Chicken Cutlets with Bacon, Rosemary, and Lemon

Wednesday night, Kate and Spencer came over to have dinner with us and to celebrate my birthday a little early.  They are moving to Michigan next week and will miss out on our other birthday plans.  They brought a delicious green salad that had lots of cheese, bacon bits, romaine lettuce, and red bell pepper, tossed with croutons and a vinaigrette.  Additionally, we had whole wheat couscous and the following main dish.

I was soo hungry that I forgot to take a photo until I was almost done eating.

CHICKEN CUTLETS WITH BACON, ROSEMARY, AND LEMON
- from Cook's Country magazine

Ingredients:
5 slices bacon, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
1. Fry bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon with slotted spoon to plate lined with paper towels. Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat.

2. Meanwhile, place flour in shallow dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper, dredge in flour, and shake to remove excess. Add butter to reserved bacon fat in skillet and heat over high heat, swirling to melt butter. When foam subsides, reduce heat to medium-high and cook chicken until browned on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate, leaving fat in skillet and over loosely with foil.

3. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, rosemary, and pepper flakes.  Cook until garlic is browned and crisp, about 2 minutes. Add broth and lemon juice, scrape up browned bits from bottom of skillet with wooden spoon, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes.

4. Return chicken and bacon to pan and simmer, turning chicken once or twice, until sauce is thick and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Notes: 
1. I used chicken tenderloins instead of full breasts.  They cooked evenly and were very tender and delicious.  The only downside is that it takes longer to cook them.  I ended up adding more butter and bacon grease to get through all of the tenderloins.  

2. It is best to not have to clean puke off of your kitchen floor while the bacon is crisping.  It really makes it difficult not to burn it.  How is it that I can offer this advice?  Well, Kyle choked on a tortilla chip while in the kitchen and proceeded to puke ALL OVER THE FLOOR.  Yes, ALL OVER IT.  I managed to clean up the chunks just in time to wash my hands and prevent the bacon from burning.  After the bacon crisis was over, I was able to wet swifter the floor.  Then, Ben went to work with the Clorox wipes.  Ugh...it definitely delayed the meal.  
 

 

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies

For the past few years I've been making Old-Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies from a recipe I found on www.verybestbaking.com. I never add the glaze and always included chocolate chips. They are a hit every time. Last week I made a batch with Katie. We didn't have quite enough left from that batch to take with us to PEPS this week, so I decided to make another batch. At the last minute, I got brave and experimented. I reduced the flour by 1/4 cup and added 1/4 cup of Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa. So, they ended up being a double chocolate pumpkin cookie. Ben wondered if he would notice the chocolate flavor of the dough without seeing the color. I wonder if we would notice the pumpkin if the cinnamon and nutmeg were omitted. I guess I might need to bake a few more batches and do a blind taste test. 

Here's a link to the original recipe:   Old-Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies

Here's the adjusted recipe for Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN COOKIES

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until creamy. Add pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla, mixing until smooth.
4. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.  
5. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheets.
6. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until edges are firm. Let rest on cookie sheets for 2 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.