Sunday is Father’s Day. Why night surprise dad with this yummy Banana Foster Dutch Baby?
You can serve it for breakfast or brunch or even as dessert after lunch or dinnerr. It’s absolutely wonderful. It’s creamy and rich caramel sauce, homemade of course, goes lovely with fresh bananas sliced over a yummy dutch baby pancake.
But first you might ask what exactly is a Dutch Baby. Well it’s basically a German Pancake; it’s a cross between a crepe and a popover. Traditionally German Pancakes are small round flat cakes but the American version somehow ended up being a large round pouffy cake best made in a cast iron skillet.
While you’re making the Dutch Babies in the oven you can make my simple homemade caramel sauce, or you can make the sauce earlier. I always keep a jar in the fridge because the sauce is yummy on just about everything including ice cream, cakes, and fruit. It’s great for dipping too!
Anyway once your Dutch Babies are done top it with sliced bananas drizzled with caramel sauce, then top it all off with whipped cream! You can’t possible go wrong!
Banana Foster Dutch Baby
Ingredients:
Dutch Baby or Mini Dutch Babies – Click here for the basic recipe
2 – 3 Bananas, sliced
Caramel Sauce – scroll down for the recipe
Whipped cream
Directions:
Make one large or 2 mini Dutch Babies according to the recipe
I have been in search of the perfect Chicken Marsala for years. I think one of the best ones I’ve had was at the Trevi Italian Restaurant in the Forum Shops in Las Vegas. I’ve yet to find something similar and believe me I’ve tried it at many different restaurants.
Since I can’t exactly fly off to Vegas every time I’ve a yen for Chicken Marsala I did the next best thing. I wend in search of the best Chicken Marsala recipe I could find. I’ve actually found several that were pretty good, but with a bit of tweaking here and there I was able to come up with this delicious recipe which everyone in my family loves. In fact it’s good enough to serve company which is what I did when my daughter’s in-laws came to visit. They loved it too!
First of all a little background on Chicken Marsala. I know it’s a classic Italian dish offered at many chain Italian restaurants like Magiano’s, Carabba’s, and Olive Garden. Like I said everyone seems to have their own version of this dish! But if you go to a local restaurant in Italy and asked for Chicken Marsala I’m pretty sure they won’t know what that is. I can’t recall seeing this dish at any of the restaurants in Italy, sort of like asking for Fettucine Alfedo, they don’t have that there!
Chicken Marsala is actually an Italian-American dish that is more than likely a variation of the traditional Italian Scaloppina dishes of which there are many versions in Italy. Chicken Marsala dates back from the 19th. Century and originated with English families who lived in Italy where Marsala wine is produced.
The dish is composed of thin slices of chicken breasts that are lightly floured and sauteed in a pan. It is then covered with a sauce made from a Marsala wine reduction. Some recipes call for the addition of mushrooms, herbs, and tomatoes. Really the variations are many, but I prefer the simplest variation with just mushrooms so that I can savor the lovely Marsala sauce.
When I make it at home I prefer to serve it with a simple garlic mashed potato side dish, but you can also serve it with a side of Poor Man’s pasta; a simple yet tasty pasta dish.
Combine Flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a shallow dish.
Melt 2 tbs. butter in the olive oil in a frying pan.
Pat chicken dry with paper towel and dredge thru flour mixture
Fry chicken breasts in oil butter mixture until both sides start to turn brown.
Remove from pan and place in a covered dish or pan.
Add 2 tbs. butter to the remaining oil and saute mushrooms until juices come out and mushrooms are cooked.
Add wine, chicken stock, and garlic to the mushrooms and simmer about 10 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half
Add heavy whipping cream and cornstarch mixture to the pan - it should slightly thicken. If it's too thick add up to 1/2 cup of wine to thin to desired consistency.
Return cooked chicken to pan and spoon sauce over it.
I’m not even going to try to lie about how this dish came to be! I made this Cheesy Mexican Chicken Casserole because a while back during a Costco shopping trip I sample a dip that was made with Lawry’s Carne Asada Seasoning. Of course I had to buy the large industrial sized bottle of this seasoning! I seemed like a good idea at the time!
