Chicken Francoise

by Mrs Marvel

Chicken Francoise Chicken Francoise Back

This recipe is probably misspelled and is really for a dish called Chicken Francaise – which is a battered chicken breast served with a lemon sauce. It is thought to originate in New York City or possibly Rochester. Francaise style is to dredge the item through flour and egg wash before sautéing it. Although no one really knows where the dish originated, some suggest it was an Italian veal dish brought with Italian immigrants to New York, but they substituted chicken as it was less expensive than veal. Others suggest that the veal boycotts of the 1970s encouraged chefs to use chicken in its place. Regardless, it sounds lovely. Continue reading →

Zucchini Pizza

by Mrs Marvel

Zucchini Pizza 2 Zucchini Pizza

Two recipes for zucchini pizza with only one variation – the addition of garlic in one of them. This seems like a side dish, maybe in place of a bread or as the veggie to a meal. Have you made something like this? Tell us, please! Continue reading →

Quick Lasagne

by Mrs Marvel

Quick LasagnaQuick Lasagna Back

Ah, lasagna, that layered pasta and meat casserole made of comfort and calories! This recipe is called Quick Lasagna, but I can’t see how it would be much quicker than “slow” lasagna, except maybe that the sauce is not simmered all day. These days, we open a jar of sauce and just use that. Prego! Not the brand, but the word that means “quick!” :-) Continue reading →

Stuffed Manicotti

by Mrs Marvel

Stuffed ManicottiStuffed Manicotti Back

These manicotti are a cheese & veggie version, where I have made them with ground beef and/or Italian sausage in the past. They are going to be flavorful and delicious. Note that similar to Sicilian meatballs, the recipe calls for ground nutmeg. I always have to be really careful when cooking the manicotti shells. You don’t want to boil them to full softness as they can tear as you are removing from water and/or stuffing them. Al dente or even a little less is good, then you can use two forks, a butter knife or even chopsticks to remove them from the water. They will absorb additional liquid from the sauce poured over them while they are baking.

P.S. Today in America it is Mother’s Day, so HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to my readers (and especially my Mom!).

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Bouquet Garnie – Lamb or Pork

by Mrs Marvel

Bouquet Garni

When you want to season your dish but don’t want to have bits of herb remaining, a bouquet garni might be the way to go. Literally translated from the French as ‘garnished bouquet’ this little bundle of herbs is typically used in soups and sauces. Traditionally, the bouquet was bound with leek leaves, but the more modern method is to tie a bundle of herbs with kitchen string or butcher’s twine. You could also tie it in a teabag or coffee filter depending on what you are putting into it. In the two examples above, we have one bundle that could be tied and another that would need to be bound into something. Continue reading →