Two down....seventy-nine to go!

As promised, I started cooking on Saturday. I was pleased with the recipes that I chose because one was a recipe I've made a few times and already know is delicious, and the other was a new one.

Recipe #1: Shannon's Almond Chicken

Shannon is my oldest child. She is smart, funny and a fantastic cook! Shannon knows a bit about nutrition and fitness so much of what she makes is delicious and good for you. In addition to being a great cook, she is also a good baker and is just now getting her feet wet in a new business she calls "Confection Reflections."(You can check it out on facebook.) She has made several adorable and yummy cakes which are decidely not good for you! (Well, they're good for your soul!) I'm not sure where she got this recipe. It may have been from a low-carb cookbook. Prepare to be amazed......

Almond Chicken

1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (NOT available at the Deptford Wal-Mart. I used plain.)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped almonds

2 T. chopped parsley

1 tsp. garlic

1 tsp. salt

pinch of ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2" thickness and cut into twelve pieces (I did not pound the chicken because I was too lazy!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all but oil and chicken in a large dish or bowl. Place oil ina shallow dish. Dip chicken in oil and then breadcrumb mixture. Place in shallow baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes.

Recipe #2 Joanne's Applesauce Casserole

Joanne is a dear friend from our church. She is a wonderful woman of God and someone I aspire to be like. Joanne is a great cook and a BIG cook: Meaning she is often cooking for very large numbers of people! Make sure you read through her recipes - they are often casseroles meant for 12 or more, which is great for leftovers! This recipe fed 5 of us nicely with a bit left over. (She also narrates her recipes, which I think is great fun!)

Applesauce Casserole

This recipe tastes like something warm and wonderful from Pennsylvania Dutch Country! It is incredibly easy because you can mix all the ingredients together in the glass oven dish you are going to bake it in! Use any casserole type dish smaller than a 9X13".

3 cups applesauce

1/2 cup sugar

2 T flour

2 eggs beaten

dash cinnamon

Topping: cube 5 slices of bread and toss with a melted 1/2 cup butter. Put these on top of the applesauce casserole and bake for 30 min. at 350 degrees. Tastes great warm or cold.

I was happy to share both of these recipes with Tara, who was visiting for the weekend and our friends Kristy and Jason, who just had a new baby. The verdict: YUM! to both recipes. I forgot to put the cinnamon in the applesauce (duh!) and Tara and I agreed that we would have liked the bread a little toastier, maybe in the oven a few minutes more. Sterling doesn't like "crunchy" bread and thought it was perfect.

So, I'm pretty happy with my first attempts and am hoping to make Lisa Letterman's Banana Bread later today. I AM wondering how on earth the girl in 'Julie & Julia' cooked her way through over 500 recipes in one year! I just cannot cook every single day. Yesterday we had church immediately followed by Crab Day and I didn't get home until 8:30pm. I guess I could have done something then, but there were episodes of 'Psych' on the DVR to be watched and cross-stitching to be done. . . . .