Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta

One of SP's favorite dishes is Chicken Marsala. You all know how much he loves mushrooms. I saw this recipe for Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta over on my friend Katie's blog and figured it would be a big hit. Plus it's practically a one-pot meal save for boiling the pasta.


This was really good but I've always found myself disappointed with chunks of chicken in pasta dishes. I usually end up eating around them or giving them to SP. I much prefer a piece of chicken I can cut up, especially because white meat can get dry and tough quickly. I feel I can control the doneness of the chicken better when it's in a big piece.

I've modified the directions below to make the pasta and sauce together and then the chicken on top. I also took some of the ingredients from my favorite version of Chicken Marsala and combined it with this recipe to create a whole new recipe, which I can't wait to try.

Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta
Inspired by So Tasty, So Yummy

1 pound penne pasta, cooked according to package directions
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
1 cup flour
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoon oil
4 slices) bacon, diced
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
3/4 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
4 tablespoons butter, divided
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Pat the chicken breasts dry. Place flour in a shallow baking dish or pie plate. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Coat both side of each piece of chicken with flour. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place the floured chicken in a single layer in the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate and return the skillet to low heat and add the bacon. Saute, stirring occasionally and scraping the pan bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits, until the bacon is browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.

Add the mushrooms and onions to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Saute, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom, until the mushrooms and onions begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, and cooked bacon and cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste begins to brown. Off the heat, add the Marsala and chicken broth.

Return the pan to high heat and simmer vigorously, scraping browned bits from the pan bottom, until the sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, add the heavy cream. Whisk in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the Parmesan cheese and cook until the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce, about 1 minute. Add the chicken back to the pan and coat with the sauce.

To serve, add pasta to a bowl and top with sauce and chicken. Sprinkle more parsley over the top.

Potato Rosemary Soup

I've never been a fan of soup, or any hot liquids, but that recently changed. I've had some delicious soups over the past few months and now I'm always on the lookout for new ones to make. This Potato Rosemary Soup caught my eye when Kelsey posted it on our cooking board. My rosemary plant has a few sprigs left since it's been a mild winter so far, so onto the menu it went.


We both felt like something was missing. It was a decent soup, but not something I'll make again without some modifications. I just haven't figured out what those modifications might be. I suggested bacon, but SP said no. He suggested mushrooms, specifically shitake, so I might give that a whirl. I think the fact that the feta we had was relatively flavorless might have contributed to the problem. I need to remember to buy a brick of feta and not the crumbles, which seem to have less flavor. I ended up using the entire 8-ounces and it still added nothing in the flavor department.

I think this soup has potential or else I wouldn't be blogging about it. A good, sharp feta will definitely add the complexity and salty bite this soup needs, but I think a nice, earthy mushroom would also do wonders.

Adding a wrinkle to the mix is that I ate leftovers for lunch the following day and the flavors had really come together. The feta was still absent, but if that is changed simply by buying a better feta then I have to revise my original statement and say this soup is pretty good. Not my favorite but better than the first night. If you have time to make it and then eat it at least a day later it may work well for this particular recipe.


My favorite part of the meal was the sandwich I served alongside. I made a lemon, garlic and rosemary mayo that I slathered on a toasted mini ciabatta loaf and then layered with deli ham and cheese.

Potato Rosemary Soup
Apple a Day

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, washed and cubed (peeled or not)
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 cup good-quality feta cheese, in a brick
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil and saute onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add potatoes, broth, and water to the pot. Bring to boil and reduce to medium heat. Let potatoes cook until tender, about 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove 2 cups potatoes. Set aside. Puree the remaining potatoes with an immersion blender or put potatoes in a blender or food processor.

When 5 minutes remain in cooking time for the potatoes, melt butter in a small saucepan. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in milk, bring to a boil, and simmer until thickened. Slowly stir mixture into large stock pot with the pureed potatoes. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low simmer. Stir the 2 cups of potatoes back into the soup.

Stir in salt, pepper, feta, and rosemary. If desired, puree further to make completely smooth. Check salt and pepper and adjust to taste. Cook an additional 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Recipe Swap - Potato Bundles

Want to see what other Potato recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Potato Recipe Swap Roundup

Did you know February is National Potato Month? I had no idea either. Since potatoes are a pretty standard yet versatile starch I thought they'd make the perfect theme for a recipe swap. Obviously my fellow swappers agreed because this was another incredibly popular theme. I can't wait to see all the other yummy recipes that are being made.

