Archive for quick dinner

Chicken Again?

Posted in Food with tags , , , on August 20, 2012 by David McInerny

There sits that styrofoam tray of chicken breasts thawing on the counter, again. You could grill them or pan fry them, but it’s still just chicken breasts for dinner. Is there any way to spice it up that won’t take another 30 minutes, and will the kids still eat it? D’accord!

Let’s make it really easy. Toss those breasts in a large teflon pan after heating some olive oil first and cook them until they are done. Set them aside on a cutting board for five minutes to cool. Then, cut each lengthwise, and slide in two slices of pre-cooked bacon folded inside a slice of provolone cheese. Put the chicken back in the pan on medium heat with a pat of butter to create delicious color, and heat until the cheese starts to melt. Salt, pepper, serve. Teenagers love this dish, even if they had chicken yesterday! Make them wash the dishes.

If you’re thinking of serving this at a dinner party, here are some nice variations. While the breasts are cooling, toss some fresh green beans and nuts into the pan and sautee. Use thick slices of cooked Applewood bacon and mozzarella cheese from the deli for the stuffing. Once the chicken and beans are done sprinkle the chicken with a pinch of chili powder and fresh chopped parsley.

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Friday Night Scrounging

Posted in Food with tags , , on July 13, 2012 by David McInerny

It’s Friday, and who wants to cook? Yet, the dinner-out budget is already busted for the month, so it’s time to scrounge. I say, scrounge with pride, and a little creativity, and you’ll come up with something rather special. Here was my effort tonight:

I found a bag of frozen shrimp, and a half jar of cocktail sauce. I ran cold water over the shrimp for ten minutes to thaw, and put it all together in a martini glass with a basil leaf from the herb pot to add some quick elegance.

A salad can be boring, but only if you allow it to be. I hand-shredded romaine lettuce into a nice serving bowl, boiled and sliced eggs, cut up some tomatoes (again, fresh from the deck), a half-ball of mozzarella, and topped with shredded parmesan and cheddar cheese. To compensate for the fat of three cheeses, I drizzled the salad with a bit of olive oil, a healthy fat, so that a minimum of salad dressing was necessary, if needed at all. Salt, pepper, croutons, and toss!

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