Sorry Martha

I have never been a fan of Martha Stewart. In fact, for a long time I had a real dislike for her. That tempered a little when she went to prison a few years ago for something I thought she was a scapegoat for. Had she been a man, I believe she would never have spent a day in jail. But she kept her head up high, did her 'time' and came back stronger than ever.

But I digress. Mainly the reason I never cared for her was that she made so much look so easy. Whether it was cooking, remodeling or crafting, nothing was a big deal. I always thought, yeah, it's easy when you've got a staff and tons of money.

One day this week as I sat waiting for the oil to be changed in my car her morning show was on the TV in the the customers' waiting area. She had a segment on stir fry cooking. One of the recipes she prepared in 'real time' was Stir-Fried Honey-Ginger Chicken with Peppers over Jasmine rice.

It looked simple and tasty. Last night I made it for dinner and it was terrific. It was also the first time I've ever intentionally used one of Martha Stewart's recipes. It's a recipe I call a keeper.

Thanks, Martha, and sorry.

Food for Thought--Chicken Francaise

This week's Food for Thought is coming to us courtesy of my friend, Rich Epstein, Corporate Trainer and Coach Extraordinaire for Residential Properties Ltd.

CHICKEN FRANCAISE

1 lb. skinless-boneless chicken breast
1 egg
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Bread crumbs (plain)
Grated Parmesan cheese
1 stick butter
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
3 cloves crushed garlic (or to taste)
2 tsp. parsley
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 c. chicken broth

Slice chicken as cutlets or strips. Beat together with fork, 1 egg and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Mix plain bread crumbs with grated Parmesan cheese (1 part cheese to 2 parts crumbs). Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then in bread crumbs mixture. Brown in oil. Set aside in baking dish.

For sauce: melt together 1 stick of butter and juice of 1 1/2 lemons. Add 3 cloves crushed garlic (or to taste), 2 teaspoons parsley, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and 1 cup chicken broth. Simmer 10 minutes; strain if desired. Pour over chicken in baking dish.

Bake covered 40 minutes and then uncovered 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve chicken over rice. Serves 4. Enjoy!