Abandon Nest

Today marks the conclusion of the Dining for One series. Admittedly, I haven’t covered a whole lot in the last week, but it’s enough to get anyone started. As my cooking skills continue to improve, I’ll be posting more recipes, advice, and essential needs for the kitchen. I have a George Foreman grill coming my way shortly, and will be doing a proper review of it after a few nights with my favorite steak. What would you like to see covered in future cooking/dining articles?

For the posts in this series, check out the links below:

• Introduction
• Gathering the Tools
• Utensils and Dishware
• Convenience in the Kitchen
• Grocery Shopping
• Italian Vinaigrette Salad
• Simple Chicken Breast
• Pasta Cooking Tips

Technorati Tags: Cooking, Dining, Chicken, Pasta, Kitchen

Honestly, one of the easiest meals you can possibly make is pasta. You whip up some noodles, cook some sauce, and combine. It’s not that hard. However, there are a few tips and tricks that I think come in handy. Two I knew from personal knowledge:

1. To determine if a noodle is done, throw it against the wall. If it sticks, its done.
2. Do not scrape the bottom of your saucepan. Do you want burnt tomato sauce ending up on your noodles?

Obviously, that’s a very limited selection. So, for the delight of you, my readers, I dug up a few more tips from around the web. Here are the choice ones:

• Waitrose Food Illustrated
• About.com’s Pasta Tips
• Ten Steps to Perfect Pasta

Thanks to Chris P. for inspiration for this article.

Technorati Tags: Pasta, Cooking

So now that you know how to prepare a killer salad, you should probably have something to serve as a main course. Today, you’re going to learn how to prepare a simple yet tasty chicken breast. So let’s get acquainted with what you’re going to need.

Cookware and Dishes:

• 1 Shallow Baking Dish

That was a lot of stuff, huh?
Ingredients:

• 1 8-10 oz. Chicken Breast
• 1/4 cup Light Italian Dressing
• 1 tsp Basil
• 1 tsp Oregano
• 1 tsp Parsley

Gathering the ingredients is the most time-consuming part of this meal, I think.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F
2. Put chicken breast in baking dish
3. Cover with Italian dressing
4. Sprinkle on seasonings (rub in if desired)
5. Place in oven, bake for 20-22 min or until done

This meal serves 1-2 people, depending on serving size. Looking to add more spice to the chicken? Sprinkle on a 1/2 tsp of dried red pepper seed on top of your other seasonings. That gives the chicken a little more bite. This chicken is best served with 1 cup of brown rice or cut green beans and water or milk.

Technorati Tags: Food, Chicken