As a new mother, I often crave dishes that I will never conceivably have the time to make.  Last night I wanted Chicken Parmesan and dog-gonnit, I was gonna make it.  This is a straight out the fridge recipe so bare with me.

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Preheat over to 350 degrees. I had three defrosted chicken breasts, so I had to make it work.  First, I pounded the chicken out to 1/2 inch thick.  I dipped them in seasoned flour then, egg (2 beaten eggs with a tablespoon of water), and then dredged them in Italian breadcrumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese.  I put them on  a cookie sheet that I had sprayed with cooking spray.  I baked them in 10 minute intervals until they reached 180 degrees.  It took about 25 minutes.

In the meantime, I made some spiral pasta.  When the chicken was done, I put 2 tablespoons of pre-made pasta sauce onto each chicken breast and then I covered them in shredded mozzarella cheese.  I put the three chicken breasts under the broiler on high for about 90 seconds until the cheese was melty and bubbly.  (Actually, I cooked mine a few seconds too long as you can see by the photos, but 90 seconds should be perfect). 

I poured more of the pasta sauce from a jar onto the pasta right after it was drained so that the pasta would soak up some of the flavor.  I dished out the pasta onto two plates for Adam and I and added a piece of chicken to each. I then grated some fresh parmesan cheese over the top and sprinkled the plates with fresh cut basil that I happened to have left over from yesterday’s meal. 

The meal took about 35-40 minutes in all and was absolutely delicious.  Today, I prepared the last chicken breast with the cheese and cut it in half to serve over pasta for lunch.  Adam and I were able to enjoy a smaller version a second time around.

Fast and easy and always pleasing, that’s New Mommy Chicken Parmesaney!

Asparagus is one of my go-to vegetables when I need a healthy side dish to fish or chicken.  I make it many different ways but typically I use a lemon dill sauce that takes seconds.

First I remove the ends of the asparagus with snap.  Then I chop the stalks to  1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces. Next I add the asparagus to a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, I remove the asparagus and place it in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

In the emptied cooking pot, I toss the asparagus back in on medium heat.  I add about a 1/4 tsp of dried dill, a pat of butter (or olive oil) and a squirt or two of lemon juice. Toss together and serve immediately. Easy as pie… I mean Easy of Veggie!

My co-worker, Dorothy, gave me this fast and easy recipe for Hollandaise Sauce in the microwave.  I have made it numerous times and it is wonderful.  It certainly beats the powdered kind you find at the supermarket.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter melted
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• dash cayenne pepper

Method:

Melt the butter in the microwave. Let cool for about 1 minute.  Add the remaining ingredients and whisk lightly. Place the container into microwave and microwave on medium for 30 seconds. Wisk and return to microwave heating for an additional 30 seconds on medium.  Continue this pattern until the hollandaise sauce has reached the necessary consistency. You should be able to dip a spoon in the sauce, wipe the back of the spoon with your finger and a line will stay.  Try not to make it too thick because it will coagulate as it cools down. You can use some now and store the remainder in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in a tightly sealed container.  When reheating, remember to cook for short periods of time (30 seconds) on medium.

I love breakfast and I love Eggs Benedict of any variety.  September 25, 2007, also my father’s birthday was a the day I created the Benedict Twins.  I scrounged through the refrigerator and collected a hodge-podge of items that would ultimately be our breakfast.  English Muffins in hand, I made two very different Eggs Benedict.  The first was Adam’s favorite.  A toasted English muffin topped with crispy bacon, a fluffy poached egg, a delicate hollandaise sauce, capers, green onions, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

The second was made just for me, with Smoked Salmon as the protein of choice. I used the same materials as before omitting the bacon and green onions and replacing them with the smoked salmon and a dollop of basil pesto that I had left over from yesterday’s diner.   I was able to finish off some “lasts” in our refrigerator while creating a delectable treat for Adam and I to share.  I clink of the glasses to toast Dad’s B-day and we ate like kings.

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To celebrate my 31st Birthday, Adam and I made Banana Nut Waffles for breakfast. Believe me, they were as delicious as they are beautiful!

I love to cook and to collect cookbooks. When I was pregnant with Zoey, my sweet husband bought me a collection of cookbooks featuring recipes for babies and young children.  Now Zoey is almost six months old and loving life.  She has been eating the different Stage One baby foods for almost six weeks now.  I thought that since I am always in the kitchen anyway, I might try my hand at baby food. I used one of the books Adam gifted to me to research the foods that are healthy for a child eating Stage One foods.  The store offers a variety of stage one foods, but there is a limit. 

In the book “Naturally Delicious Meals for Baby”, I found that there are a variety of foods that are healthy for babies, but not provided by local supermarkets.  Some of the options listed in the book are the typical sweet potatoes, carrots and peas, but they also have recipes for broccoli, cauliflower, rutabaga, parsnip, fennel and beet purees and that is just the vegetables. My particular favorite is the avocado puree since I have been obsessed with them since pregnancy.  My daughter suffers from eczema and avocado is not only known for being packed full of monounsaturated fat, a good fat that provides energy, but they help with wound healing and a good complexion.

That being said, though I was excited that there were more options to explore when offering my little one — more than the typical 10 items sold commercially, I still wanted to take things slow.  Tonight, I made the carrot puree.  I purchased a bag of organic carrots for about two dollars.  After shredding, simmering for 10 minutes, pureeing and finally pushing through a fine strainer, I had a smooth dark orange perfection.  I offered it to Zoey for dinner and she loved it.  I used small plastic containers to freeze the remaining carrots.   I can just pull them out and defrost them as needed.  My recipe yielded about 15 ounces for the two dollars I spent.  That same quantity would cost about $3.50 for the organic brand at the supermarket. It isn’t really a cost savings but I did it more for the joy of feeding her something that Mommy made.