Then the bottle of seasoning sat in my kitchen cabinet along with a shelf full of other spices for months. It seemed to taunt me every time I opened the cupboard to grab a bottle of spice. It said “use me I dare you!” So I just had to find a way, other than the dip, to use this tasty seasoning. That’s how I came up with this Cheesy Mexican Chicken Casserole! (Well having my fridge go on the blink with a big bag of Costco chicken thighs and shredded cheddar made me super creative!)
But seriously I whipped up a tray of this Chicken Casserole and my family absolutely loved it! There was barely any left overs. In fact they were practically fighting over the 2 left over pieces the next day!
And best of all it’s super easy to make! It literally is dumped into a baking dish and baked for about an hour and it’s done! I served it with some Mexican rice, trust me it really was a big hit! They can’t wait til I make it again! At this rate I’m going to have to go back to Costco for another bottle of that seasoning.
So here it is, my awesome Cheesy Mexican Chicken Casserole!
Chicken Marsala is one of my favorite dishes; my family loves it too!
Chicken Marsala is actually an Italian-American dish. It’s a variation of Italian scaloppina dishes which has many variations. Chicken Marsala is a savory dish made with chicken breasts, mushrooms, and sweet Marsala wine; some recipes call for cream to produce a creamy sauce for the chicken. Still others require the chicken breasts lightly battered and fried and requires a bit more time to prepare.
I love all versions of Chicken Marsala, but sometimes time doesn’t permit me to cook the battered version. Those days I turn to this Easy Chicken Marsala recipe that takes less than a half hour to make. It’s easy and delicious. Served over pasta or with mashed potatoes it makes an easy meal. I like to serve it with a tossed salad to complete the meal.
Here’s my Easy Chicken Marsala recipe! It easily feeds 6!
Ingredients:
5 Boneless Skinless chicken breast cut in half horizontally
1 Basket mushrooms washed and quartered
1 Tbs. Chopped Garlic
2 Tbs. Butter
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Cup Marsala Wine
1 Cup Chicken Broth
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 Tbs. Chopped Parsley
Directions:
Using the flat part of a kitchen mallet pound chicken slices into 1/4″ thin pieces
In a large skillet heat oil and melt 1 Tbs. Butter in the oil
Add chicken to skillet
Cook each side about 4 minutes or until chicken is cooked thru
Remove chicken from skillet and set aside
Add remaining butter to skillet and melt
Sauté garlic in skillet until it turns slightly brown
Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are tender
Add Marsala wine and chicken broth
Cook about 3 minutes
Stir in heavy whipping cream and simmer over medium low heat about 2 minutes
Thinking about your next holiday party? Not sure what to serve? Here’s a new twist on a favorite comfort food your family and friends will love, Mac N’ Cheese Bites.
I make these for my twin grandbabies, they love Mac N’ Cheese and these are perfectly portioned for their small appetites!
They look great on a tasting or buffet table. Make them ahead of time and keep some in your freezer for unexpected get togethers this holiday season, I do!
Makes 24 bites
Ingredients:
2 cups elbow macaroni (cooked, strained, and cooled)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 stick melted butter
Cooking spray
Directions:
Spray mini-muffin tin with cooking spray.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl except breadcrumbs and mix well.
Drop into muffin tin, fill each cup to the top.
Sprinkle tops with breadcrumbs.
Bake in oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges start to turn brown.
Mac N' Cheese Bites
Print Recipe
Great party appetizer! A new twist on everyone's favorite comfort food, Macaroni and Cheese. These cheesy, creamy, and yummy bites will be the hit of the party. They make great snacks too!
Great party appetizer! A new twist on everyone's favorite comfort food, Macaroni and Cheese. These cheesy, creamy, and yummy bites will be the hit of the party. They make great snacks too!
Sunday is Father’s Day. Why night surprise dad with this yummy Banana Foster Dutch Baby?
I’m not even going to try to lie about how this dish came to be! I made this Cheesy Mexican Chicken Casserole because a while back during a Costco shopping trip I sample a dip that was made with 
And best of all it’s super easy to make! It literally is dumped into a baking dish and baked for about an hour and it’s done! I served it with some Mexican rice, trust me it really was a big hit! They can’t wait til I make it again! At this rate I’m going to have to go back to Costco for another bottle of that seasoning.
Chicken Marsala is one of my favorite dishes; my family loves it too!
Thinking about your next holiday party? Not sure what to serve? Here’s a new twist on a favorite comfort food your family and friends will love, Mac N’ Cheese Bites.
