The Merry Month of May

Just back from a flying visit to Georgia, where I enjoyed sunny days, warm weather, mellifluous bird songs, and really great food. Inspired by the many delightful meals I had there and by a wonderful thrift store find, Cooking across the South, I'm now back to blogging about my culinary experiments. Yesterday had me whipping up a buttermilk banana bread that has great texture and taste. Today, I'm going for garlic baked chicken breasts on creamy egg noodles accompanied by roasted asparagus and sliced tomatoes. All will be served on my recent E-Bay purchase of vintage Melmac (Royalon Corsage pattern) - I got tired of chipped china and oversized plates. Melmac brings a touch of nostalgia to the dinner table and is appropriately sized to ensure that portions are moderate. Plus, it coordinates really well with my kitchen colors! My husband's not all that impressed ("It's like going camping everyday"), but eventually I hope he'll adapt.

Garlic Baked Chicken

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp each salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder

Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray oven-safe dish with oil. Combine spices in shallow dish and dredge the chicken breasts in the mixture. Place chicken breasts in oiled dish and sprinkle any remaining spices on top. Bake for 40 minutes, turning at the halfway point.

Creamy Noodles

1 pkg. (340 g) egg noodles
1 c. whipping cream
1/2 c. milk
2 tsp chopped fresh chives
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 tsp grated parmesan

Prepare noodles according to package directions. In small, heavy saucepan,  combine cream and milk. Bring to boil over medium heat, then simmer on low until reduced to thick, nutty sauce, whisking occasionally. Stir in chives, pepper and parmesan. Toss into drained noodles.

Roasted Asparagus

4-5 spears asparagus per person
Fresh grated gruyère
Sea salt
Olive oil

Place asparagus in lightly oiled pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle sea salt lightly over top and grate cheese over all. Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes.