Chicken Parmigiana with Pasta

One of the things I like to do is cook.  I would love it, but unfortunately I hate cleaning up. Since cooking means I will make a mess, it also means I'll have a mess to clean up.  So, I merely like it. :)  I've decided to start adding some of the things that I like cooking to my blog.  This blog is not becoming a cooking blog, but rather an addition to what I normally blog about.  I figure it fits in with the blog since I am a stay-at-home mom and this is one of the things I do.

My chicken parmigiana

The types of recipes I like most are simple, quick, and tasty.  One of the things that fits this bill perfectly is my Chicken Parmigiana.  It is super easy to make and delicious!  You can also personalize it with your own preferences.  I learned the recipe from my parents, but have since changed it, a bit, to suit myself.

 First off, you may want to gather the ingredients you will need for this: spaghetti sauce, Italian bread crumbs, egg, boneless, skinless chicken breast, mozzarella cheese, and your choice of pasta.

Once you have all of that together, it is easy to begin.  The recipe is easy to adapt for the number of chicken breasts you will be cooking.  The original recipe was made for 4 chicken breasts, but I have made it for as few as 1 to as many as 6 in recent years.

The next thing I do is pull out some wax paper, and lay my chicken breasts on one half of the paper (parchment would work as well).  I then put the other half of the paper on top of the chicken breasts and get ready to vent my frustrations out for the day with the meat pounder.  I personally think that pounding the breasts thin makes a difference in flavor.  With the size chicken breasts they sell in the store, having a thinner breasts gets the flavors going through the chicken that much more.

Before I pound them. They are ready to go.

Freshly pounded chicken! See how flat
and thin they are in comparison.

The next step is to get them breaded and ready to brown in a large frying pan.  First, you will want to beat one egg, slightly, and prep about 1/2 a cup of Italian bread crumbs to dredge the chicken in.  Once that is prepped,. put about 2 Tbsp. of olive oil in the pan and let the pan and oil start heating up.  Then, take each chicken breast, coat it in the egg (on both sides) and roll the breast in the bread crumbs so it is nicely covered.  After doing that, place it in your hot pan and let it start browning.

Egg and bread crumb coating.

Chicken browning in the hot olive oil.

Once the chicken is browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side, then add your spaghetti sauce.  How much you add depends on how much sauce you like to have and how much chicken you are using.  I personally love a lot of sauce on my pasta.  For the 3 chicken breasts here, I used about a jar and a half of sauce.  After you put the sauce on the chicken, cover the pan and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

Note:  This is where you can really personalize the recipe.  I love Arriabiata for this recipe! It has a lot of kick!  However, I'm pregnant right now and can't tolerate spicy foods so I use a much milder sauce.  I've also been known to add a few herbs or even a pinch of cayenne pepper.  

Sauced and ready to simmer for 15 minutes.

While your chicken is cooking, you should start boiling your water for your pasta.  I will use either spaghetti or penne.  I tend to choose penne right now because I have a 15-month-old, and I find it easier for her to grab hold of penne than spaghetti.  Either option works great!  (I also highly recommend whole wheat pasta. It has a lot more flavor than your regular stuff.)

The water is getting ready to boil so I can add the penne.

When the 15 minutes have passed, you will add mozzarella cheese on top of the chicken.  I adore cheese so I add quite a bit (about a cup or so).  Put the lid back on the chicken and let the cheese melt.  It only takes about 3-5 minutes to get just right. While it is melting, it should be about time for you to drain your pasta. Then, you can serve your food!  Yummy!

Doesn't that cheese on there make it look extra delicious?

I hope you enjoy this! I know I do!  One additional note I will make, my sister, when rushed with her two kids, will cook this with pre-breaded and cooked frozen chicken patties (or even veal).  It saves a couple of steps and goes faster.

The finished dish!

Chicken Parmigiana

1 egg, slightly beaten

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 Tbsp Olive Oil (butter or other oil works too)

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1-2 jars spaghetti sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella

Using a meat pounder, flatten the chicken breasts between sheets of wax paper.  Heat up 2 Tbsp of oil in frying pan.  Dip each chicken breast in the slightly beaten egg then roll in bread crumbs.  Brown chicken in oil, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Pour spaghetti sauce over the breasts, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Once that is done, sprinkle the mozzarella over the top of the chicken. Cover breasts and simmer until cheese is melted.

Losing My Mind for a Cause

I am NOT a short-haired gal. I have tried it before, and never been too fond of it. For years I have worn my hair long because I think it is not only more becoming on me, but also controls my natural curls more.  That is why today is likely a surprise for many who know me.

