Chicken with Bacon & White Wine

If you have leftover wine and a few spare strips of bacon to use and you need a quick and tasty dinner, I highly recommend this:


Chicken with Bacon and White Wine (or Chicken Schnitzel)
1 tsp. garlic flavored oil
4 strips bacon
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz. each), pounded thin
1/3 cup dry white wine

Add oil and bacon to a large skillet. Fry bacon until crisp. Place strips of bacon on a plate lined with paper towels; cover with a piece of foil (leave juices - aka grease - in skillet).

Fry chicken for approximately 2 minutes per side, or until no longer pink inside. Remove chicken to a serving plate. Pour wine into the skillet, allowing it to bubble up. Pour over chicken. Crumble bacon on top of chicken.  - Original recipe from Nigella Express, by Nigella Lawson

Potato Gratin with Fresh Herbs

When you find purple potatoes . . . drench them in herb-infused cream? Yep! Unless you're on a diet, it's a great idea! My first experience with this dish was last Thanksgiving, and when I found "all blue" potatoes at the Green City Market in Chicago, I knew I was going to drag them home just for this recipe. Serious comfort food . . .
4 pounds mixed baby potatoes, such as Red Bliss, Peruvian Purples, and Fingerlings
2 cups heavy cream, plus some to cover
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
2 sprigs each fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Halve the potatoes and toss them into a large baking dish and season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, put the cream, butter, herbs, and garlic in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, to infuse the cream with flavor. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the hot cream mixture over the potatoes; if there is not enough cream to go 3/4 of the way up the potatoes then pour some additional cream on top to make up the difference. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and top begins to brown. Top with additional fresh thyme and serve with additional fresh rosemary as a garnish. Serve immediately, or cover and keep warm until ready to serve.
- Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray, via FoodNetwork.com

Tomatoes & Salsa

I lost access to my blog for a little while . . . so I'm way behind on posts! Here are a few photos from my own personal tomato festival:

My first batch of salsa . . . I had never canned anything before and was pretty nervous that I might end up with tomato splattered all over the kitchen. It seemed like a lot of work for the amount of salsa I ended up with, but things actually went smoothly - thanks entirely to my friend Amanda, who was kind enough to chop tomatoes with me all afternoon and walk me through the canning process!