Four.

The mission: Marscarpone, goat cheese, proscuttio wrapped dates

1 eight ounce container of marscarpone cheese
1 four ounce container of goat cheese
1 sixteen ounce container of pitted dates
10 slices of proscuttio
¼ cup of green onion chopped
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper

Preparation:

Combine marscarpone, goat cheese, green onion, salt, and pepper in a bowl and stir together until well mixed
Slice the dates down the middle to create an opening for the cheese mixture
Place the cheese mixture into the dates
Then take the slices of proscuttio and wrap it around the individual dates and secure in place with a toothpick
Refrigerate until ready to serve

Three.

The mission: Bruschetta

1 large white onion diced fine
5-6 Roma tomatoes cubed
1 cup fresh basil chopped
5 ounces of fresh mozzarella cubed
3-4 cloves of garlic minced fine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of pepper


Preparation

Combine onion, tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, and garlic in a mixing bowl
Add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper and stir to combine and coat all ingredients
Place in refrigerator to chill for twenty minutes, then serve on top of baked French bread

Two.

The mission: Apricot Chipotle Almond Chicken

2 Chicken Breasts
1 Small White Onion
4 Tablespoons Chipotle Adobe Sauce
¼ Cup of Apricot Preserves
1/3 Dried Apricots Chopped
¼ Cup of Sliced Almonds
2 Cloves Garlic Chopped
1 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Teaspoon Salt

Preparation

Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides
Cook chicken breasts for 7-8 minutes per side on medium high heat
Remove chicken when almost done cooking
Place chopped onion and garlic in same sauté pan, cook onions until translucent
Add chipotle sauce, apricot preserves, and dried apricots
Bring to a medium high heat and simmer for 10 minutes
While sauce is cooking, use another pan and toast the almonds on low heat for 5 minutes
Add chicken back to pan and cook for another 3-4 minutes to warm the chicken
Serve with a side of brown rice, and top with sliced almonds

one.

the mission: the first post should be the first meal made together, right? Here it is: our February 14th , a day many dread, the over-Hallmarked holiday. No chocolate was involved.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Prosciutto, Swiss Cheese & Baby Spinach

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp (5 mL) coarsely ground black pepper

6 slices prosciutto

6 slices swiss cheese

24 leaves baby spinach

3 tbsp (50 mL) all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt and pepper

1 tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

Sauce:

1 tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup (250 mL) thinly sliced shallots

2 slices prosciutto, chopped

3 cups (750 mL) sliced cremini mushrooms

1 sweet red pepper, sliced or chopped

1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh thyme

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup (250 mL) dry white wine

3 cups (750 mL) sodium-reduced chickenstock

1 tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch

Preparation:

Place chicken between plastic wrap; pound with flat side of meat mallet to 1/4-inch (5 mm) thickness. Sprinkle with pepper. Top each with prosciutto slice, Swiss cheese slice and 4 leaves spinach. Starting at narrow end, tightly roll up. Wrap individually in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)

In shallow bowl, combine flour, salt and pepper. Unwrap chicken and roll each in flour mixture, shaking off excess.

In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown chicken, in batches. Transfer to foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake in 300°F (150°C) oven until chicken is no longer pink inside, about 20 minutes.

Sauce: Meanwhile, in same skillet, heat oil over medium heat; fry shallots and prosciutto until light golden, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, red pepper, thyme and garlic; fry, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 6 minutes.

Add wine; simmer, stirring and scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan, until almost no liquid remains, about 4 minutes. Stir in chicken stock; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes.

In small bowl, whisk cornstarch with 2 tbsp (25 mL) cold water; whisk into sauce and boil, stirring, until thickened, 2 minutes. Serve with chicken.

source: recipe

We used Moscato Allegro. It's been awhile since we used this recipe. There was some tweaking on our part, we nixed the mushrooms for one & used canned red peppers.