Ingredients:

Chicken Marsala/Madeira:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (light)
• Boneless chicken breasts (I cook for one, so I use Perdue Perfect Portions. They’re great since I can buy a bag, freeze them all and thaw as needed.)
• 8 Asparagus spears
• Mozzarella cheese (you can use a slice or shredded)
• White mushrooms (buy whole and slice fresh)
• 2 cups Marsala wine
• 1 Knorr beef bouillon cube (Boil two cups of water, add the cube and mix until it’s dissolved – voila! Beef stock.)
• 1 tbsp butter (Light I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter)
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Mashed potatoes (adapted from a Betty Crocker recipe):

• 3 red potatoes
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• ¼ cup butter
• Salt
• Pepper

1.    In a deep sauté pan on medium-high heat, add EVOO and sliced mushrooms. Sauté until brown (about 2 minutes).
2.    Pour in the Marsala wine, beef stock, butter and pepper.
3.    Once it boils, reduce to medium heat and let it simmer – stirring occasionally – for about 20 minutes. At that point, your sauce should be half its original volume.
4.    Time to multitask! Have another pot ready with boiled water. Add a splash of salt and your asparagus. Boil on high for 3-5 minutes until soft.
5.    While your asparagus is boiling, set oven to broil. Cook your chicken with some EVOO in a pan on medium-high or, as I love to do, toss it on a George Foreman grill.
6.    Set your cooked chicken on a baking sheet, criss-cross two asparagus spears over top and drizzle mozzarella cheese on top.
7.    Broil your chicken/cheese/asparagus until the cheese melts.

I have not mastered multitasking and timing in the kitchen for maximum efficiency, so I won’t even begin to suggest the best point at which to make your mashed potatoes. Here are the instructions for you to slip into your cooking time whenever it’s most convenient:

1.    In a 2-quart saucepan, bring water to a boil. Cut your potatoes into quarters. Leave the skins on.
2.    Once the water is boiling, add the potatoes and reduce to medium heat. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. They should be soft when you pierce them with a fork. Transfer the potatoes to a strainer to cool.
3.    Peel the skins and add the potatoes to a large bowl. Mash the potatoes until most chunks are gone and pour in the milk. Mix again until the consistency is the way you want it. (You can add more or less milk depending on how you like them.)
4.    Add butter and a dash of salt/pepper. Mix until they’re light and fluffy.

Once your chicken and mashed potatoes are done, pour the sauce and mushrooms over top, and there you have it. I imagine the Madeira sauce would make the sauce thicker, as it is at the Cheesecake Factory, but I’m really happy with how this one turned out. It took me just more than an hour to prepare, which is longer than I’ll usually spend, but so worth it.

Creating a romantic meal at home is a somewhat bigger challenge than your standard Monday-night fare. Especially if you haven’t yet cooked for this significant other — or, if you’re in a long-term relationship, haven’t cooked for them often. And especially when the occasion in question is Valentine’s Day.

Luckily, there are plenty of ways to up to romance factor, either overtly (like aphrodisiac ingredients and candles on the table) or covertly (that valentine’s favorite dish).  Cooking together can also be a ton of fun for a date.

Frugal Foodie recommends sticking to what you know, and what you know your sweetheart will like. Even the most intricate meal falls flat if the steak burns or your date turns out to be allergic to hazelnuts. Years ago, Frugal Foodie spent hours on an intricate Coeur a la crème dessert topped with strawberries only to find out her date simply hated the fruit. Needless to say, that did not go over well with either party.

We talked to chefs, home cooks and other relationship experts about their go-to date meals. Post your own tried-and-true recipes below, and then try these seven romantic-and-cheap options.

There are appetizers, main courses, desserts and even a next-day breakfast, all for under $10 to prepare. (Cost estimates are based on non-sale New York City supermarket prices. If it’s a cheap meal in NYC, we figure cooks in most other places in the country will spend even less. Prices are also adjusted for quantity: if a recipe calls for half an onion, you’ll probably find something to do with the other half. Finally, estimates don’t take into account basic ingredients you likely already have, like flour, olive oil or dried spices.)

Oyster with Spicy Vinaigrette and Apples

Cost: $8.37 for half a dozen oysters, or $1.40 apiece.

Chef Michael Carrino, the owner of Restaurant Passionné in Montclair, N.J., suggests starting off your meal with this celebrated aphrodisiac. Open the oysters — he suggests two dozen Kushi, but the quantity and type is up to you. In a small bowl mix two tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, a teaspoon chopped garlic and an eighth of a teaspoon cayenne pepper. If desired, add a teaspoon of apple brandy, too. Using a whisk, slowly mix six tablespoons olive oil into the bowl and season with salt to taste. Garnish oysters with vinaigrette and peeled, finely-diced apples.

