Flavor Friday

I planned ahead since I knew I was going to be out a lot and I wanted to come home and just eat some leftovers. I hate leftovers....so I made stuff that actually tastes good when it is heated up again.

Here are 2 things I made in advance:

Baked Pasta with Tomatoes, Sausage, and Cheese

and

Chicken Marbella

(I call it Jen's Chicken because she brought it over as one of my meals after I had the baby. You have to like some stuff that some people have a hard time with: capers, olives, and prunes. Yeah. Prunes. I was a little worried about the prunes myself but it turns out the whole combo is pretty tasty).

Here is the recipe:

2 1/2lb whole chicken (cut up) OR you can just use chicken breasts
1 head garlic (5 -6 cloves) chopped
1/4 cup oregano
salt/pepper
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup spanish green olives
1/2 cup capers (with a little juice)
6 bay leaves
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup cilantro or italian parsley (optional)

Combine all ingredients (except the last three) in a bowl. Coat the chicken and marinate overnight.

I keep the skin side down and use a 13 x 9 casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top and pour the white wine around the perimeter of the dish. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently. Garnish with cilantro or parsley. It goes great with couscous.

When cooled, I pour the leftover juice from the pan into a Ziplock with chicken breasts. I freeze and then use for another dinner.