Chicken Parmesan Strips

I made these yesterday, but it was a very busy cooking day for me and I didn't write every detail down as I added, mixed and tasted...So, I am writing it down today and think I have everything accounted for...lol.....I may be updating if I remember an ingredient I forgot to write on here. This made a lot of chicken strips, but they were completely gone by the end of the night! We had two very picky eaters here at our house, one being my youngest son. They were both engrossed in their video games, so their loving mothers shoved a bite into their mouths before they could see the "green stuff"on the chicken..........they both LOVED it! Success!!!!!

Chicken Parmesan Strips

4 large chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 cups buttermilk
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp ground sage

For the Breading:
8 oz box Panko breadcrumbs
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tbsp garlic salt
2 tsp sage
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tbsp Fresh Italian Parsley, chopped finely
1 tbsp Fresh Oregano, chopped finely

Mix buttermilk, italian seasoning, cayenne and sage. Pour over chicken and let marinade for at least an hour.  Mine marinated for about 5 hours.
Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic salt, sage, italian seasoning, parsley and oregano.
Take chicken from the buttermilk and coat with bread crumb mixture. Fry in 375 degree oil (I used peanut oil) for 5-7 minutes or until fully cooked. They will be a dark golden brown when fully cooked. The time depends on how thick the strips are that you are cooking.  It took a while for me to figure out the timing. I just had to cut some in half to ensure that they weren't pink inside. They tasted good even cut in half...lol...I am really paranoid about chicken, so I always cut it to check. There has to be an easier way, but I haven't found it yet.
I served these with my homemade marinara sauce and they were absolutely delicious!

Mozzarella Sticks

Mozzarella Sticks

1 package string cheese/cheese sticks (Usually they come with at least 10, so that would make 20 cheese sticks. You can also just cut Mozzarella cheese into strips, if you don't have string cheese)
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp water
Italian seasoned bread crumbs (I also added a little extra Italian seasoning to the mixture)
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp garlic salt


Unwrap all the string cheese pieces. Cut each one in half.
In one bowl, combine flour and cornstarch.  In another bowl, beat the eggs and add the water. One more bowl with the bread crumbs, cayenne and garlic. First, dredge the cheese sticks in the flour mixture, then coat with the egg, then roll in bread crumb mixture. Place on wax paper. Continue until all the cheese sticks have been coated.
I used my deep fryer set at 375 degrees and fried them for 25-30 seconds. If you fry them for too long, the cheese will melt and it will be a gooey mess. You can probably fry them on the stove top in hot oil if you don't have a fryer. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce or whatever dipping sauce you prefer!

Caprese Pasta Salad

I found this Orecchiette pasta the other day at Trader Joe's and wanted to try it out. I love brushetta and caprese salad........I thought I would make a pasta salad that had the elements of both ....wasn't sure how it was going to come out.....I actually didn't add the balsamic vinegar at first...it tasted so good already....I thought about adding proscuitto or panchetta,....maybe next time....

Caprese Pasta Salad

 1 lb Orecchiette Pasta (You can use any type of pasta you prefer)
12 oz grape tomatoes, sliced in half
8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
1 cup fresh basil, cut chiffonade (roll the leaves and slice)
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup shredded parmesan/romano cheese

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain pasta and rinse with cool water. While pasta is cooling, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic. Whisk to combine.  In a large bowl, combine pasta, tomatoes, cheese and basil. Pour the oil/vinegar mixture and toss everything together. Salt and pepper to your taste. I actually didn't add either. It really didn't need it, but I know everyone's taste is different. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese right before serving.  You can also add some more fresh basil right before serving, too.
Enjoy!

Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

I used to never like brussel sprouts.  They were always soggy and blech......I had to find a way to cook them so that my family would eat them.....bacon makes everything better, right? These are my brussel sprouts and I have actually turned one of my friends, who was a brussel sprout hater into a brussel sprout LOVER! Awesome feeling! :)

Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

2 lbs brussel sprouts (cut the ends off and cut in half)

1 lb bacon (cut into 1 inch chunks)

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

2 tbsp Garlic Salt (I use Pappy's...it's the best, but if you don't have it, just use Garlic Salt)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook bacon until crispy over medium high heat. You need about 2 tbsp of the bacon grease, so you may need to drain the rest, depending on how fatty the bacon was.  Turn the heat down just a bit. To medium heat. Add brussel sprouts and stir to combine the bacon with the brussels.  Add garlic salt and pepper. Cover and let cook for 5 minutes. I let them cook for the first 5 minutes without stirring them.  This gives them a beautiful slight char that adds a lot of flavor. Check to see how cooked they are and if you want them to be softer, obviously, cook them longer. Also, add salt if needed. When you are ready to serve, sprinkle them with the parmesan!

French Toast Casserole with Croissants

I have tried a few recipes for french toast casseroles now.........but I  have finally tweeked them enough to come up with my own recipe. I made this the night before Mother's Day and served it in the morning to a houseful of people.....they all loved it! This is my version of french toast casserole.....super gooey, yummy and delicious......

French Toast Casserole with Croissants

9 croissants (a little stale, if possible, but if they're not, it's ok. I have made it both ways and didn't notice much of a difference)

9 eggs, beaten

2 1/4 cups milk

2 Tbsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp syrup (I used plain old Aunt Jemima)

1/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp Cinnamon

For the Topping:

1/4 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 stick cold butter

Break croissants into small pieces and put into a greased dutch oven or large baking dish.

Beat eggs and add vanilla, syrup, white sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Pour over croissants. I let mine sit overnight and just gave it a stir in the morning before I was ready to bake it. I have made it and let it soak only an hour or so and it still came out good.  It's just nice to have it ready to go in the morning. Easy breakfast!

To make the topping:

Combine dry ingredients. Cut butter into small cubes and using your hands, mix the dry ingredients into the butter. You want the butter to be cold. You want the butter "chunks"to be about the size of a pea when you're done. I suppose you could use a food processor, but I don't have one, so I had to use my hands...lol

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle topping onto casserole...distributing evenly. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. 

 It really depends on how "gooey"you want it. If you take it out and it's still "jiggly"in the middle, cook it for another 10-15 minutes.  Let it cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. It will help it firm up a little, too.

 

This is what it looks like before baking.

This is right after it came out....see the bubbles on the side??? Yum!

Delicious!