Chicken Stuffed with Prosciutto, Gruyere, and Spinach with Caramelized Shallot Sauce

Talk about flavor packed! This one dish has all the best qualities of really sophisticated flavors. It is a bit more time consuming than some of the other dishes, but you can assemble it ahead of time if you're crunched for time after work and want to have a great meal.




Chicken Stuffed with Prosciutto, Gruyere, and Spinach with Caramelized Shallot Sauce









4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 slices prosciutto
1 cup of shredded Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup spinach
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tbs flour
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup chopped shallots
2 tsp tomato paste
2 cups dry white wine
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp water
1 tsp cornstarch


1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until 1/4 inch in thickness.
2. Place 1 slice of prosciutto on top of breast. Sprinkle Gruyere cheese to cover surface, top with spinach leaves. Fold breast in half length wise, pinching chicken edges together to seal. Repeat with remaining pieces of chicken.
3. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dust each piece lightly with flour.
4. Add olive oil to skillet and heat over medium high temperature. Add chicken to pan and cook 5 minutes on each side.
5. Place chicken on baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 5 minutes until cooked through and cheese is melted. Keep warm.
6. Add shallots to skillet and saute until cooked through. Add tomato paste, cook one minute stirring constantly. Add wine and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1 cup. Add broth, bringing to a boil. Cook until reduced by half.
7. Combine cornstarch and water into a bowl stirring until smooth. Add to sauce, bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
8. Pour sauce over chicken. Enjoy!

Chicken Chipotle Quesadillas

Similar to my Chicken Chipotle Tacos, these quesadillas may give the tacos a run for their money! I will let you be the judge.


Chicken Chipotle Quesadillas






4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups chipotle sauce
2 tbs lime juice
2 tbs cilantro finely chopped
2 cups Mexican blend cheese
Butter to sear the quesadillas
1 package fresh tortillas (let me tell you buying the fresh ones as opposed to the prepackaged store brand makes all the difference in the world! You can usually find fresh tortillas at Kroger, Central Market or a local Mexican restaurant)
Sour cream, guacamole, salsa or other desired topping




1. Marinate the chicken breasts in 1 cup of chipotle sauce for at least 3 hours.
2. Cook the chicken breasts in frying pan until cooked all the way through. Once breasts are cooked remove from pan and shred as finely as possible, either using your hands or using two forks, one to hold the breast while the other scrapes the chicken until throughly shredded.
3. Mix shredded chicken, cilantro, lime juice and remaining 1 cup of chipotle sauce.
4. I found it easier to assemble the quesadillas before I put them in the pan, so take one tortilla and sprinkle the cheese to cover. Add chicken mixture, evenly distributing around the tortilla. Cover the chicken mixture with another layer of cheese (the cheese acts like a glue keeping everything together). Lay second tortilla on top.
5. Add a pat of butter to a hot frying pan, swirling pan until butter evenly covers the space. Add quesadilla to pan. Sear until crispy. Remove quesadilla from pan, add another pat of butter to pan, return the quesadilla to the pan, this time searing the other side. Cook until cheese is thoroughly melted. Remove from pan.
6. Cut into 4 equal slices. Repeat with remaining quesadillas until chicken mixture is gone. Enjoy with your desired topping!

Mushroom Rigatoni

This recipe I adapted from one I saw in Cooking Light, and added my own spin to it. I like bold and sometimes funky flavors to spice up my pallet. I hope you appreciate fancy cheese as much as I do, because honestly what's a life filled only with cheddar and parmesan?!


Mushroom Rigatoni



8 oz Rigatoni pasta uncooked
2 tsp butter
1/4 cup diced shallots
8 oz Shiitake mushrooms
4 oz baby bella mushrooms
1 tbs tarragon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs dry sherry
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil pasta according to package, drain and set aside.
2. Slice all mushrooms (make sure the shiitake mushrooms are in bite sized pieces). Add butter and shallots to a frying pan, sauté over medium heat until cooked through (about 3 minutes). Add mushrooms, garlic, salt, pepper, and tarragon to shallots. Sauté until mushrooms are tender. Add sherry to mushroom mixture, cook 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Place flour in a sauté pan over medium heat. Gradually add milk stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring to a boil, cook until mixture is slightly thick, stirring consistently. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of Gruyere cheese, stir until melted.
4. Combine pasta, mushroom mixture and cheese mixture, stirring until well incorporated. Pour mixture into a greased baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of mixture.
5. Bake for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and browned. Enjoy!

Margherita Pizza

Okay, so here is a quicker lighter alternative to the pervious pizza post. This one lends itself to crowd pleasing appetizers or you can eat it as a meal if you really dig it.



Margherita Pizza

1 can refridgerated pizza dough
1-2 cups finely grated mozzarella cheese
4 roma tomatoes sliced thin
4-5 leaves fresh basil sliced into long thin strips
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs olive oil (or truffle oil if you're feeling adventurous)
1 tbs blasamic vinegar
Cooking spray




1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll out pizza crust until 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Place in oven for 8 minutes. Remove from oven.
2. Combine 2 tbs olive oil and minced garlic in a small bowl. Brush crust with oil and garlic mixture.
3. Arrange tomato slices on crust leaving a half inch border. Sprinkle pizza with mozzarella. Evenly distribute basil leaves around pizza. Bake for 12 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is golden.
4. Mix together 1 tbs olive oil (or truffle oil) and balsamic vinegar. Carefully drizzle over pizza. Cut into slices and enjoy!

Cheesy Garlic and Spinach Toast

This french bread is so amazing I actually have dreamt about it. Stop laughing. It's that good. Now, I know the mayo sounds really strange, personally I wasn't sure about it the first time I saw a similar recipe but it somehow helps make a delicious cheesy bread topping. Come on now, have I ever steered you wrong?

2 Tbs butter, melted
1/2 c. mayo
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 tsp tabasco sauce
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
5-7 spinach leaves
Half of a 4 inch piece of french bread

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together butter, hot sauce, mayo, chopped garlic, cheese and spinach.
2. Spread the mixture onto the french bread and bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the bread is crispy. Enjoy! :)