GeorgiaSo it was my week.. Like reading, food has a way of transporting a person to another place and time. This week I thought it would be fun to step out and try a classic dish from another country. With that I decided to make Chicken Marsala A little background on it. It is a variation of traditional Italian scaloppina dishes, of which there are many varieties throughout Italy. The dish dates to the 19th century, when it most likely originated with English families who lived in western Sicily, where Marsala wine is produced. I decided to make a crockpot version this week because my very good friend Angie C's daughter Anna is visiting. I've been working early so I can get off early to spend the afternoons with her, but still want to put a good meal on the table. Click below for the recipe SLOW COOKER CHICKEN MARSALA NikitaWhat is international food in America? We are such a blend of cultures that our own American food identity seems to be limited to hamburgers and hotdogs. We eat international food almost daily in our house, and we're not even trying. This week, we did step out of our comfort zone and tried some real French, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Greek cuisine. Coq au Vin was on the menu! Quick tip: leftovers are even better. We also tried Spring Rolls with Shrimp and a peanut dipping sauce. The rice paper was strange to work with because it had a slimy texture when wet and sticky texture when dried. We ate Gyros at a family party (Thanks again Kelly!), and I made pot stickers later in the week. They are easy to prepare in the morning for a quick 10-minute cook in the evening after work. Of course, tacos were on the menu. I mean, we ARE on the southern border of the US. Finally, there was Friday night pizza! That's Mexican and Italian added to the list. I'd call that International Week mission accomplished. Click below for the recipe Coq Au Vin: AmyThis is an interesting one for us. Americans have odd notions as to what international cuisine actually is. Ruth Reichl once posted on her blog that General Tso chicken is a monstrosity that is strictly made in the U.S.A. Well excuse us! In our defense the majority of immigrants that arrived on our shores at the turn of the 20th century had to make do, didn't they? I was reading the New Times the other day (a newspaper Ms. Reichl was once employed by no less) and happened upon a chicken stir fry recipe in which ketchup was an ingredient. I found myself intrigued as it seemed thoroughly retro. I plan to make it soon. Over the summer I read an article in Saveur magazine about a young chef of Asian decent making himself known in Chicago. He fuses Asian with Midwest. There were several of his mother's recipes included in the article. The one that stuck out was rice with Pepsi in it. The writer of the article basically said don't knock it until you try it. And even now with international food markets and online shopping along with access to literally thousands of recipes you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who makes truly authentic recipes. What I am doing is cutting us all some slack on thus one. This should be a down right fun challenge for us all. It was for me. My meal was international with a decidedly American twist. I am not ashamed people! I first became aware of part of this meal way back in June of this year. A friend and I took a trip down Route 66. We stopped in Stroud to eat dinner. There's a place called the Rock Cafe. It was established in the 1920's. It has recently received recognition for several reasons. One is that the owner was the inspiration for Sally in the popular Disney/Pixar film Cars. Look it up! Next, it's frequented by famous people. Not sure what Bryant Gumble and Robert Plant were doing in Stroud, Oklahoma but they ate at the Rock Cafe. Maybe they're foodies. Finally, it was featured on the Food Network show were that putzy guy goes around the country to eat at diners and such. And the dish that was featured was the one I tried pork chops and spaetzle. I found myself asking our servro many questions about this dish. First, the pork chops were like butter! To be so tender! They actually cook them on the grill. When I asked what exactly spaetzle is the server kind of struggled for an answer. I thought at first it was some sort of dumpling. Then an egg noodle. The server shrugged her shoulders and said," Spaetzle is just spaetzle. ". And that really is the best answer. Love it for what it is. I had planned to look it up and make it once the weather cooled off a bit. Because it really is a bit of stick to the bones kind of meal. Then last week I found myself perusing this strange cookbook Gigi gave to me back in May. The General Foods Kitchens Cookbook. This copy is from 1959. It has some of the most unpleasant sounding recipes I've ever read. I'll spare you all. But oddly enough in the " international " cuisine section there's a recipe for spaetzle. Oh my stars and garters! And then Gigi informs us that the food challenge is International. It was meant to be. I would , at this point, like to mention that the country of origin isn't known. The debate is that it's either German or Austrian. For the sake of the food challenge we'll say it's German. Only because I paired it with schnitzel. The spaetzle recipe that is in this cookbook is not surprisingly bland. So I researched it a little and culled from several sources to make it my own. So it isn't authentic but it turned out to be very hearty and delicious. I went with a schnitzel recipe that Gigi sent to me a couple of years ago. I omitted the dipping sauce part in lieu of applesauce. Before I proceed with the recipe I want to point out that I strongly recommend a good quality butter for this. I believe that quality butter made a good meal into a great meal. Click below for recipe Pork Schnitzel Angie C Yummy Chicken Tacos I put about 10-12 frozen chicken tenders in the bottom of the crock-pot. Sprinkled one packet of taco seasoning over the top. Poured one jar of chunky salsa (however you like it). I then sprinkled a liberal amount of cilantro over the top. I used dried but the original recipe calls for fresh. The juice from 1 whole lime goes next. Turn on low for 8 hours. As we got ready to eat, I made Mexican rice and black beans, cut up green onions and fresh cilantro. We made some awesome tacos. I topped them with cheese and sour cream. The leftovers were awesome. My pictures didn't turn out so I sent the one from the original recipe on Pinterest. Blessings, Georgia, Nikita, Amy & Angie C
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