Strawberry-Tangerine Salad

Cost: $5.36, or $2.68 per serving.

No need to load up on aphrodisiacs. “Simplicity is the most exciting and titillating aspect of any recipe,” says Lorne Caplan, a scent and aphrodisiac expert. His suggestions: use basil, ginger, vanilla or — in this case, strawberry. Top a mixed-green salad with candied walnuts, tangerine wedges and a bit of goat cheese. Drizzle a strawberry-based dressing (try Frugal Foodie’s here). “Go easy on this as the scent is key and can be overpowering,” Caplan says.

Chicken Madeira

Cost: $7.20, or $3.60 per serving.

“I started dating a boy who dated a chef prior. No pressure there!” says Karralee Serra, who has been documenting her efforts at culinary improvement on “My Boyfriend Dated a Chef”. Serra used this recipe, scaled down for two, to step up her game. It worked. “There is nothing more wonderful than hearing, ‘I can’t wait to see what delicious thing you will cook on our next date,’” she says.

Salmon with Green Sauce

Cost: $9.86, or $4.93 per serving.

“The man had me with his pesto,” says Jill Mikols Etesse, the creative director for children’s app developer SmartyShortz, of her now-husband. His take on Martha Stewart’s dish scaled down for two, she says, is one of the few things he can cook – and what he makes her every Valentine’s Day. “I remember how I felt that [second date] evening,” she says. “It keeps me going.” As an added benefit, the recipe makes enough green sauce to use with other dishes for days on end.

Boozy Chocolate Truffles

Cost: $2.95 for about three dozen truffles.

Frugal Foodie and Mr. Foodie made a version of these Alton Brown truffles for their first Valentine’s Day together, subbing in already-on-hand Grand Marnier for the brandy. It’s been a tradition ever since, and we switch up the brand of chocolate and alcohol every time. Forgo the melon baller and hand-roll the truffles instead — it’s messier, but a lot more fun.

Quick Chocolate Soufflé

Cost: $3.25, or $1.63 per serving.

Intimidating? You bet. But Carrino promises that soufflé can be simple, too. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat the inside of four 6-ounce ramekins with the nonstick cooking spray, and then dust with a tablespoon of sugar. Chop four ounces of semisweet chocolate and combine with a half-cup heavy whipping cream in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for one minute and stir until chocolate and cream are full incorporated. 
In a separate bowl combine five egg whites and four tablespoons sugar and beat by hand until soft peaks are formed. After the chocolate mixture has cooled a bit gently fold it in to the egg whites. Spoon the batter into the ramekins and place in the refrigerator uncovered until needed. When ready, bake at 400 degrees on a cookie tray for 10 to 12 minutes or until the center does not jiggle. Dust with powdered sugar.

Strawberry French Toast

Cost: $3.16, or $1.58 per serving.

Romantic meals don’t stop at dinner, either. “My first love used to work the graveyard shift at the grocery store, so when he got off work it was breakfast time,” says San Jose, Calif., event planner Darlene Tenes, the founder of Hispanic lifestyle company CasaQ. Her Valentine’s inspiration often included his favorite French toast with mimosas.

My partner and I enjoying our meal at the Top of the World revolving restaurant in the Statosphere

We tried most of the well reputed Casino Buffets, our favourites (for food quality and variety) in this order were The Encore/The Wynn and Cosmopolitan, followed by The Bellagio.  I was disappointed by the buffet at Mandalay Bay, as I expected it to be on a par with the others for some reason, possibly because it’s headline restaurants are so well reputed.

The Cheesecake Factory at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas

One place that people have often recommended to me is The Cheesecake factory. It has never captured my imagination because I have never been a huge fan of cheesecake, but somehow on our travels as we explored Ceasar’s Palace, we ended up at The Cheesecake, and we were hungry.  We noticed that people were eating sit down meals there… I’m not sure why, but I had somehow always imagined that The Cheesecake Factory was a cake shop set up, rather than a fully blown restaurant!  It actually ended up being our favourite casual dining eatery.  My favourite meal was Chicken Madera – billed as ‘Our most popular chicken dish! Sautéed Chicken Breast Topped with Fresh Asparagus and Melted Mozzarella Cheese. Covered with Fresh Mushroom Madeira Sauce and Served with Mashed Potatoes.’  Very very yummy and wholly recommended, I especially loved the Madeira sauce, though neither my partner or I ever managed to be tempted by a dessert, since their portions are just gigantic!

Me in the Bar at Level 107, overlooking Top of The World revolving restaurant at The Stratosphere

You could easily spend a fortune on dining out in Las Vegas if you are a proper foodie, as a great number of the Worlds best chefs work here, lured by massive salaries.  That said, a taster menu from a world famous chef will set you back less here than in other US cities.  Although I had heard great things about Mix and the other signature restaurants at Mandalay Bay. the one place I was dying to dine, was the revolving restaurant at the top of the Stratosphere tower called ‘Top of the World’.  The revolving restaurant is on the 106th level of the Stratosphere tower, and at 800 feet high, offers STUNNING panoramic views of the whole of Las Vegas.  Each revolution takes a full hour to complete, and it can be slightly confusing if you go to the bathroom (which doesn’t revolve) only to find that your table has moved… All part of the experience though!

