  In the meantime, remove seeds and stem from the  chilies and  add to sauce, puree and set aside.  You can either use a regular or stick blender.

4. Cover the bottom of a 9X13 pan with sauce, add about 1 oz of cheese and 1 oz of chicken on  each tortilla, then roll and place in the pan over the sauce, add the rest of the sauce on top,  sprinkle with extra cheese and place in a pre-heated oven and bake for 20-30 min, uncovered,  until bubbly.  Enjoy!!!

Taste and Create -Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad) from Yum Food

As I mentioned in my previous blog I mentioned that I was going to do Taste & Create again this month.  I was paired with Edana from Yum Food, so I decided to make Panzanella or Italian Bread Salad. I had always wanted to make it , but never had the chance,  It is an earthy salad with layers of flavor from the basil, mint, cheese and the balsamic vinaigrette with stale bread, I used a rustic baguette from Trader Joe's.  Then it had fresh tomatoes, a shallot, fresh mint, and basil, goat,  feta, or ricotta salata cheese and a vinaigrette of oil and white vinegar,  I used Balsamic vinegar.Also, instead of a shallot, I used green onions. Adding cooked chicken is optional,  you can leave it as a vegetarian dish, so the recipe is very versatile.  It is also very economical with few ingredients and quick to make.  Leftovers, if you have any, may even better, because all of  the flavors have a chance to mix,  mingle, and intensify.  It doesn't have a lot dressing, so the bread doesn't get soggy..I will make this again.  Thank you Nicole for Taste and Create, and Edana for the recipe.

Apple Maple Bacon Cupcakes -A Featured Recipe on Maple Syrup World

 

I found out today that my Apple Maple Bacon Cupcake is being featured on Maple Syrup World. They have Maple Syrup products and feature recipes using maple syrup. I was very surprised and excited when I received  a comment on  the original post for the Apple Maple Bacon cupcake, asking for permission to feature the recipe on their website.  Because I had modified Garrett's Maple Bacon Cupcake with Maple Frosting, from Vanilla Garlic, I had to get his approval  first, which I got..  Then I received an e-mail from Maple Syrup World, telling me that my recipe was on the website. Yahoo!!! Check it out!

More news! I am doing Taste and Create again this month and my partner is Edana from Yum Food. I haven't decided yet what I'll make, but stay tuned and check back soon.

I'm Not Having What He's Having, I'm Having This-Grilled Salmon on a Bed of Wilted Spinach

Last night for dinner my husband was grilling his favorite steak, top sirloin, even though it's not on his good food list for him. You have to give in to your cravings once in awhile.  I haven't eaten red meat in 20 yrs.  I not a vegetarian, a vegan, or PETA proponent, I just feel better when I don't eat red meat. So... I had grilled salmon  on a bed of wilted spinach. Yum!  I marinated the salmon for about half an hour in low sodium Teriyaki sauce, garlic powder,  juice of 1 whole lime, and salt free Sunny Singapore Spice blend from The Spice House,  Sunny Singapore seasoning is a combination of many Eastern and Western spices

Here are the recipes

Marinade for Salmon.
I made this for 1 piece of salmon fillet.  Adjust the ingredients accordingly. depending on how much salmon you have.

1/4-1/3 cup of Teriyaki sauce  (I used low sodium)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Sunny Singapore seasoning or Chinese Five Spice

Combine all  marinade ingredients in bowl, stir,. and pour over salmon in a plastic bag.  Marinate for about 1/2 hour. Remove salmon from marinade. Grill over medium heat for about 6min. per side, until fish flakes.  Do not overcook.

Wilted Spinach

1-2 cups baby spinach
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1Tbsp. Teriyaki sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a saute pan. Heat to simmer .  Add baby spinach and stir until spinach is coated and starts to wilt.  Pour on plate and place grilled salmon fillet on top. Pour juice of 1/4 lime over the spinach and salmon.  Bon Apetit!

