After coming back from vacation last week, I had a rough time getting back into the rhythm of blogging. That transition from relaxation to dedicated workerbee sure is a hard one, isn’t it? That’s why there was only one recipe last week. Forgive me, there will be more recipes this week. Promise.

So let’s talk favorite comfort foods today.

There are some meals that I could eat several times a week and never grow tired of them. Among them is Chicken Parmesan, and I think Will, Paige and Shawn would agree. It’s comfort food at it’s best: tender, juicy breaded chicken with a solid, crisp crust that is neither too hard nor too mushy. Cooked with brilliant basil infused marinara sauce and topped with melty cheese that pulls apart in long strings when you eat it, it’s just mouthwatering good. For the sauce, I love homemade, but if not that then we all adore Bove’s Basil Marinara. It’s the freshest jarred sauce I’ve ever tasted.

Yum.

This particular recipe for Chicken Parmesan comes together really quickly and is super simple. And the results are something that everyone in the family just devours. Heck, we even fight over the leftovers. And with a limited amount of added fats, it’s not too bad for you either.

What’s your favorite comfort food?

Quick Chicken Parmesan
serves 4

2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

Place one chicken breast in the middle of a long sheet of waxed paper. Fold the paper over the chicken. Using a meat mallet, pound to 1/2 inch thickness. Repeat with second breast. Cut each breast into two pieces.

Dredge the chicken in the flour, then the egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Repeat until all the chicken has been breaded. Set aside.

In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side until browned. Pour in the marinara sauce and sprinkle with cheeses. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, until cheeses are melted.

Serve over pasta.

Today is Cinco de Mayo, a day that commemorates the Battle of Pueblo where the Mexican army defeated French forces. It’s a big thing for Mexico. I remembered briefly this morning when Facebook reminded me to wish one of my childhood friends a happy birthday. Then I promptly forgot. When I sat down to write this post, I realized what a funny coincidence it is that I am writing about a delicious chili recipe today. But yes, it’s completely a coincidence.

Meanwhile, if we have one more rainy day here in Connecticut, I might just start sprouting parsley from my hip. After a long and cold winter, all we really want to do is to get outside and play, plant and enjoy our yard. Instead, we have lots of rain, which seems to be encouraging weeds to sprout waist-high overnight (I kid you not!).

But if there is one meal that just screams of wanting to warm you up on a dreary, rainy day, it’s chili. Of course, with summer nudging around the corner, we only have a few more weeks (days?) before we need to trade hearty dishes for lighter, cooler fare.

This chili has a definite kick with the chipotle, but I think it’s more medium than hot. The kids? Well, they weren’t that thrilled with the heat but Shawn and I loved it. The chicken is a nice change up in this hearty, slightly spicy chili. Served over rice, this will fill your belly and leave you satisfied.

Chipotle Chicken Chili
serves 4-6

This chili has a moderate amount of heat, which should be ideal for most adults. If you want it to knock your socks off, add another chipotle pepper to the mix. However, if you are cooking for young children, this might be a little spicy, so I suggest cutting back a little on the chipotle (one pepper should be ok). As for the garnish — the cold tomatoes and smooth, creamy avocado take this delish chili and make it an OMG WOW!

2 tbsp canola oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and ends removed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 chipotle peppers from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo (available in most supermarkets)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into a 1″ dice
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with chilis
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed
1 15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed
salt (about 1 tsp — but to taste)
1 cup frozen corn

In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium heat.

Combine the onion (you may need to cut it in half or quarters), garlic and chipotle peppers in a food processor. Process until finely chopped and well combined. Add the mixture to the pot and cook, stirring occationally, for about five minutes until it dries a bit and thickens.

Add the chicken to the chipotle mixture and cook, tossing occationally, until the chicken is opaque on all sides and well coated. Add all of the tomatoes, along with the black beans, kidney beans and salt. Stir well. Lower the heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 1 1/2 – 2 hrs. The chili will thicken as it cooks, so try not to let it go longer than two hours.

Stir in the frozen corn (I used white shoepeg corn) and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until corn is hot too.

To serve: Dish out the thick chili on a bed of rice. If desired, garnish with diced avocado, diced tomatoes and cheddar cheese.

