Plot Monkeys

Did anyone realize it’s the fifth Friday of the month? That means a group giveaway from ALL the plotmonkeys!
A $40.00 Amazon gift certificate so you can add to your TBR pile.

Of course we HOPE you’ll preorder our new releases:
Julie - Phantom Pleasures - April 2008
Janelle - Wild for Him - June 2008
Leslie - Slow Hands, Blaze, June 2008
Carly - Hot Property - July 2008
Of course we’ll never know, so we go on the honor system here.

Just post - tell us why you want the gift certificate and we’ll choose a winner and announce on Sunday!
HAPPY FRIDAY!

I recently came across an article that talked about movie quotes that have become famous through the years. Quotes that we, as viewers of those movies, sometimes even use ourselves. Such as “Hasta la vista, baby!” (Terminator 2) or “Here’s looking at you, kid.” (Casablanca). As I was reading through the list, I thought it would be fun to post some of them here to see how many you all can guess! I’ll post the quotes first and the movie they came from below. Have fun!

1. “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

2. “Go ahead; make my day.”

3. “Hello, Gorgeous.”

4. “Here’s Johnny!”

5. “Houston, we have a problem.”

6. “I feel the need . . . the need for speed!”

7. “I see dead people.”

8. “I’ll have what she’s having.”

9. “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”

10. “Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

11. “My precious.”

12. “No wire hangers, ever!”

13. “Nobody puts baby in a corner.”

14. “Play it again, Sam.”

15. “Show me the money!”

16. “Snap out of it!”

17. “There’s no place like home.”

18. “They’re Here.”

19. “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

20. “You can’t handle the truth!”

21. “Yo, Adrian!”

22. “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?”

23. “What do you mean he don’t eat no meat? That’s okay — I make lamb.”

24. “I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way.”

25. “Luke, I am your father.” (This one was for Julie! )

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE ANSWERS!

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1. Gone with the Wind
2. Sudden Impact (Dirty Harry)
3. Funny Girl
4. The Shining
5. Apollo 13
6. Top Gun
7. The Sixth Sense
8. When Harry Met Sally
9. The Godfather II
10. Forrest Gump
11. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers
12. Mommie Dearest
13. Dirty Dancing
14. Casablanca
15. Jerry Maguire
16. Moonstruck
17. Wizard of Oz
18. Poltergeist
19. Jaws
20. A Few Good Men
21. Rocky
22. Dirty Harry
23. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
24. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
25. Star Wars

So, how many did you guess right? What is your all time favorite movie quote?

Those of you who visit on Saturdays have already met today’s guest blogger, Susan Kearney. Sue and I have been critique partners for…gulp…over 15 years! I watched her children grow up and she’s watched mine (though mine’s not done yet!) We’ve edited each others books, watched each other move from genre to genre and from publisher to publisher. She’s a tell-it-like-it-is kind of gal, and I’m happy to introduce her to those of you who aren’t familiar with her work.

She has a book out this month, SOLAR HEAT, and I’m thrilled to have her here today to talk about book trailers, the newest craze in book promotion. So, please welcome Sue to the jungle!
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The extremes that an author will go to just to sell a book . . .

Even as I wrote Solar Heat I was imagining how we would make the book video. Most authors do something to promote their books and since I like making the videos, I knew I wanted to do another one. But my last video, KISS ME DEADLY a romantic suspense set on Earth was way easier to figure out than a book that didn’t have one scene on planet Earth!

We needed sets, costumes, makeup and special effects—a tall order for someone who didn’t know anything about this technology three years ago.
I decided to start by hiring a specialist to create the spaceship bridge. That had to be the central piece in the video. Next we had to create a giant green screen as a background so we could pop out the actors and replace the green background with otherworldly pictures and videos. To make the greenscreen, my husband painted a bunch of 4 foot by
8 foot pieces of Styrofoam and taped them together. We ended up with a stage about fifty feet long and thirty feet high. For the floor, we painted a huge piece of canvass green.

