.almond breaded chicken.

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in almost a WEEK! I helped a friend put on a wedding for her daughter Saturday and I have been so busy. And to top it off, I'm having a yard sale this weekend and have been cleaning and purging. I went to update last night and the stupid pictures wouldn't upload. GRR! So I've had a crazy week. Did you miss me?
This is a wonderful recipe that is part of the collection my mom put in the family cookbook. It is very easy to make and doesn't take a whole lot of time either. Serve it on a bed of shredded lettuce, and top with toasted almonds and gravy. Yummy!



First we want to start out with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You want to put this between two sheets of saran or parchment paper. Use a mallet or heavy saucepan (I used my heavy silicon rolling pin) and beat the crud out of that little piece of meat. LOL You want to flatten it just a bit. Don't go too crazy or else you'll tear up the flesh.

Put some flour in a bowl.
In another bowl, put 1 egg and beat it.

In another bowl, put some panko bread crumbs.
Panko is breadcrumbs made without the crusts. You get a nice crispy breading when you use this. Yummy!

Dredge your chicken first in the flour.

Then in the egg.

And then in the Panko.

Put the chicken in a wok of oil heated to 350*. Cook until both sides are nice and golden brown. Remove from the oil and let sit on paper towels to drain out any remaining oil.

Finely shred some iceberg lettuce.

Put it down in a layer on the bottom of a serving dish.
Slice the chicken breasts at a slight angle and arrange on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds. In my picture I used slivered almonds because I didn't have sliced on hand.

We need to make the gravy. In a saucepan, put:
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp Mirin
1 Tbsp soy sauce

While whisking, bring to a boil and let thicken. Set this off to the side. When plating, put some chicken with a little of the lettuce on your plate. Then spoon some of the gravy on top. Delicious!!

.cherry enchilades.

I came across this recipe not too long ago while searching for something. I'm a big fan of cherries, especially cherry pie. Remember when McDonalds used to sell cherry pie? Not sure why they decided to do away with it because I don't like their apple pies. Blech. There's something about the tartness and the sweetness that makes me go, "ooooooooooh!"


This recipe is rather easy and I really mean that. I know I say things are easy, but my idea of easy is often very different than someone elses. The *only* thing about this dish, is you have to start the night before. But really... it is *SO* easy!!!!!



Take some fajita size tortillas. The recipe calls for 8, but you can make as many of these bad boys as you see fit.

For every 8 tortillas, you need 1 can pie filling.

Put cherries down the center and carefully roll up.

Once you fill up your pan, cover tightly with foil and put in the fridge. Keep it in there overnight.

About 1 hour before serving, take the enchilades out of the fridge. Leave them covered.


In a saucepan, put 1/3 cup butter.....

1/2 cup brown sugar.....

1/2 cup sugar.....

and 1/2 cup water.

Bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the enchilades and let sit for 30 minutes.



While that's sitting, we're going to toast some almonds.

Preheat oven to 450*. Put 1/2 cup blanched, slivered almonds in a pie plate. Put in the oven and keep a close eye on them to make sure they don't burn. Once toasted, pull from oven and set aside.

Reduce heat on oven to 350* as soon as almonds are out.

Put the pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. This is what the enchilades will look like when they come out. Nice and golden and caramelized on top. Yummy!



To serve: Plate one or two enchilades on a plate. Put a large dollop of whipped cream in the center. Put a maraschino cherry on top. Sprinkle the top lightly with cinnamon. Take a small handful of toasted almonds and sprinkle those around as well.


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_55fhk9gcz7