Stuff 89: Any CD Can Book

By J.J. Atwell

Do You Cook?

Today I’d like to depart from my usual ramblings and talk about cooking. I’ve fairly recently come to enjoy cooking and have been experimenting with various recipes. There seems to be two schools of thought about recipes, one where you must follow the recipe precisely while the other view is that a recipe is just a guideline. I tend to fall into the latter category, except when baking which is often more about chemistry than anything else. 

The subject of today’s Stuff was inspired by the Pixar animated movie Ratatouille. In that movie there is a recurring theme based on a popular book written by a restaurant owner that “anybody can cook.” I’m here to tell you that it is also true for CDs, but there can be some challenges when cooking en femme.

Challenges?

Well, if not major challenges, at least some things to consider that might not occur to you when cooking in guy mode. Starting at the bottom and working up, think about your shoes. If the recipe calls for a lot of time on your feet during preparation and tending to the meal, you’ll want to wear sensible shoes. Save those 4-inch stilettos for serving the food when it’s done. 

Moving up from the feet, got a nice outfit on? Perhaps something with a fluffed out skirt? And of course your boobs are standing out proud. All of those make perfect landing spots for spills as you combine, stir, cook and plate your food, so be sure to have a nice apron to protect your finery. 

At the top, don’t forget your hair. Loose hair will be annoying as you bend over the mixing bowl and the stove. Be especially careful around open flames with a wig on! The picture of me at the top of this page was made using Image Playground on the Mac. Notice the chef’s hat and the scarf, both helpful when cooking en femme. 

Try This Recipe

With all that taken care of lets cook! 

I recently had occasion to try this recipe from AllRecipies.com and it turned out pretty good. Of course I modified it to my taste and I encourage you to do the same. 

Here is what you’ll need:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
• Garlic - 1 clove minced or substitute minced garlic from a jar.
• Bread Crumbs - 1 cup. Substitute Panko or crushed Ritz crackers, if desired.
• Parmesan Cheese - 2/3rd cup grated. More is better.
• Basil - 1 teaspoon dried leaves. I leave this off.
• Black Pepper - ¼ teaspoon or to taste.
• Salt to taste.
• Other seasonings as desired. Cajun is good. 
• Skinless boneless chicken breasts - 6
• Baking dish 9" x 13" or whatever size you have that will fit the chicken breasts
• Two mixing bowls 

Got all that together? Great, lets cook!!!!

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. 
2. Lightly grease the baking dish.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the olive oil and garlic. 
4. In a second mixing bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil and seasonings.
5. Dip each chicken breast in the oil mixture, then in the bread crumb mixture.
6. Place the coated breasts in the baking dish. Top with any remaining bread crumbs.
7. Bake for about 30 minutes. The size of the chicken breasts will affect cooking times so use a meat thermometer to check for a safe internal temperature of 165°F.

When done, serve this with your favorite side dish. This would go good with some fettuccine or mashed potatoes. Maybe pair a crisp Pinot Grigio with it. 

I’ll Be Back

I hope you give cooking en femme a try. In the mean time I welcome comments either here on the blog or by email to Jenn6nov at-sign gmail dot com.

Wearing Boston Proper

Riya D'Souza