Do you cook regularly on Sundays for lunch? Or does your family typically go out to eat? For years, I’ve told myself – and my family – that it’s too hard to cook on Sundays. That we have to eat out if we don’t want to starve. But now I’m starting to wonder what all the fuss was about.
I’ve come to an important realization. It’s amazing. It’s life-changing.
We have not starved, in that hour (ok, hour to hour 1/2) window between leaving church and getting food on the table.
We haven’t wasted away to nothing. We come home, I start cooking (changing first into something more comfy if I need to) and the guys put their Bibles away, get changed and pick up a little. Ok, who am I kidding, they get changed, and hang out on their electronics (pick one).
I tried a new recipe (this past summer) with chicken. Chicken Parmesan. And it was yummy! I pounded chicken breasts to a 1/2 inch or so, rolled them in panko (I was out of regular breadcrumbs) and italian seasoning, added some amazing leftover homemade spaghetti sauce I made at the beginning of the week and a side of corn and bam! Chicken Parmesan and a yummy Sunday dinner at your service.
Here’s the recipe I followed with my changes in ( ). Enjoy!
WORLD’S GREATEST PASTA SAUCE
First, I have to share with you this “amazing” sauce I mentioned. After I made this the first time, and saw how much my family loved it, I promised myself I would never go back to the jar stuff. And so far I haven’t! Make a big batch and freeze some of it to have for later! Super easy!
| World’s Best Pasta Sauce |
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- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, sliced
- ¾ pound lean ground beef
- ½ cup minced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
- 2 (6.5 ounce) cans tomato sauce
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1½ teaspoons dried basil
- ½ teaspoon fennel seed
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the sausage, beef, onion, and garlic until well browned; drain fat. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Mix in sugar and season with basil, fennel seed, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 1½ hours, stirring occasionally.
Now for the Chicken…
| Sunday Dinner: Chicken Parmesan |
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- 4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to ½ inch thickness
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 slices mozzarella cheese (shredded works too)
- World’s Best Pasta Sauce
- Parmesan cheese
- Whisk together the egg and milk. Dip the chicken breasts in milk and egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in the hot oil on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set chicken in a baking dish.
- Slice 8 pieces of mozzarella cheese and put two on each chicken breast. Use a jar of spaghetti sauce or your favorite homemade recipe. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a little more mozzarella and bake at 350° for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve with spaghetti, garlic bread and a nice green salad.
