Oven-Fried Chicken Parmesan

I have felt so guilty about not posting any blog entries in two weeks! What can I say, the holidays are a good excuse :) Well, now I gotta get back to it. I wish I had a more fun and creative recipe to share with you today, but there is a lot to be said for something classic, filling, and delicious - even if it isn't the most unique recipe in the world!

There are so many variations on "chicken parm" out there. Different spices, crumb coatings, cuts of chicken, marinara sauces. My intention in sharing this recipe with you is to give you something simple, quick, healthy, filling - and with no strings attached. This is chicken parm at its best, without bells and whistles.

We always use whole wheat pasta, and I'm convinced that once you've tried it, you'll never go back! The texture is totally different - it may be a big strange at first - but the health benefits are huge and you'll reach a point where plain white pasta noodles just taste...plain! We love whole wheat pasta and I'll never cook with anything else.

Enjoy! And Happy Holidays to you and your family!

Oven-Fried Chicken Parmesan

1/4 C flour

sprinkle of dried oregano + basil

pinch of salt + pepper

2 large egg whites, beaten

3/4 C bread crumbs

4 boneless chicken breasts

olive oil

1/2 jar marinara sauce

1 C mozzarella cheese

hot, cooked pasta

1. Preheat oven to 450. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thickness.

2. Combine flour, seasonings, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Place egg whites in a bowl. Place bread crumbs in a separate shallow dish. Dredge each chicken breast in flour mixture, then dip in egg whites, letting excess drip off. Then dredge in bread crumbs.

3. In large skillet, heat 1 TBS oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts to pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side, adding another TBS of oil when you flip the chicken breasts. Place chicken in pan and place in the oven. Bake at 450 for 5 minutes. Turn chicken over, top with several TBS of marinara and cheese. Bake another 6 minutes, or until chicken is done.

4. Serve chicken breasts on top of hot, cooked pasta with additional sauce.

Mini Reese's Cheesecakess

This dessert recipe is one of my most favorite EVER. I first made this in high school, when we needed to bring a dessert for a class function. Since that time, I've made these cheesecakes over and over...and over and over! Everyone loves them. They're addictive! When you first bite into one, you get that classic cheesecake flavor and texture. Take one more bite and you hit a crunchy, peanut-buttery, chocolate-y Reese's candy! To finish it all off, its made with a crunchy and buttery graham cracker crust. It seriously does not get any better than this.

That's all I can say about these little desserts - to find out more, try 'em yourself!

*note - as written, this recipe makes 6 cheesecakes. When I made these last week for a work holiday party, I quadrupled the recipe!

Mini Reese's Cheesecakes

1/3 C graham cracker crumbs

1 TBS white sugar

1 TBS butter, melted

8-oz pkg cream cheese, softened*

1/4 C white sugar

1.5 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

mini Reese's peanut butter cups

1. Preheat oven to 325. Insert muffin liners into a muffin pan.

2. In small bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Place a tablespoon in the bottom of each muffin liner. Press down firmly. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes, then remove and cool.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on its own for a minute or two until smooth. Add sugar, and beat until smooth. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla; beat until smooth. Mix in the egg and beat until smooth (sorry for sounding like a broken record...)

4. Pour cream cheese mixture into muffin cups using a small measuring cup or large spoon. Fill the cups 3/4 full. Unwrap your peanut butter cups and place in the center of the cream cheese filling, pressing down slightly.

5. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and refrigerate until ready to eat, or at least 2-3 hours.

*to soften, pleeeeease don't microwave your cream cheese. I haven't had the best of luck with this, as the cream cheese seems to lose some its creamy quality. I leave my cream cheese on the counter for 3-4 hours until its room-temperature. This will give you VERY smooth and creamy cheesecake.

Slow-Cooker Jambalaya

Jambalaya is one of my favorite weekend meals. I love that it allows so much flexibility with ingredients and spices. On some occasions, shrimp sounds appealing whereas other times, I'm craving smoked sausage - the beauty of jambalaya is that you can use either, or both!! I love to load it up with tons of veggies, and as much spice as Brett and I can handle. With rice mixed in or served separately on the side - your pick! Today, I even chose to throw in an Anaheim pepper - for no reason other than, it sounded interesting. Not many recipes offer such an opportunity to have fun and be creative.

I've made jambalaya probably 3 or 4 times in the last several years. Tonight, it was definitely my best! Below is the exact recipe I used. I originally planned to serve the jambalaya alongside jasmine rice, but there was so much liquid in the crock pot that I decided to add dry rice during the last 20 minutes to soak it all up. It turned out perfect! I love this recipe in particular because it cooks in a crock pot, and how can you not love the "set-it-and-forget-it" mentality?! It filled the kitchen with delicious smells all day while I wrapped Christmas gifts.

Have fun with this one!

Slow-Cooker Jambalaya

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cut into 1-inch cubes

1 lb smoked turkey sausage, sliced

28oz + 14oz can diced tomatoes, with liquid

1 large onion, diced

2 green bell peppers, diced

5-6 stalks of celery, diced

1 Anaheim pepper, diced

1 can chicken broth

oregano, parsley, garlic powder, cajun seasoning, cayenne, red pepper flakes, tabasco sauce

salt, pepper

2 C uncooked jasmine rice

1. In slow cooker, add all ingredients except uncooked rice. Estimate seasonings based on your tastes, and what looks right. You can always add more later. Set slow cooker to low for 5 hours.

2. Add uncooked rice after the 5 hours has run up. Flip slow cooker to high and cook for another 20 minutes, or until rice is tender.