Gourmet Night at Chez Hausfrau

I'm ready for my close-up, Food Network! I think after this, you'll want me to host my own show.

Today was a long day... started with waking up earlier than I usually get up when we're leaving on the earliest flight to Vegas so I could drive over to my mom's place and take her for some outpatient stuff. LONG day.

I did get home this afternoon and I wanted to get in a nap, but it wasn't happening. Even my usual "always works" method of slamming down a soda as I have a smoke (hey... it works for me) didn't get me into the sleepy mood.

But despite all that, I was still able to whip up a wonderful meal that would impress my friends and guests.

Start with some pre-frozen, pre-stuffed, pre-breaded pre-prepped chicken breasts....



Add some pre-double-stuffed potatoes (I wasn't sure which one the hubby would prefer, and he was not home yet, so I made both packages).....


Arrange artfully on a platter and cook according to cooking instructions. Or use almond paste. Whatever you have on hand. (For my fellow Shrikes)



I even rounded out the meal with some asparagus. (Warning, actual useful information ahead!) Easiest way to cut asparagus... wrestle out one spear from the bottom rubber band, then snap that one to figure out where to cut the rest of the bundle. This means no more rouge asparagus spears trying to frantically escape the horror that will be the final plating.



To subscribe to my "hey, I did something so this wasn't a TOTAL half-ass meal and this extra touch will make very little sense" patented (pending) food-preparation equation, top each chicken breast with one abnormally large parsley leaf (or almond paste, whatever you have on hand) and spend four bucks on fresh chives (which, incidentally, is only about two bucks less than the cost of everything else in this fine meal) to sprinkle a teaspoon of chopped chives on the poatoes.



Oh, and cocktail time? This one makes ALLLLLL your guests happy.




A Miller Chill (the pre-limed beer) with Lime.

WHOOT!