Chicken Parmigiana

This is amazing!  Larry says its even better than you can get from a restaurant. I discovered this recipe from Food Network.  Soo good, and soo worth the effort. (But its really not very difficult at all!)

Please ignore the poor lighting!

Chicken Parmigiana

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

4 large eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons water and seasoned with salt and pepper

2 cups Panko bread crumbs

1 cup vegetable oil or pure olive oil

Tomato Sauce - Below is the recipe for the sauce.  I've never made the sauce, I have just used our own spaghetti sauce, or store bought.

1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Fresh basil or parsley leaves, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge each breast in the flour and tap off excess, then dip in the egg and let excess drip off, then dredge on both sides in the bread crumbs.

Divide the oil between 2 large saute pans and heat over high heat until almost smoking. Add 2 chicken breasts to each pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet and top each breast with some tomato sauce, a few slices of the mozzarella, salt and pepper, and a tablespoon of Parmesan. Bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melted, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with basil or parsley leaves.

Tomato Sauce:(again, I have not made this, I have just used our own sauce instead)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large Spanish onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, smashed with some kosher salt to make a paste

2 (28-ounce) cans plum tomatoes and their juices, pureed in a blender

1 (16-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1 small bunch Italian parsley

1 Cubano chile pepper, chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add pureed tomatoes with their juices, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 cup water, bay leaf, parsley, Cubano pepper, and bring to a boil. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 30 minutes.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

These were a huge hit! I made these when Larry's brother was in town, and the two older boys absolutely devoured the chicken taquitos. Christian and Andrew weren't as impressed with the chicken ones, but I made some with leftover taco meat and some grated cheddar cheese mixed in, then filled and baked the same way the recipe calls for, and the little boys loved them! Seriously, I think Christian ate about 5 of them himself!

Baked Chicken Taquitos

-slightly adapted from Our Best Bites

1/3 cup (3 oz.) cream cheese

1/4 cup green salsa

1 Tb fresh lime juice (1/2 lime)

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp granulated garlic(I didn't have granulated garlic so I just used about1-2 cloves, minced)

3 Tb chopped cilantro

2 Tb sliced green onions

2 cups shredded chicken

1/2 cup grated pepper jack cheese(*the recipe actually calls for 1 cup of pepper jack, but in an effort to make it a little less spicy for the kids I used half pepper jack and half cheddar)

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

small corn tortillas

cooking spray

olive oil

kosher salt

Soften cream cheese in microwave for 20-30 seconds. Stir in green salsa, lime juice and spices until well mixed then add cilantro and green onions. Stir in shredded chicken and pepper jack cheese and combine well. **this can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line cookie sheet with tin foil, lightly sprayed with cooking oil. Working with 3-4 tortillas at a time, briefly heat in microwave so they are more malleable and easier to work with. (Any time you want to heat up flour tortillas, it's a good idea to place a damp paper towel draped over a small stack of them in the microwave. If I have more than 5, I will place a damp paper towel in the middle of the stack as well.) Spoon 2-3 Tb of mixture in a row across the bottom third of tortilla, keeping 1/2 inch away from edge. This makes it possible to roll it up very tightly. Place taquitos seam side down on cookie sheet, making sure they are not touching. Lightly brush with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and edges start to turn golden brown.

These are good dipped in more of the green salsa and/or sour cream.

Lemon Basil Pasta with Grilled Chicken

I got this recipe off one of my favorite recipe blogs, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I love the pioneer woman. I love her recipe blog because she uses lots of pictures, and I am a very visual person. This was really yummy, and a definite addition to my recipe collection.

Lemon Basil Pasta with Grilled Chicken - slightly adapted

4 whole Grilled Chicken Breasts, Sliced *I used this lemon chicken marinade:

Grilled Lemon Chicken
Juice of one lemon (~3 Tb lemon juice)
3 Tb oil
1 tsp minced garlic (~ 2 medium-large cloves)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp oregano
1 lb chicken breasts

1 pound Penne Pasta, Cooked Until Al Dente

½ sticks Butter

3 whole Lemons, Juiced

¾ cups Heavy Cream

¼ cups Half-and-half

1-½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (or Romano)

Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste

20 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped

Cook pasta, reserving 1 cup of hot pasta water when you drain. Set pasta aside in a

colander.

