Pinterest, it seems, is every blogger's new favorite social network. According to Mashable, it was the number 3 social media network last year, behind internet giants Facebook and Twitter. Not wanting to be left out, I joined and have been pinning pictures to my heart's content.
One of my most useful boards is "Looks Tasty," aptly named for the collage of recipes I'd like to try. Having been snowed in this weekend with my boyfriend, I took this opportunity to put Pinterest to good use and cook up some new treats.
After an eerie trip to a nearly deserted Big Y grocery store in the midst of Winter Storm Nemo cleanup, I came home with the ingredients for this Stuffed Chicken Marsala recipe and a dreamy after-dinner Nutella Mudslide.
I propped up my tablet as a makeshift (read: awesome) recipe card and went to work. Here are the quick tips I can offer on some tried-and-true pins.
Stuffed Chicken Marsala (Original: Cookbook-Recipes.org)
Ingredients:
Cheese Stuffing
1/2 cup smoked shredded cheese (provolone or gouda)
8 oz package mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
I used 12 oz. from a pre-mixed Italian blend of mozzarella, parmesan, romano, and provolone.
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
I wish I had used more breadcrumbs for an added crunch. I found it odd that there is no substantial breading on the chicken breasts, so this could have made up for it.
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed
2 Tbsp sun-dried tomato flakes (drain first if in oil)
I did not use this ingredient- not a fan of sun-dried tomatoes overally, but it would have added some nice color and perhaps a more dynamic flavor in the stuffing.
1/3 cup green onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup sour cream (6 oz)
1/2 tsp salt
I used this recommended amount and in hindsight wish I hadn't. There is plenty of salt in the cheese mixture.
1/2 tsp black pepper
Sauce
1 small onion, cut in half and thinly sliced lengthwise
My boyfriend doesn't like onions so I omitted. In any other scenario, I would love to add them!
24 fl oz Marsala wine
This is an insane amount of Marsala for this recipe- 2 bottles! I used about 18 ounces and still made way too much sauce, even though I let it reduce.
8 fl oz heavy cream
2 small containers button mushrooms, thinly sliced (6 cups)
Substituted Baby Bella and had no issues. Basically the same right?
Salt and pepper to taste
2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 fl oz olive oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
This is too much flour. As far as I can tell, it's just for the breading on the chicken, to which I added salt, pepper, oregano, and basil.
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
Combine all cheese stuffing ingredients in a mixing bowl. I ended up mixing it with my hand, as it makes a pretty solid mixture.
Butterfly thickest section of chicken breasts to create 2 lobes. Pound each breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap until ¼” – ½” thick.
Place flattened chicken breasts on a plate and place desired amount of stuffing on one lobe of each chicken breast. Gently press stuffing down so it resembles a hockey puck. Fold over other lobe of chicken breast; does not have to seal.
Heat large sauté pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat until shimmering.
Place flour (and herbs) in a shallow pan and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Dredge stuffed chicken breasts in flour, shaking off excess. Careful with the shaking!
Saute chicken breasts in preheated oil, cooking until each side is golden brown. Remove chicken from pan and place in a baking dish.
Bake for 10-20 minutes, or until juices run clean and center of chicken reaches 165°F. This was about 15 minutes for me. The cheese stuffing began to bubble out the sides but it was easy enough to contain.
Add onions to sauté pan, and stir to loosen chicken drippings. After 2 minutes, add mushrooms and sauté until onions are translucent.
Deglaze pan with Marsala wine – make sure to incorporate drippings from bottom of pan. As noted above, don't use as much Marsala as it calls for, unless you want soup with your meal!
Heat wine to a simmer and add heavy cream. Simmer on low heat until reduced by half.
Place cooked chicken breasts on a plate and top each with onions, mushrooms and sauce.
I served it with steamed asparagus spears with sea salt. Mashed potatoes or any other green veggie would lend itself though. It was totally delicious! Definitely a keeper. Once I've tried some more recipes, I'll be making a "Was Tasty" board to go with "Looks Tasty."
Nutella Mudslide (Original: KitchenTreaty.com)
The recipe below was really more inspiration for me than an actual instruction. Basically, I substituted French Vanilla ice cream for the ice and half-and-half.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon Nutella
2 ounces half-and-half
2 ounces Frangelico liqueur
2 ounces Baileys Irish cream (I used Baileys Caramel)
Ice
Instructions
Fill a glass with ice cubes. I used ice cream and mixed it to melt it. Made it more of a milkshake than a mudslide.
Stir together the Nutella and half-and-half for about a minute or until the Nutella is dissolved. If the Nutella isn’t dissolving, microwave the Nutella and half-and-half for 10-20 seconds then stir again; that should do the trick.
Add Nutella/half-and-half mixture to an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Pour in the Frangelico and Baileys. Shake for about 10 seconds and pour into the glass with ice cubes and serve with a straw.
Linking up: Create With Joy - Lipgloss and Crayons - Sumo's Sweet Stuff - This Gal Cooks