"People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day." ~ A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
NOTE: I spend my Wednesdays Unplugged from appointments. It's my day to stay home, enjoy cooking and welcome our kids and grandkids for dinner in the evening. We end our meal with quotes from the Norwegian 'Quote Cup' passed on to me from my grandmother. I share a quote and a recipe here each week, and sometimes some photos of family fun. I love trying new recipes…and love getting recipes you would like to share!
Big news this week was our daughter-in-law's trip to Boston for her final committee meeting to select the winner of the 2016 Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children last year. She said she was proud… both of the selection and her committee. The winning book was about the real life bear that inspired Milne's classic 'Winnie-the-Pooh'. And what I found amazing is that it was the same illustrator who illustrated the book about 'Blackberry Fool', the dessert she requested for her birthday last year… so of course we had to have it for dinner this week as well as part of the celebration! Our quote cup was also filled with Winnie-the-Pooh quotes this week… there are so many good ones it was hard to choose just one for this post. The one I chose made me smile… and reminded me how all the seemingly little things we do each day can add up to doing the impossible.
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
This week's recipe has absolutely nothing to do with the Caldecott, I was just hungry for this chicken tetrazzini based on a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis. I posted it once before but since that was 6 six years ago, I figured it was ok to post it again… especially since I encountered a client at the grocery store and she asked me what was for Wednesday night dinner… when I told her, she asked if I was posting the recipe… here it is, Jane. It fills a lasagna pan to the brim so it makes a ton of servings… and also makes amazing leftovers.
AWESOME CHICKEN TETRAZZINI
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 3/4 teaspoons pepper
- 1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 1/4 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup flour
- 4 cups whole milk, room temperature
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cup chicken broth
- Heaping 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 16 ounces linguine
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup crushed seasoned breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat large flat baking dish (deep lasagna pan size) with butter. Blend Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Add 4 tablespoons melted butter, mix and set aside.
Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons each of butter and olive oil in a large, deep wokstyle nonstick frypan. Sprinkle the chicken with 3/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add chicken and cook until just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to cool slightly, then coarsely shred with two forks and set aside in a large bowl.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (Dutch oven size).
Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan in which you cooked the chicken. Add the mushrooms and saute until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and they become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add the onion, garlic and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.
Melt 4 more tablespoons butter in the same pan. Add flour and whisk for 2 minutes, then add milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, 2 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered and whisking often, until sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.
While sauce thickens, cook the linguine al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain, put back in the pot and add chicken mixture, peas, parsley and sauce. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.
Transfer the pasta to the prepared baking dish. Top with reserved breadcrumb mixture.
Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.
Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results - Email - Minneapolis Realtor Who Cooks
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