The Elusive Chicken Tuscany

9 December 2010 by

When D and I were dating, we used to love to go to a restaurant in Jackson, Mississippi called Amerigo. It’s still one of our favorite places to eat when we go see friends in that neck of the woods, and we’ve also been to the Amerigo in Nashville a time or two. They serve food that I would classify as rustic Italian, only I’ve never been to Italy and I don’t have any idea if my assessment is accurate or not. Mainly it’s just that I can hear Giada deLaurentiis saying “rustic Italian” in my head, so I’m going with it.

Our favorite thing to order at Amerigo (besides the cheese fritters – OH MY WORD THE CHEESE FRITTERS) is a dish called Chicken Tuscany. I’ve always wanted to learn how to make the brown wine sauce that’s a critical part of the dish, but it’s almost become a joke with us because, well, I don’t really know how to make sauces. I can follow recipes, mind you, and if I’m feeling adventurous in the kitchen I’ll improvise, but I’ve never felt brave enough to take a stab at the brown wine sauce. It’s legendary, after all.

Well. On Thanksgiving I made a stuffed pork loin for dinner, and after I took the meat out of the roasting pan I decided to make some gravy. I used beef stock (I normally just use water when I’m making gravy for something like country fried steak), and the color was so pretty and the flavor was so delicious that it made me wonder if I couldn’t tackle the brown wine sauce after all.

IT FELT SORT OF LIKE I SET A GOAL, Y’ALL.

The weather here turned really cold Sunday, and I decided that Chicken Tuscany sounded absolutely delicious. The only problem? I didn’t have a recipe. And, um, I haven’t eaten Chicken Tuscany in about three years. But other than that I was totally prepared to add it to my suppertime repertoire.

As it turns out, the Internet can be very handy. After a quick Google search and a few clicks, I found the Amerigo recipe online. The person who posted the recipe made a point to say that he/she got it from someone who used to work at Amerigo, so clearly there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that the recipe was the real deal. After all, the everything on the Internet is true.

I decided to take a chance and try the recipe, so earlier this week I bought the ingredients. I had most of the seasonings on hand, and even though the recipe looked a little complicated, the ingredients were simple – which always makes me feel better for some reason. If I’m going to be following 18 steps, I’d prefer that those 18 steps involve chicken and not some rare form of elk meat. I’d rather not get in a culinary wrestling match with sea urchin, you know?

Tuesday night I made the marinade for my chicken, and last night I actually made the Chicken Tuscany. I have to tell you in all humility that IT. WAS. AWESOME. And the awesomeness was no thanks to me, by the way – it’s just a great recipe with fresh ingredients, and oh sweet mercy I will be making it again. I may even make it for Christmas dinner – because the colors are beautiful and festive and it’s a great change of pace from our normal pork tenderloin.

(Pretend there’s a picture of the finished dish here.)

(I sort of forgot to do that part.)

(But imagine a nest of angel hair pasta with a browned and crisp chicken breast on top, all topped with a divine brown sauce that has flecks of red and green in it.)

(Now sigh contentedly.)

So given all of that, here’s the recipe. If you like to cook, you’ll have a blast with it.

And just in case you try it, a few suggestions:

1. Chop everything that needs to be chopped ahead of time. Pretend you’re on a cooking show and need for all your ingredients to be in sassy little ramekins. I didn’t think through all the steps before I started, and I ended up stopping and starting a lot. Get all your ingredients measured and set aside and ready to go.

2. You need 2 skillets, 1 medium saucepan and a Dutch oven for this recipe. Or maybe you don’t need a Dutch oven. But that’s what I use to cook noodles. So maybe you just need a big pot. Regardless, you need a saucepan for the first stage of the wine sauce, a skillet for sauteeing all your vegetables and finishing the sauce, a bigger skillet for cooking your chicken – and the aforementioned pasta pot. You’re welcome.

3. I didn’t use Chianti, mainly because my only experience with Chianti has been when I saw Hannibal Lecter talk about it in “Silence of the Lambs.” I just bought a regular red table wine – a brand that I used some last year when I made stew. It worked fine. And here’s a fun fact: I don’t like red wine. At least not to drink it. Apparently my palate is not refined enough to appreciate the taste. And also: who wants a room temperature beverage? NOT I.

