parmesan-crusted chicken

DELICIOUS! This dish is delicious. To be fair, I only post the recipes on here that I think are great. There's been quite a few doozies, but they don't make it to the blog. However, every once in awhile I get one that I don't just enjoy, I LOVE. This was one such dish. It actually reminded me a bit of the limehouse chicken - different ingredients, but similar idea. Really easy too. You can actually even make it easier than I did (as noted below). Here's what you'll need:

• Chicken breast (I, of course, just made this for myself, but the topping portion below is probably enough for 3-4 breasts).
• Dash of salt
• Sprinkling of black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan (pecorino would work too)
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, minced, divided

eggplant parmesan

Who doesn't love eggplant parm? I mean, seriously. It may be laborious to make, but it's pretty foolproof, and totally delicious. I took advantage of a rainy day recently to make it for the first time in a year or so. Here's how it goes:

• 2  medium Italian eggplants, cut crosswise into 1/4" thick slices
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups olive oil
• 10-20 fresh basil leaves, torn in half
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 3 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (I had smaller amounts of Italian style and panko, so I just mixed them)
• 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I KNOW! I'm lazy...)

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 375°F.

Stir together flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Lightly beat eggs in a second shallow bowl, then stir together breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano in a third shallow bowl.

Heat up the olive oil in a large, deep, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Allow the oil to heat up while you prepare the eggplant.

Working with 1 slice at a time, dredge eggplant in flour, shaking off excess, then dip in egg, letting excess drip off, and dredge in the breadcrumbs, pressing until evenly coated.

Fry eggplant slices a few at a time (fill the skillet, but they shouldn't overlap or anything), turning over once or twice, until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes per batch. Transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain.

While that's going, heat up your sauce (I actually combined 1/2 jar tomato basil with 1/2 roasted garlic, as that's what I had in the fridge already - turned out well). Coarsely chop the basil leaves and add them to the sauce to simmer while you finish frying the eggplant.

Take a baking dish (I only used a 9x9, as I cook in a toaster over, but you could use a full size one should you have the appliances to accommodate it). Spread 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange about one third of eggplant slices in 1 layer over sauce, overlapping slightly if necessary. Cover the eggplant with about one third of remaining sauce (about 1 cup) and one third of mozzarella slices. Continue layering with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella. Sprinkle top with remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano.

I baked covered for about 20 minutes, then uncovered until the cheese is melted and golden and sauce is bubbling, about another 20 minutes.

I like to serve mine over a bowl of pasta, but you could totally eat it as-is. This would easily feed a family of 4, or make some amazing lunches for the following days.

Bon chappétit!

crab cakes w/ remoulade sauce

What is a remoulade sauce? I have no idea. What I do know is that it's apparently awesome on crab cakes. Also, apparently crab cakes are really kind of easy to make - who knew?! I guess my mom did, because this recipe came from her. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 lb. lump crabmeat, drained and flaked (due to the insane cost, I did 8 oz lump crab, 8 oz claw meat - seemed fine to me)
• 1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 4 tablespoons hot sauce (Frank's or otherwise)
• 3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• 2 tablespoons green onion, minced
• 2 tablespoons parsley, minced
• 2 tablespoons Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Whisk the egg, 3 tablespoons mayo, 2 tablespoons hot sauce and 1 tablespoon mustard in a large bowl. Stir in the crabmeat, green onion, parsley, breadcrumbs and 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay and mix well with a fork.

Divide the mixture into 8 portions and shape each portion into a cake, flattening slightly. Cover and chill in the fridge or an hour or so.

When you're ready to cook, heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Sauté the crab cakes in batches for about 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Serve with the remoulade sauce.

But wait - how do you make the remoulade sauce?! Well, while the crab is setting in the fridge, mix together 1/3 cup mayo, 2 tablespoons hot sauce, 2 tablespoons mustard, 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning. Chill and serve with the crab cakes.

Seriously, we were in heaven with these.

Bon chappétit!

oven-fried pork chops

Last night I made pork chops. They weren't crazy-fancy, they were just downright good. I'd never had a breaded pork chop before, and I have to say everything really does taste better breaded. Here's what you'll need:

• 2 pork chops
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (I used Italian style)

Begin by preheating your oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter, then pour it into the bottom of a baking dish. Next, dredge your chops through the flour, then coat with egg and cover with breadcrumbs all over. Sprinkle with pepper and place them in the baking dish and bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Flip them over and bake for 10 more minutes, or until the juices run clear. I put them under the broiler for just an additional minute or two to make them crispy and golden brown.

Remove and serve. Super easy. Took me back to the good ol' days. If only I'd had applesauce to serve them with.

Bon chappétit!

halibut fishsticks

Sometimes you're starving and simply nothing sounds good - especially when you're writing a blog and trying to come up with new and interesting things all the time. It can really start to wear on the fun of cooking and eating. Last night seemed to be heading that direction until, through the magic of great food, a dish as simple as fishsticks turned my night around. I'd never considered making homemade fishsticks, and honestly, didn't think they could get much better than the frozen kind (a secret guilty pleasure of mine). I really should have, years ago, because these puppies were incredible. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 pounds 3/4-inch-thick halibut fillets, cut into 3 x 3/4-inch strips
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Begin by spreading the breadcrumbs on a shallow dish and lightly beating the eggs in a bowl. Heat the oil for a minute or two in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Dip each fish slice in the egg, then coat liberally in the breadcrumbs and toss into the skillet. Fry each side for about 2-3 minutes. They probably took less than 5 minutes total to turn a fantastic, crispy, golden brown.

I know I said it above, but it's worth repeating. These were incredibly fantastic, and super quick to boot. Great for summer cooking.

Bon chappétit!

mexican baked chicken

I'm noticing a trend with my chicken recipes of late - I seem to REALLY be into stuffing chicken.  Or rolling it around vegetables.  Odd, right? Maybe not, because they all seem to be delicious.  Anyways, last night I tried a "Mexican" (I put that in quotes, in case it's not really very Mexican) chicken, and again, I loved it.  Here's what you'll need:

• Chicken breasts
• 2 cups Panko breading
• 1 package taco seasoning (I like Old El Paso's)
• Chopped peppers (I used red, green and yellow)
• Chopped mushrooms
• Cheddar cheese
• Salsa (I recommend medium-hot)

Start by cutting a nice slit into the chicken breast. You can also just completely butterfly it if you find that easier. Stuff inside a healthy dose of the peppers, mushrooms, cheddar and salsa. Close the chicken breast back up and secure with some toothpicks.

Next, combine the breadcrumbs and taco seasoning in a shallow dish. Evenly coat your chicken breast with the breading, patting it down to really make it stick.

Bake in a greased baking dish covered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until the juices run clear.  Lastly, top with some additional cheddar, and bake for just a couple final minutes to let this melt.

This was a seriously awesome dish.  I ended up serving it with additional salsa on the side and some yellow rice, along with the leftover peppers.  Definitely a spicy change of pace for summer.

Bon chappétit!