I haven’t been posting as often these days. We have been busy getting the Florida house in order so that we can sell it. We have come to the conclusion that owning two houses is not in our best interest. But before I get to all of that, I wanted to share this recipe with you for Chicken Marsala. Several people have mentioned this dish recently; Monique in particular. Monique tried David Lebovitz’s recipe for the dish. About a month ago, I tried a rendition from allrecipes.com. But after Monique’s rave about David’s recipe, I decided to give it a look. This time I ended up combining the two recipes for my own version of the dish.
From the allrecipe recipe I added the chopped tomatoes. They add color to the dish. From David’s recipe I added more Marsala. You can never have too much Marsala. I think I ended up with a winner.
Here is our house as it used to look. We called it “Big Pink”. Pink houses are not uncommon in Florida. Plus the color seemed to work with the roof tiles. We decided that it might sell better if it were more neutral; to be quite frank, I hate neutral.
Here is the new paint color. The beige has a bit of pink in it but is subdued. We also added some landscaping to the front of the house.
We painted the front double doors black because I like black. The painter and hubby did not like that idea, but I prevailed. We replaced the garage light fixtures with larger black lanterns.
Here is a close up of the front door. The only problem with having glass doors is that our dog Daisy is usually sitting right in front of the doors barking at anyone who walks by. But it does give the entrance area lots of light.
Another area we worked on, besides the kitchen, was the Master bathroom. The vanity in this room is low. Lots of bathroom vanities were low when our house was built in the early 90’s. Instead of replacing the vanity, we installed two tall vessel sinks with tall swivel faucets. We also replaced the countertop with granite. The other update was getting rid of the horrible wall to wall flat mirror and replacing it with two black framed mirrors. There was a medicine cabinet to the left of the mirror on the adjoining wall. That is also gone. This has turned out to be a very user friendly bathroom. I am happy with it. Did I mention that the bathroom used to be painted red? That was David’s great idea. Somehow, I could hear prospective buyers saying “WHOA!” if we kept it that way. Neutral seems to work here.
Here is my combined recipe for chicken marsala. I assembled this plate after we had enjoyed the chicken last night so it is not as full as it would be if you served it to company. In other words, these are leftovers. We are getting packed up to return to Lake Lure, so posts may be sporadic in the next few weeks.
CHICKEN MARSALA
2 pounds chicken cutlets, pounded thin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
8 ounces button mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2/3 cup Marsala wine
1 small tomato, diced
1 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Chopped parsley
Season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Pour flour into a shallow dish. Press chicken cutlets into flour to coat each side, shaking to remove any excess flour. Set aside.
Melt 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in large skillet. When hot, add sliced mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook stirring occasionally until browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Remove the mushrooms to a plate and wipe out pan. Add 1 more tablespoon oil and butter to pan. Add half of the chicken cutlets and saute until they are browned on each side. Remove to a plate. Add another 1 tablespoon of oil and butter to pan and repeat with remaining chicken pieces. While chicken is browning mix together the chicken broth and cornstarch. Stir until cornstarch is dissolved. Add the Marsala wine.
When second batch of chicken is done, remove it from the pan. Add to wine mixture to the pan and scrape up the browned bits. Stir until it starts to thicken slightly. Return the mushrooms and chicken to the pan. Add the diced tomato and cook for about 6 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, the balsamic vinegar and the chopped parsley. Stir to combine. Serve with noodles, mashed potatoes or rice.
I, too, have been eyeing the Chicken Marsala recipe! There was something about it that just says “make me”! Your tomato addition does add some color. Happy to hear that it was a success.
It is hard work to change a home with the goal of selling. Your changes are certain to appeal!
I hope so Kate. I’m not sure of the market right now. Everyone seems to be selling, but then so many are buying too. These brutal winters are pushing people south.
Good luck with the sale, Penny — my parents are in the process of selling their house in North Carolina so they can stay in their other house in Florida — I think you’ve got the better idea!
Your chicken is one of my all time favorite meals!
Thanks Sue. We could never give up Lake Lure.
