Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

I only go for the finest of dinnerware

Who doesn't enjoy a nice chicken caesar salad at lunch? It's kind of basic, and if you don't know how to make one, then I'd say you probably shouldn't cooking/visiting a cooking website in the first place...but anyway, it can be an idea if you're looking for a not-really-that-healthy-but-it's-a-salad-so-we-can-call-it-healthy lunch. Or dinner. Or salad to go with dinner. Or salad to go with lunch.


Ingredients:

• Caesar dressing (I'm all about the creamy Shop Rite Caesar dressing, and no, this isn't a product placement type of thing)
• 1 chicken breast
• Lettuce (I prefer romaine)
• Croutons, optional
• Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:

• Cut chicken into cutlets. 
• Spray nonstick oil on grill. 
• Put your grill (mine's a panini grill) on medium heat. Grill ~5-8 minutes, or once it's cooked through. I personally like mine excessively browned and 120% cooked through. Time depends on thickness of cutlets and how obsessive you are about avoiding salmonella.
• Cut into 1-2 inch chunks.
• Toss with salad greens, Casar, croutons, and Parmesan.

Ta da!! Easiest recipe ever! Unless I made one of eating plain lettuce greens or an apple or something.

Four-Cheese Mac and Cheese

This was a lovely mother-daughter Mother's Day mac and cheese making experiment. Also an attempt at finding the elusive 4-cheese mac and cheese recipe I am still on the hunt for (this is not it, but it's very good). This also taught me that if you want your food browned, that's what a broiler is for...and where/how to use my broiler. (Press the broil button on my stove.)


Ingredients:

• 1 box pasta (I'd go with elbows, penne, etc.)
• 3 tbsp + 1 tsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk (I used skim.)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 8 oz. Gouda cheese, grated
• 4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 oz. Swiss cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2/3 cup plain panko bread crumbs (I used just plain Italian bread crumbs b/c they were on sale)

Directions:

• Coat 1 or 2 9x9 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. (I used two b/c my mom and I split up the two between ourselves)
• Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions.
• Drain & transfer to bowl.
• Heat 3 tbsp of butter in a medium-size saucepan until melted.
• Add flour, whisking to blend. Gradually add milk, whisk until smooth.
• Bring to a simmer over heat, stirring.
• Add onion powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer 3 minutes then remove from heat.
• Stir in Gouda, cheddar, Swiss, and 1/4 cup Parmesan until cheeses are melted and sauce is smooth. (My grater wasn't that good so it took a WHILE to grate it all...get your mom to do it like I did, or do it before you start cooking)

• Mix into cooked pasta and pour mixture into prepared dish(es).

• Separately, melted 1 tsp of butter.
• Stir in bread crumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Divide evenly over pasta.
• Broil 3 minutes or until browned. (I broiled it in the toaster oven for ~20 min til it was browned).
• EAT!!!

Prep: 20 min (basically grating the cheese)

Yield: 12 servings