The inspiration for this soup was the cookbook, Twelve Months of Monastery Soups and a container of leftover mashed potatoes. Actually, I’m not sure how this happened as leftover-any-kind-of potaoes are not something we generally have to deal with at this house.

But back to the recipe which is potato dumpling soup. But here’s the thing — I took the cookbook to work, planning on reading through it over lunch but then I left it at work. So, no cookbook that night at home. I totally had to wing it. I think this turned out pretty well as I couldn’t really remember what was in the original recipe and sort of had to come up with my own version of potato dumpling soup.

I was planning on changing it a bit anyway (using broth for the water used in the book and well, adding the porcinis) so it probably wasn’t that big of a deal that I did not have the original recipe to consult.

The recipe uses leftover mashed potatoes, so it’s a great use for those. If you don’t have any leftover, well, just make some, I suppose. I was lucky in that the potatoes I had in the fridge, had some caramelized mushrooms in them, so they went just perfectly in the porcini-flavored soup.

Quite honestly, I was a little concerned that my dumplings would fall apart in the soup but worse case scenario, I figured I would just have potato soup. Not a problem though, as the dumplings cooked perfectly.

Porcini & Potato Dumpling Soup
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium (or 1 large) carrot diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup white wine (I used pinot grigio)
2 cups chicken broth
1 big handful baby spinach
1 1/2 cups leftover mashed potatoes (firm, chilled mashed potatoes will work best here)
1 egg
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 tsp chili oil (Just a mild chili-infused oil (mine was from Trader Joes), not a super-hot chili paste or anything — you could also add just a tiny sprinkle of red pepper flakes in place of the oil)
Optional: 1/4 cup half and half or cream < < I only included this because we had some half and half in the fridge -- uh, I liked it a lot, why does cream have to be bad for you?
Optional: 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley for the potato dumplings << original recipe called for this, I didn't have any parsley, plus my mashed potatoes already had mushrooms in them, so I figured I was good without

Start by covering the dried porcinis with the boiling water, let sit about 15 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft and the water is dark and flavorful.

Add the olive oil to a soup pot over medium heat. Next add the onion, carrots, thyme, garlic, and bay leaf. Saute until soft and just slightly golden. Add a little salt and pepper.

Add the wine and scrape up any tasty things form the bottom of the pot. Then add the chicken broth. Drain the mushroom and add the porcini broth to the pot. Chop up the porcinis and add those as well. Stir and simmer about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Combine the mashed potatoes, egg and flour (as well as parsley if you have some) in a bowl. It’ll probably be a little sticky so get a little flour on your hands to help roll out the dumplings. You can also take a gnocchi-making approach and roll the dough out in longer cylinders, then slice into little pieces. Leave as is or roll the pieces into balls — your choice.

Add the chili oil to the soup and then the cream or half and half, if using. Stir in the spinach and let it wilt while you bring the soup back up to a low boil. Then, add the potato dumplings. Simmer, without stirring or moving the dumplings around too much, for about 10 more minutes. The dumplings should be pretty firm at this point and ready to go.

Taste and adjust any seasonings.

Ladle into bowls and serve with bread — we had some toasted pumpernickel that I drizzled with olive oil, then sprinkled with Parmesan cheese before placing under the broiler.

This recipe is from Fondue: Great Food to Dip, Dunk, Savor and Swirl by Rick Rodgers. I think I’ve had it for about five years but I haven’t used it before this batch of fondue. Why use it now? Well, jwa got me this awesome fondue pot for my birthday! It was on my Amazon wish list but I didn’t really expect to get it (because, dude, it’s a $135(!!) fondue pot), and he completely surprised me with it.

I thought he was going to get me the tea kettle on my list and I picked up the box and thought, “Damn. This is very heavy for a tea pot.” Well, that’s because it was a cast iron fondue pot. Hooray!

For the first recipe, I thought and thought. Then I thought about it some more. What is worthy of the first fondue in this great new pot? Well, one that has red wine, a whole block of Tillamook extra sharp cheddar and two heads of roasted garlic, that’s what.

For the fuel, I went to the Williams-Sonoma by work and got a 3-pack of those gel tubs for fondue pots. It worked just fine in the burner. Oh and in my haste to start snacking (I mean, c’mon — it’s a whole pot of melted cheese and wine!!!), I forgot to wipe down the edges of the pot. So, pictures are not as pretty but we were dipping faster. Hey, it’s a trade off I’m willing to live with.

Cheddar, Roasted Garlic and Zinfandel Fondue
1 cup Zinfandel wine
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup roasted garlic puree (2 heads of garlic, roasted, then squeezed out and mashed with a fork)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Start by preparing your dippers. Cut up the bread, blanch the broccoli and brown the sausage.

