Good-bye New Orleans and hello humble home. At 1 AM I finally walked through my own door. My Quiet Man husband had the presence of mind to pick up every toy and vacuum and dust. I think I'm really truly deeply madly in love. A man looks his best when he's holding a squirt bottle of formula 409. Just my opinion.
So at 1 AM, I briefly considered getting my post ready, but instead made a beeline for my clean fluffy pillow. (Quiet Man washed the sheets too.) Seven hours later, I'm up and ready to share Parmesan Chicken Tenders with Sweet and Spicy Ketchup. Estimated Cost: $5.00
You've got to have a good breaded chicken recipe in your cooking arsenal. It's fast, easy, cheap and everyone of every age on planet earth will love them. Except your vegetarian friends, but you just make them a piece of breaded zucchini instead. Ina made an elegant salad with lemon vinaigrette on which she served her chicken. But its your world, so serve it the way you like. You could smother it with red sauce and cheese for classic chicken Parmesan, or you could serve it plain with a fun dipping sauce, like I did. It's kid friendly that way, and since I had about 856 kids at my house last week, the choice was easy.
Here's the skinny on breaded chicken. Although it doesn't photograph well, please save yourself some clean up work by using paper plates for prep. First, dip your chicken (I'm using tenders but any boneless cut will do) in a flour mixture. This will give the bread coating something to adhere to later.
Next, dip your floured chicken in a beaten egg and water mixture. 
Finally, coat your chicken in a mixture of bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. 
I like to let my chicken dry out on a rack for about ten minutes, just to help that coating stay put during the light frying process. Not necessary when in a rush, but helpful otherwise.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a fry pan-just enough to coat the bottom generously. Make sure your oil is good and hot before you toss in your chicken. Resist the temptation to move your chicken around; just leave it alone and let it get good and brown on one side. Flip and repeat. 
Here's a Food Network link to the complete recipe for Ina's Parmesan Chicken.
For my Sweet and Spicy Ketchup, simply combine 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and a generous pinch of cayenne or a couple glugs of Tabasco.
Coming Tomorrow:Soy and Lime Grilled Tri-tipIt's so good to be home....
