How to Make Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Bacon Chicken stuffed w/ Spinach

This is a pretty easy recipe, and also fairly versatile, in my opinion. The original recipe I used as a guideline didn't have the bacon, but it did have breading. The filling can also be made with different combinations of spinach or fresh herbs and cheeses and seasonings.

The dish is simple in a way, though the assembly takes a bit of coordinating. But if I could handle it, anyone can!

Here's the basic recipe:

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
4 strips of raw bacon*
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion
Olive oil or butter or vegetable oil for sauteeing
16 oz frozen or fresh spinach
1 cup (combined) cheeses**

*If you omit the bacon, you could coat the chicken in bread crumbs or flour and some seasoning. With the bacon, do not salt the chicken. I made this mistake and it was a bit salty for my taste.
**Cheese possibilities: Feta, cream cheese, parmesan, cheddar, etc./any combination that you think would work well

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350, grease baking pan.
2) Saute spinach with garlic and onion and whatever other seasonings you'd like (be careful how much salt you add if you're planning on using bacon).
3) While spinach mix is sauteing, thinly slice/pound chicken. Spread pieces out in baking pan.
4) Add cheese to the spinach mixture.
5) Put a dollop of spinach in the middle of each chicken piece. Roll up and secure using toothpicks and/or bacon strip. Try to seal it so that the mixture doesn't run out during cooking and start burning.
6) Bake for approximately 30 minutes (start checking after 20 or so).

These look pretty sliced into pinwheels, too.

How to Make Apple Cake

I was shocked to peruse my archives and find that I'd never posted this recipe! I guess because I never end up taking a photo! I finally did this time...although it looks weird because I threw a peach in there to use up stale fruit for that extra something special. 

Yummy Apple Cake..in my dear glass baking dish that met its demise recently...sob!

This is my go-to apple dessert recipe. Apple Pie is yummy and all, but I can't be bothered with making crust. So I like how all the ingredients are mixed together in this dish. It also makes it sort of a finger food, just pick up a square and take with you. The cake part is all brown-sugary and even chewy, like a cookie.

I came across the apple cake recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens "New Cookbook." The cookbook includes tons of classic recipes jammed into one little volume (I have the paperback version). It includes lots of basics like how to make hardboiled eggs. Nice and unpretentious.

Recipe after the jump!

How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I am so excited for baking season! I actually started back when zucchini was plentiful, but then I made myself finish up the summer series.

So here is the first baking recipe of the season. These were so moist and delicious.

I think these qualify as dessert

I've been using silicone baking cups a lot lately. They're pretty easy to wash, and I just broke my rectangular glass baking dish...sob. But also, Andrei likes the shape.

Get the recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Bread here. 

Summer wrap-up

I just couldn't move on without closure, even if it means I'm finishing up this post well into autumn. Here are the final (no baking allowed) ideas from my summer repertoire. This installment courtesy our family reunion in mid-August.

Chocolate Mousse

Our favorite chocolate mousse recipe-divine!

Ingredients

1 C Heavy cream

20 oz Chocolate chips

3 C Heavy cream

½ C Confectioners sugar

2 tsp Vanilla

Directions

1. Heat 1 C heavy cream until simmering

2. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips. Move into bowl

3. In separate bowl whip together 3 C heavy cream, conf sugar, and vanilla

4. Add 1/3 of whipped mixture to chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest and cool 4-6 hours

5. Serve with whipped cream

Source(s): Anne Hulley, Mrs. Fields

2 more recipes after the jump...