One Month!!!

At this time, in one month, I will be dancing my booty off, celebrating being married to my BFF John Robinson! I. Can. Not. Wait!!! No really, I can't wait. Those of you who have been around me in the past 3 or 4 months know that I'm semi over the whole "engaged" thing, and that I'm mildly annoyed that we're not married. BUT, we just have one more month....I think I can wait...I think I can...

One of our favorite things to do together is cook. We have always cooked together; in the tiny kitchen in my apartment and in the slightly bigger but way more salmonella infested kitchen in the Project House. This year has been a struggle, since we don't really have a kitchen of our own. We've really enjoyed mooching off of his parents and my aunt for a kitchen and supplies, but it's not the same. And, we've just had less time to cook together in general! Here is a terrible example of what happens when I cook by myself:

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup....not so delicious

 Tonight, bless his heart, John came up with the most awesome dinner menu! He picked out an heirloom tomato salad from the Food Network magazine that was supposed to imitate grilled cheese and tomato soup. We also made some panko oven-fried chicken tenders with a habanero mustard dipping sauce. YUM! Here's the recipe:

Heirloom Tomato Salad:

4 slices Italian bread, cubed
4 tbsp. olive oil
Sea Salt
LOTS Fresh Cracked Pepper
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
2 lbs. mixed heirloom tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 bunch scallions, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
3/4 c. shredded Gruyere
1 tbsp. flour

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 F.
2) Toss bread with 2 tbsp. olive oil, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown. Set aside.
3) Combine mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, remaining olive oil in a large bowl. Toss with tomatoes, scallions, and dill. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
4) Toss cheese and flour. Form into 4 mounds on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown.
5) Top salad with croutons ad serve with the cheese crisp!

Panko-Crusted Chicken Tenders:

1 package chicken tenders
2 eggs
1 c. (+) panko tossed with salt and pepper

Directions:

1) Coat chicken with egg, then with panko breading.
2) Bake at 400 F for appx. 20 minutes.

Habanero-Mustard

3 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. white basalmic vinegar
1 tsp. habanero mustard
Salt
Pepper

Directions: Combine all ingredients!

And THIS is what it looks like when John and I cook together!

Love wins again!

OH! And that wine was AMAZING! It's from Chateau Grand Rosseau in Bordeaux, and it's their Entre-Deux Mers (ok....I might be totally wrong about ALL of that...the bottle is in French, and I have no idea what's going on. It's a white Bordeaux. Good luck.)