I apologize if any of this is incoherent, I haven't had a decent night of sleep since the Clinton administration.
That may be slightly exaggerated...but I feel like the walking dead nonetheless.
It's the baby's fault really. He's in there laughing while I'm staring at the ceiling at 2 am thinking about nominal clauses, my grocery list, and oh yeah I'M HAVING A BABY IN 7 WEEKS OR LESS.
Due to my inability to stay asleep, I decided to consult a professional. By professional, I mean my friend Lianne who has recently birthed her third child and is an expert on many topics. You won't get a more professional evaluation than that of a Mother of 3 through text messaging. Here's how it went down (We are both English Majors so yes, we punctuate our text messages):
Rachel: Did you ever have any horrendous, pregnancy insomnia?
Lianne: YES!! About the last 2-3 months of it because I could not get/stay comfortable.
Rachel: It's killing me! I have NEVER had problems sleeping (at night) before!
Lianne: Just nap whenever you can. I couldn't sleep at night, but I could saw some logs after lunch every day.
Wait....what?
Did she just say "saw some logs"?
Not to overuse a cliche' acronym...but I quite literally LOLed!. I laughed right out loud at that message.
I laughed again when I recanted the story to Jason. I laughed again when I used it in my facebook status, and I laughed again when I thought about it in the shower.
I got some funny responses when my facebook status said, "I'm about to go saw all these logs that piled up on me last night."
Translation: "I'm about to take a nap to make up for the sleep I DIDN'T get last night."
Some thought it was sexual innuendo, some thought it had to do with bodily excrement...my own husband didn't even believe such a phrase could have such a meaning.
He just knew Lianne and I had made that up. That had to be something that only folks from counties such as Marion or Escambia would say.
He was very disappointed to have the validity of "sawing logs" verified by his North Carolina coworker who also introduced me to "calling hogs."
Maybe it's pregnancy related delirium, maybe because it reminds me of my PawPaw, or maybe it's the Tylenol PM I plan to have as a snack, but tonight, I have a feeling I'm going to be sawing a good many logs.
Or having nightmares of Leatherface....
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Chicken Parmesan
Could there possibly be a better way to end a hiatus than with an easy and non-cellulite-creating recipe for Chicken Parmesan.
Maybe....but today, you get the chicken.
Other than keeping me from gaining laughable amounts of weight, my favorite thing about this recipe is that I made it using only things I already had in my house. I hate surprise trips to the store. I was even able to use up a rock-hard loaf of bread I was going to have to throw out to make the bread crumbs!
Here's what you will need:
-Boneless, skinless Chicken breasts.
-1 jar of Spaghetti sauce (I normally make my own but Publix has been having great deals on the jars)
-Pasta (Spaghetti or Fettuccine)
-Bread Crumbs (Italian seasoned if you want a short cut)
(If all you have are plain, just add some garlic powder and Italian seasoning)
-Just a little bit of butter (I probably used less than 1/4 of a cup)
- About 1/3 cupParmesan Cheese (Pretend you see it in the photo, I used the stuff in the green can)
-Some other white cheese (I would recommend mozzarella since this is an Italian dish, but all I had was jack so I completely jumped continents!)
1. Heat oven to 375*
2. Pour the jar of spaghetti sauce into a 9x13 pan or larger, depending on how many chicken breasts you use.
3. Mix about 2 cups of seasoned bread crumbs with about 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese.
*Note- I don't keep seasoned bread crumbs on hand but I did have the aforementioned loaf of stale bread. I tore/chisled it into pieces and pulsed it in the food processor until I got fine crumbs. Once I had enough pulsed, I added the parmesan, garlic powder and Italian seasoning and pulsed it some more to get it well blended.
*Note you also want to make sure you use dry bread crumbs. If your bread is fresh, toast it in the oven to remove moisture.
4. Split the chicken breasts. I did this for 2 reasons: 1. They will cook much faster 2. I can stretch 3 chicken breasts to feed 3 people dinner 2 nights in a row. (That's the most math I'll do all year!)
5. Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl (30 seconds should do it).
6. Dip each chicken breast in the melted butter and then coat with your bread crumb mixture. You'll want to really press as much of the bread crumb mixture on the chicken breasts as you can. Be warned, this will result in the picking of breadcrumbs from under the fingernails for a few minutes.
7. Lay the coated chicken breasts on top of the spaghetti sauce. I had to get a second pan so it would all fit. Keep in mind, this is only 3 chicken breasts that have been split. This recipe will go a long way!
8. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. (While the chicken is baking, boil your pasta according to package directions. If you need a step by step on how to boil pasta, please call your Mama and tell her you need help, there's nothing more I can do).
9. Remove from oven, put some shredded cheese on top. Return to oven and bake for 5 more minutes.
10. Yum.
Use a big spoon to scoop out each breast and as much sauce as you can.
11. Serve over pasta and wait for your husband to cry tears of appreciation.
Okay, so he didn't really cry, but all 3 of us agreed that this was one of the best things I've made....ever! Let me know how you like it!
Maybe....but today, you get the chicken.
Other than keeping me from gaining laughable amounts of weight, my favorite thing about this recipe is that I made it using only things I already had in my house. I hate surprise trips to the store. I was even able to use up a rock-hard loaf of bread I was going to have to throw out to make the bread crumbs!
Here's what you will need:
-Boneless, skinless Chicken breasts.
-1 jar of Spaghetti sauce (I normally make my own but Publix has been having great deals on the jars)
-Pasta (Spaghetti or Fettuccine)
-Bread Crumbs (Italian seasoned if you want a short cut)
(If all you have are plain, just add some garlic powder and Italian seasoning)
-Just a little bit of butter (I probably used less than 1/4 of a cup)
- About 1/3 cupParmesan Cheese (Pretend you see it in the photo, I used the stuff in the green can)
-Some other white cheese (I would recommend mozzarella since this is an Italian dish, but all I had was jack so I completely jumped continents!)
1. Heat oven to 375*
2. Pour the jar of spaghetti sauce into a 9x13 pan or larger, depending on how many chicken breasts you use.
3. Mix about 2 cups of seasoned bread crumbs with about 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese.
*Note- I don't keep seasoned bread crumbs on hand but I did have the aforementioned loaf of stale bread. I tore/chisled it into pieces and pulsed it in the food processor until I got fine crumbs. Once I had enough pulsed, I added the parmesan, garlic powder and Italian seasoning and pulsed it some more to get it well blended.
*Note you also want to make sure you use dry bread crumbs. If your bread is fresh, toast it in the oven to remove moisture.
4. Split the chicken breasts. I did this for 2 reasons: 1. They will cook much faster 2. I can stretch 3 chicken breasts to feed 3 people dinner 2 nights in a row. (That's the most math I'll do all year!)
5. Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl (30 seconds should do it).
6. Dip each chicken breast in the melted butter and then coat with your bread crumb mixture. You'll want to really press as much of the bread crumb mixture on the chicken breasts as you can. Be warned, this will result in the picking of breadcrumbs from under the fingernails for a few minutes.
7. Lay the coated chicken breasts on top of the spaghetti sauce. I had to get a second pan so it would all fit. Keep in mind, this is only 3 chicken breasts that have been split. This recipe will go a long way!
8. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. (While the chicken is baking, boil your pasta according to package directions. If you need a step by step on how to boil pasta, please call your Mama and tell her you need help, there's nothing more I can do).
9. Remove from oven, put some shredded cheese on top. Return to oven and bake for 5 more minutes.
10. Yum.
Use a big spoon to scoop out each breast and as much sauce as you can.
11. Serve over pasta and wait for your husband to cry tears of appreciation.
Okay, so he didn't really cry, but all 3 of us agreed that this was one of the best things I've made....ever! Let me know how you like it!
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