We had a wonderful weekend away, enjoyed camp fires, roasted marshmallows and other camp fire treats Peter & I recalled from our childhoods, played an Australian board game (Squatter) and late breakfasts. Emily and I got home late Sunday in time for her to have a quick supper and a shower before bed.
Monday morning she started poking around online for a recipe to make for supper that evening. Searching recipes online is risky business, because you can quickly find yourself down the rabbit hole. She found a pasta recipe that looked quite good, but it involved making pesto from scratch, which is not a beginner task, and I really didn't want a pasta dish, since I am still trying to keep carbs at a minimum. A few more mouse clicks and she found a chicken recipe which satisfied us both. I thought it looked easy enough-and you can never go wrong with garlic, or with cheese.
After school, a report on the "meet our pen pals" field trip and a small snack (and several reminders to unpack her back pack) it was time to start supper. While Emily re-read her recipe I pounded several chicken breasts into thin fillets. Pounding the breasts between sheets of cling wrap (it doesn't splatter this way) is a great way to work off any aggression or frustration too. Once that was done I helped her mince four cloves of garlic; mincing them takes a bit of careful handling with a knife-she was only slicing the cloves. She sautéed the garlic in butter while shooing me out of the kitchen, assuring me she did not need my assistance. I found the container of bread crumbs and retreated to collect my laundry from the clothes line. I hadn't been outside long when she called me in to find the Parmesan cheese for her. Admittedly it was hiding at the back of the fridge, behind the orange juice and yoghurt. Again I was dismissed. And again, minutes later she appeared in the yard, telling me we had no Cheddar. "Yes, we do," I told her. "No, we don't," she insisted. This went on for a minute or three, because it amused me. We very rarely run out of cheese. Cheese, milk & eggs are staples. Finally I finished rehanging the still damp jeans and followed her back inside. I opened the refrigerator and handed her a block of cheese, cutting off a good sized wedge to shred before returning to my laundry.
When I came back in several minutes later there was grated cheese all over one counter top, the island looked like my pantry exploded and my chef in training was no where to be seen. I called to her and discovered she had gone into the front yard in search of me and parsley. She told me she decided finding me would take to long (!) and so she was trying to figure out which plant in the herb garden was parsley. At least she knew it was indeed growing out there. I took the kitchen shears from her and snipped a few sprigs. I was informed she only needed a quarter teaspoon, but I explained the measurement given was for dry parsley, with fresh you can use considerably more. I cut the parsley into her bread crumb mixture and found her a baking dish while she lined up the chicken, melted garlic butter and crumbs.
I had prepared some Brussels sprouts earlier and I slid the pan into the oven to roast while the chicken baked, while she began dipping the chicken breasts in the butter and then in the crumbs. Once the chicken was in the oven she set a pan of water on to boil for the pasta she wanted as a side dish. She wanted to make a sauce for the pasta so I gave her a few options. She choose a pesto flavoured one.
I walked her through making a basic white sauce again. She seems to be grasping the method, although I did assist in the stirring as the pouring and blending at once is still complicated. Once the sauce had thickened I spooned in a generous couple of tablespoons of jarred pesto. When the pasta was drained she poured the sauce over it. It turned out to be a nice compliment to the baked chicken.
As we sat down to eat Emily took a look at my glass of wine and asked when she could have some. I told her to get a wine glass and pour juice into it. That satisfied her.
Dinner was delicious again, and apart from not being able to find the required ingredients (although I can't say she looked very hard) Emily is getting better at managing meals on her own.
Garlic Cheddar Chicken
1/2 cup butter 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
4 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 cup dried bread crumbs 1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded thin
Preheat the oven to 350F. Melt the butter in a shallow sauce pan and cook the garlic until tender.
In a shallow bowl mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan & Cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano, pepper & salt.
Dip each chicken breast in the garlic butter then press into the crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken in a 9x13" baking dish. Drizzle with remaining butter and top with any remaining crumbs.
Bake 30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear.
*Roasted Brussels sprouts (Believe it or not Emily loves Brussels sprouts....I wonder if she's mine sometimes. I've learned to like them, but at 10 I had long, drawn out dinner table battles with my mother over them, among other vegetables)
I trimmed the sprouts and halved them, arranging them on a foil lined baking sheet. I sprinkled them generously with coarsely ground salt & pepper and drizzled them with olive oil. I tossed them to coat them evenly then put them in the oven until they were tender, and a little crispy on the outside.
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