Hasselback Chicken Cordon Bleu

How pretty is this? AND yummy too! Definitely a way to change up "chicken night" at home.

Ingredients

• 
  8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup honey Dijon mustard
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 12 slices Swiss cheese, cut into quarters
• 24 rounds Canadian bacon (about 1 pound), cut into half-moons

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. At a slight angle, cut 6 slits into each of the chicken breasts, making sure not to cut all the way through. You should leave roughly 1/4 inch unsliced. Brush the top of each chicken breast with 1 tablespoon of the mustard.
3. Mix together the breadcrumbs, butter, salt and pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the chicken, using your hands to press the mixture into the mustard. Place a quarter piece of cheese and a half-moon piece of Canadian bacon into each of the slits in each chicken breast. Transfer the stuffed chicken breasts to a baking sheet.
4. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the breadcrumbs are golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Serve warm with your favorite sides.
5. Freezing instructions: Once the uncooked chicken breasts are assembled, place 4 onto a wax paper-lined baking sheet; repeat with the remaining chicken breasts on a separate lined baking sheet. Transfer the baking sheets to the freezer until the chicken breasts are frozen through, at least 3 hours. Transfer the chicken breasts to 2 wax paper-lined foil pans. Label, date and freeze until ready to eat.
6. When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake the chicken breasts from frozen until the chicken is cooked through and the breadcrumbs are golden, about 40 minutes. Serve as directed above.

This was soo good, I shared the recipe with mom and she loved it too!  Keeper!

Swedish Turkey Meatballs

Check out this  healthier version of Swedish meatballs!

Ingredients
1 lb raw 99% lean ground turkey breast

1/3 cup panko crumbs
1 large egg
1 tablespoon dried minced/chopped onion
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons light butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 ½ cups reduced sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Beef Base (you can also use powdered bouillon or ½ a bouillon cube)
½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ cup fat free sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

• In a mixing bowl, add the ground turkey, panko, egg, dried minced onion, parsley, salt, nutmeg, allspice, garlic powder, and pepper and mash together until well combined. 
• With clean hands, roll the meat mixture into 12 evenly sized meatballs.
• Drizzle the olive oil into a large saute pan or skillet and bring over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the meatballs in a single layer with a bit of space in between them. 
• Cook, flipping them every 1-2 minutes to brown all sides, for 8 minutes. 
• Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. 
• Cook the meatballs covered for an additional 2-4 minutes until cooked through
• Remove the meatballs to a side plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Add the butter to the pan and bring over medium-low heat until melted. 
• Add the flour and whisk the flour and butter together until combined (it will become sort of like a paste).
•  Whisk in the broth a little at a time to combine it smoothly. 
• Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, bouillon, dried parsley, and paprika and whisk into the sauce. 
• Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring regularly, and then reduce the heat to low to simmer. Simmer uncovered for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. 
• Remove from heat and whisk in the sour cream until smoothly combined. 
• Add the meatballs back in and stir to coat. 
• Return to low heat for 1-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meatballs are heated through.

TUPPS TIDBITS:   MORE SEASONING PLEASE!

This was definitely NOT a recipe we will make again and again.  It lacked any kind of flavor (YES, even after all those ingredients!) ...just plain boring,   THUMBS DOWN!

Jamaican Barbecued Pork Tenderloin

We LOVE grilling season!  It means less dishes, right?

We thought we would give this sweet and spicy grilled pork tenderloin a try!  

Ingredients

2 teaspoons firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pork tenderloin, about 1 pound, trimmed of visible fat
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dark honey
1 teaspoon tomato paste

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper. Rub the spice mixture over the pork and let stand for 15 minutes.
2. In another small bowl, combine the vinegar, honey, tomato paste and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk to blend. Set aside.
3. Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill or broiler (grill) to medium-high or 400 F. Away from the heat source, lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray. Position the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.
4. Place the pork on the grill rack or broiler pan. Grill or broil at medium-high heat, turning several times, until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Remove to a cooler part of the grill or reduce the heat and continue cooking for 14 to 16 minutes. Baste with the vinegar-honey glaze and continue cooking until the pork is slightly pink inside and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 160 F, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.
5. To serve, slice the pork tenderloin crosswise into 16 pieces and arrange on a warmed serving platter, or divide the slices among individual plates.

TUPPS TIDBITS:  We grilled this on a charcoal grill.  The instant read-thermometer is very helpful for this recipe.

We are going to say this is a NOT A KEEPER recipe!  The pork was very dry and the spices did not offer much flavor.  I feel a marinade,  that is typically made of oil, vinegar, spices, and herbs soaked before cooking would offer more flavor or soften it.  

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Mmmm...So healthy. You’re gonna love forever!

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Seasonings: cayenne pepper, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Peel the potatoes if you want to. You’ll have to make your own decisions now about the best way to cut them; sweet potatoes are so varied in shape, there are no hard-and-fast rules. So, somehow you manage to cut them into about 1/2″ slices one way. Then cut 1/2″ slices the other way. The length is not so important, but I generally try to keep them about 2-3 inches long.

Toss all your little fry shapes with the oil and spread them out on a cookie sheet large enough so that they are in a single layer. If they are crowded on the pan they won’t get crispy. (Also, don’t use an insulated baking sheet if you can help it.)

Slip those bad boys into your hot oven for 10-15 minutes, until they are browned on the bottoms. Pull them out and flip them over, rearrange so they are all in a single layer again. Put them back in the oven for another 10 minutes or so until they are sizzling and brown.

Sprinkle your salt and seasonings of choice on them while they are still hot. Then eat them while they are still hot. 

TUPPS TIDBITS:  We actually sprinkled with salt and ALL the seasonings listed in the ingredients and they were super good!

Most of the ingredients are a cinch to find. If you are going to learn how to cook, you are going to learn it for real! Fun and easy! Coriander seed? What is it? Yes, we had to "Google" it.  In North America the stems and leaves of this annual herb plant is usually called cilantro! All parts of the plant are edible, but fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the parts most traditionally used in cooking. KEEPER RECIPE in our house!