Yesterday afternoon, Paige woke up long before Will from their afternoon nap, a very rare occurrence. Apparently all that fresh air really did him in. Finally, as it neared evening, I had to wake him up. Paige was munching on tasty low-fat chocolate chip cookies and scampered into their bedroom with me. Did she boast about her bounty? No, she proceeded to try to feed a barely awake (he didn’t even have his eyes open!) Will half-eaten cookies. She even climbed onto the bed to get a better angle for shoving the cookies in his mouth.

It was really cute. I daresay she missed her big brother. But then, it got even better. After finishing the cookies, she scooted down in the bed and laid her head on the pillow, pulling the blankets up and over her. Will was just starting to open his eyes when she grabbed a book and started leafing through. Adorable.

They laid there, side by side, looking at books for at least 20 minutes.

I love how much my kids love each other. It’s the best thing ever. I won’t fool you: they don’t always get along (who does?), and they have little spats of jealousy here and there. Paige loves to steal Will’s drinks and drink them in front of them. Will doesn’t always like to share his toys. But ultimately, that is pretty normal. And at the end of the day, they both have showered each other with plenty of kisses, hugs and wonderful shared moments like this. I have two pretty great kids.

Another pretty cute thing? Will sometimes will finish his food and help Paige with hers, stabbing her food with her fork and feeding her. Even when she isn’t interested in being helped by Shawn or I, she usually likes her big brother to help her with her favorite dishes like macaroni and cheese or chicken (any way).

Chicken makes very frequent appearances on our table here. It’s a lean protein that we all like and it’s easy and adaptable. It can be breaded into cutlets or cut into strips and stir-fried. It can be shredded and mixed with barbecue and put into sandwiches  too … the possibilities are endless.

But sometimes, you just don’t want to fuss. In cases like that, having an easy go-to recipe that can be used in a ton of ways is so helpful. This recipe is that for me. The chicken cooks up quickly and comes out juicy every single time. Since you only use a spray of olive oil, it’s also pretty low-fat and dare I say healthy. The simple act of salt and peppering really makes this chicken pop with flavor, but it can also easily adapt to being used with sauces, in sandwiches, with pasta (and sauce, over rice … or whatever you feel like.

And I highly recommend pounding the chicken. It’s therapeutic and makes the chicken so perfect.

Easy Low-Fat Salt and Pepper Chicken Breasts
serves 4

1 lb chicken breasts
salt and pepper
olive oil cooking spray

Heat a large skillet on your stove’s medium setting.

Rinse the chicken breasts and trim away any excess fat. Place in the center of a long (about two feet) sheet of wax paper and fold the paper over the chicken. Use the flat side of a meat mallet to pound the chicken to ¼ inch thickness.

Cut each breast into 2-3 pieces.

Spray the skillet with olive oil cooking spray. Sprinkle the chicken liberally with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken salt and peppered side down on the skillet. Sprinkle the other side with salt and pepper too. Cook for a few minutes on each side until opaque and cooked through. Remove pan from the burner and set aside (or just use the chicken like that).

NOTES:

• Alternatively, you can purchase chicken that has been thin sliced, however you will pay a big premium for it and really, pounding and cutting chicken doesn’t take that long or that much effort.
• I keep a pinch bowl filled with a 1:1 ratio of salt and pepper next to my stove at all times. It’s a great, inexpensive and easy way to flavor meat in a hurry. It also is great on veggies. Just make sure you pinch with clean hands.

It’s grilling season! It’s grilling season!

That’s exactly what I felt like shouting the first night that Shawn and I cooked dinner outside. We’ve repeated our outdoor cooking almost every night since. I love grilling outside. The scent of cooking food wafting through the air, the sounds of crackling inside the grill, the wave of heat that smacks you in the face when you open the lid . . . what’s not to love?

This is a new recipe for me. I have some OMG balsamic vinegar from a small chain of pasta stores called Villarina, and I wanted to try it in a marinade for chicken. The result was a slightly tangy, slightly sweet chicken breast with a rich color. Try it. It makes good leftovers too for salads or wraps.

Grilled Balsamic Chicken
serves 4

1 lb. chicken breasts

Marinade:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
10 cloves roasted garlic
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Wash the chicken and pat dry. Cut diagonal slits across the chicken breast (about 1/4 inch thick). This allows the marinade to penetrate the meat. Place into a resealable plastic bag.

