Pizza Night?

Don't let the picture fool you, Friday is pizza night.  That's when I get a break from slaving over a hot stove and furthermore, the dishes.

However, when your kid loves to help you cook (which really means slow you down but as parents we're compelled to encourage their curiosity anyway) I had to think of something. 

Bunches of fresh broccoli were in the crisper and therefore, the quick answer was soup.  It was an easy solution because it's done in a snap in my beloved dutch oven.

My baby has always participated with food prep in some way or another, but this was the first time he assisted in tearing the broccoli apart and cutting the stems.

I handled the saute portion of course, but then I let him stand on a stool over our stove in order to carefully drop the cruciferous chunks into the simmering pot for me.

I always envisioned doing this with a daughter, but any boy of mine will learn how to cook just the same and not rely on anyone else to eat, unless he wants to.  I like the idea of him hosting for the holidays and not having to pretend we enjoy his wife's cooking because he can opt to create the family feast.  But hey, if she's got skills too then it's a win/win.  It means a banquet for us all.

But I digress, a hot bowl was served within half an hour and it was a nice appetizer before we tore into the large pie with fresh garlic that arrived shortly thereafter.  The cheese was perfectly gooey and no apologies here for the fact that no matter how hearty any soup is, it got pushed to the side once we had our delivery.

Were we really talking about soup?

But seriously, when not competing with a slice, I like a simple broth as much as the cream based.  I'm just a big fan of them all, you too?

The great recipe used this time around is courtesy of Gimme Some Oven (I didn't have any carrots or Dijon and instead of using yellow cheddar, I used the white I already had shredded.  Looking forward to a re-do in the near future according to their instructions.)

TRIED: Buttery Garlic Parmesan Chicken

So, we don’t mince words at home.  This means that when a new recipe is tried, I’m on the edge of my seat.  Sometimes I’m in another room when my family is trying the latest and I never know what they're going to say.   

When it doesn’t go well, there's actually a bit of hesitation at first, then, when confrontation can no longer be avoided, what comes next is any of the following direct statements, I don’t like it, It’s missing something, I think you put too much xyz in it, and finally, maybe it would have tasted better if... and frankly, I respond in the same manner.  That's because I want to know what works and what doesn’t so we can move on.  Everything can be improved upon sooner this way so don't spare your taste buds in order to spare my feelings.  (By the way, I can only speak for me.  Please continue to tell your loved ones whatever they need to hear. It's wise for many.)  Well, this time around since I heard forks clanking against the plate consistently, I stood in silence thinking it had to be a good sign.  Does it mean that everyone is too busy eating something they like to comment either way?  Yes, it did.  

You know, I found this recipe while searching for garlic Parmesan buffalo wings to make in the future because I always devoured them whenever we stopped into a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant.  I was missing that flavor and it's a place I haven't seen again since giving birth!   

Anyway, I decided to try something else meant for thighs and after I found it, I was pleased that boneless is exactly what I had available as per the recipe.  All I could think of after that was, WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!  

One bummer though.  I still don’t have fresh parsley and that's a pity because fresh enhances the flavor.  Some other variations I made was to add a bit of chicken stock (in addition to the water and wine) and double the amount of Parmesan cheese. 

I also went ahead and added a touch of whipping cream because I was in the mood for a heavier sauce to compliment the red skinned potatoes I opted for as my side.  Next time however, I'll leave it "as is" to go over broth-like over my favorite side of all time, white rice.   Okay, so what else?  Oh, I think I began cooking around 4 o’clock in the afternoon and by 5:30 we were taking our first bite.  

We'll be adding this meal into the quick and easy, go-to stash.   

If you love tons of garlic and anything in a buttery sauce, this will not disappoint!

Find the original recipe here.