Dinner Party with The Girls

Because so many of my good girlfriends still live in Ohio, when I return for the Holidays there is much fun to be had – and much good eating to be accomplished!

Since my teeny weenie apartment in Chicago greatly restricts my abilities to entertain and cook for others, I took advantage of my parents’ expanse of a kitchen and had a girls-only dinner party!

I spent a lot of time gathering decorations for the table and making my party favors, which were bags of Garrett’s Pecan Caramel Crisp popcorn (it’s a Chicago thing!)

And, in order to keep things low-stress, I kept the meal low-key. The dishes I decided on where items I am comfortable making regularly – but they never disappoint! Although, the dessert (which was unbelievable if I may say so myself) was a new recipe to me, and I’m glad that I discovered it!

The Menu:

So, let’s get this party started….

Parmesan crusted chicken is something I make all the time when I’m in a pinch for a delicious dinner idea. It’s pretty time-consuming, but the end result is always scrumptious and my boyfriend, Josh, is always in the mood for this chicken.

My prep for this is quite simple – I buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts- usually either cutlets or tenders, so most of the work is already done for me (1-1.5 lbs is usually more than enough for 2-3 people when served with a few sides). Then I cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces (for this party I butterflied chicken breasts and pounded them thin with the bottom of a saucepan so they would cook quickly and evenly).

I then dip the pieces into an egg wash (take 2 eggs and beat slightly with a fork ). You can choose to season the chicken before dipping, and also to season the egg wash. I tend to put salt into the breadcrumbs, so I skip prior seasoning to keep the salt to a minimum.

Then the egg-dipped pieces go into breadcrumbs. I use Italian breadcrumbs – about 1/2 cup – mixed with 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan (or sometimes Romano) cheese. I also add some garlic powder, salt and pepper into the breadcrumb mixture. It’s a good idea to bread all of the chicken before you start frying any of it. I place the breaded pieces onto a paper towel-lined plate where they can set up for a few minutes prior to frying. You could also vary this recipe by using Panko breadcrumbs, or by eliminating the cheese and adding some spice- like cayenne pepper.

Then I pan fry the pieces over med-high heat in a large skillet with enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. I think using olive oil adds a lot of flavor to this dish. Cook until dark brown and yummy, then flip so the other side browns too. These will cook up quickly, so you need to stand guard! I’d also recommend a change of oil if you have more than 2 batches to fry, as the freshly-grated cheese oozes a bit and tends to burn in the oil. And no one wants burnt-tasting Parmesan chicken!

Roasted Potatoes

Another one of my go-to weeknight recipes is for yummy roasted potatoes. I find that red potatoes work the best for this recipe – and boy have I tried many variations! I also find that cutting these into smaller pieces (I usually cut the small red potatoes into 12 pieces each) allows for a crunchier exterior with a super creamy interior = the perfectly roasted potato.

I toss the cut potatoes in olive oil, fresh rosemary, sea salt, fresh-cracked black pepper, and a bit of Parmesan cheese (which makes them stick to the pan – so wait a few minutes after they come out of the oven to remove them from the pan. I promise this helps! Also, use the olive oil liberally!).

Roast these puppies at 425-50 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes depending on your oven. I usually stir these once during cooking, as the side touching the pan can sometimes burn if you don’t stir them around. Check with a fork for doneness and enjoy!

While I was finishing up the chicken, Beka was putting the final touches on our beautiful dessert – Chocolate espresso lava cakes. Man, oh man were these amazing.

Beka adding the chocolate chips to the desserts

I discovered this recipe on Epicurious. After reading all of the fab reviews, I decided to give it a shot. Boy am I glad that I did! The cake batter is super simple, and you can bake theses little guys in ramekins or oven-safe coffee mugs, which could be very cute, but might not cook as evenly. Before these are baked, you push a few tablespoons of chocolate chips into the middle of the batter.

They cook up in a flash, and then you top them with, well with whatever you want. Some reviewers said they used vanilla or coffee ice cream. Others used homemade whipped cream (a recipe for espresso whipped cream is included with the cake recipe), and even others resorted to Cool Whip! I don’t know about that one!

I went the route of the espresso whipped cream and was glad I had – it was delicious. Just the right amount of espresso flavor. It paired wonderfully with the richness of the cakes. And when i say “richness” I am not exaggerating here folks. These puppies were RICH. All of us wanted to keep eating because they were so delicious, but it was almost hard to finish because they were so chocolatey!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......

And, of course, we had a little champagne to celebrate the coming new year. But, our favorite drink of the evening was ginger ale mixed with sparkling cherry juice (boy was that a delicious accident!).

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays (a little late, I realize)

Did anyone else have an amazing holiday dinner party?