Well, for me, it's because I've been locked in the whirlwind known as life for the past 3 weeks and frankly, I just haven't been paying attention to the fact that time has been passing by like a speeding bullet. I was quite busy with planning a trip that didn't end up happening (thank you, Sandy, for that), getting ready for our first Halloween in the new house, meeting the deadline for the first draft of my novel (I did it! yay!) and, most recently, taking care of a sick puppy who had a most unfortunate run-in with a snake in our own backyard (it was tiny and not poisonous, and did not live to tell about it...but it turns out that poor little Gus was allergic - no fun).
So, life is never boring. I think that's what makes it so wonderful.
We didn't go to Atlantis for our 2-year anniversary as planned, but we had a fabulous time with each other here in Atlanta instead. And, even though we didn't buy travel insurance (oops...), the resort credited us for the nights we'd already booked (and paid for) due to the Hurricane. We'll now get to enjoy our trip in April, which luckily is NOT in Hurricane season...so hopefully no bad weather!
I must confess: I didn't cook at all while we were enjoying our "stay-cation." My husband and I treated ourselves to several nice restaurants in the Atlanta area that we'd been meaning to try, and we enjoyed being able to just sit back, relax and let someone else do the work. But once the week was up, I found myself dying to get back in the kitchen, ready to get back in the groove of trying new things and cooking up a storm. Today's recipe is the first meal I made after our break was officially over, and I'm pretty darn proud of it if I do say so myself. It's really tasty and easy to make, and I don't know too many people who don't like Chicken Parmesan...including my Italian-food hating husband.
4 chicken breast halves
1 cup Lite Italian dressing
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
2 slices provolone cheese, halved
1 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce
cooking spray
dried parsley flakes, for garnish
Marinate chicken breasts in Italian dressing for at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight) prior to preparing. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix panko, parmesan cheese, italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Dip marinated breast halves in panko mix until well coated. Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet and cat rack with cooking spray. Place breast halves on the wire rack and back in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Flip chicken and bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove chicken from the oven and spread marinara sauce over the top of the breasts. Top with provolone cheese (1/2 slice for each) and bake for 5 additional minutes or until cheese is melted. When plating, sprinkly with parsley flakes.
Serve over spaghetti or with veggies/sides.
Until next time...Cheers!
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