My comforter in college could have served as a Rorschach Test.
Freshman year, I spilled a Spaghetti Lean Cuisine all over it, leaving a pinkish red stain in the middle.
Sophomore year, the year Old Man and I were drunk about 96.3% of the time, we managed to smear chocolate sauce (we were making peppermint patty shots-don’t judge!) and Chef Boyardee Ravioli all over the bottom half.
When I was a junior, I had a boy…well, he was a man at the age of 27…come over and we ate dinner on my bed. That’s when I dumped a bowl of artichoke ravioli with tomato sauce all over the end of the comforter.
Senior year? Dancing. Margaritas. Chips and Salsa. ‘Nuff said.
When I threw that comforter out at the end of those four years, I saw the remnants of way too much fun permanently stained in to the fabric. Also, I realized that I have a real hankering for carbs and quite possibly a raging case of the “dropsies”. (It is a real condition; wiki it.)
Oh, carbs, how I love you. I want to hold your hand…in public. I want to give you a backrub. I want to take long, hot showers with you until my fingers turn pruney and I have scalded every last scrap of skin off my back. I want to confess my deepest, darkest sins and fears to you and have you tell me “It’s ok, Lemmy. I still accept you.”
Carbs are comfort. Carbs are life. Carbs are a beacon of light in this mad, crazy world. I cannot live in a world lacking in their soft touch.
Luckily, I don’t have to cast them asunder. Of course, one cannot stay svelte eating huge bowls of pasta doused in parmesan and oil…but whole wheat pasta? Bring it on. Dr. Atkins can shove it. Growing up, I ate pasta at least twice a week and it is just something I am not willing to forgo. I came up with this chicken parmesan recipe as an excuse to eat a little bit of pasta, but it quickly turned in to the star.
Who wants some spaghetti when you can eat chicken covered in sauce and cheese? The panko breading is essential here. It is much crunchier than normal bread crumbs and holds up well to the the pan frying. Also, the parmesan mixed with the panko serves a dual purpose: it helps the chicken stay crispy, hence replicating a fried texture, and it permeates every single bite with cheese. I used chicken tenders for this recipe; they were on sale and cook a bit faster. This is one of my favorite, homey recipes. It is pure comfort food and not bad for you at all thanks to the egg beaters, whole wheat flour and low-fat cheese. It tastes so good it almost made me forget about the pasta. I could stare in to it’s eyes forever.
Just don’t drop it on the way to your bed…
Chicken Parmesan
Non stick spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 chicken breasts or 8 chicken tenders, pounded to 1/2″ thickness
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup egg beaters
2 teaspoons dry basil
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
1 cup tomato sauce, jarred or fresh
1/2 c low fat mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 425. Spray an oven proof dish with cooking spray.
Create breading station. These dishes should contain:
* Dish 1: flour, pinch salt, a few grinds of pepper
* Dish 2: egg beater, a few grinds of pepper
* Dish 3: panko, parmesan, dried basil
Heat a frying pan and add spray and 1 tablespoon oil. Dip each piece of chicken in your breading station (Dish one, then two, then three, obviously). Fry each piece of chicken for about 2 minutes on each side in hot pan and place in baking pan when done.
When all pieces are done, cover each with sauce and the mozzarella cheese. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes. Serve with whole wheat pasta.
Say one thing about tomato sauce, it stains something wicked. One of the toughest stains to remove.
Tomato sauce has almost super staining powers. Kiss something goodbye once you drop marinara on it.
This is teh awesome. Can’t wait to make it. Or maybe you should make it FOR me. Just sayin. I’ll put out.
As long as you put out…I don’t work for free.
ahhhh college comforters. Mine was hunter green, which hid most of the food stains
It was always a sad occasion when I had to purchase a new comforter…. I’m particularly attached to my current one 
I’m glad you love Carby too. Carby loves all of us as well… Carby is a lover, not a fighter. Carby is also that friend that overstays his/her welcome. Carby loves us so much that it just never wants to leave us and hunkers down and builds a nice home in [insert body part] - and then invites its family over for a nice long stay
I just kept the same one all through college since I knew I would keep on staining whatever new one I got.