Combine all marinade ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Pour the marinade into the plastic bag with the chicken and seal, removing as much air as possible.

Preheat the grill to the medium setting.

Spray the grill grates with cooking spray (while standing back!). Put the chicken on the grill.

Cook for roughly 15-20 minutes, flipping once. Chicken is done when juices run clear.

Bacon Cheddar Barbecue Chicken Rollatini

1 lb chicken breast (boneless and skinless, thin sliced)
1/2 cup grated cheddar (sharp)
1 slice bacon per chicken breast
barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray an oven safe pan with cooking spray.

Wash chicken (remember, you need 1 lb of thin sliced chicken). Lay out pieces and divide cheddar evenly among them. Starting at one end, roll each one up tightly. Lay out bacon slices (these should be UNCOOKED) and wrap around each chicken roll. Secure with a wooden toothpick and place in the pan. Be sure that your toothpicks don’t have any plastic fringe on them or anything — that would be a disaster.

One all the chicken is rolled and wrapped, place the pan in the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and brush each roll with about 1 tbsp barbecue sauce. I prefer a honey barbecue for this application like Sweet Baby Ray’s.

Return the pan to the oven and cook for 5-6 more minutes. Then, turn the oven off and turn the broiler on high. Do not open the door or remove the chicken from the oven. Cook for an additional 5-6 minutes until the bacon is browned on top.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

But alas, I must.

One thing I love about mornings that I drop Will off at daycare: I get to spend some time with him before work. And he can be really fun in the morning. (That being said, I prefer to pick him up after work, since I get out earlier and we can come home and play too – but he’s usually a little warn out by then.) Anyway, this morning I might just make Will breakfast before we leave. That’s a first (if I feed him breakfast – daycare usually does – it’s fruit and a carb. Very simple, very quick.).

Yesterday, I was on a major cooking spree – first my big breakfast, then my perfect-every-time grilled cheeses for lunch and finally, dinner. The dinner you see above.

This was really an on-the-fly dinner that I threw together. Fortunately, I jotted down the recipe while I was running around, pulling it together. It’s definitely worth a try. Shawn was surprisingly enamored with it and even went back for seconds – well, except for the tomatoes. I think it was the subtle cheesy filling that really made the dish.

All in all, this was a pretty easy dinner to toss together. It took about 40 minutes, including prep time, to get on the table, which isn’t bad for a Sunday.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
1/4 tsp lavender
1/4 tsp kosher salt
4 slices bacon
salt and pepper
Lemon (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (the nonstick kind works best).

Wash the chicken breasts and pat dry. Butterfly the chicken breasts, leaving the two halves connected. The Food Network has a great step-by-step guide with pictures here on how to butterfly chicken breasts. Place the chicken, open, on a plate or work surface.

In a small bowl, combine the grated Swiss, lavender and kosher salt. Divide the mixture evenly among the chicken breasts, spooning onto one side of the breast only.

Fold the other side of the chicken breast over the Swiss mixture. Wrap each breast with one slice of bacon, beginning at one end of the breast and working diagonally towards the other end.

Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Carefully transfer the chicken breasts to the baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes until cooked through.

Sprinkle with fresh-squeezed lemon juice and a bit of sea salt just prior to serving.

But alas, I must.

One thing I love about mornings that I drop Will off at daycare: I get to spend some time with him before work. And he can be really fun in the morning. (That being said, I prefer to pick him up after work, since I get out earlier and we can come home and play too – but he’s usually a little warn out by then.) Anyway, this morning I might just make Will breakfast before we leave. That’s a first (if I feed him breakfast – daycare usually does – it’s fruit and a carb. Very simple, very quick.).

Yesterday, I was on a major cooking spree – first my big breakfast, then my perfect-every-time grilled cheeses for lunch and finally, dinner. The dinner you see above.

This was really an on-the-fly dinner that I threw together. Fortunately, I jotted down the recipe while I was running around, pulling it together. It’s definitely worth a try. Shawn was surprisingly enamored with it and even went back for seconds – well, except for the tomatoes. I think it was the subtle cheesy filling that really made the dish.

