Sliced french bread smeared in olive oil, minced garlic, topped with burrata, tomatoes, and basil cooked under the broiler for about 6 minutes topped with some balsamic glaze (or thickened balsamic vinaigrette- mine was bought, but you can just add regular balsamic or use this recipe, which is delicious.)
Category: Dinner with Friends
Dinner with Friends
Happy Sunday guys! I just got a message congratulating me on my third year blogging! I can’t believe that it has been that long. I appreciate every one of my friends, family, and fellow bloggers who have supported and read my little blog. I have enjoyed the ride and experience in the kitchen. My life has totally changed in the last few years, and I am happy to have the chance to go on this food adventure with you guys!
We had some super friends over for dinner last night. I started with my deviled eggs. Simple recipe. I started with a dozen boiled eggs. I learned a trick recently to start the eggs in boiling water instead of cold water. Say what? I add a good heaping of vinegar, cooked 10 minutes, took them off the heat and let then set 2 minutes. Then I took them out of the pan, rolled each one on the counter for a second, then peeled them under cold water. PERFECT BOILED EGGS!
I took all of the yolks out and put them in a bowl. I also chopped one whole egg and added it to the mix. Then I slowly added in some mayo and whipped until I got a nice creamy mixture. I put the deviled egg mix in to a zip top baggie and sniped the end. Once they were all filled, I topped most with chopped bacon, a few with just paprika, and a couple with sweet relish and bacon. They were pretty amazing, if I do say so myself.
Mozzarella Cheese!!!! These are one of the girls favorite snacks. We have actually made them from scratch lots of times, but these time savers are cheesy and delicious.
We also used this delicious tomato sauce as a dip for the mozzarella sticks.
These sassy girls kept us entertained!
Main Event- Chicken Parmesan Bake with Spaghetti and a side salad
Chicken Parmesan Bake
Ingredients- 7 adults, 2 kids ( 2 1/2 chicken breasts leftover)
9 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 containers of your favorite marinara sauce
10 large slices of mozzarella or provolone cheese
3/4 cup bread crumbs- I had lots of stale bread, so I made my own in the food processor. I added a good heaping of Italian seasoning. Canned bread crumbs are yummy, too!
3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded
1/2 stick butter, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray. Place the chicken breasts flat on the bottom of the large baking dish.
Cover with the marinara sauce.
Put the cheese slices over the sauce.
Mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and then spread the mixture evenly over the top of the dish. Top chopped butter cubes evenly over the top.
Bake 45 minutes- 1 hour, depending on the amount and size of the chicken.
I served with a side of spaghetti and a side of salad.
DELICIOUS!!!
Dinner with Friends
I am starting a new category tonight. Dinner with friends is becoming the new normal with my new kitchen. I love it! Tonight, 2 college friends came to dinner. One was the fabulous Miss Mandy, who my girls pretty much adore as an auntie. The other was my dear friend Lita, who also brought her lovely hubby and 2 adorable boys. It was loads of fun. For some reason it didn’t even occur to my to take a picture of us, but that is ok. Their pretty faces still look 22 to me, so there is that =)
Here are some shots that I took that mattered…
Homemade Guacamole
The start… 2 avocados, salt, pepper, juice of 1 lime, and a tablespoon of queso fresco diced and stirred in.
The amazing result! YUMMO!
Margaritas!
Enchiladas 2 ways- Beef and Bean
Can’t wait to see these lovely ladies again!
Fun Foodie Family 