Maybe I’d like red wine more if I could drink it over crushed ice like my beloved Diet Coke.

But I digress.

4. I wish I’d used chicken cutlets instead of big ole chicken breasts. I couldn’t get the chicken breasts pounded as thin as I would’ve liked – so next time I think I’ll make a point to buy much thinner cut of meat.

5. Make sure you have big ole loaf of good bread handy. I had a loaf of Tuscan bread from Fresh Market, and it was perfection. D said that he could make a meal out of nothing but the bread and the brown wine sauce. If I’d had time and planned ahead, though, I would’ve served this homemade bread because it’s so easy and unbelievably tasty.

All righty. There you have it. The story of how I finally made Chicken Tuscany. I feel like such a grown-up now.

Have y’all conquered any exciting new culinary territory lately? Run across a great recipe that you’d like to share with the class? Can’t wait to hear. Or read. Or whathaveyou.

Filed Under: Cooking

But Wait! Excuses!

8 December 2010 by

I’m still working on a post about this past weekend. So far it’s over 1600 words.

This seems a bit excessive. At least to me. But apparently I walked away from Deeper Still with a spirit of wordiness.

And then yesterday afternoon I had the distinct privilege of helping my child with a visual book report that involved drawing symbols from a book and then using those symbols to decorate a Christmas tree made from construction paper. We both cried, and I basically set a new bar for some staggeringly sub-par parenting skills. I have no idea why the recurring theme for the month of December seems to be “spiritual refining through crafts,” but it’s where we are. I ended up having to apologize to that sweet boy about four different times. Bless that tender, forgiving heart of his. He is better than I deserve.

All that to say: it’s shaping up to be a cuckoo week. Lots of real-life stuff that needs my real-time attention. So bear with me, y’all.

And by all means have a lovely Wednesday.

p.s. There’s a new $150 Visa card giveaway for The Laughing Cow that I posted this morning.

p.p.s. Last night I wrote a recap of Kay Arthur’s message at Deeper Still. You can find it over at AllAccess.

p.p.p.s. I believe that’s all.

Filed Under: Rambling

The Laughing Cow – Post 6

8 December 2010 by

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and The Laughing Cow.

The thing about the holidays is that they seem to arrive on the scene in the form of a big ole party buffet.

And a party buffet – oh, it can be tempting. The temptation probably has something to do with all the dip and the bread (THE BREAD!) and the sweets and the nuts that have been roasted in three or fourteen sticks of butter.

Those nuts are DELICIOUS, by the way.

But here’s the thing that I’ve learned as I’ve gotten a little older: it really isn’t fun to be indulgent all the time. There’s a price to pay for loading up a plate with a whole bunch of not-very-healthy foods. Because while yes, it might all be very tasty and wonderful in the short-term, in the long term it’s not so great. Besides the fact that I rarely sleep well when I’ve eaten a whole bunch of super-rich food, there’s also the consequence of feeling bloated the next morning.

And believe you me: I have enough issues with morning as it is. I don’t need to add ill-fitting clothes to the equation.

The good news is that there are several things that we can do to avoid a chronic bout with holiday-related bloat. Even better? These tips are SUPER simple. Seriously.

Ready?

1. Water. We need to be drinking lots of it. In fact, I’ve realized over the last few years that when I feel like I’ve had enough water, I need to drink even more. It fills us up, keeps us hydrated, and it never, ever causes a hangover. I’m convinced that it’s a huge part of conquering the tendency to put on five or ten pounds from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. Water is our friend – our holiday BFF, if you will.

2. Vegetables. Vegetable platters are a feature at almost every holiday get-together. And I happen to think that it’s way better to fill up on vegetables dipped in a little bit of your favorite salad dressing than it is to avoid the food table altogether. Not eating anything at all will only make you drink more, and if you’re drinking alcohol, “more” isn’t a very good idea at all. A hearty snack of raw vegetables will temper any tendency you have to fill up on drinks – and it might even keep you from making a post-party run through a nearby drive-thru. Because let’s face it: trying to be the “strong one” who doesn’t eat a single bite at a party is probably going to lead to some super-sized French fries at the end of the night.

