Chicken Wellington

My friend Tammie had a dinner party last weekend and served "Chicken Wellington". It sounded intriguing, so I asked for the recipe. I got the basics from her, made a few changes, and it turned out pretty tasty, even if I do say so myself! The most notable change is I used Pillsbury Crescent rolls for the crust instead of puff pastry. There I was in Publix searching for the puff pastry with no luck. I had decided on the crescent rolls and had them in the basket by the time the elusive puff pastry was found. I stood in front of the freezer case pondering my choices. I already had the "taste" of the rolls in my mind, and puff pastry looked too delicate. Let's face it- the fact that the crescent rolls were $1.89 and the pastry was $4.59 also came into play. So here is my version:

Pillsbury Crescent rolls (one can will wrap two breasts)
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Light cream cheese
Montreal seasoning
Poultry seasoning
1 egg- separated
Mushrooms
Chicken stock (or bullion- see recipe)
White wine
butter / margarine
flour

De-gick the chicken breasts, dust with poultry seasoning. Sear lightly on both sides in a bit of olive oil in a big skillet. Unroll the crescent rolls, divide in half. Take a rolling pin to seal the perforations for triangles. In a separate bowl, combine softened cream cheese, poultry seasoning and Montreal Seasoning. Take the cream cheese mixture and spread on crescent roll half, leaving about 1/2 inch on all sides. Place seared chicken breast in the middle and fold dough over the chicken breast. Place in a baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray seam side down. Repeat with remaining chicken breast(s).

Separate your egg, and add a bit of water to the white. Whisk and brush on pastry for a nice shine. Cut 3-4 small "v" holes on top to vent.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees and the pastry is golden brown. I always use a thermometer when cooking, because I'm a freak about killing bacteria. In this case, you can't actually see the chicken for the pastry, so I would highly recommend using a thermometer.

In your skillet, add a little butter (I prefer to use the olive oil margarine- it's better for you-but I am certain butter would be tastier!) and saute a package of mushrooms. Tammie used portabellas, but I chose white and they did just fine. Saute mushrooms until brown, remove from pan. add about 2 tsp of flour to the residual butter and brown a bit. This will prevent a "raw" taste in the sauce from the raw flour. When flour is slightly browned, add 1 cup of chicken stock. Ok- so I firmly believe chicken stock would add much more depth of flavor, but unless I've recently purchased a rotisserie chicken, I don't have stock. Chicken broth will work fine, or in a pinch (and I usually am) I use the gold bullion cube dissolved in 1 cup of water. It worked fine tonight.

Add the mushrooms back to the sauce, and 1 cup of white wine. Remember to use something good enough to drink. I may have added a bit more than 1 cup....and a pinch of salt.

Continue working the sauce until all the lumps are gone.

Slice the Chicken Wellington into 1 1/2 inch thick portions. Serve 2 slices per plate and pour sauce over them right before serving. These two chicken breasts certainly could have served 3-4 people so it's a good way to stretch your protein out...but we're pigs around here and we ate it all.

I served this with a side of roasted asparagus. It was tasty, and really easy although it appeared to be quite fancy. I will definitely do this for my next dinner party too!

I really like the idea of the chicken wrapped in the crescent rolls. Mr. F and I were thinking up other flavor profiles that would be good like a Southwestern Calzone or something, so stay tuned. I may come up with a different version of this in the very near future.

Here's a bonus- the left over cream cheese mixture tasted really yummy as a dip! I added a bit of sour cream to it and munched on it with crackers while dinner was cooking.