When that is all done, bring the zinfandel and red wine vinegar to a simmer in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Then, in a bowl, toss the grated cheeses with the cornstarch. Add a handful of the cheese at a time to the simmering wine and vinegar, stirring until melted. Continue adding by the handfuls until it is all incorporated.

Next, whisk in the roasted garlic and add the pepper flakes. Taste and add a little salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the fondue to a fondue pot and serve immediately. Keep hot over a fondue burner. Dip with broccoli, browned turkey sausage and hunks of bread — we used cubes of pumpernickel and some olive ciabatta.

For the broccoli, I just blanched the broccoli in boiling water for about 2 minutes.

Using the cheddar worked pretty well. The fondue had a very smooth consistency at first but towards the end of the pot, it did get a little grainy. I didn’t mind too much (and jwa not at all) because the flavor was so good. I’m thinking some sort of chocolatey dessert fondue next.

Edited to add: Round Up is up.

Waiter, There’s Something in my…#2, is hosted this month by Cook Sister. I had to think long and hard for this event. Pie. What kind of pie? It’s winter, so no peach pie. A savory pie? Maybe. Hmmm… This clearly was going to take some effort.

One of the requirements for the pie, is that it is covered with two crusts (as opposed to an open-face type of pie). In the end, I chose sweet and went with a ginger pear pie because it sounded interesting and also, I like pears a lot. And jwa likes pie in general, so it was a good choice all around. This was also the first time I had ever made a closed-variety, two-crust type of pie.

The recipe comes from Bon Appétit Magazine and I made it pretty much exactly as written. I used the suggested Buttermilk Pie Crust recipe and it turned out really well. You could also use a prepared pie dough but this one was very easy to make. You could even make it ahead of time and have it all ready for when you want a pie. And who doesn’t want a pie at some point in a given week?

Ginger Pear Pie with Golden Raisins
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp minced crystallized ginger
3 pounds ripe medium pears (about 6 - 7), peeled, cored, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 Buttermilk Pie Crust Dough disks (or two prepared pie dough rounds) — recipe below
1 egg
2 tbsp milk

When the liquid is mostly absorbed, it should look like this

Combine raisins and ginger in heavy small saucepan. Add enough water to just cover. Simmer over low heat until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Combine pears and next 7 ingredients in bowl. Stir in raisin mixture. Roll out 1 pie crust disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick).

Roll up dough on rolling pin and transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie plate. Gently press into place. Trim edges of crust, leaving 1/4-inch overhang. Spoon pear mixture into pan, mounding in center.

Roll out second crust disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch-diameter round. Roll up on rolling pin and unroll over pie. Trim edges, leaving 3/4 -inch overhang. Fold overhang of top crust under edge of bottom crust. In terms of trimming the crust, I try to err on the side of not trimming enough. I figure a bit too much is much easier to work with than not enough.

Not perfect. but it got the job done

Pinch edges together to seal. Crimp edges to make decorative border. Gather and reroll scraps. Cut out decorative shapes. Beat egg with milk in small bowl for glaze. Brush top of pie with glaze. Make several slashes in top crust so steam can escape. I did not go super fancy here — I just used a biscuit cutter with decorative edges, cut out two of those, quartered them and arranged on top. If you have a leaf cookie cutter or a pear cookie cutter that would look really nice on top of the pie! Or just be lazy like me and cut out a circle.

Bake the pie until crust is golden brown and the juices bubble up through slashes. Cover the crust edges with foil if the top of the pie is browning too quickly, about 1 hour.

My edges did start to get a little brown after about 40 minutes, so I cut out a foil edge-protector

Remove from oven and let cool a little bit. I believe we dug into it after about a half an hour. Use your own discretion here.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and you will think you have gone to pie heaven. Wow. This was really good. In fact, I am thinking the next time I host Thanksgiving (ha! Not next year! Hooray for jwa’s aunt!) I will include this in addition to a pumpkin pie.

Oh, so here’s the crust recipe. You will probably need this too.

Buttermilk Pie Crust Dough
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermilk

Combine flour, sugar and salt in large bowl. Add butter and shortening. Cut in using fingers, pastry blender or food processor (pulses!) until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir with fork until moist clumps form (or pulse with the processor).

Press together to form dough. Divide dough in half. Gather dough into balls; flatten into disks.

Wrap separately and chill 1 hour. (Can be prepared ahead. Refrigerate 1 week or freeze 1 month. Let dough stand at room temperature to soften slightly before using.) Makes enough for 2 crusts.

