Surprise Dinner

Cliff has been working really hard and it can be tiring so on Wednesday night I decided to surprise him with a nice dinner (instead of the leftover spinach lasagna as planned)!  I spent plenty of time thinking about what to make and was really excited all day.  On the menu:  Ritz Parmesan Chicken, Cottage-Fried Potatoes, Caesar Salad, and Chocolate-Covered Strawberries.  Yes you can picture my excited face and my little kid squeels.  I got off work late but had time to get the chicken in the oven before Cliff got home.  He walked in just as I was starting to melt my chocolate and said, "What are you doing?"...."Nothing...we are not having any chocolate of any kind!"  Even though he got home before it was done, we both enjoyed a nice dinner

 It was all delicious

 The Cottage-Fried Potatoes were so fast and easy.  You have to try these, they are an amazing side dish.

 Try it all in fact!

 I need to make these more often, they are really easy but they kind of use a lot of chocolate

Ritz Parmesan Chicken

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup flour

1/2 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

1/4 cup parmesan cheese (the powdery kind)

Italian seasoning, garlic salt and pepper

Combine egg and milk in a bowl.  Mix bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and seasonings in a shallow dish. Pour flour on a plate and coat raw chicken breast with the flour.  Dip floured chicken into the egg wash and then into the crumb mixture.  Make sure it is well coated with your crumb mixture and place on a greased baking sheet (I placed a cooling rack on my baking sheet so the bottom of the chicken would get crispy too).  Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes.  While the chicken is baking you can work on some yummy sides!

Cottage-Fried Potatoes

2.5 Tbsp Butter

1 pound red potatoes, washed and thinly sliced

Garlic salt, pepper, and favorite seasonings (we used season-all, pepper blend, Cliff loves the stuff)

1 small onion, chopped

In a large skillet, melt butter.  Layer sliced potatoes in skillet and sprinkle with seasonings.  Cook, covered over medium heat for 8 minutes.  Add onion and cook uncovered for 8-10 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes.  For the last 4 minutes I like to turn up the heat so they get nicely browned. 

*Slightly altered from Better Homes and Gardens

Easy Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

8 fresh strawberries washed (pat dry with a paper towel)

1/2 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 small cube of melting chocolate

In a double boiler melt chocolate.  When it is melted, dip strawberries into chocolate until they are well covered and place on parchment.  Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.  Enjoy!