Cooking 101 #42/52 Chicken Marsala w/ rice and brocolli

Chicken Marsala with Rice and Brocolli

This was a birthday dinner for Michelle.  I gave her a few meals I was thinking of and let her pick, this was her choice.  We both love Chicken Marsala.  We've had it many times.  This was the first for this recipe and it was delicious.  The prosciutto adds a nice flavor to the meal.  Also, although not pictured, I also surprised Michelle with Gluten-free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Maple Frosting.  She enjoyed them, I wasn't quite so enthusiastic.  The gluten-free flour makes the drier and less flavorful than normal.

Cooking 101 #41/52 Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup

This is another favorite in our household.  A nice Mexican black bean soup from a special publication by Better Homes and Gardens with recipes by Rick Bayless.

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (seeded)
1 cup green sweet pepper
2 cups chopped onion
4 cloves garlic (minced)
4 15-ounce cans black beans, drained
28 ounces beef broth
1 15-ounce can petite diced tomato
4 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1 teaspoon dried oregano

This recipe is for a double batch, fills a normal crock pot to the top.  You may want to cut it in half until you are sure you like it as much as we do.

Ideally you will saute the green pepper, onion and garlic for a few minutes until they start to soften. Then just add all ingredients to the crock pot and cook on high for AT LEAST 5 hours.

This is a very earth, nicely spicy meal.  You could easily add some chicken if you want to have some meat and it should still be fine.  I like it as is.  Perfect cool weather meal.  Also nicely repackages to be taken to work for a lunch.

Cooking 101 #40/52 Caramel Apple Pie

Caramel Apple Pie

I saw a show on the Food Network where they were talking about a caramel apple pie and it put me in the mood.  I immediately went out looking for a recipe and found this one.  Let me tell you, there is no need to look further.  This was THE FIRST pie I ever baked and it is absolutely delicious.  It didn't even last a week.  I am sorely tempted to make another.

One thing to note.  The recipe tells you to refrigerate all ingredients for the crust.  Michelle told me she never did this and never has a problem so I skipped the step.  Don't.  My crust came out so soft it would have been impossible to roll so we simply pressed it into place in the pie dish.  It still came out great, flaky, tender, buttery, but if I do make this again I will make sure I follow that recommended step.

This entire pie was incredible,  The crust was flaky, tender, buttery, as I said above.  The filling had just the right combination of spices and formed a great caramel to coat and mix with the apples.  the streusel  was delicious.  I used plain toffee bits and it added another interesting flavor to the mix that blended perfectly with the rest of the pie.

Seriously.  Just make this.  Make two and send me one as thanks for the recommendation, ok?

Cooking 101 #39/52 Baked French Toast Casserole

Baked French Toast Casserole

Every once in a while I like to switch things up a bit and bake something or make something other than a dinner.  This time I decided to try something new for breakfast.  I actually stumbled across this recipe completely by accident while looking for an apple pie recipe, but it looked so good itself i decided to go for it.

Word of warning, it's a Paula Deen recipe.  For those of you unfamiliar with her, that means it has so much fat in it, it's likely to take months of of your life just thinking about eating it.  But the more fat there is the better it must taste, right?  Well, it was very delicious, but I'm not sure I'm all that wild about the consistency.  It is a VERY MOIST french toast.  As Michelle said it is more along the lines of a bread pudding.  But the taste is great, especially with the topping, absolutely do not skip that.

Another warning, I cut this in half and Michelle, Shannon, and I still only managed to eat about a third of it.  Portion control a must on this one.

Cooking 101 #38/52 Sweet, Sticky, and Spicy Chicken

Sweet, Sticky, and Spicy Chicken

This is a meal that Michelle has made many times and is simply one of our favorites.  We know it simply as sticky chicken and it is one of our go to meals.  Michelle has modified the original recipe a bit to tame it slightly.  She cuts back the soy sauce to two tablespoons, the ginger to one teaspoon, and the garlic to one teaspoon.

Paired with rice which we also add a bit of the sauce to and some broccoli this makes a great meal that can be tossed together quickly, even by someone with little cooking experience.  So long as you like spicy food, this should be right at the top of your list.

Cooking 101 #37/52 Peach Chardonnay Steak Salad

Peach Chardonnay Steak Salad

This was just something I tossed together.  Some strip steak marinated in a Peach Chardonnay Zest with just a dash of chipotle pepper tossed in to spice it up.  Tossed that on the grill on high heat just long enough to reach about medium doneness.  Meanwhile I had boiled some cobs of corn and then removed all the kernels, tossing them in a skillet with some oil and onions that I had carmelized.  Allowed the corn to just start to brown to add some crispness.  Slice the steak and added all of this to a mixed green salad along with some chick peas.  Added a few splashes of the same zest I had marinated the steak in for a dressing.  Michelle was doubting the flavor of the Peach Chardonnay Zest with Steak, she thought it would have paired better with chicken, but honestly it was excellent.  I think the chili powder is what really made it work.  That definitely fit with the steak and the sweetness of the zest was a great compliment.

Served with a glass of Bosc Pear Wine from Sunnybrook Farms Estate Winery of Niagara on the Lake, Canada.  If you are a fan of fruit wines, I highly recommend this winery if you are ever in the area.  Their fruit wines are much drier than those we generally see here in eastern PA, but they are still excellent wines.  The drier flavor was a perfect companion with the sweet/spicy salad.

Cooking 101 #36/52 Beef Meat Pie Pockets

Beef Meat Pie Pockets

I decided to try and create a homemade version of a hot pocket and had been planning on eventually making a beef pot pie, so decided to have that be the filling.  I found this recipe for the filling and used Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts to make the pocket.  The filling had great flavor and it went well with the crusts.  No complaints from Michelle or Shannon on this one, it was a hot all around the table.  Took some time to get it all together, but I think it was definitely worth it.