I have a confession to make. It has to do with "stuffing". I'm specifically talking the kind of stuffing that we cram inside our Thanksgiving turkey. I've been told that I make delicious stuffing, but I wouldn't know. You see, I'm one of those Un-Americans who doesn't like stuffing.There. I said it. I don't get what's so good about goopy, soggy bread, a bunch of onions and vegetables-- maybe oysters, or nuts... slathered with gravy. Every year, I take a bite and I'm still not impressed. Pass me the mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, and I'm happy. I'm sorry. I just can't get excited about stuffing!
Until, a couple weeks ago-- I saw a recipe for "Apple Stuffed Chicken Breasts", on Mel's Kitchen. I looked at the bowl of apples that I keep stocked for lunches, and realized that apples would make a good pairing with chicken. I had chicken breasts, waiting to become dinner. Then it hit me-- I have lots of fresh French tarragon in our herb garden, and I decided this would compliment the chicken (parsley or sage would work, too). The next thing I knew, I grabbed some shallots, for extra flavor and I preheated the oven to 425F. 
I admit that any kind of measuring, flew out the window. I eyeballed about 1 cup of grated Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese.
One peeled and sliced apple went into the bowl, and about one cup of breadcrumbs, and a little garlic salt.
After cutting a slit into the boneless chicken breast, I began to cram the stuffing in.
Then I pondered, how to keep all this stuffing from falling out...
..and I grabbed the kitchen twine and problem solved!
I much prefer to sear and roast my meats, whenever possible. This method has proved succesful for me, in that my meats remain moist. After seasoning each breast with coarse salt & pepper, I seared each chicken breast in a bit of olive oil, in an oven-proof skillet.
Then, I flipped them over and put them into a preheated 425F oven, for about 25 minutes (or until the chicken is at 160F).
I removed the chicken breasts, set them on a plate and loosely covered them with foil.
The pan sauce I made, turned out to be one of my best ones yet! I started by deglazing the pan with some apple cider, then I added a splash of white wine. This is Boiled Cider, and I buy it from King Arthur Flour. The boiled cider really brings out the flavor in apple pie, and I'm finding it works great in so many recipes. I added a "splash" (about 2 Tablespoons), and about 1 cup of chicken stock. Then, I let it reduce to about half-- about 7-8 minutes, on medium-high heat.The aroma of this dinner cooking brought my husband out of his office, and anxiously waiting for dinner.
The pan sauce was truly one of my best-- the sweetness of the apple cider, and a splash of acidity from the white wine-- perfection!
TASTING NOTES: This is a stuffing I learned to love, at first bite. Melted cheese and apples is a terrific combination. The shallots and the mild anise flavor, of the tarragon, added a lovely savory element to the sauce. My husband loved this dinner, and I have to say that I did, too. The next time I make this, I think I'll butterfly the chicken so I can add a lot more stuffing, then roll it, and tie it with kitchen twine. These could easily be prepared in advance, and then cooked when company arrives. This recipe is a keeper. I promise you.
Who says that chicken gets boring? Not this way! I pretty much changed around the original recipe, but I still thank Mel's Kitchen for inspiring me to stuff chicken with apples and cheese--brilliant!A printable recipe card is at the end of this post. If you can't view it, click here.
There's a first time for everything, and this Southern dish is very new to a California Native. It's not often that I make gravies-- except for one of my husband's favorite recipes, "Chicken Fried Steak", or Rib-Eye Steak with Onion Blue Cheese Sauce. Most times, I make quick pan sauces, with some kind of booze and either chicken or beef stock. Good times.
Every so often, I get a "hankering" for a pork chop, bone-in. $6.00 a chop might seem pricey to most people, and I understand that (and I'm thankful that Craig and I both have jobs to indulge a bit). We enjoy eating meats once or twice a week, but I've made a decision that I'm going to buy the best quality that I can. I don't want hormone-laden meat, that's been subjected to all kinds of shots and cheap feed. If it means that I shop for meat less often-- so be it! I am thankful to have a Whole Foods in my own backyard, so I stop here once a week, and buy whatever seafood, fish, poultry or red meat looks good.
Nice chops! I bought them, without any idea what I would make with them. (The reason I prefer bone-in, (just like I do with poultry) is that the meat cooks up moister. I read, somewhere, that the bone helps to distribute the heat more evenly. Sounds logical to me.) Somewhere, in that recipe data base in my head, I remembered seeing a recipe for Smothered Pork Chops from Food Network Magazine. I had all the ingredients I needed on hand, so on a week night, I got busy in the kitchen:
I've been making my own spice mixes for a while, now. I save empty spice jars, mix up a batch of Italian, Mexican and Cajun seasoning and it saves money.
I patted the chops dry, then seasoned them with salt and Cajun seasoning, then dredged them in flour and tapped off the excess. I reserved the rest of the flour for making gravy.
My most preferred way to prepare meat and poultry is to sear it on one side, for a few minutes, then pop the entire skillet into a 425F oven. I then roasted the chops for about 15 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer read 145F. I removed the chops to a plate, loosely covered them with foil and got busy with making the gravy.
While the chops were pan roasting, I cut some garden fresh thyme (in full bloom) and sliced one large onion, a large clove of garlic.
...then I added the garlic (I watch the garlic closely, so I don't burn it). Once the onions were cooked to golden brown (about 8-10 minutes), I added a couple tablespoons of the reserved flour and cooked it for about one minute.
Now, for the buttermilk-- about 2/3 cup. Bubble, bubble...bring to a boil and reduce by about one-third.
This is, for sure, a man-pleasing meal. It's a wife-pleasing meal, in that it was pretty effortless to make.
Mashed potatoes would be a perfect side dish...
This time, I baked a couple of Yams, with a pat of butter and a drizzle of pure maple syrup.