Not that I’ve ever done such a thing, of course.

Oh heavens no.

3. Move. This one is definitely the hardest for me. When it’s cold outside I tend to be drawn to activities like watching TV, napping, sitting in front of a fire, napping, drinking beverages with the word “mocha” in them, and napping.

You may sense a bit of a pattern.

But here’s the thing: making time to move every day is the single most important thing we can do, especially during the holidays. Sometimes the combination of gray weather and holiday treats and Christmas parties can take a toll on us physically as well as emotionally. It’s so good for us to get outside (if weather permits) and take a 20-minute walk. It makes a world of difference in our outlook, our metabolism and our energy level.

And when I find myself feeling drawn to the couch on a winter afternoon – when I think that a nap sounds like the best thing on earth – that’s a sure sign that it’s time to grab the dog’s leash, bundle up my little guy, and head outside. It’s the best free medicine on earth.

Now it’s your turn! Share a tip on how you stay healthy during the holidays and you could win a $150 Visa card! Please keep your comments G-rated as any profanity or offensive content will automatically disqualify you from sweepstakes entry. You should also visit The Daily Dose of Well-Being hub to read helpful content each day and for weekly chances to win $100 at the “Play For Laughs” game. If you share a really great tip, we may even use it in The Daily Dose!

And don’t miss the other bloggers’ posts – you have 17 other chances to win each month!

Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Here are the official rules.
This sweepstakes will run from 12/8-12/28.

Happy Laughing Cow, everybody!

Filed Under: BlogHer Reviews

Not-Sew-Crafty

6 December 2010 by

I have so much on my heart from this past weekend, which was sort of an overwhelming smorgasbord of joy and love and conviction and laughter, but before I can even think about trying to dive into all that, I have to tell y’all something that happened this past Friday.

A few weeks ago the little man’s sweet teacher sent home a couple of different notes about various and sundry craft-related requirements that were coming up. There are few things in life that I despise (YES. I SAID “DESPISE.” BECAUSE I MEAN IT.) more than a craft, what with all that cutting and pinning and gluing and glittering. I don’t mind painting, but if you start to bring in ITEMS THAT MUST BE ASSEMBLED, I’m out. SHUT ‘ER DOWN. Mama’s done.

The first crafty requirement was that A. needed 350 strips of 1 x 6 inch fabric for a rag wreath that his class is making. I am not kidding you when I say that I must have read the rag wreath information sheet at least five times to make sure that I wasn’t seeing the numbers incorrectly. 350? THREE HUNDRED FIFTY? PIECES OF FABRIC? It made me want to throw things, mainly because I can’t stand doing anything that requires lots of measurement or precision. For example, I like to cook because it’s not an exact science, and I’ll bake the occasional cake, but I avoid intricate, multi-step dessert recipes like the plague. I much prefer cranking my car and driving down the hill to the grocery store and buying something from the bakery there. Because if a recipe calls for something like ALTERNATING SPRINKLE COLORS? OR CUTTING 100 MINIATURE MARSHMALLOWS IN HALF? OR PIPING ICING?

Well, the truth of the matter is that I’m probably going to need a nerve pill. And what’s the fun of serving your family a platter of very detailed petit fours if the stress of it all requires you to lie down for several hours afterwards?

Thanksgiving Day I told Sister about how I had to cut out 350 pieces of fabric, and she said, “Oh, I’ll do that for you!” I could not believe my good fortune, and I was so relieved that I wasn’t going to have to, you know, MEASURE THINGS that I didn’t even try to politely decline her kind offer. So we went to the fabric store the next day, and after I twitched my way through the selection of an appropriate Christmas-themed fabric, we went back to the house – where Sister promptly did some math and marked off some stuff and knocked out those 350 strips in all of thirty minutes.

I don’t know when I’ve ever been more grateful.

However, the fabric strips were just the beginning. Because the little man was also going to need a red cape for his role as a Roman solider in the Christmas program. Sister and I actually went back to the fabric store the day after she cut out all the strips (two trips to the fabric store in one week? I am ALL GOOD until, I don’t know, 2013-ish), and I bought a yard of red fleece. I figured fleece was a good choice since I wouldn’t have to actually sew it, and then I took it home and pulled it out of the bag and stared at it. And then it taunted me for the next five days.