Today, I lost my mind a bit when I got my hair cut short.  However, I did it intentionally and for a good cause, Locks of Love.  It has crossed my mind many times to do this over the years. What motivated me this time was a family member, 6-year-old Rebekah, who is fighting a version of leukemia. Some of her uncles shaved their hair in unity with her as she under went chemo and lost her own hair. One aunt cut her hair quite short as a means of support.  After much thought, I decided to grow my hair out even more than usual and donate it so other children may get a nice wig out of it.  While I was nervous about my hair cut today, I feel it was worth losing my mind to help a child in need.

I didn't think I would be nervous, but a couple hours before I went in for my appointment, I began getting the butterflies.  What the heck was I doing?? Was I insane?  Granted, I had reached a point where I was sick of my hair and ready to get rid of it, but I still got nervous.

My hair right before I went for my cut! (I had straightened it the night before.)

I looked at several magazines before going to the appointment and had even pinned a few hairstyles on Pinterest.  My hair stylist looked at my ideas and told me it was possible to get a cut like I was looking for.  She slowly cut my hair off and handed it back to me. I was amazed at how long my hair really was! Wow!

My cut off hair

Then she proceeded to style my hair. I saw more and more hair falling. It was a bit shocking, but I left myself in her hands. I will admit to enjoying not having as much weight pulling on my neck. What a relief.  Then she finished it off by styling it.

The end result

Luckily, when I got home, my dear husband said he liked it.  I do like the cut, but figure I'll like it even more in 1-2 months after it grows a bit. For now, I will enjoy feeling as though my hair is all sassy and knowing that my donation will help some kids out.

Li'l Miss Peanut

Yesterday, Chris, Ginny, and I headed for the Springfield Clinic for my 20-week ultrasound and appointment with Dr. Quinn.  I was a bit nervous this time.  For most of this pregnancy, I have been calm and unconcerned, which seems strange since I was quite worried and paranoid when pregnant with Ginny.  For some, knowledge is power. For me, it leads to worry and paranoia.  

When I got my 20-week ultrasound with Ginny, I was not that concerned.  I was nervous, but under control. I had been feeling Ginny move pretty regularly since I was 17 weeks along.  My general assumption was that she was okay, and she was. However, our little peanut has not been very active at all, as far as I can tell.  I started feeling some faint movements since I was 13 weeks along, but I will go a week or so between feeling the baby.  My nerves had me thinking this might be a bad sign.  Trying to be rational, I would remind myself that it is normal not to feel the baby so much at this stage of the pregnancy.  

Additionally, since having Ginny, I have met people who found out things weren't so great at that 20-week u/s.  One, that I couldn't stop thinking about, discovered their baby had anencephaly and her baby would not live long past birth. What if my baby had the same thing or was missing a limb or had a heart defect? While our plan was to find out the sex of the baby this time, I wasn't much concerned about that. I wanted to know my baby was okay. That was (and still is) my ONLY concern.

After waiting a bit in the waiting room, we were called back to the u/s room and began.  The tech, named Madonna (a good sign I hoped, being named after Mother Mary), got started.  She was looking around, not saying much. I couldn't stand it and asked if there was a heartbeat. She smiled, said yes, then apologized for not telling me sooner.  I found myself relaxing.  She asked me if I had been feeling the baby. I told her I had, but that the feelings were very light and rare. She told me she was surprised I felt anything. Apparently, Peanut has an anterior placenta which makes it difficult to feel the baby because it provides a bit of a buffer (like a pillow). When the baby kicks or moves, it hits the placenta, and the placenta usually prevents the mom from feeling the baby until the baby gets bigger. I cannot begin to explain how relieving it was to know that my baby was okay and that it will be normal for me not to feel the baby regularly because of this. 

Peanut's profile! What a cute nose! :)

Then Madonna continued with the level 2 u/s; checking the brain, the parts of the heart, the abdomen, making sure there were 2 legs, 2 feet, 2 arms, 2 hands, 2 eyes, the nose, the mouth, and all the other parts that can be seen. Of course, our baby decided to not cooperate and to keep rolling around and hiding arms and legs. It was rather amusing watching our little gymnast.  Madonna told us that the baby's heartbeat was at 150 and weighed 14 oz.  She kept trying to figure out the baby's sex, but Peanut was not very cooperative.  First, the baby wrapped it's legs around it's umbilical cord. Later, it decided to sit Indian-style.  We tried one last time before ending the u/s and the baby FINALLY cooperated.  After looking carefully, Madonna told us that we are having a girl!  I asked if she was sure, and she said yes.  Chris was not as convinced. I'm sure watching the struggles to figure it out didn't help. Also, we know a couple who was told one thing at an early u/s, only to be told a different thing at a later u/s. The u/s tech reassured him and said she was 95% sure that Peanut is a girl!

We are thrilled!  We would have been thrilled if it was a boy too. But right now, I can't help but to be happy that Ginny will have a sister. I think it can be an amazing bond.  I also think that it is appropriate that my husband, who was not popular with girls growing up, will have a houseful of girls who adore him. Sweet karma. :)