This post is inspired by one of my favorite restaurant chain
meals of all time…LongHorn’s Parmesan Crusted Chicken. That’s right folks my go
to meal at a steak house is chicken, but it’s literally so good! This marinated
chicken is topped with a cheesy panko bread crumb mixture that is pure heaven.
I like to marinate the chicken overnight, but you could probably get away with marinating it for just an hour or two. This is a perfect dish for a quiet date night at home or for family dinner. I like to serve this paired with creamy mashed potatoes and a veggie.
Combine all marinade ingredients into a gallon Ziplock bag, seal and shake to combine. Add chicken cutlets into marinade, seal bag and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to a low broil.
Sear the chicken breast cutlets over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side and place onto a greased baking sheet.
Mix together ranch ¼ cup of ranch dressing and 1/4 cup of shaved Parmesan.
In a separate microwave safe bowl, melt 4 tbsp of butter. After melted, add in the panko breadcrumbs and the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese.
Top each chicken cutlet with 1 slice of provolone.
Then spread a spoon full of the ranch and Parmesan mixture over each chicken cutlet.
Lastly sprinkle each chicken cutlet with the panko breadcrumbs.
Place the chicken into the oven on a low broil until cheese melts and the panko breadcrumbs are golden brown. Remove and cut into one of the chicken cutlets to ensure it’s cooked all the way. Enjoy all the cheesy chicken goodness!
I just got home not too long ago from Walt Disney World! My
best friend Sarah and I spent a long weekend over the Martin Luther King
holiday, exploring the parks and eating so much good food! For those of you who
may not know, I’m a huge Disney fan. I participated in the Disney College
Program in 2012 at Walt Disney World, I got engaged in the Magic Kingdom in
front of Cinderella’s castle and I’ve traveled to Disney World nearly every
year since I was born. This girl was born and raised on Disney and it continues
to be a huge part of my life. Needless to say, I’m always excited when I get to
go back and visit the mouse.
Meeting our crush Gaston.
Sarah and I had a wonderful trip! We hit all four parks, got
to explore Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the first time, which
by the way is AMAZING! We hit all of the rides and of course we indulged in
some good eats. Not all food at Walt Disney World is created equal. And what I
mean by that is when I travel there, it’s been hit or miss when it comes to
food. When I visit Disney there is usually a handful of meals that are great
and others not so much. However, everything we ate on this trip was fabulous!
For this blog post, I decided to do my own version of “The Best Thing I Ever
Ate” inspired by the well-known TV show and share some of my favorite meals
from my trip. Again, not all food at Disney is created equal, so I am picking
my two favorite meals, one at the quick service level and one at the table service
level.
Let’s start with quick service. For those who may be
unfamiliar with some of this wonky Disney terminology, quick service is just a
fancy way of saying “Fast Food.” Some of us Disney peeps use quick service and counter
service interchangeably. All that you need to know is in most quick service
restaurants you don’t need a reservation, it’s reasonably priced and you order
your food at a cashier and pick it up at a counter.
The best quick service meal that I ate on this trip was the Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Pulled Pork at Flame Tree Barbecue at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I’ve been a huge fan of Flame Tree BBQ for years. For one, it’s very reasonably priced for the amount of food you get. Also, its real food meaning you can order something other than chicken nuggets and fries. I’ve eaten here many times over the last couple years and this is the first time I’ve noticed the Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Pulled Pork on the menu, so I decided to give it a try. And oh my goodness I am so glad that I did because it was literally incredible.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese from Flame Tree BBQ at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
I’ve had various macaroni and cheeses at quick service restaurants at Disney and historically they are more of a creamy, soupy texture similar to Stouffer’s frozen mac and cheese. Because this mac and cheese had a bit of a crust, I immediately knew it was baked as well as homemade. I really appreciated that it wasn’t overly cheesy because it let the amazing flavors of the pulled pork shine through. The pulled pork was super tender and flavorful. Lastly, two crispy onion rings were plopped right on top of the pulled pork and mac and cheese, which added some depth and texture to the dish. This dish also comes with coleslaw on top. I don’t like coleslaw, so I opted to omit that from my meal. Instead, I drizzled some BBQ sauce right on top and it was perfection. The best part about this meal? It was only $11.99! This meal was very delicious, very filling and so inexpensive. I will definitely be ordering this again on my next visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Onto my favorite table service meal. Table service essentially means a more formal sit-down restaurant. For the first time ever I dined at the Flying Fish, which is a fine/signature dining restaurant located on Disney’s BoardWalk. This restaurant is known for contemporary American cuisine and I would classify as a bit more upscale than other table service restaurants, which is why this falls into the fine/signature dining category.
