ARTICLES

From: TV Guide's Celebrity Dish
March 17, 2001
By: Jane Marion

After Spin City's Lana Parrilla gave costar Charlie Sheen a Christmas card in December, she had some explaining to do. "The card said, 'You are definitely a standout,'" recalls Parrilla, who plays brassy office assistant Angie Ordonez on the ABC comedy. "He thought I had written, 'You are definitely stuck up. 'I was so embarrassed."

But the 23-year- old actress says that her Brooklyn upbringing helped her handle that bump and prepared her for her first regular TV job (her other credits include a recurring role on last season's UPN comedy Grown Ups). "In Carroll Gardens, the neighborhood I grew up in, everyone learned to be tough. You could never show you were afraid or back down. [That] definitely helped me with Angie. I know I brought that to the table."

Parrilla also brings to the table-literally-the varied cuisines of her Puerto Rican/Italian roots. "I grew up recognizing both sides of my heritage," she says. "From lasagna to chicken piccata to rice and beans. Mealtime was like being at the United Nations."

LANA PARRILLA'S CHICKEN PICCATA
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves pounded thin 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/8 teaspoon salt	1/8 teaspoon pepper 3 tbsp. butter 1/4 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup white wine 3 tbsp. lemon juice 3 tsp. capers

In a dish, combine flour, salt and pepper. Coat each breast with flour mixture. Shake off excess. In a skillet, melt butter. Add chicken and saute over medium heat for five minutes or until cooked through, turning once. Remove chicken from skillet. In same skillet, combine chicken broth, wine and lemon juice. Boil sauce until it is reduced by one third. Top chicken with sauce. Sprinkle with capers. Serves 4.