During this process I sat down and wrote a script. The hard part was trying to write a story that represented Solar Heat when I didn’t know what we could do technically. I hired a male and female actor to play the parts. Luckily these same models were also on the book cover (thank you Tara—my daughter the photographer) so we had continuity. For costumes, I found these wonderful shirts that looked like uniforms and I lucked out when the female model had a friend who designed clothing that looked futuristic.

We actually shot all the scenes in one day. My son and his friend filled in as the bridge crew. All the scenes were shot in front of the greenscreen, except the boardroom scene, the bar scene and the couch scene.

And then a very talented friend Mike, who has a camera shot the scenes.
For the shower, my husband rigged a hose in front of the greenscreen and we dropped in the background later. The bridge scene where the ship is under attack was interesting. My son and the hero stood on a trailer. We put green canvas under their feet and behind them. Then my husband used a forklift to lift one end of the trailer and dropped it. Where the actors are catching their balance, they look real because we actually dropped them. Later Mike popped the actors out of the green background and put them on the bridge. And then with some technological wizardry, he shook the ship to match the actors’ motions.

And Mike did all the special effects and the sound. Some of the scenes that flash by in a second of viewing take weeks of work. And all this was done to grab readers’ attention so they will buy the book. I’ll bet you didn’t know it was so hard to sell a book!

Here’s the video trailer for Solar Heat!

All of my book videos are posted on my website. You can see them at www.susankearney.com

Anybody who’s been around here for any time at all knows all four of us are dog people. We all have dogs, we all love our dogs. I guess there really are dog people and cat people, just as there are pie people and cake people. I’m a dog person…and a cake person. Bruce is a cat person…and a pie person. But we still manage to muddle along.

Dulcie–our new puppy–is growing by leaps and bounds, and Cassie hasn’t killed her yet. No, they’re not best friends. But they do get along okay for the most part.

Dulcie is still chewing everything in sight. She takes the slippers right off my feet, and no tiny little bit of paper, lint, fallen leaf or heaven forbid–food product–is safe if it hits the floor. She’s a shaggy little thing, adorably cute and fluffy, and sometimes I tell her I might as well sew her to my butt because every time I turn around, she’s shadowing me! Can’t tell you how many times I’ve tripped over her.

Potty training is good some days, not so good others. But she’s done really well with her crate training. Goes right into her little den at night and we don’t hear a peep out of her until morning. Once that peep comes, however, it’s accompanied by a bunch of yips and howls…she wants OUT and the moment she GETS out, she wants CASSIE! She charges to middle daughter’s room (where Cassie sleeps) and tries to get Cassie to come out and play. But, like me, Cassie is not a morning person. It’s then that we see the most disputes between them.

Cassie’s learned a few tricks to get rid of the pest when she’s had enough. She can jump up onto the couch. Up until about a week ago, Dulcie could not. So there were many “I got your toy, nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah” moments when the six-year-old would dangle something over the side, and jerk her head back as Dulcie bounced like a Mexican jumping bean, trying to take it back.

Now that Dulcie’s made it up a few time, Cassie doesn’t try this so often.

Up until a few days ago, Dulcie couldn’t handle the stairs, so when Cassie wanted a break, she’d take off up to the girls’ rooms, leaving the puppy crying at the bottom of the staircase.

Now Dulcie can climb up. But she can’t make it down…only up.

Cassie has found a way around this problem too, however. She either lures Dulcie upstairs, then races back down, abandoning her crying at the top. Or else she simply heads for the basement steps and goes down to hang out in the rec room. Either way…no Dulcie. Is this dog smart, or what?

Heaven help her when Dulcie learns to climb down!

Just for laughs, I thought we could try one of those fun quizzes. This one is called “What Common Breed of Dog Are You?”. Go take it and let us know what you were…and laugh at some of the questions. Why do I see Julie choosing “world domination” and “Stand my ground and intimidate the problem.. They WILL back down.. oh yes.”

PS: I was a Lab. Nice dogs. But, uh, I definitely don’t think that description fits me to a T. (It’s better than what I was the first time, though…I HATE Bulldogs…lolololol!)

