Sorry, I was too busy handling raw chicken to take them. It happens.
Martha is still an evil genius, even though I haven't made one of her recipes in a bit. Tonight I decided to make Chicken with Prosciutto and Sage, because as we learned last time, everything is better with bacon. And prosciutto is just fancy Italian bacon. So again, what is not to love?!
So I got my chicken cutlets (real ones, not those weird things some ladies put in their bras), four of them to be specific. You put one (really? Just one?) sage leaf on each cutlet, and then wrap each one in a slice of delicious prosciutto. The recipe says to flatten with the palm of your hand, to help the prosciutto to adhere to the chicken. Then dredge each cutlet in flour mixed with salt and pepper, shaking off the excess.
Heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook two cutlets at a time, 3 minutes on each side. I took the cooked ones out, put them on a plate and put that in the microwave to keep them warm. I didn't turn the microwave on. I just trapped the heat around them. Whatever. Add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and put the other two cutlets in. I also poured some olive oil in another pan (I really need new frying/saute pans, Santa!) with a generous spoonful of minced garlic.
When the garlic started smelling good, I threw in what seemed like half a bag of spinach, because you always need a green vegetable, and it really cooks down.
The chicken was done, so I took it out and into the pan I put in 3/4 cup of dry white wine and 1/4 cup of chicken broth to cook down. Be sure to stir up the stuff on the bottom of the pan. That is extra goodness. After that reduced, I took it off the heat, added a tablespoon of cold butter and about 4 minced sage leaves, and stirred until the butter melted.
Plate a piece of chicken and drizzle that sauce all over it. And the garlic spinach was just the right touch! YUM!
Here are some random thoughts to make up for not having photos:
1. I think Martha sold her soul to the devil at some point.
2. I am a really good, while very messy, cook. However, my messes are just splatters. I always practice healthy and safe food handling.
3. They've rearranged our Publix. I was just getting my shopping groove on, and now it's like I first moved here, and this Publix is all over the map.
4. I took my four cloth shopping bags to the store. And the ass hat that bagged my stuff crammed everything I bought into two of them. Because apparently he thought I had a Sherpa who was going to carry a cart's worth of stuff in two bulging bags, while I carried my box of soda.
5. What the hell is this "singing" show on NBC? Really Nick Lachey? Really?
6. I need to start buying the bigger jar of minced garlic.
7. I am a really good cook.
8. I did not mean to steal from Publix. Again.
The five-finger discount playlist:
38 Line Poem The Wonder Stuff
Are You Gonna Go My Way Lenny Kravitz (I think I have this song on my iPod 3 different times. It makes me toss my hair around.)
Dull Life Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs (We've seen the nightmare of the lies that you speak.)
Revolution Granddaddy (This makes me want to start a revolution to break up this group, because this Beatles cover is LAME.)
The Safety Dance Men Without Hats (One of the best one-hit wonders EVER! How do you not love this song?)
Animal I Have Become Three Days Grace
Come Home James
Perfect Girl Sarah McLachlan (Am I faithful, am I strong, am I good enough to belong)
False Start The Wonder Stuff
Hungry Like the Wolf Duran Duran (I LOVE YOU JOHN!!)
End The Cure
In My Life Ben Lee (Another sucky Beatles cover, and he should be arrested, because it's a crime to butcher such a beautiful song.)
The Last Resort The Eagles (You call some place "paradise," kiss it good-bye)
The New Sad Barenaked Ladies
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Elton John (It'll take you a couple of vodka and tonics to set you on your feet again)
Dirty Laundry Don Henley (People love it when you lose, they love dirty laundry.... just ask Tiger.)
Beautiful Barenaked Ladies
Mother's Little Helper The Rolling Stones
Champagne Supernova Oasis (How many special people change)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
You had me at BACON!
Wow, I have been slacking off!! Sorry everyone. I have no excuse.
First off, if you have cats and live near a Publix, Meow Mix (the 3-pound size) is buy one, get one free. Plus, they had the bags that have 20-percent more food! I might not have to buy dry food for Daphne for a year! Okay, maybe just a few months, but still, good sale. As you can see, Daphne was thrilled.
Moving on!
I was talking to my friend Paige, who is one of my gurus of all things food, and she asked if she had ever sent me the recipe for something called Chicken Bonne Femme. It's a chicken dish served at a restaurant called Galatoire's in New Orleans. I said, "no.. tell me about it."
