Today Aubs made a delicious dinner: Chicken Parmesan, Focaccia and Green beans (the same that I made at Gma and Gpa's on Wednesday). It is not too difficult although it takes some time and it is delicious!

Focaccia Bread
3 cups lukewarm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
6 cups unbleached bread flour
3 tsp salt
Olive Oil
Seasonings for topping

1. Measure water into a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and stir until dissolved. Stir in 3 cups of the flour and all of the salt with a wooden spoon until smooth - about 2 minutes. Stir in the rest of the flour vigorously until the dough starts to pull away just a bit from the sides of the bowl. It will probably look too sticky to you. But don't worry. You don't even need to get your hands dirty!
2. Cover and let rise until doubled--anywhere from 1/2 hour to 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 500 degrees and oil a large sheet cake pan (cookie sheet) with some olive oil.
3. Gently pour the dough onto the pan, scraping it out with a spatula. Pour about 1-2 tablespoons olive oil on the dough, then gently pull, push and spread the dough until it makes a rough oval shape that covers the entire pan. Make the indentations by poking holes in the dough and pulling slightly.
4. Now put toppings on your loaf. The classic ones are coarse salt and fresh rosemary. We also like a few sprinkles of Parmesan and/or Romano cheese, a bit of dried basil and oregano.
5. Bake at 500 degrees until browned all over. Remove from oven and dislodge right away to a cooling rack. Let sit just a few minutes, then feel free to eat right away with butter. We often serve this with meaty tomato sauce for dipping. Another thing you can do is let if cool a bit more, then break into sandwich-size chunks. Slice the bread, and brush each side with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Spread a bit of olive tapenade, or a roasted pepper, Italian cheese and dried Salami. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and take on a picnic!

Chicken ParmesanPrep: 10 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 lbs)
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4-1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 jar (26-28 oz) Tomato Based Pasta Sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (you can use some parmesan as well)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dip chicken in eggs, then bread crumbs, coating well.
2. In 13x9" glass baking dish, arrange chicken. Bake uncovered 20 minutes
3. Pour sauce over chicken, then top with cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Serve, if desired with hot cooked pasta or foccocia bread.

Green Beans
Cook frozen or fresh green beans (I like the kind that is still whole) with some dehydrated onion in a frying pan on the stove with a little bit of water at medium high heat. When the water is almost gone, add a small drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and stir for a couple minutes. Towards the end, shake on a little salt to bring out the flavor. Cook the green beans last so that they will still be hot when you are ready to eat.


When preparing all three, get the focaccia bread started, then while it is rising, get the chicken made and in to cook. After the chicken cooks the first twenty minutes, and you stick it back in for the last ten, prepare the focaccia dough and stick it in to cook. Then get the beans going. Typically things finish up one right after the other so nothing gets too cold.