Chicken Piccata
We’ve done a total overhaul of our eating habits over the last month, something that desperately needed to be done. We were spending an obscene amount of money between the two of us on Starbucks (every day… eeek!), lunches and dinners out constantly. The plan was to find the store that consistently has the best sales week to week, which turned out to be the oldest store in our town that always has an empty parking lot while shoppers buzz in and out of a new fancy mega-store right across the street. We watch the circulars and plan our meals around what’s on sale and walk through the aisles in peace with no one getting in our way. We don’t even have to wait in line when we’re ready to pay. Things are on a system now and under control AND extra money is padding our accounts…sweet!
Due to this change though, I was a bad Barefoot Blogger last month. I missed both recipes, something I’ve never done. My apologies to Tara and both Rebecca and BMK who picked great recipes that I just couldn’t get completed.
I’m back this month though and ready to go.
Lindsey of Noodle Nights and Muffin Mornings has selected Chicken Piccata for the first March recipe. We’ve made this dish at my house before and it went over well, so I was happy to make it again.
This is a quick and easy dinner that’s delicious. Boneless chicken breasts are pounded thin and dredged through a flour mixture, an egg mixture and finally seasoned bread crumbs. The chicken is browned in olive oil on the stovetop and then baked in the oven for a few minutes. Everything is covered with a lemon, wine and butter sauce and then topped with fresh parsley and lemon slices. Sounds good, huh? It is.
This would be the perfect dinner to whip up at a moments notice or after a long day at work. It really takes no time at all and there aren’t a lot of ingredients or steps to stress over. The lemon flavor is pretty strong in this recipe, which I love, but just be aware.
Thanks to Lindsey for a wonderful choice.
Ina Garten’s Chicken Piccata
Show: Barefoot Contessa Episode: It’s Friday Night Again
Ingredients
2 split (1 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 extra-large egg
1/2 tablespoon water
3/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
Good olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved
1/2 cup dry white wine
Sliced lemon, for serving
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving
Click here for directions!
And since it’s been lemon my last couple of posts I thought it was the perfect time to give a big Thank You to Michelle of Big Black Dog who gave me this Lemonade Award on one of her recent posts (Chocolate Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Bubble Frosting… mmmm).
Thanks Michelle, it really made my day when you let me know. 
It’s A Good Day…
Matt of Matt’s Kitchen recently gave me a Kreativ Blogger Award! Thank you so much, Matt! His blog has been one of my favorites since the first time I saw it. His posts always make me laugh and smile and he has quite a gift for creating conversation. I find myself writing multiple sentences each time I leave a comment on his blog, there’s just always something that I’ve identified with to respond to. If you haven’t visited before, I encourage you to check it out to see what you’ve been missing!
Now, with this award I’m told I have to choose 7 other blogs to pass it to and also complete a meme with 6 questions (shouldn’t it have been 7 questions?) with 7 answers each. I’m passing it along to the following blogs who will maybe do the same… but no pressure, of course. It’s all in fun! :)
Whisk: A Food Blog: From Whisk Wednesdays, to the creativity, to the writing, to the photography… I’m constantly impressed by everything she puts out there and I learn something new every time I visit.
Mevrouw Cupcake: One of my most favorite bloggers. I just love her attitude towards baking and she’s a natural storyteller. Plus, her photography is amazing.
Elra’s Cooking: I found this blog during my short time with the My Kitchen, My World group. Elra cooks up a storm and I love checking in to see what she’s been up to! Her recipes are always really interesting, too. Lots of stuff I’ve never seen before.
Danielle Bilton: One of my early favorites when I joined up with TWD. She has a lot of experience in the food world and it shows in her posts. Her photography is stunning.
Smells Like Home: One of my favorite food blogs and she’s the leader of one of the best blogging groups ever… the Barefoot Bloggers!
My Blank Page: A Daring Baker who writes a blog about food, cats, tv, movies, books, concerts, videos… it’s got it all. And my taste is very similar to hers so it makes for an enjoyable read for me. This site has been in my links list since the day I found it.