The most expensive menu was the taster menu, but since it was on my Bucket List, and I will no doubt never eat there again, We decided to make this a special meal and order it.  This is the current tasting menu, and since I’m not a wine fanatic, we didn’t bother with the wine flight:

Four Courses Tasting Menu

FIRST COURSE

Choose one from the following:

Choice of soup

Lobster Bisque or Soup of the Day or Caesar Salad Trimbach Pinot Gris, Alsace

SECOND COURSE

Choose one from the following:

Crab Cake with Green Papaya Salad

Lemon grass beurre blanc.

Roasted Miso Mediterranean Loup de Mer with Shoyu Ginger Glaze

Baby bok choy.

Brancott Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, New Zealand

THIRD COURSE

Grilled Petite Filet Mignon with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

Haricots verts, shallot confit and potato gratin.

B.R. Cohn Cabernet Sauvignon, North Coast

FOURTH COURSE Mini Desserts Trio

Taylor Fladgate First Estate Reserve, Porto

Four Courses Tasting Menu 85

Suggested Wine Flight $30

We both went for the lobster bisque soup, followed by the Crab Cake with Green Papaya Salad with Lemon grass beurre blanc followed by the Grilled Petite Filet Mignon (Medium Rare) with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce, Haricots verts, shallot confit and potato gratin and finished with the dessert trio.

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Trio of Desserts from The Taster Menu

Having not eaten at lunch (time-to make room for the dinner) 2 for 1 martinis at level 107 bar whilst we waited for a window seat (since they dont automatically reserve you one) was a mistake.  I recommend either arriving early if you are particular about being seated by a window (as we were), or not over indulging on an empty stomach if you want to get the most out of this beautiful food.  We were both more than slightly tipsy, which was a shame, as I would like to have been fully present in the experience of enjoying the amazing food, including this rather beautiful dessert.  I enjoyed the raspberry mouse in the white chocolate cup and the chocolate triangles but was not a fan of the banana dessert to the right of the dish.

USEFUL TIPS

• Best Buffet – The Encore and Cosmopolitan
• Best 5* hotel for a 20-30-something crowd – The Encore or Cosmopolitan, closely followed by the Venetian
• Best 5* hotel for an older crowd – Bellagio or The Wynn
• Biggest Hotel (at the time of writing) The Venetian
• Worst end of town – down town, near the Stratosphere, it can be very dangerous to walk around here at night-do NOT walk off the Strip
• If you are easily offended by pornography or hooker touts approaching you or your partner-this is not the place for you
• DO NOT - buy club tickets from touts on the street. No matter how tempted you are-you could and probably will be scammed.  We made the mistake, and our ‘guest listed status’ never happened.
• If someone offers you a free meal – they are trying to sell you a time share talk which will waste hours of your time if you’re sucked in. There’s no such thing as a free meal-just tell them NO.
• DO – Take pretty flat shoes.  No matter how sexy you want to look at night, there is nothing less sexy than someone who has to hobble in high heels. NOTHING is near by in Las Vegas, even the walk from our room to the Concierge desk took 10 minutes!
• If you dine at Top of The World. Arrive early and wait for a window seat, as they wont reserve them specifically for you
• Check out the sunset time and reserve your table for 45 minutes before sunset, so that you get to watch the sun setting.  If it’s fully booked, at this time-head to Level 107, the bar and take advantage of the 2 for 1 Martinis at Happy Hour whilst you watch it instead.

You can choose delicious entrée selections including Charlie Cut Prime Rib, Cowboy Ribeye, Mustard Crusted Salmon, Steakhouse Filet Mignon, Rack of Lamb, Chicken Madeira and Center Cut Top Sirloin with Shrimp Scampi.

All entrées are also paired with an appetizer, the Unlimited Farmer’s Market Salad Bar and Charlie Brown’s signature fresh baked raisin bread – just right for dad’s appetite. Appetizer items include Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, a Spinach and Mushroom Tart, Shrimp and Lobster Bisque and Shrimp Bruschetta. To finish a truly scrumptious meal, treat yourself to Strawberry Topped Cheesecake or Appleberry Cobbler for an additional cost.

