Wrapped & Stuffed Chicken

I rarely eat bacon, but I had a few slices leftover from wrapping jalepenos for THIS RECIPE, so I thought I might as well wrap some chicken, too. I also had some fresh herbs and cheese in the fridge, and voila... Wrapped and stuffed chicken!

You'll need:

2 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast

4 bacon slices (2 strips per chicken breast)

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Fresh herbs to taste (I used basil and oregano.)

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 tsp. olive oil (for drizzling)

*Makes 2 servings!

First, clean your chicken breasts by trimming off the fat and giving them a good rinse. Pat dry, and lay on your cutting board.

As far as I know, there are two ways to stuff a chicken breast. You can either grab a sharp knife and cut a horizontal slit through the chicken - not all the way, just enough so you have room to cram in the stuffing. Or, you can do it this way...

Place a chicken breast between parchment paper

Smack it with a hard, smooth surface. If you're fancy and have a meat mallet, use that. I used a can of tomato soup. :)

I flattened my chicken to about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Try to get both pieces to about the same thickness.

Season both sides of the flattened chicken breast with salt and pepper.

This basil and oregano came from my mom's garden. (Thanks, Mom!)

Just sprinkle the herbs onto one half of the chicken.

And pile the shredded cheese on top of that.

Fold the chicken in half so that the herbs and cheese are enclosed.

Wrap with bacon, securing everything with a toothpick or two.

Place in a pan, and drizzle with olive oil. I like to pour some chicken broth or dry, white wine (like Chardonnay) in the dish to keep everything juicy.

Bake for 25-30 minutes on 350 degrees or until the center of the chicken is no longer pink. The bacon will be crispy on top, but the chicken is perfectly moist underneath.

Okay, I'll let you check out the inside!

All the cheese comes oozing out when you slice open the chicken breast. Delish! Soon I'll post the recipe for those creamy mashed potatoes in the picture above. Yum!!

Halloween Trail Mix

My wonderful roommate, Mary Alice, made this festive little mix today, so this her "cooking" debut on my blog! She was pretty excited when I told her she'd be getting credit for this post. :) Mary Alice's mom always whips this up around this time of year, so MA recreated it for us, and let me tell you - it's addicting.  Sweet, salty, chewy, and crunchy - all mixed into one snack.


You'll need:
Peanuts (salted)
Candy Corn
M&Ms (If you can find orange and black M&Ms, use those!)
Marshmallows


There are no rules here... Just make up your own proportions and combine together!

Sending you love from my kitchen - just in time for Halloween!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

A cold front came in last week, and it actually feels like fall outside now. And these little muffins taste like fall! My first pumpkin recipe of the season - I'm sure there will be more to come! Recipe is courtesy of The Pioneer Woman - amazing. Check it out HERE.

You'll need:

Muffins

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

4 Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces and put in freezer for 30 minutes

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Topping

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Frosting

1/4 cup butter, softened

4 oz. cream cheese (1/2 an 8 oz. block)

1/2 pound powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Sift all the dry muffin ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.

Take out the butter that you cut up and froze.

Add it to the flour mixture, and use a pastry blender (or two knives) to break down the butter.

The butter will still be visible but combined well within the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg, and vanilla

Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients.

Fold together until JUST combined. Some of the dry ingredients should still be visible.

 

Now make the topping by combining the cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg.

Divide the batter among 12 muffin cups (that were just greased with Baker's Joy - mixture of flour and oil) and sprinkle with topping. I still had about half my topping leftover, so next time I'll cut those ingredients in half before combining.

Bake for 25 minutes on 400 degrees. Don't mind by worn cupcake pan - it's been through a lot.

Let the muffins cool at least 10 minutes before transferring.

When they've cooled completely, you can start the frosting. First blend together the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla. Then add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, blending after each addition.

I transferred my icing to a 12-inch disposable decorating bag and used a star tip to swirl it on. Does adding frosting turn a muffin into a cupcake? Oh well...

If you're feeling extra crafty (a rare feeling for me), sprinkle on more cinnamon. I put 1/2 tsp of cinnamon in a sifter and gently tapped it to get the "dusted" look.

Enjoy!

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

What's the next best thing to going to a Baylor football game? Going to a Baylor football watch party with yummy football snacks!! Here's my new favorite game day appetizer. These little guys encompass all that is wonderful about football season... bacon, cheese, spiciness... and don't forget the ranch for dipping!

You'll need:

6 large jalapeños

6 oz. cream cheese (about 3/4 of an 8 oz. block)

12 slices of bacon

Olive oil cooking spray

Ranch, for dipping

Wash the peppers, and start preparing them by cutting off the stems and slicing them lengthwise.

Scrape out the seeds, veins, and all that junk.

Cut each half in half again so that each jalapeño creates 4 mini boats.

Continue until you have 24 lovely little poppers.

Slice the cream cheese into tiny rectangles that will fit the jalapeño quarters.

Cut the 12 slices of bacon in half, and wrap each half-slice around a mini-popper.

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, and line with poppers.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes and transfer to serving dish. 

Let them cool a bit before diving in.

Crsipy bacon, spicy jalapeño, and creamy cheese... almost ready for football!

Bacon-flavored ranch for dipping. Okay, now I'm ready.

Enjoy and Sic 'Em.

Strawberry Salad with Saffron Chicken + Citrus Mint Dressing

After all those Nutella recipes, I think we need a healthy one.

You'll need:

Salad:

Spring mix
Alfalfa sprouts
Cucumber slices
Strawberries
Goat cheese crumbles (or feta if that's your thing)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Shredded chicken - I used rotisserie chicken.
PINCH of saffron
Salt & Pepper to taste

Dressing:
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/8 tsp. dried mint
*Makes 2 servings... I've made this dressing before for THIS AMAZING SALAD.

Here's my secret to quick, no-fuss chicken. When I go grocery shopping - usually on Sunday - I buy an already-cooked rotisserie chicken. Then I tear it apart, shred all the meat, and store it in a tupperware container in the fridge. It's good for the rest of the week for sandwiches, salads, chicken nachos, casseroles, just about anything! One day I'll make my own rotisserie chicken, and it'll be more delicious. But not today.

Drizzle the olive oil in a small sauté pan on medium-low heat.

Add chicken, and sprinkle with pinch of saffron. Toss well to coat the chicken in the saffron. If you're not using pre-seasoned rotisserie chicken like me, add some salt and pepper, too. (If you want the chicken to be really moist, add a few tablespoons of a dry white wine or chicken broth.) Sauté for 6-8 minutes until the chicken is hot and begins to turn a golden color.

While that's sautéing, start building your salad... spring mix, sprouts, cucumbers, strawberries, goat cheese, salt & pepper, and really anything else you're in the mood for. I like to prepare my salad in a big bowl so there's plenty of room for tossing.

For the dressing, juice the lemons, using a strainer to catch the seeds.

Add dried mint. (Sometimes I'll add salt & pepper to the dressing, but this time I added that to my salad instead.)

Whisk in 2 Tbsp. olive oil.

Pour over the salad, toss, and plate!

Top with chicken.

I like to add a little more cheese right before serving.

Enjoy!