Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti in Galic Oil

Another fantastic recipe from Everyday Food. It is suppose to be a lighter version of regular chicken Parmesan. Love it! This meal came together really quite fast and was super tasty. The kids loved it too. Claire kept saying "More meat, Mommy?"Note: I had never made my own bread crumbs before. But I found it super-easy. Just break the bread up into smallish pieces and pulse it in a blender. They were really good!

Chicken Parmesan

2 slices bread, broken into smallish pieces
1 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese1 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper2 Tbs. flour
1 egg white4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
prepared spaghetti sauce
1 garlic clove

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. In a food processor, place bread, Parmesan, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse processor until coarse crumbs form; transfer to a small bowl. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Place egg white in a third shallow bowl and beat until frothy.Dip top side of chicken in flour, and shake off excess. Dip the same side of the chicken in the egg white, letting the excess drip off. Then dip chicken in breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere. Bread only one side of chicken. Transfer chicken to the prepared cookie sheet with breaded side up. Bake until breadcrumbs are crisp and browned, 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until chicken is opaque throughout and cheese is lightly browned, 6-8 more minutes.Meanwhile in a separate pan, heat up the spaghetti sauce. Simmer until warm. Serve chicken with a generous amount of sauce. Place sauce on the plate them place chicken on top of sauce.


Spaghetti with Garlic Oil


salt
8 ounces spaghetti
2 tsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c. onion, minced
1/4 c. fresh parsley leaves

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 1/4 c. pasta water. Drain pasta and set aside.
In the pasta pot, heat oil, garlic, and onion over medium heat until garlic and onions begin to brown, about 2 minutes. Add reserved pasta water, then spaghetti and parsley, season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Serve with chicken and enjoy!

Two Easy Pasta Dishes

Lately I have had a hard time coming up with things to make for dinner. This is mainly due to lack of planning on my part. . Do you know how I feel? You are staring at the fridge thinking, "What can I make that the kids will eat, that the husband will like, and that will take 4 minutes from fridge to table?" The answer for us is pasta. The girls will eat anything that has "noodles" in it. Shawn is game as long as the sauce isn't red (yes I know, what the heck?), and pasta is fast! So here are a few recipes I have made lately. So yummy and very easy!

Pasta with Mushrooms



12 ounces of any short twisted pasta (I used rotini)
1 lb. white button mushrooms- trimmed and quartered
2 Tbs. butter
2 green onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
2 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. fresh grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

In a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain and return to pot. Set aside.
While pasta is cooking, melt 1 Tbs. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add green onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes- until onion softens and garlic becomes aromatic.
Add mushrooms. Cook, stirring occassionally, until mushrooms are tender and begin to brown, 6-8 minutes.
Add chicken stock to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally until liquid is reduced by half, 2-4 minutes. Transfer mushroom mixture to pot with pasta. Add Parmesan and remaining Tbs. butter and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with more Parmesan grated on top.


Spaghetti with Lemon Zest and Chives



1 lb. spaghetti (I used angle hair pasta this time and it also worked well)
zest of 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon
1/4 c. butter
2 Tbs. fresh chives
1 c. coarsely grated Ricotta or Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook spaghetti until al dente. Grate zest into a large bowl. Add juice. Stir in butter, cut into small pieces, and cheese. Add drained pasta to lemon sauce and sprinkle with chives. Season with salt and pepper. Toss well, and serve.