Carby really loves my ass.
I definitely was noticing a pasta theme going on here. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
I had a dark blue/light blue reversible comforter in college. Bad stain*? Turn it over.
* = Food stains only. Um… other stains… showed up on either blue color.
My posts always have a theme. Welcome, i66!
Oh, wow. Looks delish. I want you to make it for me, too. Threesome?
We do need to have some sort of dinner party sometime soon. Orgy, even.
I mean in terms of what you were spilling, clutz!
Ah, ok. I am klutzy, no doubt.
Fab. I’ll bring the vodka and Crystal Light pink lemonade!
You know what I like about that plan? How elegant it is…
Y’all know how much I love artificial sweeteners, so I’ll bring bourbon and sweet tea instead. Hm, parmesan orgy…
We may have to do 7 miles on the elipitical after eating so much.
Pillow fighting burns a load of calories. We’ll be a-ok.
Always using the noodle, K.
Yum! Glad this turned out so well. I love it when a plan comes together…
Allah knows I am foiled a lot. Sometimes, there are victories!
I usually make my chicken, tomatoes, and cheese without breading. Am I totally blowing it?
If it is what you like, stay with it. I really do thinking the breading adds some great flavor and a good textural contrast, though.
I promptly printed this out so I can make this one night next week. I love the addition of the panko, I can’t wait to try it.
As for the pasta goodness - the measuring cup is my friend. A cup of (most) pasta is about 200 calories or 4 points for the Weight Watcher bunnies and satisfies the pasta craving. For me it does anyway, although I would much prefer to be heaped over a mound of angel hair. And rich Italian cheese.
What was I saying?
Yes, I definitely have come to learn to love my measuring cup when it comes to pasta and rice. Also, shocking to think how much I used to eat.
My mom substitutes pasta with spaghetti squash. Now, I wouldn’t know what a spaghetti squash looks like when you buy it, but somehow that squash lives up to its name. It’s actually kind of creepy. But delicious.
It is bizarre…I am planning on making some soon. Maybe I will take a pictue of one before cutting it up so you know what it looks like…
We named my sophomore year carpet “Schnappsie” because we spilled a massive flood of Peach Schapps on one corner, causing a large crusty patch.
Oh dear…peach schnapps…it really belongs more in a carpet than in your body.
i love peppermint patty shots…no judgement here. it’s just weird because i don’t like the candy one bit.
Ever have a Butterworth and Beam shot? Also, quite low class and delicious.
Damn you woman and your delicious chicken recipes I can’t eat.
On the other hand, the female bloggers talk of cheap booze and pillow fights. I’ll call it even.
I am sorry, BH. I am sure the thoughts of us jumping around while feathers fly will make it all better.
I’d rather have a spoonful of peanut butter than a forkful of linguine That’s just me
However, I am quite obsessed with bread crusts. Maybe we could meet up sometime and you could have the insides?
Also, unrelated side note, watching the office and steve carrell is wearing a fluorescent hawaaiin shirt. classic.
Ha, yes. Sounds like a perfect girl date. And I don’t think I could ever love a man who wore a fluorescent hawaiian shirt, even thought I find Mr. Carrell oddly attractive.
mY FAVOURTIE MEAL OF ALL TIME
I love your Canadian spelling of favourite.
Starting in high school and all through college, I slept on a couch. Every night. Had to build a loft bed just so people wouldn’t think my roommate and I slept together. Too rickety to actually ever use, though. When I moved out, I just put the couch out on the side porch and left it.
As of two years ago, it was still there. New stains, too.
There was a recliner that I LOVED to fall asleep in when I was in high school. I could never make it to the end of Law and Order in that thing…NO stains though.