My friend Alex and I snap a photo in front of Disney’s BoardWalk Resort after our dinner at the Flying Fish.
My friend Alex and I dined at the Flying Fish on the night I arrived. Alex and I originally met on our Disney College Program in 2012, so it was so fun to catch up with her over dinner. I had very high expectations for this dinner since she is a server at Disney and it’s one of her favorite restaurants. She recommended that I try the Wagyu Filet Mignon, which is what she ordered, and I followed suit. The Wagyu Filet Mignon is priced at $57.00, which is very pricey. However, I can report that this steak was worth every single penny.
Wagyu Filet Mignon at the Flying Fish located on Disney’s BoardWalk.
I am not exaggerating when I say this is literally the best steak I’ve ever eaten. Quite frankly, I think this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life. The steak was seasoned perfectly, had an amazing crust on the outside and yet the inside was incredibly tender. The steak literally melted in my mouth, which Alex attributed to it being cooked on a wood-fire grill. The steak was served over a creamy mushroom risotto, which was very rich and filling. It was also drizzled with a truffle and red wine demi glaze that was to die for. I’m literally drooling just talking about this steak. This meal was incredibly expensive, however if you are willing to splurge on a fancy meal for a special occasion, I would highly recommend the Flying Fish. The service was amazing and in my opinion the food was worth every dollar spent. I’m most definitely going to take my husband to this restaurant when we return to Disney. So that wraps up “The Best Thing I Ever Ate: 2018 Disney Edition.” Gosh, I’m literally still drooling thinking about that steak…until next time.
I don’t know about you, but I’m so ready for spring. We had some nasty snow and ice over the weekend, which made me super anxious for warm weather and sunshine. Although, I really should not complain. My youngest brother attends college in Dekalb, Illinois and has practically been ice skating across campus to his classes. Winters are brutal in Illinois compared to Maryland. I guess I will just have to embrace this cold weather for the next couple of weeks and hunker down at home with some warm comfort foods.
One of my favorite recipes for a cold winter day is pot roast. I love pot roast because it’s such a simple dish, but is so hearty and filling. There are so many variations of pot roast, but this recipe is my all-time favorite. I cook my pot roast in the slow cooker, which makes it a perfect weekday recipe. Many slow cooker roast recipes require that you brown the roast in a skillet prior to slow cooking, but I omit this step and just dump all of my ingredients directly in the slow cooker. Less dishes, less mess and less stress. This pot roast is cooked in a thick, savory gravy that pairs perfectly with mashed potatoes. If you don’t feel like making mashed potatoes, you can just cut up potatoes and throw them right in the slow cooker along with your roast. Easy peasy!
In a bowl, mix together 1 cup of beef stock, 1 cup of water, 1 ranch dressing dry seasoning packet, 1 Italian dressing dry seasoning packet and 1 brown gravy dry seasoning packet.
Place 2 cups of baby carrots and the sliced onions in the bottom of the slow cooker. Feel free to add any other vegetables, such as potatoes or celery. Place the roast on top of the veggies and then pour the liquid mixture over top of the roast. Sprinkle the roast with salt and pepper to taste, and place one bay leaf into the liquid mixture. Cover and cook the roast for 8 hours on low.