My recipe came from my friend Amy over at The Nifty Foodie. This is Amy's first time participating in the swap, mostly due to my arm-twisting abilities. She submitted one of her favorite side dishes, Potato Bundles. After reading through the recipe I was excited for two reasons - (1) the recipe sounded incredibly easy and (2) cream + butter + potatoes = my kind of recipe.


These bundles did not disappoint. Aside from peeling and chopping the potatoes and onion, this recipe requires practically no effort. My only word of warning is to double up on the tinfoil. I didn't initially and the cream started leaking out, which caused an unpleasant burning smell. After I fixed that we were golden. SP thought they were a little bland (I didn't agree), but that's easily remedied by switching up the ingredients in the bundles. I'm thinking a little garlic might work well, along with some other spices. Rosemary, thyme or sage would be great. I can't wait to experiment.

This recipe is also great for a crowd because you can double, triple or even quadruple the recipe with very little extra work.

Potato Bundles
Slightly Modified from The Nifty Foodie
Makes 4 bundles

1 lb russet or Yukon gold potatoes
1/2 onion, cut into large dice
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika to taste
2 tablespoons minced parsley

Required equipment:
8 squares of tinfoil
1 large baking sheet

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Either peel or scrub potatoes, then cut into bite-size pieces.

Lay out 4 double layers of tinfoil. Divide potatoes and onions across the 4 packets. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to each packet. Splash on some cream, then sprinkle with salt, paprika, and black pepper.

Wrap bundles tightly, place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until extremely tender.

Open each packet and sprinkle minced parsley over the top. Serve bundles right on the dinner plate or remove potatoes from each packet onto a plate. Be sure to stir the potatoes around to get all the sauce up from the bottom.

Mom's Helper

My friend Lishie recently posted this recipe for Mom's Helper, a homemade version of the infamous Hamburger Helper. I needed a quick and easy meal to make on Super Bowl Sunday afternoon that we could take for lunch on Monday. SP said you can't go wrong with beef, pasta and cheese sauce so I gave it a whirl.


After I put aside our lunches and some for Baby Girl's dinner there was still another serving in the pan, which was incredible since the recipe only calls for 1/2-lb of pasta. This meal really stretches a buck, that's for sure. SP snacked on it in the afternoon before we went to a Super Bowl party and deemed it delicious. I enjoyed it for lunch the next day.

I used nugget pasta (also called radiatore) and I upped the amount of Italian seasoning since 1 teaspoon didn't seem like enough. I added salt and pepper to the cheese sauce and the beef mixture since I always season with both. I also erred on the bigger side of the estimates Lishie gave in her original recipe.

Baby Girl gobbled this up, although she picked around most of the bigger chunks of meat. She used to love meatballs but lately she doesn't want anything to do with them. Weirdo! Thanks for a great recipe, Lishie!

Mom's Helper
Modified from DeLish

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1 lb. ground beef
Salt and pepper
8 oz. elbow macaroni (or other small pasta)
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large saute pan with deep sides, heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the onion until translucent, then add the garlic and dried herbs. Season with salt and pepper then stir to combine. Add the ground beef and cook through, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, boil the water for the macaroni. Cook the pasta al dente. Drain.
Drain the oil from the beef mixture (you can use a strainer or just put a lid on the pot and invert). Combine the beef mixture and the cooked pasta. Set aside.

Using a small sauce pan, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Slowly add the milk and allow to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and add the cheese. Whisk to melt the cheese.

Pour the cheese sauce over the hamburger/macaroni-mix and stir to combine.

Restaurant Knockoff: Texas Roadhouse Green Beans

I've been in a side dish rut lately. I asked the ladies on my cooking board what they usually make and now I have a ton of recipes to try. First on my list were these Texas Roadhouse Green Beans. We love Texas Roadhouse. Our first experience at the chain was with my grandmother during a visit to West Virginia almost 10 years ago. I'd been there at least once before for some relative's birthday, but this was the first meal I remember. In addition to the delicious steak, I fell in love with their green beans. These aren't your usual steamed green beans. These came in a delicious broth with onions and bacon. They were kicked up green beans and ever since, whenever we eat at a Texas Roadhouse I have to order them.


