And Then We Were 18!

Whenever I ditch Florida heat to take a vacation, I usually feel terrific the second I soak in new scenery and a cooler climate. But, after a couple of weeks, I'm also anxious to get back to my home and my bed! This year was different, as I wasn't quite ready to come back to reality!

My most recent vacation was a whirlwind tour of the northeast, encompassing Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York City. During the fifteen days away, I literally bounced from one destination to the next, and caught up with family and friends along the way.

While in NJ at Mama Melisi's, I managed to coordinate a mini-reunion. A few of my longest, dearest friends came...the staples who are more like family. I also had a couple of friends who I hadn't seen in 10-20 years.

Curiosity was soon shed as we quickly shared our common threads of spouses, kids, aging parents, home, careers...a few aches and pains. Thirty years with several milestones...and a lot of responsibility.

The evening went on, and we drank more of that magical potion, Chianti! Suddenly, it was all about us! Laughter ignited as we reminisced about old flames, first kisses, prom dates, past teachers, and disco dancing! Our memory bank catapulted us right to the halls of our high school. The night didn't end until the clock struck twelve!

I've been back in Florida now for two weeks. I happened to be on the computer with one of my mini-reunion friends. During our instant message exchange, she said, "When I was at your mom's, I felt 18!" I smiled as I thought, "What could be wrong with that?" I think that night, we were all 18 again. And Mama Melisi, who was in the next room, was 48, shedding thirty years, too!

I'll always look back fondly on the mini-reunion...good friends, a nice bottle of magic potion, and a great meal! You, too should have a mini-reunion. If you would like to make what Mama Melisi served that night, here's her recipe for breaded chicken cutlets with roasted peppers and artichokes! Again, we share this to you with love!

From Mama Melisi and Me

Chicken Cutlets with Roasted Peppers and Artichokes:

Ingredients:

6 thinly sliced chicken cutlets (use a kitchen mallet to pound cutlets to tenderize them)
1 cup skim milk or milk of your choice
1 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs
2 tablespoons Italian grating cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Pam cooking spray
1 onion
1 8 oz jar of red roasted peppers
1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts

Cooking Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with pam
Add cheese to breadcrumbs
Take the cutlets which have been soaking in milk and dip in breadcrumb mixture
Place cutlets on cookie sheet and drizzle olive oil over each cutlet
Bake for 15 minutes; turn and bake for another 15 minutes or until crumbs are golden

While cutlets are baking, slice onion and saute in tablespoon of olive oil
Saute until onion is golden in color
Drain roasted red peppers and slice them
Drain artichoke hearts
Add red peppers and artichokes to cooked onions and saute a bit
Place cooked chicken cutlets in casserole dish and pour vegetable mixture over top
Heat in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes

* If you prefer, you can place cooked chicken cutlets on platter, and serve vegetable mixture on the side.