What Common Breed of Dog Are You?

Labrador
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… from Aruba where I was vacationing for a week. We had fun, sun, good food, and better company. We’ve been going to the Hyatt for the last four years with the same family (as an aside: they are in the dedication of Hot Property coming in June). This year, there were half a dozen families from my neighborhood and my kids’ schools on vacation in the same hotel. Maybe more. It was great to walk the beach and see familiar faces and share laughs. Many, many laughs. It started on the plane ride there.

Unfortunately, my husband got sick. A cough like I’ve never heard and he was really miserable for a lot of the trip. Not that you can tell from this picture. But at least he got to recuperate in warm weather.

Once a day the Aloe Man came by with aloe for your sunburn. I never saw my youngest daughter during the day until the pictures were uploaded. She spent all day in the water with her friends, on the beach, in the water.

I missed the dogs and they missed us.

BUT NOW I’M HOME.
To catch you all up, I’m working on Lucky Streak for next year and promotion for Hot Property in June. That means a book trailer/video and bookmarks and more. I’ll keep you posted as I know more.

I missed the jungle while I was away.
Anything huge happen in my absence?

PATRICIA W. (Comment #34)

AND

SUSIE (Comment #87)

CONGRATULATIONS to the both of you! Please contact me at janelledenison @ sbcglobal.net with your mailing address and your choice of book from my backlist so I can mail out your prize package!

SUNDAY FUNNY:

A lady walks into a high class jewelry shop. She browses around, spots a beautiful diamond bracelet and walks over to inspect it. As she bends over to look more closely she inadvertently breaks wind. Very embarrassed, she looks around nervously to see if anyone has noticed her little accident and prays that a sales person doesn’t pop up right now. As she turns around, her worst nightmare materializes in the form of a salesman standing right behind her.

Cool as a cucumber and displaying complete professionalism, the salesman greets the lady with, “Good day, Madam. How may we help you today?”

Very uncomfortably, but hoping that the salesman may just not have been there at the time of her little ‘accident’, she asks, “Sir, what is the price of this lovely bracelet?”

He answers, “Madam, if you farted just looking at it, you’re going to shit when I tell you.”

Have a wonderful, relaxing Sunday everyone!

We’re so excited to have Kensington Brava author Helenkay Dimon in the jungle today!

Helenkay (like our own Carly) is a former attorney who traded power suits and court cases for pajamas and romance writing. Her first sale, to Kensington editor Kate Duffy, was a novella which appeared in the Brava collection WHEN GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO BAD BOYS.

It was followed by a novella collection of her own, called VIVA LAS BAD BOYS, which was where I first read her. I was immediately hooked, as Helenkay’s books are funny, super-sexy and fast-paced, with fabulous dialogue. As a reader, there’s nothing I appreciate more than being simply charmed by every word, and that’s what Helenkay’s books do.

Her newest release RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW, which will be in stores THIS WEEK (hint hint) is a Romantic Times Magazine 4 1/2 Top Pick. “Dimon combines fresh, solid character voices reminiscent of chick lit with love scenes that sizzle with the passion and intensity of any hot erotica. The result is one comical page-turner.”

Just FYI…Helenkay is also a strong voice in the romance writing industry, with an insightful blog and a common sense presence in the sometimes insane world of romancelandia. Be sure to check out her website if you get a chance! www.helenkaydimon.com

Please join us in giving a big jungle welcome to Helenkay Dimon! (Who will be coming around to answer questions today…so don’t be shy.)

Recycling, Reusing and Any Other R You Can Think Of

Before I sold my first book, I would hear comments in workshops or at conferences that seemed to contradict each other. To be honest, I heard about a hundred comments that contradicted each other. The specific contradiction I’m talking about now is one you get when you have a manuscript rejected. This is the move on and write something else advice versus the you may be able to use this somewhere else at some other time advice. I can honestly say I’ve followed…both. That sounds like one more contradiction.

Not so fast.

