I've got to show her up !?

Question

My husbands best friend and his girlfriend recently moved into town. They've been together 7 months and still find wet towels on the floor "adorably forgetful" She loves to invite us over and cook fancy meals and then quiz us on it as we try to enjoy "Is it good? no really, don't lie, is it really good or just okay? how good is it? do you like it? You can tell me" And when we tell her yes we like it she gives me the HA! I'm a better woman than you look. Gah! Its uber annoying. SO. I've decided to make the meal to end all meals and shut her up once and for all. Last night she made chicken fettuccine Alfredo, some kind of nasty spinach bread and mud pie. So someone give me a few things that will knock the socks of these guys! And something involving boneless skinless chicken breasts is even better because I have a bag of them in the freezer! Thanks to all who help me in my quest to dominate lol

Answer 1

Lord. Stop being so jealous. Make franks and beans and just stare at her while she eats and tell her you want to bask in her enjoyment of your hard cooked meal.

I guess at 42 I'm just so sick of how much time and energy women put into competing with each other. Much better to simply appreciate the talents and gifts each other has.

You know what you make well, cook it, make an enjoyable meal to enjoy a good evening with good friends and good food and good conversation and just relax and have fun, maybe she'll get the hint.

Answer 2

Well the red hat society cookbook has an awesome recipe for wine and herb chicken. Not sure if it's ok to post or if that is copyright infringement. So go pick up a copy. You won't be dissapointed. Everything in the cookbook looks deliciouse and most of it is extremely easy. The herb and wine is super easy, but taste like it was a chore. Here's the cliff notes on it

Brown 4-6 chicken breasts in butter and remove
sautee diced bell peppers in a little butter (I omit this if I am out of peppers)
add 1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can 5oz slice mushrooms
1/2 cup white wine
and I think some thyme
heat to boiling
pour over chicken in a baking dish and bake a half hour.

As I said you will need to buy the cookbook. I don't have time to grab it right now and I'm not sure if typing the recipe word for word is ok.

I serve with green salad, french bread and rice pilaf.

Answer 3

Hi. I have something that's very easy, and very delicious. It'll seem like you spent hours in the kitchen when you really haven't.

CHICKEN PARMIGIANA

4 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. Progresso Italian bread crumbs
1 (15 1/2 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dip chicken into egg and then into bread crumbs, coating thoroughly.
In a medium skillet, heat olive oil. Cook chicken in oil until done and well browned on both sides. Pour spaghetti sauce into a 7x11 inch baking dish. Place chicken on sauce and top with Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Makes 4 servings.

You could serve this on top of some simple pasta.

Serve with garlic toast.. For dessert do something simple like a fruit parfait. Believe me, after that big dinner, you won't need a heavy dessert.

Fruit Parfait
(makes 4 parfaits)

Ingredients:



1 cup apples, chopped

1 cup strawberries, sliced

1 banana, sliced

1 cup vanilla lowfat yogurt

1 cup lowfat granola

1/2 cup raisins

1. Using a clear glass, layer the ingredients starting with a layer of one fruit, then a layer of another fruit, then the yogurt, then some granola, then another fruit, and top with raisins. Be creative and layer it any way you like.

Hope this gives you some ideas. Good Luck. Just remember to have fun.:)

Answer 4

Chicken under a brick

4 large chicken legs and thighs, or 4 chicken breasts
Salt and black pepper
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon orange marmalade
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
4 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
1 bunch arugula or watercress, chopped
1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped (a generous handful)
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped jarred banana pepper rings plus 2 tablespoons of their juice
Crusty bread, for mopping



1. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. In a small dish, combine 2 tablespoons EVOO, the mustard and the crushed red pepper. Spread the mixture all over the chicken. Place the chicken, meaty side down, in a nonstick skillet. Set a piece of foil loosely over the chicken, then place a plate or smaller pan on top and weight it down with a brick or cans. Cook the chicken over medium heat until cooked through, 25 minutes.
2. While the chicken cooks, whisk together the vinegar, marmalade and poppy seeds, then stream in the remaining 3 tablespoons EVOO. Toss the tomatoes, cucumber and Arugula with the dressing and season with salt and black pepper. In a small bowl, combine the parsley, banana peppers and pepper juice. Top the chicken with the parsley-pepper mixture and serve with the salad and the bread.

