Panko Crusted Chicken with Baked Asparagus and Grilled Sweet Potato Fries (Featuring Rich, Phil, and Laura!)

Hello there, fellow foodies! So, I know it's been a while since you've been back to visit. It's ok, I forgive you. The weather is lovely, and I, too, have been avoiding the kitchen (well, actually more of the oven, really) as much as possible lately. I have a special blog today, featuring my good friend, Rich, who lives out in Washington, D.C.  Although this recipe is his baby, we did also have some helpers with the food and photos (thank Tim Gunn, because I only have 2 arms, lol!) Our good friend, Phil, was also a big part, as well as Rich's roommate, Laura, who will also make an appearance in this recipe! (Not like in the ingredients, but in photos, in the prep. This is not one of THOSE kind of recipes!) So a big thank you to all that helped--I think we made a pretty good team, all in all. So, without further ado, enjoy the noms!

Rich hard at work in the kitchen!

Panko Crusted Chicken

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
-2 cups panko bread crumbs
-6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-2 eggs
-2 tablespoons honey
-spray butter
-salt and pepper to taste
-4 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch strips
-2 roasted red peppers
-crumbled goat cheese
-parsley

1. Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C--yes I know, that is scary high, but we turn it down, so don't fret if your oven does not go that high). Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. Rinse the chicken in cold water and cut into strips.

3. Stir together egg, Dijon mustard, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper until smooth (you may add some additional Panko bread crumbs also if you would like--I highly recommend it). Set aside.

4. Place Panko bread crumbs in a separate, shallow bowl. Dip chicken into Dijon mixture to coat.

5. Next, coat with bread crumbs.

6. Place onto prepared baking sheet. You will notice we did spray the tops of the chicken with some butter. You can skip this step if you are watching your calories, or use a light butter.

7. Place into preheated oven and turn the oven down to 375 degrees F. Bake until the chicken is no longer pink and the coating is golden brown, about 10-15 minutes on each side.

8. Top with goat cheese and a sliced roasted red pepper over the top. Garnish with parsley.

We had made one pan with goat cheese and red pepper and one without. Both looked (and tasted) amazing!

Next, let's tackle the sweet potato fries.

Phil is sexily cutting the slices of sweet potatoes. Eat your heart out! ;)

Grilled Sweet Potatoes Fries

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
-2 large sweet potatoes
-rosemary
-cayenne pepper to taste
-salt and pepper to taste
-olive oil

1. Slice the sweet potatoes thinly. You can leave the skin on, if desired.

2. Coat the potatoes with olive oil, and place on a sheet of tin foil. Chop fresh rosemary up and spread them over the potatoes.

3. Add cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to taste.

4. Put potatoes onto the grill. Keep the grill on low and flip the potatoes every 10 minutes until crunchy.

And finally, the asparagus!

Baked Asparagus

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
-1 bunch of asparagus
-1 lemon
-grated parmesan cheese

Laura was a big help with this part!

1. Cut the ends off the asparagus, and lay them in a pan.

2. Squeeze the lemon over the asparagus.

4. Grate parmesan cheese over the asparagus. We put a lot, because the girl from the dairy state had to represent.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until cooked. Make sure you don't overcook it!

Mmmm, delish! We served with white wine, and it was amazing. The biggest piece of advice I can

give you is work on your timing for the different components of this meal, so that it all finishes at around the same time.

Pizza Rolls

So apparently, I am really hooked on crescent rolls lately. Here's another tasty recipe I found on, you guessed it, Pinterest. I added my own flair, but here is the original recipe.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
-1 package pepperoni
-1 jar pizza sauce
-4 sticks of string cheese
-1 container of crescent rolls
- 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
-1/4 cup butter
-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder or salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Lay out parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Roll out crescent dough, and spread a little bit of pizza sauce over each crescent dough.

3. Lay 4 or 5 pieces of pepperoni onto each crescent dough. Cut each string cheese stick in half, and place one half on each crescent dough.

