81: Crispy Cheesy Chicken

On the way home from work today (and every other day) I talked to my mom.  Today we talked about some quick and easy suggestions of what we could have for dinner.  She said that I could just coat some chicken with some breadcrumbs and whatever other spices or seasonings that I wanted.  So, that is exactly what I did.. 

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
skim milk - just enough to dip the chicken
1/2 -1 cup panko 
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
S&P
pinch cayenne pepper

The How To:
Preheat oven to 405
Cut each chicken into about 3 or 4 strips, depending on size
Put some milk in the bottom of a bowl - big enough for your chicken strips
Mix the panko, cheeses, S&P and cayenne in a separate plate
Dip each piece of chicken in the milk until coated
Then dip each chicken strip in the panko mixture until coated
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the strips on the lined baking sheet
Bake the chicken for about 35 minutes, or until brown
Serve immediately

I also made a little honey mustard mixture using honey and dijon mustard that went perfectly with this dish.

Will and I both loved this dish. It was so easy and fast, I would definitely make this again. This is definitely Will approved! 

80: Beer Cheese Soup

Last week I was up in Wisconsin for a work trip.  One of my colleagues, Nick Pokorny, suggested that I try a beer cheese soup. It's something that has been on my radar as a dish to try for a while, so once I returned home I looked up several versions of the soup and decided to make my own.  You could totally make this in the crock pot, but I was lazy this morning and didn't have time to cut up the onion and garlic.. so this is what I did instead... I can't wait to hear what my WI buddies think!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb thick-cut bacon slices, cut into small strips
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/2 large onion, diced
1 can carrots, drained and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
12 oz pale ale
2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 2/3 cups milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 cups chicken broth
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

The How To:
In a medium sized pan, cook the bacon until brown
In a dutch oven, heat the butter and cook the onion and carrots until onions are opaque (about 3-4 minutes) 
Add the garlic and let it cook about a minute
Add flour and combine
Add the beer and cook for 3-4 minutes, while stirring
Add worcestershire, milk, broth - bring to simmer
Cover and let simmer about 10-12 minutes

Slowly add cheese while stirring constantly

Serve with pretzel rolls or whole wheat loaf for dipping.

Tonight was a perfect night for soup, it's supposed to be in the 20s.  Will was really excited to try it out, he said that this was his type of comfort food.  He really loved the soup and even gave it two thumbs up! This dish is Will approved!  Thanks Nick for the recommendation.  

Lucy even wanted to try it... 

79: Quinoa Chicken Parmesan

Wow - I just noticed my last post was from back in July!  Obviously, I've been slacking on cooking lately.  Will has stepped up in the kitchen the last few months and I've been busy cooking up a little human. Yes, it's true - we are expecting a new little Burke in April.  :)

Finally I started feeling more like myself this week and thought I would get back in the kitchen.  I have a lot of recipes that I've been wanting to try and this dish for quinoa chicken parmesan is one of them.  

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa 
italian seasoning, to taste
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
S&P
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten
mozzarella cheese

store-bought or homemade marinara sauce
2 garlic cloves
1 can diced tomatoes
dried basil 
italian seasoning 
balsamic vinegar

The How To:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Line a cooking dish with foil (for easy clean up)
Cook the quinoa according to package directions (add 1 cup quinoa, 1 1/2 cups water to a medium pan - heat to boil, then put on low heat for about 8 minutes or until liquid dissolves) 
Start the chicken assembly line:
Season chicken with S&P
Dredge chicken in flour
Dip in the beaten eggs
Dredge in quinoa
Place chicken in the foil lined dish, then bake for about 40 minutes (depending on how big your chicken is) 
Remove, and top with cheese and marinara
Cook for about 5 more minutes, until cheese melts 
Serve immediately.

This dish is packed with protein.  I served this along with some broccoli.  This is a good healthy weeknight meal.  Will really liked it more than I did, but things just don't really taste the same to me as they normally do.  I'm hoping that goes back to normal in May.  
Will gave it an eh.. I probably wouldn't make this dish again, but it was worth a try.  

He really was excited to try it, but this is the type of picture you get when you only take one...