A Cooking Baker

I apologize for the cheesy basil garnish.... :) Chicken Parm can be messed up.  It can. Ever had a reeeaally thick chicken breast, with a heavy, soggy breading and a thick, chewy covering of cheese?  Yeah....  not my favorite.  We made this version last week, and it was awesome - just the right amount of tender chicken, crisp breading, a taste of cheese and bright sauce in each bite.  This was so light, and we all really enjoyed it.    Ridiculously Easy, Lighter Chicken Parm   2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half for 4-6 thin cutlets EVOO to mist or brush onto chicken (you can also melt some butter and brush that on - about 2 tbsp. or so) your favorite marinara sauce (1-2 c. ) grated parm for garnish if you like - or if you need more cheese, mozzarella or provolone fresh herbs for garnish if you like, minced For the breading: 1/2 - 3/4 c. breadcrumbs (make your own, use store-bought, Panko, whatever) 1/4 c. gra...

Tried a super easy recipe last night... While paging through a magazine yesterday, this recipe caught my eye.  I needed something for dinner, so rather than put it off, I just went to the kitchen and went for it!  The recipe was for skewers, and called for you to slice the meat into 1/4" strips, and then thread them on to skewers, but I'm lazy, so I just threw the whole thing in a bag and sliced it up afterward.  You do what you need to do. Teriyaki Flank Steak 1 flank steak (about 1 lb.) 1/2 c. Teriyaki sauce 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 1-1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1-2 scallions, thinly sliced a good squeeze of a fresh lemon (about 1-2 tbsp.) Add the above items to a freezer bag or dish to marinate meat, at least 30 minutes, or overnight (or toss in the freezer for another night - even better, make one for tonight, and one for another time!).  Heat your grill, and grill until done to your liking.  Let rest for a few minutes, then slice thin...

Pesto isn't hard to make. I had it in my head that it was, for some reason, until I finally tried it.  It just takes a few minutes!  I'd been meaning to makes some with almonds, instead of pine nuts for 2 reasons: (1) pine nuts are expensive, yo! and (2) I had a big bag of almonds from Costco that we haven't attacked with as much gusto as I thought we would.  We had some bad luck with basil this year, and I scrounged up enough for a packed 1/2 cup, but not a whole.  Shoot!  Then I saw a recipe that combined parsley and basil - problem solved!  Here's what I did, and another recipe with just basil, in case your crop fared better. I plan to toss some angel hair pasta with pesto and some little grape or Sun Gold tomatoes from the garden, and toss in whatever else makes sense from the fridge or garden, and maybe throw on some grilled chicken strips or something for dinner tomorrow.  I'll also do some little toasts and spread them with the fre...

This is the most versatile side dish ever.  I think you could literally serve it with everything.  Last time at the farmer's market, we picked up some carrots, zucchini, squash and onions.  Right away, I washed everything up, grabbed a knife, and sliced it all up.  Then I made a big bag of mixed veggies, added a few cloves of minced garlic, and a splash of basil-infused olive oil.  I tossed it in the freezer, and I've been grabbing a few handfuls, tossing the mix into a hot pan, and I have a simple, healthy side dish in just a few minutes.  Last night, I ran out to the garden and grabbed some fresh basil, chopped it up and tossed it in before serving.  YUM.  You can add whatever you like - just do it now, while the fresh veggies are plentiful, and you can enjoy the tastes of summer for months to come. Farmer's Market Veggie Medley 1-2 zucchini, sliced 1-2 squash, sliced 3-4 carrots, sliced 1 medium red onion, sliced 1 tbsp. EVOO, basil-infuse...

Food on a stick isn't just for the fair! I was just paging through a few magazines, trying to thin out the pile, and I found a great list of ingredients to combine for kebabs.  Kebabs are fab for parties - you can have big platters of ingredients, and people can put together their own combinations.  I love that this particular list of ingredients includes foods that are either already cooked or don't need to be, so you don't need to worry about cross-contamination like you might with raw chicken or beef.  If you want to go that route, marinate the chunks of meat in advance, and then have a hand-washing station for guests once they've skewered their meats.  Here's a list to get your started - just pick a variety of ingredients you'd like to try, put out a pile of skewers, a mister with some evoo, some salt & pepper, and have some fun! slices of baguette fresh mozzarella balls cubed Halloumi cheese (it's kind of like Feta, and it's good for grilling)...

I love beef barbacoa.   The best I've ever had was from Cocina DeLeon in Brookfield, which is now closed.  I was inspired to experiment on my own, and I've combined about five different recipes from the Internet with some of my own tweaks (yes, I used a spreadsheet to compare ingredients).  The results were met with very positive responses, so much so, that I had no photos. [Update: added a new photo!  Also, make a double batch of the marinade, and freeze 1/2 so it's super easy to make next time.] Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa 2-3 lb. chuck roast 1 medium white onion, diced 3/4 c. chicken stock 4-6 avocado leaves (hojas de aguacate)* 3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice (juice of 2) 1/2 c. cider vinegar 4 chipotle chiles and a little adobo sauce from the can 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped (remove big pieces of stem) 4 garlic cloves, minced 1-1/2 tsp. salt 1-1/2 tsp. ground black pepper 2 tbsp. ground cumin 2-1/2 tsp. Mexican oregano ...

I just had a taste of an amazing cucumber salsa this morning (yes, this morning - there's never a bad time for salsa).  SO good.  It was so refreshing, and I could see myself consuming an entire batch alone.  So off to the store I went to get what I needed to make it ASAP.  It's the perfect taste for a hot day like today! It had garlic scapes in it - and I had seen them at the farmer's market this weekend, but didn't know what they were, or what I would do with them.  Enter my mom, who introduced me to the salsa, and Google, where I figured out exactly what they are!  Here ya go: Garlic scapes are the curly flower stalks snapped off the garlic plants (which is done to increase the size of the garlic bulbs for harvest).  Garlic scapes can be chopped and used like garlic, or used as garlic-flavored scallions (mmmmmm - stir-fry?!).  You should store them in the fridge, unwashed, loosely-wrapped in a plastic bag for up to 2 weeks. So here's the ...