Theme Meal: Forced to Cook Chicken

Chicken may be healthy, it may be cheap, but I am still scared to cook it. The threat of Salmonella is constantly in my mind every time I use a new utensil or dish. My biggest mistake is overcooking it. Without a thermometer, I always err on the side of caution and cut up the chicken into small pieces so I can make sure every piece is cooked through. I couldn't do that for this recipe since I had to cook them whole, and they actually turned out really moist and flavorful.

Ingredients
•4 4 oz chicken breasts
•Olive Oil Pam
•2 Tbsp flour for Breading
•6 oz white wine
•1 garlic clove
•1 bay leaf
• Salt and Pepper

Directions 
Slice the chicken breasts along the length to obtain large, medium-thick slices.
In a large frying pan pour the extra virgin olive oil and add the crushed garlic clove and a pinch of salt.
set a layer of flour on a flat dish and dampen the slices of chicken one by one on each side, until you have covered the entire slice with a thin layer of flour. Avoid clumps of flour. Now set them to cook in the pan.
Turn the chicken slices when you see that the border of the slice has whitened and the cooked side is browning lightly.
Right after turning them, increase the heat to high and pour the white wine letting it evaporate vigorously.
Add the minced bay-leave, sprinkle some black pepper, turn them over one more time.
Serve them very hot.

Modified from: http://experience-tuscany.thriftytuscany.com/tuscan-chicken-recipe/1425#ixzz0zpfj4DUl

I'm Back!!

Midterms Happened. So did Chicken Parmesan. And Rosemary Roasted Potatoes. And some weird sloppy joes.... but considering almost a month has gone by, there has really been very little cooking. Now that I have a three week break from exams, projects and everything I associate with stress, I am turning back to my recipe book and am ready to dive in once again. But here is a recap:

1) Sloppy Joes - I used one of those veggie protein mixes, which I added onions to. I thought it needed to be less sweet and have a bigger kick. And I never think it needs a bigger kick.

 

2) Rosemary Roasted Potatoes - my boyfriend loves potatoes, so I thought I would try this healthy roasted variety. The rosemary was very pronounced, but I think I was supposed to crush it, which I didn't do. Oh, and of course, he didn't have anything to bake them in except a quiche pan that I had asked him to hold onto for me... so it didn't cook in the most even fashion. (It had to be stirred a lot) See Recipe Below.

3) Chicken Parmesan - I had bought this McCormick Italian Herb & Cheese Crusting Blend because I thought it would be an easy introduction into breading chicken and fish. The recipe came from their website. Maybe I just don't like meat prepared this way, but the only thing I didn't like about the recipe was the bread crumbs. The flavor was off. 

Recipe for: Rosemary Roasted Potatoes from Taste of Home Magazine

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 in. cubes

1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 in. cubes (can substitute carrots)

1 large onion, cut into wedges

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 Tbsp. olive oil

4 1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary or 1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

1 1/2 tsp Creole seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, onion and garlic; drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with rosemary, Creole seasoning, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 15 in. x 10 in. x 1 in baking pan. 

Bake at 425 degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally. 

(Personally, the most annoying part was peeling the potatoes, but I brought the potatoes and a trash can over to the living room and peeled the potatoes while I watched TV and sat in a comfy chair, which made it a lot more tolerable.)