Wednesday, September 26, 2007

What's For Dinner Wednesday - Chicken with Cranberry Sauce

Here is another couple of yummy recipes from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food book that I bought. We were surprised at how yummy the beans were. I served these two recipes with a side of broccoli and it made a colorful and yummy meal.

Chicken with Cranberry Sauce

Serves 4

2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 bone-in chicken breasts (8 ounces each)
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Rub evenly under chicken skin. Place on a rimmed baking sheet; roast skin side up until skin is golden brown and meat is cooked through, about 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt remaining tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add sage and remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme; cook 1 minute. Add broth; simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain mixture; return to saucepan.
3. Add cranberries and sugar; boil until berries burst, 5 to 8 minutes. Whisk in cornstarch mixture; return to a boil. Cook until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat (sauce will thicken as it stands). Season with salt and pepper. To serve, spoon sauce over chicken.

Mashed White Beans
Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (19 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, (or 1 teaspoon dried)
Coarse salt and ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook garlic, stirring often, until golden, about 1 minute.
2. Add beans, sage, and 1 1/4 cups water. Cook, stirring often, until beans are hot and liquid thickens, about 4 minutes.
3. Mash beans, leaving some whole. Season with salt and pepper.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Root beer Cupcakes (Manda Style)

So these root beer cupcakes are a conglomeration of a couple of different recipes. Basically, I made the recipe from my Crazy About Cupcakes book (Castella) and I found it was not as rootbeer-ish I was imagining that it would be . . . so I decided that instead of the actual can of rootbeer, I would try it with rootbeer concentrate. I think I ended up using about 1/2 a bottle. I just kept adding it until I could taste it in the batter (yep, I tasted raw eggs too, so far I have not died). Anyway, then I was looking for a topping for it.

I found a site online that had pretty cupcakes so I copied that topping idea. I am not too fond of the shortening frosting recipe though -- I think next time I would just stick to something butter based, or something even lighter than that -- I just don't like how the shortening feels in my mouth. It still tastes sweet and good, I just have issues (hey, at least I admit it). Anyway, here is my closest approximation to my final recipe.

ROOT BEER CUPCAKES
(Yield: 2.5 doz.)

3/4 lb (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 c. granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour (or I used cake flour but use what you have)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c. milk
root beer concentrate until you can barely taste it in the batter (about 1 fl. oz.)
1/3 c. crushed root beer flavored candies

Preheat oven to 350F. Insert liners into medium cupcake pan. In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium until fluffy (3-5 minutes). Add the eggs one by one and beat well. Add vanilla extract and root beer concentrate. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add portions of the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture alternating with the milk. Mix for 3 minutes. Add 1/3 c. crushed root beer flavored candies and mix well. Fill cupcake liners 1/2-3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan.

TOPPINGS: (from http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com)

1) GANACHE

5 Oz. Dark Chocolate (I used semi sweet, I have a thing for semi sweet chocolate)
1/4 c. milk
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup

Combine the above ingredients in a microwave safe container and heat for about 1 minute in the microwave. Stir thoroughly even if it does not look completely melted - it should come together after a bit of agitation. If it does not or the chocolate is not entirely smooth, return to microwave for 15 seconds at a time, watching very carefully to ensure it does not burn. Drizzle ganache in squiggles over the tops of the cupcakes. Allow ganache squiggles to fully cool and dry before preparing the frosting.

2) FROSTING

1 c. Vegetable Shortening
3 c. Confectioner’s Sugar
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Throw room temperature shortening into your mixer, and beat thoroughly until creamed. Add in sugar and start on a low speed so as not to spray powder everywhere. Incorporate milk and extract, and combine thoroughly. Apply to cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle with some extra crushed root beer candies for decoration.


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It has been a fun and busy cupcake baking day. I plan to drop these off to a bunch of friends tomorrow morning! Hope it brightens their Saturday! Hope you are having a fabulous Friday!

Pumpkin Cupcakes and My Weird Obsessions . . . .