This past Wednesday I knew I had to make the cape, already. Dress rehearsal was Thursday, and I couldn’t very well let my little soldier be the only child who wasn’t properly costumed. So I grabbed a cape we already had – I believe it was of the Darth Vader variety – and I spread it out very carefully on top of the fleece fabric. I EVEN PINNED IT, Y’ALL. I used the Darth Vader cape as a template or pattern or whatever you call it for the Roman soldier cape. I cut around it very carefully, sweating bullets every step of the way, and when I finished I was understandably relieved. Pleased, even. The only little question mark in the back of my head was what the length of the cape should be, but since I had a very cloudy memory of watching Julius Caesar that involved some soldier-type people wearing shorter capes, I aimed for something about waist-length. I even used Google to confirm my decision.

Well.

Friday morning D and I went to Alex’s school for the big program. We sat exactly where the little man had asked us to sit – so that he would walk right past us on his way up to the stage – and right after the music started, D nudged me and said, “There he is!” I looked to my right, and sure enough, there was my sweet baby boy who’s really not a baby at all anymore and who’s actually the second-tallest young’un in his class and who’s going to be 40 before I know it. I smiled at him, waved just a little bit, and reflected on the passage of time. I may have even hummed “Sunrise, Sunset.” It was a Moment.

About that time I noticed that D’s shoulders were shaking and that he seemed to be having a little trouble regulating his breathing. I looked at him to see what was going on, and y’all, he was SO TICKLED – sort of venturing into the kind of laughter where you start to wheeze a little bit. I couldn’t imagine what in the world had happened, but then D pointed in the direction of our child, and I knew. As soon as I saw his back, I knew.

His cape was a full foot and a half shorter than everyone else’s. All the other boys had on these long, flowing, dramatic red capes, and our precious seven year-old looked like he’d been cast in the lead role of “Little Red Riding Hood.”

HIS MAMA’S GOT SKILLS.

D and I were laughing so hard that it felt like our whole row was shaking. And just as I was starting to regain my composure, D leaned over and said, “It really wasn’t so much a cape as it was a CAPELET, really” – which started the shoulder-shaking all over again. It was priceless and perfect and completely fitting given my history of craft-related failure. I’m just as sorry as I can be that our offspring had to bear the burden of his mama’s shortcomings.

The good news is that A had absolutely no idea about the unfortunate length of his cape. He was as enthusiastic a Roman soldier as you’ve ever seen. And when the play was over, he walked off the stage, grinned like crazy, and gave us a confident thumbs up. He had rocked that capelet like nobody’s business.

He’s even been wearing it at home. Apparently it’s easier to stage light saber battles when there’s no risk of your cape getting tangled in the weaponry.

See? I knew exactly what I was doing.

EXACTLY.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go work some more crafty magic. There are some handmade Christmas ornaments that I need to ruin.

Time’s a wastin’.

Filed Under: Family Fun, Oh Howard

The Cure For What Ails

2 December 2010 by

Y’all will be happy to know that yesterday and today (so far) have been much, much better from a hormonal standpoint. Except for last night when I was trying to cook supper and listen to The Paul Finebaum Show and straighten up the house for company and make a cape (YES. I SAID “MAKE A CAPE.”) for Alex’s Christmas program and I had a small, private breakdown while standing in front of my dishwasher.

But other than that I’ve been totally fine.

The chocolate has been a tremendous help. As have the cheese straws that our friend Mary Allison gave me last night. Never underestimate the power of the cheese straws.

Anyway, I’m actually really, really excited this morning because Melanie will be here this afternoon. Deeper Still is in Birmingham this weekend, and I am completely beside myself at the prospect of seeing so many sweet friends and listening to some incredibly wise teachers and TALKING UNTIL I’M HOARSE.

So before I launch into my long-weekend-o-fun, I wanted to share a few bits-o-information.

I will not be using the CAPS LOCK in any of these links. And for that I know we’re all quite thankful.

