Recipe Swap for the Masses

Most of you who know me well know I love to cook. I haven't figured out yet if its a gift or a curse. I would say most my friends think its a gift, but that sounds some what egotistical. But ask them, they'll tell you? I'm a damn good cook. (And if they don't tell you that tell me who it was and I'll "cook" something special for them.)

For about 2 years now I've picked a new recipe out of this enormous recipe Brandy sniffer I have to make each week. I'm not 100% with trying the new recipe each week since things always happen and you get out of a routine...anyhow. I do love to try new recipes.

Enter Ken. Ken, I've never met. I've only known him through blog land and that he's fortunate enough to be married to one of my good friends, Vicky. Ken is a cooker too. I can't say that means he's "hot" because I've never met him. I'll let Vicky chime in on that one.

Knowing that I have 1000+ recipes in the bowl, you would think I have enough to go on for a long, long LONG time. But instead, I suggested to Ken that we do are recipe swap. And so we are.

This week we'll be sending our recipes off to the other to try. Then next week we try them and send feedback/comments. It should be an absolute gas. I can't wait.

Now the real "fun" part comes in that we'll be posting our recipes that we send to our blogs. Feel free to try them yourselves and tell us what you think. You won't hurt my feelings...unless of course you eat the one I cook and say it tastes like crap. Then we'll have to talk. And don't worry about difficulty. 99% of my recipes are of the 30 minute meal type. Rachel Ray is my hero and so I generally cook a lot of her stuff. And, I am not patient when it comes to cooking, so anything that takes an extraordinarily large amount of effort or time, may not ever grace my table.

Check out Ken's Recipe - He'll be posting it later today.

Here's what I sent to Ken. I used it this weekend to feed Shannon and Gary dinner. Both seemed to be overly stuffed when they left, so that's a good sign.

Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces (I just cut the chicken into cubes usually)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons butter, divided - See my note at the bottom about this
3/4 cup chopped onion ( I use a whole small onion)
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced (I generally quarter them instead of slice them, they hold up better when cooking)
2 tablespoons minced garlic - Yah right, just 2 T...I don't think so. I use 3 med cloves minced
1 cup dry Marsala wine (if you can't find Marsala wine, use a dry white. If you don't cook with wine, use chicken broth or stock)
1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
12 ounces dried fettuccine

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly.

While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes.
Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes.
Stir in the mascarpone and mustard.
Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices.
Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet.
Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 3 tablespoons of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

So I never toss the fettuccine with the butter. I generally toss it with the entire chicken, mushroom sauce thing, and put it all in one bowl.

Happy Cooking! Oh and I'd cut it in half if its just for you or two other people I made this whole recipe this weekend without cutting it in half, and even with Shannon and Gary and I making good work at this meal, I still have enough for 3 meals as left overs.

Funny blogger spell checker suggestion: For fettuccine blogger spell checker recommended beautician. I, personally, wouldn't recommend cooking up beauticians, but whatever.