This dish is adapted from Gourmet Magazine (1995). It’s easy to make and a great meal to make for your family or guests. The buttery, marsala-ed mushrooms are mind-bogglingly delicious. You won’t believe the flavor they can extract from so few ingredients, and in such a reasonable amount of time.

3 whole boneless chicken breasts with skin (about 2 1/2 pounds), halved and pounded thin
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, sliced thin
3/4 pound mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 cup Marsala
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
salt and pepper, to taste

Special Equipment: Cast-Iron Skillet

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large heavy skillet heat oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown chicken in 2 batches, transferring with tongs to a large plate as browned.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and sauté onion and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add Marsala and cook mixture, stirring, until Marsala is almost evaporated. Add broth and chicken with any juices that have accumulated on plate and simmer, turning chicken once, until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken with tongs to a platter.

Simmer mushroom sauce until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Remove skillet from heat and stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter and salt and pepper to taste, stirring until butter is just incorporated. Spoon mushroom sauce around chicken and sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 4

These are so good and easy and will become a family favorite. Classic fajita ingredients with a fresh take. Use a rotisserie chicken for tenderness and the fresh lime and cilantro kicks it up a notch.

2 cups rotisserie chicken, chopped
olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
1 large onion, halved and sliced thin
2 jalapenos, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
salt and pepper, to taste
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Shredded Cheese
Tortillas
Sour Cream
Guacamole (optional)

Special Equipment: Cast-Iron Skillet

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add peppers, jalapenos and onion, season with salt and pepper. Let cook without stirring for 3 minutes, stir occasionally after that until veggies are softened and caramelized 8 minutes longer. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder stirring to combine and add chicken. Remove from heat and toss with lime juice and cilantro. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, in separate skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium heat and fry tortillas one at a time until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. To serve place tostada shell on plate, sprinkle cheese on shell and top with a generous serving of fajita mix. Top with sour cream, shredded cheese, and guacamole.

Serves 2

The trick to perfect guacamole is using good, ripe avocados. Check for ripeness by gently pressing the outside of the avocado. If there is no give, the avocado is not ripe yet and will not taste good. If there is a little give, the avocado is ripe. If there is a lot of give, the avocado may be past ripe and not good. In this case, taste test first before using.





4 ripe avocados
1/2 red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
1 tablespoon salsa

Special Equipment: Molcajete

Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avacado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl. Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime, salt and mash some more. Just before serving, add the chopped tomato and salsa to the guacamole and mix. Add more salt, if desired, and serve!

Serves 4

These eggs are hearty, savory and delicious. They come out best when the eggs are cooked at a low heat and scrambled while cooking. Add the cheese while the eggs are cooking slowly and cook as well done as you like them. They are delicious and easy!







4 ounces Mexican chorizo, removed from casing and chopped
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup gouda cheese, grated
1 cup mushrooms, sliced thin
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
Sour Cream and salsa, for garnish

Heat a medium nonstick pan over medium heat and add chorizo, onion and mushroom in oil. Cook, using the back of a spoon to break it up, until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Lower heat to low setting, add eggs and cook on low heat stirring consistantly, about 3-4 minutes, until desired. Add cheese, salt and pepper while stirring. Serve garnished with salsa and sour cream.

Serves 3-4

High-quality Italian prosciutto, found at supermarkets or Italian specialty stores, has an incomparable melt-in-your-mouth texture. The saltiness of the prosciutto works extremely well with the sweet scallops.







12 large dry sea scallops
4 ounces very thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 12 long strips
3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Bamboo skewers
Pineapple cubes (optional)

Preheat grill. Pat scallops dry and sprinkle both sides with lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Wrap 1 piece of prosciutto around each scallop. Thread 3 scallops crosswise onto each skewer (securing the prosciutto to the scallop), with pineapple in between, if desired. Grill until just cooked through, about 5-6 minutes (2-3 minutes per side).

Serves 3-4

This dish is really heaven on a plate. It’s great for a special occasion dinner, dinner party, or romantic meal. It will surely “wow” your guests and it will be the highlight of the meal.






Beef Tenderloin
1 whole (4 To 5 Lbs.) Beef Tenderloin (butt)
4 Tablespoons Salted Butter, or more to taste
⅓ cups Whole Peppercorns (More Or Less, To Taste)
Lawry’s Seasoned Salt (Or Your Favorite Salt Blend)
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Olive Oil

Marinade
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tbsp thyme
4 tbsp rosemary
Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Rinse meat well. Trim away some of the fat off the top of the meat. (You can also ask the butcher to do this trimming for you if the process seems intimidating.)

If you have time, marinate the tenderloin in the marinade ingredients as long as possible (4 hrs to overnight).

Take the meat out and  sprinkle meat generously with Seasoned Salt (Lawry’s brand is good). You can much more liberally season a tenderloin, because you’re having to pack more of a punch in order for the seasoning to make an impact. Then sprinkle both sides generously with lemon & pepper seasoning. (There are no measurements because it depends on your taste, but be sure to season liberally.)

Place the peppercorns in a Ziploc bag, and with a mallet or a hammer or a large, heavy can, begin smashing the peppercorns to break them up a bit. Set aside.

Heat some olive oil in a heavy skillet. When the oil is to the smoking point, place the tenderloin in the very hot pan to sear it. Throw a couple of tablespoons of butter into the skillet before putting it in the oven. A minute or two later, when one side is starting to turn nice and brown, flip and repeat.

Place the tenderloin on an oven pan with a rack. Sprinkle the pummeled peppercorns all over the meat. Press the pepper onto the surface of the meat. Put several tablespoons of butter all over the meat. Stick the long needle of the thermometer lengthwise into the meat. Place it in a 475-degree oven until the temperature reaches just under 140 degrees, about fifteen to twenty minutes. Stay near the oven and keep checking the meat thermometer to make sure it doesn’t overcook.

