In the mean time, the dish chosen to kick off this crazy whim of an idea, was none other than the classic chicken parmesan. When one envisions this well-known Italian-American plate, they usually picture a big slab of chicken, coved with bread crumbs, drenched in red sauce, and served with cheese as it's main ingredient. (Say no more Buca Di Beppo. Did I mention that I love you?) What's great about Giada's recipe is that it calls for absolutely no bread crumbs and has a very simple process to follow. I won't post it since i'm trying to promote book sales here (no hard feelings?)
Taking a breather from the topic of food, there are some disclaimers I will post regarding the blog. (Why not jump on the bandwagon? Here's a site I found that lists all the crazy disclaimers and warnings floating around out there in the world).
Disclaimers:
- Although the book reads "Everyday Italian", this Italian will not be cooking "every day", but will be known more as the "convenient" Italian.
- Anybody who watches those cooking shows can relate to this perplexing event that takes place every time a dish is shown on the Food Network. A chef could create the worst tasting thing on the planet, but somehow, the camera still manages to make it look completely museum worthy. Like so:
This is not one of those cases, so in the unfortunate event I should take a seriously wrong turn in the recipe (very likely), it will taste as bad as it looks.
- Lastly, I hope this blog inspires you to go out and try new things! The world is our oyster, but it's up to us to choose the right ones. You never know unless you try. ( This isn't a disclaimer, but I thought i'd throw it in here for fun)
Now: Let's get to the actual end results of the dish:
1) Set table
1) Set table
2) Prepare food. Tips: Use LOTS of olive oil when mixing the herbs and spices. She calls for a tablespoon which is virtually impossible to me). Use all of the salt and pepper required when adding to the chicken. (and use fresh ground pepper, it makes a difference) Don't worry, it won't become too over powering, and that way no one will need them when you sit down to eat. ;)
3) Eat! We (meaning my Dad and I since he's a cooking buff and I'm just starting out.) added whole-wheat pasta to the mix since there was no bread in sight (improvise improvise!) and used Trader Joe's Marinara for the sauce. (This will be a short-lived thing of the past since i'm planning on making sauces from now on). Finally, steamed carrots were added since it's always good to include veggies. (tip: add butter after carrots are done steaming to the the bowl. It makes a huge difference)
Here is the end result!
It's not much, but it's a start. After this first step into the culinary field I have already found that cooking is pointless without love, passion, and a little improvisation (and coordination but we don't have to mention that). Everyone brings a bit of them self into each dish, and that's what makes it special.
As the Italians would say,
mangiare felice!
Much love and pasta,
<3 Gabi
3) Eat! We (meaning my Dad and I since he's a cooking buff and I'm just starting out.) added whole-wheat pasta to the mix since there was no bread in sight (improvise improvise!) and used Trader Joe's Marinara for the sauce. (This will be a short-lived thing of the past since i'm planning on making sauces from now on). Finally, steamed carrots were added since it's always good to include veggies. (tip: add butter after carrots are done steaming to the the bowl. It makes a huge difference)
Here is the end result!
As the Italians would say,
mangiare felice!
Much love and pasta,
<3 Gabi
