A Different Take...

...On a classic- chicken cordon bleu!

I loooove chicken cordon bleu, but honestly, I'm not a huge fan of stuffed chicken. Something about stuffing raw chicken with something and letting it all look together just rubs me the wrong way. So how do I fix this for my crazy mind? Open faced chicken cordon bleu. Genius.

Lately I've had an obsession with breaded chicken cutlets in some sort of sauce and this is a perfect way to enjoy that new obsession. There may be a few extra steps involved in this version of the dish, but it's worth it, I promise.

-4 thin cut boneless/skinless chicken breasts
-8 (thinly sliced) slices of black forest ham
-8 (thinly sliced) slices of swiss cheese
-1/4 cup flour
-1 egg: beaten
-2 cups panko bread crumbs
-1/2 Tsp each: garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, and lemon pepper
-1 Tsp each: salt and pepper: divided
-1 1/2 cups bone broth (chicken)
-1 1/2 Tbs dijon mustard
-2 garlic cloves: finely chopped
-1 Tbs corn starch
-1/4 cup cold water
-3 Tbs olive oil
-1 Tbs butter

1. Set three plates in a row side by side. The flour goes in the first plate, the beaten egg goes in the second plate, and the panko with all the spices and half of the salt and pepper go into the third plate.
2. Take a chicken cutlet and cover in the flour, then in the egg, then coat in the panko. Set aside. Repeat with the remaining cutlets.
3. In a large skillet (preferably one with a lid for later) on medium heat, heat the oil and butter together.
4. When the pan is hot, carefully place the chicken cutlets in the pan to cook for approximately 5 minutes a side depending on how thick the chicken is. You want the cutlets to be a deep golden brown and cooked through. When the chicken is done, remove from the pan and set aside.
5. Into the same skillet, toss in the garlic to cook for about a minute.
6. Time to put in the bone broth! This will also start to deglaze the pan, grab a whisk and get those yummy bits up from the pan.
7. Whisk in the Dijon mustard and the rest of the salt and pepper.
8. Make your slurry- combine the cold water and corn starch, mix well- no lumps.
9. When the sauce has come to a simmer/boil, whisk in the slurry. It will almost immediately start to thicken. Cook for a few minutes at a boil until desired thickness.
10. Nestle the chicken back into the pan with the sauce. Place two slices of ham on each cutlet topped with 2 slices of the swiss on each.
11. Lower the heat and cover the pan- let that cheese melt!

Andddd you're done! 

This is such an easy week night meal, the family will be thoroughly impressed and you don't have to tell them that it really was no sweat at all. I really like to serve this with broccoli and pasta, as per usual, but they are the perfect sides to smother in that delicious silky sauce. Oh wow, I need it now. 

Meaghan

I'm Feeling British, Let's Have A Sunday Dinner...For One

Sunday dinner. Don't the words just make you feel warm and cozy? Especially this time of year.

Doesn't matter if it's a pot roast after church, pounds of pasta with your grandmother's famous gravy, or maybe it's a "let's have cereal for dinner" kind of night. Everyone has their version of that "Sunday dinner". The situation: The weekend is coming to an end, maybe you're dreading another Monday morning, possibly even crying a bit because of it- that's my go to anyway. When you want something comforting to help with the transition of weekends to weekdays, what's better than food to help you through this difficult time of the week? And that's the solution! 

Personally, I'm a fan of a traditional "roast" dinner with all the yummy sides. When I was in London a few years back, one of my main goals was to find a good Sunday roast dinner and devour it. And that's exactly what happened. We found the CUTEST place called Bumpkin in South Kensington (I believe it's still there if you happen to be planning your next trip...) It was perfect, I got my own little hen, crispy potatoes, veggies, yorkshire pudding, and lots of gray. So. Delicious.

In my recent attempts to recreate this memory for myself, I've been very successful and I feel the need to share. So my perfect state side version of an individual Sunday dinner consists of chicken thighs, sweet glazed carrots, crispy fried potatoes, yorkshire pudding, and about a gallon of gravy. Drooling yet?

I started making this for myself and my roommates, but now that they have moved out, no need to cook a whole chicken and lots of excess food... but then again, I've been known to put away some food, so maybe this "scaled down" version is really a dinner for two for you normal eaters.

