Cooking Recipes for the Soccer Mom!

Double-duty cooking is the answer! Cooking recipes are twice as easy.

Some of my favorite double-duty ideas:

Boneless chicken breasts or cutlets, breaded and fried or oven-baked can be great on their own or doctored to be something with a little more pizazz. You can make several servings of these, use some and save the rest for another night in the week or freeze the remainder for another time.

Basic Recipe:

Chicken breasts, thin or thick (your preference)Bread crumbs (seasoned, unseasoned, Panko- season to your liking)Egg(s) (optional)Milk (whatever you use, fat-free, reduced fat or whole)

Fill a flat, shallow bowl with the appropriate amount of milk and the egg(s); mix together until well blended (a fork does just as well as a whisk). Pour the appropriate amount of bread crumbs on a large, flat plate or square or rectangular baking pan.

Slice or pound the chicken breasts with a rolling pin or mallet (remember to cover the chicken with plastice wrap or wax paper when using this method) to your prefered thickness. Preheat a large frying pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or a few tablespoons of your prefered oil (I prefer Canola or Extra Virgin Olive Oil) on medium to medium-high heat. Working with one piece at a time, dip each piece of chicken into the liquid mixture to coat.

Lift the piece and let excess mixture drip off into the bowl. Next, place the chicken into the bread crumb mixture and cover with bread crumbs completely. Place in the pre-heated frying pan- you should be able to fit three or four pieces comfortably. Cook a few minutes- you should notice the meat turning white up the sides. At that point, flip the chicken and cook until no longer pink inside and the juices run clear.

If you are making a large amount, be sure to add some more oil as needed. If you plan to freeze some portions, be sure to wrap between pieces of wax paper and store in heavy duty freezer bags. However, first chill them in your refrigerator prior to freezing- this seems to help avoid freezer burn to some degree.

-If served as is, breaded chicken cutlets are great with stuffing (whether it's Stove Top or homemade- my personal preference), buttered noodles or mashed potatoes, green beans and/or a green salad. -You could also serve them on a hearty roll and top with your favorite things- cheese, bacon, ranch dressing, lettuce, tomato, onion,...you get the idea. Serve with french fries, potato salad, pasta salad- whatever you like. It's better than the deep-fried, fast-food version.

-Chicken parmesan- Top the cooked chicken cutlets with your favorite tomato sauce and some mozarrella or provolone cheese, then bake in the oven until the cheese melts. Serve with a side of pasta, crusty Italian or French bread and a salad.

-Spicy chicken (sandwiches or tenders)- After cooking the chicken, add some buffalo wing sauce (like Frank's Red Hot Sauce) to the pan, coat the chicken and simmer about ten minutes. Serve on buttermilk biscuits, Kaiser or hamburger rolls with ranch or blue cheese dressing and lettuce, tomato, maybe even a slice of your favorite cheese. You can also make this without breading the chicken- just "marinate" the chicken with the hot sauce prior to cooking (best if at least thirty minutes). Or, you can make boneless buffalo chicken tenders by cutting the boneless chicken into smaller portions or using chicken tenders.

-Lazy version of chicken cordon bleu- Top the cooked chicken with a thin slice of deli ham and a slice of Swiss or provolone cheese, then bake in the oven until the cheese melts. A favorite side with this is rice pilaf.

Keep checking back for more ideas!