There are a few authors out there who wrote their first book and sold it. We hate them. (Just kidding) For the rest of us, we wrote a manuscript (or three or seven), lived through a round(s) of rejections and eventually sold something else. Even after that first sale, we have ideas that meet with rejection. We hate that (and I’m not kidding this time). The question then is: when do you move on from a project and how the heck do you know you should.

The Move On And Write Something Else advice

This is, quite possibly, the worst advice to hear. This explains why so few people follow it when they get it. The ego, emotion and love associated with writing a manuscript or coming up with an idea makes letting go tough. That doesn’t mean you should ignore the advice. There are obvious times to let go and move:

-When your category romance is 700 pages long and you refuse to cut a word.
-When your single title idea is such a mess that your heroine’s name changed twice during the span of the manuscript (and, yes, I have written this book).
-When you have entered every contest with the same manuscript for two years.
-When your love for one book or idea has made it so that you can’t come up with another or think you can’t write something else.
- When it’s been rejected everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
-When you try to explain the plot to someone and end up saying something along the lines of, “well, you just have to read it because it’s too hard to explain.”

Come on. Some of those look familiar, don’t they?

The You May Be Able To Use This Somewhere Else At Some Other Time advice

But, and here’s the good news, there are projects that can be revived (revised, reused – pick your “r” word). Now, I will admit that I heard this from my now-editor Kate Duffy before she was my editor. I thought she was…well, lying. Really, I thought she was being nice. I now know better. She doesn’t get paid to be nice. What she was really saying was that the idea I had was the wrong project or the wrong moment or not written well enough or not written as it should have been written.

For example, my release last year, YOUR MOUTH DRIVES ME CRAZY (Brava July ‘07), a romance set in Kauai, Hawaii, was the second single title I ever tried to write (the first was the one with the problematic heroine name, a secret baby, a mystery and possibly a cowboy who was once an alien…I’ve blocked most of it). I pitched the Hawaii single title romance idea for the first time to my then-not-yet-editor and she said it was too dark, the attraction was too instantaneous and it wasn’t the right place to start my career. She told me to put it away and we’d revisit it later. I then sold four novellas to her, but I never forgot the “we’ll revisit it later” part.

When it came time to try to write my first published single title for my now-editor, I dragged out that old Hawaii romance idea. After two years of not looking at it, what I once thought was brilliant was obviously not. Rather than go with that original Hawaii romance idea, I came up with a different one and YOUR MOUTH DRIVES ME CRAZY was born. But that original idea did not die. I revisited it one more time late last year. I re-wrote, revised, restructured and re-everything until it was the right Hawaii romance at the right time. That single title will be out in April 2009.

Is There A Point To This?

Believe it or not, yes. Just think about all of those folks who wanted to write paranormal romance for all those years and were told the market was not there. They had an idea or a book at the wrong time or written in the wrong way, but they had something worth nurturing and keeping alive for a later time. Sure, some of those were books that were never meant to happen and needed to be put to the side forever (category #1). Others were books that needed to find a time, a place, a different voice or something that only a bit of time could help discover (Category #2).

The reality is that not all manuscripts or ideas are viable. Being able to move on is the key, but not all have to be put aside forever. Some ideas need to find their time and, yes, get a complete overhaul before they work. It all comes down to the same thing: read, write, revise and start again. Just remember that starting again doesn’t always mean from scratch.

Since I’m still in the Valentine’s mood, today I’m giving away TWO prizes to TWO lucky winners!!! Whoo-hoo!

Today’s two winners will receive a fun heat-activated mug that says “Coffee, Chocolate, Men . . . ” and when you put hot liquid in it the brown circle fades away to reveal the second part of the saying “Some things are just better when they’re rich“. Winners will also receive a box of Harry and David’s strawberry chocolates. Since I ate a box of these myself, I can attest to how fabulous they taste! Oh, and of course each winner will be able to select one of my backlist books (depending on availability).

All you have to do to enter today’s contest is post a comment below, then check back on Sunday to see if you’re one of this week’s winner!

