It's a small world after all

Before I hit Panama on my way from Pensacola to St. George Island on Sunday, my mother called me to tell me that she ran into one of my high school friends, JM, at the rental agency. Apparently, my family and his decided to go to the same beach at the same time. Small world, huh? JM and I bonded during 10th grade math and had a pretend marriage during high school. We even were "married" on facebook for most of our freshman year of college (despite the fact that I went to Georgia Tech and he went to the University of Georgia). I even had a couple friends ask me why they weren't invited to the wedding.

So over the course of one weekend, I saw a friend from preschool (CA), a friend from middle school (KM), a friend from high school (JM), and also saw a fellow Georgia Tech grad walking down the beach. All I need is elementary school to round out the mix.

Almond-Crusted Chicken Breast

1 lb chicken breast, thawed

2 eggs, whisked

1 cup almond flour

1 cup almonds, chopped

2 tsp parsley

2 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp paprika

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix the almond flour, almonds, parsley, garlic salt, black pepper, and paprika in a bowl; transfer to a plate/pan.

Pat dry the chicken breasts, then coat each chicken breast with the eggs, using a pastry brush if you have one. Place the chicken into the almond mixture, making sure the chicken is thoroughly and evenly coated. While you're doing this, heat 2 tbls of olive oil over medium heat on the stove. Place the chicken breast into the heated pan and brown each side (~4 minutes per side).

Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.

Optional: line the bottom of the pan with sliced zucchini before baking.

Serve over a salad of romaine hearts, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, and yellow peppers.