Tea and Fried Beef

  On my own in Hanoi today, I took a walk around charming Truc Bach Lake. The shops in this area are quaint and seem to specialize in Pho Cuon, which I have not figured out the translation. After the walk, I settled into a cafe for tea and a snack. I ordered a pot of green tea, and fried beef. This beef dish appeared to be the only food item on the menu, and it sounded similar to a divine dish I had a Ladybug cafe on Saturday, “Fried noodles with beef”. Hoping for a repeat, I ordered the fried beef.Suprisingly, fried beef is more like beef jerky than the delicious plate of noodles, beef and vegetables I had at the other cafe.

Weekend Away

This weekend my husband and I are going to SunRiver, Oregon with my parents. I am so excited for this trip. I am in charge of all food for the weekend, except for eating out. This morning I had some serious culinary therapy in the kitchen: in 3 hours I made the following:

-pita chips

-Fat Free Chocolate Muffins

-Peanut butter cups

-Banana Bread

-Beer Bread

-Chicken Parmesan

I will post the recipes when I return next week.

Ok here are some of the recipes:

Chicken Parmesan
Adapted from Rocco’s Italian American
The key to chicken parmesan is to cut the breasts in half to make them thin, then pound them out.

Canola Oil for frying
1 c. all purpose flour
4 eggs beaten
2 c. plain white bread crumbs
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
6 T. diced parsley
1 lb. mozzarella, shredded
24 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts, in cutlets 1/4 in thick and pounded
Salt and pepper
3 cups marinara

Heat oil in a large, heavy pot

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile, place the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in separate shallow dishes and arrange in that order. Mix parmesan cheese and parsley with the breadcrumbs.

Dredge each slice of chicken in the flour, then in the eggs, then in the bread crumb parmesian mixture, then carefully place in the hot oil. Fry the chicken until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the oil and place on paper towels to drain any excess oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.

Spoon a layer of marinana on the bottom of a glass dish. Place the chicken pieces on the sauce. Top with parmesan and grated mozzarella. Bake for 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

Serve with pasta or in a hoagie.

After School Snack

Here is my after school snack today.

1 baguette, sliced 1/2 inch thin, toasted at 350 degrees for 10 minutes
Chavrie Goat Cheese with Basil and Roasted Garlic
1 tomato sliced and tossed with olive oil