Just Call Me Rachael Ray: Recipe #1

This week's adventure in the kitchen was:
Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Tomato and Basil and Potatoes with Peppers and Onions

Onions make me cry

On the recipe, it says this is a 30 minute meal: prep time 15 mins and cook time 12 mins. Unfortunately, I wasn't kidding when I said I can't cook, and the prep time turned into approx 2 hours. It involved running across the Sunchase Apartment complex looking for a cookie sheet (If you saw a girl with sweatpants, a T-shirt and flip flops sprinting across the streets with a cookie sheet...Hi! I'm your neighbor), igniting my stovetop on fire (literally, FLAMES), and sobbing from chopping the onions.

A messy process

My mom's advice to me whenever we were in the kitchen growing up was to clean up as you go along. Clearly, as you can tell by this picture, I listened to her.

Besides the extreme delay in feeding my roommates and judges, I got all positive feedback! The meal was delicious, and I highly recommend it. My advice to myself for next week's meal is to actually read the recipe in advance, so I know what to expect. You learn something new everyday, right?

In case you are wondering how much this meal costs, I have my handy dandy Walmart receipt: (P.S, I doubled this recipe, so if you're cooking for 4 people, like it regularly says, divide this by half)

Ingredients/Price at Walmart:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds finerling potatoes or red skin baby potatoes: 3 1/2-4 lbs= $3.48
2 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips: 2 at 1 for $1.68= $3.36
1 Italian mild green pepper, cubanelle, seeded and thinly sliced: 2 at 1 for $.74= $1.48
1 medium yellow skinned onion, thinly sliced: 1.58 lbs @ 1 lb/$1.78= $2.81
4 large cloves garlic, cracked away from skin: 1 box of garlic= $.68
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes: 1 bottle= $2.98
1/4 cup tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided: 1 bottle= $4.88
Coarse salt and pepper: $.93
(1 bottle coarse pepper= $2.08
2 cups shredded Parmesan, available in tubs near deli-make sure to get shredded cheese, not grated: ($1.96/bag) x4 (I only used 3) $7.84
4 (6-8 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts: 8 breasts=$15.00 
4 plum Roma tomatoes or small, vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped: 2.59 lb at 1 lb/$1.98= $5.13
15-20 leaves fresh basil, pile leaves, roll then thinly slice-chiffonade: $2.28/container= $4.56


GRAND TOTAL: $55.21


(side note: a lot of this was stuff you might already have in your kitchen, like salt & pepper, olive oil, red pepper flakes, etc)



Here is a picture of the finished product!

Meal #1! Complete with a flamed-upon stovetop

Compare it to Rachael Ray's picture on her website here and let me know what you think! (The actual directions for the recipe are also on this link.)








Now ya heard, spread the word.