March 24, 2025
Hello Foodie Friends
When I shop, I try not to go hungry or I fill up on all the FREE samples. One thing I can never resist at my local grocery is the aromas coming from the bakery. There is always someone standing next to a rack of fresh crusty European French bread just out of the ovens and also passing out hot buttered slices. I have a ritual of requesting '2 samples please' and tossing 2 hot loaves into my cart. (I figure I'm entitled since I'm getting 2 loaves.) These used to stale too fast until I learned from Sara on 'Cooking Live" how to do it right. What I do as soon as I get home is slice them into smaller sections.. .usually thirds or quarters and individually freeze them in ziplock bags. For fresh bread with any dinner I just leave it out to thaw, then wrap it in foil and toss it into a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes just to heat it through. Tastes just like it came out of the oven for the first time.
And although hot & crusty French bread goes perfectly with anything I just love it with Italian foods. Here's a nice and SO EASY CHICKEN PARMESAN recipe that you can easily do with those frozen breaded fillets too if you're on the go. Just top them with the sauce and cheese and bake and you're good to go!
Enjoy!
Marzee
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SO EASY CHICKEN PARMESAN
INGREDIENTS:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup light Parmesan cheese
1 26 oz jar Marinara sauce
1 cup part skim Mozzarella cheese, shredded
DIRECTIONS:
Combine bread crumbs & parmesan cheese. Roll chicken in mixture. Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Place chicken in dish and bake 375 for approximately 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Pour sauce over chicken and bake 15 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over chicken mixture and bake an additional 15 minutes.
YIELD: 4 Servings
MARZEE's CORNER
TIP FOR ROASTING WHOLE GARLIC
* 1 large head of garlic
* Butter and fresh thyme (optional)
Using a sharp knife, cut the pointed top off the garlic head so that the cloves are just visible through the cuts in the top of the garlic. Several hours before serving, put the garlic in the oven at 250 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove and let cool.
Just before serving, put the garlic on a heatproof serving dish; garnish with butter and crossed sprigs of fresh thyme, if desired. Heat oven to 450 degrees and roast garlic for 5-10 minutes, or until brown all across the top. Serve while still warm. To serve: Just scoop out the cloves of garlic from the head and mash them onto a hot crusty slab of French bread.