I almost played hooky today and didn’t post. Not because I don’t love you, but because I am tired and because I bought a copy of “Game of Thrones” in the airport this morning at 5 AM and I want to devour it. But then I had kind of a funny evening so I decided I would tell you about it.

I am in Minneapolis and yesterday (Thursday) I did a tv segment for KARE 11, (I am also doing one this morning- Friday- at 6:20 if you are an early bird!)

So, here is the thing about kitchen sets on TV. They are not real. And I should know that by now. The sink doesn’t work, there is no stove under the counter top where we magically pull things from, and now I know, most importantly, the cupboards are not real.

I learned that, because as we had 5 minutes to air time, we decided that maybe it would be nice to have a little vase of flowers out by the book we were displaying. We couldn’t find one, and I happened to notice that there seemed to be a lot of pretty, bright colored ceramics in the frosted glass cupboards. I thought it would be harmless to borrow one of those for a few minutes, so I went to open the cupboard in the way that any normal person would open a normal cupboard.

Only guess what? It was not screwed on in any way and the cupboard door came flying at me, hit me and then knocked over a bunch of the stuff on the set. My reaction in any truly embarrassing situation (they happen to me a lot) is to act like it’s no big deal! And honestly, I was mostly just worried about whether or not I had broken their set or whether or not we could get the door back on (someone did). And then I realized that my hand was bleeding quite a bit. At this point we had like 2 minutes left to live air. We clotted the wound with the ointment and slapped a band- aid on it. I then went and taught a Greek cooking class.

I am “home” (back at the hotel) now and realized I clean took my knuckle off. With a flying cupboard door. That I broke off of a TV set. Does this stuff happen to other people!?? God, I am so embarrassing.

And don’t worry, it didn’t even hurt that badly. I’m fine. I guess it is just another scar to add to the collection!

On a bright note- I loved teaching a class on Greek food and getting to share a bunch of the tricks I have learned from Tula over the years. Thanks Minneapolis! I have one last tv show tomorrow and a quick signing at the StillWater Cook of Crocus Hill and then I am off to Seattle. I would love to see you at Crocus Hill if you are in the area!

Oh yeah! I am also sharing a recipe for Fried Lemon Chicken Paillard. This is a major weeknight favorite in my house and I like to serve it with plenty of fresh squeezed lemon over a bed of fresh arugula and peas. Delicious!

To make the Fried Lemon Chicken Paillard, this is what you do:

Mince the lemon zest very finely. Place flour, salt and cayenne in a shallow bowl.
Beat eggs to frothy and add to a second shallow bowl. Combine panko, parmesan, paprika and lemon zest in a third shallow bowl. Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge in seasoned flour, shaking off any excess.

Next gently coat the chicken with the beaten egg and turn to coat. Lift the chicken from the bowl, allowing excess to drip back into bowl.

Next coat the chicken with the panko mixture, pressing to adhere as much as possible.

Heat 6 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet or a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, cook cutlets, adding remaining 2 tablespoons oil to pan between batches, until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.

Transfer cutlets to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt to taste.

Serve with lemon wedges over a bed of Arugula, fresh peas and vinaigrette.