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Reader Recipe: Chicken Parmesan

YumSugar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:00:28 -0700

Whenever I'm in the mood for bold, robust flavors, my go-to meal is chicken Parmesan. Not only do I get to enjoy the savory richness of marinara sauce with Italian herbs, but I dream of warm, melted cheese and tender, succulent cutlets. My newest obsession is a version of the dish that TeamSugar member My Opinion came up with. While chicken Parmesan's already affordable to make, her version, which incorporates a quick homemade marinara sauce, is even more budget-friendly. By omitting the breadcrumbs, she also makes it healthier! Enjoy this protein-rich meal on a dime when you read more.

Submitted by TeamSugar member My Opinion

Tomato Sauce recipe For the Chicken Parmesan
Mine with helpful hints from Food Network.

This sauce turned out so perfect!!! I didn't crush roma tomatoes or anything... You can, but why? I just used a couple of 32 oz cans of crushed tomatoes, but they have to be the "Italian flavored" or the whole thing will be screwed up.

Ingredients

1. 2 32-ounce cans of Italian flavored crushed tomatoes.
2. 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil.
3. 1 small to medium onion chopped well.
4. 2 cloves of garlic chopped well.
5. 1 stalk of celery, chopped really well.
6. 1 normal sized carrot (or 3 or 4 of those cute little baby carrots in a bag) either shredded or chopped well.
7. 4 to 6 basil leaves. Roll them up and finely chop them.
8. Sea salt and pepper
9. 2 dry bay leaves.
10. 4 TBSP of UNsalted butter.

Directions
Pic of the ingredients:
I mostly use a good name brand of food but some things, to me and my cooking experience, taste better as the store brand like the Winn Dixie Italian flavored crushed tomatoes are the best, and the bay leaves.

1. Heat the olive oil over med/high heat (mostly medium) and toss in the chopped onions for 1 minute then add the garlic to it for additional 2 minutes until the onions are translucent.

2. Now add the celery, carrots, salt and pepper. Saute them until they are all soft. (about 5 minutes)

3. Add the 2 cans of crushed tomatoes, basil and bay leaves and simmer for an hour.
One of my bay leaves is pushed down into the sauce...
4. After an hour, don't forget to remove the bay leaves! Taste the sauce and use your own judgment as to how many TBSP of the unsalted butter you will use. It depends on the acidity of the sauce so only put in 1 TBSP at a time tasting after each has dissolved. I used 3 and it was perfect!

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Chicken Parmesan
Mine and helpful tips from the Food Network.

I made this without using bread crumbs and it was so much better IMO! I also did not use the traditional "spaghetti" because these noodles are so delicious!

Ingredients

1. 8 chicken breast cutlets
2. 3 TBSP of Olive Oil (I used extra virgin)
3. 1 teaspoon of Rosemary
4. 1 teaspoon of Italian Parsley (it's got to be chopped really well or the flavor is too strong on this bite or that bite....you can use regular parsley)
5. 1 teaspoon of Thyme (chopped really well!!)
6. salt and pepper
7. Shredded mozzarella
8. Fresh Parmesan. Kraft makes it easy. You can purchase the huge chunk of Parmesan with the built in shredder at the grocery store for like 5 or $6.
9. 8 pieces of cut up unsalted butter. (like 8 TBSP)
10. 2 cups of Tomato sauce (I'll post up that recipe as well) or just use marinara.

Directions
Here's a pic of the ingredients since I didn't have that option in the 'ingredients section.'
I know we all know what these ingredients are but everyone loves pics....

Preheat the oven to 450'

1.Stir the olive oil and all of the herbs including a dash of salt (remember you will be salting the breasts) and pepper in a bowl together and set aside.

2. Sprinkle a little bit of salt directly onto the chicken breasts, but don't go crazy! Let them set for 15 minutes.
3. Brush both sides of all chicken breasts with the oil and herbs mixture.