Seriously since I have been mostly cut off of stamping (aka, I can do it but it is a chore now to get everything out) -- I have been crocheting a lot more and baking up a storm. Today was no exception -- I made pumpkin cupcakes to take to some friends. I am still working on figuring out the best way to carry them to people -- I did see a cupcake box at Hobby Lobby that holds four of them and I think I might get one of those to copy from. Anyway, here is the recipe for the pumpkin cupcakes. The spiders are just spider rings with the ring part cut off. I made some like this last year (but I sprayed them with that frosting spray and stuck the whole rings in so these ones look better today), but really the only thing new is the pumpkin cupcake recipe. I think this afternoon I am going to make rootbeer cupcakes so I will post that one a little later. . . watch for it.

PUMPKIN CUPCAKES
(Yield: 2 doz.)

1/4 lb (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups cake flour (or all purpose if that is what you have)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. milk
1 1/4 c. pumpkin puree, canned or fresh
1 tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy (3-5 minutes). Add the eggs to the creamed mixture one at a time, mixing after each addition. Beat well.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with milk. Mix until completely integrated. Add the pumpkin and vanilla and beat until smooth. Fill the cupcakes 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan. Frost as desired. I used a basic cream cheese frosting, with a pinch of cinnamon added and some food coloring.

Here is a second yummy pumpkin recipe for you. I found it on Martha Stewart the other day and I tried it and it is wonderful! I love fall!!!

PUMPKIN SHAKE

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup vanilla ice cream (a healthy friend told me to use frozen yogurt here)
1/2 cup milk
pinch of cinnamon

Mix ingredients in a blender until smooth. ENJOY!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

What's For Dinner Wednesday - Pasta With Pesto, Potatoes and Green Beans

This recipe came from Martha Stewart Everyday Food cookbook I have and looked interesting so I tried it and it was delish! I hope you like it too! My kids even ate it, well all except the green beans *giggles*

PASTA WITH PESTO, POTATOES and GREEN BEANS

Ingredients

Serves 4
  • 2 waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 8 ounces cavatappi
  • 8 ounces green beans, trimmed and halved
  • 1/2 cup Pesto (I used classico brand ready made in the pasta sauce aisle - there is a recipe at the bottom if you want to make your own)
  • Pepper
Directions
  1. Peel and cut 2 waxy potatoes into 1-inch cubes; place in a large pot of water; bring to a boil.
  2. Add 1 tablespoon salt and 8 ounces cavatappi or other short tubular pasta; return to a boil; cook 2 minutes.
  3. Add 8 ounces trimmed and halved green beans. Return to a boil; cook until vegetables are tender and pasta is al dente, about 6 minutes.
  4. Drain; toss with 1/2 cup pesto; season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.
BASIC PESTO SAUCE

Ingredients
Makes 1 1/4 cups
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts, or walnuts
  • 4 cups loosely packed fresh basil or parsley leaves
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until golden and fragrant, tossing occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool completely.
  2. In a food processor, combine toasted nuts, basil, Parmesan, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Process until finely chopped. With machine running, pour olive oil in a steady stream through the feed tube; process until smooth.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Creating Keepsakes Convention Highlights and Projects I Did

Happy Tuesday! I thought I would take a couple minutes out of my insane schedule for the day and post some pictures of a couple of the projects that I did at Creating Keepsakes convention this past weekend in Phoenix. It was fun as usual.

I volunteered for the crop on Thursday night, which I think is the best crop as you complete a 6x6 album in one night. Each of the pages is designed by a different sponsor. I was surprised at how few people there were there. It seemed super calm. It was nice to see Michaela and the other creating keepsakes team gals. As I have volunteered 3 times, they seemed to remember me more now. They are always super cute. Michaela had a new grand baby and the pictures were just darling!!!

Saturday morning I volunteered in classes in the morning. The first class I helped out in was "Journey: Accordian Keepsake Book" sponsored by Zsiage and taught by a cute Arizona girl named Jami Myers. Her hubby helped out too. It was a fun class and everyone kept super busy making the book. Zsiage sells this cool thing called the scrapodex. Their paper was just gorgeous and if you like the vintage look, you should totally check out their site: www.zsiage.com Jami was a sweetie and said that I was a great volunteer and gave me a copy of the project package at the end of class. I did it the next morning at home and it turned out super cute!!!

