Dear Manana Mama...

...THANK YOU for your comment and your recipe for Chicken Schnitzel last week. I tried it yesterday and it was a hit! My children were so tickled that they were being served Schnitzel for dinner that my five-year old sang the song "My Favorite Things" five times before she settled down at the table.

I could not, however, find Spike Seasoning, so I made a few modifications. With a little bit of research on the net, the following is what I ended up doing:

-3 pieces chicken breast, marinated in lemon juice, fat trimmed and cut into halves. I wrapped it in paper towels and bashed the heck out of it
-beat 2 eggs with salt and pepper
-1 cup Italian bread crumbs and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, a couple of rounds in the food processor
-dip chicken into egg mixture and bread crumb mixture
-fry 2 pieces at a time on medium heat with 2 Tbsp oil for three minutes on each side (Truffle, this is the secret to cooking chicken breast perfectly. I've never managed to get it right before, so remember this tip!)
-keep pieces warm in the oven
-slosh some white wine in the same frying pan, add 1/2 cup chicken broth, salt and pepper, chopped up cilantro and bring to simmer. Turn off and add a little bit of cream and 1 tsp flour to thicken.

Serve chicken with sauce on the side with sliced potatoes and micro-waved broccoli and listen to children sing "My Favorite Things" with huge smiles on their faces.

The next day, I had some extra Schnitzel left. So, I made some Laksa from an instant spice past package my mother had brought from Singapore. I sliced up the Schnitzel and placed it on top of the spicy noodles which were sitting in their curried soup. My eight-year old understood my sense of humor and laughed his head off at the sight of the Singaporean interpretation of Schnitzel with noodles.

Best,
Cinnamon

Food and the Outdoors

What is it about eating outside that improves the gastronomic experience? It is springtime in North Carolina and the wisteria is blooming. My family and friends know about my obsession with gardening and probably surprised that I am blogging about food instead of the backyard. So, this evening, as the weekend was winding down, we had dinner on the steps of our deck, next to our wisteria vine.

Dinner was boiled edamame, grilled Teriyaki chicken legs, and another variety of Simply Asia noodles - roasted peanut - not that great. The food, to be honest, was not exceptional, though I was quite pleased with the result of having added Mirin to the pre-made Teriyaki marinade - the sugar of the Mirin really enhanced the glaze on the chicken.

I decided to split the meal up into three courses, much to the merriment of my children. The first course was edamame sprinkled with coarse sea salt (husband's input) served in plastic bowls, the second was the plate of chicken legs served caveman style and the last were the noodles served in blue ceramic and chopsticks. We had a nice bottle of prosecco (Prosecco Veneto, attractively priced at Lowes Foods) and the children had apple juice. Entertainment included an edamame-throwing contest and shrub-pruning critique-ing.

I was told many years ago that we enjoy food outdoors more because of the additional oxygen incorporated in our mouths as we bite and chew. Oxygen might have something to do with it, but I personally think it has more to do with the beauty of nature and the relaxation that it brings that adds to our enjoyment of our meal.

Cinnamon