4. Heat a large skillet on med/high heat.
5. Add chicken. 2 minutes per side. No longer than that.
Seriously just 2 minutes no matter how tempting it is to fully cook them!
Seriously just 2 minutes no matter how tempting it is to fully cook them!
6. Remove from heat.
7. Spread some sauce in a large baking dish, (about 1/2 cup)
8. Place chicken breast in the dish and put more sauce around and on them.
9. Add 1 piece of unsalted butter on each breast.
10. Add 1 TBSP of mozzarella on each breast.
11. Grate your fresh Parmesan on top of each breast.

Bake for about 3 or 4 minutes. The cutlets are usually kind of thin so use your own judgment there but normally it only takes about 3 to 4 minutes in baking due to the few minutes of searing beforehand.

This will serve 8 people, or 4 really hungry people.

I seriously recommend using my Tomato Sauce recipe. I'll post it as well.

Here are the noodles I use. They're perfect for this dish!!

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The Basics: Marinara Sauce

partysugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:38:38 -0700

When it comes to cooking, there are many basic recipes that are like building blocks. Take a simple vinaigrette, for example: once you know the most common ratio of oil to vinegar, you can easily change and enhance the flavor by adding herbs, garlic, finely grated cheese, mustard, honey, citrus, or whatever ingredients entice your tastebuds. Our new regular feature, The Basics, highlights these important recipes. We're taking you back to the basics by providing foundation recipes that you can build upon.To kick of the series, I've made homemade marinara sauce. While you can find this staple in every grocery store, it's far more delicious if you take the time to make your own. The recipe is uncomplicated and alterable. It's an effortless tomato sauce that can be tossed with pasta, turned into a dip, or spread on a pizza dough. To look at the recipe and see suggestions on how to transform it into a more complex sauce, read more.

Marinara Sauce
From Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (32-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 dried bay leaf

Directions

In a large pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour.
Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.

Makes about 4 cups.

Variations
To make a spicy tomato sauce, stir in red pepper flakes and ancho chile powder (or chopped chipotle in adobe) when you add the tomatoes.

To make a rich bolognese-style sauce, deglaze the vegetables with red wine. Pour in milk when you add the tomatoes.

To make a tangy puttanesca-inspired sauce, saute anchovy fillets with the vegetables. Add capers, black olives, and fresh oregano when you add the tomatoes.

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Say Cheese! Baked Feta With Marinara

partysugar — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:15:45 -0700

Feta cheese is perhaps Greece's most spectacular contribution to the culinary world. Traditionally feta is made from sheep or goat's milk. However, many producers today make it with cow's milk. It's a brined curd cheese that's commonly aged in blocks. Feta is white with a salty, tangy flavor that ranges from mild to sharp.

Depending on how long it ages, feta is soft to semihard in texture. Usually it comes in the form of a square cake that's packed in brine. Feta dries out quickly once removed from the brine. The crumbly cheese is scrumptious in salads, nachos, and flaky pastries like spanakopita. To check out my favorite way to enjoy feta, read more.

While it may not be the best melting cheese, when baked, feta obtains a smooth, incredibly delicious creaminess. Combined with marinara sauce, it makes a super-easy appetizer that's insanely crowd pleasing. I've made this dish a million times and it always gets rave reviews.

Baked Feta with Marinara
Original Recipe

Ingredients

1 baguette, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
olive oil, for drizzling
salt
fresh ground black pepper
8 ounces feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Arrange the bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
Bake until toasted and crisp, 12-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, crumble the feta in single layer in an oven-safe serving dish.
Sprinkle the red pepper flakes over the top.
Cover completely with the marinara sauce, spreading smooth.
Place in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until the marinara is bubbly and darker in color.
Carefully remove from the oven and serve immediately with the toasted crostini.

Serves 6-8 as an appetizer.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Margherita Pizza

partysugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:45:52 -0700

Sometimes the simplest of dishes can be the most rewarding. Take the classic margherita pizza, for example. With its crispy crust, fresh tomato sauce, and melted mozzarella cheese, it's far from complex, yet it's probably the world's most well-known pizza!

It's the perfect comfort food for a busy Wednesday evening, especially when topped with slivers of prosciutto and a shower of arugula. To treat yourself to this lovely pizza tonight, read more.

