Baked Chicken Parmesan Check the link for Gina’s version. I changed a few small things.

3 or 4 large chicken breast halves [about 2.5 pounds], sliced in half horizontally, to make 6 or 8 large flat pieces
3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
cooking spray
3/4 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese
1 cup spaghetti or marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)

I didn’t have spaghetti sauce on hand, so I mixed half a 29 oz. can of tomato sauce and a bit of each of the following. I didn’t actually measure…
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1 T. dry onion flakes
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
freshly ground black pepper
a dash of salt.

I had plenty of sauce left over. It can be used to dip the zucchini sticks, or saved for a later meal. I’ll use it to make pizza or put it on pasta.

Preheat oven to 450°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Or line it with foil sprayed with cooking spray. Or spray the baking sheet with cooking spray. Whatever you have available. But learn to use parchment paper if you don’t use it now. Saves a ton of cleanup!

Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle a little of the breadcrumb mixture on the baking sheet.

Spray both sides of the chicken with cooking spray, and dip into breadcrumb mixture. Place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle remaining breadcrumb mixture over the chicken.

Lightly spray chicken with cooking spray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Flip the chicken and bake another 5 minutes.

Remove from oven, spoon sauce over the chicken and top with shredded cheese.

Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

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I used freshly grated Parmesan cheese. You may use the canned shredded Parmesan if that is what you have, but take my advice…get yourself a Microplane zester/grater and a block of Parmesan. Freshly grated REALLY is better. An entirely different flavor than processed shredded Parmesan.

Ready for the oven.

Baked Chicken Parmesan and Baked Zucchini Sticks, ready to serve.

Cutting zucchini for baked zucchini sticks. Choose small young zucchini that are heavy for their size.

The zucchini sticks were also good! We had them with light sour cream. A nice green salad rounded out the meal. I had planned to serve corn, also, but thought we had plenty on our plates.

~~Rhonda

Wish you could smell this delicious chicken.

The original recipe called for the following seasonings. My changes are in brackets.

2 tsp. kosher salt [I used 1 teaspoon of salt. Next time, I'll use 1/2 teaspoon.]
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. onion powder [I used 1 T. dry onion flakes.]
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. Italian seasoning [You can substitute 1/2 tsp. basil and 1/2 tsp. oregano.]
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. black pepper [I used 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper.]
pinch of chili pepper [I left this out.]
4 whole garlic cloves [I used 1/2 tsp. garlic powder.]
1 yellow onion, quartered [Left it out, as DH is allergic to fresh onion, but it would be delicious on the chicken.]

As you can see, I didn’t exactly follow the recipe. But, hey, that’s the fun of cooking. Leave this out, add that. See what happens.

I placed the chicken in a crock pot sprayed with cooking spray, then sprinkled the spices over the top. The chicken cooked on high for four hours. Very easy!

~~Rhonda

Rosemary Ranch Chicken

The chicken recipe called for the chicken to be cubed and grilled on skewers. I just sliced it thinly and broiled it in the oven. Delicious!

Quick and Easy Home Fries

I didn’t peel the potatoes. I washed them, cut off unsightly spots, then cubed them. I rinsed them and drained them on a dishtowel for a few minutes before cooking. DD dipped the finished fries into ranch dressing mix.

I served them with corn on the cob, peas, and a green salad. Two thumbs up. We’ll definitely make the chicken and potatoes again.

~~Rhonda