The second and third classes I helped out in were sponsored by Boxer Scrapbooks and were taught by a lady named Laura. One was an adorable scrapbook in a DVD tin (Mickey Mouse Theme) and used this cool product I had never seen before called "Flip Flop Fasteners." They are super cool. I just had to have some.

After the classes, my friend and I shopped in the vendor fair. I was a good girl and did not buy too much that wasn't on sale *grins* Then I took two classes in the afternoon.

The first class I went to was called "Backstage Pass With Becky Higgins" and truth be told it was kind of a let down because before we bought the tickets we asked if there were projects in the class or if it was just Q&A, and we were told "of course there are projects" but as it turned out, we just got a bag of a few of "Becky's" favorite things (nothing exciting in there really though) and there were no projects and we basically just sat for an hour and a half listening to Becky Higgins talk about her pages. It is a good thing she is such a fun personality to listen to or it would have been super dull because we could barely see the projector images due to some malfunction they were having and all in all, at the end of the class I left feeling cheated.

The second class I went to was by Cara Miller. I had met her and made one of her board books in Mesa and it was fun, so I knew the class would be good. We worked on our books and I got mine almost finished . . . well, kind of sort of. It still needs a title and some fun pictures. By the time that was done, it was 5:30 pm and I was starving because somehow snack mix and capri suns just don't cut it so I headed home. DH took me out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse when I got home because I was not functional and could not cook. LOL! All in all, a decent day.

Anyway, off to take the dog in to the vet with three kids along with me. Should be fun! See you tomorrow!

Monday, September 17, 2007

Cupcakes Again - Strawberry Lime

So last night I had the urge to go make some cupcakes, so I put down the blanket I was crocheting and DH came downstairs with me to relax and watch a movie while I whipped some up. It was really late when I got done baking them, but I iced them anyway . . . the icing is "special" because I could not find the tip I wanted to use, so I just used the icing bag snipped!

My kids were really excited this morning to find these waiting for them. Nothing like a good sugar high in the morning (Yep, I let them eat a cupcake for breakfast).

Anyway, after all that, if you think these sound yummy, here is the recipe:

Strawberry Lime Cupcakes (from Crazy About Cupcakes by Castella)

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature)
1 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen strawberries (sliced)
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp grated lime zest

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.
2. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (like me), 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well after each addition.
3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk. Mix for 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula fold in the vanilla, strawberries, lime juice and zest.
5. Fill the cupcake liners one half to three-quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan.

Lime Frosting

4 c. confectioners sugar
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 T lime zest
1/2 c. lime juice
Few drops of green food color (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl cream together the sugar and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Mix in the lime zest and lime juice and food coloring until spreading consistency is achieved.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Magnolia Does Valentines Day

I know Valentines Day is a long way away still . . . but I was playing with my magnolia stamps and I still have not shared these cards with you yet, so I thought I would. I am super excited about how they turned out! I hope you like them!

This first card is a blowing kisses one. I just loved this stamp. I paired it with my purely pomegranate (SU!) paper and stamped it with my new polka dot background stamp (also SU!)
I thought the black would help to set things off. The image was watercolored and when it was dry I used my white gel pen to put dots on her dress and shoes and on a couple of the hearts, and her pony tail holders. Sentiment is by Amuse.


This second stamp I just had to have. I love the heart and I thought it could be used for thinking of you cards and sending love cards, and of course, Valentines. I used Night of Navy with Purely Pomegranate (SU!) and I also used my new Posy background stamp (SU!) which is totally pretty in the navy color. I had this stitched ribbon in my drawer and it matched perfectly so I added that on there. I colored the wings on the image a very pale yellow and then used diamond dust stickles on them. I thought the square brads in the corner matched well and helped to bring the whole card together so I used them. The sentiment is the same one used in the previous card and is by Amuse.

Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday. I am off to help out at the crop at Creating Keepsakes Convention here in Phoenix tonight and then I will help out and take some classes on Saturday! I hope to have some fun stuff to show you Sunday or Monday!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

What's For Dinner Wednesday - Buttermilk Baked Chicken and Coleslaw

This recipe comes from Martha Stewarts book Everyday Food: Great Food Fast. It was super easy and the results were great!!!