All in all, this was a pretty easy dinner to toss together. It took about 40 minutes, including prep time, to get on the table, which isn’t bad for a Sunday.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
1/4 tsp lavender
1/4 tsp kosher salt
4 slices bacon
salt and pepper
Lemon (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (the nonstick kind works best).

Wash the chicken breasts and pat dry. Butterfly the chicken breasts, leaving the two halves connected. The Food Network has a great step-by-step guide with pictures here on how to butterfly chicken breasts. Place the chicken, open, on a plate or work surface.

In a small bowl, combine the grated Swiss, lavender and kosher salt. Divide the mixture evenly among the chicken breasts, spooning onto one side of the breast only.

Fold the other side of the chicken breast over the Swiss mixture. Wrap each breast with one slice of bacon, beginning at one end of the breast and working diagonally towards the other end.

Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Carefully transfer the chicken breasts to the baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes until cooked through.

Sprinkle with fresh-squeezed lemon juice and a bit of sea salt just prior to serving.

See, Kalyn over at Kalyn’s Kitchen has been grilling up a storm over the past week or so and her beautiful grilled chicken breasts really got me salivating. Plus, she offered a great tip earlier this week to cut slits in the top of a chicken breast to help the marinade really seep in (thanks so much for that tip! It really worked well!).

It seemed like a match made in heaven: juicy grilled chicken breasts marinaded in some sort of a blood orange marinade. Well, as things progressed, the blood orange marinade morphed into a citrus marinade. Regardless, the result was tangy and tasty and definitely worthy of inclusion in this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging, which was started by the aforementioned Kalyn and hosted this week by Pat from Up a Creek without a PatL.

This yummy marinade also features one of my favorite herbs: rosemary, which I recently wrote about here. It comes from the Mediterranean region and is known for its memory improving qualities.

Blood Orange-Citrus Marinade
yields enough to marinade 4 chicken breasts

Juice of one pink grapefruit
Juice of one blood orange
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar

Whisk ingredients together in a bowl before using

To marinate the chicken breasts:
Cut slits in the top of the chicken breast (see above for a photo).

Place in the marinade for at least two hours, but preferably 6-8 hours.

To cook:
Heat your gas grill on medium.

Place chicken breasts on the grill. Turn every 5 minutes or so.

Cook until center is no longer pink.

I held a mini-tasting in my kitchen for some family members this weekend. I test cooked about seven recipes for the book and several were clear winners, getting instant cheers. Meanwhile a few others are going back to the drawing board because they are just missing something. Obviously, it was productive. I wouldn’t want to include recipes that only make my taste buds tingle and no one else’s.

Honestly, the tasting was so much fun that I would consider doing it every week. That sure would speed the process along too.

One thing I have discovered since I started writing less than a week ago is that if I think too much about what I am doing, I lose sight of it and have difficulty – writers block, kitchen errors, etc. But if I just do it, and forget why I am doing it, the whole writing and cooking process goes very smoothly. I guess when I am trying to write a cookbook, I put too much pressure on myself. But when I am just trying to write things are just normal. Am I making any sense here?

This recipe is from early February – don’t worry I haven’t broken my Lent. It was borne of the desire to fully utilize a roasted chicken I had made without any waste. From that 3 lb turkey, I made these chicken tacos, a chicken basil soup (that was a weeks worth of lunches for my husband), and ate the chicken itself for dinner. Talk about waste not, want not. Did I mention that the soup was made from stock from the chicken carcass?

Anyway, the taco recipe all started with this:

And a careful portion of Penzey’s Original Taco seasoning. This is less meat than would normally be used to make tacos (1 lb) so I used a lighter portion of seasoning.

I definitely recommend this taco seasoning. The flavor was excellent.

2 cups cubed roasted chicken
1.5 tbsp taco seasoning (such as Penzey’s Original)
3/4 cup water
shredded cheddar
4 fajita sized soft tortillas

In a medium skillet, combined the chicken, taco seasoning, and water. Cook on medium for 5-8 minutes, until the water evaporates leaving a thick sauce.

Spoon chicken onto tortillas, top with cheddar.

Serve these with salsa and low-fat sour cream, as well as a salad for a quick and easy meal.