Thanks again to Cook Sister for hosting this month’s event!

Super Foods Friday overslept this morning and then took the day off. Lazy Super Foods Friday! SFF should be back next Friday. Sunday night the Pear Ginger Pie should be up. Really.

Next week: fondue, a creme brulee and who knows what else!

Pork Tenderloin en Croute with Creole Mustard Sauce
This makes a really great Sunday night dinner or whenever you have some extra time. It’s pretty easy (although there are a number of steps) and it also looks very impressive, so it would be good for company. I saw this on Emeril Live and although I wanted to turn the channel, I just couldn’t because, hello!, he was was wrapping a pork tenderloin in puff pastry! How can I turn away from that? Exactly, I couldn’t.

Speaking of couldn’t — I could not find Creole mustard so I just used regular Dijon mustard and added some Creole seasoning blend that I had in the cabinet. Seemed to work just fine. If you don’t have Creole seasoning I would mix some onion powder (1 tsp), garlic powder (1 tsp), celery seed (1/2 tsp), a little cayenne pepper (pinch), sweet paprika (1/4 tsp) and some dried basil and oregano together (1/4 tsp each). Then use about 1/2 teaspoon of that mixture in the sauce.

For the tenderloin and pastry:
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 pork tenderloin, trimmed of all fat and silver skin
Salt & pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onions
1/2 cup diced celery
3/4 cup diced, seeded green bell pepper
1/2 tsp fresh chopped thyme leaves
Pinch cayenne
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 (17.25-ounce) package frozen puff pastry, 1 sheet thawed
2 tbsp plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 large egg
1 tbsp water

For the Creole mustard cream sauce:
1 tbsp AP flour
2 tbsp Creole mustard (or regular Dijon mustard and 1/2 tsp creole seasoning blend)
1 1/3 cups chicken stock
2/3 cup heavy cream (oh, go ahead — splurge!)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Let’s start…
Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with the non-stick agent of your choice — non-stick spray, butter or olive oil. Set aside.

Season the pork tenderloin on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tenderloin; reduce the heat to medium, and brown evenly on all sides. Cook, turning frequently, until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 110 degrees F, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the tenderloin from the skillet and allow to cool for 30 minutes.

In the same skillet (you could also use a clean one, but I figure why waste any pork drippings), heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery and green bell peppers.

Saute until vegetables are tender and any released juices have evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the thyme, a little pepper, a pinch of salt and a pinch of cayenne and cook for 1 additional minute. Remove the vegetables from the skillet and place in a bowl. Stir in the parsley and allow mixture to cool for about 10 minutes. Set aside 1/2 cup of the vegetable mixture for the sauce.

On a lightly floured work surface, lightly roll 1 sheet of the puff pastry to a 12 by 13-inch rectangle. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the bread crumbs evenly over the puff pastry, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Spread the grated cheese over the breadcrumbs.

Pat the seared tenderloin dry. Spread the unreserved vegetable mixture onto half of the puff pastry, over the breadcrumbs and cheese. Place the tenderloin over the vegetables, so that it is parallel to the shorter side of the pastry.

Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the egg wash around the 1-inch border of the pastry. Gently lift the pastry around the tenderloin, and continue rolling the tenderloin in the pastry, jellyroll style. Use the egg wash to seal the edges of the pastry. I used the present wrapping technique of folding the end pieces up to the side and then sealing.

Place the tenderloin, seam-side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Make a decorative cross-hatch pattern across the tops of the pastries, being careful not to cut through the pastry. Brush the top and side of the pastries evenly with the remaining egg wash. Refrigerate the tenderloin in pastry for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Now, in terms of planning the meal out, it worked well to start the sauce right after I put the tenderloin in the oven.

Making the Creole mustard cream sauce:
Heat the reserved vegetables in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the mustard (and Creole seasoning if using plain Dijon mustard) and continue to cook for 1 more minute.

Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook, over medium-low heat until sauce is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Season sauce with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Set sauce aside and serve warm or at room temperature.

Place the tenderloins in the preheated oven and bake for 22 - 25 minutes, or until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 150 - 155 degrees F. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve sliced, with the Creole Mustard Cream Sauce.

We also had this with some wild rice and pan seared asparagus. For just the two of us, one tenderloin worked perfectly. We both had two slices each for dinner and two leftover slices each for lunch, along with some leftover sauce. It was a very decadent and tasty lunch.