Buttermilk Baked Chicken
  • Vegetable oil, for baking sheet
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 8 slices white bread
  • 1 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (2 1/2 ounces)
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 4 pounds chicken parts (preferably legs, thighs, and wings), rinsed and patted dry

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously rub a baking sheet with oil. In a food processor, pulse the bread until it turns into coarse crumbs.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the buttermilk, hot-pepper sauce, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, thyme, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
3. Place the chicken in the buttermilk mixture, turning to coat evenly. Working with one piece at a time, remove chicken from liquid, letting excess drip back into bowl; dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat evenly. Place coated chicken pieces on prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake until chicken is golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Crisping the Chicken: Leave enough space between the chicken pieces so that they crisp evenly all the way around.

Coleslaw

Serves 6 to 8

  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 small green cabbage, (about 1 3/4 pounds), finely shredded
  • 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks or coarsely grated
  • 1 small onion, coarsely grated (optional)
DIRECTIONS:

Whisk together mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, mayonnaise, and sour cream in a small bowl. Refrigerate dressing, covered, until ready to use, or up to 2 days.
Put cabbage, carrots, and onion (if desired) in a large bowl. Pour in dressing, and toss thoroughly. Refrigerate, covered, until slaw begins to soften, 1 to 2 hours. If not using immediately, refrigerate, covered, up to 2 days. Just before serving, toss coleslaw again.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Today's the day . . .

I remember where I was exactly. I had just woken up to listen to a friends radio show. I was in college and was surprised to hear him say that they would be going to a live feed of MSNBC radio report. As I listened and discovered what had happened, I turned on the television and began to dress knowing it would be a long day. I had no intention of going to classes because I knew I would spend the day collecting student reactions for the local student news channel. I hurried to the school and got busy. I will never forget how scary it was to not be able to contact my grandma, who lived in VA, because the phone calls would not go through. I knew she was supposed to be at the naval hospital for an appt. and no one had heard from her. Luckily it turned out she was okay and everything was fine. But it was not this way for everyone.

Let's take a moment of silence to remember the tragedy of Sept. 11th. I think that is important to do before I go on.

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For all of you who have been long time readers of my blog, you already know this -- but I LOVE Grey's Anatomy and today is the day that Season 3 is released on DVD and the new soundtrack is released. I am super excited about the soundtrack because it does not have all the songs I downloaded this season -- in fact, I think only one or two were duplicates of ones I already had. YAY! I downloaded it on Itunes last night because it was there. It was also only $9.99 -- online it appeared that Walmart and Target were carrying it for $13 or so.



I also looked into the cost of the DVD's and from what I could see online, Target has the lowest price by 30 cents or so. I will see when I go to the store later on today. YAY! You can expect me to be MIA for a couple days while I review the season and just remember -- the new season starts:

Private Practice - Sept. 26 @ 9/8c
Greys Anatomy - Sept. 27 @ 9/8c

Monday, September 10, 2007

My House . . . the building stages . . .

It is getting closer, as you well know if you are reading my blog frequently. I thought I would post some pictures, including the latest one . . .




This is a picture of the house framed. We were pretty excited at this stage....














This is a picture of the house at the insulation stage. All of the insulation had been put in, all the wiring was in, and the tiles are on the roof to help the house settle. We did our framing inspection at this point.














This is our house as of Saturday. The drywall is all done inside, and we have stucco (unpainted still, but there) done on the outside. Our cabinetry should be in by Sept. 19th.














This is a view of the rear of the house. I am so excited about my balcony off the master bedroom! Also, excited about the huge backyard!!!

Another Magnolia card and a yummy SMOOTHIE

Happy Monday! It seems the weeks are just flying by. I am getting so excited and overwhelmed by all I have to do for the move. I need to go pick up more boxes today and get crackin' on the packing! (I'm such a dork!) Anyway, I thought I would share a card with you that I made when I still had a stamp space. This is a combination of my two favorites -- Magnolia and Penny Black!

The colors in this card were completely inkspired by the American Crafts ribbon. I have been using my ribbon a lot lately as inkspiration. Image was watercolored in. I got a little too wet on her face by accident, and it started to pill a bit, but it turned out okay, you can't see it! YAY! Scallops were made using my slit punch. It is so easy to do -- I am sure you have seen how. If not, let me know and I will show you one my site. Sentiment is by Penny Black and I thought it just went perfectly with this image. Oh and you might notice something a little different about this image -- she has a smile (I added it because of the sentiment) and I think it looks cute.

