Ok, made up my own recipe last night and it was FANTASTIC if I do say so myself.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• Leftover spiral ham (sliced thinner) or 8 slices thin-sliced deli ham
• 4 slices of Provolone or Swiss (I used provolone b/c I didn’t have swiss)
• 1 cup flavored salad croutons (I used garlic flavored)
• Handful of almonds
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 beaten egg

Cheesy Marsala Mushroom Sauce:

• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 8 oz. fresh sliced button mushrooms
• 1-2 tablespoons flour or corn starch
• 1/4 cup marsala wine
• 1 cup milk or half and half
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Pound the chicken flat with a mallet between two sheets of cellophane. Put croutons, almonds and parmesan cheese in a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Lay ham slices on top of each flattened chicken. Add a slice of cheese and roll up. Secure with toothpicks. Dredge in egg and roll in crumbs. Place all four chicken breasts on baking sheet coated with cooking spray seam side down. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until no longer pink.

With 10 minutes left on the chicken, heat the oil in a pan on medium high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms and saute until shallots soften (about 2 minutes). Add marsala wine and continue cooking until mushrooms begin to sweat. Add flour or corn starch and stir. Cook for one minute more then add milk a little at time stirring constantly. When combined, stir in  parmesan cheese. Lower heat to medium and cook until thick and bubbly. Remove chicken from oven, plate and pour mushroom sauce over chicken.

This was so good my kids liked it even without the mushroom sauce. You can also make it without the mushrooms, by just using the marsala and cheese. Joe said I could definitely make that again. Great way to use up the leftover Christmas ham! I also made a ham and cheese quiche and ham sandwiches. I still have half a bag of ham left and another whole bag in the freezer! I have ham coming out my ears! LOL

Love you,
Danielle Fenning
Cooking with Brandy’s Sweet Sister!

One of my co-workers gave me a recipe last week for French Tarragon Burgers.  The recipe is from Taste of Home which has fantastic recipes in their magazines and online.  I tried it out Wednesday night and loved it. I only made four burgers but I made the full amount of mayonnaise mixture so I still had a bunch left after dinner.  I didn’t want it to go to waste so I used it on some sandwiches that gave it some flavorful zing.  Definitely give it a try if you want to change up your typical burger tonight.

I am proud to say that I have a beautiful fresh herb garden in my yard. As a matter of fact I currently have over 34 varieties of herbs and edible plants in my garden. My last birthday, Adam gifted me a dehydrating machine that I am able to use to dry my own herbs. Granted I get most of my herbs from Penzey’s Spices but they recently moved from the 280 corridor so my treks to their new location in Homewood are few and far between.

Earlier this year I concocted a new Italian Seasoning herbal mix from a variety of purchased and home grown herbs that I just adore. I make it in large quantities and use it in a variety of recipes. This afternoon I altered my Rosemary Roasted Potato recipe to include this heavenly herbal blend and though I haven’t tasted yet, the smell in my house is intoxicating. Here is the blend if you would like to try it. Again, this is in bulk so it makes about 1 1/2 cups of seasoning mix.

6 tbsp. dried Basil
½ tsp. Black Pepper
2 tbsp. Garlic Powder
½ tsp. Marjoram
2 tsp. Onion Powder
6 tbsp. dried Oregano
6 tbsp. dried Parsley
½ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 tsp. dried Rosemary
2 tsp. dried Thyme

Let me know what you think.

My co-worker, Dorothy, gave me this fast and easy recipe for Hollandaise Sauce in the microwave.  I have made it numerous times and it is wonderful.  It certainly beats the powdered kind you find at the supermarket.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter melted
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• dash cayenne pepper

Method:

Melt the butter in the microwave. Let cool for about 1 minute.  Add the remaining ingredients and whisk lightly. Place the container into microwave and microwave on medium for 30 seconds. Wisk and return to microwave heating for an additional 30 seconds on medium.  Continue this pattern until the hollandaise sauce has reached the necessary consistency. You should be able to dip a spoon in the sauce, wipe the back of the spoon with your finger and a line will stay.  Try not to make it too thick because it will coagulate as it cools down. You can use some now and store the remainder in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in a tightly sealed container.  When reheating, remember to cook for short periods of time (30 seconds) on medium.