Perfect Chicken Parmesan!! ~Jackie

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus 3 tablespoons
1 medium onion
chopped 2 garlic cloves
minced 2 bay leaves
1/2 cup kalamata olives
pitted 1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes,drained and hand-crushed
Pinch sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 11/2 pounds)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 tablespoon water
1 cup dried bread crumbs
1 (8-ounce) ball fresh buffalo mozzarella water drained
Freshly grated Parmesan
1 pound spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente

Coat a saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets hazy, add the onions, garlic, and bay leaves; cook and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add the olives and some hand-torn basil. Carefully add the tomatoes (nothing splashes like tomatoes), cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes; season with sugar, salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Get the ingredients together for the chicken so you have a little assembly line. Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/2-inch thick. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine the eggs and water, beat until frothy. Put the bread crumbs on a plate, season with salt and pepper.
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame in a large oven-proof skillet. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.
Ladle the tomato-olive sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil. Bake the Chicken Parmesan for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve hot with spaghetti.

Lemon Yogurt Pie from Jackie

This cake had the perfect sweetness from fresh lemons! Very easy to make and serves 10-15 slices. It also looks perfect on a white serving platter.

1 1/2 cups-all purpose flour
2 teaspoons -baking powder
1/2 teaspoon - kosher salt
1 cup - plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups - sugar, divided
3 - extra large eggs
2 teaspoons - grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoons - pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup - vegetable oil
1/3 cup - freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the glaze
1 cup - confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons - freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 1/2X 4 1/4 X 2 1/2 inch loag pan. Line the bottome with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into one bowl. In another bowl, whisk yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake it still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the loaf and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.