Did they eat it?

Is it totally uncool to steal a blog post idea from someone? Well I'm 'onna do it. Just to be polite and give credit where credit is due, I'll tell you that I got the idea here. And since I'm small potatoes and have only four readers I don't think it should be an issue.

So hopefully this will be a regular topic on my blog. I'm always trying out new recipes or making up my own, and sometimes they fail, sometimes they work. You'll get the reviews here.

Behold. Two new meals I made in the last week.

Chicken Provolone

Last week I needed to go grocery shopping but had no time. I had chicken, ham, provolone, and asparagus in my fridge, and these ingredients all sounded like they'd be good together. Kind of a variation on chicken cordon bleu. Sometimes when I have random ingredients in my fridge I'll do a search online with all of those ingredients and see what comes up. I saw some recipes with the main ingredients, so I figured it was safe to try. I also had beets in my fridge. Beets did not come up in any search with the above ingredients. I threw them in the salad instead.

2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced thin into cutlets

1 bunch of asparagus

8 oz. sliced provolone

8 oz. sliced ham or prosciutto

bread crumbs or flour

egg,

salt and pepper

olive oil

fig preserves (I like Dalmatia fig spread--it's a staple in our fridge. Yummy with cheese and crackers)

Trim the cut ends off the asparagus. Toss asparagus with some olive oil and kosher salt, and place on a cookie sheet. Bake in oven at 350 degrees while you are doing the next few steps.

Dredge chicken in egg first, then in flour or breadcrumbs seasoned with salt and pepper. Cook chicken cutlets in a skillet with olive oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes each side, until done. (I had to do this in batches).

When the chicken is finished cooking, remove asparagus from oven. Should be crisp-tender. Turn your oven to broil. (If your asparagus isn't quite done you could broil for another couple minutes.)

On a cookie sheet place your cooked chicken cutlets. Put a slice of ham or prosciutto on top of each cutlet. (I kind of bunched it up because my ham was thin and it looked prettier than laying it flat.) Spread with a healthy spoonful of fig jam. Place 3-4 pieces of asparagus on top of this. (Depending on size of your cutlets, you may need to cut asparagus in half. You do want the asparagus sticking out on each end though. Now place a slice of provolone on top of that.

Broil for a couple minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve with extra asparagus (because we're asparagus lovers), a salad, and pasta.

Did they eat it?

Amelia: This is the best thing I've ever eaten. The asparagus and ham even trick me into eating the chicken. You need to make this every day. But the beets in the salad taste like dirt.

Madeline: Pretty good. It's not a nutella sandwich, but it'll do. Amelia, do you want my asparagus?

Kolby: Mmmmmmmmm. Are you going to give me credit for suggesting the fig jam?

Jami: Even better as leftovers the next day.

Cauliflower and Kale Casserole

I've not been shy about my love for kale, but Kolby says he feels too much like a rabbit when I make a kale salad. So this was my attempt at sneaking it into an acceptable form for the family. I found this recipe somewhere on the web, but can't remember where. And I tweaked it bit to make it my own.

1 head of cauliflower, cut up into bite size pieces

1 yellow onion, sliced thin

1/2 head of kale, center ribs removed, leaves cut into bite sized pieces

2 cloves of garlic, minced

olive oil

salt and pepper

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1-2 cups cooked chicken or ham, cubed

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheese (your choice--I'll discuss options in a minute)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a skillet, saute onion in olive oil for 3 minutes. Add kale and garlic. Saute for another minute and then add chicken broth and cauliflower. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and allow to simmer for 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and toss chicken or ham into mixture.

Pour mixture into a casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese. (I did provolone and parmesan with chicken last night. I think sharp cheddar and ham would be a great combination and I'm trying that next time).

Bake uncovered in oven for 20 minutes. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

I served with couscous, and drizzled the juice from the bottom of the pan onto the couscous.

Did they eat it?

Amelia: This couscous is really good. I'm not a fan of what you did with that cauliflower though.

Madeline: Aren't you putting anything else in that couscous? You don't usually let us just eat couscous without putting stuff in it. The cauliflower is okay. Can I make a ham and mozzarella wrap? Did I tell you we started our sex and puberty unit in science class today?

Kolby: This is really, really good. I don't know how to add this to my food journal for my fitbit.

Me: Mmmmmmmm. Kale. Did Madeline just bring up the "maturation program" over dinner?

I will definitely be making both dishes again. The Chicken Provolone really was fantastic. Kolby and I both loved cauliflower casserole, but sometimes my kids need a little coaxing. Neither girl likes chicken very much, so I think making it with ham and maybe dicing the onions to disguise them more will do the trick. I might also try it with the colored cauliflower (purple or orange) to make it more colorful for them.