Marguerites Cookbook

A cooking blog all about making vintage recipes from a cookbook we inherited from our grandmother

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January 21, 2017 by: Shannon and Aaron

Chicken and Mushrooms

ChickenandMushroomsHeader This week we decided we would take a break from desserts (I’m sure we’ll make more soon) and leftover casseroles to make an actual meal. This chicken and mushrooms recipe is healthier than some and has a relatively short ingredient list. The instructions were interesting and included things I had not encountered before, which was fun!

Here’s what Marguerite had to say:

Chicken and mushrooms recipe

First thing, this recipe threw me a curve ball. I had never browned the outside of a chicken breast and then removed it from heat to cook other parts of the meal. I found this incredibly interesting and I still don’t know why this recipe called for that, but it ended up working out just fine! I have really grown to like mushrooms since I was little. Mushrooms were on that long list of foods I didn’t like because I had never tried them before . . . Anyway . . . the smell of the mushrooms and garlic cooking made us excited to try this.

Chicken and Mushrooms

The next step was to add the wine. In looking up types of wines used in cooking, I found that the best choice for a chicken dish like this was a dry, oaky white. I ended up choosing a Chardonnay. After adding the chicken stock and stirring everything together, it was time to put the chicken breasts back in.

Chicken Mushrooms

While Marguerite didn’t suggest this, we decided that after eight or nine minutes of cooking we should flip the chicken breasts over to finish them. We even ended up cooking the chicken longer than Marguerite suggested (something I never thought I would do!) We decided to pair it with rice, although mashed potatoes would have been a delicious addition to this chicken and mushrooms recipe as well.

Mushrooms and Chicken

The chicken stock, wine, garlic, and parsley really soaked in to both the chicken and mushrooms. Cooking the chicken in the amount of liquid present at a lower temperature helped the meat soak up the liquid and not dry out. The chicken was tasty, but for me the real star of this dish was the mushrooms. Shannon is more a fan of mushrooms in creamy dishes, so she wasn’t as crazy about this.  In the end, this chicken and mushrooms recipe was a success but was still rather simple. If you like mushrooms or do chicken a lot and need another recipe to mix it up, this is definitely one to keep in mind.

Mushrooms Chicken

Chicken and Mushrooms
Print Recipe
  • CourseMain Dish
Servings
2 chicken breasts
Cook Time
30 minutes
Servings
2 chicken breasts
Cook Time
30 minutes
Chicken and Mushrooms
Print Recipe
  • CourseMain Dish
Servings
2 chicken breasts
Cook Time
30 minutes
Servings
2 chicken breasts
Cook Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
Servings: chicken breasts
Instructions
  1. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to skillet on high heat. Brown each side of the chicken breasts and then remove chicken from heat.
  2. Add another tbsp of olive oil, then the mushrooms and garlic. Cover and cook three minutes. Then uncover and cook mushrooms until brown over medium heat.
  3. Add the wine and increase heat to high. Cook until about half the wine has cooked off.
  4. Add the chicken stock and parsley and reduce heat to half.
  5. Add chicken. Cook 6-8 minutes per side, or until done.
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January 7, 2017 by: Shannon and Aaron

Spaghetti Sauce

spaghetti sauce header

Happy New Year from Marguerite’s Cookbook! Aaron here, and starting now on Marguerite’s cookbook, I will be writing the posts.  We decided that since Marguerite was my grandmother and Shannon consulted with me quite a bit when writing posts this past year, it would make more sense if they came from my perspective. And now, on to our first post of 2017!

spaghetti sauce

With the cold of winter all around us, now is a good time to have simple meals that can keep you warm. What could be better than a nice homemade spaghetti sauce? Marguerite’s spaghetti sauce is very simple with only a few basic ingredients, making it a perfect easy sauce recipe.

