OK, OK, OK. I know it’s WAYYYYY past Valentine’s Day. And I am weeks overdue in posting our winner of the recipe contest. Several freak illnesses, a few major storms that knocked out utilities, and one Valentine’s Day later, we have a winner!
The "Wooing Meal"
There was a husband who loves cheese. There was a dorm room kitchen experience that ended in a proposal, there was a strawberry pizza. Again, you guys never cease to amaze me with your stories and your culinary talent. The winner was chosen for several reasons. I love the idea of the “wooing meal.” I think all us Gal’s have one or two of those up our sleeve. I get all warm and fuzzy thinking of new love. And, it’s hysterical that this recipe came off a bottle of Amaretto. I have a funny picture in my head of a bunch of marketing executives in 1978, sitting around a conference table trying to come up with recipes they can use to sell more Amaretto. (Of course! Amaretto Chicken! It’ll sell CASES!) So, Karen Christiansen, you won our hearts with your “wooing meal.”
This is a recipe I got from the tag hanging from a bottle of Amaretto di Saranno over 30 years ago. I was in college at the time and it is one of the first meals I made for my boyfriend, who is now my husband. He still calls it the “wooing meal”. Every time I make it I think back to those days when our love was new.
Chicken Amaretto | Serves 4
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Curry powder, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
Flour, for dredging
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup Amaretto liquor
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp. cornstarchDirections
- Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch slices. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, curry powder and garlic powder. Dredge in flour.
- Saute in melted butter until brown on all sides. Add mushrooms, Amaretto and lemon juice. Simmer 5 minutes.
- Mix chicken broth with cornstarch. Pour over chicken.
- Simmer until sauce thickens. Serve over patty shells or cooked white rice.
Note: If you’re cutting down on fat, you can make this using just 2 tbsp. of butter and it’s almost just as good.
It was so hard to choose a favorite (oh my job is so hard!), so I wanted to share with you one more recipe that made it to the top of the list. It was submitted by Kimberly Woods, and we LOVE it!
This is one of my favorite recipes to make for romantic sleepovers. It is also perfect for a Mother’s Day breakfast in bed. Children enjoy the strawberries and love when a cookie cutter is used to make the french toast into a fun shape (heart, star, etc).
Strawberry Stuffed French Toast
¾ cup milk
5 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tbs sugar
8 slices French bread, 1 ½ – 2 inches thick
10 ounces brie cheese, sliced
3 ¼ cups strawberries, sliced
¼ cup butter
powdered sugar
maple syrupDirections
- In large bowl, beat together milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar.
- Cut slices of bread horizontally to form a pocket.
- Set aside 1 cup of sliced strawberries for garnish. Place remaining strawberry slices and brie in bread pockets.
- Dip bread slices in egg mixture, coating them completely. Place bread slices on a plate, cover and chill for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
- In large frying pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add bread slices, cooking on each side about 2 minutes or until golden and cheese starts to melt.
- Remove from pan, dust with powdered sugar and garnish with strawberries. Serve immediately with maple syrup.
Either of these recipes is a great excuse to dish up some love in your kitchen!
~ Gal Foodie
From the outside looking in, my Valentine’s day was nothing special. I spent it cleaning the bathrooms, doing laundry, and making a marketing plan for my client 
As I pulled together the items I would need, the memories flooded in when my hand grabbed the old aluminum cake pan – my grandmother’s pan – with her name scrawled on the side lest it be left behind at a birthday party or a church supper. The pan with the 6 ring marks on the bottom and the perfect water line made by 40 plus years of making my grandfather the custard cups he loved. The pan that made coffee cake every Sunday, and her traditional New Zealand birthday cake for the family she loved. It was now to be the vessel for my love – a water bath for the cheesecakes.
