May 20, 2011

I am not a big fan of red meat. In fact, I basically avoid it if at all possible... with one exception. I have a soft spot in my heart for flank steak. Growing up, mom would marinate a flank steak in Viva Italian salad dressing, dad would grill it, and we'd slice it paper thin against the grain. Put a little salt and pepper on that, and I was in red meat heaven. But, except for that, steak is not in my food vocabulary.

I've had a baked flank steak recipe in my box for a while, and Saturday was the prefect day to try it. The weather was terrible, so grilling out wasn't an option. We made it, and the flavor was really good, but it needs some tweaking on the cooking time. At first it was too rare, so I put it back in the oven, but then we took it out and it was overdone. All in all, the recipe is going to get a second try, but it hasn't yet earned my full endorsement and therefore isn't listed in this week's recipes.

Completely opposite from red meat in general, I am a huge fan of boneless, skinless chicken breast. It is so versatile; you can cook it so many different ways. I swear, I'd be perfectly happy to eat chicken every night. This week I tried a new chicken breast recipe. Sunday night we had Almond Crusted Chicken Cutlets. The chicken was fantastic, but the sauce (a beurre blanc), not so much; it was rich and heavy, and it should have been good! I used the wine I had on hand, and it just didn't quite match. Ryan suggests we give it a go again with a different white next time, and we'll see how that is. I am also inclined to find another sauce to match the chicken - maybe a balsamic reduction? Everyone at the table thought the chicken itself was a keeper, but it needs a pairing, so again, it isn't ready to be listed here. Hopefully soon!!

The big hit this week...chicken Parmesan meatball subs. I know, I know, a few weeks ago we had pizza meatball subs. But, a few nights a week are super busy, so dinners like these are easy to make and eat at different times as practices, late meetings, and class allow. The sauce alone would be worth making again as a quick weeknight pasta sauce! Pair up the sandwiches with a salad and dinner is ready to go...even if you are eating in shifts.

New Recipe
Chicken Parmesan Meatball Subs