Chicken Schnitzel

Oh man. I may make this again this week, because it was a huge hit. I got it of of iVillage again, but I made my own changes. I used lemon, and I used Panko Crumbs in stead of bread crumbs, and I added the noodles with lemon sauce. You can make this however you want and I'm sure it is just dandy.

Chicken Scnitzel

2 large chicken breasts

2 cups Panko crumbs, sauted till golden with butter in a frying pan

1 egg

2/3 c flour

salt and pepper

Canola oil

1 package soba noodles (yummy buckwheat noodles that are SO good for you, found at Whole Foods or even better- Sunflower Market)

Sauce

2 T butter

1-2 T flour

1/3 cup heavy cream

3 T capers

salt pepper to taste

squeeze of lemon

Place your chicken breasts between two pieces of wax paper and one at a time, beat with a rolling pin till 1/4 inch thick. Cut in half, length-wise so you now have four schnitzel's. Beat the egg, and put in a shallow bowl. Put the flour in another shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Put your toasted Panko crumbs in another bowl. Dip each schnitzel one by one first in the flour, then the egg, then the panko crumbs. Make sure to press into the panko crumbs to get good coverage. Place on a plate and refrigerate for 30 min.

Meanwhile, boil your soba noodles just until tender and drain. Melt the 2 T butter in a small sauce pan and add the flour. Keep stirring, and always try to keep the mixture moving. Add the cream and the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Add the capers.

Rinse your soba noodles and drain as much as possible. (They are pretty slimey... don't worry about it.) Toss the noodles with the sauce and set aside to keep warm.

In a large skillet warm up the oil and when hot add the refrigerated schnitzel. If doing them not all at once, warm the oven to 175 degrees to have a place to keep them warm. Fry the schnitzel's for 2-3 min on each side at med-high heat, or until golden brown and cooked through. Keep warm in oven till ready to serve.

Curl up a pile of noodles on the plate and place warm schnitzel on top, and serve!

Watermelon Limeade

Such a lovely twist on the citrus beverages. I am going to try using raw sugar next time, to make the taste a bit more natural.

Watermelon Limeade

8 cups of cubed water melon

1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1/4 c. sugar

mint/limes (garnish)

Blend up the watermelon in the blender (it may take two cycles), then strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Stir in the lime juice and the sugar and mix till completely dissolved. Chill- and serve.

S'mores Bars

These are on my TOP FIVE favorite treats list. They are so good, and so satisfying- it's almost sinful. I got this recipe from Brit- so thank you for making my life all the better.

S'mores Bars

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 8 graham crackers)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows) *I used a whole jar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and/or line an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt.
Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.
4. Place chocolate bars over dough (2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate if necessary to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick).
5. Spread the marshmallow fluff over the chocolate.
6. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles or panels and laying them together).
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

(I put chocolate chips on top because I am JUST that desperate for more sugar, calories, and deliciousness.)

Caprese Pasta Salad

I whipped this up pretty quick and it is SO GOOD. The recipe is from iVillage, so credit goes to them.

Caprese Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

8 oz dried rigatoni

1 cup cubed fresh mozzarella

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup pesto sauce (homemade or store bought)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the rigatoni in some salted water with a dash of olive oil, just until tender.

While pasta is cooking, cube the mozzarella, halve the olives, and mix them with the pesto.

When pasta is ready, rinse in cold water, then pat dry with paper towel. Toss gently with the pesto mixture, and serve.

(If making ahead of time, take out of the fridge a half hour early, as it is to be served at room temp.)