Obviously, one of my favorite pastimes is preparing a great meal in my own kitchen! However, there are times when a delicious meal at a local restaurant is equally gratifying.  Dominic’s Italian Restaurant in Dayton, Ohio, was a perfect example.  Though the owners retired from the business and closed the restaurant several years ago, it was, at one time, one of my husband’s and my favorite places to dine. The moment you walked through the doors, you were greeted by a rich blend of aromas: basil, garlic, oregano, melted cheeses, toasted breads, and chardonnay.  Mmmm.  Every entrée was “molto delizioso”, and we never had a meal we didn’t like.  One entrée, in particular, was overwhelmingly “delizioso”, and I remember the evening my husband gazed into my eyes with great desire as he asked . . .“do you think you can make this?”  From that point on, we tasted and analyzed each bite, trying to pinpoint every ingredient that made up this incredible masterpiece.  With time and a little practice, this entrée has now become one of our favorite homemade recipes!

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of flour
4 garlic cloves
Seasoning salt & pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ lb. jarred sliced mushrooms (drained)
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons of Chardonnay (or white cooking wine)

Directions:

With a meat mallet, pound out the chicken breasts.  Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into frying pan and begin heating on medium high heat.  Dip chicken breasts in flour and place in pan. Sprinkle lightly with seasoning salt and pepper. With a garlic press, press one garlic clove over each breast and brown for a minute or two.  Flip the breasts and continue to brown for a minute or two. (Add more olive oil if necessary.) Turn heat to medium. Drain mushrooms and pour on top of the chicken. Pour lemon juice over the chicken and then pour over the cooking wine. Turn heat to low. Cover. After 10 or 15 minutes, turn heat to simmer. Continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes.  Serves 3-4.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Because my husband and I were totally captured by the flavor of this restaurant entree, we wanted to be able to experience the same in our own home . . . and although Dominic’s is no longer a place we can visit, the joy of what they introduced to us remains.  In the same way, as followers of Jesus Christ, the fruits of the Spirit should be so evident in our lives, that a hungry world would crave to experience the same . . . to taste and see that the Lord is good!  That such a sweet fragrance of Jesus Christ would greet the spiritually malnourished who “walk through our doors”, they would be captured by our aroma and overwhelmingly drawn to the Bread of Life!

Oh, may this be our song of praise!  “Let us give thanks to God, who always puts us on display in Christ and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place” (2 Corinthians 2:14), and one day when were are no longer here, the everlasting joy of what we have introduced to the formerly hungry will remain and multiply!

–Cheri Henderson