Italian Dinner with Dessert

I found this recipe on Pinterest awhile ago and was waiting for a time when I needed to feed a few people in order to try the recipe.  The recipe on Pinterest has a great video tutorial that's really helpful for the Chicken Parmesan.  I really recommend watching it while you're cooking!


http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2008/02/end-of-chicken-parmesan-as-you-know-it.html

Baked Chicken Parmesan
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp minced garlic
Hot Red Pepper Flakes (I used a Hot and Spicy Mix I found at World Market)
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, or as many as fit in your baking dish
2 cups marinara sauce
1/4 cup chopped basil - I used about 2 tsp dried basil because I didn't have any fresh
8 oz shredded mozzarella
4 oz Parmesan cheese
1 pkg garlic croutons (5oz)


Preheat oven to 350.  Mix the oil and garlic at the bottom of a 9 x13 baking dish - spread evenly out.  Sprinkle in some red pepper flakes - you don't have to do this if you don't like the heat.  Lay your chicken breasts in the baking dish and evenly cover with marinara sauce.  Sprinkle with chopped basil.  Add about half of your mozzarella and parmesan cheese followed by the croutons and the rest of the cheese.
Bake for 35-45 minutes or until thermometer in chicken read 150 (I think - maybe it's 170...I can't remember what chicken should be - check the tutorial I pasted above)

And of course, with the Baked Chicken Parmesan, I had to serve garlic bread. :)
This bread was fairly simple to make compared with some of the breads I have made.  It does need to time to rise so I baked it the night before I made this dinner, and then warmed it in the oven right before dinner with the cheese.


Cheesy Garlic Bread
1 cup warm water
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 envelope Active Dry Yeast (2 1/4 Teaspoons) - I would recommend using the Quick Rise Yeast - just works better!
1 teaspoon Salt
3 cups Bread Flour
Olive Oil, For Greasing Surfaces (I just used the cooking spray)
⅓ pounds Sharp White Cheddar, Or Any Other Cheese You Prefer (I recommend this kind - or mozzarella/Parmesan works too!)
½ cups Garlic Butter (I made my own with melted butter and minced garlic, then I added a little Parsley and Basil)
In a large bowl, stir water, honey and yeast together. Let yeast proof 5 minutes - unless you're using the Quick Rise Yeast, then it doesn't need to proof. Once you know yeast is active, stir in salt and the flour in 1/4 cup increments. If you are using a stand mixer, be sure to not increase your speed higher than a 2 or ‘stir’. Once dough starts pulling away from the sides and the bowl seems to be pretty clean, set a timer for 5 minutes and walk away. Let the machine knead the dough. After 5 minutes, dough should be smooth and tacky but when touched shouldn’t leave any dough on your fingers.
Grease the bowl and the dough. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Punch down dough and cut into two equal portions. Form into two long baguettes the length of the cookie sheet. I like to twist mine because it looks cool, but it also keeps its length and doesn’t shrink. Cover with plastic wrap and rise 30 minutes. Start to preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place dough close to the oven where it’s nice and warm. Once oven is preheated, remove plastic wrap, from the dough reduce oven to 350F, put the bread into the oven and bake 20 minutes.
In the meantime, slice the cheese into thin slices and melt the butter.
Pull loaves of bread out of the oven after 20 minutes and brush with the melted garlic butter. Bake another 5-7 minutes or until bread begins to turn a golden brown. Remove from oven and cool 15 minutes.
Cut 1-inch slices 3/4′s of the the way through the loaves. Brush garlic butter in between each slice and fill with a slice of cheese. Bake another 3-5 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.




And finally, the dessert!!!  Tried this with some Valentine m&ms!

Samoa Bars
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/4 cups mini M&M’s (I used regular m&ms - Valentine Day colors!)
a few extra M&M’s


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 8x8-inch pan with nonstick spray and then line the bottom with parchment paper.
Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it browns and begins to smell nutty (watch it closely so it doesn’t burn). Let the butter cool for a few minutes, until just barely warm.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the browned butter and sugars. With a wooden spoon, stir in egg, vanilla and salt. Stir in flour, coconut and M&M’s until batter is blended.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle a few additional M&M’s on top. Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Let the bars cool before turning them out onto a cutting board and slicing into squares (chilling them will make that process even easier).