Food & Garden

JUNE, 2013

FETA / SPINACH STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 - 1 lb fresh baby spinach
8 oz. block of light feta, crumbled (I love Trader Joe's)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (I always have store-bought in a jar in my fridge)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used two "giant" breasts cut in half)
4 slices of prosciutto


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Chop or tear spinach into small pieces and saute in a very small amount of oil over medium for a few minutes (or steam). Blot any excess moisture before adding to mix in step 3.
3. In a medium bowl, mix mayonnaise, spinach, feta cheese, and garlic until well blended. Set aside.
4. Carefully butterfly chicken breasts, making sure not to cut all the way through. Spoon spinach mixture into chicken breasts. Wrap each with a piece of prosciutto, and secure with a toothpick. (I didn't use toothpicks and they stayed together.)Place in shallow baking dish. Cover.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Next time I make this I may leave out the mayo and/or add some bread crumbs to the mixtures. I've also thought about flattening the breasts first to thin them a little to reduce the cooking time.

I took a few pics, but we started eating before I got the final photo!

SUMMER, 2012

One of the perks of living in the country is having a little bit of land that can be devoted to a vegetable garden. This is my second summer here and my second year of gardening. This year I expanded to two gardens and increased the varieties of veggies (not all of them being good choices). I love to cook and I love having fresh, organic produce to use in my creations. In the future, I hope to convert the old blacksmith shop into a chicken coop, so we can have fresh eggs as well.

Check back often, I will be adding pics and recipes as I prepare some of our favorites. I hope to add some gardening tips as I learn (usually the hard way) through experience.

Tip 1: Pick (or cut) your broccoli as soon as it is ready.....when the the head is tight and before the blossoms appear.
Tip 2: If you do wait too long, as I did, you can use them as a flowers. Be forewarned, if your container is in a small space such as a bathroom, the room will begin to smell like.....you guessed it, broccoli.