Another Thing To Do To a Chicken....a.k.a. Chicken with Mushrooms and White Wine

This recipe was inspired by The Next Food Network Star Winner ('09) Melissa D'Arabian. After she won, I tried to find the actual recipe with no luck, so this is my recreation. She called it "chicken 4 ways" , and her concept was with this basic preparation of chicken, you could change it up by mixing up the 4 ingredients for the sauce to make a new meal every time. So having said that, you could use lemon juice, plain chicken stock, or something else in place of the wine to change the flavor. Here's my take on it. I had an overabundance of fresh mushrooms in the fridge, so I had to do something with them.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Margarine
Olive Oil
Mushrooms
Chicken Bullion Cubes- or Chicken Stock
White Wine

Clean and de-gick the chicken breasts. Give them a slight pounding to flatten them out a bit for more even cooking. In a large skillet, saute cleaned mushrooms in margarine (I like "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Mediterranean Blend") until soft. Remove mushrooms from the pan and add a bit of olive oil. Take your chicken and place it in a zip top bag with about 2 TBS of flour, a bit of salt and pepper . Shake to coat.

Place chicken breasts in the hot olive oil in your skillet. Reconstitute 3 small bullion cubes to make "chicken stock" - or use the real stuff if you have it. Cook chicken breasts about 4 minutes on each side or until brown.

Reintroduce the mushrooms and about 1 cup of the chicken stock and 1 cup of white wine. I learned a long time ago don't cook with the super cheap stuff. If you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it! I'm not saying use the good bottle either...but make sure to choose something that you can enjoy by the glass while cooking. It does make a difference in the finished dish.

Stir the sauce while it is reducing over medium high heat. The flour from the chicken will thicken the sauce. Remove from pan and cover chicken with the mushrooms and sauce.

Tonight I served this with roasted asparagus (great easy side dish...recipe will be posted soon) and one of the Knorr fettuccine side dishes (which, quite honestly tasted like it came from a box, so I'm not sure I'll do that again!! Although adding a bit of pepper and more Parmesan cheese did help) It was easy, looked fancy, healthy and was on the table in a reasonable amount of time.

Mexican "Enchilada Lasagana"

We had a wonderful weekend filled with food, friends and fun. Here's an easy crowd pleaser that even freezes well if you want to make it up ahead of time.

Corn Tortillas
Cooked shredded or diced chicken
1 Can Re-fried Beans
1 Can enchilada sauce
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salsa
Sour Cream
Jalapenos

I just baked 4 chicken breasts in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes sprinkled with Montreal seasoning to get my cooked chicken. Then I shredded it in the Cuisinart (quite possibly my favorite kitchen gadget...you MUST get one if you don't already have one!!). I had about 2 breasts worth of extra chicken that I used for chicken salad. If you are in a pinch for time, a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store works great.

Spray a big baking pan with cooking spray. Place 6 corn tortillas in the bottom. Spread re-fried beans on tortillas. Add chicken, cheese and 1/2 of the can of enchilada sauce. Top with 4 more tortillas, and repeat beans, chicken, cheese & sauce. Finish with more tortillas, salsa and cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve with sour cream, jalapenos and additional salsa if desired. Serves 6+

Bruschetta

My Dad came to town for a visit. He has always grown tomatoes, and to my suprise he arrived carring a huge basket of home grown tomatoes from his garden. He had never heard of bruschetta before yesterday but says now that he can't wait to get home to make it! He claims "it's one of the best things I've ever eaten!" I don't know about all that, but it is a easy hors d'ourve that is sure to please a tomato lover.

Here is some interesting information from Wikipedia.org which may inspire you to twist this recipe into your own variation:

Bruschetta (Italian pronunciation: [brusˈketta] ( listen)) is a food the origin of which dates to at least the 15th century from central Italy. It consists of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Variations may include toppings of spicy red pepper, tomato, vegetables, beans, cured meat, and/or cheese; the most popular American recipe involves basil, fresh mozzarella, and tomato. Bruschetta is usually served as a snack or appetizer. In Italy, Bruschetta is often prepared using a brustolina grill. In Tuscany, bruschetta is called fettunta, meaning "oiled slice".[citation needed] In the Abruzzo region of Italy a variation of bruschetta called ventricina is served. Raw pork products and spices encased in pig vesicles are aged and the paste spread on open slices of bread which are sometimes grilled.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruschetta)

Here's my recipe:

Fresh tomatoes, diced (home grown if possible
Fresh Basil
Garlic
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
French Bread


Dice tomatoes into bite sized pieces, place in mixing bowl. Chop fresh basil and add to tomatoes. Add 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar, 1 clove of pressed garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine and let sit while you prepare the bread.

