This recipe idea is possibly one of the best I ever saw but never would’ve thought of myself (and now I’m consequently kicking myself for not doing so). I got this recipe from the book Eat Cheap but Eat Well by Charles Mattocks, aka “The Poor Chef,” another author I met at the Lord & Taylor fundraiser last week. It combines the idea behind French toast, where you dip the bread in an egg mixture before you cook it, and the classic French sandwich croque monsieur, in which the bread is slathered with butter and then fried. Its another easy and affordable and most importantly quick meal that’s both fun and delicious. The entire book is filled with amazing meals so I highly suggest you check it out for yourself. Plus, Charles is a really nice guy! And he’s Bob Marley’s nephew, which is kinda cool.

Speaking of cool, this is like a cooler, more sophisticated grilled cheese, with chicken. Its really delicious, and you can add whatever you like to it; onions, peppers, etc… or remove options, like the tomato. Its great for kids, but also parties, etc. You could make a vegetarian version using just cheese and veggies, or even make a sweet version using Challah bread and chocolate! The possibilities are endless.

FRENCH-TOASTED CHICKEN SANDWICHES

Serves 4, or 2 very hungry people

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Dash of freshly ground black (or white) pepper
• 8 slices sandwich bread
• 2 cups sliced cooked chicken (about 1/4 inch thick)
• 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
• 2 sprigs fresh oregano, chopped
• 3 ounces Gruyere, Swiss or mozzarella cheese (about 3/4 cup), preferably sliced but shredded could work too
• Butter

Directions:

1. In a shallow bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, Parmesan and salt and pepper. Lay out a baking sheet or piece of aluminum foil large enough to hold 4 pieces of bread. Dip one side of each of the 4 pieces of bread into the mixture so that the outside is coated but the bread isn’t soggy. Lay the bread egg-side down on the prepared surface.
2. Top each slice with an equal amount of chicken. Cover the chicken with slices of tomato. Sprinkle the tomato with oregano and cover with the cheese.
3. Dip one side of the remaining bread slices into the egg mixture, adding more milk if necessary, and place the slices egg-side up on top of each sandwich. Trim off any chicken, tomato or cheese that extend past the ends of the bread.
4. Over medium heat, melt enough of the butter in a medium-size skillet to cover the bottom. Carefully add 1 or 2 sandwiches. When the bottom is golden brown and firm, carefully flip over to the other side, adding more butter as necessary. Repeat until all the sandwiches are done.
5. Serve immediately, while warm.

Yum! Super good, super easy, and super filling. I look forward to making more recipes from this book, and of course sharing them with all of you!

In other news, Yoyo‘s Earth Day tote giveaway went off without a hitch today! The winners are TRACEY, ESTHER, BRIANNE and J.INGLE! Congratulations ladies! In case you were wondering, the totes are filled with tons of good stuff, including two recipes from me, printed out on fancy-schmancy designed-and-created-by-myself recipe cards (with special handwritten messages on the back).

To the rest of you, wanna see what you didn’t win?

Of course, that giant CUPCAKEREHAB watermark isn’t on them, they’re bigger, and much cooler. Bet you’re sorry now that you didn’t enter, huh. They’re both recipes you can find on here, but you won’t find them all pretty like that. Oh well, maybe next time when Yoyo has a contest- you’ll enter!

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