Chicken Parm Bake - My Way

Inspire by this pin... by the Food Wishes blogger  .  I didn't like having to watch the video to get all the directions.  But, I like the idea of a healthy, baked version of Chicken Parmesan.  I did downsize the recipe, so it wouldn't be so much food - we're only feeding two at our house most of the time.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

hot red pepper flakes, to taste 
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts 
1 can tomato sauce
oregano (a few tsps)

basil (a few tsps)
thyme leaves (one tsp, as DH is not a fan)
8 oz mozzarella, shredded

4 oz Parmesan, grated

1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons (Used Arnold brand)

Directions

1. Prepare the 9x9 pan by pouring the olive oil into the bottom and then coat it with garlic and hot red pepper flakes.
2. Put the chicken breasts on top.
3. Pour can of tomato sauce on top. Season with basil, oregano, and thyme leaves.
4. Add about 1/2 the cheese.
5. Add the croutons.
6. Put the other 1/2 of the cheese.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

I'll be honest - I didn't really measure most of the ingredients, just added what I thought looked like enough to cover the chicken breasts.  So, the ingredient list is not exact.  Use what you like.   NOTE: My chicken finished after 30 minutes (plus resting for 10 - do not underestimate the resting period which will allow the chicken to cook more). Your cooking time may be up to an hour depending on the size, shape, and temperature of your chicken. Please use a meat thermometer to check doneness (155 degree F.)   We gave this dish a 4 out of 5.  We both enjoyed it.  Hope you do, too.

Pinterest Brunch - Harder is better, but not for paper.

And today was brunch with the girls.  I purchased an amazing cake from Occasionally Cake in Alexandria, Virginia.  Here's a picture of it.  Simple, but pretty.  It's a Bellini - Peach Cake with Champagne frosting.  Awesome is the only word for it.

 

I made this Bacon, Tomato, and Cheddar Breakfast Bake with Eggs, which I pinned on Pinterest.  The original recipe is from Food and Wine.  Everyone really liked it.

And here's our take on that recipe.

Ingredients

1 pound bakery wheat bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (16 cups)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sliced reduced sodium bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, roughly chopped
One 28-ounce can whole Italian tomatoes—drained, chopped and patted dry
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 pound extra-sharp cheddar, shredded (about 2 cups) , low fat
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups), low fat
2 tablespoons snipped chives
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Salt
8 large eggs 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. In a large bowl, toss the bread with the olive oil and spread on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, tossing once or twice, until the bread is golden and lightly crisp.  
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain; reserve 2 tablespoons of the fat in the skillet. (We cooked half the bacon the microwave - because this took forever)   
3. Add the onion to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and crushed red pepper and cook until any liquid is evaporated, about 3 minutes. (We drained the can, but I didn't pat them dry or chopped them - this would have been a good idea.)  
4.  Return the toasted bread cubes to the bowl. Add the contents of the skillet, along with the bacon, shredded cheeses, chives and broth. Stir until the bread is evenly moistened. Season with salt. Spread the mixture in the baking dish and cover with lightly oiled foil.  
5. Bake the bread mixture in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the top is crispy, about 10 minutes longer. Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and, using a ladle, press 6 indentations into the bread mixture. Crack an egg into each indentation. Return the dish to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until the egg whites are set. 

We thought the eggs still looked funny, so we broiled the top for about two minutes.  They were still awesome - just harder.

  Make Ahead The recipe can be prepared through Step 4 and refrigerated overnight.

What is looks like at Step 4

Hopefully, you'll enjoy this recipe.  It has a lot of cheese and bread, so maybe not the healthiest meal in town, but not too horrible with the wheat bread, decreased sodium bacon, and low fat cheese.

I also tried my hand at making a homemade birthday banner this week.  I used the circle templates and cutting/measuring board from Creative Memories, a scrapbook company.

I made enough for each letter of "Happy Birthday."


I made all the circles first, then using the same paper, I traced each of the letters I needed. 

I cut out each letter and tried to make sure it wasn't too matchy matchy. I like a more eclectic work.

 

Then I had to figure out how exactly to place them all together.  It would look silly to have the same color letter on the same color circle.  Because I didn't really plan it out, I had to cut out two more letters so as to avoid that issue.  Then I had to adhere them together.  At first I tried paper clue.  It was hard to do as if you use too much, it got runny and made it hard.  Let them dry for a few minutes.

 

 Finally I put a hole on the side of each letter and tried to tie them to each other one at a time. Quickly discovered trying to make the ties was hard and the letters wanted to flip over.  So, DH suggested running one long ribbon through them all.  It came out great.  Very festive for a birthday.

And it was great practice for the robot birthday banner I have to make two weeks from now.  It would be better if the holes were at the top I think.  So keep an eye out for the next banner and see if you think it makes a difference.