Spicy Honey Mustard Chicken Fingers

This recipe is a true "Carley's Creation". I used the foodnetwork magazine Chicken Fingers with Curried Ketchup recipe as a starter, but I ended up changing pretty much the whole thing. I used Emeril's Creole Seasoning that I had left over from the Alfredo Lasagna.

Spicy Honey Mustard Chicken Fingers

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoon honey mustard
• 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
• 2 tablespoons of Emeril's Creole Seasoning (See recipe below)
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-wide strips ( used kitchen sheers) 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Set a rack on a baking sheet and mist with cooking spray. Whisk the eggs, and mustard in a shallow bowl. Mix the panko with the Creole Seasoning in another bowl.

Dip the chicken strips in the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off, then coat with the panko. Place the chicken on the rack and mist all over with cooking spray. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Serve with ketchup or on top of a salad. Yum!

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William Morrow, 1993.

Turkey Meatballs

Since I had the day off today I spend most of it in the kitchen of course. One thing I made was the Turkey Meatball recipe from the foodnetwork magazine. They turned out really great. Next time I will swap out the two cups of water for two cups of low sodium chicken broth to add a little more flavor. Here is the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/spaghetti-and-turkey-meatballs-recipe/index.html

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Last night Craig and I celebrated Valentine's Day one day early since he had to work late today. We went  to dinner at Madeo in West Hollywood. It was the best Italian food EVER! We started with the Caprese Salad--OMG, the mozzerella was so fresh and soft! We had never had anything like that before. Craig ordered the Ossobuco (veal shanks) and I had the Penne Madeo (tomato-basil & parmigiano). We finished our meal with a light and flaky Napoleon. It was perfect :-) So for the real Valentine's day, I had off of work so I decided I would make Craig the Red Velevet Swirl Brownies I had mentioned in an earlier post. My friend Jessie who was my sorority sister in college recently asked if I had made the recipe yet, but I hadn't. And with them being red and all, it is a perfect V-day treat. Craig won't be expecting anything today, so it will be a suprise. Hope he likes them! Here is the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/red-velvet-swirl-brownies-recipe/index.html

Super Bowl Spread

We had a small get-together at our place for the Super Bowl. I made S'mores Brownies and Craig made an Italian Hoagie. I found the brownie recipe online and followed it exactly. It came out amazing! It was a real crowd-pleaser. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/smore-brownies-recipe/index.html

For the hoagie, we used a loaf of Italian bread, black forest ham, Genoa salami, provolone cheese, shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, oil, red wine vinegar, and a few shakes of dried oregano.

Chicken Parmesan

In attempts to eat a little healthier, but still have tasty Italian food, I made this light version of Chicken Parmesan. I used a recipe from Food Network Magazine for Chicken Parmesan Rollatini:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chicken-parmesan-rollatini-recipe/index.html However, my version was not "Rollatini" because I was out of toothpicks. I also swapped whole wheat spaghetti for the polenta. It turned out really great for a weeknight meal. The chicken was flavorful and crispy and the tomato sauce was much easier to make than expected. I always feel intimidated by making my own tomato sauce. I think it is because I grew up on Ragu out of a jar as a kid. I didn't know the difference back then (sorry mom!). I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone wanting the flavor of Chicken Parm without all of the heavy sauce and loads of cheese.