Ashland for the Shakespeare Festival
I recently got an e-mail from the Winchester Inn (which we call “The Winchester Mystery Inn”, having lived in the Bay Area), offering one night’s lodging, $30 coupon towards dinner in the dining room — hey, it’s about a free bottle of wine — tickets to a play for two and a hot breakfast the next morning. Needless to say, I picked a date, a room from the Web site, decided which play I wanted to see and called jwa to let him know about this mini-getaway all in a span of 30 minutes from getting the e-mail. I’m very easily convinced to return to places we like a lot.

On April 15th, while others are slugging away on their taxes (due Tues, the 17th this year) we’ll be kicking back in Ashland, enjoying a lovely dinner at the Winchester and seeing Tracy’s Tiger. This works out very well, as it is sold out for our traditional Ashland trip in October and I couldn’t get tickets, which made me very sad. Now I am happy.

Since we do go to Ashland every year, I figured I’d throw out a few recommendations. Although, be warned, lodging reservations should be made as early as possible. Depending on when you go, things might be booked up to a year in advance. Seriously. I know. I was shocked too when I had to scramble one year to find a place to stay. This is especially true for the first weekend in October.

Winchester (Mystery) Inn
A cross between a B&B and small hotel. Breakfast is included in the morning and is big and satisfying. Usually a choice between some sort of pancake/waffle option and a savory egg dish. Includes fruit, coffee and juice. We’ve only stayed in one room — The Sunset Room — which was very nice, albeit a bit small.

The Sunset Room

There is an awesome, private balcony though, so it was worth it. The rooms are a bit pricey though,$145 - $250, so you may want to save it for a special occasion.

Abbott’s Cottages
Our new favorite place to stay. They fill up very quick, though. Studio, one-bedroom and multiple bedroom “cottages” with kitchens, tile floors, balconies/patios and cuteness. Behind Al’s Pancake World. Okay, fine, Al’s diner. We’ve stayed in the Egret and the Duck. Rates are very reasonable, starting at $110 for a studio cottage and going up to $230 for a 3-bedroom rental house.

Casa Bella — Backyard Bungalow
We stayed here once and it was very, very cute but a little small. Lots of character. There’s a small kitchen, a small bathroom, closet and a bedroom/sitting area. The price is very good at $85-125/night (depending on season) and there is a parking spot located a few steps outside the kitchen door. It’s attached to a larger rental house, but still managed to seem pretty quiet and private. A good deal for Ashland. The Web site doesn’t seem to work anymore — not sure if this place is still available.

Fiddle Family Inn — The Cottage
Small one bedroom cottage, with a back deck and a soaking tub. We stayed here once and while it was nice, it was nothing special for the price of $150/night. Based on the outside, which is very cute, I was expecting more from the inside, which just looked like an ordinary, “first apartment” type interior. Also, there was no parking spot included. Not a big issue as we had no problem finding a spot on the street, but for $150 I’d like off-street parking. The owner was extremely nice though, so it’d be an okay choice if you looked and looked and everything else was booked.

Manor Motel
Ashland on a budget. We stayed here last year three nights and saved enough money to splurge and stay at the Winchester for one night. This is a very good deal. Rooms start at $65 a night and go up to $95 for multiple bedrooms. The website makes it look slightly nicer than it really is, though and the kitchens are very dated. That said, it was a perfectly nice place to stay as long as you’re not expecting a $150/night type of room. I did really like sitting at the kitchen table in the morning, having coffee and reading. There is also a picnic table outside and a back gate that leads out into the neighborhood.

I forget the room number that we had…

The owner was very friendly and out in the morning doing yard work on the property. I could not, however, stop myself from wondering how nice our room would be with new carpeting (or even better, hardwood floors), some bright wall paint, new artwork and a new, unstained chair. But then again, if you’re looking to save a few bucks and don’t care about fanciness or cuteness in your lodging, this is a great option.

Places we haven’t stayed at but I’d either like to or have heard good things about…

Ashland Springs Hotel
Right downtown, looks very nice. One day we’ll splurge and try it.

The Palm
We almost stayed here the first year we went but then I found a rental cottage to stay at instead (that place is no longer available). This looks like a great deal and people on Tripadvisor.com seem to like it too. It’s probably a bit longer walk to downtown than most places we stay at but then, walking is good for you so that’s not a bad thing. $64 - $169/night.

Restaurants coming soon…

It was so pretty, I just had to take a picture…

Last weekend jwa and I went out for lunch and had enough food so that neither of us was starving that evening. At the same time, we both wanted a little something for dinner. Enter the English muffin pizza — a staple of my youth and it turns out, his too. Toast an English muffin, spread with tomato sauce, top with appropriate toppings (in this case onion, cheese, tomato and garlic) and stick under the broiler until toasty. Takes five minutes to make and it hits the spot as required.

