I probably should work on dividing up my posts since Preschool and Fancy Meals have nothing in common...I'll see what I can do about that..
First things first. Letter of the Week.
I'ts letter "Cc" week. We made a caterpillar today and ate Cars Crackers with Crunchy peanut butter on a Cowboy plate. I know, pretty themed right? I'ts especially amazing since tomorrow is grocery shopping day..
Here's my Little Mister eating his snack and wearing his Cars shirt...I know, I know stop already.
Let's move on to fancy meals. Most of the time, we do not eat fancy. Mainly because we are not fancy people. Well Little Miss is pretty fancy, but the rest of us, not so much. But every once in awhile I like to make a fancy meal for me and the Hubcap just for fun. This is my copy cat version of BJ'S Balsamic Chicken dish. It's not exactly the same, but its still really good. And with Valentines Day coming up I thought I would share!!
Balsamic Chicken with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus and Crispy Onions
First, you start with your chicken. You will need:
3-4 chicken breasts, flour, salt and pepper, olive oil, 6 garlic cloves, 4 tblsps balsamic vinegar, 3/4 cup of chicken broth, 1 bay leaf, 1 tbsp butter
First put your oil in a skillet and get it nice and hot.
I usually pound my chicken breasts to make them thinner. (And I usually cut mine to make them smaller leaving me with 6-8 smaller pieces of chicken, but you dont have to. )
Salt and pepper your flour. Dont be shy with the salt and pepper... it will kill the chicken if you dont have enough.
Dredge your chicken in the flour and then add the oil. Cook for about 3 minutes over or until this side is nice and brown over medium high heat.
Turn chicken and cook the same for the other side. Also add the garlic cloves.
When both sides are nice and brown add the chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, and bay leaf.
Cover and cook for 10 minutes, turning the pieces occasionally.
Once they have cooked through, remove the chicken and put on separate plate. Cover..I usually put mine in the oven.
Now just add the butter to your sauce and let cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf. Cover until the rest of your meal is ready.
Now for the mashed potatoes. I usually have the potatoes peeled and chopped before I start the chicken, and start the water for the potatoes when I start the oil for the chicken, The potatoes cook about the same as the chicken.
When its time to mash them I add milk, cream cheese, sour cream, butter, salt and pepper and 1-3 cloves of minced garlic. I add a little of each at a time to make it the right consistency. I am sorry if I just overwhelmed you with fat content...
Start cooking your asparagus, now... :) I put mine in a steamer bag and cook it in the microwave. If your going to steam in on the stove, start this earlier.
Now on to the onions...
I heat about 1-2 tblsp of olive oil on the stove.
Then cut up your onion into rings and then in half. The thinner the better. I dredge them in a flour mixture same as the chicken. (But not the same that you dredged the chicken in..thats kind of gross)
Once the oil is hot you add your onions, and watch them like a hawk...they cook fast!
Now its time to assemble...
Pick a pretty plate... (very important)
Put a nice mound of potatoes to the middle of your plate.
Add a chicken breast and pour about 1 tblsp of sauce over.
Top with asparagus. I usually do four pieces, two crisscrossing another two.
I then add some mixed greens. Its pretty and makes you feel better about the mashed potatoes.
Top the greens with your crispy onions.
Eat!!
This is one of my favorite meals.Its so yummy, and really not too hard, just alot of steps.
Enjoy!
Ok the kiddos and I are off on an adventure. Here are some pictures of our adventure last week:
Cute right?
My little man, he loves throwing rocks into water!! He would do it for HOURS if I let him...
Oh gosh, she kills me. Michael and I make cute kids. Who would have thought?!?!
Happy Monday Friends!
