August Beginnings.........

I know I've been gone for a week; I feel kind of like this person, buried under paper and "to do" lists, and my own stuff.

I've not felt like cooking, or eating, or even writing....but I'm coming back, all it took was for me to get the contents of the Specialty Produce Farmer's Market Bag on Tuesday for our class on Friday to get me back into the swing of things.
So what have I been cooking this week?  Well, there was the on-going search for the best Roman Pizza crust recipe

this one was from an award winning bread baker, and it was awful.....I'm sorry, but I tried it twice, neither time did we have a good crust.   I'm not publishing the recipes till I get the right one!

I did make some awesome fried chicken (we do this about once a year) last week, and served it with corn on the cob and a salad.  See that awesome Scanpan skillet---Scanpan is the BEST!

As the week has gone on, I'm realizing that cooking is really therapy for me, and since getting back into the kitchen, and getting away from the paperwork barrage, I'm feeling more like myself again. I'll be back again and I'll have new recipes, and great tips for cooking great meals for your family, until then, buona notte  from San Diego.

Take 5

 

 
I went a bit crazy at Specialty Produce this week and bought a ton of cremini mushrooms; they were so perfect, and I love mushrooms, so rather than letting my good judgment get in the way, I overbought--let me rephrase that-I bought a little over a pound, but since it's only Dr. C. and myself, that's way more than I should have bought! Cremini are the brown mushrooms, shaped like button (white) mushrooms but with a meatier flavor---when they get big they are portobellos--just think of the portobello as a cremini on steroids.  I also bought gorgeous eggplants, broccoli rabe, and tiny yellow potatoes.  So today, I'm making a delicious Take 5 Chicken with Sherry Mushroom Cream Sauce; it's a great weeknight dinner, but you can also expand it for company and dress it up, too.

Chicken with Sherry Mushroom Cream Sauce
Serves 2
Remember, you can multiply this up to 4 times for company.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 organic chicken breast halves, skin and bones removed
salt and pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion or shallot
1/2 pound sliced cremini or white mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped 
1/4 cup cream sherry (or you can sub. brandy, Marsala or Madeira)
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley

In a medium skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium high heat.  
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, and saute the chicken until it is white on all sides, and begins to turn golden.

  
At this point, the chicken will not be cooked through. 
Remove the chicken from the pan to a plate and set aside.

  
Add the onion or shallot to the pan, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onion is softened.  

Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook until the liquid in the pan has evaporated.  

Add the sherry,bring to a boil, and cook 2 minutes.  Add the cream, and bring to a boil. 

Add the Chicken back to the skillet, simmering the chicken until it is cooked through, about 5 minutes. 

 
Taste the sauce for salt and pepper, and adjust.  Sprinkle the parsley into the sauce, and serve the chicken over mashed potatoes, rice, orzo or mashed butternut squash.
 
To dress up the chicken, transfer the chicken to a baking dish that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray. 
Sprinkle the chicken and sauce with 1/2 cup finely shredded Gruyere, or other imported Swiss cheese.  Bake the chicken for 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is golden brown.      


If you are interested in learning more about Specialty Produce, join me at Great News monthly when I take apart that week's  Farmer's Market Bag and prepare dishes using the fresh produce.  The best news: it's a fun morning to learn about what's fresh, and how to prepare it, and you get to take home a Farmer's Market Bag!  We also raffle off a beautiful Scanpan saute pan!  The next class is December 17th @ 10:30 a.m.