Slice the french bread into small circles. Place on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Broil on Lo to toast, remove from oven. Take a peeled clove of garlic and rub it across the toast pieces to infuse the garlic flavor. Place tomato mixture on top of toasts and serve!

You can add a bit of shredded Mozzarella cheese on top and put it back in the oven to melt the cheese for an extra touch.

Fresh Salsa

This is a recipe that originally was created back in high school with my friend Travis. It's evolved over the years, but it is a fantastic fresh salsa. I remember when we first made it I had never even heard of cilantro before. Ahhh...things change!

Fresh Tomatoes
Garlic Cloves
Fresh Cilantro
White or Spanish Onion
Pickled Jalapenos
Lime
Salt
Pepper
White Vinegar
Tabasco

In a food processor or blender, place about 2 oz of cilantro, rough chopped, two peeled cloves of garlic, and about 1/4 of a medium onion. Pulse until thoroughly chopped. Add about 4 medium tomatoes, cut into big chunks. Add about 2 oz (or more if you are brave) of the pickled jalapenos. Pulse to blend. Add the juice of 1/2 of a lime (remember to microwave for :30 to make it easier to juice). Add the final touches of salt, pepper, 1Tbs of vinegar and Tabasco to taste. Pulse to combine.

Depending on the tomatoes, it may be watery. Oftentimes I drain a bit of the water off before serving with tortilla chips. I suggest home grown tomatoes only for this recipe- the store bought hot house tomatoes don't have the same quality, in my opinion.

Cheater Red Beans and Rice

This is one I hardly call a "recipe"...but it is a very quick and easy meal to fix on a week night. All my Louisiana friends, forgive me but it is a pretty good version of red beans and rice for a non-Cajun!

1 Hilshire Farms Lite Smoked Sausage
1 Package of Vigo Red Beans and Rice

Slice sausage and brown on the stove top. Prepare red beans and rice according to directions (about 20 minutes). Add browned sausage to beans n' rice, serve with a side salad, crusty bread, and of course, Tabasco sauce to taste!!

That's pretty much it. It's something I pick up at Publix nearly every shopping trip because you can keep the sausage in the fridge for a long time and always have it on hand for a quick fix. Oh, and as a bonus, it's pretty cheap!

Chicken Roulades with Ham and Cheese

I hate Swiss cheese. I have tried it time and time again and just don't get it. It smells like feet to me and I can't get past it. Therefore, Chicken Cordon Bleu in the true form does nothing for me. This is my adaptation of Chicken Cordon Bleu, sans the Swiss cheese!

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (de-gicked, of course)
White Cheese (Monterrey Jack works nice- this last time I used the Babybel Semi Soft Cheese-because it was all I had- and it was yummy!)
Lean ham slices
Bread Crumbs
Parmesan Cheese
Poultry seasoning


Take your chicken breasts and pound them out using a flat surface (cutting board) and plastic wrap until they are about 1/4" thick. Spray a cookie sheet with non stick spray, and place pounded chicken breasts on it to build the "roulade".

Sprinkle chicken breasts (pounded side up) with poultry seasoning. Add cheese (just a few pieces to cover the center of the chicken) and about 3 small slices of deli ham. Roll it up. You can always secure with cooking twine or toothpicks if you like- but if you hold it tight you won't need the extras. Besides, sometimes the toothpicks can be hard to find after it is cooked and you might hurt someone!

Take about 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, a little extra poultry seasoning and salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Take your roulade and immerse in bread crumbs making sure to cover the entire thing. Place coated roulade seam side down on your cookie sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until your meat thermometer reaches 180 degrees when inserted into the center of the roulade. Serve with something green-gotta have your veggies! Last night for us it was frozen green beans from Costco and :90 Uncle Ben's Vegetable Harvest rice.

This can be a really impressive looking dish that is suitable for guests.

Enjoy!