Prosciutto Wrapped Stuffed Chicken

(Pictures Coming...as soon as my husband gets home from work and tells me where he put the camera cord)

I bought this lovely Prosciutto at the store on Monday determined to come up with something yummy to make with it. I see it on Food Network all the time so it must be delish. I gave David a taste of it and he quickly told me "That is NOT good!". Well after that I certainly had to prove him wrong. I came up with this recipe and it was SOOOO good. It looks fancy but it's super easy. Its a little bit of a twist on my moms famous Chicken Cordon Bleu Try it and tell me what you think.

Ingredients:

-4 Large Chicken Breasts (tenderloins attached)

-1 package cream cheese (regular or low fat)

-1 cup cooked chopped broccoli

-1/2 pound thinly sliced Prosciutto (found at the Deli counter)

-1 tablespoon fines herbs (or Italian herbs)

-White cooking wine (the kind you buy near the condiments that you don't need ID to purchase is fine)

-Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2.. pound out chicken breasts. (If you dont have a mallet like me, use the back of a skillet. Just cover the chicken in plastic wrap and start hittin!)

3. in a bowl mix chopped broccoli, cream cheese, and herbs

4. Sprinkle Salt and Pepper on both sides of the chicken (Taste your Prosciutto to see how salty it is before you over-salt. It will still need a little salt on the inside but maybe on the outside)

5. Lay out Prosciutto on a clean cutting board. Depending on the width of each piece you may need 2 or 3 slightly overlapping to be the width of the rolled chicken breast (which you will do in step 6)

5. Spread 1/4th of the broccoli mixture on the first chicken breast. roll it up. Then lay it on the prosciutto and roll the prosciutto around it so that it covers the outside of the chicken. Lay seam side down in the baking dish (you could also use toothpicks to hold it together)

6. Repeat Step 5 with all of your chicken breasts.

7. Pour 1/2 cup of white wine in the bottom of the baking dish. Cover and bake for 45-50 minutes.

8. Serve over white rice, using some of the pan drippings as a sauce over the top.

Lord, I would follow Thee

Today, in Relief Society, we sang "Lord, I would follow Thee" for the opening song. The words to the second verse really struck me. "Who am I to judge another, when I walk imperfectly? In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can't see." This didn't strike me because I am a very harsh critic of others, but more because I am a harsh critic of myself. I find myself often comparing myself to others and always coming up short to their fabulousness. I could relate to having sorrow hidden in the quiet heart, and I realized that others who I saw as much better than I, also have trials and also experience pain. I still ask often what I have done to not be worthy of the blessing of children like so many around me. And maybe it isn't me at all. Maybe the spirits meant to reside in my home are not ready to be here yet. Maybe Heavenly Father's plan for them does not start until much later. And maybe the sorrow in my heart has a purpose for my life and my learning. The atonement has always been real to me. I have felt the pain that sin brings, and the healing joy that Christ has offered. But I have learned more about the atonement and about my Savior through this trial, than any other. I understand my Heavenly Father's love for his children more, and I am trying to learn to not compare myself to others but rather be the best that I can be and be satisfied with that. And until I am blessed with the thing my heart yearns for, I will continue to say "Lord, I would follow Thee."

Marriage Enrichment Weekend

David and I were very fortunate to be able to attend the Marriage Enrichment Weekend with CREDO southwest this past weekend. CREDO is a program run by military chaplains to enrich the lives of service members and their families. The retreat was held at the Hilton Hotel in Mission Valley and was Friday night through Sunday afternoon. The hotel and all the food was paid for (really nice since FREE is my favorite number) and the CREDO chaplain had marriage classes each day. A lot of it was from Gottman's book (which I read twice in college) and I highly recommend.

The retreat is designed for couples who are doing well in their marriage and want to keep it that way. We got to make a colored timeline of our relationship, practice better communication skills(for when we are together and apart), go on a special date, give each other gifts that represented what our spouses love means to us, and write special love notes that will be mailed at some future unknown date. The whole thing ended with a very beautiful prayer offered by the chaplain.  I am really glad that the military supports families like it does, especially since being a military family is not easy.  It was nice to really focus on the routines and rituals in our lives that define us, and show each other how much we care. It definitely put a smile on my face to be able to spend such a wonderful weekend with my husband who I love dearly. What are some special or ordinary things you do in your home to show your spouse you love them?

Ten Years Later

I have been thinking about several things over the past few days. First off, We had a HUGE power outage here in Southern California on Thursday. Made me realize I am not as prepared as I thought I was. Yes we had flashlights but no spare batteries. Yes we had food storage but no way to cook it. And we had no extra water. Emergency Preparedness FAIL! We did have a radio though, and thanks to the fact that we just got a new car, we had an outlet to plug our dying phones into. President Obama happened to give a speech on jobs that night (that we missed along with the rest of the southern portion of the state and most of Arizona) but he also mentioned a few things about 9/11 that I have thought about ever since. He said that  over the past 10 years since that horrible day we have become stronger and that as Americans we do not live in fear. I felt proud to be an American, but I also thought to myself that there are times that I have more fear now than I did ten years ago. And maybe some of that has to do with my age; I was only in the 8th grade when the towers fell (though I do remember where I was, what I was doing, and all the details from the news story). But I hate to admit that I was a bit nervous as I drove toward the base today to pick up my husband from work. I am a little bit afraid every time I fly. And as a military spouse, I am always afraid that my husband will be whisked away to a far off land to fight in a war against very bad men.  I fear for my children and especially for their children, because it seems that every day there is more evil than good in the world. But I am also humble and full of faith and I know that if I put my trust in a loving Heavenly Father that I have no need to fear. I have a strong belief that the events of that day were the result of evil men using their agency to do harm, but I also believe that it was a day needed to turn the hearts of the children toward their fathers and their God. The events of that day and the people who lost their lives and the heroes that were made will never be forgotten. I am proud to be an American: Yesterday, Today, And Forever.