Thanks, Ina

Matt worked late Tuesday night (big computer stuff, much too technical for me to pay attention to), and I was busy doing a dozen different things all afternoon and into early evening.

Still, I wanted to have dinner for him, whenever he got home, so I turned to my folder of 'from the Web' recipes. Out came two from Ina Garten, Broccoli and Bow Ties and Parmesan Chicken Sticks.

Talk about easy! Broccoli, cooked just a few minutes and pasta, tossed with sauteed garlic and lemon zest (so very pretty), and dressed with lemon juice, Parmesan cheese and nuts (the recipe called for pine nuts, which we are out of, so I used walnuts instead).

Light and flavorful; great zing from the lemon. And Matt ate veggies!

As for the chicken, another simple dish. Strips of chicken breast coated in flour, then egg, and finally seasoned bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese; pan-fried in butter and olive oil.

Matt really liked the chicken...the layer of coating was thin, but it had a good flavor.

I skipped the Parmesan chicken for me, and instead tried one of the packages Matt brought from the 99 Ranch Market: Smoked 'Chicken' Drumsticks.



Naturally, I looked away long enough to over-cook the things, but still...juicy! Just a hint of sweetness to the 'meat'. And the best part? The drumsticks were formed around dowel rods, i.e., bones!
There was even a crunchy 'skin'...good stuff.

So, once I got started on everything, the meal came together in very little time. Thanks for dinner, Barefoot Contessa!