ICY IN ITALY

LASDI©

Yep. I’m a New York Italian living in The Great State of Texas! But I don’t forget my roots, oh no! I try to incorporate my history and heritage into our meals from-time-to-time. I’m that Themer Girl, and that Chef Girl, and The Hubster typically eats whatever I put before him. But he asks for this one a bit more often than other January staples. (Not as much as those glorious chicken & dumplins, but that’s a recipe for another January!) I pair this chicken with freeze dried herbs in barley or some other white, comforting low glycemic grain, and some Tuscan-seasoned broccoli and it is the perfect balanced meal for a cold winter’s night! Cozy up by the fire with your sweetie, a glass of room-temp sauvignon (or some cocoa!) and this meal! See you in the Spring!

GARLIC BUTTER PARMESAN CHICKEN BREAST

4 chicken breasts

2 cups grated parmesan

1 stick butter, melted, sligtly cooled (see notes)

2 tbs minced garlic

black pepper, to taste (see notes)

Set oven to broil. Maker sure chicken is dry; if not, pat it with a few paper towels. (see notes) Mix all ingredients in a bowl and toss until chicken is well covered by the mixture. Place the chicken on a prepared baking sheet, making sure there is at least an inch betwixt each piece. Place under the broiler for 13 minutes. Let rest on a wire rack for 2 minutes before serving. (see notes) Eat up, enjoy, and stay warm!

NOTES: Make sure the melted butter is cooled enough that it doesn’t turn your parm into a stringy mess when mixing. I don’t use any salt in this recipe because I feel the parm is salty enough and I want to be able to enjoy the flavor of the cheese and the chicken itself. Making sure the chicken breast is dry ensures the coating sticks to each piece. Letting the cooked chicken rest on a wire rack helps the chicken rest and stay juicy without removing the parm coating from the bottom.

POLAR EXPRESS

LASDI©

It is a fairly well-known fact that I am a themer.  Not just a theme here and there!  Oh, no!  Pretty much everything I do has a theme, expecially when it comes to my cooking.  January in Texas is not easy to keep with the cold theme for obvious reasons, so I create my own chill!  Polar Express is a meal I serve up for my Weekly Meal Prep clients every January, but also to The Hubster!  It's one of his absolute favorites with the creamy, dreamy polar mayo sauce on top of fish, usually for us pangasius fish, and served with milky scalloped potatoes and white pepper cauliflower.  Since I'm the low-carb girl, I eat mine sans the potatoes, and I don't feel like I'm missing a thing!  It's all about the warmth the chill of the polar express fish brings!

POLAR EXPRESS FISH

4 pangasius filets (or any fish of your choice)

sea salt to taste

pepper to taste

8 tbs mayo (I prefer Duke's!)

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp course black pepper

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp polar sauce (soy sauce or even liquid aminos)

Preheat oven on broil.  Season fish on both sides with sea salt and pepper to taste (see notes) and place on a prepared baking sheet.  In a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients and spoon about two tablespoons of the mixture over each filet.  Gently spread the mixture to coat the entire filet and place under the broiler for six-to-eight minutes, or until the sauce just starts to melt, bubble, and brown.  Serve over your favorite veggies!

NOTES: Remember that polar, soy, or amino sauce is a salty flavor, so salt your filets lightly.  Make sure to use a wide enough spatula to remove from pan and serve so that the delicate fish doesn't break!