Something Borrowed...Something New, Tonights Dinner is All about You

Nope....has absolutely nothing to do with wedding bliss. It's all about food bliss.

I have 2 recipes here and both are from other bloggers that I totally love. One recipe I had never tried before and the other was a repeat for me (yep...it was worth doing it again). And for the record...both recipes are totally worth doing again....and again. They're that yummy.

What did I make? ooooh...lemme tell ya.

Behind door #1 we have this lovely dish from Donna over at Tasty Treasures called Chicken Breasts with Bacon, Rosemary and Lemon. (Ya....she had me at bacon!). It's full of flavor, quick and easy...perfect for those busy weeknights.

Behind door #2 we have a delectable side from Spryte of Sprytes Place known as Zucchini Appetizer. Another great tasting, easy dish thats sure to be a crowd pleaser. Even though it's suppose to be an appetizer...I served it as a side.

We'll start with the main course....

Chicken Breasts with Bacon, Rosemary and Lemon

5 slices of bacon, chopped and fried

2 tablespoons bacon fat

1/4 cup unbleached flour (I seasoned the flour with salt, pepper, paprika and poultry seasoning)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 2 and butterflied them to make 4)

Salt and Pepper

1 tablespoon butter

4 garlic cloves, sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Season your chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour.

Melt butter with the bacon fat in a skillet over high heat. Donna says to wait until the foaming subsides.....I'm pretty sure it did foam, but I don't remember. (blame it on the wine?)

Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the chicken, cook until brown on both sides and done. Remove the chicken and keep warm.

Now....reduce the heat a bit more, down to medium and add the garlic, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Cook until the garlic is browned....this won't take long at all.

Be careful not to burn your garlic. You don't want that bitter flavor.

Stir in your broth and lemon juice and simmer.....scrapping up all those yummy crunchies on the bottom of the pan that create that awesome flavor

Cook till slightly thickened and reduces a little....mmm...about 5 minutes and return the chicken to the pan. Add bacon and simmer until the sauce is thick and glossy....add salt and pepper to taste ...

And Enjoy!! Thank you Donna for posting a wonderful recipe. With as much chicken as we eat in this household, it's soooo nice to have more yummy recipes to choose from for dinner. 

I think the only thing I'd do differently is.....

MORE BACON!!!! LOL (but then again, I'm a bacon hound)

Now for the side dish. The first time I made this, I took it to work for our monthly potluck. It was great. I only got one little piece. So I knew I needed to make it again.

There's a little more behind this recipe that I'd like to share with you. Apparently Karen over at BakeSpace introduced Zucchini Appetizers to some of the BakeSpace crowd at the weekend get together that was held a few months back. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend. I really would've loved to have met all the wonderful people that I share my life with on a daily basis. BakeSpace has become like an extended family...thats how close we all are. If you'd like to see some more of Karen's awesome recipes, you can check out her BakeSapce Kitchen.

Zucchini Appretizers

3 cups sliced or grated zucchini (I've done both. If you grate them, you need to let them drain to remove some of the moisture...I didn't to that and wish I had)

1 cup Bisquick

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 parmesan cheese (or romano or some other similar cheese)

2 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (or just oregano)

1/2 tsp salt

dash of pepper

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 beaten eggs

Preheat your oven to 350'

Grease a 9 x 9 baking dish

Combine all of the ingredients and spread into the greased dish....

Bake for about 40 minutes. The top will get all nice and brownish

Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

I mentioned above that I have made this side with sliced zucchini and then again with the grated zucchini. I should've let the grated zucchini sit in a strainer for a bit to let some of the water drain out. Not that the dish doesn't taste good...its just more moist than fluffy. When I made it with the slices, it came out perfectly. If time is an issue, I highly recommend the slices. 

Thank you Spryte for sharing Karens recipe. It's a keeper for sure!