Good Intentions

I had very good intentions last evening of posting my meal.  However, some distractions preventing me in doing so.  I'll give you a hint regarding one of the distractions.  It starts with a 'Matthew' and ends with a 'McConaughey.'  While the movie I watched last evening hardly had 'Oscar' written all over it, it was pretty good...considering.  Oh, and the second distraction was sleep.  I was just so tired I couldn't bring myself to type a single word.  But all is good after the 12 hours of sleep E.V. and I had.  It was well deserved, as we had a very busy day yesterday.  I went with a friend to the Saturday Market, and we stopped by the Farmer's Market.  Quite fun!  Afterwards, E.V. and I walked up to the dog park where she rolled around in the sand. 

"If I squint, no sand will get in my eyes.  I'm sooo smart!"

Last evening's meal was well under $3.00 and required very little prep.  Something perfect to make in a pinch.  I was starving and didn't feel like wasting any time.  My stomach felt a duty to remind me that it was empty and had no qualms about growling until it was full.  I'll start with the chicken.  Yes, chicken.  Maybe I should just re-name the blog to 'A million different ways to cook chicken.'  Hahhaah.  Just kidding.  The versatility of chicken makes it all that better!

Chicken Saltimbocca hot out of the oven!

If you were to search for chicken saltimbocca recipes on the internet, you will quickly find that there are about 5 billion variations, well that's a bit of an exaggeration, but there are so very many.  I took little bits and pieces from numerous recipes and came up with my own version.  I used two chicken cutlets (sometimes called tenders when packaged in the grocery store), pounding them to an even thickness, then rinsing and drying.  Once they were dried off, I sprinkled both sides with pepper.  On top of the tender I placed minced sage leaves and some parmesan cheese.  Just enough to cover the entire tender.  Then I placed a slice of prosciutto on top and wrapped it around the entire tender, essentially creating a little bundle of goodness.  I baked in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes.  They could easly be cooked on the stove-top, but I was using the oven for my side dishes...and felt cooking all together just made sense.  Shall we proceed to the charming sides....

Sizzling potatoes and carrots, straight from the oven!

My potato side is basically a twist on a weary old baked potato.  I used fingerlings for my recipe because that was all I had, but any smaller type of potato would suffice.  You pre-cook them, either in the microwave or on the stove in boiling water until they can easily be pierced with a fork.  Remove and place between a kitchen towel...preferrably of the linen variety, unless you like a little fuzz with your potatoes!  Anyway, when they're in the towel, gently push down with your hand to squish them, but don't squish too much.  You then drizzle them with olive oil and top with pepper and any chopped fresh herb of your choice.  I personally used rosemary, in case you were dying to know!  Again, since the oven was being used, I opted for a simple side of roasted carrots.  These are so yummy and amazing.  Toss the carrots in olive oil and roast until tender.  I roasted both of these along with the chicken and here was the final meal.

Dinner is served!

This is the moment where I will honestly admit....I would have loved, loved, loved some microgreens for the plating.  It's missing something, appearance wise that is.  But, definitely not taste wise...this was full of flavor and oh, so easy.  I highly recommend giving it a try!

I will leave you with a precious photo of a certain spoiled rotten canine who shall remain nameless, for now...

"Mama, slowly step back and leave my bone alone...or you'll be sorry!"

I just love it when she shows off her snaggle-tooth!!  Thanks for tuning in, again....sorry for the late post, but some things are just beyond my control.  I'll see you all, soon!