Seven Things MeMe….
Seven Things I Did Before
1. Was a waitress
2. Banquet server for parties and wedding receptions (I cried at every damn wedding, how embarrassing)
3. Cashier in a candy store
4. Worked at a video store
5. Made lots of cappuccinos and lattes in a small coffee shop
6. Managed a cookie bakery
7. Managed a retail bakery
Seven Things I Do Now
1. Play piano
2. Bake and cook
3. Blog
4. Work as an Analyst for an insurance company
5. Listen to tons of podcasts, Howard Stern and Old Time Radio shows. I’m a radio junkie.
6. Keep up as much as I can with the news
7. Take lots of pictures
Seven Things I Want to Do
1. Travel to Ireland.
2. Sell my townhouse and move into a single family home with a front porch and a big backyard.
3. Run a marathon.
4. Write a book.
5. Sing karaoke in public (I don’t know why I’m too scared to do this)
6. Get married.
7. Be a mother.
Seven Things That Attract Me to the Opposite Sex (I’ll change this category by saying what attracts me to anyone as a human being.) **I’m answering it this way, too.
1. Quirkiness.
2. Intelligence (without a trace of superiority).
3. Kindness.
4. People who have interesting voices. Especially when they tell funny stories.
5. Wit.
6. No or low drama. I can’t stand people who constantly make something out of nothing.
7. Being able to trust someone, knowing they have your back.
Seven Foods I Love
1. Cheese Quesadillas (or Tostitos) with melted mozzarella cheese, sour cream and Paul Newman’s Pineapple Salsa
2. Rice Pudding/Creme Brulee
3. Key Lime Pie
4. Pasta with Tomatoes, Sausage and Cream DO NOT LOOK AT THE CALORIES ON THIS ONE. YIKES!
5. Chili
6. Slippery Pot Pie
7. Pizza
Seven Things I Say Most Often
1. Cuss words. (Sad, but true. My Mama’s not proud.)
2. That’s different.
3. For real?
4. Damian!!! (my cat gets in trouble a lot)
5. Thank you.
6. What is WRONG with this thing? (I said that at work pretty much all day)
6. That’s cute. (Tip: do not take me shopping unless you like hearing that phrase a billion times)
7. I love you.
And with that, I’m out… thank you, it’s been a real pleasure. And drive safe!
My First Blog Award… a.k.a. the day Mari saved SSbK
Even though I’m just now getting around to posting about it (it takes me forever to do things and I do apologize), Mari from Mevrouw Cupcake has given me my very first blog award. Thanks, Mari!! To have been honored by one of my favorite must read blog authors is exciting. I first found Mevrouw Cupcake after I joined Tuesdays with Dorie and started following it regularly right after this post caught my eye. There’s just something about Mari’s attitude, style of writing and storytelling that really stands apart for me from other blogs, plus her photography is amazing.
The really funny thing is that the day I got this award, I was planning on coming home after work and deleting my blog. Strange how things work out, huh? So thanks to Mari for kind of saving my little blog here. I sure haven’t saved on calories, but I’ve been having so much fun along the way.
I’m passing this award to the following blogs. These are just a few of my new and old favorites to check out on a regular basis. **If any of you aren’t into posting about things like this or have already received an Excellence award, no pressure to do anything special since I gave you one… just know that you are much loved in the blogging community.
Food.Baby
Matt’s Kitchen
Lime in the Coconut
Lisa is Bossy
Fundamentally-flawed
My Achy Bakey Heart
Elra’s Cooking
My Year to Get Skinny
Whisk: a food blog
Finance Pirate
A little FYI to the deserving recipients, this award comes with a few rules attached to it:
Please find at least 10 more blogs of any kind which you deem to be excellent; but hey if you only come up with 3 or 5, I don’t mind. Quality over quantity folks!
Post about the blogs you picked, linking back to me and to them.
Once you’ve posted, return here to let me know your post is up, and of course let your 10 award winners know too.
