Instant Gratification...Delayed

Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.

-Brian Adams, Author

If there's one thing I don't like to do, it's wait. And how I love to cook! The two don't go hand in hand and one thing I've learned about cooking is you have to be patient. You have to put love and time into what you're making. But I hate it! Especially when I'm making something for the first time. I don't want to sit around and wait. I want to make it and it be done and then I want to eat it!

Fortunately, if I ate so hastily I would probably acquire some food borne illness. Not desirable. And the meal would not be as it was meant to be. 

So the moral of the story is: when it comes to cooking, instant gratification is not always the best gratification. After all, delicious things come to those who wait...

Patience is the greatest of all virtues.

Cato the Elder, Roman orator & politician (234 BC - 149 BC)

*Quotations courtesy of http://www.quotationspage.com  

Parmesan Chicken w/ Spaghetti

Rachael Ray made Parmesan Crusted Chicken on 30 Minute Meals one day and it looked soo good! So I made it. Now it's one of my go-to meals when I don't know what I want for dinner. My mom is a fan, especially when I pair it with oven roasted rosemary veggies. Tonight, I stuck with spaghetti.

First things first. You need:

1 cup of parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
Mix together in a pie plate.

Coat chicken with cheese. I like chicken tenders or thin sliced chicken. 

Add 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil to a skillet and heat up over medium heat. 

While that's heating up start on the spaghetti. 

When the oil is hot add the chicken! 

When the chicken is done put it aside on a plate. Don't put a paper towel on the plate to absorb some of the oil. The chicken could stick to the paper towel and that would not be tasty.  Do however, sprinkle with a little more cheese! There is noooo such thing as too much cheese! 

Heat up some marinara sauce or your favorite pasta sauce in a sauce pan. Drain pasta and plate. Add sauce. Add chicken. And more cheese!!!! Outcome should look like...

Most yummy! 

I dream of baking...

I really do. I'm not the greatest baker. My cupcakes alone are enough to prove that! 

But I dream of making all kinds of goodies: cupcakes, cookies, cakes, cupcakes... 

I love cupcakes. 

And cheesecake. 

And brownies. 

I have finally found a website that indulges all my sweet-tooth fantasies! I gain 5 pounds per picture just looking through them. And there are a lot of pictures. 

A friend of mine introduced me to this site and I am soo thankful! 

I can't wait to start 

"trying"

 some of the recipes. 

If you have a sweet-tooth then you have to check this out!

The cutest sweets around!

Bakererella

Thick Cut Fries w/ Parsley & Sea Salt

This is a delish snack for anytime and is great with whatever you would eat fries with!

5 good sized red new potatoes
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tbsp. dried parsley or 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Cut potatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Rinse under cold water in a colander and pat dry with a paper towel. Toss with the  rest of the ingredients. Return to colander and drain off excess oil. Spread out the fries evenly on a baking sheet and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until desired crispiness.

Note: I am a big fan of using extra virgin olive oil in pretty much everything. However, when I'm baking potatoes and want them crispy, vegetable oil works great!

To bake...Or not to bake?

I would say, not. I might have a knack for some things in the kitchen. Baking is not one of them. Unless I go the semi-homemade route and it already comes in a box. Add milk, water, or some other lubricating substance and bake. No problemo. Follow a recipe from scratch? I got nothing. I always forget some key ingredient or don't add enough of this or that and what do I get!?!?! THIS:

OY! It's box mix from now on...