Fiddledeedee

This week is a themed Works For Me Wednesday. The following question was posed by one of Shannon’s readers:

“It’s 5:15 pm, the kids are hungry, you have a headache, hubby is almost home, and the pantry has three things in it. What is your BEST last-minute meal recipe?”

Here’s what I do in the House of Fiddle. I pick up the phone and hit #2 on speed dial. I’m placed on hold for about 15 seconds, and I get a quick lesson in Italian. For free. Then. before I can repeat “Where is the bathroom?” in Italian, I’m speaking with the takeaway service at Carrabbas.

Now, if we could only afford to do that whenever we wanted. Alas, I have a couple of other practical ideas.

Hopefully, I’ve had the good sense to thaw out 4 chicken breast (halves) earlier in the day. Before the children and their bickering caused the headache. This is one of the easiest and most impressive chicken recipes I’ve ever come up with. I adapted it from a recipe I found in Suzanne Somer’s Eat Great, Lose Weight.

Chicken Piccata

4 Chicken Breasts (Halves)
Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1/2 Cup White Wine (plus a little extra for the chef)
2 Tbs. Capers
1/2 Fresh Lemon
1 Tbs. Butter (or Margarine)

Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry. Place each breast flat on a chopping block. With your knife parallel to the chopping block, slice the breast in half through the middle to make it half as thick. Season each breast with salt and pepper.

Heat your skillet over medium to high heat, add the olive oil and as many of the chicken breasts as will fit in the pan without overlapping. Brown for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, then set aside covered in foil to stay warm.

To make the sauce, reheat the skillet over medium heat. Add the wine and reduce for 2 minutes or so, stirring constantly to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in the capers and the lemon juice. Remove from heat and add the butter, stirring until melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with brown rice. Uncle Ben makes a great brown rice in a bag that just has to be boiled for about 10 minutes.

While your rice is boiling, beam some frozen veggies in the microwave with a little water for about 7 minutes.

Dinner in a dash. But it will taste like you’ve been slaving all day. But that will be your little secret.

For more Works For Me Last Minute Dinner Fixins’, head over to Rocks In My Dryer.