Margherita Pizza
From The Nest

Ingredients

1 ball or can of pizza dough (such as Pillsbury)
3 tablespoons (homemade or store bought) marinara sauce
4 slices dry mozzarella
4 leaves fresh basil, chopped
2 thin slices prosciutto
1/2 cup chopped arugula
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare the pizza dough according to the package. Roll out to 8 or 9 inches in diameter.
Place the dough on a lightly floured pizza peel, or baking sheet with no sides, and top with sauce, cheese, and basil.
Slide the unbaked pizza onto the hot stone and bake until the crust is brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and top with the prosciutto, arugula, and pepper. Slice and serve immediately.

Makes 1 pizza.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Shrimp Fra Diavolo

partysugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 05:30:06 -0700

I love it when I find a recipe that uses basic ingredients in new and interesting ways. In this case, the simple components are shrimp and marinara sauce. While the two are delightful alone, I've never thought of combining them to make a scrumptious sauce for pasta. This recipe - from our friends at MyRecipes.com - cooks the shrimp and mushrooms in a marinara sauce seasoned with lots of crushed red pepper flakes. To learn how to make it, read more.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo
From Cooking Light

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups sliced cremini mushrooms (about 10 ounces)
2 1/2 cups basic marinara sauce, homemade or store bought
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
Parsley sprigs (optional)

Get more recipes at MyRecipes.com

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; keep warm.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms to pan; sauté 6 minutes.
Add basic marinara, red pepper, salt, and black pepper; bring to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes.
Add shrimp; cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done.
Serve over pasta. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired.

Serves 4 (serving size: 1 1/4 cups shrimp mixture and about 1 cup pasta).

Nutritional Information: CALORIES 439(17% from fat); FAT 8.5g (sat 1.3g,mono 4.4g,poly 1.7g); PROTEIN 33.8g; CHOLESTEROL 172mg; CALCIUM 118mg; SODIUM 660mg; FIBER 5g; IRON 5.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 56.5g

Like the recipe above? Try out some of these other ones:

- 9 Scrumptious Shrimp Recipes
- Cook Up Coastal Favorites at Home
- All About Shrimp from Cooking Light
- Get More Shrimp Recipes

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What Would You Make?

partysugar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 01:01:19 -0800

Here's the scenario: you are at home and hungry. You have to cook up something scrumptious for you and your boyfriend/girlfriend/ spouse/child/friend, but the ingredients you have on hand are limited.

You have a bunch of fragrant basil, creamy goat cheese, and marinara sauce. Using these products, along with whatever you currently have on hand in your cupboard and refrigerator, what would you make?

To see what I would make, read more.

I would start by finely chopping the basil. Next I would stir it into the marinara sauce.
I would fill an oven-proof appetizer dish with the sauce and plop a large chunk of goat cheese in the middle.
I would bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.
Meanwhile I would use whatever bread I have on hand - this week I have regular white sandwich bread - to make croutons. I would do this by cutting it into large one inch crustless cubes and crisping it up in the oven while the cheese and sauce bake.
Finally, I would serve the cheese marinara dip with the croutons and skewers for dipping.

Source and Source

TV Dinners: Goodfellas - Meatballs & Garlic

YumSugar — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:04:58 -0700

Since today is National Garlic Day I naturally had to point out one of the most famous garlic scenes in movie history. Do you remember the prison dinner scene in Goodfellas? You know the one where Paul Sorvino is slicing ridiculously thin pieces of garlic with a razor blade?

"He was in a year for contempt and he had this wonderful system for doing the garlic. He used a razor and he used to slice it so thin that it used to liquefy in the pan with just a little oil. It was a very good system."

It's hard not to think of that scene whenever I chop up garlic. Same goes for making spaghetti sauce with meatballs. Also, I love how even though they're in prison, they have access to everything including bread, cheese, prosciutto, steak, salami and lobster.

