Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken

To all my readers, I apologize for being away for so long. I have had a lot on my plate lately, between getting back to work after surgery, switching jobs, and all of the other ups and downs life tends to throw at you. I digress, I'm trying to focus on this new positive attitude I've acquired, and stick with it. I have plenty of motivation built up, and I am going to hang on to it!

As I promised, my next entry was going to be about the Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken, so here it is. If I can recall, Scott and I made this back in late July, and I do remember that we were very pleased with the recipe! The chicken was sweet and juicy, and it sure lived up to the name double crunch! Here is the recipe I found on Pinterest:

• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups flour
• 4 tsp salt
• 4 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp ground thyme
• 2 tsp ground sage
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 eggs
• 8 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3-4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 cup honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce 
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
•  canola oil 

Unlike other recipes, Scott and I basically stuck to this one, without making much adjustments. The only thing we may have changed were the spices. The recipe calls for sage and thyme, and I'm almost positive Scott does not have those spices in his spice rack. Don't worry about veering from the set path though...be adventurous! Use other spices instead. Trust me, it's exciting. 

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour with all the spices. In a separate bowl, make an egg wash by mixing the eggs with some water. Setup an assembly line of chicken, flour, egg, and get started! 

Season the chicken with salt and pepper (of course), then dip into the flour, then into the egg, then into the flour one final time, and then into the saute pan. When the chicken is cooked through, about 4 or 5 minutes per side, drain on a wire rack. 

To make the honey garlic sauce, in a medium saucepan, add the olive oil and minced garlic. Cook over medium heat to soften the garlic, but don't let it brown. Add the honey, soy sauce and black pepper, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Let the mixture cool a little before you add it to the chicken. 

You won't be disappointed by this recipe. Scott and I loved it so much that we finished all four chicken breasts! That's pretty much unheard of at his house. We cooked scalloped potatoes with our chicken, but I think it would also be great with rice pilaf or mashed potatoes. Give the recipe a try, and tell me what you think!

Would you use the honey garlic sauce as a garnish on top of the chicken, or as a dipping sauce? What is your favorite dipping sauce for chicken? 

Chicken Cutlets turned UP a notch!

Who doesn't love chicken? On Thursday night, a few months back, Scott and I were craving chicken, but we wanted to step out of the box a little bit. I started surfing Pinterest, like I usually do when I need inspiration, and I came across this recipe. Although it is for pork chops, Scott had chicken cutlets in the house, and I knew it would work either way. We decided to give it a try and I am so glad we did!

This recipe was a great way to spruce up your average breaded chicken cutlets. Here is what we used:

• 1 pkg boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 cups Italian bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 bottle of Ranch dressing

(the recipe also called for a package of dry Italian seasoning, but we didn't have it in the house, and didn't feel like purchasing it. I don't think it really made a difference.)

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate plate, pour a layer of Ranch dressing down, and coat the cutlets in the dressing. Now, dunk the cutlets in the bread crumb mixture. (in this case, the Ranch acts as egg wash that would normally be used.) 

The original recipe says that to avoid soggy cutlets, (haha), place them on a wire cooking rack. Turn your oven to 400 degrees and cook the cutlets for 45 minutes. They will come out crispy every time. I know ours did. 

Granted our chicken cutlets did not look like the picture on the website where I got the recipe, they were still delicious and crispy. I'll definitely try them out again, whenever I am feeling sassy. 

Maybe next time I will try the recipe with pork chops. What is your favorite way to prepare chicken? What do you bread your chicken with?

The Perfect Party Plate

I came across this recipe pretty much by accident. It was Valentine's Day, and I wanted to surprise Scott with a simple appetizer before we decided to make dinner for each other, later that evening. I was perusing through Pinterest, as I usually do when I'm looking for inspiration, when I came across this little gem. I read over the recipe and thought that I could simplify it so basically anyone could prepare it with little ingredients, and very little effort. 

If I ever throw a dinner party, or a trendy tapas party, I'm totally breaking out this recipe! For my version of the recipe, here is what you'll need:

• 28 Ritz crackers (I used the wheat, generic Publix brand)
• 1 small tub of chive flavored cream cheese
• 4 or 5 slices of cooked ham
• 4 or 5 slices of roasted red peppers, chopped (I used Mancini's brand that come in a jar)
• parsley

1. Lay the Ritz crackers out on a cutting board, platter, or on whatever surface you are going to present them on. 

2. Spread a dime-sized dollop of cream cheese over the unsalted side of the cracker.

3. Cut up the thin sliced, deli ham into squares, or you can just tear it into pieces like I did. (it was much easier that way, and it looked more rustic). Place ham on top of cream cheese.

4. Cut up the roasted red peppers into squares, so they fit nicely on top of the ham.

5. Sprinkle each cracker with some parsley for garnish, and Voila! There you have it.

It's really as simple as that. It was the perfect party snack, and Scott gobbled them up. I was really surprised how tasty they were for such a small bite. 

What is your favorite appetizer or tapas plate to entertain with?

Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac n Cheese

I've taken a very unnecessary hiatus from blogging, and I deeply apologize. I have a lot to catch you all up on, but I need to start with the most recent and work my way back from there. 

Scott and I have been at somewhat of a loss for Thursday dinners as of late, whether it be because of our budget, recent lack of creativity, or spontaneous, random plans that just come up. So, obviously, when I am out of ideas, I head to my crutch, Pinterest. Last week, I found a rather awesome recipe from a blog with a very similar name, One Ordinary Day.

Everyone, including myself, loves mac n cheese and I'm always trying to think up new and inventive ways to spice up the classic. One Ordinary Day beat me to the punch with a Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac n Cheese recipe. Click here to check it out! Scottie and I tweaked the recipe a little bit by using just regular pasta and regular butter, but it still came out pretty awesome!

  

 Season and saute the chicken on medium high heat.  








What you need for a bechamel sauce:
- butter
- flour
- milk
- cheese

 

Crisp up bacon in a skillet on medium high heat.

 

Here is our finished product! These are the basic steps. If you follow the recipe I linked above, you'll have a killer chicken, bacon, ranch mac n cheese too! The only minor disappointment that I encountered was that I felt our bechamel sauce was a little grainy...delicious, but grainy. Does anybody have any tips to avoiding that problem? Also, do you have a favorite mac n cheese recipe that you'd like to share?