4. Sprinkle a very tiny bit of garlic powder onto each crescent dough.

5. Roll each crescent dough up, sealing edges as best you can.

6. Heat butter up in the microwave and brush over the tops of each roll.

7. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top of each roll.

8. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over the top of each roll.

9. Pop into the oven for 15 minutes.

10. Remove from oven. Heat up remaining pizza sauce and serve with pizza rolls.

Epic Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got this recipe courtesy of  Tender Crumb. I altered it slightly, by using only regular flour, and using less chocolate chips (didn't have a big enough bowl for 2lbs!). Amazingly good!

Prep time: 30 minutes
Makes: Approx. 3 dozen large, or 7-8 dozen small

Ingredients:
-1 tbsp vanilla
-1 tbsp salt
-1 lb butter
-6 cups and 1 tbsp flour
-4 eggs
-2 tsp baking powder
-2 tsp baking soda
-1 lb semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 3/4 cups of granulated sugar
-2 1/4 cups of light brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine the sugar, brown sugar, and butter well.

3. Mix in the eggs next until well blended. I didn't have a blender, so this took a looooong time. Hey, it's on the wishlist.

4. Mix in the vanilla, salt, baking powder and soda, flour, and chocolate chips until well blended.

5. Form dough into round balls (As a note: If you make them smaller, you will come out with about 8 dozen...just sayin.' I made larger ones and got 3 dozen out of the batch). Line a pan with parchment paper. Spread out rounded dough evenly on cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 20 minutes, until edges are golden brown.

Fruit Dip

This recipe is so easy, you'll be kicking yourself for not having thought of it sooner! Seriously, I would, but I am a hemo, and that is somewhat frowned upon.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves: 8

Ingredients:
-1 8 oz package cream cheese
-1 tsp vanilla
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-fruit of your choice, sliced (I went with gala apples)

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

2. Serve with apple slices (or a fruit of your choice).

Ta-da! :)

Smashed Potatoes

I was looking for a new way to make potatoes, and I found it on The Pioneer Woman blog. Amazing recipes on there! Mine didn't turn out as good looking as hers, but they sure were yummy!

Prep time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
-8 red potatoes
-3 tbsp olive oil
-Kosher salt (to taste)
-Black pepper (to taste)
-Rosemary (or other herbs of choice)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Bring water to a boil. Add in potatoes and cook them until they are fork tender (about 35-40 minutes, depending on the size. Bigger potatoes = longer to cook)

3. Drizzle olive oil on the pan. Don't be shy...the more there is, the less the potatoes will stick!

4. Place potatoes on the cookie sheet, spaced apart well.

5. Take a potato masher and press gently down on each potato. Rotate the masher and press again. (you may need to break up bigger pieces gently with a fork. I definitely had to!)

6. Brush the tops of each potato with olive oil.

7. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and chopped rosemary (or other herbs) over the top of each potato.

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Chicken Roll-ups

I am such a sucker for chicken...it is just so amazingly tasty! I found this great recipe on Pinterest (which, by the way, if you haven't checked it out, please do! It's amazing...they have something for everyone!)

Prep time: 30 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
-1 package of cream cheese
-1 package of crescent rolls
-2 shredded cooked chicken breasts
-1 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese
-1 cup of grated cheese of your choice (I recommend mozzarella or monterey jack cheese)
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp pepper
-1 cup of breadcrumbs
-1/4 stick of melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cook 2 chicken breasts in hot water for 40 minutes.

3. Remove chicken from water and shred into tiny pieces.

4. Mix the chicken, cheeses, salt, and pepper together.

5. Spoon the mixture into the crescent rolls.

6. Roll the cresent rolls and seal tightly around the chicken mixture.

7. Melt the butter in the microwave. Brush the top of each crescent roll with butter.

8. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top.

9. Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

*To reheat, place in oven at 325 degrees for 15 minutes.