Your home is lovely, Penny. After watching all those HGTV shows, neutral is the way to go. I don’t prefer it, but it sells. Are you leaving Florida completely? Or going condo?
Love your Chicken Marsala!
Hi Barbara. We are planning to rent places during the coldest parts of winter. Different locales in Florida or other warm climes. Being tied to upkeep and maintenance on a house has become too difficult.
Love your updates, Penny. Your house looks wonderful. I’ve heard of many people in our area moving moving south to escape the harsh winters here. The baby boomers are retiring and moving to warmer areas to enjoy year- round recreation. Good luck with the sale of your home!
Hi Darla! Wish you had been here to advice me on plantings in the front of the house. We chose Snow Bush, a pretty shrub that has pinkish and green leaves. It goes well with the roof tiles and is hardy for this area. Also white creeping lantana for the border. I’m anxious to get to NC to see the kids new house. See you at Rachel’s birthday.
Well that is big news! Now you can explore other parts of Florida, though I imagine you have to stay near Daytona at least for the festival.
And I may just make your Chicken Marsala tonight.
Hi Sharon, We actually want to explore other areas of Florida. It will be nice to have the freedom to do that. Hope you like the marsala.
I’ve been seriously thinking of painting our Florida house a soft pink with a black front door. I just can’t seem to wrap my head around the neutral look, but I can understand that it’s an asset when you’re selling. I can also see men saying “no way” to a pink house (they would be wrong of course, but they are the buyer). What a great idea Penny to use the tall vessel sinks on a low vanity instead of having to replace the entire vanity. You really have a magic touch when it comes to decorating with style.
Chicken Marsala is an often forgotten classic in my kitchen that I should make again soon. You’re right, you can’t have too much Marsala and I always have a bottle standing by in the bar.
Sam
I think you should paint your house a pale pink Sam. I think black doors are kind of sophisticated. Seems like there is a really dark green that is almost black that is called Charleston black. (I think?) I guess you will be returning to NC soon.
The chicken Marsala looks wonderful, Penny! I like that you combined the best with the best, I do that a lot. I’m going to try this…A orders this quite often at restaurants.
The changes you made on the Florida home are just beautiful…I personally think the black doors are a winner. I’m wishing you and David a lot of luck in selling swiftly.
Hope to see you sometime this summer!
Jane xx
Looking forward to seeing you Jane. After meeting with the realtor today, I think we have decided to wait and put the house on the market next season. Too many decisions to make in too little time.
Your dish looks very good Penny – hope the house sells well.
Thanks Larry. Getting rid of all of our stuff will be the challenge!
Your home is lovely, it should sell quickly. Wishing you luck.
If Monique and David, and you like this dish, well it must go on my list. I like the addition of tomato.
Our weather here is heating up so quickly I think we are missing Spring and moving right on to Summer. 92° Sunday. 🙁
I have heard that there is a heat wave in California. Crazy weather Madonna. Hope you like the Marsala and hope you are feeling better.
I have not made chicken marsala in such a long time that your lovely dish has inspired me. I’ve used Marcella Hazan’s recipe and the recipe in The Silver Palate. Now I have a third alternative. Good luck with the sale of your home. We are contemplating doing the same thing and downsizing.
Best,
Bonnie
I’ll have to check out my Silver Palate Cookbook for their recipe again. I had forgotten about it. Thanks Bonnie. Downsizing is not easy. We have accumulated too much stuff here in Florida.
I love chicken Marsala. One of my favorites is from Carrabba’s. I have their cookbook and the recipe is in it. I will have to make it for you and David to compare with yours! Looking forward to you coming back here. Your house is looking great!
Looking forward to trying it Penny. It won’t be long until we are back.
The chicken marsala looks great…one of my favorites. It seems that a lot of us are downsizing. The hard part is getting rid of a whole house worth of things we have enjoyed living with. Good luck.
You do have a wonderful touch for decorating, Penny, and I think you home will sell quickly. It’s been such a long time since I’ve made chicken marsala and it looks so delicious. Keeping your recipe to try!
Another post I missed..BEAUTIFUL home!
Thanks Monique.