The other thing I wanted to tell you all about is that the countdown to Papertrey Ink's new sets has begun on Nicholes blog. I am a sucker for Halloween and Christmas stamps -- and I cannot wait till the 15th to see her new sets. I also was a first time orderer from her site last month and I just wanted to say that I was totally in awe of the amazing service and the quality of the products I received. I was totally impressed and would recommend them!! If you have not been there, go check them out. You'll fall in love!

Finally, a smoothie recipe that is so yummy! Try it! We love it!

STRAWBERRY BANANA BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup soy milk (I used 1%)
1/2 cup rolled oats (grind these in your blender first before you add anything else)
1 banana, broken into chunks
14 frozen strawberries
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar (I use splenda)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a blender, combine soy milk, oats, banana and strawberries. Add vanilla and sugar if desired. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

Friday, September 07, 2007

WT129 - Apples and Using Colored Pencils

This is the last card I stamped before I packed everything up. The challenge was to use colored pencils, or pure color pencils, or some kind of pencils. I used my prismacolors and sansodor and colored in the bucket of apples. I found this great ribbon in my stash from Cosmo Cricket that worked perfectly with the colors in the design (Thanks again so much Carrie.) Stamp Set is called "Give Thanks" by SU! and the background paper is by Cloud 9 Design and is called "You're so Lobster Red." I also used the new SU color called Wild Wasabi (the green) as a layering color. The background is SU's kraft paper.

It is hard to believe that my stamps are all packed up and I don't get to play until probably November! YIKES! I know it will all be worth it once I am in the new house and in my new stamp room, but I am going to be going through some major "I need to stamp fits" before then . . .

Here are a couple of pictures of my stamp room now turned bedroom . . . *cries*


Thursday, September 06, 2007

Picture People Photos

It has seriously been so long since I last got portraits done of the kids, that I decided to go to Picture People, renew my membership and get some. I looked and the last ones we had done were last October *insert terrified emote here* I decided casual pictures would be fun, so I just let them wear what they normally would on any given Thursday and we got pictures. Our photographer was excellent and things have changed at Picture People. They are now not super focused on props, and more focused on just your kids (which is awesome and what I prefer) and the pictures only took 15 minutes to load/develop and then you can view them on the computer and choose what you like. We had lots of fun! My kids were both full of smiles and it was a great session.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

What's For Dinner Wednesday -- Walnut Crusted Chicken Breasts and Salad

So I spent a lot of time holed up in my bedroom yesterday and I browsed a lot on Martha Stewart and came up with this recipe to make for dinner tonight:

Walnut Crusted Chicken Breasts


Ingredients
Serves 4

2 slices whole-wheat bread, dried
1/3 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 large egg white
4 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless (6 to 8 ounces each)
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
Lemon slices, for serving
Seasonal green salad

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor combine bread, walnuts, and Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Process until fine bread crumbs form. Transfer to a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, beat egg white, letting excess drip off, and then into crumb mixture, pressing to adhere.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dip each breast into egg white, letting excess drip off, and then into crumb mixture, pressing to adhere.
3. In a large nonstick ovenproof skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned, 1 to 3 minutes. Carefully turn chicken over and put skillet in oven. Bake until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes.
4. Serve chicken with lemon slices and green salad.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Banana Pancakes

2 very ripe bananas, mashed well
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. double-acting baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
Salad oil
1 1/3 c. milk (for thicker pancakes use only 1 c. milk)
1 egg, slightly beaten
In large bowl, with fork, mix first 4 ingredients; add 3 tablespoons salad oil, milk, egg and mashed bananas and stir just until flour is moistened.

Preheat electric griddle or skillet as manufacturer directs. If you are using a griddle that does not have a non-stick surface, brush lightly with salad oil. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle, making a few pancakes at a time. Cook until bubbly and bubbles burst; edges should look dry. Flip pancake and continue cooking other side until golden brown. To keep pancakes warm, place on heated platter.

Serve pancakes with butter and syrup or for a change, your favorite preserves. Makes approximately 12 (4 inch) pancakes.