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Hello, foodies…

I’ve been reading all your kind comments on Facebook…thanks so much for all of your well-wishes. I’m having a VERY relaxing vacation. But, of course, y’all are on my mind and I wanted to leave you with some words of wisdom from another fellow foodie. So, today’s post comes to us from Dusty from All Things G&D. Dusty’s the owner, blogger, mother, decorator, and drinker of wine at All Things G&D and her posts ALWAYS MAKE ME HUNGRY.

Hi, everyone! My husband and I were a couple of kids in college when we met, but of course at the time I liked to think that we were soooo grown up. I loved cooking for him, which further solidified my belief that we had it all figured out. I mean, making your own spaghetti sauce from scratch—what's more grown up than that?! Somebody give this girl a mortgage and a 401K.

Fourteen years later, we have both of those things. We've outgrown much of what we ate in college, but one thing that's still a favorite are these Cheesy Chicken Roll-Ups.

I made this recipe one night while I was at his apartment playing house, because to me, nothing said "grown up food" more than something stuffed. What a surprise to cut into it and find it gushing with ingredients on the inside!

How'd she get that in there?!
She's amazing.
I should marry her right now.

I can't say for sure that that's exactly what he was thinking at the time, but I can tell you this. We play house together every day now and this is still one of his favorite meals.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Cheesy Chicken Roll-Ups

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4" thick


• 4 thin slices of ham


• 8 oz garlic & herb cream cheese


• 2 oz crumbled feta


• 1/3 cup milk


• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs


• 1 cup half & half

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


2. Place 1 ham slice on each piece of pounded chicken.


3. Spread 1 tablespoon of cream cheese over each slice of ham.


4. Sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of feta on top of the cream cheese for each chicken breast.


5. Roll each chicken breast up to enclose filling, securing with toothpicks.


6. Dip chicken rolls into milk, then roll in crumbs to coat.


7. Place rolls seam sides down on greased baking sheet.


8. Bake for 30 minutes. In the meantime, bring half & half to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining cream cheese spread; blend well.


9. Pour sauce over cooked chicken rolls.

Tip: You can use any flavor of cream cheese you'd like for this recipe to adjust the flavors - or you can make your own!  I like to use my favorite garlic & herb seasoning blend mixed with plain cream cheese. Enjoy!

Thanks for your tasty recipe, Dusty. Foodies, here’s another stuffed favorite you'll make this Wednesday night on In the Kitchen with David with Rick Domeier: Mini Meatball Stromboli!

Mini Meatball Stromboli
Serves 4-6

This recipe is prepared with the Temp-tations(R) Hand-Painted Stoneware 16-Piece Dinner Set (H198830).

Go to David's Recipe Item Page for the full list of items that David has used in his recipes.

Ingredients:

Mini Meatballs:

• 2 slices white bread, crust removed


• 2/3 cup milk


• 1 lb ground beef, pork, and veal mixture (meatloaf mix)


• 1/4 cup Ricotta cheese


• 1/4 cup Parmesan, grated


• 1 egg


• 2 tsp salt


• 2 tsp black pepper


• 1 Tbsp parsley, chopped


• 1 tsp dried oregano


• 1 tsp dried basil


• 2 cloves garlic, minced

 Stromboli:

• 3 Tbsp olive oil


• 3/4 cup red pepper, diced


• 3/4 cup green pepper, diced


• 3/4 cup onion, diced


• 3/4 tsp salt


• 24 mini meatballs


• 2 cups David’s marinara sauce


• 1 lb store-bought pizza dough


• 1-1/2 cups Mozzarella, shredded


• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions:

To prepare the mini meatballs, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Process the white bread in a food processor to make crumbs. Place the crumbs in a bowl and add the milk, Ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan, egg, salt, black pepper, parsley, oregano, basil, and garlic. Stir to fully combine the ingredients. Gently fold in the ground meat until the ingredients are evenly distributed, being careful not to overwork the mixture.

To form the mini meatballs, scoop out 1 heaping Tbsp of the mixture, and using your hands, form it into a ball. Repeat with the rest of the meat mixture, placing the balls on a baking sheet as you make them. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake until cooked through, about 20–25 minutes.

To prepare the stromboli, keep the oven at 350°F.

Heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil in a medium-size sauté pan over medium heat. Add the red and green peppers, onion, and 1/2 tsp of the salt to pan and sauté until soft, about 10–15 minutes. Place the cooked peppers and onions, 1/4 cup of the marinara sauce, and the meatballs in a bowl and stir to combine.

Roll the pizza dough into an 8” x 16” rectangle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. With the smaller edge facing you, place 3/4 cup of the Mozzarella vertically down the center of the dough, leaving about a 1” perimeter of dough. Place the meatball filling on top of the Mozzarella, and then top the meatball mixture with the remaining Mozzarella.

To form the stromboli, cut crosswise strips, about 1” apart, down the length of the outer columns of dough where there’s no filling. Make sure you have an equal amount of 1” strips down the right and left sides.

Fold in the top and bottom ends over the filling, and then braid the flaps of the dough by lifting the top strip and gently bringing it diagonally across the filling. Tuck slightly and seal the strip into the dough next to the filling. Repeat on the right side. Continue down the entire length, alternating strips as you go, creating a braided pattern.

Brush the surface of the stromboli with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the Italian seasoning and remaining salt. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes, and then bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Serve with the remaining marinara.

I’m back this Sunday, foodies. Keep in touch with me on Facebook this week and check out my blog again this Wednesday…we have a special post coming from my friend Jenna who’s a registered dietician. She’s got a yummy recipe plus some new year, healthy-eating tips many of you have been asking for.

Keep it flavorful!
—David