We’re a very busy family and both my husband and I work outside the home. It has become our weekly tradition to have our “Family Dinner” night on Sundays, which is also great because I can take time to make something special. 
Tonight’s menu:
Mixed greens with freshly made Balsamic Vinaigrette
Homemade beer bread with herb oil dipping sauce (both recipes from this forum!)
Fettuccine Alfredo
Chicken Parmigiana
Blueberry Cobbler with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Balsamic Vinaigrette: I just use the cruet you get from the store and switch out the white vinegar for balsamic vinegar, and the vegetable oil for olive oil. Then I put about a teaspoon of dried Italian herbs into my hand and crush them into the cruet using my fingers. Hold the top securely and shake - great “fresh-tasting” dressing and really easy to boot!
The fettuccine and alfredo sauce are both store-bought.
Chicken Parmigiana: I simply take chicken breasts (flatten them if necessary) and dredge them first in egg, then in bread crumbs, then in milk, then grated Parmesan cheese. Fry them up in a pan of heated vegetable oil (medium heat) til cooked through and browned nicely. I have to put them in an oven to keep warm because I don’t have a frying pan big enough to cook the whole batch at once. I use store-bought marinara sauce (Trader Joe’s) but I add a few splashes of whatever red wine I am planning on serving with dinner (always Italian). So, I take the chicken and top with the heated marinara, then put a slice of Provolone cheese on top of that - then bake in a 350 oven for about 5-8 minutes or til the cheese is melted. Then I carefully use a spatula to put them on each person’s dinner plate.
I have an actual recipe for the cobbler - the one below is peach but for tonight I substituted a thawed bag of frozen blueberries. I think I love the blueberry version even more than the peach version! Enjoy!
-= Exported from BigOven =-
Jen's Favorite Buttermilk Cobbler
Recipe By:
Serving Size: 8
Cuisine: Southern
Main Ingredient: Peaches
Categories: Summer, Desserts
-= Ingredients =-
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Flour
1 teaspoon Baking powder
1 cup Buttermilk
1/2 cup Butter ; melted
3 cups Peaches ; sliced thin
3/4 cup Brown sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
-= Instructions =-
Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine first four ingredients, set aside.
In bowl, gently combine peaches, brown sugar and cinnamon. Pour butter into three quart baking dish; spread peaches over melted butter. Pour runny cobbler dough over fruit and bake at 375°F 30-40 minutes or up to one hour. Keep an eye to watch for burning - when done topping will be golden brown around the edges.
Serve warm with French vanilla ice cream; keep leftover cobbler refrigerated.
Note: You can easily substitute another fruit such as blueberries, raspberries, etc.