Saturday, I spent a good deal of the morning and afternoon working outside. I cut the lawn like I usually do on the weekend, and then I went to Lowes for timber oil. I came home, set the ladders up, climbed atop the hot tub gazebo and began oiling the cedar roof. And then I ran out of oil, so back to Lowes I went, grabbed another can of timber oil, and came back home to finish the job. Earlier, I gave Sandy a list of what I needed from the grocery store since she was making the weekly run to Wegman’s.
Come hell or high water, regardless of whether I had energy or not, I was making Chicken Marsala for our late lunch…..and that I did. I served it with mashed potatoes, steamed carrots and a small, round, crunchy crusted Tuscan bread. This recipe is very easy and straightforward with amazing results, and if you’d like the sauce creamy, just add about 1/2 cup of heavy cream to the sauce at the very end. (for the sake of a good photograph I limited the amount of sauce on the dish, but after the photo, I added more sauce.)
We finished our (alfresco on the front porch) lunch off with fresh cherries and chocolate truffles from our favorite, local chocolatier, Raymer’s.
Enjoy!

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Tsp. salt
1/4 Tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 Tsp. dried oregano
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/4 inch thick
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 – 3/4 cup sweet Marsala wine (I suggest the Italian wine, not the California)
1/4 cup sherry

1. In a shallow dish, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat both sides of the chicken pieces in the flour mixture.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter in oil over medium heat. Place chicken in the pan, and lightly brown. Turn chicken over and add mushrooms and shallots. Pour in wine and sherry. Cover skillet, simmering chicken for 10 minutes, turning once until no longer pink.

Wine served: Zenato, Valpolicella Superiore 2010

We had so much fun at the home of our friends and neighbors, Trish and Sally, on Saturday. They invited all of us neighbors and friends to some great outdoor fun. Here in our beautiful little Borough of Doylestown, large side yards aren’t the norm. But they have one and we made good use of it yesterday. We played a round of croquet and quite a few games of bean bag toss. We got out the baseball mitts and played catch and the kids got us older folks to play tag.
All of this good fun and laughter was accompanied by delicious and healthy food. Now, I have to admit that Sandy and I bought the olive tapenade (regular and spicy) because we just didn’t have time to make it and the only thing I did to contribute to this dish was roast the peppers on the grill. Sandy skinned the peppers and cut them into bite size slabs, layered them with garlic and oil and then arranged this colorful dish. She paired this beauty with a basket of sliced baguette rounds and crackers.
As for the wines served? ….. too many to list!
What a great day!

Mix up a tossed salad to have with this combination and you have a perfect summer weekend meal!
The pork chop recipe comes from The Barbecue Bible by Steven Raichlen and the potato salad recipe comes from 500 Potato Recipes by Elizabeth Woodland. Enjoy!

Sweet & Garlicky Pork Chops
Advance preparation for pork chops: 1 to 2 hours for marinating the meat.

4 thick (1 inch) or 8 thin (1/2 inch) pork chops (about 2 pounds in all)
1 head garlic, broken into cloves and peeled
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/3 cup Asian fish sauce or soy sauce
3 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. rice wine (I used rice wine vinegar)
2 Tbsp. Asian (dark) sesame oil
1 Tbsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
2 Tsp. salt
1 Tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1. Make 1 or 2 cuts in the fat side of each pork chop to keep it from curling during grilling. Arrange the chops in a baking dish and set aside.
2. Combine the garlic and sugar in a mini-chopper or food processor and process to a paste or pound to a paste in a mortar using a pestle. Work in the fish sauce (or soy sauce), honey, rice wine, sesame oil, ginger, salt and pepper. Using a rubber spatula, spread the mixture over both sides of the chops. Let marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 1 to 2 hours.
3. Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high.
4. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Arrange the chops on the hot grate and grill until nicely browned on both sides and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side for thick chops, 2 to 4 minutes per side for thin chops. Transfer the chops to a platter and serve at once.

Tangy Potato Salad (serves 8)

3 Lb. small new or salad potatoes
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
6 Tbsp. chopped red onion
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon or 1 1/2 Tsp. dried tarragon
1 celery stick, thinly sliced
salt and ground black pepper
celery leaves and tarragon leaves to garnish

1. Cook the potatoes in their skins in boiling water for about 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain well.
2. Mix together the vinegar and Dijon mustard, then slowly whisk in the oil
3. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into even slices and place them into a large bowl. Add the onion to the potatoes, then pour the dressing over them. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then toss gently to combine. Leave to stand for at least 30 minutes.
4. Mix together the mayonnaise and tarragon. Gently stir into the potatoes, together with the celery. Serve garnished with celery leaves and tarragon.

Beer served: Stella Artois

An afternoon of tending to the vegetable garden inspired this lunch. Quick, tasty and healthy. Enjoy!

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Lb. snap peas, cut ends off with kitchen shears
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
2 carrots, sliced into thin pieces
1 small jar artichoke hearts, oil drained
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fusilli (long)
1 Tsp. finely grated lemon zest (do not leave this out!)
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup evaporated milk

Warm oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Cook garlic for 30 seconds then add peas, peppers, carrots and artichoke hearts. Season lightly with salt and pepper. (you’ll season again later) Cook until vegetables are just tender.
Meanwhile, cook fusilli in a large pot of salted, boiling water. When pasta is nearly done, set aside 2 cups of pasta water, then drain pasta. Toss pasta with vegetables in skillet. With heat on medium low, add 1 cup of pasta water, lemon zest, mustard, Parmesan cheese and evaporated milk. Cook gently until mixture is combined and creamy. Add more pasta water as needed. (you will need at least another 1/2 cup) Taste and season with more salt and pepper.

Wine served: Louis Jadot, Pouilly-Fuisse

It’s Sunday and we spent a good part of the day planting our vegetable/herb gardens. Sandy said she had an idea of what she could make for lunch from what was in the house and so this is what she came up with. She served this dish with a side of ruby red grapefruit sections. Outstanding!
We sat on the front porch with our meal, greeting neighbors and strangers as they walked by. We were all collectively make good use of this warm and color filled spring day.

1 lb. cavatappi
4 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. fresh ricotta (ours came from DiPalo’s in NYC)
1/8 cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil pasta until al dente. Drain and add the butter and toss until it has coated all the pasta. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss.
Garnish with remainder of chopped parsley.

Wine served: Trousse-Chemise, Willamette Valley, Pinot Noir

Well ..lunch was wonderful. I made this old standard (for the first time!) and served it with a Brolio Chianti Classico. The recipe comes from Everyday Italian by Giada de Laurentiis.
I’m full, but not full enough not to have my cherry pie and ice cream. I am, however, too full and relaxed to write in the recipe so, you can find it with a little google!
Enjoy!