Panko Crusted Chicken Fingers

 These chicken fingers are so, so good. They are super crunchy and delicious. Perfect for dipping in honey mustard (or your favorite dipping sauce). You just can't go wrong with this recipe.

Panko Crusted Chicken Fingers

~serves 4-6~

What you need:

For the chicken fingers

1 1/2 - 2 lb. chicken breast, dried with paper towels and cut into strips approximately 1/2 inch thick

salt, pepper & garlic powder

1 c. flour

3 c. panko bread crumbs

3 eggs

1 c. plus 1 T. canola oil

Honey Mustard

3 T. honey

4 T. yellow mustard

What you do:

1. Heat oven to 200 degrees (For keeping the chicken warm).

2. In 2 pie plates, spread the flour in one and the bread crumbs in the other. In a medium bowl beat together the eggs and 1 T. oil. Season chicken with salt, pepper & garlic powder (or any seasoning you like). 

3. Drop the chicken, a few pieces at a time into the flour to coat. Then, shaking off the excess flour, drop into the eggs. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to the breadcrumbs (letting excess egg drip back into the bowl). Coat with the breadcrumbs, pressing on each piece of chicken to be sure the breadcrumbs adhere well. Transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.

4. Meanwhile heat the remaining oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering (but not smoking).

5. Prepare a second baking sheet by lining it with a couple layers of paper towel.

6. When the oil is ready, fry the chicken in batches until golden brown, about 2 min per side. Drain on the paper towel lined baking sheet and keep the chicken warm in the oven while the rest cooks.

7. Mix the honey and mustard together for a tasty dipping sauce.

Recipe Source: Apapted from The Quick Recipe

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

A.K.A. "Pizza Chicken" in my house.

I'd been seeing this recipe for awhile on Pinterest and I finally decided to give it a try. Pizza reigns supreme with my youngest son, who also is a very (very) picky eater. So I though this recipe would be a great fit to try out on him especially. I made the original recipe once and it was a big hit with everyone in my family.

 The second time I made it (which is pictured here) I decided to make a few changes.

 The original recipe calls for using a bag of seasoned croutons for the topping, which I thought made the casserole a bit salty for my taste, so I opted to make my own croutons. The other major change I made was to cut the chicken up into smaller pieces, instead of leaving the chicken breasts whole.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

~serves about 6~

What you need:

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

sprinkle of red pepper flakes

about 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into approximately 2-3 inch chunks

salt & pepper

2 1/2 - 3 c. tomato sauce

1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 oz. fresh grated Parmesan cheese (about a cup)

about 4 c. homemade croutons, or your favorite store bought brand (I've included my recipe below)

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt & pepper.

3. In a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, add chicken, olive oil, garlic and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Toss well, spread out in an even layer. Spread tomato sauce evenly over chicken and sprinkle with chopped basil.

4. Sprinkle half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan over the sauce layer. Spread the croutons over the cheese. Then sprinkle the remaining cheese over the layer of croutons.

5. Bake for 35 minutes.

*To make homemade croutons: 
2 cloves garlic minced to a paste
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 t. salt
4 c. fresh bread cubes (1/2 -3/4 inch cubes)

Combine oil, garlic, and salt in a large bowl. Add bread cubes and toss until well coated. Spread onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 15 -20 minutes, until golden brown.

Recipe Source: Adapted From Food Wishes

Super Simple Oven-Baked Ribs

This isn't so much a recipe as it is a technique. I've made ribs this way a couple of times now for my family and we love them. I bake them covered in foil initially, which keeps them moist. Then I remove the foil about halfway through so the ribs get good and caramelized. So, so good!

Super Simple Oven-Baked Ribs

What you'll need:

1 rack of pork spareribs (the rack I used here was about 5 1/2 lb.)

your favorite rub

your favorite bbq sauce

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ribs on a large rimmed baking sheet. Liberally apply your favorite rub and massage into the ribs. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

2. Remove the foil from the ribs and continue to bake another 1 1/2 hours. Ribs should be tender and  deeply caramelized by this time. 

3. Remove pan from the oven and carefully transfer the ribs, meaty side down, to a clean baking sheet. Brush the top of the ribs (back of the rack) with bbq sauce. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until the sauce begins to caramelize on top of the ribs. Remove from the oven, carefully flip ribs, and brush the top (meaty) side of the ribs with the bbq sauce. Return the ribs to the oven and bake another 10 minutes, or until the bbq sauce is caramelized. Remove from the oven and cut into desired portions.

Cabbage Soup with Bacon, Potatoes and White Beans

I came up with this recipe because I had half of a head of a large cabbage in my crisper drawer and some delicious thick-cut pepper bacon Dan had brought home awhile back. We were having one of those epic Pacific Northwwest rainstorms and I wanted to make something to warm our bellies. I love this kind of food, it's so hearty and comforting.

Cabbage Soup with Bacon, Potatoes and White Beans

~serves about 6-8~

What you'll need:

1 T. olive oil

8 oz. thick cut bacon, diced

2 onions, finely chopped

12 oz. carrots, peeled and chopped

1 t. dried thyme

2 lg. (about 1 1/2 lb.) russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-3/4 inch dice

15 oz. can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 of a large head (or 1small head) of cabbage, coarsely chopped

4 c. low-sodium chicken broth

4 c. water

What you do:

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Leaving about 1 T. drippings in the pot, add onions, carrots and thyme and cook until onions are softened, about 5 minutes or so. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and simmer about an hour, until vegetables are tender.

