The Mister is a decorated veteran - true - and every November 10th, he likes to celebrate the Marine Corp birthday - which is the day before Veteran's Day. I usually try to humor him and concoct something that will aid in his "walk down memory lane," which he is more prone to do these days because of what's happening in Iraq. As a Marine he was "forced" to eat brussel sprouts ad nauseum....and so he has forbidden me from making them. This past Veteran's Day, and Marine Corp birthday, I was out of town and so I was not here to make the mister something special like Shish-ka-Bob-on-a-Shingle, or Grits and Grunts (Marines are called Grunts - go figure) -or just something to remind him of his glory days....oh, and I also missed HIS birthday - flat out forgot - so I wanted to make him a special "combined" dinner....I recently saw Tyler Florence making Brussel Sprouts in a new way - and they actually sounded good! So I decided that it was time my old Marine (once a Marine, always a Marine) got over his loathing of Brussel Sprouts and I took Tyler's advice and fried some up...
Brussel Sprouts inspired by Tyler Florence
(I didn't get his recipe so I had to wing it and it worked!)
Put a little butter in a saute pan with one clove of garlic, slightly smashed and 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire Sauce. To the pan add 8 Brussel Sprouts that have been washed, old leaves removed and cut in half. Put them cut side down and saute until brown and carmelized. Turn over and cook the other side. Salt and pepper to taste.
The mister liked them...he really liked them!
Of course, an old Marine cannot feast on Brussel Sprouts alone .... So I whipped up a batch of Lemon Chicken - which I could eat morning, noon and night.
Pounding chicken flat is a great way to relieve stress...unless you hit your thumb with the mallet.
Lemon zest....smells so good....and yes, it's the same picture I used in my last post...what of it?!?
The chicken is dipped in a lemon and butter mixture and then dusted in flour and spices - and because it's pounded to about 1/2 inch thick it cooks up quickly. This is a great meal to fix when you're short on time - it can be prepped, cooked and on the table in less than 30 minutes - giving Rachel Ray a run for her money! Yum-O!
Lemon Chicken
1 large egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika
4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves
1/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons chicken flavored granules
1/2 cup hot water
1 Tablespoon capers
Combine egg and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a small bowl; beat well with a whisk. Combine flour, garlic powder, and paprika in a small bowl; stir well. Put chicken breasts between two sheets of waxed paper. Pound until the chicken is flattened and even in thickness, so it cooks evenly. Dip chicken in egg mixture; dredge in flour mixture. Brown chicken in melted butter in a large skillet over medium high heat 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Dissolve bouillon in hot water. Add bouillon mixture and 2 tablespoons lemon juice to chicken. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is done. Garnish with capers.