Here’s what Marguerite had to say:

spaghetti sauce recipe

We decided to skip the mushrooms in this sauce, because, not everything needs mushrooms. In typical Marguerite fashion, we were missing some information. Such as: how many ounces were the standard cans of ingredients back in her day?We turned again to my mom to ask what the typical can sizes would have been at the time. She distinctly remembered Marguerite using the small 6 0z cans of tomato paste. So with all my questions answered, it was time to make some sauce. While making this we totally couldn’t stop saying “sauce” in very bad long-island accents.

spaghetti meat sauce

As I mentioned before, this recipe has very few ingredients. Even though the spaghetti sauce has to simmer for quite a while, it was nice to only need about ten minutes of prep before this recipe was cooking on its own. Checking on it now and then, plus making sure to stir it occasionally, the three hours went by smoothly and at the end we had an easily made sauce. After cooking up some spaghetti (appropriate) to go with our sauce, it was time to try it out.

meat spaghetti sauce

The theme of this sauce was simple and that is also how it tasted. I really mean simple in a good way, in that there weren’t too many flavors crammed into this. I thought it was very tasty and I enjoyed it, but I also felt it was just a little too thin. Shannon thought it was delicious and it reminded her of her Italian grandmother’s homemade spaghetti sauce a bit as well. All in all, a great homemade spaghetti sauce!

meat sauce

Spaghetti Sauce
Print Recipe
  • CourseMain Dish
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
Spaghetti Sauce
Print Recipe
  • CourseMain Dish
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 tbsp minced onion
  • 3 6 oz cans tomato paste
  • 1 29 oz can spaghetti sauce
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 6 6 oz cans water
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Brown ground beef with onion in a skillet.
  2. Combine tomato paste, spaghetti sauce, garlic, and 5 cans of water in a large saucepan. Add ground beef to mixture, and use final 6 oz can of water to rinse skillet.
  3. Simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
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December 3, 2016 by: Shannon and Aaron

Cheese Log

Cheese Log Header

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it is officially the holiday season! And that means the start of holiday party season. So here at Marguerite’s Cookbook, we have a series of party recipes you can make for guests or take to someone else’s party. Let’s start with an extremely simple but fancy looking one: a cheese log.

Cheese Log with crackers

Here’s Marguerite’s typically brief instructions:

cheese log recipe

With such a short ingredient list, this is an easy and quick recipe to throw together. Aaron, however, did not really think through what making a cheese log would be like, and didn’t know he would have to grate all the cheese in order to form in into a log that consisted of the other ingredients on the list. I’m not sure how he thought it would happen. Magic maybe? Luckily we had one of those fancy parmesan cheese graters laying around which made it a snap.

Cheese Log

Now we both love cheese, but even with slightly unbiased opinions, this was a tasty recipe. We used a Cracker Barrel extra sharp cheddar, which had more of a kick of cheese flavor than the blander cheese we are both used to eating. That sharp cheddar mixed with the saltiness and crunch of the nuts, along with the aromatic garlic and flavorful paprika make for a unique and exciting appetizer. This cheese log gets the thumbs up from both of us, and Aaron specifically liked the mixture of flavors of the cheese and paprika. My only complaint was that it was difficult to cut much thinner than our photos show. Thinner slices might be more practical for a party.

Christmas Cheese Log

Marguerite’s cheese log is great if you want to put out a cheese and cracker appetizer but are sick of just offering your guests plain cheese, or if you want to take something to a party that looks like you’re a gourmet chef in your spare time.

Holiday Cheese Log

Cheese Log
Print Recipe
  • CourseAppetizers and Sides
Servings Prep Time
1 Log 15 minutes
Passive Time
2 hours
Servings Prep Time
1 Log 15 minutes
Passive Time
2 hours
Cheese Log
Print Recipe
  • CourseAppetizers and Sides
Servings Prep Time
1 Log 15 minutes
Passive Time
2 hours
Servings Prep Time
1 Log 15 minutes
Passive Time
2 hours
Ingredients
  • 8 oz Cracker Barrel sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2/3 cup salted cashews
  • 3 cloves garlic or
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
Servings: Log
Instructions
  1. Grind all ingredients and mix together.
  2. Form into a log. Chill.
  3. Once firm, after about two hours, roll in paprika.
  4. Serve with crackers.
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We're Aaron and Shannon, the cooks behind Marguerite’s Cookbook. We are a husband and wife cooking/blogging team who love food, fun, and family.

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