Mozzarella-stuffed chicken breasts with Sauteed Spinach and Shallots

I really had no idea what to make tonight, and headed to the store with no list. Whatever I made had to have an associated lunch application, as we were having a play date tomorrow after church that I wouldn't have time to really cook for, but had promised lunch to the other Mom.

Luckily for me, my inner cook woke up and created something lovely. That hasn't been happening a whole lot lately. The recipe may look verbose, but it's not difficult.

This serves 6 for dinner -- we only had 2 of the breasts tonight and I'll detail the lunch application below for the other 4 breasts.

3 large whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts -- about 2.5 pounds
1.5 ounces basil, washed and spun dry, large leaves separated out (I can't wait for my herb garden to be producing!)
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 medium tomato, diced
Olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F with a stoneware baking sheet (preferable) or a shallow glass or metal baking dish inside.


2. Slice the mozzarella, put in a small bowl and combine with the salt, pepper, lemon zest and lemon juice. Let marinate for a few minutes, while preparing the chicken breasts.


3. Separate the chicken breasts in the middle. Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket into each, starting at the thick end of the breast and cutting lengthwise.


4. For each breast, take a basil leaf and place one of the slices of marinated mozzarella in it and roll lengthwise, then stuff into the pocket. Repeat, so that each breast has two basil/mozzarella rolls. Make sure you have a fork to retrieve the mozzarella slices from the bowl so you don't have to use your fingers and contaminate the mozzarella with raw chicken juices.


5. When the oven is ready, spray or coat the baking sheet lightly with olive oil. Spray the breasts as well. Add the breasts shiny side up to the dish (it should sizzle) and return the sheet to the oven. Set a timer for 10 minutes.


6. Add the diced tomato to the remaining marinated mozzarella and mix thoroughly. Put this mixture on the table to be used to top the breasts.


7. When the timer goes off, use tongs to turn the chicken breasts over. Turn off the oven and turn on the broiler on high. Broil the breasts 5 minutes one side, then turn and broil a further 5 minutes on the other side.


8. While the breasts are broiling, prepare the spinach.


9. When they are done, the cheese should be melted. Remove from the sheet and pour the juices from the pan over the top.

Sauteed Spinach and Shallots

1 large shallot, peeled and sliced thinly crosswise
pinch or 2 of kosher salt
9 oz fresh spinach
1 Tbs olive oil
splash of balsamic vinegar

1. Heat a large pot, preferably something like a Le Crueset on medium heat.


2. Add the olive oil and the shallots. Sauté the shallots, adding the salt, until lightly brown.


3. Add the spinach in handfuls, sautéing and wilting.


4. Splash with the vinegar, serve.

For lunch tomorrow, I intend to slice the remaining chicken breasts crosswise and serve them atop a tossed mixed greens salad with the remaining marinated mozzarella mixture.

Fettucini with Tuna, Pine Nuts, Lemon and Herbs

Adapted from the Quick from Scratch Italian cookbook (I've mentioned this series of cookbooks from Food & Wine before - they are fantastic).

Kiddo helped me with this meal, which we were preparing with love for Hub who had to work late. Kiddo peeled the garlic, helped to chop the dill and the garlic, stripped the thyme leaves from the branches and juiced the lemon. What an excellent sous-chef he's turning into! Oh, and I am in love with my new citrus juicer from the Pampered Chef. That thing is amazing.

3/4 cup pine nuts
12 oz Rossi Pasta Lemon Pepper Fettucini
4 cloves garlic, minced
8-oz jar of Ortiz tuna in oil
grated lemon zest and juice from one juicy lemon - I pick smaller, heavy lemons
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
1 large bunch dill weed, chopped
1/2 cup fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1. In a small frying pan, toast the pine nuts over moderately low heat until golden brown but not burnt! I always seem to burn a few.


2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the fettucini until just done. Drain.


3. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, pour the oil from the jar of tuna in and heat it. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for one minute. Stir in the tuna and break it up with a fork. Remove from the heat. toss the linguine with the tuna mixture, the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt pepper, herbs and the toasted pine nuts.

Servings: 4
Calories: 786

Christmas Cinnamon Rolls

We just finished opening presents, but for me, I think this morning I enjoyed the cinnamon rolls I made even more than the gifting! I used a recipe from Bradley Ogden's Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, which required me to make the dough yesterday...but what is Christmas Eve for other than baking? I baked all day yesterday -- prepping the rolls, and making two types of cookies for sharing at the evening church service.

Of course, today we will be making a standing rib roast, roasted root vegetables, horseradish cream sauce, maybe Yorkshire puddings(?).  Should be a good day.  :)

Christmas tree

They say the holidays are especially hard for those who have lost someone recently.

I hate Xmas anyway, I'm a real Scrooge. So this year is sure to be interesting. Tonight we decorated the tree, though, and it was ...nice? The tree itself is our usual fake one, and the ornaments are the usual motley assembly. I believe Xmas is for kids, but I also do enjoy the festival aspects. I am a firm believer in trees being populated with ornaments that mean something, that remind us of something. Theme trees are downright weird in my opinion.

Our tree has always been kind of a joke, but I was never in competition with N. I stood in proper awe for her perfectly lit and decorated live tree every year, and she enjoyed the homeliness of ours.

Kiddo had so much fun putting the ornaments on and making up stories about them...he really considers them more as toys than ornaments. That's OK by me, it imparts even more meaning. As I told him tonight, this holiday is all about the kids.

I miss going over to admire the amazing tree. She had taken a class on tree decoration years ago, and she just loved transforming the house. Last year there were actually too many lights, though...you couldn't even see the ornaments. We had to admire the tree lit and unlit so we could actually appreciate the ornaments. Butterflies and bows...

I wonder where the Christmas ornaments went?

Thanksgiving

I didn't host this year.  I couldn't.

Last year I was calling N. up at 3:30 -- are you ready yet?  We're all ready over here...and she and B. and the kids arrived a few minutes later.  Bro-in-law (who we had just met the night before, was still Sis' boyfriend) popped up from his seat, saying "More family?"

"No, well, yes, practically..." from me.  Later, N. weighed in on Bro-in-law, asserting that he may be the one.  "He says he'll follow her anywhere."

Last year it was so warm that we all ate outside on the back porch.  There were macaroni & cheese, fried turkeys, turnips and turnip greens (the fancy version), mashed potatoes a la Sis, green salad a la N., gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potato biscuits, oyster stuffing that was a bit odd, maybe spanakopita?  Individual pecan pies, N. -friendly.  Actually, if I remember correctly almost everything was N. -friendly, which means no butter, no milk.  The mac & cheese and stuffing were the exceptions.

This year we ate at Yia Yia and Pa Pou's.  We had fried turkeys (we love these...and it leaves the oven free), mashed sweet potatoes with crispy shallots, Mediterannean-flavored turnips and greens, potato croquettes, green beans, stuffing (the less said about it the better), rolls, and two amazing pies.  Pear and pecan.  Lots of butter used.

Afterwards we played Monopoly.  It was a lovely Thanksgiving.  There are so many things I am thankful for this year.  My family, my friends, my work, the beautiful area in which we live, my sister's happiness with her new husband.

Some things I am devastated by, of course.

I wanted to leave a seat open for you tonight, Nancy.  I'm sorry there wasn't physical room around the table.  I felt your presence, though.  Thank you.  I will forever be thankful for your friendship, and for having known you.