Chicken on the fly

Today's dinner conversation went a little something like this.

Me: "What kind of meat do you have in the freezer?"
Kyle: "Just chicken. We should probably thaw some for dinner."
Me: "Hmmm. Okay!"

So I got the chicken out to thaw and promptly set about making gingerbread cookies, not giving the chicken a whole lot of thought until 9:30 when I realized we had plenty of cookies and no dinner. Not wanting to go to the store for a third time today, this is the ingenious dish we concocted.

I'm not sure it has a name yet. I'll have to think on that one.


2 chicken breast halves, boneless/skinless/trimmed, and all that.
Italian breadcrumbs
Grated Parmesan cheese
Rosemary
Thyme
Garlic / garlic powder
Butter


Combine your breadcrumb mixture. I gave Kyle some direction and he went to town, so I can't even approximate measurements. A bunch of Parmesan, plenty of rosemary, a good-sized helping of garlic (or garlic powder, since he didn't have any fresh), and less thyme. Dip your chicken in that heavenly stuff. Make sure you coat it well. Set it in a greased baking dish and cover with a few cubes of butter. Bake at 350* for about 30 minutes.

In the last 10 minutes, prepare a tomato chutney thing. Wash some grape and yellow grape tomatoes. Chop 'em in half. Toss them in a pan with a little olive oil and Garlic & Wine seasoning from The Melting Pot. (If you're not fortunate enough to have that - my favorite spice - at home, some regular garlic should do the trick.) Cook it up until the chicken is ready. No more than ten minutes. It should be super fragrant and the tomato skins should be slightly blistered.

When your chicken is good and hot, add a slice of Jarlsberg cheese to each breast. Pop it back in the oven for a few minutes for the cheese to melt. Serve chicken topped with tomato salsa.

This received some of the best reviews of anything I've ever made, I do believe. In Kyle's words, "I'd pay for that in a restaurant." High praise coming from the aspiring French-restaurant chef and owner. Enjoy!

Ciao!

Zucchini & feta macaroni!

I've noticed several different broccoli mac & cheese recipes pop up on Pinterest lately, and thought I'd give one a go... only to find that the broccoli in my fridge had passed its prime. So I dug through my crisper drawers looking for the next best thing, and found something even better!

Zucchini.


I love zucchini. I could eat it for nearly every meal and never tire of it. It is so versatile and delicious. And so that is how, armed with the contents of my kitchen, I set out to create a somewhat-healthier mac & cheese today.

Zucchini & feta mac & cheese


8 oz. pasta, uncooked
2 small zucchini, chopped
1 oz. feta
2 oz. shredded colby jack
1/4 c. nonfat milk
1 tsp. ground mustard
Worchestershire sauce
garlic powder


Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and dump pasta in. Top with a double boiler or colander, and steam zucchini while pasta is cooking. (8 minutes.) Drain pasta, but do not rinse. Return pasta to pot, and dump in zucchini. Mix mustard and milk together, and pour over pasta. Toss in cheeses, garlic powder to taste, and a few shakes of Worchestershire sauce. Mix until combined. Top with cracked black pepper and serve!

Celebrating the end of the semester!

One of the reasons I've hardly had time to breathe lately is because the end of the semester is nearing! Yesterday was the last day of classes for the year, so I decided to treat myself. I so rarely have the time to spend in the kitchen now (especially with finals this week and next) but I finally finished up all my obligations and decided to make dinner at 11:30 last night.

My favorite meal - both to make and to eat - is chicken piccata. I am and have always been a huge Italian food fan. Please excuse the awful phone photo. I took a few on my camera that is now dead, and I can't find the charger cord anywhere. (I feel like I've lost my mind with how busy I've been. I seem to misplace everything!)


I didn't even get to sit down and eat it at the table - I stood at the bar with my computer and finished up some Organic Chemistry nonsense. I was so glad to finally have some tasty homemade food that I didn't even care, though. I poured myself a glass of sauvignon blanc and was in heaven.

Chicken Piccata for one

1 chicken breast, trimmed 

flour

fresh ground pepper

EVOO

1/2 lemon

approx. 3/4 c. dry white wine (sauvignon blanc)

1/4 c. chopped marinated artichoke hearts

1 handful capers, rinsed

Slice your chicken breast into two cutlets. Season with fresh cracked pepper and dredge in flour. Cook in a skillet with EVOO on high heat for approximately 3 minutes per side. Before turning the chicken, juice 1/4 of a lemon over your meat. Then use the other 1/4 immediately after turning. After both sides are cooked thoroughly, pour your wine into the skillet. It should rise almost halfway up your chicken. You may need to use a little more depending on the size of your pan. Toss the artichoke hearts and capers in with the wine and let everything simmer for a few more minutes so the chicken can soak up some of the flavors, turning once again. Spoon the sauce over your chicken to serve! 

I served mine with Tomato, Spinach, and Red Bell Pepper rotini from Decio Pasta, a local company that I can never resist at the farmer's market. And of course I had to top it all off with a glass of wine. 

My cookie exchange cookies went out today. I apologize for the delay, ladies! My stand mixer has been acting up since Thanksgiving. I thought I would be able to make it work for a little longer, but was sorely disappointed when I went to bake a few days ago and was proved wrong. I had to run to the store yesterday morning for a hand mixer so I could finish these babies and send 'em out. 

I also got my second dozen exchange cookies in the mail today! The first ones, Holiday Fig & Date Cookies from Bohemian Kitchen, arrived on Monday. They didn't make it until midnight. So yummy! The second ones were Chocolate Clotted Cream Fudge Cookies from Tiffany (Streusel) at Strudel and Struesel! It's now 5 o'clock and there's not even a crumb left. It's probably a good thing I don't have a scale in the house... and that I just bought some new pants, two sizes larger than the rest of my closet. 

Sadly, I do have some crazy studying still left to do. Organic Chemistry final is Friday, my programming final is next Monday, and Physical Chemistry is Tuesday, so you probably won't see much of my face (other than the recipe reveal on Monday!) until late next week. I bought a huge block of feta at Costco today (my treat to myself for nearly being done with classes!) and I'm craving some feta bread. We'll see what it turns itself into!