Italian Cooking

What a gorgeous weekend we had! We took Giana for a walk in her jogger stroller. I can't believe she fits in it already. Time is flying by...I am excited for the day when Giana is old enough to cook with mommy in the kitchen. I grew up on Italian cooking.My mom (and dad) love to cook.  My mom is English but learned how to cook Italian-she is amazing! My dad is an awesome cook too. My father was a cook in his late teens and early twenties. I never showed a huge interest in cooking when I was younger. I did love to bake though. (probably because I love to eat cookie dough-ha!) When Jared and I were dating long distance, he would visit roughly every 6-10 weeks. When he visited, he loved eating my mom's cooking. She would make him sausage and peppers, chicken and artichoke, pasta with her yummy pasta sauce...He was in heaven! (especially because he was living on hot dogs and ramen noodles-nasty!) When we got married, I wanted to learn to cook like my mom and dad. When I was just learning to cook, I called home a lot for help-still do! Many women can relate to those first few months of marriage. We are trying to figure out how to manage a house, cook, work....it's a lot! I first learned how to make my family's marinara sauce. Check it out:

 Pannullo Marinara Sauce

2 tbs Olive Oil

1/2 cup sweet onion

4/5 garlic cloves

1 tsp basil and parsley

1 teaspoon salt and black pepper

2 28 oz cans of Pastene tomatoes

Directions:

 Saute olive oil, garlic, and onions until onions/garlic are tender

Add the 2 cans of Pastene tomatoes (my mom brings the pastene tomatoes in cases to me-I can't find them in MI-they have the best flavor for the sauce!)

 Add salt, pepper, basil, and parsley and bring sauce to a boil. When the sauce is at a boil, reduce and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add the sauce to pasta or Chicken Parmesan, etc.

Here is what I added the sauce to this week:

Chicken Parmesan (healthy version)

6 piece of boneless chicken (tenderloin, breast)

2 eggs

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 tsp salt, pepper, Italian seasoning

2 cups Marinara Sauce

1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese

 I used boneless chicken tenderloin (you can use chicken breast too); I placed chicken (separately) in egg and then in the Panko bread crumbs mixed with the salt, pepper, and It. seasoning. A couple months ago, my dad told me to use Panko bread crumbs- they are the best. I totally agree! I placed the breaded chicken in an oven friendly dish. I poured sauce over the chicken and baked them at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Lastly, I added the cheese for an additional 5 minutes.

It was yummy! 

Here are some pics from our gorgeous weekend!

Have a wonderful week! -AM