Well “Owl” Be! (plus Chicken Parmesan)

I do apologize to you for those following me looking for a new recipe, but we’ve been gone camping for four days on our RV property on a river by the coast of Oregon. But I am excited to share some photos of my husband installing a Barn Owl box he custom-built for me!

Barn Owl Box at the Base of the Slanted Tree of Its New Home

Barn owls are a natural way to rid your property of unwanted moles and mice, and other rodents. Since we only camp down there part-time, we would always come back to mounds of mole hills that are hard to mow over, and wires chewed through on our fridge or freezer. Frustrating!

Paul Screwing in the 2×4 to Hold the Owl Box

We are hoping to attract a barn owl family this year to help rid us naturally of these pests without chemicals or other drastic means.

Owl Box is Halfway Up There!

The last time we were there in the fall, we saw a barn owl fly by at eye level past our dock in the river two days in a row before we left! The box has been positioned (almost) at the spot we want, and has great visibility to the nest hole from the river.

Barn Owl Box Almost There!

He didn’t get it permanently installed yet, but it is hanging securely for now from two ropes.

Barn Owl Box Almost in It’s Final Spot ~ Soon!

But being a foodie blog, I thought I would also share a a couple of photos of one of our dinners while camping. I made Chicken Parmesan over Linguini.

Frying the Chicken

I don’t have a recipe for the fried version (we don’t have a regular oven in the RV, only a combined micro/convection oven and I have no clue how to run it in convection mode), HOWEVER here is a link to my baked version over spaghetti: Baked Chicken Parmesan. Thanks for reading!

Fried Chicken Parmesan over Linguini. Don’tcha just love my Melamine Camping Dinnerware? It is from my Mom, almost 40 years old!

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Crispy Baked Chicken Parmesan

Crispy Baked Chicken Parmesan

This was a quick and easy meal I threw together last week that my family inhaled. I was going to do the traditional method by frying the chicken in oil, but at the last minute decided to healthy it up a bit and bake it. I can tell you we did not miss the extra oil, and they came out so crispy and very tender! I was excited at first to have some leftovers to take to work the next day, but then my dear daughter decided she wanted a second helping and the entire meal was finished off. Next time I will double the batch. This recipe feeds three if you have a really hungry person in the household, or four if not. I thought a quarter pound of chicken on top of a mound of spaghetti with a meat sauce would be plenty for each person, but apparently not. 

My basil plants are but wee seedlings at the moment, and I totally spaced that I had some dried sweet basil in the spice cabinet when I took the photos. By the time I remembered that fact, the dinner was pretty much a done deal. I did remember it for my leftover portion, as shown later down below in my lunch container all ready for work, but my lunch went by the wayside, alas. But I’m happy my daughter is healthy and active and growing and I can provide enough nourishment!

Baked Chicken Ready to Flip

Crispy Baked Chicken Parmesan (or Parmigiana if you want to sound Italian)

1 pound chicken breast meat
1 egg
Splash of milk
1/2 cup crushed cornflakes
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Ground black pepper, to taste
Mrs. Dash Table Blend, or salt, to taste
About a 3/4-inch round of dried spaghetti
3 or 4 cups of prepared spaghetti sauce, any kind, heated
Shredded Mozzarella cheese (I used low-fat variety)
Fresh or dried basil, for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, get your water on to boil in a pot for the spaghetti, and heat up your spaghetti sauce, either stovetop or microwave.  I only had rather large bone-in chicken breasts, so deboned one and got two filets plus the chicken tenderloin out of it. If you have small chicken breasts, just pound them with a mallet until about 1/4-inch thin. If large, then butterfly in half, and pound a little, if needed. The tenderloin did not need it, of course.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and a splash of milk. On a plate, mix the crushed cornflakes, Panko bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, and seasonings. Dip the chicken in the egg wash, then dredge it on both sides through the cornflake/breadcrumb mixture. Place on a baking pan lined with crumpled aluminum foil sprayed with oil. If you have a baking rack, that would work too, but I don’t. Spray the top of the chicken with oil.

Add the pasta to your pot now as your water should be boiling. Now pop the chicken in the oven, and bake for 10 minutes, then flip over, spray with more oil, then bake 10 minutes more. Remove and drain your pasta at some point in those 20 minutes when it’s done and mix it in with about three-quarters of the heated spaghetti sauce, and divide into bowls or on plates. Now carefully spread a large spoonful of the spaghetti sauce to each piece of chicken, then top with some shredded Mozzarella cheese, turn the oven to broil, and bake until the cheese is gooey and starting to bubble, just a few minutes.

Chicken Parmesan Leftovers – NOT

I wanted to get some nice browned bubbly spots on the cheese, but the fam was starving and had to please. Place each chicken filet atop each mound of spaghetti (or cut pieces off if they are large) then garnish with fresh or dried basil. We ate this with a small green salad. We skipped doing the garlic bread thing with this, as there are enough carbs with everything else. Enjoy!