Since none of us can quite manage a birthday breakfast, lunch, and dinner all in the same day, we spread them out over the week. Today was a birthday lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Coyotes. The best steak fajitas I’ve ever had!

Years ago, a restaurant at Main Street Station here in Las Vegas served a chicken marsala that I had every time I was there. The restaurant has been gone for a decade or two and I have been looking for a chicken marsala dish that would match it ever since to no avail.

A friend sent me a recipe for it the other day from “The Kitchn”, thinking that I might like to try making it myself. The comments in the recipe mentioned that marsala comes in both a “sweet” and “dry” variety. Some people say the two are interchangeable but I’m here to tell you they are not!

Using a good dry marsala allowed me to achieve a wonderful-tasting dish that did not have those notes of sweetness that I found so off-putting in all the dishes I have tried over the years. It’s a pretty simple recipe as well. Give it a try if you enjoy chicken.

Actually, you might want to give it a try even if you don’t do chicken: just use a lot more mushrooms; they’re delicious.

Chicken Marsala

https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-classic-chicken-marsala-the-easiest-method-241844

For the chicken:
1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Marsala sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, as needed
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup dry Marsala wine
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream

Serving options:
Cooked pasta, such as angel hair
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
Lemon wedges

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 200°F. Mix the flour and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Working with 1 chicken breast at a time, place inside a gallon zip-top bag and pound with the flat side of a meat mallet or rolling pin to an even 1/4-inch thickness. Set the flattened chicken breast aside and repeat with the remaining breasts.

Return the flattened breasts to the bag and add the flour mixture. Seal the bag and shake to coat.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the butter, followed by 2 of the chicken breasts. Fry until golden-brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the browned chicken to a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 2 chicken breasts.

Cover the chicken with aluminum foil and place in the oven to keep warm.

Keep the heat on medium-high. If there isn’t grease left from frying the chicken, add up to 2 tablespoons more butter to the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until their juices start to release, about 3 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the Marsala and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any browned pieces. Add the broth and simmer until reduced by half and starting to thicken, about 15 minutes.

Add the cream and return the chicken to the sauce. Cook until the sauce thickens and the chicken is well-coated, 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve the chicken and Marsala sauce over cooked angel hair pasta if desired. Garnish with chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

I’m not sure where this recipe came from, but these are the easiest and best tasting oatmeal cookies I’ve ever made. I’ve now made 3 or 4 batches and they have turned out wonderfully delicious every time.

The recipe as given calls for a food processor. Apparently, it’s for a much bigger one then I have, as there is no way all those ingredients would fit in mine. I used a mixer to cream the butter and sugars and then added the rest of the ingredients.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars

2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2-1/2 cups rolled oats
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups raisins
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides; coat the foil with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Pulse 2 sticks softened butter with 3/4 cup each granulated sugar and brown sugar in a food processor until combined. Add 2 1/2 cups rolled oats, 1 1/2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon each baking powder and salt; pulse to combine. Add 2 cups raisins, 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla; pulse until large clumps form.

Spread in the prepared pan or press in using damp or oiled fingers.

Bake until the edges are set but the center is soft, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely in the pan.