Chicken Marsala

I had some mushrooms and cream that I needed to use up and so I went hunting online for something with those ingredients and came across a few pasta/chicken recipes that I thought sounded yummy. So I threw this together and it ended up being a hit. Let's just say that if my husband liked it, it's definitely worth posting.

Ingredients:

1 pound Linguine
6 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Flour
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
4 Tbsp Butter
1 package mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Chicken Broth
1/2 cup Heavy Cream (or Half-and-Half)
Chopped Fresh Parsley
Parmesan Cheese (for topping)

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package instructions.

Flatten chicken breasts and salt and pepper both sides. Dredge in flour. Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry chicken breasts until golden brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add mushrooms to the pan and stir. Immediately pour in chicken broth and deglase the pan by stirring. Cook viorously for 1 minute until sauce reduces.

Pour in cream and stir. Turn off heat and add salt and pepper to taste.

Make a bed of pasta on a plate and top with a piece of chicken and plenty of sauce. Sprinkle with lots of parmesan and garnish with more parsley.

Spinach Lasagne Roll-Ups

Has anyone else fallen in love with the power of Pinterest in organizing ideas? This is one of the first recipes I pinned and I love that I can find things online, pin them, and know exactly where to come back for them when I'm ready to cook or make my grocery list. My girls loved this recipe so this will likely be one we'll do again soon and I'll probably try to add a variety of veggies - perhaps mushrooms, peppers, asparagus . . . The original recipe that I followed was found at The Girl Who Ate Everything.



Ingredients:
9 lasagna noodles, cooked
10 ounces fresh spinach, (I heated it slightly in a skillet so that it would mix easily with the cheese mixture)
1 (15 ounce) container fat free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings
salt and pepper
32 oz spaghetti sauce
9 Tablespoons mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°. Make sure you drain the spinach well. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, Italian seasonings, chicken, and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter (or use a cutting board) and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry by patting them with a paper towel. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over a noodle.
Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 Tablespoon of mozzarella cheese.

Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.

Serve and enjoy.

Ensalada Rusa (Russian Potato Salad)

I tried my first ensalada rusa at a cute little diner on the ruta 6ta in Capitan Miranda, Paraguay. Often served with carne asada or any grilled meat, this potato salad is the perfect side dish to a summer party and puts a little twist on a typical potato salad. Every time I taste this yummy rendition, it takes me back to my days in Paraguay.

Ingredients:
3 ½ lbs russet potatoes (about 4 large potatoes), peeled, boiled and diced
1 lb carrots (about 6-7 medium size carrots), peeled, boiled and diced
8 oz fresh peas (about 1 cup), boiled for less than 3 minutes
Lime juice from 1-2 limes
1 cup homemade mayonnaise (storebought will work too)
Salt to taste

Preparation:
Mix all of the ingredients together, chill until ready to serve.