The writer’s strike is FINALLY over, and new shows should be coming soon.

While I do love watching American Idol and The Biggest Loser, I was getting tired of watching reruns on other series shows. Of course, since the writer’s have been on strike for over three months now, and they haven’t written any new TV scripts during that time, all of the TV series schedules are all out of whack. So, now the question is, when is your favorite TV show going to be back on, and when can you look forward to fresh, new shows being aired? Well, I came across a rundown of all the shows that have been waiting in limbo the past three months, and what their upcoming schedules will be. I thought I’d share it here, for those of you who are wondering when to expect your favorite shows.

24
Season 7 postponed until January ‘09.

30 Rock
Expected to shoot 5 to 10 new episodes to air in April/May.

Aliens in America
Eight pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.

Back to You
Two pre-strike episodes remain. Future TBD.

Battlestar Galactica
Returns April 4 with first half of 20-episode final season. Production on second half could start as early as March. Airdate for those TBD.

The Big Bang Theory
Returns April 4 with first half of 20-episode final season. Production on second half could start as early as March. Airdate for those TBD.

Big Love
Expected to go into production on Season 3 in March. Airdate info is TBD.

Big Shots
No new episodes expected. Ever.

Bionic Woman
No new episodes expected. Ever.

Bones
Four pre-strike episodes left. Unclear whether additional episodes will be produced for this season.

Boston Legal
One pre-strike episode remains. Expected to shoot 6 to 8 additional episodes to air in April/May.

Brothers & Sisters
One pre-strike episode remains. Expected to shoot 4 or 5 additional episodes to air in April/May.

Burn Notice
Production on Season 2 expected to get under way in late April. New episodes could start airing as early as July.

Cane
No additional episodes expected this season. Future beyond that TBD.

Chuck
No new episodes until fall.

The Closer
Expected to kick off its fourth season this summer.

Cold Case
Expected to shoot 5 new episodes to begin airing on March 30.

Criminal Minds
Expected to shoot 7 new episodes to begin airing April 2.

CSI
Expected to shoot 6 new episodes to begin airing April 3.

CSI: Miami
Expected to shoot 8 new episodes to begin airing March 24.

CSI: NY
Expected to shoot 7 new episodes to begin airing April 7.

Desperate Housewives
Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

Dirty Sexy Money
No new episodes planned until fall; three remaining pre-strike episodes will undergo some tweaking and kick off fall run.

ER
Expected to shoot 4 to 6 new episodes to air in April/May.

Everybody Hates Chris
Twelve pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.

Friday Night Lights
No new episodes expected for this season. Future TBD.

The Game
Four pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 8 or 9 additional episodes to air in March/April/May.

Ghost Whisperer
Expected to shoot 6 new episodes to begin airing on April 4.

Girlfriends
No new episodes expected this season, although a special one-hour series finale is being discussed.

Gossip Girl
Expected to shoot up 5 or 6 episodes to air in April/May.

Greek
Kicks off second half of Season 1 on March 24. Still awaiting Season 2 pickup.

Grey’s Anatomy
Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

Heroes
No new episodes expected until fall.

House
Expected to shoot 4 to 6 new episodes to air in April/May.

How I Met Your Mother
Expected to shoot 9 new episodes to begin airing March 17.

Jericho
Seven episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.

Journeyman
No new episodes expected. Ever.

Las Vegas
Three pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.

Law & Order
Expected to shoot an indeterminate number of episodes to air in spring.

Law & Order: CI
Expected to shoot an indeterminate number of episodes to air in spring.

Law & Order: SVU
Expected to shoot an indeterminate number of episodes to air in spring.

Life
No new episodes expected until fall.

Life Is Wild
No new episodes expected. Ever.

Lost
Six pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot five additional episodes to air in April/May.

Medium
Six pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot additional episodes for this season.

Men in Trees
Eleven pre-strike episodes remain, the first of which airs Feb. 27. No additional episodes expected this season.

Moonlight
Expected to shoot 4 new episodes to begin airing on April 11.