– I’ve been struggling to finish my Christmas decorations. I’d say I’m 70% finished, but that last 30% is wearing me out. Well, Rhoda is hosting the neatest linky party at her blog today. The theme is Christmas Vignettes, and what you see will totally inspire you. Because it totally inspired me. And made me long for more lime green Christmas decorations.

– My Welch’s Giveaway is still up and running; click on over if you’re interested in entering to win a $100 Visa gift card.

– The Laughing Cow Giveaway #5 is going strong, too; there’s a $150 Visa gift card up for grabs.

– This post by Jon – “The Soft X” – just slayed me in all the best ways. So timely. So good.

– Heather has a recipe for some sweet and savory nuts that are just – oh, my word – you just have to go see for yourself. Sweet mercy.

Hope your day has been great (and your hormones have been level) – see y’all soon!

Filed Under: Daily Awesome

Today And I Have Had Quite Enough Of Each Other

30 November 2010 by

I have been beside myself with the PMS today. BESIDE MYSELF. It’s been so bad that at one point, when I couldn’t help but overhear an absolutely absurd conversation at the library, what I wanted to do more than anything in the whole wide world was to stand on a table and scream, “CLEARLY I AM SURROUNDED BY A BUNCH OF CRAZY PEOPLE!!!”

Obviously I must have missed my refresher course on patience and charm this morning.

I always know when I’m in for a particularly rough run with the hormones when I start to have A LOT of opinions. And my PMS opinions aren’t just any ole opinions, mind you – they are VERY RIGHT opinions. The rightest of the right, in fact. You could seek advice from the wisest person on the planet, and after you asked your question, he or she would point at me and say, “Ask her. She has all the VERY RIGHT ANSWERS.”

That’s how right I am.

The last time the PMS was this bad, I remember telling a friend of mine that I wanted to add some verses to Proverbs 31. And I wanted those verses to say something like, “She speaks her mind with great authority; she bombards her husband with all of her VERY IMPORTANT THOUGHTS. Not even the smallest detail is beyond her control.”

You can probably see why everyone around me was somewhat relieved when that particular case of raging hormones was over. I was delightful company – oh yes I was.

Anyway, tonight I’ve decided that I’m going to try to find a few positives in the midst of my current condition. Because if I don’t? Well, I’m a little afeared that I’m going to launch an all-out attack on the leaves in the driveway. Or I’m going to hit the washing machine with a hammer if it makes that “clicky” sound ONE MORE TIME. Or I’m going to get in my car and drive down the road and wind up confronting non-suspecting diners at a local restaurant simply because I don’t much care for the way that they CHEW THEIR FOOD.

OH IT COULD HAPPEN.

So. The positives.

1. Today I bought four bags of chocolate candy (two Hershey’s Kisses, Hershey’s Miniatures and bell-shaped Reese’s that are a REVELATION) at Walgreens and didn’t feel even a little bit guilty. Because the chocolate, IT UNDERSTANDS ME.

2. If there is any sort of snack food within a four foot radius of my person, I can smack it down WITH AUTHORITY.

3. Pringles Sour Cream & Onion chips have taken on a whole new dimension of flavor. This afternoon the little man was eating some chips for a snack, and I grabbed one (okay. FINE. four.) from his bowl. After I took a bite, I opened my eyes really wide and said, “WELL THESE ARE JUST DELICIOUS!” Apparently my hormones enable me to detect subtle nuances in all the artificial flavors. My senses are on FI-IRE.

4. My bangs wouldn’t cooperate for love or money this morning. They had this weird pouf thing going on, and no matter what I did, the pouf remained. Thanks to my hormonal state, however, I HAVE NOT LET THEM BEAT ME. My whole day has been a study in taming the bangs. Never you mind that they are still in a state of rebellion. THEY HAVE MET THEIR MATCH, AND THEIR MATCH IS ME.

5. It’s been a day when I have GREATLY ENJOYED the use of CAPITAL LETTERS because they help me EXPRESS MY OPINIONS with plenty of EMPHASIS in the APPROPRIATE PLACES.

So that is all.

And I’m going to bed now.

Or I guess I should say:

I AM GOING TO BED NOW.

After I eat a just a little bit more chocolate.

Priorities, you understand.

Filed Under: Out Of Control
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