Fancy Dinner

Somethings that a group of people in my apartment complex have come up with is the idea of us having "fancy" dinners. Basically, we cook good food and dress up. The latest one we had was tonight. We had homemade red sauce (gravy as my family calls it) and chicken parmigiana. To top it off, I was able to get my hands on my mom's chocolate chip cookie recipe. Divine. Enjoy!

Making the gravy...smells like happiness.

One of the best ways to make your "gravy" is to saute your vegetables (onions, mushrooms and peppers with some minced garlic mixed in as well) in some olive oil. If you want to live on the more authentic side, you can use some white wine as well--I usually avoid it because my mom doesn't approve. Once everything is soft, usually the onions are translucent, you are ready to add the tomato sauce and paste along with all your desired seasonings.

Fresh parmigiana out of the over. Can you see the chicken?

After breading the chicken in bread crumbs, it should be baked on a baking sheet for about 40 min on 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then you layer the chicken between two layers of sauce and top it off with mozzarella and parmesan. Stick it back in the oven for 20 min. It's fantastic.

Chicken parmigiana with a side of farfalle and gravy.

Nothing goes better with the chicken parmigiana then a side of pasta. Use any type of pasta you would like. This one just happens to be farfalle, or bow tie pasta. Top the pasta off with the leftover sauce from the parmigiana.

Mom's chocolate chip cookies.

Even if you're full, there's always room for milk and cookies. Eating these bad boys makes me feel like I'm back at home. There was definitely something missing though, probably my mom's love....