chicken parmesan

Last week, I made spaghetti. I had to leave for work right after dinner, so the process was a bit chaotic. I put green beans in the microwave and bread in the toaster (to make a quick version of garlic toast)... and I absolutely forgot about the bread. The next day, I discovered the toast. I decided I would have to try my hand at homemade breadcrumbs. The toast has been sitting on the counter since then. Needless to say, it was nice and stale. Perfect, really.

The idea for this recipe came from my sister-in-law's post (find it here). Mine is certainly not her healthy version, but BY GOLLY- it is delicious! Try it out. I think you'll like it.

RECIPE: Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

4 pieces whole wheat bread, toasted

1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. {ish?} freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp. EVOO

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast (or 3 small)

2 eggs

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. Canola/vegetable oil {I think; I didn't measure.}

1 1/2 c. Mozzarella cheese

spaghetti noodles

spaghetti sauce (about 2 c.)

1 can green beans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450F.

Pound the chicken breasts until they are about 1/2 inch thick. This step is important. It not only tenderizes the chicken but also thins it out so that it cooks uniformly... and doesn't burn on the outside before it's cooked through. {I like to do this in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag... using a rubber mallet.}

*Note: I had two massive chicken boobies that I cut into four pieces. I only ended up using three since I didn't quite have enough breadcrumbs. Hence the three breasts recommendation.

{Before}

{After}

Using a food processor, pulse the toast, 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, garlic, S&P and EVOO - in that order- until breadcrumbs form.
Prepare your assembly line of bread-crumbing ingredients. Dump the flour onto a plate. Beat two eggs and a splash of water in a bowl of some sort. Dump your super-savory breadcrumbs onto another plate.

{Like so}

Heat your Canola/vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Meanwhile, dredge each chicken breast in flour, shake off excess; slosh around in egg mixture, coating fully; then press into breadcrumbs, pressing crumbs into chicken until absolutely coated. Fry the prepared chicken in oil (again, in a large skillet over med to med-high heat) for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden and fabulous {see below}.

Note: Get your water boiling now for your pasta. Don't forget to salt the water.
Place the fried chicken on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet {or stone, if that's what you had out before you thought of the cooling rack idea}. This will help keep the breadcrumbs crispy later on.
Top liberally with Mozzarella cheese and lightly with Parmesan cheese. Throw some pepper up on there if you feel the need.
Bake at 450F for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and browned.

Note: The bake time for the chicken perfectly coincides with the spaghetti cooking time. So as soon as you throw the birdies in the oven, start cooking your pasta. I'm a horrid judge of pasta quantities, so use your own {better} judgement. Cook according to package instructions.

Also, open up a can of green beans. Drain 'em a bit, then dump 'em in a bowl. Microwave for dos minutos. Easy-peasy.

Oh, and warm up some spaghetti sauce. I did it on the stove; you could also nuke it. Whatev. But you do want it warm... so take care of that.

Once your 10 minutes are up, the entire meal should be ready to assemble. Grab a plate and dish up some spaghetti noodles. Top with sauce. Top that with your oh-so-yummy chicken. And serve with a side of green beans.

Mmm... amazing!

spaghetti n' green beans

Nothing fancy. At least not around here. We don't even roll the ground beef into meatballs; we just throw the stuff in. But spaghetti is a go-to meal. It's quick. It's easy. It's hearty. It's delish. Did I mention it's quick?

Derek actually made this meal. I was baggin' and taggin' hairbows and was therefore indisposed. He's a wonderful husband... and as it turns out, a pretty good cook, too!

Note: We make spaghetti lots of ways {from scratch, from a jar, with meat, without meat, with lots of fresh veggies {ie. squash/zucchini-- highly recommended} from our garden, etc.}, but this is how we made it tonight. This is probably the quickest way to do it. Also, maybe it's just the way my mom always did things, but green beans and spaghetti seem like the perfect pair.


RECIPE: Spaghetti N' Green Beans

Ingredients:
spaghetti noodles {I honestly cannot tell you how much... I'm a HORRID judge of pasta quantities.}
1/2 - 1lb. ground beef
1 jar/can spaghetti sauce
salt
pepper
garlic powder
1 can green beans

Directions:
Boil water and cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a 12-inch-ish frying pan. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Once meat is fully browned, dump in the spaghetti sauce. Mix well and leave on heat until warm. Nuke the green beans for a couple of minutes, or until hot. Serve everything warm, preferably with a glass of cold milk.

easter dinner

This is what we had for Easter dinner this year. It was divine. Derek and I loved every bit of it, and James mostly just liked the beans. :) He's crazy for beans, the little weirdo. When James was a baby, he loved yams. Apparently that phase is over, and he thinks they're icky. But Derek and I loved them. The whole meal was a hit!

RECIPE: Easter Dinner

Ingredients:
spiral-sliced ham (with honey glaze packet)
Rhodes rolls (frozen)
green and yellow green beans (frozen, steam pack)
yams, 1 per person

Directions:
Pretty easy, just cook everything according to package directions!

Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray and place one frozen roll in each slot. Spray again and cover with plastic wrap. Put ham in a cake/casserole pan with a little water and cover in foil. Let the rolls rise and bake the ham in a 250F oven-- both for 3 hours (while you're at church... it's Easter, hello).

Once you're home, prepare the honey glaze by boiling the seasoning mix with water. Pour over ham and bake again (cover it with foil again, or your ham will dry out) for 8 minutes or so. Remove ham from oven, keeping covered to keep warm.

Remove the plastic wrap and bake the rolls according to package directions (for about 13 minutes). Meanwhile, wash the yams and poke them with a fork multiple times. Microwave on high until tender... about 20 minutes for 3 yams. Then steam the green/yellow beans for 5 minutes or so, again in the microwave.

Everything should be warm and ready now. Put it all on the table, say your prayers and dig in! Mmm, mmm, Easter!