Rosie Stops Her Bitchin' About Frank And Cooks Something

Let's get back to the business of cooking, shall we? Enough ranting about Frank. At least no more until he starts messing with me again. Or until I get the letter from the Association urging me to "play nice" and just "be a good neighbor."

I started out with two chicken bosoms which I deboned.

I've flattened out the first fillet.

Cover with plastic wrap and pound away. Have you notice I've been doing an inordinate amount of pounding this week? Somehow, one's appetites can not only nourish the body, but also feed the soul. Methinks I needed to get that aggression out. I just imagined Frank's face in the meat, then happily pounded away.

Drizzle with some olive oil.

Add salt and pepper.

Here's my filling: herbed goat cheese and chunks of pesto I made several months ago, froze in ice cube trays, then popped into a freezer bag.

I mixed the pesto and goat cheese together and spread the mixture on top of the chicken. Then, I decided to add in a few slices of mozzarella for some nice, melted, gooeyness.

I rolled up the chicken using the plastic wrap to make a nice tight roll.

Then I secured the rolls with string - an oh-so-thoughtful gesture since it allows my diners to floss after their meal.

Here's my assembly line: the chicken, seasoned corn starch, egg, crushed pistachios.

Roll in cornstarch.

Then dip in egg and roll in crushed nuts.

Ready for sauteeing.

Lightly brown all over.

Don't forget the ends.

Now, what's this? My rolls are browned but not cooked through. I have the leftover egg. And the strip on the left is some leftover frozen puff pastry - leftover from a dish I made last week but didn't bother to blog since it just didn't turn out right. I'd been wanting to try the supermarket puff pastry just to see what it's like (No where close to homemade but serviceable.). Last week's dish was ... unfortunate. I decided to clear out the freezer of some shrimp, which I lightly sauteed, then made a roux, then added some sherry and cream for a lovely sauce. I followed the directions on the box for pot pies and had all the intentions of making a lovely shrimp puff pie and then merrily blogging away to show you my wonderful creation. But as you know, things don't always go as we plan. As instructed, I put my pastry in little ramekins, then spooned my shrimp mixture in, then placed a pastry sheet on top and baked the ensemble. It came out a soggy mess. I knew I should've baked the pastry cups first, then added the filling.

So this time, I decided to just place the pastry on top and brush with a bit of the leftover egg wash.

We inserted a probe in the chicken and cooked until it reached 170 degrees then removed from the oven. It continued to cook until it reached 178. (The recommended temp is 180 but I think that's a bit high.)

And here are my little chicken roulades.

In the meantime, Mr. Hawthorne started on the rice. I happen to like this brand, Lundberg, a lot. They make several different varieties.

At the end of cooking, Mr. Hawthorne added some carrots and peas.

Then he added in the leftover egg since we don't like to waste anything.

And here's our meal. Nice creamy rice. Flavorful chicken. Crunchy nutty coating on the outside and moist, chickeny goodness on the inside with the added bonus of pesto with its nutty yumminess and the welcome burst of fresh basil flavor and the occasional gooeyliciousness of the Mozzarella.

A satisfying, good meal.

Do you want to know what laziness looks like?