"Well," she said, "it has bacon."
"Sounds good," I said quickly. Because, as we all know, anything with bacon has to be awesome.
I hit the store with my list, and came home ready to create the rumored fabulousness of Chicken Bonne Femme. Which really means Good Girl Chicken. Stop snickering. Quite a bit of prep, chopping veggies thinly. First are two onions. I like to use Spanish onions, but apparently they are illegal here, because they are hardly every available at the Publix. White onions it is.
Then two large potatoes. You have to peel them first. That's my fancy KitchenAide peeler. It pivots. Thanks Jenny!!!
And now for the best part!!!! Plus, it was on sale!!! It was a sign!
Hey, wait. That isn't bacon! Anyway, the ABC Liquor Store man, after offering up a sample of a lovely French sparkling wine, recommended this Chardonnay. And it was on sale. Plus I had earned a coupon. I have a frequent drinker card there. I know, you're all shocked. The verdict: Quite tasty. Sharp, but with a smooth caramel finish. Props to the ABC Liquor Store man.
Okay, now HERE is the important part. Also on sale! Isn't it beautiful!?!?
The recipe calls for half a pound of bacon. If you listen closely, I think Paula Deen just squealed. I figured the easiest way to measure a half pound was not to measure at all.
And now I have breakfast for tomorrow! And block of sharp red KitchenAide knives. They look nice and, God forbid, in case of a break-in, I don't need a permit to use them.
(As you can see from all of blogs and pictures, I like red things in my kitchen. My dream used to be a bright red KitchenAide mixer. It would look so pretty on my counter. But, unfortunately that is probably all it would do. I am not much of a baker. I would love some really fabulous pots and pans though, Santa. Maybe an apron or two...)
Now for the chicken part of Good Girl Chicken (stop snickering!). A whole fryer, chopped into 8 pieces. Just season with salt and pepper and pop it in at 400 for 30 minutes. Turn it after 15 minutes. (That means flip it over, not rotate it clockwise.)
Back to BACON! I can bring it home, and fry it up in a pan.
After I took the bacon out, I slid in a couple tablespoons of butter (SQUEAL goes Paula Deen) and the onions and stirred them around until the onions were soft.
Speaking of frying, I had to deep fry the potatoes. Again, there goes Paula Deen squealing. I've never deep fried anything. Honestly. So I was a bit nervous. I used vegetable oil in my skillet, and fried them in a couple batches. Now, I've complained a lot about how much I hate cooking on an electric stove. Well, if I had been cooking with gas tonight... this would have probably caused a huge grease fire. WOW. That oil will splatter and splash when you drop those potatoes in. Thankfully, I had my wok top to cover it up!
Fry them until they are golden brown(ish) and then take them out. I put them in another glass pan lined with some paper towels. Meanwhile, mix the bacon in with the onions and a tablespoon of minced garlic. I used the minced garlic in a jar. It's easy.
Then, you mix the onion mix with the potatoes, and pour it over chicken. Pop the chicken back in for about 10 more minutes, and POW!!! Good Girl Chicken (stop snickering!).
I served it up with some steamed haricot verts. Yum!!! It was really tasty. How could it not be? It's got bacon!!! But the chicken itself was really juicy and flavorful, just by seasoning with salt and pepper and baking it!
And then I had to clean up, which involved bleach spray, a sponge, a mop and a load of laundry. Totally worth it.
Although, it should be called Bad Girl Chicken!! I will definitely be hitting the treadmill tomorrow. Again, totally worth it!
The "Thank you Bacon, Sincerely Water Chestnut III" Playlist (It's long. There was cleaning involved)
When Love Came to Town U2 and BB King (I LOVE YOU BONO!!!!!)
Let's Go Crazy Prince & the Revolution (And yes Dickie, Prince is a musical genius!)
The End of the Innocence Don Henley ("Lawyers dwell on small details since daddy had to fly.")
Love Bites Def Leppard ("Do you tell lies, and say that it's forever")
Computer Blue Prince & the Revolution (Another from Purple Rain, for which he won the Oscar for Best Original Song Score. Musical genius!!!!)
Dirty Great Monster Duran Duran
New Age Girl Dead Eye Dick ("Don't eat meat, but she sure like the bone")
Tiny Daggers INXS (Gone to soon!!!!)
