Gourmet Meals For Less

The fruits of our labor...Chicken Parmigiana with Tomato Basil Simmer Sauce

I never really fully appreciated the term "fruits of our labor" until we planted a garden, harvested it and then canned what we harvested.  Enjoying what we have canned is enjoying the fruits of our labor in the most literal sense of the words.  What I didn't realize though, was how difficult it would be for me to actually open those pretty little jars lining my pantry.  When you have worked so hard to take the raw ingredients given to you by the earth and condense them down to something delectable and worth preserving; actually consuming it can be a hurdle.

You know that feeling you get if you've ever spent hours on a birthday cake only to watch it be devoured in minutes by famished sugar starved munchkins, or to see your beautiful masterpiece of a wedding cake shoved in someone's face?  Eating what you have canned, runs along the same line.  I never knew how many hours of work went into making one homemade jar of tomato sauce, nor how many tomatoes for that matter.  Lots of tomatoes. Tons of tomatoes. Way more than you would ever suspect.  As I mentioned in my entry on actually making my Tomato Basil Simmer Sauce, I have a whole new appreciation for Ragu now.

I decided this past week it was time to open up another can of my sauce,

 but it needed to be a recipe worthy of my "labor".  I decided to create a simple Chicken Parmigiana served over penne pasta and topped with my homemade sauce.  This recipe starts on the stove top but finishes up in the oven, and if you haven't canned tomato sauce this summer (or can't bring yourself to open up a jar of your homemade sauce yet), then your favorite store bought tomato sauce will work just as well.

 

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Chicken Parmigiana with Tomato Basil Simmer Sauce-Gourmet Meals for Less
Serves 6

Ingredients:

6 thawed or fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup all purpose flour

1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs

2 large eggs

½ tsp salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. garlic powder

1-2 Tbs. olive oil

1 package fresh mozzarella

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 lb penne pasta

1 jar of homemade Tomato Basil Simmer Sauce* (or tomato sauce of choice)

fresh basil leaves (optional)

 

*see link above

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.  Place chicken breasts on cutting board between two sheets of wax or parchment paper. Gently pound chicken with flat side meat mallet until uniform and approximately 1” thick.  This will allow for your chicken to cook evenly.  While you are preparing chicken, bring water to boil in a large saucepan according to pasta directions.  Add pasta when water is at a full boil, cooking until al dente, 2-3 minutes shorter than recommended time.  You do not want to overcook your pasta, as it will cook additional time in oven.  Drain pasta and set aside.

 

To bread your chicken, you will need three separate bowls.   In one bowl, place eggs, which have been slightly scrambled and to this add 1 Tbs. of water.  In second bowl, place flour.  In third bowl combine panko crumbs with salt, pepper oregano, basil and garlic powder.  Heat large skillet to medium-high and coat with two-three turns of olive oil.   While skillet is heating, take one chicken breast at a time and first coat in flour (shaking off excess),

 

then coat in egg (allowing extra to drip back into bowl), then in panko crumbs (making sure they have completely coated chicken). 

 

 

Place chicken into hot skillet.  Repeat with each chicken breast.  Cook chicken breasts, turning one until golden brown on each side. Make sure your chicken has browned sufficiently on one side before flipping.  This will prevent your breading from sticking to pan and coming off of chicken.  Remove chicken and place on paper towel covered place.

 

Spray the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Pour pasta into bottom of pan.  Top with ½ of pasta sauce and ½ cup of Parmesan cheese.  Layer chicken breasts on top of sauce, and with remaining sauce and remaining ½ cup of Parmesan cheese. Top chicken with slices of fresh mozzarella.  Bake at 350° for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until pasta is tender, chicken is cooked through and mozzarella is bubbly and golden.  If desired, garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Enjoy!

This post is part of

please visit these other great blogs who are also participating:

a Latte with Ott, A
From Mess Hall to Bistro 
From the Hive
Frog Belly Soup

 This post is also linked up to E'Kats Kitchen's:

A quick and easy appetizer...

 

Is it Tuesday again already?!?  It seems like these last few weeks have just flown by.  I'm sure it's all of the fall activity, school year starting back up, football season, lots of blog writing...The weeks have been a blur around here.