Apple Maple Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting-ironcupcake- Chicago Challenge Almost

I was going to bake for  ironcupcake-Chicago  September Challenge, and the theme was Apples and Back to School.  I wanted to go in a different direction with the apple and added bacon and maple syrup. I made a sample batch earlier in the week, so f I needed to tweak the recipe, I could when I made the final batch. Our dear friends were going to go as well as my husband, and then fate intervened.  I started having medical issues, and they are keeping me from going to Chicago.  I am really bummed, that's the way it is. So these cupcakes went to a birthday dinner for my friend, Joanna.  Since I didn't have to decorate the tops of the cupcakes in the Back to School theme,  I just sprinkled the crumbled, cooked bacon on top.

When I started blogging I  thought that you just posted your recipes, stories, and pictures and that was it.  I had no idea that you had to have very professional looking pictures. I feel like I need to take a photography class and get a new camera., which isn't going to happen.  Well maybe I could take a class, but a new camera isn't in my future. So you will see a date on the cupcake picture which shouldn't be there, and wasn't set for the correct date. I'm so jealous of other people's blogs that have amazing pictures. My pictures, unfortunately, are a work in progress. Now back to the cupcakes...

For the cupcakes I modified  Garret's Vanilla Garlic recipe for Maple Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Frosting to Apple Maple Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting with my notes below.  I added the apples, added more bacon, and used the cream cheese in the frosting to make it less sweet.  The apple adds a little sweet taste and the bacon gives the cupcake a salty surprise along with maple undertones. These are a winner in my book!

Apple Maple Bacon Cupcakes
Makes 6 / 350F oven

If you want more that 6 cupcakes, you'll have to adjust the recipe accordingly. I got nine cupcakes.
 
4 1/2 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon of bacon drippings (left in the fridge to become solid)
1 egg
5 tablespoons of brown sugar
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/4 cup of self rising flour (I used AP flour plus 3 tsp. total baking powder)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
tiny tiny pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup of milk
1/3 cup of minced bacon, cooked and drained- I changed bacon from 1/4 to1/3 cup)

3/4 cup peeled, cored, grated apples  I used Brae Burn
  

 1) Cook some bacon in a fry pan (about 8 thick strips). Reserve the drippings and place in the fridge to solidify. Mince 1/3 a cup of the bacon.

2) Beat the butter and solidified bacon fat 'till light and creamy. Add the brown sugar and maple syrup and beat well until combined.

3) Add the egg and beat until incorporated.

4) Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and powder together.

5) Add some of the flour and mix, then some of the milk, then continue to alternate the dry and wet ingredients, ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in the bacon and grated apple. Taste and add more maple syrup, flour, or milk if needed for desired taste and consistency. Keep in mind the maple frosting is very sweet, and to add in very small increments for alterations as maple syrup in large amounts can break a cake batter. That's why I added the cream cheese to the frosting recipe.

6) Fill cupcake liners  2/3 full and bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Be sure to rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes for even baking.


Maple Syrup Cream Cheese Frosting..

2 tablespoons of butter, room temp

2 tablespoons of cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 cup of powdered sugar

Combine the syrup, cream cheese, and butter until combined. Add the sugar, a bit at a time, and whip at high speeds until combined and fluffy. Pipe or spread onto cupcakes. Sprinkle with crumbled, cooked bacon.

Pork Tenderloin with Mango, Kebobs and more

When I saw this recipe in Every Day with Rachael Ray, Pork Tenderloin with Mango, I knew that we had to try it.  First of all we love pork tenderloin because it's relatively low in fat and sodium, which fits our cooking scheme perfectly. This recipe is fast cooking, and easy to prepare with only a few ingredients., pork tenderloin, mango, scalliions, and the marinade. Besides the mango,  the key to the recipe is the marinade, which is sweet and spicy with a little heat at the same time with cumin, jalapeno, chili powder, brown sugar , and pineapple juice.  We have since used the marinade  on bone in pork chops, which turned out wonderfully and I can't wait to try the marinade with grilled chicken.. 

The marinade is a  versatile recipe, because when we made it for the chops, we didn't have any pineapple juice, and used Trader Joe's  Orange, Peach, Mango juice.  We were also out of the Ancho chile powder, so we just put in a few red pepper flakes  and it was fine. Secondly, the recipe has has mango in it and I love mango in anything, drinks, appetizers, desserts, salads, main dishes, ice cream, or just plain with a squeeze of lime for breakfast. Yum!

