food - food - food

Some people eat to live, I am telling you, I LIVE TO EAT! i heart food. It's just fact. B leaves for Reno today so I have already been thinking about what I want to eat while he is away. My hubs, bless his heart, is the pickiest eater known to man so my options for food are at times limited to say the least. So I am thinking tomorrow I will have Chinese food with a girlfriend of mine (Bret will not even walk into a Chinese place) and then at some point I will get Luby's to go. I love Luby's. I am aware that I am about 50 years too young to go there and I don't care. Luby's is in my top 5 favorite places to eat. I would eat there everyday if I could. But, for now, it is limited to when my love is on business trips. Probably better for my waist line anyways!

So, I actually cooked dinner the other night all by myself! I was very proud. For those of you who haven't been reading my blog for a while I do.not.cook. I A) really don't enjoy the mess that comes along with it and B) Lean Cuisines suit me just fine and hubs loves his strawberry pop tarts so why shake it up?! But the other night I was feeling crazy so I make Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches for us since I know Bret likes them. (he use to order them at Boston's but they don't have them any more - Don't you hate when restaurants do that!) But yes, super simple so I will share with you.

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees
• Mix Italian Bread Crumbs, pepper and grated Parmesan cheese together and set to the side
• Next, mix EVOO and Garlic (I am lazy and used Garlic Salt) together and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds
• Take your chicken (breasts, cutlets, strips, whatever) and drip in the oil then dredge in the bread crumbs.
• Place your baking sheet in the oven for 5 minutes to warm
• Once the baking sheet is warm, coat with Pam then place the chicken on the pan
• Coat the chicken with Pam
• Bake until done (the chicken breasts took about 30 minutes due to size)
• From there have the bread that you choose (I used Kaiser Rolls).
• Place chicken on the bread, spread marinara sauce on top of the chicken, sprinkle with Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese and then you are good to go! (I put my sandwich in the microwave for 10 seconds to warm it all together)

Ta da! I cooked :) lol if that's what you want to call it - It wasn't hard but Bret liked it, I liked it and therefore SUCCESS!

Now for a real recipe from good ole Jillian. This one actually sounds pretty yummy to me!

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Vegetables
Ingredients
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 large red bell peppers, diced
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound raw shrimp (26–30 shrimp per pound), peeled and deveined
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Preparation
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add bell peppers, asparagus, lemon zest, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are just beginning to soften, about 6 minutes.

Transfer the vegetables to a bowl; cover to keep warm.

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add shrimp and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Whisk broth and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth, and add to the skillet along with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, about 2 minutes more.

Remove from the heat.

Stir in lemon juice and parsley.

Serve the shrimp and sauce over the vegetables.

Well, Bret officially leaves for Reno today where he will be until Friday and then I fly out to Vegas and he will be meeting me there to celebrate my birthday! Yippee! I am getting more and more excited! I was nervous at first but I have some pretty good directions/instructions now so I believe I am good to go. Las Vegas, HERE I COME!... well, on Friday that is. My camera is charging, I will start packing tonight, I have my maps printed out and I am ready! sweet.

Hope you all have a great Wednesday!