I mentioned last Tuesday that I was invited to join a great group of ladies in showcasing uses for the canned goods we created over the summer.  My one dilemma with this is that I hadn't yet shared some of the actual recipes for canning the items and I'm still in the process of canning so I am sharing some of these a little backwards..but reminding myself that this is my blog, and there really is no "right and wrong", I've decided to go ahead and share a great quick and easy appetizer with you using: Cilantro Pepper Jelly.  I'll share the recipe for the actual jelly with you later in the week.  So...bookmark this and then when you've made your own cilantro pepper jelly you can come back to this quick little recipe for a delicious appetizer perfect for football game watching and fall get togethers!

I first learned about this wonderful jelly recipe from Joyce i.e. Friendsdriftinn to you fellow twitterers  (is that a word and if it is try saying it three times fast)and facebookers.  She is launching her blog in January 2011 and I for one can't wait!  In the meantime, she is so good about sharing great recipes on her facebook page, when you are done here head on over there and check her out, she's a hoot! (that's southern for funny)

Joyce shared some great uses for her jelly including spread on turkey sandwiches...oh my!  When I mentioned the jelly to my mom-in-law she exclaimed, "Oh we use to put pepper jelly on cream cheese with crackers!" Ta-Da!  A perfect way to use it.  I immediately broke into a jar and smothered cream cheese with it.  I added some great Rosemary and Olive Oil Triscuits and can I say....YUM!  I literally had to remove it from the coffee table so hubby and the girl wouldn't eat the whole brick of cream cheese..it was that good!  creamy, peppery, sweet...all on a savory cracker.  I am going to hide the remaining jars of the Cilantro Pepper Jelly so I can save it for a quick company appetizer.  I am scheming up some other uses for it now that I have become totally addicted tasted it, and will share those as I test them out.

So check back in a few days for an entry on how to make the Cilantro Pepper Jelly and in the meantime you can just drool over mine!

 

This entry is part of:

and has been linked up with:

a Latte with Ott, A
From Mess Hall to Bistro 
From the Hive
Adriennes Food Adventures 

 

 

 

 

check out all of their great recipes this week!

A Southern Tradition...homemade pepper vinegar

 

 

 

Marrying a Southerner has been a culinary adventure.  Since marrying into my husband's family I have experienced more unique foods than I ever had in all the years before we met.  Okra, Rutabaga, Turnip Greens, Black Eyed Peas, Chow-Chow, Squash Pickles...and many more!  I also learned that southerners are rarely happy to let a side dish stand as it is, they love to cover it, smother it and add goodies like bacon drippings (I know yum!) and the ever popular hot pepper vinegar.  They love to douse their greens, their peas and their fried okra in this simple yet delicious seasoned vinegar that adds just the right kick to their favorite dishes.

I will never forget the first time I had turnip greens with pepper vinegar.  One would think you could not improve on turnip greens cooked low and slow in rendered bacon but adding pepper vinegar takes even the best cooked veggies up a notch.  I was hooked!

When we realized that our pepper plants were going to provide us with an overabundance of peppers, hubby and I began racking our brains for ways to preserve them.  While walking down an aisle at my local Dollar Tree I saw the perfect idea for my peppers calling out to me from the middle shelf of the dishware aisle....

 

Aren't they so adorable?!  And only a dollar each!  I was so excited because I knew that I would be able to make lots of pepper vinegar with very little cost. Also, the "chalkboard" look is so in right now. I love these because the chalkbord part is actually applied on so you will be able to handwash them well without damaging them.  After finding the adorable chalkboard vinegar jars I also stumbled upon the cutest teeny tiny bottles, perfect for gift giving!  I couldn't wait to start making pepper vinegar, and now I could share this great little sauce with others...so they too can learn how to be a true Southerner!

 

Homemade Southern Pepper Vinegar-Gourmet Meals for Less
servings vary depending on amount of peppers and size of jars

Ingredients:

Variety of hot peppers, cayenne, chili, etc
White Vinegar
Tsp. of course salt per 3 cups of vinegar
Glass jars with plastic stoppers (they can have metal spouts but the parts that have constant contact with the vinegar need to be non-metallic)
Chopstick or other type of long thin stick that will fit into neck of jar

 

Directions:

Wash containers thoroughly removing all soap residue. Boil water and pour into each jar, allow to cool slightly and than discard water.  This will sterilize containers. Allow containers to air dry.  Gently wash peppers and air dry.  Depending on the desired heat you can poke small holes in some of the peppers, this allows the juice of the peppers to more thoroughly incorporate with the vinegar. (updated to add: a friend suggested that if you do cut into very hot peppers you might want to wear gloves to protect hands from the pepper juice.  Also wash hands well after this step.)  If you are desiring less heat in your vinegar sauce, than leave peppers intact.

