Giving the gift of chicken parm

I told you before that it's tradition in our house, as it may be for you, to make "special request" dinners for birthdays, usually shared with all family available the Sunday before or after the big day.

This month we celebrated our daughter's special day. I asked the birthday girl what she'd like for her dinner. She gave me a wonderful compliment. She said she'd let me choose because she loves everything I make! How sweet she is! Sweet Melissa.

So I actually let hubby pick the birthday girl's dinner. Last I told you we enjoyed Birthday Lasagna for hubby's special day, so he was up for something different for daughter number one's family celebration. This time hubby chose chicken parmigiana. Good choice, hubby! It was time for CP in our rotation.

So the menu was simple and Italian. Mmmm, peasant food, my favorite. Antipasto (before the meal) included homemade lonzino (dry-cured pork loin), toscana cheese with rosemary and olive oil, blueberry chevre, assorted crackers, and the usual veggie mix. Some good wine accompanied the spread.

This family can eat and we do like to snack while we cook. It's always a good time standing around the kitchen table, chomping on some great bites while catching up, everyone laughing and being silly, loud family that we are.

So here's what I whipped up for my daughter's birthday while everyone noshed on the starters.



Classic birthday chicken parm hits the spot.



Piles of spaghetti with my favorite gravy.

Birthday Chicken Parmigiana 

8 chicken breasts, cut 1/2 inch thick
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan) cheese, grated
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
1 tsp. oregano
1 tblsp. olive oil
8 oz. blended tomatoes or My Favorite Gravy (what Italian-Americans call tomato sauce)
1/3 cup Asiago or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
8 1-oz. slices mozzarella cheese

First, I like to pound the chicken with a mallet to be sure all pieces are the same thickness to ensure even cooking. And it's fun to beat the chicken, too. Use wax paper to protect yourself from squirting chicken juices. And change the wax paper frequently to avoid splatters as you pound holes.

Now you're ready to assemble the cutlets. Dip chicken breasts in beaten egg mixture. Combine bread crumbs, grated cheese, salt, pepper, and oregano. Coat chicken with breading mixture. Sauté chicken slices until lightly browned in a pan with olive oil. Place chicken in a shallow baking dish or on a cookie sheet. Pour gravy (tomato sauce) over chicken cutlets and sprinkle with grated cheese. Top each cutlet with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. Serve over lightly buttered spaghetti or drench in My Favorite Gravy.

Serves 8.

This is the basic recipe, but don't hesitate to double if you have more guests. I always make more anyway, so we have leftovers.

Mediterranean greens with olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and pignoli, along with some crusty bread and good wine rounded out the meal.

And, of course, there was a birthday cake, recipe soon to follow.

For now, don't forget to check out My Favorite Gravy recipe. It's a keeper with a secret ingredient no one will guess.

So if there's a birthday or special dinner on the horizon, give the gift of chicken parm. It's a good thing. It's a gift your special birthday celebrant won't return. 

And let me know what birthday dinner traditions you share with your family. I'd love to hear from you.

Until next time, yours in fun, family, and cooking...Therese

Birthday lasagna

I like to cook. And I like to see my family enjoy a meal that I've made. Sunday dinners are important at our house, but birthday dinners need to be even more so because you want to be sure the one you're celebrating truly loves what you've made especially for them. 

Ask a young child what they want for their birthday dinner and they may say pizza or spaghetti and meatballs. Ask a young adult with a more experienced palate and they'll remember a delectable meal you made and ask for a repeat.

So in our house the past few years, Chicken Parmesan was my go-to recipe for birthday dinners. It took some time to make from scratch, but the meat and cheese melted in your mouth and everyone came away thankful that the birthday boy or girl requested that special dinner.

Right before Christmas, we celebrated hubby's birthday. Yes, it's a busy time of year, but we always make his day as special as the rest of the family birthdays we have sprinkled through the year. Before the big day, I asked hubby if he wanted chicken parm or the new lasagna recipe that I made for the first time this past March for my oldest daughter's birthday. Hubby is easygoing and said he'd love either, whatever's easiest for me, so I went with the winning lasagna recipe, which I had a craving for myself.

No big secret, you can find this scrumptious lasagna recipe on the box of Trader Joe's no-boiling, oven-ready lasagna noodles, but I'll save you the trouble by sharing this keeper right here:

Trader Joe's Bolognese Lasagna

1/2 package no-boiling lasagna noodles (I use Trader Joe's but any brand would work)
1 lb. uncooked sweet Italian pork sausage (or any sausage you prefer)
1 jar Trader Joe's Bolognese meat sauce (or any jarred or homemade red gravy you prefer)
12 oz. mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the casing from all the sausage links; place sausage in a large skillet; break up sausage with a fork or spoon while it pan fries until cooked. Add Bolognese sauce to pan; mix, warm through and set aside.

In a separate bowl cream together mascarpone, milk, and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese; mix in nutmeg. Season with pepper to taste. Spread a thin layer of the mascarpone mixture on the bottom of an 8 x 8 baking dish. Dip lasagna noodles into mascarpone mixture one at a time to cover completely; place in a single layer in the baking dish; top with meat sauce and evenly sprinkle on some of the grated Parmesan cheese.

Keep layering in the same order until all of the meat sauce is used (this should make three layers). For the top layer (4th layer), dip the noodles; make the layer; pour remainder of mascarpone mixture over top and sprinkle on the remainder of the Parmesan.

Rest lasagna for about 30 minutes to allow noodles to absorb liquid. Place in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbly. Rest at least 20 minutes before cutting.

Serves six. (I double the recipe and use a 15 x 10 pan.)

This meat lasagna recipe is one among many in the food universe, but it's the mascarpone cheese that distinguishes this smooth and creamy, but not-too-heavy special birthday dinner that all will enjoy. Second and third helpings, along with contented smiles, attest to this. You may want to double the receipe as I do or you won't have any leftovers for a satisfying meal even better the next day.

Let me know if you try this. Here's to hoping your family will love it as much as mine do.

Until next time, yours in fun and cooking...Therese