Let meat stand ten minutes or so before slicing, so the meat will have a chance to relax a bit.

To serve, you can spoon the olive oil/butter juices from the skillet onto the top of the meat for a little extra flavor.

Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Serves 6-8

Chicken cacciatore is an Italian dish of chicken braised in a tomato-based sauce. My grandma makes this recipe, and the slow roasting makes the chicken really tender and it falls right off  the bone.

For this recipe, you could easily add mushrooms and vegetables such as zucchini or bell peppers. It is even better, refrigerated overnight and served the next day!



8 pieces Chicken Legs, Thighs, or Breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper
Salt And Pepper, to taste
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 can (28 Ounce) Diced Tomatoes
1 can (14 Ounces) Whole Tomatoes
2 Tablespoons (Heaping) Tomato Paste
1/2 cup Fresh Herbs: Basil, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary
8 cloves Garlic, sliced thin
1 cup thinly sliced onions
16 ounces, Pasta Noodles (I Used Cavitappi)
Grated Parmesan Cheese, For Serving
½ cup White Wine (or Red Wine)

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) degrees. Salt and pepper chicken legs.

Heat ovenproof skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil, onions, and garlic. When onions are translucent, add butter and chicken to the pan. Using tongs, brown on all sides, about 2 minutes. Remove chicken from pan.

Pour in wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any bits. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Pour in tomatoes with their juice and add tomato paste. Add salt and pepper to taste, stirring to combine. Bring sauce to a boil, then turn off heat. Add plenty of fresh herbs, and add back the chicken legs. Put lid on pot, put in the oven, and cook in the oven for 1 hour.

Remove pot from oven and allow it to sit on the counter with the lid on while you boil the pasta.

Cook the pasta to al dente, Drain and add to a large serving bowl.

Remove lid and check sauce. If it’s overly thin, remove the chicken from the pot and boil the sauce on the stovetop for 5 to 10 minutes. Check seasonings and adjust as needed.

To serve, pour sauce over cooked pasta, then arrange chicken pieces over the top. Sprinkle generously with fresh Parmesan and serve with crusty French bread.

Yum!

Note: If serving the next day, let the chicken cool at room temp after cooking and refrigerate it overnight. The next day take off the fat, that has collected on the top and discard. Heat the chicken caccitatore on the stovetop at medium temp, until hot (about 20-30 minutes).

Serves 4

Deviled eggs are great as an appetizer at Easter Dinner or a summer potlucks. I have been known to devour a dozen of these in one sitting. These were quick and easy. If you want them to be a little prettier, put the egg filling into a freezer bag, make a cut off of one corner of the bag, and pipe them into the egg white halves.

This is a delicious twist on the traditional deviled egg!

12 large eggs
4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp & chopped finely
½ cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. grated red onion
1 tsp. granulated sugar
½ tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp. celery salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
a few sprigs of Italian flat-leaf parsley
paprika (optional)

Place eggs in a large pot in a single layer. Fill the pot with water to cover the eggs by about an inch. Cover and bring water to a boil (about 11 minutes). Turn off heat and let eggs sit (covered) in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain. Cool the eggs under cool running water in the sink.

Peel the eggs and halve lengthwise. Place the cooked yolk in a medium bowl and place the white halves on a serving platter (cut-side up).

Mash yolks with a fork. Add bacon, mayonnaise, onion, sugar, vinegar, celery salt and pepper. Stir until thoroughly combined; taste and adjust/add seasonings, as needed.

Spoon the mixture into the egg white halves or use a piping bag (or plastic bag) with a large opening tip. If desired, sprinkle with paprika. Garnish with parsley. Refrigerate, lightly covered, until ready to serve.

Serves 8

I saw a similar recipe on The Food Network and couldn’t wait to make my own version. I adapted the recipe a bit to work with the ingredients I had on hand. This tenderloin came our so delish that I can’t wait to make this dish again!!

Marinading the meat overnight is optional, but I think marinating roasts makes them really tender. If you have time, I suggest doing it!

1 (2.5 pound) pork tenderloin, silverskin removed

Marinade
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/3 cup of olive oil
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Vinegrette
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
2 heads of roasted garlic
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp Dijon mustard

For the Pork:

Cover the tenderloin with oil, garlic, 1/4 cup honey, salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp parsley. If you have time, marinate it overnight

Preheat the oven to 400 F (205 C) degrees. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in large oven proof skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the pork tenderloin and cook until brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 5-6 minutes. Place a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the tenderloin then place the skillet into the oven, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 145 F (70 C) degrees (medium) or desired degree of doneness. Remove the roasting pan from the oven, tent the pork loin with foil, and let rest for 15 minutes.

For the vinaigrette:

Remove the roasted garlic from the foil. Remove the cloves by squeezing the base of the garlic. Place the ingredients in a blender. Pulse the machine until well blended.

Drizzle the roasted garlic vinaigrette on top of the sliced pork and serve. Enjoy.

Serves 4-6

Roasted garlic is really tasty! I like serving this with steak or italian dinners. Use roasted garlic as a side dish with warm bread or toast, or mix it in with mashed potatoes. It is really really delish!

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

3 heads garlic
2 cups olive oil
3 sprigs thyme
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

Cut the tops off of the heads of garlic.

Place the garlic in a baking pan with the cut side down.

Add the thyme and pepper.

Pour the oil over the garlic, thyme and pepper.

Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 300F oven until the garlic is golden brown and soft, about an hour.

Drain the garlic oil and set aside to cool.

Reserve all of the remaining roasted garlic for other uses.

Eat this as a spread, over warm crusty bread, or use for cooking.