Chicken Marsala

1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons dry thyme
1 pound chicken breast tenderloins
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
4 cups sliced mushrooms - I like to use cremini but use your favorite fresh mushroom
3 cloves of garlic - minced
3/4 cup Marsala wine
1 & 1/4 cup chicken stock
Salt and fresh ground black pepper - to adjust seasoning at the end
4 tablespoons fresh chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

*Mix together the flour, salt, cayenne, paprika and thyme in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook the chicken breasts until browned on both sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are brown around the edges. Add the Marsala wine and bring to a low boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Lower the heat to medium and return the chicken breasts to the pan and continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Serves 4-5

Vegetarian Chili

I need to take a photography class...Anyhoo, this tastes great even if the picture is bad.

2 Tbsp canola oil
1 large onion - diced
1 bell pepper - seeded and diced
2 jalapeno peppers - seeded and diced
5 cloves of garlic - minced
2 cans 14.5 oz fire roasted tomatoes
1 can 12 oz tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1 can 15 oz black beans
1 can 15 oz pinto beans
1 can 15 oz kidney beans
1 can 15 oz corn
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
salt and black pepper to taste 

*Heat canola oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add onion and peppers. Saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes more. Add all other ingredients to the pot. Stir to combine and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour.

~Serves 6 to 8. Goes great with the jalapeno beer bread below.

Jalapeno Beer Bread

I'm no baker. Not that I can't bake, I just don't like all of the reading and measuring and paying attention. That's why this bread recipe is right up my alley.

3 cups of self rising flour (SELF RISING very important)
3 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp of dried oregano
Non stick cooking spray
1 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese
1 cup pickled jalapeno rings whole or minced - use less if you don't like much heat - or just leave them out and make cheese beer bread.
1-12 oz can of beer - I like to use a pale ale but a PBR works fine in a pinch.
Melted butter for brushing

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients, cheese and jalapenos; mix until blended with a wooden spoon. Then, pour the entire beer in and keep mixing until flour mixture is completely combined with the beer. Scrape the sticky dough onto the baking sheet to form a rustic mound no more that 3 inches thick. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until toasty brown. Try to cook it 40-45 minutes if it's not getting too brown. I've thought it looked pretty done at 35 minutes and had it be a little doughy in the middle. Brush the top with a little melted butter before the last 10 minutes of baking.

Slice 1 inch thick or just break off in chunks.

Goes great with chili.
Serves 6-8