So many of you know that I started out my blogging career by writing a food blog. Shortly before Alex deployed, the food blog went the way of cassette players {if you don't get my metaphor, that means I abandoned it}.
I had intentions of picking it back up after the dreaded deployment date, but then I found myself eating things like cereal or Easy Mac for dinner every night. Not exactly blogable stuff there, ya know what I mean? I was somewhat baffled by how I could go from LOVING to cook to debating whether it was even worth it to get out the skillet to fry an egg for dinner. How does this happen?
Pretty much the moment my husband set foot back on American soil, my desire to cook shot back up again. That's when I realized that my love for cooking is 100% tied to him. Cooking for me isn't fun unless you have someone to share it with.
Perhaps it's sad and somewhat pathetic that I can't find the joy in it on my own. I'm sure feminists the world over are rolling in their graves right now, but I like serving my man. :::Gasp!:::
So to make a long story short, the food blogging urge has hit me again like a mack truck. Not to mention, I have this super cool new camera that takes amaaaaaaaazing pictures, even when the lighting is bad. It's a picture perfect scenario to start blogging about food again, I tell you!
Therefore, I'm going to start featuring a new segment called "What's For Dinner?" {Creative, huh? That's why I'm in marketing....the creativity just oozes out of me.}
I love reading about what people eat. It just fascinates me. I can't really explain it, but it inspires me to read what other people eat for dinner every night. I recently read a book called The Gastronomy of Marriage in which Michelle Maisto writes about what she and her husband ate for dinner during their engagement, and how food affected their relationship. Sounds boring, right? But it's not, at least not to me! I highly recommend the book if you're A) newly married or about to be married or B) if you're a foodie.
But now we're getting off topic. {I ramble too much...SUM IT UP, ASHLEY} I'm starting a new segment in which I will attempt to blog about what we eat each night in our house. The good, the bad and the ugly. Even if it's Easy Mac....or Taco Bell. I can't promise that I will be able to commit to blogging every day, but if I have to skip days I will at least try to mention what we had on the days that I missed. {This may be a very bad idea}
So below is my first official "What's For Dinner?" post. I hope you enjoy it. And please leave a comment to let me know what you think!
What's For Dinner? 1/3/2010
Chicken Cordon Blue w/ Ranch Roasted Potatoes
This was what I like to call an Oh-Crap-Meal where you have nothing planned and no time to grocery shop. So I scrounged around and came up with this meal, which actually turned out really nicely!
No real recipe here, but I'll try to walk you through it: Pound out chicken breasts to thin them out a bit. Spread some Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese on the chicken (I used one wedge per breast). Then place two slices of deli ham on each breast. Roll the chicken up and then secure with toothpicks. Roll the chicken around in Egg Beaters (or a beaten egg or two) and then coat in Panko (or regular) breadcrumbs (I did this shake 'n bake style in a Ziploc bag). Place the coated chicken rolls on a rack placed on top of a baking sheet and then bake at 400 degrees until done (I think mine took about 20-25 minutes).
For the Ranch Roasted Potatoes, cut up some red potatoes into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl. Drizzle some oil over the potatoes (about 1 tablespoon?) and then sprinkle Ranch Dressing Mix (out of a packet) and s&p on them to taste. Toss the potatoes around in the bowl to evenly distribute the flavoring. Spray a baking sheet with Pam and then put the potatoes on it. Spread out in a single layer on the sheet and then bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, flipping them once during cooking.
Voila! That's all it takes for a cheesy, crispy, ranchy dinner. Yum!
I am so glad to know that I am not the only person this happens to during deployment! You forget what eating well is like while they are gone. Looking forward to your food posts starting up again!
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