Either Michael really loves elaborate dinners, or he’s trying to finish up the Cooking Light Achievement way ahead of schedule. In a new masterpiece, he managed (yet again) to make three dishes for one dinner. Ladies, you all know why I married him đŸ˜‰
Part one of the meal (which is dish #22) was tomato crostini, which I have to say rivaled the best bruschetta I’ve ever had (which was when we were staying in Agropoli, for the record).
The side dish was pasta with fresh tomato basil sauce. Michael used spinach pasta instead of regular fettuccini to be a little healthier, but the flavor was still there.
Finally, the main course (and dish #24!) was herbed chicken parmesan. An interesting substitution that Michael made was using crushed up croutons in place of breadcrumbs. It was really a wonderful, garlicky flavor. The breading was just perfect, like something you would get at a restaurant!
Here is the ensemble in their serving dishes. We used the Romano cheese on the pasta for a little extra flavor.
And this is what the meal looked like fully assembled! It took about an hour to make, but it was enough for each of us to have a full dinner and lunch the next day. All told, everything cost about $30, which included things like jars of olives and capers and the Romano cheese, which we will be able to use in other recipes as well, so it was not only a wonderful dinner, but a budget-friendly meal!