I use a loaf of sourdough bread sliced thick and broil them for 1-1/12 minutes and rub with a fresh clove of garlic and put them in the left over juices from the chicken broiled side down. all my friends ask me to make this when I come over.

Answer 5

She just made chicken- you need to do something different- that seems spectacular, but does not take all that much work-
This is fabulous and easy-
Cedar Planked Salmon
It can be very tasty and very nice for a large group since the plank takes away that direct contact from the fire and slows down the cooking its mucn more like baking (realy good for gas grills) just be sure that you soak the board well. You can also find other woods such as alder cherry and maple for a more conventional smoke flavor. If you chose not to buy the boards packaged for grilling make sure that you buy untreated wood.

Also very nice for grilling halibut (coated with sundried tomato pesto)


Grilled Cedar Planked Salmon
Oven Baked Risotto
Green Beans with Fresh Dill
Cedar Planks Soaked in water for 1 hour at least ( a zip lock type bag works well if you make sure there is no air in bag.
2 pounds Salmon
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/3 cup whiskey or woody chardonnay
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 Tablespoons salt
pepper to taste )

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except salmon and blend to make marinade. Marinade fish for at least 1 hour to overnight

Soak the plank
Place on a hot grill over a evenly layer of ask cover charcoal. or a medium-high heat gas grill.
When smoke appears place items on plank and roast till done. fish take approx 30 minutes for a 2 inch thick cut and 15-20 for 1 inch cut

Oven-Baked Risotto
4 servings 50 min 20 min prep
Change to: servings US Metric
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
3/4 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
2-2 1/4 cups hot water, divided (use more water if you omit the wine)
1/2 cup canned low sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)


Oven Baked Risotto
Preheat oven to 425°.
In an ovenproof saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat.
Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the rice and cook, stirring to coat the grains with oil, about 1 minute.
Stir in the wine and cook until it has completely evaporated, about 1 minute. (If omitting, skip this step.).
Stir in 1 1/2 cups water, the stock, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
Cover, transfer to the oven, and bake, until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from oven.
Stir in 1/2 to 3/4 cup water (the consistency of the risotto should be creamy), the butter, cheese, and parsley.
Serve immediately.

9 ounces fresh green beans
1/3 cup vegetable broth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons butter
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Green Beans with Fresh Dill
Place fresh green beans in a saucepan with vegetable broth and dill.
Cover; bring to a boil.
Separate green beans with a fork, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender.
Drain.
Stir in butter, adding salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Serve and enjoy!

Answer 6

The problem with boneless skinless chicken breasts is that there's no fat to make them moist, no fat or bone to give them flavor.

So stop by a local pizzeria or bakery, and buy some pizza dough. Three pounds should be plenty. When you get it home, you'll roll it out, and let it rest, then roll it out again, until you end up with four pieces of dough, *really* thin. Stick the filling in the center of a piece of dough, and add 3-4 spoons of ricotta, and a couple of slices of mozzarella. Fold in the sides of the crust, followed by the front and back, so it's sorta like a burrito, then paint the top with egg white, which will give you a beautiful brown crust. Slash the top crust three places, to let the steam from the filling escape. Bake on a pizza stone for about 10-15 minutes at the hottest temperature your oven will produce. Mine goes to 500F.

Now, the filling needs to be cooked before it goes inside, or otherwise, your crust will burn before the filling gets hot. I made this last night with hamburger, so I browned the burger first. You probably want to brown your chicken. Then I added some chopped up onion greens, some minced garlic, not much, and a box of sliced button mushrooms.

Maybe you'd prefer to use portabella? I don't care for that taste myself, but button seems like such an ordinary mushroom, you know? Maybe you can find morels. They *definitely* would work wonders here, but since I moved from the midwest, I don't know anybody who gathers them.

I added a bunch of italian seasoning, then a can of drained diced tomatoes. Some people would add spaghetti sauce at this point, but I prefer to serve the finished dish with a little bowl of warm spaghetti sauce on the side, for dipping.