Zucchini Bread

Are you ready for another zucchini bread recipe?  A friend of mine gave me a huge zucchini from her yard . We can't have a garden where we live because of so many trees and shade.  Trees can be good thing, and they can be hindrance to having a garden.  We have many black walnut trees which drop the nuts. For those of you who have never seen black walnuts in the fall here they are.

The top pic is the way the black walnuts look when they fall off the tree in late August or early September with a heavy green casing.  The bottom picture is the way they look when  the green casing comes off to reveal the black walnut shell..  As you can see on the bottom picture, there is a sticky black substance covering the inner nut shell, which were stain your hands with a dark brown color., and is very difficult to remove!  The black walnut shell is very difficult to remove.  You need a bench vise to open them, and it's a very messy proposition.   Two years ago, there was such a bountiful crop of black walnuts, we were picking up a garbage can full of nuts a day from our yard.  What a mess.  If any of you are interested in the black walnuts, send me a message.  Now back to the Zucchini Bread...

 I told her that I'd make zucchini bread for her.  She works full time and has 2 year old twins, so she certainly doesn't have time  to bake!. I made one loaf for her and one loaf for her mother-in law, who watches the twins while my friend works.  Ever since I started blogging, we have had so many baked treats around the house, I was glad to bake something and give all of it away. I modified The Mom Chef's recipe for Zucchini Bread.  I didn't add the walnuts, pecans, or raisins, because the twins aren't eating nuts or raisins, in case they had a piece. This recipe yields a very moist, yummy bread. Thanks, Christiane for the recipe.

Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

Finally, the weather is cooling off and I'll post more cooking recipes.After, all, the title of the blog is Baking and Cooking.  It has been a very, hot, summer in the Chicago area.  When it's so hot I only want cold foods, salads, lots of fruit and veggies, ice cream, yogurt .My husband on the other hand wants pasta, chili, and  Coq Au Vin, all heavy meals.We had to comprise. Now, I can post one of favorite meals, which is versatile and easy, besides being very flavorful and delicious.!

I got this recipe from my dear friend, Pam, who passed away from a brain tumor in 2003. She had two girls, who are married and have families of their own, and I stay in touch with them.  Every time I make this recipe I say "Thank You, Pam". I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

Ingredients  You can vary this recipe, depending on how much pork tenderloin you use, and adjust accordingly.

1.1-lb. pork tenderloin
2.1 lb. of mushrooms, any type-we used Baby Bella
3. 2 medium yellow onions, sliced
4. 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
5. 1-2 c. red wine, any kind, we used a Chianti
6. 1-2 tsp Herbs De Provence- This wasn't in the original recipe-we added it.
7. Flour for dredging


Directions
1. Slice pork in 1/2" medallions. Dredge in flour seasoned with pepper and a pinch of salt, more if you like it.
2. Brown medallions in olive oil, until lightly browned.  Remove from pan and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. Saute sliced onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are soft.
4. Add sliced mushrooms to onions and cook, until mushrooms are browned.
5.Return the medallions to onions and mushrooms in the pan.  Stir in the Herbs De Provence and red wine, cover until the medallions are cooked through, and the sauce is thickened.
 6.   Serve over noodles, pasta or rice.  Smell, Taste, and Enjoy the flavors of this dish!

ironcupcake-Chicago-September Challenge

Here is the September Challenge for all of you Chicago area bakers and tasters. Hope to see you there  What could be better than eating cupcakes, having a drink, and socializing, all at the same time? 

 

 

(Picture from reynoldskitchens.com)

IronCupcake: Chicago Challenge: A is for Apple   Lets kick off back to school season Iron Cupcake style!For this challenge bakers will use apple as their main ingredient and will decorate their cupcakes inspired be all things back-to-school.   Date: Monday September 13, 2010 @ 6pm Location: Mrs. Murphy & Son's Irish Bistro 3905 North Lincoln Avenue Chicago, IL 60613-2417 (773) 248-3905 $5 cover charge Prizes Raffle To register or more information: ironcupcake-Chicago