My Name Is Earl
Expected to shoot 8 to 10 new episodes to air in April/May.

NCIS
Expected to shoot 7 new episodes to begin airing on April 8.

The New Adventures of Old Christine
Seven pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected this season.

Nip/Tuck
Season 5 concludes Feb. 19. Production on the show’s eight-episode sixth season expected to start up this summer. Airdate TBD.

Numbers
Expected to shoot 6 new episode to begin airing on April 4.

October Road
Four pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.

The Office
Expected to shoot 6 new episodes to air in April/May.

One Tree Hill
Fivex pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 5 or 6 additional episodes to air in April/May.

Prison Break
Two pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.

Private Practice
Slim chance it could return with 4 or 5 new episodes this season. Either way, it’ll be back in the fall.

Pushing Daisies
No new episodes until fall.

Reaper
Three pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 5 or 6 additional episodes to air in April/May.

The Riches
Seven-episode second season kicks off March 18.

Rules of Engagement
Expected to shoot 6 new episodes to begin airing on April 14.

Samantha Who?
Three remaining pre-strike episodes could be held until fall (see Dirty Sexy Money).

Saturday Night Live
Returns Feb. 23.

Scrubs
Four pre-strike episodes remain. Four additional episodes will likely be shot; unclear whether they’ll air on NBC or go straight to DVD.

Shark
Expected to shoot 4 new episodes. Airdate TBD.

The Shield
Final season already shot. Airdate TBD.

Smallville
Four pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 5 additional episodes to air in April/May.

Supernatural
Two pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 4 or 5 additional episodes to air in April/May.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Four pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.

Two and a Half Men
Expected to shoot 9 new episodes begin airing on March 17.

Ugly Betty
Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

The Unit
No additional episodes expected this season. Future beyond that TBD.

Without a Trace
Expected to shoot 6 new episodes to begin airing on April 3.

Women’s Murder Club
No new episodes expected this season. Future beyond that TBD.

Personally, I’m anxiously awaiting new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, Boston Legal, Desperate Housewives, Law & Order, Moonlight, Medium, and Without a Trace. And I’m sooooo bummed that BIG SHOTS has been cancelled! I loved that show! What about you? What shows are you looking forward to seeing again?

I actually have the week off from construction. I know that I want my kitchen to be done (only painting, tile and some finishing work with the crown moulding and lighting is left,) but as someone who is accustomed to having the house to herself for the majority of every day, it’s very disconcerting to have people coming in and out at will for two solid weeks…especially when, no matter how much my contractor assures me his workers are professional and know what to do…you have to watch them every frickin’ minute.

The decisions are endless. Do you want the handles on the left or the right? What length should the pendant lights hang down? Granite 12 inches from the edge at the counter or 11? And paint! Don’t get me started on paint.

As a sidenote, I want a job naming the paints at Lowes. I’ve never seen such wonky names in my life. I’m betting the Name The Paint department has a water cooler filled with vodka and serves very special brownies in the breakroom.

But I digress.

The house is quiet!

So tonight, I cook!

It’s not the first meal in the kitchen. I actually did a very simple baked chicken recipe on Sunday night that requires one pan…two if you want a side dish. I thought maybe I’d share it because it’s super easy, has very few ingredients and anyone could make it for their family if you have the following:

Chicken (bone-in is best…any cut will do…skinless is okay if you must)
Italian breadcrumbs
Parmesan or Romano cheese
potatoes (any brand, though the little red ones save time since you don’t have to peel them)
sweet onion (optional, but you don’t have to eat them, even if you use them to line the pan)
mayonnaise (good stuff, people. I prefer Kraft because of the slight lemon tang)

I call this my Aunt Rosie’s Chicken.

In a shallow baking dish, cut onion into rings and line across the bottom fo the pan. Cut potatoes into slices (about 1/2 inch thick more or less) and line them over the onions. You don’t have to cover the whole pan. Onions can be eliminated, but if you do that, coat the baking dish with a thin layer of olive oil to keep the potatoes from sticking. If you include the onions, they’ll keep the potatoes from sticking.

