Baked Chicken breast

So tonight I had a guest in my home for dinner.  She's pregnant, so I asked before she arrived if she had any special requests for dinner.  She said no, so, like my kids, she gets what I make.

Before she arrived, I pulled out this pack of chicken that I bought a few weeks ago.  It was so crazy cheap I bought several packs.  Check out this price sticker:  That's right.  Less than five dollars for all that chicken.  Of course, before it was baked it filled the pan:

So I started by thawing this puppy out in my microwave, then separated the chicken and spread it out a bit, since the pieces that were touching still had ice on them but the edges were completely thawed.  So I flipped some of the pieces over and arranged them so the frozen parts were all on the outside of the pan.  To season them, all I did was dump what was left of a bottle of Italian Dressing (about 3/4 of a bottle, purchased at $2, so $1.50 worth of dressing) over the chicken, then put the whole thing in the oven at 390 degrees for 50 minutes.

My friend and I drove to Jones' produce stand, which just opened today, while the chicken was cooking, because I had vouchers for $5 worth of free produce from there.  I ended up getting 7 ears of corn for $2.70, and 4 plums for $2.25.  Had I actually paid cash for the corn, it would have been $1.55 for the 4 ears we ate.  (I cooked 5 ears but Andrew and Luke each only had 1/2 an ear.)  We came home and cooked it, and it was done just a few minutes after the chicken was.

Dessert was these bat-shaped cookies I made for the first time last Halloween, and a few times since then when the kids really, really want me to (and also when I happen to want something chocolate-y and it's too late to go out and buy some).  So anyway, I made a batch yesterday on my day off and we had some more for dessert tonight.  They're a ginger-snap with no ginger, but with cocoa and mint extract.  They taste like the inside of a thin mint.

Here's the recipe: In a large bowl, mix 2/3 cup shortening, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 egg; beat until creamy.  Stir in 1/4 cup light corn syrup and 1/4 tsp peppermint extract. 

In a separate bowl, mix 1/4 cup cocoa, 1 and 3/4 cups flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt. 

Blend dry mix into wet mix. 

Here we reach a fork in the road:

To cut into shapes, mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1 Tbsp cocoa (or use dry Quik mix) and roll cookies out onto that instead of "roll on floured board". 

To make a soft, round cookie like a traditional gingersnap, just roll the dough into balls in your palm, then roll the balls gently in sugar, and place on a cookie sheet.  You don't need to flatten them (like a peanut butter cookie)  They will flatten by themselves as they bake (like a chocolate chip cookie).

Either way, bake at 350 on un-greased sheets for 12 - 15 mins.  I cut these into shapes like sugar cookies, but I tend toward less traditional shapes, like doing these "bats" last Halloween, and again yesterday. 

So, our total for tonight is: $4.80 chicken, $1.50 italian dressing, $1.55 corn (but not really 'cause I had vouchers but whatever), and I am NOT calculating the cost of these cookies because it would take me so long to accurately figure out what they cost that I'm just going to say $1 for the 10 cookies we ate tonight.  A box of Girl Scout brand Thin Mints costs $4 and comes with 40 cookies, and I don't think mine cost more than the brand name ones.

All of that brings our total to $8.85 and that includes an extra adult who was eating for two.

And FYI, this photo is not from Halloween. It's from tonight. My boy just felt like dressing up with his dessert.  And then asking for four more cookies, Pleeeeeease.

Tune in next week.  Same Bat Time.  Same Bat Channel.