Monthly Archives: October 2011

The Secret Garden

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A mysterious garden hidden behind a high brick wall, a key stashed away in a forgotten room, and a young, bored and curious girl set the stage for an exciting and engaging story. My favorite childhood novel was Francis Hodgson Burnett’s classic The Secret Garden. I think at the time I was drawn in by the mystery of the secret and my fascination with wild, unkempt English gardens. That must explain the state of my own yard today!

My mother was an avid member of the local Garden Club and even involved me in some of the youth flower arranging competitions. I think these activities nurtured in me a love of growing things, as I always had flowers on my windowsill while I was growing up. Nonetheless, I dreamed of the day when I, too, would have a large expanse of garden to till and plant and watch with joy as the beautiful mass of color burst into life with the warm winds of spring.

Alas, by the time I had such space to enjoy, the responsibilities of every day life had crept in to steal my time and prevent my enjoyment of reckless abandon in the garden. So, while I love The Secret Garden I think I also envy Mary Lennox, who has the time and space to toil endlessly in the garden and then to enjoy the fruits of her labor.

She is also able to lure her chronically ill cousin Colin out of doors and he discovers the healing power of the garden. I can relate to that power – there is no quicker way for me to release tension and feel utterly relaxed than for me to spend a few minutes puttering in my garden.

The Best Olive Garden Recipes

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The Olive Garden restaurant is known for their unlimited salad and bread sticks and romantic Italian atmosphere. The Olive Garden is a great place to eat, but my budget doesn’t allow me to eat out as much as I did a few years ago. Fortunately, you can find some of their recipes online and make them at home! I wanted to take just a moment and give you my Top 3 Olive Garden recipe recommendations. With these recipes, you can impress all of your friends!

Olive Garden Chicken Vino Bianco
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
1/4-1/2 cup sliced onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine (I like Bella Sera Pino Grigio)
salt
pepper
2 cups sliced mushrooms
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 cup roma tomatoes
cooked linguine or fettuccine

Heat oil in skillet on med-high heat.
Lightly dredge chicken breats in flour, season with salt and pepper and brown sides in skillet and remove onto plate until later.
Stir in onions, garlic, and butter, cook until tender; then add mushrooms and cook until golden.
Stir in wine and bring to a simmer.
Return chicken to the pan, and cook over med-high heat until chicken is done; add tomatoes and cook until tender.
Serve over cooked fetticuine or liguine noodles.
2007 Recipezaar. All Rights Reserved

Olive Garden Parmesan Crusted Chicken Recipe
1 cup Plain Bread Crumbs
2 tablespoons Flour
1/4 cup Kraft Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Milk
6 (1/2″) Thick Pieces of Chicken Breast Strips (chicken tenders)
Vegetable Oil (frying)
2 cups dry Bowtie Pasta
2 tablespoons Butter
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Crushed Garlic
1/2 cup White Table Wine (Chablis)
1/4 cup Water
2 tablespoons Flour
3/4 cup Half and Half
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Basil Leaves
3/4 cup Mild Asiago Cheese (finely grated)

***Garnish***
4 Broccoli Florets (lightly steamed)
2 White Mushrooms (quartered lightly steamed)
1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
2. Wash and drain chicken strips.
3. Mix breadcrumbs, flour, and Parmesan cheese together. Place milk in dish for dipping. Dip chicken in breadcrumb mixture and then in milk and then back in breadcrumbs.
4. Place in fry pan that the oil has been heated and fry at medium to medium low temperature until golden. Remove and drain chicken.
5. In a saucepan on medium heat, melt butter, add olive oil. Whisk in flour until mixture is blended. Quickly add garlic, water, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt stir well. Add wine and blend. Immediately add half and half and sour cream stir. When mixture is smooth add grated cheese stir until melted. Finally sprinkle fresh basil in the sauce and stir lightly and remove from heat.
6. Place 2 cups pasta in individual pasta dish. Spoon about 1/2 – 3/4 cup sauce over pasta, add broccoli and mushrooms. Place Parmesan Chicken on pasta and sprinkle red crushed pepper and add grated Parmesan cheese if desired.
Cdkitchen.com

Olive Garden Stuffed Mushrooms
8 – 12 Fresh Mushrooms
1 (6 oz.) Can Clams (drained and finely minced) (save 1/4 cup of clam juice for stuffing)
1 Green Onions (chopped finely, about 1 Tbsp.)
1 Egg (beaten)
1/2 tsp. Minced Garlic
1/8 tsp. Garlic Salt
1/2 C. Italian Style Bread Crumbs
1tsp. Oregano Leaves
1 Tbsp. Melted Butter (cool)
2 Tbsp. Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp. Finely Grated Romano Cheese
2 Tbsp. Finely Grated Mozzarella Cheese (for stuffing)
1/4 C. Finely Grated Mozzarella Cheese (for garnish)
1/4 C. Melted Butter

Wash and remove stems from mushrooms, pat dry. Save stems for another recipe. In mixing bowl place clams, onions, garlic salt, minced garlic, butter and oregano. Mix through and blend well. Add Italian bread crumbs, egg, clam juice and blend. Stir cheeses in clam stuffing and mix well.
Place clam mixture inside mushroom cavity and slightly mound clam mixture. You should be able to stuff between 8 – 12 mushrooms depending on the size of mushrooms.

Place mushrooms in slightly oiled baking dish. Pour butter over mushrooms. Cover and place in a preheated oven at 350 decrease for about 35 – 40 minutes. Remove cover and sprinkle freshly grated mozzarella cheese on top and pop back in oven just so the cheese melts slightly, garnish with freshly diced parsley.

Olive Garden: A New Way to Experience Fine Dining

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Are you for some authentic Italian food? Well, Olive Garden is bringing the Italian cuisine closer to you wherever you are in the United States! With its famous chain of restaurants offering genuine Italian delicacies, you won’t feel that far away from your beloved Italy. From the food offered to the ambience of the restaurant, you will feel at home in this fine dining place. So, what makes this restaurant different? What is its magic that it’s able to attract a wide group of people? Well, there are many reasons.

• Its authentic Italian cuisine. When you visit this restaurant for some Italian dining experience, you won’t be disappointed. It’s nothing like other cheap restaurants out there doing some lousy imitation of Italian food. When you go for Olive Garden, you are sure to get only first-class, original Italian taste that you will surely look forward to next time. And, this can be attributed to the next two points mentioned below.

• Its use of fresh ingredients. When you go for this restaurant, one of the first things that you will notice is the richness of its food. You can attribute that to the fact that the restaurant uses only the freshest ingredients available. From cheese to wine, all these are of the finest quality and they are used to enhance the taste.

• Its skilled chefs. The use of the finest ingredients is one thing; having professional and highly trained people prepare them is another. And the good thing is, you get both from Olive Garden. Its chefs are trained from its very own Culinary Institute of Tuscany, so you can expect the best of both worlds.

• Its great selection. While you may think that Italian food revolves around pasta, you’ll be amazed at the great selection offered by this restaurant. From its main menus (lunch and dinner) to its dessert and beverages, you will never run out of choices. It even caters to budget-conscious individuals with its Garden Fare options, so it’s really for everybody.

• It’s easy on the pocket. Most fine dining restaurants often come at a high price, but you will be glad to know that you can still enjoy the food that this restaurant offers at a low price because there are coupons available. You can enjoy as much as 10% off on your favorite dish with these coupons.

So when it comes to Italian food, then Olive Garden should always be on top of that list.