In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Squeeze in the juice of 3 to 4 lemons.

Whisk together. Pour in cream and half-and-heat. Whisk until hot. Dump in cheese and

whisk until melted. Add salt and pepper. Add pasta to the sauce. Check consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Add about half of the basil.

Pour pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining basil all over the top,

then add sliced chicken breasts. Serve immediately!

"Wingers" Sticky Finger Salad

This is the most awesome salad ever!! I got the Sticky Finger recipe from my good friend TerriLyn. Then Larry pieced together the rest of the ingredients for the salad. The sticky fingers themselves are so versatile. They are good on quesadillas, salads, or just on their own. Enjoy!


Sticky Fingers Sauce
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. ketchup
1 T. honey
2 tsp. Louisiana hot sauce(more if you like it spicy!)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Pkg. frozen breaded chicken strips

In a saucepan over low heat, combine all ingredients except chicken. Warm sauce, stirring occasionally while you cook the chicken. Follow package directions for cooking the chicken. When the chicken is done, toss it in the sauce, remove with a slotted spoon and place on a cookie sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 5-7 min. or until sauce thickens and becomes sticky.

*Larry has discovered that if he follows the directions to fry the chicken rather than bake before adding it to the sauce, the chicken turns our crispier.

Sticky Finger Salad
salad greens(iceberg or romaine, or a combination of both)
sticky finger chicken tenders, cut up
cherry tomatoes
chopped red onion
Craisins
grated cheddar cheese
ranch dressing

Assemble your salad, and enjoy!!

Sunday Night Dinner: Casseroles and Bread Pudding

I received both these recipes from my awesome friend Rebecca S. who is probably the best dinner hostess ever! Every time we ate at her house Larry would ask me to get the recipes! The bread pudding is especially delicious! Thanks Rebecca for always sharing your recipes with us, but more importantly, for inviting us over to eat your delicious cooking!


Ritz Chicken Casserole -slightly adapted

2 c. chicken - cooked and cubed

4 c. cooked rice (I cook my rice in chicken broth instead of water. I think it adds a little more flavor)

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 (8 oz) carton sour cream

1/2 c. milk

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 sleeve Ritz Crackers - crushed

3 Tbs. margarine or butter - melted

3 Tbs. poppy seeds(optional)

Spray an 8x8 baking dish with Pam.(This will completely fill an 8x8 dish to the top. If you want a thinner casserole, us a 9x13 sized dish.) In a bowl combine rice, soup, sour cream, milk, salt, pepper and chicken. Spread in pan.

Melt butter in a bowl and stir in the crushed crackers until coated. Sprinkle over top of chicken mixture. Sprinkle poppy seeds on top of crackers.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 until bubbly, about 30 minutes. (Less if rice is hot from just being cooked.)

Bread Pudding and Sauce

(sorry the picture's kind of dark.)

1 1/2 c. white sugar

4 eggs, beaten

1 1/4 c. heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 1/4 lb white bread, torn or cut into chunks(about 1 large loaf. I use Wonder, or something similar)

non-stick spray

1 c. caramel sauce(recipe below)

In a large bowl combine sugar, eggs, cream, milk and butter. Mix well. Fold in bread. Put into a sprayed 9x13-inch pan. Pour caramel sauce over the top (the original recipe said to use 1/2 c. sauce, but I like to use 1 cup). Bake at 350 for 1 hour, rotating pan half-way through.

Caramel Sauce - This is the original sauce recipe I have, but I think I usually double it. We like to have extra to drizzle on top, or on ice cream).

1/2 c. white sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. butter

1 c. corn syrup

1 1/3 c. heavy whipping cream

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, combine sugars, butter and corn syrup until liquid and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in cream.