Click here to make your reservation now – hurry only a few days left…

“Say It With Steak” this Father’s Day!

at least it tasted good

i cannot follow a recipe. i always, always stray and do my own thing. my friend and i adore chicken madeira from the cheesecake factory, and i haven’t had it in years. since there is no cheesecake factory in manhattan, i went to my bff google to find out how to make it on my own. i saw lots of recipes (here, here and here) all containing the same instructions and ingredients. so, i decided to use this famous recipe to try to replicate our favorite dish at home.

it ended up tasting good, it’s just that the texture wasn’t right. at all. the “sauce” was so thin it couldn’t stay on the plate – it didn’t thicken.  in my defense, i looked at it while it was cooking and thought “i really need some flour in this” but i figured hey, let’s just stick to the recipe. its famous for a reason.

however, it just takes a little bit of flour to fix so the post is still worth reading plus, misadventures are always fun.

we wanted to make this meal healthy (mac and cheese and chicken pot pies aren’t really the healthiest things to eat), so we dicded to nix the cheese and mashed potatoes and have some extra asparagus. started out by washing, drying and trimming the asparagus.

greeeeen giant! remember those commercials?

toss in some olive oil, freshly cracked salt and pepper.

they were so pretty.

put them in a 425 oven, set the timer for 7 minutes to check. they should have been done in 10 minutes max. however, my oven timer decided not to go off until 3am that night so we ended up with some pretty wrinkly asparagus. lesson – don’t trust the timer.

mishap #1

onto the chicken. using a meat mallet, pound the chicken breasts thin.

i get freaked out by raw chicken

cover the chicken with saran wrap before pounding, unless you want a chickeny-bacteria-ridden mess.

season with salt and pepper.

the one on the left looks like INDIA!

put the chicken breasts in an olive-oiled pan over medium heat.

australia!

cook for about 5 minutes each side or until chicken is browned and done on both sides.

gaga ooh lala

don’t clean the pan when you’re done! brown bits are always good, just as long as you have enough liquid to deglaze with.

put the cooked chicken aside and cover with foil to keep warm.

in the same pan, add some oil and the mushrooms. saute until browned to your liking.

walk walk fashion baby

add in the butter, 2 cups of stock and 3 cups of madeira wine. i used a better quality wine. try not to use cooking wine. when you cook with wine the flavor concentrates, so you want something that you would drink. this wine is pretty flavorful, so only lightly season with salt and pepper.

if you want to try this NOT going by the recipe, i would add 2 spoons of flour to the mushrooms with the butter and let it cook for a minute before adding the liquids.

its a pool!

let it sit and reduce for 20 minutes.

check the line on the pan to see how much it reduced

i let it sit and reduce for 20 minutes, and it reduced, but it did NOT get thick. i let it reduce for a pretty long time after (meanwhile, the asparagus were quickly aging in the oven) and still did not thicken.

if you choose to try this out, make sure to keep stirring for a while after the flour is on there to make sure there are no clumps.

oh yeah, while reaching for the salt, i knocked over the sugar. my friends thought it was hilarious and that i had to document it.

ok, ok. it was an off night.

we got impatient and screwed waiting for it to get thick, bc it wasnt going to. plated the chicken, “sauce” and mushrooms. good thing is – at least it tasted good (minus the wrinkly asparagus)!

looks pretty but try to carry the plate with all that liquid.

oh yeah! and then i spilled “sauce” on the floor.

moral of the story – recipes aren’t ever perfect. ESPECIALLY mine. use them as a guideline, but always follow your instincts and do what you want! after all, it’s just food

This is such a classy, easy dish. It’s flexible and you can serve it with potatoes, rice, egg noodles… pretty much whatever you have on hand will pair nicely with it. It’s great to keep in your hip pocket for those evenings when you want to impress but just don’t have a lot of time to get terribly involved in pulling dinner together. I believe the “classic” recipe uses beef rather than chicken stock. I seldom have beef stock in my pantry, but I always have chicken stock. And, really, I find it just as tasty. The “classic” also employs the help of mozzarella cheese, but I like it fine without and skipping it lets me redirect those calories to mashed potatoes or a piece of crusty bread (or both!).

My Chicken Madeira
2 medium chicken breasts
1/2 pound portabello mushrooms*
1 1/2 cups Madeira wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon crushed black pepper
crushed sea salt to taste

On cutting board, sprinkle chicken with cracked black pepper and sea salt, cover with saran wrap and flatten with mallet until approximately 1/4″ thick. Heat olive oil in pan and fry cutlets for about 4-5 mins each side. Remove from heat, cover and set aside (do not clean pan).

Melt butter in pan and saute the sliced mushrooms for about 3 minutes or until slightly wilted. Add flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Add wine and stock and bring to boil. Lower heat to medium/low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Sauce will thicken and become dark.

Add chicken breasts to sauce; coating well on both sides. Cook for about 3 minutes to warm chicken through. Serve cutlets with sauce drizzled on top.

*Note: Baby portabellos are preferred; however, if you use regular portabellos, be sure to remove the black gills… they’ll just make your sauce muddy looking.