The Secret Recipe Blog

Mushrooms were on sale at my local grocery this week, so I figured why not try out this classic Olive Garden dish!  I was able to prepare this in a flash and for a fraction of the cost of eating out.
Ingredients:
4 Chicken half breasts – boneless, skinless
1/4 C. cake flour (Wondra)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Oregano
4 Tbsp. Oil
4 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1 C. Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 C. Marsala Wine

Preparation:
Combine flour, salt, pepper, and oregano in a shallow dish.  Heat the oil and butter in a skillet until it begins to bubble lightly. Dredge the chicken in the flour, coat evenly. Cook the chicken on medium heat for about 2 minutes on the first side, until lightly brown. As you flip the breasts to the second side, add the mushrooms around the chicken pieces. Cook about 2 more minutes, until lightly browned on the second side. Stir the mushrooms. Once the second side is lightly browned, add the wine around the pieces, cover the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Transfer to plates and serve.

(37 votes, average: 3.78 out of 5)

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Everyone loves fried mozzarella or mozzarella sticks as many call them.  This recipe is both easy and inexpensive and goes great when watching the game on TV!

Ingredients:
16 oz Package of Mozzarella Cheese
2 Eggs Beaten
1/4 Cup Water
1 1/2 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 teaspoon Italian Seasonings
2/3 Cup Flour
1/3 Cup Corn Starch

Preparation:
Cut the mozzarella into either triangles or sticks.  Beat the eggs with water and set aside.  Mix the bread crumbs, garlic salt, and Italian seasonings and set aside. Blend the flour with corn starch and set aside.  Heat your vegetable oil for deep frying to 360 degrees. Dip cheese in flour then in egg wash and then coat with bread crumbs. Place carefully in hot oil and fry until golden, this takes just a few seconds so watch carefully. When golden remove from hot oil and drain .
Serve with marinara sauce.

(26 votes, average: 3.92 out of 5)

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I love the taste of scampi, yet I’m not a huge seafood lover. I always turn to the alternative, chicken scampi. Olive Garden makes an incredible chicken scampi and now you can prepare this dish at home.

WHITE SAUCE:
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup milk; hot

SCAMPI SAUCE:
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons garlic, crushed
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
black pepper to taste
3/4 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white sauce

REMAINING INGREDIENTS:
1/2 package angel hair pasta, cooked and drained
bell peppers; thinly sliced
red onions; thinly sliced
10 cloves of garlic; roasted
2 chicken breasts; sliced
olive oil

For white sauce:
Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a sauce pan, add 2 tablespoons flour and cook for 2 minutes on medium heat stirring constantly. Slowly add 3/4 cup hot milk (hot so it won’t get lumpy). Set aside. (Keep the white sauce hot until you add to the scampi sauce)

For scampi sauce:
Heat butter over low heat; add the garlic, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper and black pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes on low heat. Add the wine and chicken broth. Stir until combined and simmer about 30 minutes. Add the white sauce and cook till slightly thickened. In a large skillet, saute chicken in a little olive oil until almost done. Add the peppers and onions, then saute until chicken is cooked through. Add the sauce. Saute until everything is warmed. Add roasted garlic cloves. Serve over pasta.  Pour a little of the leftover white sauce over the dish.

(137 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)

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I can’t get enough Olive Garden.  I always leave that restaurant STUFFED!  Recently, I discovered the secret to their spaghetti sauce.  Now I can enjoy their Tuscan flavors at home.

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground round
6 oz V-8 juice
2 Tablespoon Oil
1  jar Prego Spaghetti Sauce
1 Can stewed tomatoes, (14 ounces)
1 Envelope onion soup mix
1/2 c Grape jelly

Brown meat in oil until cooked. Crumble with fork, then drain.  Stir in tomatoes, V-9 juice, Prego, soup mix and grape jelly.  Cook, stirring often, 15 to 20 minutes or until jelly melts and sauce is piping hot.

Serve with your favorite pasta.   Don’t forget the bread sticks! 

(123 votes, average: 3.58 out of 5)

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