*I Cook Barefooted!* ~ Call 'em To The Table Chicken Parmisan

Barefoot Love!

Hi.
It's me.
Yeah. I know. It's been a while.
You know that time I said, "I need me some more kids!"
Well, even if it was just yesterday.
Indeed... I do NOT need me some more kids.
I'm up to my neck in them, actually.
Teenagers. Frankly.

Oh, how I've missed summers when we trudged skipped gaily 
through snake and turtle and tick infested woods
searching for the perfect rock  for our goldfish pond.

How I yearn for the days of tie-dye, paint and wet cement staining our back porch
in the hopes of providing a meaningful distraction from ~ Everything.

How I rejoice weep for all of those critters (snakes, lizards, toads) 
who no longer know what it is to be invited into The House.

How I do miss those kids.
And when I do, I just remember this...
They still pick their tomatoes out of the sauce,
peppers off their kabobs, 
and moan incessantly about how they don't like mushrooms to touch their food.
See...
They didn't go far.



I know you've heard me say a few times, I am no cook!

I do, in fact, beg, borrow and steal recipes when given the opportunity.
(Except that A-mazing salsa recipe I am sworn to secrecy to protect! Nope. Can't do it.) 
 To ease my return after a Long HOT Summer, ripe with teenagers...
I thought I would share something relatively new to our house.
 Take a gander at the back of a Progresso Italian Style Bread Crumbs box
and you'll see the recipe I'm stealing from... with a tiny twist or two.

I think the addition of Homegrown Tomatoes and YOUR favorite pasta sauce 
makes all the difference! 
 So, grab your kids... All of the little darlings!
And set the table.
It's suppertime.


☮

  Chicken Parmesan

 1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onions (optional)
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 - 3 cups of Homegrown Tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Leftovers of your family's favorite pasta sauce (about 2 cups or so)
4 boneless chicken breast, cut in strips
1/3 cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1-3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large sauce pot, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
Cook onions (optional) and minced garlic for 2 minutes and stir occasionally.
Stir in your finely chopped, homegrown tomatoes; sugar, salt and pepper.
Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.
Add your family's favorite pasta sauce. 
(I use Prego Fresh Mushroom)
Reduce heat; cover and simmer.

Cut your chicken breasts into strips.
Grab two shallow bowls, filling one with beaten eggs.
Fill the other with your bread crumbs and grated parmesan, and mix.
Dip your chicken strips into egg, then into bread crumb mixture.
Place your strips in a large skillet (with a lid) with the rest of the olive oil.
Cook chicken on med-low burner for about 10 to 15 minutes, turning once.
Pour your tomato sauce over top of chicken in skillet. Reduce heat.
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top of that; and cover with lid till melted.

Serve with green salad and warmed french bread!
Yum!

***

You want reviews?
    How 'bout, 
  "Supper's On!"  ヅ







 How 'bout You?
Have a recipe you want to share on 
*I Cook Barefooted!*?
Show some Barefoot Love and...

Send it here:  scarlettcolleen@yahoo.com 
Want to include a photo? Fun!

What's on your table?

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions.

All life is an experiment.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 *Barefoot Love*Airbrush By, Colleen 
2012

 
 

 

*I Cook Barefooted!* ~ Pasta Con Broccoli

Barefoot Love!

 I love pasta!

 Noodles and sauce are my go-to comfort food,

all warm and garlicky and generously sprinkled with cheesy goodness!

I particularly love it served up in a wide, flat-rimmed bowl

with a nice crispy-on-the-outside, warm-and-soft-on-the-inside

  hunk of french bread and real butter on the side.

A glass of Merlot,

good company

and I'm feelin' right as rain!

Ahh, Pasta!

Spinach Lasagna,
Spaghetti and meatballs,
and my kids' favorite, Macaroni n' Cheese
have always been staples on our supper table.
Filling, affordable and healthy in moderation,
they are a mother's dream!

I'm not gonna lie.
Pleasing my family at the supper table
is among some of my more sought after goals in life. 
It is also, ironically, a look into my ever-growing madness. 


I fantasize often,
while hovering over a rainbow of color in the produce section, 
of strolling through a comfortably busy, preferably European outdoor market 
(Italy would be nice)
with my ECO-friendly shopping tote on one arm
and the hand of a small child clinging to the other, 
smiling and sharing giggles and kisses,
(picture slow motion action here ~ a gentle breeze in my hair)
as we lovingly fondle
the perfect ingredients for our family's evening meal!

Reality, sadly, often rears its ugly head here, 
leaping frantically
to some poor woman and her screaming toddler four aisles over! 
(PS: Been there. You have my pity.)
(PPS: "Never give in ~ never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, 
never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. 
Never yield to force; never yield to the  apparently overwhelming might of the enemy 
*ahem... precious child*.")

   ~Winston Churchill

 My lovely daydream has now morphed into, something along the lines of, 
Me ~ *Lost* in Italy,
just like Elizabeth Gilbert in, "Eat, Pray, Love" ~
only... happily married,
and *not* so miserable 
that I resort to sleeping on my bathroom floor, 
and living my day to days, unhappy and unsatisfied with my life.
Really ~  just the Eat, Pray and Love parts.
***

Ciao! Amico!

*Hey, Friend!*

Buongiorno! 

*Good Morning!*

Come stai?

 *How are you?*

Bene, grazie!

*I'm fine, thanks!*

 Potresti aiutarmi?

 *Can you help me?*

Sono Affamato!

*I'm hungry.*

Sei molto gentile!

 *You're very kind!*

Io amo la Pasta!

 *I love Pasta!*

*** 
 What can I say ~ It's my dream.
Pasta, just has a way of making you feel like all is right with the world. 
Isn't it lovely!



 ❤
 Happy Anniversary, Babe!
Here's a toast to Nineteen years of Bliss and Broccoli!

☮

Pasta con Broccoli

 1 lb. Frozen Broccoli
1lb. Medium-sized "Seashell" Pasta Shells

1 qt. Half n' Half

1 pt. Meatless Ragu Pasta Sauce

3/4 Stick Butter

1/4 lb. Parmesan Cheese, shredded

1 small package Mushrooms, sliced

Garlic Salt, to taste (OR  2 Tbsp. Minced Garlic)

Crushed Red Pepper, to taste

Add pasta to rapidly boiling water and cook till done.

Combine rest of ingredients on list, (except Parmesan) into a large pot.

Cook slowly on medium heat until broccoli thaws. 

Drain pasta, and add to large pot.

Remove from heat; add Parmesan cheese and stir. 

Buon gusto!

*Enjoy!*

You want reviews?
    How 'bout, 
    "BRAVISSIMO!" ヅ

 How 'bout You?
Have a recipe you want to share on 
*I Cook Barefooted!*?
Show some Barefoot Love and...

Send it here:  scarlettcolleen@yahoo.com 
Want to include a photo? Fun!

What's on your table?

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions.

All life is an experiment.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 *Barefoot Love*Airbrush By, Colleen 
2012