In a shallow bowl or dish, mix equal portions of Italian Breadcrumbs and Parmesan or Romano cheese. About 1/2 cup each for a small amount of chicken…3/4 for a bit more.

Take the chicken pieces you like best (I like thighs, daughter likes drumsticks, husband prefers breast) and salt & pepper a bit–not too much because the breadcrumbs and cheese have salt. Then smear chicken with mayonnaise. Not a lot, just enough to make the breadcrumb mixture stick. You’ll probably need less than a 1/4 cup of mayo, and since you’re smearing on raw chicken, put it in a bowl before you start so you don’t dip into the jar with chicken juice on your spoon or knife. Coat with breadcrumb mixture and then lay on top of the potato/onions.

Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

Buy bread or bake biscuits for dunking in the juice that will be in the bottom of the pan, if you’re not worried about calories–and if you are, you really shouldn’t sweat the mayo…it all cooks off the chicken and just gives it flavor and keeps it moist. And you’re not really putting that much on.

I serve this with sauteed brocolli. It’s easy. Heat a pan with olive oil (not the extra virgin stuff…it burns too easily.) Saute brocolli. Salt & pepper. Voila! It’s a side dish.

Easy, yes?

Edited to add: katie reminded me that Tyler Florence is a hottie, so I’m adding this picture to the blog! Tonight, I’m making Chicken Marsala. I can’t print the recipe because it’s not mine to share…it’s a Tyler Florence recipe from Food Network. But this is the link.

(Okay, I wrote this blog yesterday…here are a couple of Julie tips to this fabulously easy recipe!)

=> Don’t pound the chicken. Buy cutlets or scallopini. They’re already thin and it saves you time and energy. They’re usually not too expensive.

=> Salt and pepper my cutlets just a bit before I dredge in the flour. Gives them more flavor.

=> You’re going to lose a bit of flour in the cooking process and it will settle into the oil. That’s good. It will help thicken the sauce later. But watch the temperature on your pan while frying so you don’t scorch the leftover flour.

=> Do NOT use Extra Virgin olive oil because it burns too easily. Use the regular olive oil.

=> Proscuitto is available at most delis, but they will want to slice it paper thin, which is the traditional way to serve it. For this recipe, have them slice is to a regular thickness. It’s must easier to work with and gets nice and crispy. Don’t omit this if you can find it. The smoky tanginess of the prosciutto is a nice balance against the Marsala wine (which is also available in most grocery stores.)

=> I add 3/4 of a cup of Marsala wine (the sweet variety, not the dry) and 3/4 of a cup of chicken STOCK (the boxed stuff…it’s in the same aisle as the broth, but has TONS more flavor). I like mine a bit more saucy since I serve this over hot pasta.

=> I use Baby Bella (also known as baby portabella) mushrooms, which are easily available in the grocery. You can also use white button in a pinch. Buy the sliced and save more time!

=> Never put salt on your mushrooms until after they’ve browned (carmelized) to the color you want. Salt brings out the natural juices and stops the carmelizing process.

=> I skip the parsley…green stuff on food does not go over well in households with children. BTW, if you’ve got kids, like mine, who do not like their food to touch, it’s very easy to hunt out the chicken and mushrooms and serve separately.

=> Put olive oil (extra virgin here if you have it!) on your pasta after it has been drained, not while its in the pot. It really doesn’t help the pasta from sticking…putting it in a big pot with lots of salted water helps it from sticking! And never rinse your pasta! (Who started that??) That removes the starch, which is what allows the flavor of sauces to stick to the pasta.

It’s super easy and really the best Marsala I’ve ever had. I like it better than any restaurant version I’ve had to date.

What’s your favorite recipe? What meal does your family just love? And if you don’t cook, what is your “tried and true” meal at a restaurant or the one you request most often of other people to make!

My kitchen should be done by next week after this little break (we’re waiting for the tile to arrive)…pictures should be available next week of everything all done!