Chicken Marsala

I don't think I actually grew up eating chicken marsala. Strange to some people, I suppose, but I cannot think of a single time I had it until one night 2 years ago at my friend Rob's house. He made dinner and it was delicious and I thought, well why hasn't this been in my repertoire? And since then I have been reading recipes and experimenting with good old chicken marsala.
This time was not without slight mistakes, I should have made more sauce for the amount of pasta I cooked, but it was still delicious. And John loved it, even though I think he loves everything I make (except brussel sprouts).

This time i made some steamed broccoli on the side, a real departure for me since all I ever seem to do is roast my veggies, and the meal was complete. It was delicious. I actually think that I might add some sundried tomatoes into the sauce next time, and perhaps some capers. The reason I say this is because there's a restaurant in Hayes Valley, in San Francisco, called Il Borgo and every time I go I get the Fettucine del Borgo, yes not very imaginative. It is homemade fettucine (something I'll probably never venture upon) and chicken, sundried tomatoes, capers and a lovely sauce that I am sure contains more butter than I would like to think. But it is just so yummy. Ok, I have completely changed the subject. Actually that makes me want to go to Il Borgo for dinner tonight. I'll let you know tomorrow if I get there!

My Favorite Salmon

After going to the gym and running along Crissy Field at 8:00pm last night I was hungry for a nice dinner. I love salmon because it is so easy, good for you, and takes very little time to cook. What I do, while I am preheating the oven, is make some large slits in the filet with a butcher's knife and drizzle honey and soy sauce into the slits and onto the salmon. Add a dash of cracked black pepper and you are good to go! Once the oven is around 425F, or 450F stick her in for about 12 minutes. My oven is so old that I never know how warm it actually is. It has that ancient dial, so I turn it on, wait 15 minutes, and hope for the best. I don't bake too often so most of the food I make is easy to adapt whether it is 15 degrees too cool or what have you. You just have to keep an eye on it. Actually I took the salmon out after about 9 minutes, drizzled some of the marinade over it that had fallen to the sides, and then finished the cooking.
On the side I added a few vegetables. I steamed some broccoli and yellow squash, and I roasted cauliflower at the same time as cooking the salmon. I put the cauliflower in before the salmon, as it takes about 20-25 minutes. Roasted cauliflower is one of my all time favorites. It is amazing how the taste becomes so much more interesting which a bit of charring on the edges. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and some lemon or lime juice and it is just the best. Yum!
A side salad completed this healthy meal. Just some spinach and romaine, bell pepper, radishes, cabbage, cucumber and tomatoes. A great meal.
I even had enough left on my plate to add to my salad for lunch the next day!