Chicken Breasts with bacon, apple & cheese

Per Person:
1 large Chicken Breast, thawed, butterfly filleted
2 strips bacon, cooked
2 slices of sharp apple, like Gravenstein peeled & sliced thinly (3/16”)
1 oz Irish cheddar cheese, sliced thin
2 TBSP shredded Parmesan cheese
salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Fillet the chicken breast. Season inside and out with salt & pepper. Layer bacon, cheese & 1 slice of apple.

Close the chicken breast and place on an oiled sheet. Top with a slice of apple and parmesan cheese. Bake 18 – 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Pork Pot Roast in Cider

¼ lb fresh bacon, in pieces

1 pork roast (I use one about 2½ or 3 pounds). Trim off the fat, all the fat.
1 TBSP olive oil.
8 - 10 cloves garlic, peeled, halved

2 cups apple cider
1 TBSP beef stock concentrate or bouillon granules
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried rosemary leaves
1 tsp powdered mustard

Sauté the bacon in the bottom of a cast iron Dutch oven. When done and still soft, remove the bacon and set it aside. Add 1 or 2 TBSP olive oil. Keep the Dutch oven hot.

Season the pot roast on all sides with salt and pepper. Sear all sides. Add the garlic cloves to cook in and flavor the oil while the roast is searing.

While it is searing, combine: cider, beef bouillon, pepper, rosemary, mustard.

When the garlic is beginning to be browned, remove from the oil and set aside. This happens for me before the roast is completely seared.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

If you’re watching your fat content, pour off the bacon grease/oil mixture. When the roast is well browned on all sides, add the broth mixture. Bring it back to a boil and add the garlic and bacon that had been set aside earlier. When the broth is boiling again, cover the Dutch oven, and load it into the preheated oven for 70 minutes. I reach in with a spoon two or three times to ladle the liquid over the roast.

While the pot roast is simmering in the oven, prepare the veggies:

5 modest size potatoes, quartered lengthwise.
1 large yellow onion, in similar size large chunks
½ pound of small baby carrots, or five or six fresh carrots washed and cut into pieces.

1 parsnip, scrubbed, cut into pieces (optional)
Season all the veggies with salt and fresh ground pepper.

When the 70 minute timer goes off, add the veggies, and load it back into the oven, this time at 300 degrees, for another 40 minutes.

When you’re satisfied that the meat is done enough (I use a meat thermometer, looking for at least 155: it will cook a little more after removing it), pull the whole pot out of the oven. Pour the juices off into a frypan and make gravy out of them, but keep them separate from your wife’s portion of the meal. Serve while it’s hot.

Chicken Breast with Pepper Jelly, Fresh Rosemary & Bacon

Per Person:
1 large Chicken Breast, thawed, butterfly filleted
2 strips bacon, cooked
2 TBSP jalapeno pepper jelly
1 oz Irish cheddar cheese, sliced thin
2 TBSP shredded Parmesan cheese
1 sprig fresh rosemary, removed from the stem; I used the full leaves.
salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
1 TBSP honey

Fillet the chicken breast. Season inside and out with salt & pepper. Layer bacon & cheese on one side. Spread rosemary leaves over cheese. Spread jalapeno jelly over the other side.

Close the chicken breast and place on an oiled sheet. Top with a mixture of parmesan and honey. Bake 18 – 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with a brown ale.

Review: I was actually surprised at how good this was. The spiciness of the pepper jelly was tempered by the sweetness of the honey, which was itself tempered by the baked parmesan cheese. The honey and jelly both served to keep the chicken and the bacon tender. The Rosemary peeked out from under the rest of the flavors.

Low Fat Pot Roast

Ingredients:
1 beef roast (I use one about 2½ or 3 pounds). Trim off the fat, all the fat.
1 TBSP olive oil.

Season the pot roast both sides with salt and pepper. Sear all sides in a cast iron dutch oven. While it is searing, combine:
1 cup chicken broth (yes, chicken).
1 TBSP dried basil leaves
1 TBSP Worchestershire sauce
5 cloves garlic, peeled, whole

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.

When the roast is well browned on all sides, add the broth mixture. Bring it back to a boil. When the broth is boiling, cover the dutch oven, and load it into the oven for 90 minutes. I reach in with a ladle two or three times to ladle the liquid over the roast.

While the pot roast is simmering in the oven, prepare the veggies:

5 modest size potatoes, quartered lengthwise.
1 large yellow onion, in similar size large chunks
½ pound of small baby carrots
Season all the veggies with salt and fresh ground pepper.

When the 90 minute timer goes off, add the veggies, and load it back into the oven, this time at 275 degrees, for another 90 minutes.

When you’re satisfied that the meat is done enough, pull the whole roast out of the oven. Pour the juices off into a frypan and make gravy out of them, but keep them separate from your wife’s portion of the meal. Serve while it’s hot.