Dinner for Monday and Tuesday
Monday:
This is very simple, with some short cuts for those of us who want tasty food, but for whatever reason, don't have time that day to spend only in the kitchen! (You will find a lot of my food is like this!)
Chicken: Simply take out however many pieces of chicken breast you need and pound flat with a mallet or skillet once thawed. Remember to keep it between plastic wrap or something similar so that you don't have the amazing Flying Salmanella Bros all over the place! Once that's done, season to taste (I like a very basic heavy garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper blend). Dredge in flour, dip in egg/milk bath and then dredge in Italian breadcrumbs (this is a staple at my house, but you could just add Italian seasoning to your spices and use regular breadcrumbs). Brown in some oil on both sides. Then transfer to a non-stick sprayed broiler pan that has the drainage slots and a pan underneath. Place in oven until juices run clear (I do this with all foods that should/could be fried, to keep things healthier - if you're comfortable frying it until done, whatevs!). Once done, place some mozzerella on top and return to oven until melty, bubbly and delicious. When that's done, place some warmed jar spaghetti sauce on your plate and put the chicken on top. Voila!
Pasta: Boil thin spaghetti/angel hair/whatever noodles you like until done. While that it happening, lightly coat a pan with olive oil and start browning some minced garlic up. Slowly add some butter to add depth to the sauce. I tossed in some fresh cracked pepper and Greek Seasoning, a little parsley and a tiny bit of basil. When your pasta is well drained, toss in the pan and coat. Magnifique!
Bread: Unwrap, place in oven with chicken until done. Amazing! :P
Tuesday:
Empanadas: Brown up 1 lb ground beef (I use very lean, again, I try to keep things as healthy as possible to ward off my love of cheese, etc) with minced garlic, garlic and onion powder, salt, pepper and some red pepper flakes. Once that is done, drain the meat well and return to the pan. Add one can of Rotelle, and some chopped olives (with some of the brine) and simmer while making the potatoes. Once ready, strain meat again, and divide amongst two thawed pie crusts. Carefully fold over and seal edges. Brush top with egg wash (1 lightly beaten egg + 1T h2o) and bake @ 425 for 10-20 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.
Pancakes: Make mashed potatoes as usual (you could use instant if you wanted, shaving more time and prep off), but add in preferred cheese along with the milk and butter before mashing. Add 1/4C AP flour and one lightly beaten egg to potatoes and mix. Using floured hands (I kept a plate of flour nearby to dip my hands in whenever they started getting sticky), make patties with the potatoes. Place on greased baking sheet and brush with egg wash. Normally I'd bake these @ 350 for 20-30 minutes, but I just put them in with the empanadas to save time and make the most use out of my hot oven. When golden brown and heated through, remove (luckily for me, everything came out right at the same time last night! GO TEAM VENTURE!). Plate and enjoy!
I really love this community and will probably be posting a lot! Hope you guys enjoy some of my creations! :D
This is very simple, with some short cuts for those of us who want tasty food, but for whatever reason, don't have time that day to spend only in the kitchen! (You will find a lot of my food is like this!)
Chicken: Simply take out however many pieces of chicken breast you need and pound flat with a mallet or skillet once thawed. Remember to keep it between plastic wrap or something similar so that you don't have the amazing Flying Salmanella Bros all over the place! Once that's done, season to taste (I like a very basic heavy garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper blend). Dredge in flour, dip in egg/milk bath and then dredge in Italian breadcrumbs (this is a staple at my house, but you could just add Italian seasoning to your spices and use regular breadcrumbs). Brown in some oil on both sides. Then transfer to a non-stick sprayed broiler pan that has the drainage slots and a pan underneath. Place in oven until juices run clear (I do this with all foods that should/could be fried, to keep things healthier - if you're comfortable frying it until done, whatevs!). Once done, place some mozzerella on top and return to oven until melty, bubbly and delicious. When that's done, place some warmed jar spaghetti sauce on your plate and put the chicken on top. Voila!
Pasta: Boil thin spaghetti/angel hair/whatever noodles you like until done. While that it happening, lightly coat a pan with olive oil and start browning some minced garlic up. Slowly add some butter to add depth to the sauce. I tossed in some fresh cracked pepper and Greek Seasoning, a little parsley and a tiny bit of basil. When your pasta is well drained, toss in the pan and coat. Magnifique!
Bread: Unwrap, place in oven with chicken until done. Amazing! :P
Tuesday:
Empanadas: Brown up 1 lb ground beef (I use very lean, again, I try to keep things as healthy as possible to ward off my love of cheese, etc) with minced garlic, garlic and onion powder, salt, pepper and some red pepper flakes. Once that is done, drain the meat well and return to the pan. Add one can of Rotelle, and some chopped olives (with some of the brine) and simmer while making the potatoes. Once ready, strain meat again, and divide amongst two thawed pie crusts. Carefully fold over and seal edges. Brush top with egg wash (1 lightly beaten egg + 1T h2o) and bake @ 425 for 10-20 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.
Pancakes: Make mashed potatoes as usual (you could use instant if you wanted, shaving more time and prep off), but add in preferred cheese along with the milk and butter before mashing. Add 1/4C AP flour and one lightly beaten egg to potatoes and mix. Using floured hands (I kept a plate of flour nearby to dip my hands in whenever they started getting sticky), make patties with the potatoes. Place on greased baking sheet and brush with egg wash. Normally I'd bake these @ 350 for 20-30 minutes, but I just put them in with the empanadas to save time and make the most use out of my hot oven. When golden brown and heated through, remove (luckily for me, everything came out right at the same time last night! GO TEAM VENTURE!). Plate and enjoy!
I really love this community and will probably be posting a lot! Hope you guys enjoy some of my creations! :D