I was excited to see how these would compare to the ones in the restaurant. They were absolutely perfect, exactly the same as what I get at the restaurant, although they needed a little salt. I added it to the ingredient list below. I'm really excited to have an at-home version for the next time we grill up some steaks. Here they are simmering away on the stove.


I was able to simmer them for probably 30 minutes since I made them on a Sunday afternoon. The recipe indicated the longer they sit the better the flavor so feel free to let them cook as long as you'd like. Canned green beans are already pretty mushy so it's not like you're running the risk of compromising the texture.

Texas Roadhouse Green Beans
Slightly Modified from The Rookie Chef

2 (16 ounce) cans of green beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 strips of bacon, diced
1/2 a medium onion, diced

Drain green beans and set aside. Mix water, sugar, pepper and salt until well incorporated. Set aside.

Preheat a deep pan over medium high heat. Add the diced bacon. Cook until just starting to get crispy. Add the onions and cook until they are tender, then add the green beans and liquid mixture. Stir to incorporate. Bring mixture to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer. Simmer until ready to serve.

Roasted Garlic Macaroni and Cheese

It's no secret that I love macaroni and cheese. As SP once said, how can you go wrong with pasta and cheese. This recipe for Roasted Garlic Macaroni and Cheese is originally from Annie's blog, but I didn't know about it until I saw it on Cassie's meal plan one week. I was anxious to hear what she thought of it and when it came back with rave reviews I added it to my menu.


I didn't have penne so I subbed shells, which worked well. A word of warning - this is one rich mac and cheese. I had to sub in some American cheese because I didn't have a full 8-ounces of cheddar. I don't know if that made a difference but I was glad I had some simple steamed broccoli to cut the richness.


It was still a delicious dinner that even Baby Girl, who is quite the mac and cheese lover, enjoyed. I love that she eats things like roasted garlic. It makes me proud.

Roasted Garlic Macaroni and Cheese
Cassie Craves

1 head garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb penne rigate
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
8 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded
1 container (usually 5 to 6 ounces) Boursin (garlic and herb spreadable cheese)
Salt and pepper

To roast the garlic, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove most of the outer paper skins from the head of garlic, leaving it intact. Slice off the top portion of the head so that all of the cloves are exposed at the top, but the head is still intact. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the head of garlic on a piece of foil and loosely fold the foil up around the head of garlic to create a foil packet. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the cloves are easily squeezed from the skins. Squeeze all of the garlic out of the skins and smash with a fork to make a paste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Drain in a colander. Return the pasta to the pot and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and the roasted garlic paste and cook, stirring constantly, until light golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce comes to a low boil and thickens noticeably. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheddar and Boursin. Whisk until the cheese is completely melted.

Add cheese sauce to reserved pasta and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Weekly Menu - Week of February 5, 2012

And just like that, it's February. I can't believe we are already a month into 2012. Where does the time go?

I'm finally able to announce that I recently accepted a new job! This week is my last week at my current place and it's bittersweet. I'm going to miss a lot of things about my current job but my new one has quite a few perks I'm looking forward to, the main one being that I'll be working from home. Yup, you read that right. My new company will be setting me up with a home office and my commute will be a flight of stairs. Being able to cook my lunch instead of just heating up leftovers is very exciting. And dinner prep should be easier. I've already got a list of things I want to make, including things with artichokes that SP won't eat. Unfortunately the first week I'll be heading about an hour away for training each day so next week is going to be all about leftovers, takeout and cleaning out the freezer. I'll be back the week of February 20 with a new weekly menu.

Sunday - Super Bowl Party. I'm also making Mom's Helper and Texas Roadhouse Green Beans for lunch the next day.

Monday - Potato Rosemary Soup, Texas Roadhouse Salad: I had this soup on the menu a few weeks ago but didn't get a chance to make it. I'm really looking forward to it.

Tuesday - Hoagies

Wednesday - Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta, and sauteed spinach with garlic: SP loves chicken marsala so I'm excited to see what he thinks about this pasta.

Thursday - Out to eat after a late appointment

Friday - Homemade pizza