Using a chopstick, gently push each pepper into the container, making sure each pepper will fit through the neck of the container and layering them in a pretty pattern. 

Be sure to fill your container with plenty of peppers but not where any stems are coming up into the neck of the container.  Place vinegar and salt into a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Allow to boil for 2-3 minutes to sterilize the vinegar.  Allow to cool slightly.  Pour vinegar into a measuring cup with a lip.  Placing a funnel into the container, gently pour the vinegar over the peppers.

 

Fill containers to the bottom of the neck, being careful not to overfill.  Allow vinegar to cool.  If vinegar level seems to have decreased you may need to add more vinegar, as the peppers will absorb some.  After containers have cooled completely, place tops on containers and store in a cool dry place for at least a week for best flavor.  Vinegar will continue to age and the flavor will intensify over time.  When vinegar is used up, you can replace with more sterilized vinegar reusing the peppers.  Now all you have to do is enjoy your homemade pepper vinegar on anything and everything!

 

Enjoy!

 

This post has been linked to

Southern In My Heart Inspiration Friday

and

Canning your own condiments...pepper relish!

 

 

Okay am I the only one who snickers a little inside when I say or hear the word "condiment"??  I know childish but it just strikes me funny. (please tell me I'm not...pleeeaase, even if I am the only one..)anyhoo...

 

We have had a bumper crop of peppers this year, of all varieties.  This was the first time we have planted cayenne and chili peppers and the second year for banana peppers.  We have frozen them, vinegered them (I know made up word) and stuffed them Grilled Stuffed Banana Peppers and now I wanted to try my hand at canning them.

Canning has become the cool, hip thing to do these days.  I'm sure it's part of the whole frugal, "back to your roots" movement that the recession has brought on.  We started canning a few years ago though, because we were at a loss as to what to do with all of the produce from our garden...I like to think of us as trend setters!...don't burst my bubble. 

Canning has been an interesting cooking venture for our family.  I shared in a prior entry that hubby has established himself as the pickle maker in the family, so I figured I better step up my game and develop some of my own canning notoriety.  I tried my hand at canning tomato sauce for the first time this year, which proved to be a big hit, and so deciding to move on to more adventurous canning challenges researched canning peppers. 

I want to really encourage those of you hesitant to can, to give it a try.  There is something so rewarding about growing, preparing and storing your own food. It is definitely a labor of love but one with a delicious end result!  Think pickle relish but with peppers and a kick!  So good!

Pepper Relish
approximately 6 1/2 pint jars

Ingredients:

8 cups banana peppers -- finely chopped in food processor or by hand
1 green bell pepper -- finely chopped in food processor or by hand
1 red bell pepper -- finely chopped in food processor or by hand
4-6 hot peppers of choice jalapeno peppers, cayenne, chili or mix -- finely chopped in food processor or by hand
2 tablespoons salt
3 cups cider vinegar
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 whole peppers (jalapeno, cayenne, chili, etc)

Directions:

Combine chopped peppers and salt in a large bowl. Let stand two hours. Drain.

 

 

Combine sugar, vinegar, and mustard seed in a large saucepot. Cut two slits in the two additional jalapeno peppers and add to vinegar mixture. Bring to boil. 
Reduce heat and add vegetables, simmering 10 minutes. 
Remove whole peppers. Pack hot relish into clean jars, leaving ¼-inch head space.

 

 

Adjust two-piece caps.   Place jars in boiling water canner or hot water batch.  Bring water to a boil and process 10 minutes.  Remove from water and allow jars to rest until cool and lids have "popped".  Make sure there is no give in lids and then store in a cool dry place for at least one week before using.  If lids do not pop  store in refrigerator.

 

Come back tomorrow where I will share a great "game day" recipe of my hubbys that was the perfect first use of my pepper relish!

 

 

Enjoy!