Jerk Out Morris Day and the TIME!!! (The BEST surprise opening act EVER, right Paige???)
Don't Ask Me Why The Eurythmics ("I don't love you anymore. I don't think I ever did.")
Mr. Jones Counting Crows ("Everybody wants to pass as cats.")
Your Love The Outfield ("Josie's on a vacation far away...")
Your English is Good Tokyo Police Club (THANKS TIMMER!!!)
Here Today Paul McCartney (A beautiful song, written in memory of John)
Hammering In My Head Garbage ("I knew you were mine for the taking when I walked in the room.")
Stuck on You Elvis ("Look at Elvis, he sold his soul and you crowned him king.")
Humor of the Situation Barenaked Ladies
Special Garbage
Read my Mind The Killers
Big Shot Billy Joel ("You had to prove it to the crowd.")
Congratulations Blue October ("I came to see the light in my best friend..")
Jump Around House of Pain ("Pack it up, pack it in, let me begin...")
Hold on my Heart Genesis (Interesting segue, but love this song.)
Can't Help Falling in Love With You Elvis (only fools rush in....)
Sign Your Name Terrence Trent D'Arby (And no, jackass, your album WAS NOT better than Sgt. Pepper.)
My Life has been Saved Queen (Sadly, it wasn't. But he'll live forever through his awesome music. I know that sounds lame, but it's true. Freddie will always be fabulous!)
Sexy M.F Prince ("Come here baby.. yeah... you sexy mother fucker.")
I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man as sung by Jordan Knight, the dreamiest of all the New Kids on the Block
Wake Up Alanis Morissette ("There's no fundamental excuse for the granted I'm taken for.")
The Headmaster Ritual The Smiths (This song reminds a very good friend of mine of the powers that be at his job.)
Home Again Vonda Shepard (Maybe for my birthday!!!!)
Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? Culture Club
Captain Jack Billy Joel ("Just a little push, and you'll be smiling.")
First off, if you have cats and live near a Publix, Meow Mix (the 3-pound size) is buy one, get one free. Plus, they had the bags that have 20-percent more food! I might not have to buy dry food for Daphne for a year! Okay, maybe just a few months, but still, good sale. As you can see, Daphne was thrilled.
Moving on!
I was talking to my friend Paige, who is one of my gurus of all things food, and she asked if she had ever sent me the recipe for something called Chicken Bonne Femme. It's a chicken dish served at a restaurant called Galatoire's in New Orleans. I said, "no.. tell me about it."
"Well," she said, "it has bacon."
"Sounds good," I said quickly. Because, as we all know, anything with bacon has to be awesome.
I hit the store with my list, and came home ready to create the rumored fabulousness of Chicken Bonne Femme. Which really means Good Girl Chicken. Stop snickering. Quite a bit of prep, chopping veggies thinly. First are two onions. I like to use Spanish onions, but apparently they are illegal here, because they are hardly every available at the Publix. White onions it is.
Then two large potatoes. You have to peel them first. That's my fancy KitchenAide peeler. It pivots. Thanks Jenny!!!
And now for the best part!!!! Plus, it was on sale!!! It was a sign!
Hey, wait. That isn't bacon! Anyway, the ABC Liquor Store man, after offering up a sample of a lovely French sparkling wine, recommended this Chardonnay. And it was on sale. Plus I had earned a coupon. I have a frequent drinker card there. I know, you're all shocked. The verdict: Quite tasty. Sharp, but with a smooth caramel finish. Props to the ABC Liquor Store man.
Okay, now HERE is the important part. Also on sale! Isn't it beautiful!?!?
The recipe calls for half a pound of bacon. If you listen closely, I think Paula Deen just squealed. I figured the easiest way to measure a half pound was not to measure at all.
And now I have breakfast for tomorrow! And block of sharp red KitchenAide knives. They look nice and, God forbid, in case of a break-in, I don't need a permit to use them.
(As you can see from all of blogs and pictures, I like red things in my kitchen. My dream used to be a bright red KitchenAide mixer. It would look so pretty on my counter. But, unfortunately that is probably all it would do. I am not much of a baker. I would love some really fabulous pots and pans though, Santa. Maybe an apron or two...)
Now for the chicken part of Good Girl Chicken (stop snickering!). A whole fryer, chopped into 8 pieces. Just season with salt and pepper and pop it in at 400 for 30 minutes. Turn it after 15 minutes. (That means flip it over, not rotate it clockwise.)
