Chocolate Chip Cookies from Scratch!

I have never been afraid to proudly announce my fear of baking. But, like having to overcome my fears of poultry gizzards in order to make a real gravy, I decided I needed to overcome my fear of making crappy baked goods. Hmm. That was probably a really strange analogy as fowl gizzards have nothing to do with cookies, but I'm sure you get my point, as misguided as it may have been.

Anyway. I was pleasantly surprised to find that baking chocolate chip cookies is not only fairly easy, but also fun in a deliciously messy way. I think most of my reticence is based on a prior baking mistake wherein I mistook baking soda for baking powder when baking a cake. Determined to forge ahead without salty tasting cookies (more on that debacle later), I followed the instructions on the package to semi-sweet chocolate chips to a T.

My Librarian and I prefer chewy to crunchy cookies and I found that the trick to ending up with entirely chewy cookies is to bake them through, closely monitoring the time and to pull them just after the very tops have baked from gooey cookie dough into, well, cookie. The result of my neurotic time keeping and toothpick poking in the end was pure success - we had over two dozen chewy chocolate chip cookies that were neither crunchy, hardened, nor burnt and were baked all the way through.

Herbed Chicken Parmigiana over Spagetti, with Garlic Bread

This is a dish that is simple enough to make and that can result in mouth-watering taste bud satisfying traditional comfort meals, however, it can also go terribly wrong and end up no better than an imposter at highway rest stop buffet table.

Hey, paison! I won't let you down and leave you with a gummy, greasy plate. What follows is my recipe for a great dish that is a delicious, no-fail take on the traditional plate that should immediately take you back to your grandmother's kitchen. You're not Italian, let alone have never had an Italian grandmother? I'm sure you have some sort of imagination; work it out. Just whatever you do, please don't think of those Olive Garden commercials, mmkay?

You'll need:
3-4 chicken breasts
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and Pepper
Panko Bread Crumbs
Fresh Minced Parsley
Fresh Minced Basil
8oz Mozzarella
Grated Parmesan Cheese

There are a few important things to note that will come up as I outline the recipe. The first is that instead of using any old breadcrumb, get yourself Panko Breadcrumbs. These are lighter and airier, generally associated with Japanese cuisine. These are important to use because if you think back to all of the not-so-great chicken parm dishes, I bet you found it to be gummy and chewy. This was probably in part due to the breadcrumb selection. Buy some plain panko and I promise you won't regret it because you won't end up with a gummy cutlet.

In a bowl combine the breadcrumbs ( about 3/4 cup), parsley, basil (about 1 tablespoon of each) salt and pepper (about a 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of each) and about three tablespoons of parmesan cheese. It's all an approximation to what you like. While you're getting this ready and lightly tossing it with your fingers, get a skillet nice and hot on the stove. After dipping each breast in the eggs, dredge them through the breadcrumb mixture. On the skillet, brown each side of each breast, setting aside once done.

This is the second important detail to note. The breadcrumb-herb-parmesan mixture before browning is what I have found to be pretty key in the overall completeness of the dish. The chicken needs to be browned, clearly, but the crispy panko crumbs embedded with fresh herbs are sealed in with a crispy parmesan crust before being baked.

Once your chicken breasts are ready, place them in a dish and cover them with sauce, and the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Clearly a homemade Italian Sauce would be eccellente, but sometimes we don't always have the time on hand to create it. I suggest taking your favorite marinara - I actually prefer a Basil Marinara and an Arrabiata Sauce blended 1:1; this gives the dish the smooth marinara with a spicy kick.

Bake the dish uncovered at 375 degrees until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is bubbling. At this point, get your garlic bread ready. Personally, I like to take two small loaves of baked ficelle and slice them down the middle. Slather on butter, generously sprinkle garlic bread seasoning from The Spice Terminal at Reading Terminal Market and top it with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Toss it in oven alongside your dish.

Allow the dish to sit and cool for about ten minutes before serving it on top of Spagetti along with that delicious fresh garlic bread, and Voila! un pasto perfetto!

A New Year, New Recipes

Some of you may have noticed it's been about a month since my last post. True that, however due to some, well, computer-based viral issues, I am unable to access those mouth-watering photos to accompany recipes and general food adventures. This should be resolved this weekend, however, so stay tuned. Thanks everyone!