I may have pushed my luck...

My husband is forever teasing me about how I put mushrooms in everything and the frequency in which I make asparagus.  As I was deciding what I was going to make for dinner tonight I realized we haven't had mushrooms in quite a while (a little over a week).  So I decided that tonight's menu would not only include mushrooms but I would also throw in the leftover broccoli as a side. As you recall from last night's meal we are just introducing broccoli to my husband again since he has disliked it for so long. When he walked into the kitchen and saw me plating the dish he said "Broccoli again, really?"



Menu
Chicken Marsala
Broccoli
Arugula and Red Leaf Lettuce Salad

I used Tyler Florence's Chicken Marsala Recipe which can be found on foodnetwork.com. Since I was just cooking for two I basically reduced the ingredients by half with the exception of the mushrooms.  My favorite part of chicken marsala is the mushrooms so I used 10 oz of sliced cremini mushrooms in my dish tonight.  I also used dry marsala wine versus the sweet Marsala wine he recommends.  This recipe is really easy to follow and its delicious. 

I served the chicken marsala with a mixed green salad and the dreaded side of broccoli.  As far as the salad goes I used a little arugula and some red leaf lettuce.  I added sliced radishes, cucumbers, grape tomatoes,  some pitted kalamata olives and a few crumbles of goat cheese.   I used Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette , which I highly recommend.   It's also delicious with just romaine lettuce or fresh greens accompanied by some sliced strawberries and red onion.

This meal also pairs well with the same wine from last night, Wente 2008 Riva Ranch Chardonnay.
After it is all said and done I think my husband may have a new appreciation for both mushrooms and broccoli because he really enjoyed dinner tonight.  Either that or he was just really hungry!

This meal was rated 4 asparagus spears

Success!!

Tonight was a success on so many levels.  It started off with our electricity coming back on (just as I was packing up the last of our freezer items) after being off for the prior 22 hours.  I was so happy we didn't have to relocate for the evening. Later as I was blanching the broccoli for tonight's meal I was thinking how much food we were going to be wasting since my husband despises broccoli.  But to my surprise (and even more to his surprise) he REALLY liked tonight's dish which featured broccoli as the main ingredient.  I was floored when he said how much he liked it.

Menu
Lemon Pepper Pappardelle Pasta with Shrimp and Broccoli
Arugula Salad with Scallions and Radishes

The goal of tonight was to make a quick meal and it was a success.  Here is a quick rundown of how to make tonight's meal. First I cut the broccoli into florets and then blanched them.  We had to go buy a bag of ice for the ice bath since all of our ice melted when the electricity went out. The ice bath is key to keeping the broccoli the nice bright green color.

In a saute pan I heated approximately a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter then added about 4 large cloves of garlic, minced.  Add the broccoli to the pan (I used about 2.5 cups) and stir regularly to make sure the garlic doesn't burn.  I used the pre-cooked frozen shrimp with tails on.  So I thawed the shrimp and removed the tails. Then added them to the pan (I added approximately a dozen shrimp I probably could have added some more). Meanwhile I cooked the pasta according to the package. I used the Trader Joes Lemon Pepper Pappardelle Pasta.  I remove it when it's al dente since  I add the noodles to the pan with the other ingredients and it cooks a little more at that point.  Once the pasta is ready, drain and add about 3/4 of the noodles to the mixture.  Stir regularly.  Add about another 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and butter. Season with salt and pepper.  Right before serving add a small amount of shredded Parmesan cheese.

As far as the salad goes I was trying to use as many of the fresh vegetables that I have on hand.  To the arugula I added some thinly sliced radishes, scallions, halved grape tomatoes and sliced cucumber. I used Brianna's Real French Vinaigrette Dressing on the salad.

I would highly recommend pairing this meal with Wente 2008 Riva Ranch Chardonnay. My husband on the other hand paired it with a Miller High Life. 

My food critic and foodographer rated the meal 4 asparagus spears and that's coming from the guy who hates broccoli.

On another note, I gave S some of the lemon pepper pasta noodles that I didn't add to the dish.  She LOVED them! Yet another success for the evening.