What is COOKING IN HEELS all about?

COOKING IN HEELS is a comic and practical cookbook blog for the modern Glamazon learning her way around the kitchen.

PESTO CHICKEN AND PASTA (THAT AIN'T ROCKET SCIENCE)

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: OY!

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When I was in 4th grade, I discovered that the back of my Math book had all the answers to every mathematical equation. I thought I was a genius for finding the answer page.

I would start to do the equation, and then just look in the back of the book. My plan was foiled when my teacher caught me. She said, "Sara, the only person you are cheating is YOU." And she was right. From there on out, I did my work and never cheated again in school.

Besides the fact that I didn't end up going to MIT (although it would have made for a better story if I suddenly became a math mastermind), I do believe in cheating...in the kitchen.

I think it's OK to cheat in cooking up something delicious and saying you made the packaged pesto from scratch.

And if you’ve got some chutzpah, make the pesto yourself! In a food processor: add 2 garlic cloves, 1 full cup of washed basil leaves, some pine nuts and a hearty amount of Parmesan —or no cheese! Process finely. Replace this mixture with the store-bought kind.

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  • Chicken cutlets
  • Fresh whole grain pasta
  • Plastic bin of Pesto

Boil water in a large pot.

Grill Chicken in a pan with olive oil.

When the chicken is almost done, take out and chop. Return meat to pan. Add a small amount of pesto to the mix.

When the water is boiling, add salt and pasta until done. Drain.

Back in the pot, add a dash of olive oil, and empty the pasta and the pesto into pot. Reserve some pesto for the top of the dish. Mix well.

How to Plate: Use the chicken strategically to dress the pasta—arrange chicken on top, drizzling additional pesto over the whole dish.

CHEESE CHIPS?!

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: OY!
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Living in Los Angeles requires a LOT of schlepping, which means hours upon hours in your car. Bring this along as a low-carb kick in the touchas!

The below is a delightful snack that is BIG on flavor, and gorgeous on the plate.

It's a cheese chip. Or if you want to sound fancy, a "Parmesan crisp."

You can make these and use them instead of crackers for appetizers, or in place of potato chips with a sandwich.
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  • Parmesan cheese (grated)
  • oil spray
  • garlic powder (optional)
  • paprika (optional)
  • cayenne pepper (optional)

Heat up your pan to medium-high. Spray your pan and sprinkle in the grated cheese in a small circular pile. You want to make sure the cheese grates are close enough to touch each other.

Add a bit of spice on top -- pick just one or none at all.

As the edges brown, slowly and carefully flip the cheese for the other side to brown.

After it's done, you can drain on a paper towel before plating.

Enjoy!