Remove the bay leaf and set the roast aside on a plate. Mix 1 tsp of corn starch with 2 table spoons of cold water in a small bowl. Stir the corn starch and water mixture directly into the slow cooker, mixing with the broth and veggies. This will help to thicken the gravy. Add the roast back to the slow cooker and cook on high for 30 minutes to 1 hour until the gravy has thickened.
Slice the roast and serve over mashed potatoes or with a nice piece of crusty bread.
I have a really busy week ahead of me. Between work and prepping for finals, this week is sure to be a doozy. Lucky for me, I have these delicious Low-carb Italian Zucchini Boats prepped and sitting in the fridge, so I can just easily pop them in the microwave to reheat.
I have to admit; historically I have never liked zucchini. Over the past year, when I was on my hard-core low-carb diet, I started experimenting with zucchini and it grew on me. Zucchini has several nutritional benefits. Not only is it low in carbs, but also it’s packed with antioxidants, vitamins and is great for your heart and digestive health.
This is probably one of my favorite zucchini recipes because it has all the same great flavors of lasagna, minus the pasta. It’s a healthier alternative that is sure to please your taste buds. These zucchinis are stuffed with ricotta cheese, Italian sausage, and marinara sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese and drizzled with alfredo sauce. This recipe can also be easily converted into a vegetarian dish by simply omitting the sausage. I recommend trying this recipe on a weekend. It’s very easy to prepare, but does involve multiple steps, so it does take a little bit of time.
Spray a 9x13-baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Rinse and pat dry 4 zucchinis. Cut off the ends of the zucchinis and then slice them down the center lengthwise. Slightly score the inside of the zucchinis and then scoop out the centers using a spoon. Lay the zucchinis in the baking dish, skin side down so that the scooped area is exposed. Lightly sprinkle with salt and bake for 15 minutes in a 400 degree F oven.
While the zucchinis are baking, prepare the meat sauce. First, chop 1 sweet yellow onion. Drizzle a skillet with 1 tsp of olive oil and brown 1 lb of Italian sausage with the onion on medium-high heat. Once sausage is browned and completely cooked, add 1 tsp of Italian seasoning, ½ tsp of oregano, a dash of crushed red pepper and 1 clove of minced garlic. Let the garlic sweat. Lastly, mix in one 24 oz jar of marinara sauce into the sausage and spice mixture.
After baking for 15 minutes, remove the zucchinis from the oven. Stuff the zucchinis with ricotta cheese and then pour the meat sauce over top of the zucchinis. Sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and then drizzle the zucchinis with half a jar, approximately 8 oz of alfredo sauce. Return the zucchinis to a 400 degree F oven and bake for 20 minutes uncovered. Remove and let cool before serving.
I recently volunteered at The Hackerman-Patz Patient and Family Pavilion at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, which provides temporary and short-term housing for cancer patients and their caregivers. A couple times a year, my work colleagues and I, prepare and serve food to those who are residing at the pavilion. It’s always such a rewarding experience to meet the patients and caregivers.
When I think about comfort food, the first dish that comes to mind is chicken pot pie. I’ve always loved chicken pot pie. Each year on my birthday, my mom always let me pick what I wanted for dinner and I always requested chicken pot pie. Now that it’s getting colder here in Maryland, I thought this would be the perfect dish to serve at The Hackerman-Patz Patient and Family Pavilion.
I adapted this recipe from my mom’s version, but I’ve since evolved the recipe to make it my own. Everything about this pot pie is perfect. Hot creamy filling with shreds of chicken and crisp veggies, which are all nestled under a flaky golden pie crust. Can you say YUM?! It’s delicious. The patients and their caregivers thought so to. In fact, this chicken pot pie was the first dish to be completely eaten at the event. Want to know the best thing about this recipe? It’s so easy! Ready to give it a try? You surely won’t be disappointed!
