Friday, February 25, 2011

Giada De Laurentiis: Chicken Milanese with tomato and Fennel sauce recipe

When my daughters saw Giada De Laurentiis make this during her cooking show... They wanted me to make it!  So, i went to work... We skipped the "fancy" sauce (as they referred to it) and made the chicken part.  The whole family thought it was amazing! Perfect for a "kid friendly" dinner.  Enjoy    
Picture of Chicken Milanese with Tomato and Fennel Sauce Recipe
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-milanese-with-tomato-and-fennel-sauce-recipe/index.html
INGREDIENTS:


1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups plain bread crumbs
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless and skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup vegetable oil

SAUCE

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups (12 ounces) cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

For the chicken: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack.

Using 3 wide shallow bowls, add the flour to 1, the eggs to another and to the third bowl combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, and thyme.

On a work surface, put the chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, lightly pound the chicken until approximately 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly, then dip into the beaten eggs, allowing the excess egg to drip off. Coat the chicken with the bread crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere.

In a large, nonstick saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add 2 pieces of the breaded chicken into the oil and cook until light golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Reserve the cooking juices in the saute pan.

For the sauce: Using the same saute pan, add the olive oil to the reserved cooking juices and heat over medium heat. Add the fennel and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the cherry tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, garlic and thyme. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the tomatoes are tender. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the mascarpone cheese and stir until the mixture is creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and spoon the sauce over the top before serving.




Thursday, February 24, 2011

Free Redbox code

Below is a link for a free Redbox movie... Just "like" them on Facebook.  The free code is only good today! Thursday 2/24/2011
http://gimmiefreebies.com/forum/index.php?topic=4428.0

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Movie Night

With the girls home from school for Febuary vacation, planned activities are a must!  It's nice to hang out in P.J's and not go anywhere, but it is also nice to have a bit of structure.  I found free "Movie Night" templates to cut and color at the link below.  When they are finished have the kids tuck them away until the special night/day. Before the movie, plan everything out.
1. Decide on a special treat.  Buy or bake together!
2. Take a Vote... Which movie? Kids can get really into this.  Use posterboard, stickers etc... Make a chart.
3.  Head to video store.
4.  Have the kids dress up like their favorite character in the movie.  If they haven't seen it, just glance at cover and use that as a guide.
5.  Enjoy!  And remember, sometimes its easy to do "other" things such as cleaning or making phone calls, when your kids are actually sitting still... I am guilty of that.  But it is so nice to stop and enjoy it with them. They'll appreciate it more than you'll know!
 
http://www.hooverwebdesign.com/printable-movie-ticket-party-invitations.html
EASY POPCORN BALLS
http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/820254/Make-your-own-movie-night-tickets
Serving: 20 balls. 
INGREDIENTS                                                
3/4 cup light corn syrup                                      

1/4 cup butter

2 teaspoons cold water

2 5/8 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup marshmallows

5 quarts plain popped popcorn

1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1.In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the corn syrup, butter, cold water, confectioners' sugar, cinnamon and marshmallows. Heat and stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Carefully combine the hot mixture with the popcorn. Stir to evenly coat.

2.Grease hands with butter and quickly shape the coated popcorn into balls before they cool.

Monday, February 21, 2011

All you exclusive coupons

   b0032  I stumbled upon the allyou.com website.  Since then I visit often. "All You" has a great selection of coupons.You can always find new coupons, that are not available everywhere. I enjoy their website. Jam packed full of info... Coupon link below:
http://coupons.allyou.com/couponweb/offers.aspx?pid=14803&nid=10&zid=rd17&cid=16075008&bid=CCR017Uycuideh652382824