That is all. Spent a long weekend in Gearhart (two meals at Pacific Way Cafe!) and am too lazy to post about Pear-Ginger Pie tonight. Perhaps tomorrow.

This month’s Sugar High Friday is Sweet Seduction and is hosted by Confessions of a Cardamom Addict. In honor of the theme, I have made a batch of brownies that have a little bit of everything. Sugar. Spice. Chocolate. Nuts. Coffee. Something for everyone — hopefully one of those ingredients will work for you (or your intended).

This recipe is kind of based on something a co-worker brought into work during the holidays — except different. After finding a recipe that was similar to those gingerbread brownies, I added espresso, pecans and extra chocolate chips and the result was a little spicy, a little chocolatey, very moist and completely addictive.

I bet if you baked someone a batch of these you could have your wicked way with them. Or something like that… Or maybe just sit on the couch, turn out the lights, snuggle and watch Tron together. It’s all good.

Chocolate, Gingerbread and Pecan Brownies
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 cup AP Flour
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp instant espresso
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup toasted pecans
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Melt the butter and 1/2 cup of the chocolate together in a double boiler (or some sort of glass/metal bowl set over simmering water). Stir in the espresso and set aside.

Combine eggs, sugar and spices (salt too) and place in an electric mixer — mix until it gets all ribbon-like.

Mix the chocolate and butter mixture into the sugar and egg mixture. Sift flour and combine into brownie mixture in 1/3 increments continue to fold until well incorporated. I just used my stand mixer for this part too. Add the 1/4 cup remaining chocolate chips and the pecans. Mix just to combine.

Pour into a buttered and floured 9 inch X 9 inch baking pan. Bake at 325 degree oven and rotate every 15 or so minutes. Continue cooking for 35-40 min.

The top should be all nice and crinkly when you remove from the oven. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Let cool and then cut into pieces.

Enjoy with someone you love. Thanks again to Confessions of a Cardamom Addict for hosting this month’s event!

Anthony Bourdain on Paula Deen (ew!): “I’m reluctant to bash what seems to be a nice old lady. Even if her supporting cast is beginning to look like the Hills Have Eyes–and her food a True Buffet of Horrors.”

Read it all at here: A Bourdain Throwdown on Ruhlman.com.

If you’re like me, you may have a bag of frozen cranberries somewhere in the back of your freezer. You go to the freezer, open the door, and wonder aloud what to make for dinner. And then you see it — the bag of red little berries, beckoning to you from across the tofu blintzes, Boca burgers and frozen lamb sausage.

Thanksgiving was three long months ago and that bag of Ocean Spray’s not getting any younger.

So, I grabbed my bag out of the freezer and made this meal, which is based on a recipe by Michael Chiarello for Turkey Scallopine. I watch his show every so often and he seems kind of annoying with his Napa! Napa! Fabulous Napa! but a lot of times the things he makes look good to me. I roll my eyes and my stomach growls. I’m very conflicted but also hungry. So there you go. Hunger wins.

Chicken Scallopine with Mustard Cranberry Sauce
2 chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Coating:
1 cup fine dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Several grinds black pepper
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 egg
Olive oil, for frying

Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Work in the olive oil by hand, then spread the mixture on a dinner plate. Spread the flour on another dinner plate. Break the egg into a shallow bowl and beat lightly.

Pound out the chicken breasts by placing them between plastic wrap. Season with salt and pepper and press the seasonings into the meat with your fingers. Dip the chicken in the flour, coating both sides and shaking off the excess. Then dip in the egg, letting any excess drip back into the bowl. Finally, coat the chicken on both sides with the seasoned bread crumbs, pressing them into place.

Heat a large skillet over high heat until very hot. Add olive oil to a depth of about 1/4-inch. When the oil is hot add the chicken scallopine. Cook until the cutlets are golden on the bottom, a couple of minutes. Turn and cook on the second side for a minute or two longer. With tongs, lift the pieces as they are done, allowing any excess oil to drain back into the skillet, and transfer to several thicknesses of paper towels.

Divide the chicken among your plates, placing them in the center. Spoon a little Mustard Cranberry Sauce on each side chicken scallopine. You know, the sauce you made before cooking the chicken. Yeah, that sauce.

Mustard Cranberry Sauce
1 cups sugar
3/4 cups water
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 (12-ounce) bags fresh or frozen cranberries
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp fresh chopped thyme

In a large pot combine the sugar and water and boil to form a syrup. Add the orange zest and simmer briefly. Add the orange juice, cranberries and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the cranberries start to pop, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add mustard and thyme. Serve over your chicken. Save any leftover sauce for other purposes.