You will want to add some sugar to the spaghetti sauce, whether you're including it inside, or on the side.

Anyhow, the whole filling needs to be done, and needs to be hot when you put it on the dough, and slip it into the oven.

Serve this with a nice salad. If I was trying to knock someone's socks off, I'd have a dark green leaf base, with little piles here and there of pineapple, red beets, feta cheese, and diced tomato, with chopped bermuda onions, kalamata olives everywhere, and then use a greek dressing over the whole thing.

For dessert, make a watermelon granita. First boil 2 cups of sugar in a cup of orange juice, so the sugar melts.

Slice the rind off a medium watermelon, and chunk up the meat of the watermelon. Put a strainer over a large saucepan, and push the watermelon through the strainer using a ladle, so that the seeds don't go through. Then run a cup of black raspberries (red raspberries if that's all you can find) and a cup of blackberries (blueberries if that's all you can find) through the strainer as well. Next, you want to add the juice from a half-dozen lemons - four is enough if they're extra-big - through the strainer. Finally, run that hot orange juice through the strainer.

Remove the strainer, and stir up all that juice. Pour that juice into a glass 9x13 cake pan and stick it in the deep freeze for four hours, maybe a bit longer, depending on how well your freezer freezes.

When it's time to serve the granita, grab a heavy spoon and scrape up the granita, to create each serving. If you've got martini glasses, they really make the most of the granita's appearance.

Go to town, girl. Put her to shame! And instead of begging for others to tell you how great you are, deflect the praise you will inevitably get with a "pshaw, tain't nothin' much. I'll invite you over sometime when I have more time to cook, and fix you up with something special...."

Answer 7

Wow, you're funny =D

This is the best meal ever!! And grill some fruit (peaches are the best with it). You can find a glaze recipe for the peaches or other fruit online if you want...

Heinz 57 and Honey Glazed Kabobs
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1633,143180-251195,00.html

You have to like to grill though. But its pretty easy so no worries =D

Ooh, it might be good with potato salad also.

Also, I have no idea who you are... but this is definitely not as fancy as alfredo noodles or whatever, more laid back... but still delicious. And maybe give you the appearance of being an excellent chef without making something you could find at some italian restaurant? =)
Good luck...

Answer 8

I don't have a recipe idea, but just wanted to suggest that whatever you make, do a trial run and make it a few days ahead of time to see if you need to make any adjustments for when you make it that night.
She sounds annoying, we all know women like her.

Answer 9

I'm in! Here's a lovely chicken recipe that "feels" fancy. I make it all the time and my husband adores it. I got it from Giada on the Food Network. Serve it over some angel hair pasta with a nice green veggie like asparagus and maybe some nice crusty bread & butter or garlic bread. A glass of white wine and you're set!:

Chicken Piccata Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Show: Everyday Italian
Episode: Weeknight Dinner

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.

Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

******************************************

DESSERT? Try this... serve everyone a scoop of high quality vanilla ice cream (like Haagen Dazs) with some Kahlua poured over it (you can sprinkle a little dry instant coffee crystals or a dash of cocoa powder over it too if you like). This is an old recipe from JULIA CHILD!! She served the ice cream in wine goblets to make it look fancier!! My Mom's been serving it since the 1970s! I attached a website too.

Give everyone a cup of coffee to enjoy with their ice cream and it's a simple, fabulous ending to a gorgeous meal.

GOOD LUCK! Let us know how it goes!

Answer 10

Wow, I'm sort of in that situation with my extended family. How about a chicken saltimbocca? With a side of steamed asparagus or broccoli, and hollandaise? Or a chicken kiev? Chicken piccata?

My family knows I cooked at my own restaurant, and whenever they come over or I bring something to their house, they ask where I bought it from. I'm like, I -made- this! And they seem astounded that I can cook! DUH! I hate it too. Especially when criticism comes from my cousin's wife who admits she can't cook!

Oh, and for a salad, get one of those mixed bagged salads and a champagne vinaigrette, maybe some feta and croutons. Maybe homemade French bread?

And don't ask her questions. If she asks "Where did you get this?" just smile and say "Oh, I just whipped it up today." and drop it. That'll make her seethe. :)