Chicken Parm Sliders w/Sweet Potato Fries

Happy holidays everyone! I hope that you all are getting in some quality time with friends and family. That being said, here is a fun twist on a classic dish for you to share with those friends and family members! I really like Chicken Parm, so I decided tonight that I wanted to do something different. Hence: Chicken Parm Sliders. It's pretty simple. **NOTE: When cooking with raw meat, be sure to wash your hands after every step below!** Start by cracking three eggs into a bowl and whisking until smooth. Then, take ground chicken and roll into a ball shape, then pat into a patty shape. Dip the chicken patties into the egg mixture, followed by coating them in flour (for a healthier option, try almond flour!):

Next, start working on the sweet potato fries by pouring olive oil (or any cooking oil of your choice) and place potato wedges into the oil (make sure there is enough oil to boil the potato wedges in the pan!). I also seasoned mine with a little bit of salt and pepper:

Next, pour some olive oil into another frying pan, and place coated chicken patties into it:

Cook until the patties are brown on both sides, and the meat is pretty much cooked through all the way. Drain the excess oil from the patties and pour your favorite marinara sauce and some shredded mozzarella cheese over the top. Then place the pan into a preheated oven (set to 375) and continue backing for another 5-6 minutes:

Be sure to check the fries throughout these steps. You want to make sure the potato is cooked through, and the outside is nice and crispy (mine got a little burnt, but I like the taste of burnt food so I was able to get past it). Drain the excess oil from the potato pan by pouring all of the contents into a strainer and letting the fries sit for a minute (this helps them crisp up a bit). Remove the chicken patties from the oven, and pour a little more marinara sauce and cheese on top. Serve on small hamburger buns, and enjoy! I enjoyed mine with a delicious Harpoon IPA (drink local!) :)

Grilled Cheese w/Tomato

I know what you are thinking: Grilled Cheese? How old is this guy? And all I can say to that is: Grilled Cheese will forever be good at any age. I had some leftover cheese from a holiday party so I decided to put it to good use. Using my trusted sandwich maker (thanks Mom!), I decided to make some grilled cheese sandwiches. It was pretty simple, I pre-heated the sandwich maker, then put the two bottom slices in. I then added my cheese. In this case: sharp cheddar, pepper jack, and swiss (feel free to put any cheese that you want!). I then added a slice of tomato on top, followed by the two top slices of bread. Close the sandwich maker and cook for 4-5 minutes, and you are done! Served mine with some extra tomato slices and an always delicious Cisco Winter Shredder. Enjoy!

Turkey Chili

My apologies for the lack of posts lately! Last weekend I made a delicious (and fairly healthy!) turkey chili, which was perfect for the chilly (pun intended) weather last week. One of the best parts, it lasted me about 3-4 days! Here is a link to the recipe that I used: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/turkey-bean-chili-00000000027199/. See the recipe for all of the ingredients. It was pretty simple though, you start by boiling the butter, garlic, peppers and onions (previously chopped) until all of the veggies are nice and tender:

Next you add in the ground turkey (I chose Turkey since it's slightly healthier than beef, but feel free to use whichever protein you want, or none at all!) until the Turkey is cooked through. Then add the tomato paste and spices (cumin and chili powder) and stir until everything is mixed. Lastly, add the tomatoes, water, salt and pepper, and kidney beans and BRING TO A BOIL. This is a very important step that unfortunately I forgot to do. It caused my chili to come out more like a soup (still tasted amazing though!). Once everything is boiling, turn down the heat and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until it becomes a thicker consistency. Then, top with cheddar cheese and enjoy! (I enjoyed mine with a delicious Mayflower IPA)