Chicken Milanese

Chicken Milanese is one of those iconic dishes that seems to be forgotten or skipped over. I wanted to rejuvenate this recipe a bit.

Chicken Milanese

chicken breasts (2-4)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup flour
2 eggs
fennel bulb
cherry tomatoes, halved
garlic
1/2 cup cream cheese
penne pasta
 salt
pepper

Preheat oven on the lowest setting, 150-170.

Boil water for the pasta, put plenty of salt in the water, once bubbling add in whichever pasta you prefer, I used penne.

Take your chicken breasts and pound them until they are about a 1/2 inch thick. Sometimes the breasts are so large I cut them in half. In three bowls add flour, salt and pepper in one, eggs in the second and panko in the third. Dip the breasts into the flour, then coat with the eggs and dredge in the panko bread crumbs. Once pasta is al dente, drain.

Brown each side of the chicken using olive oil in a hot pan, about three minutes per side. Then place the coated chicken breasts on a baking sheet with a wire rack on it, put in the oven to cook through and keep warm.

In the same pan you browned the chicken in, add in the fennel, let it cook until soft. Then add in the garlic and lastly the tomatoes. Once the vegetables are soft, add in the cream cheese to create a creamy sauce. Retrieve the chicken from the oven. Spoon pasta in bowl, top with crispy chicken and finally the creamy sauce. I garnished with a little of the fennel sprigs. The panko makes this chicken even more crispy and slow cooking makes the chicken extra moist. The bite from the fennel and creaminess from the sauce makes this dish irresistible. Any guest will love this meal.

Enjoy! xo Lo

All to entertain you with my dear

Who doesn't love to entertain?? Ok a few of you might not...but who doesn't love to laugh, carry on meaningful conversations, and enjoy delicious food? That's what I thought. When entertaining, you shouldn't have to spend a lot of money or cook for 10 hours to indulge in some fantastic food with wonderful company.

When I invite guests over I always like to entertain with a few nibblies when they first arrive. That way when conversations are starting, wine bottles are opening and the main course may still be cooking, we can snack over some delectable treats.

One of my favorites and one of the easiest appetizers to serve is hummus with veggies, crackers or pita bread. You can either make your own hummus (I  highly recommend) or you can purchase some from the nearest grocery store.

Homemade Hummus
2 cans of garbanzo beans (drained)

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley

1/2 lemon

1/3 cup tahini (smashed sesame seeds)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup water

roasted red peppers for topping

black pepper
paprika for garnish
olive oil for topping

Combine all ingredients into a food processor, blender or in a bowl and use a emulsion blender. Stir as the ingredients smooth out and combine. If the mixture is too dry add olive oil to help smooth it out. Once all blended, add to a festive dish, top with a drizzle of olive oil, add roasted red peppers and paprika. Then cut up some cucumbers, bell peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, pita bread, crackers...any thing you want to dip inside this lovely hummus.

Another great appetizer, that I made for the Superbowl this year was my deviled egg dip. We love deviled eggs in our house, so I thought, why not create a dip? You use exactly what you would for deviled eggs but blend it all up til smooth and serve with chips, crackers, toast points, veggies, anything you want.

Deviled Egg Dip

8 medium-boiled eggs (being cooked less than hardboiled helps keep the dip smooth and creamy)

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 cup horseradish dijon mustard

1/3 cup dill pickle relish
1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Add all ingredients into a blender, food processor or in a bowl for the use of an emulsion blender. Blend til smooth, stirring along the way. Add to a bowl and serve with any chip, cracker or veggie like. I chose to serve my dip with the new Pop Chips (regular flavor) they were delicious. If you want to kick this dip up a bit you could add some crispy bacon!

Hopefully I've helped you see that it doesn't have to be difficult to entertain. Pop a few things in a blender and you've got some fabulous dips that your company will adore.

Happy entertaining! xo Lo