Since the only real recipe here is for the yorkshire pudding, here we go! Also, they aren't "puddings" like you would normally think of- no snack packs here. These are like popovers! Delicious crunchy but chewy little bits that act like a dinner roll, but are almost pasty like. The better version of a dinner roll is being presented to you on a platter!

(Makes 12)
-200g all purpose flour
-200ml whole milk
-4 eggs
-Salt and pepper to taste
-12 Tsp vegetable oil

**At least an hour before wanting to start cooking you want to get your batter together.**

1. Combine the flour, milk, eggs, and salt and pepper to taste- whisk very well. You want this to be a very smooth batter. Use a wisk, blender, immersion blender, whatever you have... and whatever you use, beat the devil out of it- no lumps!
2. When the batter is mixed, place some plastic wrap over the top making sure the wrap is touching the surface of the batter so that a skin doesn't form. Place the batter in the fridge for at least an hour or so to let it rest.
3. When you're ready to cook, you'll need the oven JUST for these. They don't like to share space, so plan the rest of your cooking around it. Grab a regular old muffin tin and in each tin pour 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil- or just enough to cover the bottom.
4. Stick the muffin tin inside the cold oven and pre heat the oven along with the tin, to 375F. (This is to preheat the oil, we want it good and hot for the batter.)
5. Once the oven comes to temp, remove the tin and as quickly, but carefully, as possible, pour the batter about half way up each tin. Quickly pop the tin back into the oven.
6. These will cook for 20-25 minutes or until they are starting to brown on the tops. DO NOT open the door during the cooking. Hopefully your oven window is clean so you can turn the light on and check in.

You're done!

The puddings should be standing tall when you first take them out, but will deflate slightly as they start to cool. But they should be tall and hollow in the middle... that's where all the yummy gravy will be living before it's devoured! If there is any excess oil in the little holes of the puddings, just turn them upside down and let them drain before eating.

These are always a great addition to any good roast dinner or maybe you just want a snack for later. I once saw an episode of Weird Eaters where this kid ate JUST yorkshire pudding... his entire life. I'm not saying it's right, but I understand his need to eat these all the time. So if you're feeling a bit British yourself and want to feel a little fancier, add these into the mix. You're welcome, you'll become obsessed and have to hide it from your friends and family and tell them that you don't have a problem, THEY have a problem. No? Just me?

Meaghan

It's Almost Valentine's Day, How 'Bout A Quickie?

This has got to be the quickest, most decadent thing I've made in a... very long time.

Lately I've been feeling the need to be bad. It's almost Valentine's day so why not? Of course, my version of being bad means indulging in something horrible for me, but delicious. What did you think?

I recently saw a video online showcasing some drinking chocolate. Now, I love hot chocolate as much as the next person. Only made with milk, if you make hot chocolate with water... who hurt you? But Even with milk, it's still too thin for me. I need something thick and luscious, the stuff dreams are made of. The idea of making the perfect drinking chocolate sent me into a tailspin searching the internet high and low. I wasn't liking what I was seeing though. Corn starch in hot chocolate? Something about that makes me feel off. I finally decided to take a few recipes and combine them into what I was hoping would give me that internal hug I so desired. 

Believe me when I tell you... this drinking chocolate is something I have NEVER experienced before. The second you take the first sip it seems to coat your lips and throat with the silkiest, creamiest, most beautiful chocolate. I have to stop, I'm starting to feel things. Warning, I needed a big glass of ice cold water after this, some people might need a cigarette. It's that good. 

Anyway... make it!

This recipe makes enough for a couple of mugs. Or if you're like me... one big mug : ) and takes no longer than 10 minutes. The perfect quickie of a recipe! 

The Recipe:
-8oz of your favorite smooth chocolate bar (I'm a sucker for milk)
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-1 1/3 cups whole milk
-1 Tbs brown sugar
-1 Tsp vanilla extract
-1/4 Tsp cinnamon 
-Pinch of salt

1. In a sauce pan on low heat, break up the chocolate and drop in the rest of the ingredients. 
2. Stir until it all melts together.
3. Turn up the heat to a medium low, don't want things to burn! Still stirring! 
4. Let the mixture come to a simmer, watch out it doesn't boil over. I had to take mine on and off the heat to prevent this, keep stirring! 
5. After 5 minutes or so, the mixture will start to thicken right up.