Back to BACON! I can bring it home, and fry it up in a pan.
After I took the bacon out, I slid in a couple tablespoons of butter (SQUEAL goes Paula Deen) and the onions and stirred them around until the onions were soft.
Speaking of frying, I had to deep fry the potatoes. Again, there goes Paula Deen squealing. I've never deep fried anything. Honestly. So I was a bit nervous. I used vegetable oil in my skillet, and fried them in a couple batches. Now, I've complained a lot about how much I hate cooking on an electric stove. Well, if I had been cooking with gas tonight... this would have probably caused a huge grease fire. WOW. That oil will splatter and splash when you drop those potatoes in. Thankfully, I had my wok top to cover it up!
Fry them until they are golden brown(ish) and then take them out. I put them in another glass pan lined with some paper towels. Meanwhile, mix the bacon in with the onions and a tablespoon of minced garlic. I used the minced garlic in a jar. It's easy.
Then, you mix the onion mix with the potatoes, and pour it over chicken. Pop the chicken back in for about 10 more minutes, and POW!!! Good Girl Chicken (stop snickering!).
I served it up with some steamed haricot verts. Yum!!! It was really tasty. How could it not be? It's got bacon!!! But the chicken itself was really juicy and flavorful, just by seasoning with salt and pepper and baking it!
And then I had to clean up, which involved bleach spray, a sponge, a mop and a load of laundry. Totally worth it.
Although, it should be called Bad Girl Chicken!! I will definitely be hitting the treadmill tomorrow. Again, totally worth it!
The "Thank you Bacon, Sincerely Water Chestnut III" Playlist (It's long. There was cleaning involved)
When Love Came to Town U2 and BB King (I LOVE YOU BONO!!!!!)
Let's Go Crazy Prince & the Revolution (And yes Dickie, Prince is a musical genius!)
The End of the Innocence Don Henley ("Lawyers dwell on small details since daddy had to fly.")
Love Bites Def Leppard ("Do you tell lies, and say that it's forever")
Computer Blue Prince & the Revolution (Another from Purple Rain, for which he won the Oscar for Best Original Song Score. Musical genius!!!!)
Dirty Great Monster Duran Duran
New Age Girl Dead Eye Dick ("Don't eat meat, but she sure like the bone")
Tiny Daggers INXS (Gone to soon!!!!)
Jerk Out Morris Day and the TIME!!! (The BEST surprise opening act EVER, right Paige???)
Don't Ask Me Why The Eurythmics ("I don't love you anymore. I don't think I ever did.")
Mr. Jones Counting Crows ("Everybody wants to pass as cats.")
Your Love The Outfield ("Josie's on a vacation far away...")
Your English is Good Tokyo Police Club (THANKS TIMMER!!!)
Here Today Paul McCartney (A beautiful song, written in memory of John)
Hammering In My Head Garbage ("I knew you were mine for the taking when I walked in the room.")
Stuck on You Elvis ("Look at Elvis, he sold his soul and you crowned him king.")
Humor of the Situation Barenaked Ladies
Special Garbage
Read my Mind The Killers
Big Shot Billy Joel ("You had to prove it to the crowd.")
Congratulations Blue October ("I came to see the light in my best friend..")
Jump Around House of Pain ("Pack it up, pack it in, let me begin...")
Hold on my Heart Genesis (Interesting segue, but love this song.)
Can't Help Falling in Love With You Elvis (only fools rush in....)
Sign Your Name Terrence Trent D'Arby (And no, jackass, your album WAS NOT better than Sgt. Pepper.)
My Life has been Saved Queen (Sadly, it wasn't. But he'll live forever through his awesome music. I know that sounds lame, but it's true. Freddie will always be fabulous!)
Sexy M.F Prince ("Come here baby.. yeah... you sexy mother fucker.")
I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man as sung by Jordan Knight, the dreamiest of all the New Kids on the Block
Wake Up Alanis Morissette ("There's no fundamental excuse for the granted I'm taken for.")
The Headmaster Ritual The Smiths (This song reminds a very good friend of mine of the powers that be at his job.)
Home Again Vonda Shepard (Maybe for my birthday!!!!)
Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? Culture Club
Captain Jack Billy Joel ("Just a little push, and you'll be smiling.")
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