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

After over 12 years of marriage, you kinda assume you know everything there is to know about a person. I however just found out that peanut butter cookies are my husbands favorite. I mean, I've made them loads of times, I just never knew they were his FAVORITE kind (next to snickerdoodles, which I did know he loved). There was only one thing to do after discovering this little factoid about the love of my life....

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

yields approximately 26 3-inch cookies

What you'll need:

1/2 c. sugar, plus extra for pressing the cookie dough

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/4 c. shortening

1/4 c. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

1 1/4 c. flour

3/4 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2. Using an electric mixer, (or by hand), beat together the sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening and butter in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed. Add egg & mix well. Add in flour mixture.

3. Roll cookie dough into 1-inch balls (about 2 T. dough per cookie). Place 3 inches apart on a baking sheet. Using a fork dipped in reserved sugar, press a criss-cross shape into each cookie, flattening the cookie dough.

4. Bake until light brown, 9-10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling. 

Fresh Corn & Black Bean Salad

This is a great summertime salad. I tend to have trouble always eating right during the summertime when the kids are out of school, mainly because we get so busy. So I like to keep salads like this on hand during the summer months because I can make it one day and then have a healthy lunch/snack option on hand over the next few days.

Fresh Corn & Black Bean Salad

~servings vary~

*I like to serve this salad over lettuce, topped with crumbled queso fresco, crushed tortilla chips and chopped avocado. 

What You'll Need:

For the Dressing:

juice of 2 limes (3-4 T.)

1 small garlic clove, minced

1-2 t. honey (to taste)

1/4 t. cumin

1/3 c. canola oil

salt and pepper to taste

For the Salad

2 ears of fresh corn, cooked & kernels removed

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1 bunch of radishes, very coarsely chopped

1/2 c. chopped green onions (or you could use 1/4 chopped red onion)

1/4 c. rough chopped cilantro leaves

What you do:

1. Make the dressing: Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.

2. Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add the dressing. Toss to combine. 

3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to blend the flavors.

Linguini with Roasted Cauliflower, Sausage and Tomato

The weather's been so beautiful here in the Pacific Northwest. This week we've spent a lot of time doing outdoorsy things, like bug hunting (with my youngest) and razor scooter riding (with my oldest). Plus, this week I crossed over the fence from being a long time power-walker to an official jogger. This kind of came out of nowhere, I never actually thought it would be something I'd do, but I was out on a walk the other day with my 1 year-old German Shepherd, Sansa, and she was driving me absolutely nuts pulling on her leash while we walked, so I decided to make her (and my hand) happy and I jogged for the last part of our walk. When I got home I found I felt so great, I decided to just go forward with it, so that's what I've been doing and it's working out beautifully. I gotta say I'm pretty proud of myself.

 We also filled the propane on our grill this week and TWICE we feasted on Ribeye steaks the size of our heads! I think we probably consumed our alotted amount of red meat for the next couple of months, but it was worth it because they were SO good... I think my decision to start working out more aggressively may have been a timely one...

I put this dinner together tonight after yet another bug hunting/razor scooter outing with my family. On an unrelated note, we caught a shrew today. I saw it and my husband caught it in a box. Sometimes we'll find little critters at the park and bring them home long enough to learn a little about them then return them to their homes. We read that shrews can consume up to 125% percent of their body weight each day.  He's a cute little guy, and a ruthless bug killer.

Linguini with Roasted Cauliflower, Sausage and Tomato

~serves 3-4~

Note* If you are short on time, you could skip the homemade breadcrumbs and just serve the pasta with additional parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:

1 small or 1/2 of  a large head of cauliflower, broken apart into small bite-sized pieces

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 lb linguini (I used 51% whole wheat liguini here)

2 slices of hearty white bread, torn into pieces

3/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided

3 links of italian sausage (hot or mild is fine, I used mild here), casings removed

3 garlic cloves, minced

14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

1 c. low-sodium chicken broth

2 T. lemon juice 

2 T. minced fresh parsley

Instructions:

1. Roast the cauliflower: Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place cauliflower on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until cauliflower is browned and tender, 25-30 minutes. Remove beaking sheet from oven and set aside.

2. Make parmesan breadcrumbs. In a food processor, pulse bread to make evenly sized breadcrumbs. Heat 2 T. olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until the oil shimmers. Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring almost constantly until the breadcrumbs are crisp and browned, about 3 minutes. Remove to a plate to cool, after they have cooled for 5 minutes, stir in 1/4 of the parmesan cheese. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, make the pasta. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot or dutch oven. When boiling, add pasta and 2 1/2 t. salt. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, reserving 1/2 c. pasta cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot and set aside while finishing the recipe.

4. After removing the breadcrumbs from the skillet, add the sausage and cook, over medium-high heat until the sausage is browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour the fat from the skillet and wipe out the skillet lightly with paper towels.

5. Return the skillet to the medium heat, add 1 T. olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add garlic and saute for about 1 minute, until garlic is just beginning to brown. Add drained tomatoes, chicken broth and 1/4 t. salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced slightly, about 2-3 minutes. 

6. To the pasta in the pot add cauliflower, sausage, tomato mixture, remaining 1/2 c. parmesan cheese, lemon juice and parsley. Place the pasta pot over medium heat and stir until mixed together and heated through, adding the reserved pasta cooking water if needed, to loosen the consistency. 

7. Divide pasta among individual bowl and serve, sprinkling with the parmesan breadcrumbs.