Recipes on demand



Just for fun: restaurant we ate at in Rome



OK, by popular request I am posting 2 of the recipes I blogged about last: The Balsamic Chicken & Mushrooms and the Panzanella (Bread Salad). A word of advice, it really pays to use good balsamic vinegar! I didn't know there was such a thing as "good, better, and best" vinegar- but there is! We learned from some of our friends also living in Italy, then experienced it firsthand on our honeymoon. So naturally, we found it in the budget to buy a $17 bottle of Balsamic from the region of Modena (sold in our commissary like it was no thing! I love Italy!) And this is an above-average vinegar for Italy...the good stuff is aged for decades and costs over $75 or more. Anyway, not to be a condiment snob, but if you have the option, go for "better."

Recipes modified from:

http://www.food.com/recipe/balsamic-chicken-and-mushrooms-54726



Changes I made:

- used 3 cloves of garlic (hello, I had a kilo!)

-did NOT pound chicken, but rather cut into large strips as recommended by another person in the reviews

-use the wine instead of broth if able! Gave a really good flavor

Panzanella:

http://www.chow.com/recipes/10638-panzanella-tuscan-bread-salad



Note: I made a large salad to eat for several days...if doing this, keep the bread separate! It was delicious on day 1, but after that I had soggy bread salad (i.e. not delicious). So, let your common sense lead you where mine didn't: even stale bread that soaks in a vinaigrette overnight gets soggy :)