I really like cream sauces. I like them so much I even prefer Alfredo on my pizza.
Now, don't get me wrong, I like tomato sauces, it's just that two of my favorite adjectives are creamy and cheesy, and that's exactly what you get in an Alfredo sauce. So it tends to make it's way into a lot of my recipes.
This is essentially a variation of chicken Parmesan. It's easy to pull together using store bough sauce and it disappears seriously fast.
Creamy Alfredo Chicken
(Inspired by Skinny Taste)
2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray.
Place chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and gently pound to an even thickness, starting at the thickest points and working your way out.
Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Panko and salt on a dish. Dip each chicken breast into the melted butter and then into the bread crumb mixture, coating the entire surface. Lay breaded chicken on baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
After 20 minutes, remove chicken from the oven. Spread 1/4 cup of Alfredo sauce on each breast and top with 1/4 cup mozzarella.
Bake 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Oh desserts. My greatest weakness.
With the holiday coming up, I wanted to whip up some festive Valentines Day treat, and I thought I'd try my hand at the little molten cakes that keep popping up. But with just the two of us around, there was really no need to make a full six ramekins, not to mention there's something about pulling exactly two little cakes out of the oven that just feels more intimate.
But maybe I'm crazy.
These little devils totally hit the craving I'd been having for sweet and chocolatey, not to mention they really tasted restaurant-quality good. My leading man agreed, and these definitely just became a part of the sweet treat circulation.
Molten Chocolate Cake for Two
(adapted for size from Delicious Shots)
2 oz bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1 tablespoon less than 1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon less than 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp vanilla
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Spray two 6 oz ramekins liberally with non-stick spray. Place on a cookie sheet.
Melt the two tablespoons butter in the microwave and stir in the chocolate. If necessary, microwave for 10 more seconds and stir, melting the chocolate without burning it. Allow to cool down, close to room temperature.
In another bowl, whisk the egg and the sugar until it has lightened in color. Stir in the melted chocolate slowly. Add the flour and mix thoroughly.
Divide the batter between the ramekins and bake for 12-15 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will look a little wet. Either run a knife around the edge to turn it out onto another plate or serve in the ramekin.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with vanilla ice cream.
Sometimes I can't imagine a better lunch than an egg sandwich.
It's really got everything I love in it: cheese, bacon, bread, and of course an egg with a runny yoke.
I can't quite figure out what about runny yokes so deeply calls to me. Maybe it's that it so resembles a sauce. Or that it's super rich and awesome. Probably both.
Whatever the case is, this sandwich is pretty simple to make and super delicious. The medium fried egg makes all the difference to me, but if you like your yokes solid, go ahead and cook it through.
Also, I used my panini maker to cook the sandwich, but if you don't have one, fry the sandwich up in a non-stick pan like grilled cheese.
Fried Egg Sandwich
(serves two)
4 slices of bread (I like whole wheat)
2 eggs
2 slices of Muenster cheese
4 slices bacon, cooked up crisp
butter or margarine
Turn on your sandwich maker and allow it to heat up.
In a non-stick pan, melt a teaspoon of butter, spreading it around to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Once the butter starts to bubble, crack the two eggs into the pan. When the egg white surrounding the yoke is thoroughly opaque, carefully flip the egg, being sure not to break the yoke. Allow to cook through.
Meanwhile, butter up one side of each slice of bread. Turn the pieces o
ver and on the non-buttery side of two slices, layer the cheese and two slices of bacon. Top with the fried egg when it is done cooking and close with the pieces of bread, buttery side out.
Lay the two sandwiches in your sandwich maker and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.
Looking for a fun Mardi Gras drink? Or maybe looking for a tasty drink that uses Midori? Well have I got the booze for you.
This is my absolute favorite fruity drink. No joke, it tastes like candy. Plus it seriously packs a wallop and those are always my kinds of drinks.
It's green color lends itself to all sorts of holidays, St. Patricks Day, Mardi Gras, even Christmas. In fact I made a punch bowl of this stuff for our last holiday party and it was gone ridiculously fast.
Green Gator
(Inspired by the drink at House of Blues)
1 oz Vodka (Optional. But I like my drinks strong)
1oz Malibu Coconut Rum
2 oz Midori Melon Liqueur
4 oz Pineapple Juice
Pour liqueurs into a glass with ice. Top with Pineapple juice and serve.
So you know how restaurants have those amazing fried raviolis? You know the ones. Crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside? Not to mention probably horribly bad for you. Well it turns out, it's not so hard to get those tasty results at home without bathing anything in oil.
Best thing about 'em? They come with whatever filling you want. Or I guess technically whatever flavors you can find in the grocery store. And you better believe you'll want to try them all. I already have.
(That being said, I highly suggest a ravioli with some meat in it, sausage or chicken or ground beef. Those flavors really match up well with the breadcrumb coated pasta.)
Oven Toasted Raviolis
(adapted from How Sweet Eats)
1 9 oz package ravioli
2 egg whites
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil and lay a wire rack on top of that. Spray rack with non-stick cooking spray.
In one bowl, lightly beat egg whites. In another bowl, mix breadcrumbs, cheese, salt, and pepper.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook ravioli's for half the suggested cooking time, about 2-3 minutes. Drain them and spray with a light coat of non-stick spray, to prevent them turning into a giant clump.
Once cool enough to touch, dip each ravioli in first the egg whites, and then the breadcrumbs. Place on the wire rack and repeat with remaining ravioli.
Spray the top of the breadcrumb coated raviolis with a bit of non-stick spray and bake for 15-18 minutes or until crispy and golden.