To check out the full dinner scene (which, is accompanied by one of my favorite songs, "Beyond the Sea," by Bobby Darin), and get a great recipe for a three-meat meatball (just like Goodfellas "Veal, beef and pork... you gotta have the pork."), read more

Meatballs a la Goodfellas
With a tiny adaption from The Best Meatballs at All Recipes

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground veal
1 pound ground pork
2 cloves garlic, sliced razor thin then minced
2 eggs
1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 cups stale Italian bread, crumbled
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 cup olive oil

Combine beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Add garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.
Blend bread crumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add the water 1/2 cup at a time. The mixture should be very moist but still hold it's shape if rolled into meatballs. (I usually use about 1 1/4 cups of water). Shape into meatballs.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Fry meatballs in batches. When the meatball is very brown and slightly crisp remove from the heat and drain on a paper towel. (If your mixture is too wet, cover the meatballs while they are cooking so that they hold their shape better.)
Place cooked meatballs into Marinara Sauce and cook for 15 more minutes.

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And if you're interested in more, here's a critique of Goodfellas - this is where I got the fantastic screencaps.

Subway Breakdown

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:00:00 -0800

Subway has done a good job marketing themselves as a fresh, low-fat alternative to other fast food chains. Turns out, Subway isn't half bad for you! I'm actually impressed.

	If you can stand to be in a sandwich place and not get a sandwich, then definitely go for the: Grilled Chicken and Baby Spinach Salad with olive oil and vinegar because it only has 185 calories, 8 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 450 mg of sodium and 11 grams of carbs.
	You should probably get the: Turkey Breast 6-inch Sandwich on wheat bread (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, pickles and olives) with 280 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1020 mg of sodium and 46 grams of carbs.
	You could also get the: Roast Beef 6-inch Sandwich on wheat bread (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, pickles and olives) with 290 calories, 5 grams of fat, o grams of trans fat, 920 mg of sodium and 45 grams of carbs.
	I know it may sound tempting, but do not get the: Meatball Marinara 6-inch Sandwich on wheat bread (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, pickles, olives and cheese) with 560 calories, 24 grams of fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 1610 mg of sodium and 63 grams of carbs.

For other ways to watch your calories at Subway, read more

Breads:	Subway offers some other lower calories options to the sandwich such as the wraps and deli style sandwiches. For comparisons sake, one 6" wheat bread has 200 calories, one deli style roll has 170 calories and the wrap has only 120 calories (8 grams of fiber). If you must stick with the 6" breads then don't get the Honey Oat or Italian Herbs & Cheese because both pack on 250 calories.
Condiments:	Stay away from Mayonnaise (110 calories) and Chipotle Southwest Sauce (96 calories). Use mustard instead (yellow or brown) and you're only adding 5 calories.
Veggies:	The more the merrier. Load your sandwich up with veggies as all of the veggies on Subway's menu are 5 calories or less.
Cheeses:	Pass or add 40-60 calories.
Double Meat (DM):	That's a double NO - NO.
Cookies:	Sorry, that's a pass too. At upwards of 200 calories, you could have another 6" sandwich.

Fast & Easy Dinner: Baked Ravioli

partysugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:50:01 -0700

While there are some pastas, like macaroni and rigatoni, that are commonly used to make baked casserole-style dishes, other types, for example ravioli, are often overlooked.

This recipe thinks outside the baking dish by tossing store-bought ravioli with a quick homemade marinara sauce and lots of grated cheese.

The resulting meal is a crunchy, chewy, comforting mess of pasta that's sure to please the children in your life. For a balanced dinner, serve mixed greens on the side. Get the creative recipe when you read more.

Baked Ravioli
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, or oregano
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
2 pounds store-bought ravioli
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add thyme and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, breaking up tomatoes with spoon, until sauce is thickened and reduced to about 5 1/2 cups, 20 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water just until they float to the top (pasta will continue to cook in oven). Drain pasta; return to pot.

Toss sauce with pasta. Pour pasta into a large gratin dish or 9-by-13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle with cheeses. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Serves 4-6.

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Marinara Sauce

partysugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:09:59 -0700

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