You're done! If it gets too thick, add a bit more milk. If it's not thick enough, let the mixture simmer a bit more- don't forget to stir! The longer it sits, the thicker it gets though, so don't let looks deceive you.

This picture does no justice, but it's amazing.

When I sat down and started to sip this, I closed my eyes and I felt as though I was plopped in the middle of the French Alps inside some beautiful lodge with a roaring fire and some handsome Hallmark man next to me. Instead,  I opened my eyes, looked around, and I was just in my living room covered in napping cats... alone. But it's nice to dream. And this drinking chocolate can definitely take you there. 

Careful, it's addicting. 

Meaghan

Two Words: Fried. Chicken.

This is it, the king of kings. Fried chicken. I've always been a fan, but hadn't really lived my fried foul life until a recent trip south blew my mind into a million little pieces. Now I'm on a mission to get some good fried chicken in the north, even if I have to make it myself. 

Although Popeyes has breathed new life into me with that beautiful, beautiful sandwich, what if I don't want to drive 30 minutes to get it? What if I don't want to hop on a plane and go south? Why can't I have a perfectly good piece of golden fried chicken in my pj's at home?! Oh I can? And I did. This... is that story.

But to get it out of the way, the great debate- is it true "fried chicken" without the bones? Of course! Because I'm a fan of the sandwich, I obviously prefer boneless. Just a heads up, that's what's happening here. 

To set the scene, it had just snowed the night before. It was one of those perfect situations where it was so cold that the snow was light and fluffy, it stopped snowing early in the morning, and it's Sunday. So I waited until an acceptable hour to get out and start shoveling. Judging by the sweat I worked up, I figured I deserved something real bad for me. That bad for me item was fried chicken. This isn't a normal occurrence in my house so I had to be committed to deal with frying and the mess it makes. My mind was made up, I want that mess.

Lastly, I don't want to toot my own horn but, toot toot.

-4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
-2 cups buttermilk
-1 egg, beaten
-2 Tbs garlic powder, divided
-2 Tbs onion powder, divided
-2 Tsp kosher salt, divided
-2 Tsp black pepper, divided
-1/2 Tsp cayenne pepper
-2 Tsp lemon pepper, divided
-2 cups all purpose flour
-1/4 cup corn starch
-enough vegetable oil to fill the pot a couple inches (I used about 2 cups of oil, amount can differ depending on your vessel.)

1. (At least a couple hours before frying) In a large bowl, toss the chicken with one tablespoon each of garlic powder, onion powder and one teaspoon each of the salt, pepper, and lemon pepper.
2. Into the tossed chicken, pour the buttermilk and beaten egg.
3. Incorporate the chicken in the buttermilk and egg mixture, cover, and place in the fridge.
4. (When it comes time to fry) In a heavy bottomed dutch oven warm the oil to just over 350F. (The chicken will lower the temperature once in the oil- just make sure you're frying at a steady 350F and you'll be all set.)
5. While the oil is coming to temperature, in a large bowl combine the flour, the rest of the spices: one tablespoon each of garlic powder and onion powder, one teaspoon each of the salt, pepper, lemon pepper and half teaspoon cayenne pepper, and the corn starch.
6. Take the chicken from the buttermilk and cover with the flour mixture very well. I even do a double dip- back into the buttermilk and then into the flour again. Shake off the excess and set aside.
7. Repeat step 6 with the rest of the chicken.
8. Now that your oil is to temperature, time to fry! You may have to do this in batches, that's ok. Don't crowd the pan! fry for 6-7 minutes each side. **Remember to keep an eye on your oil temp, don't let it get too hot or too cold. I have made this mistake before, not cute.**
9. When your chicken is done, place onto a rack or some paper towels to drain the extra oil and you're golden, literally. DONE.

I don't have an issue with eating the chicken as is in all it's beautiful boneless glory, but of course I had to make a sandwich. All I needed was a toasted bun, mayo, and a ton of pickles. So that's what I did. 

Wowwww. This does not disappoint. The chicken is completely cooked, but still beautiful and juicy, that dark meat has never done me dirty. The spices really come through and the crust from the double dip really makes a difference.

When you're done with this beast of a chicken I'm confident you'll be saying "who's your colonel?". I'm just glad I had done some shoveling earlier because this was definitely a treat yo self moment, but it's worth it. For sure.

Meaghan