Prosciutto and Gruyere-stuffed Chicken Roulade

Despite the facts that I just bought my summer's supply of sunscreen this weekend, and it is currently sunny and 78 outside, I still want the excuse to hibernate inside in my sweatshirt, and eat rich, full-flavored foods in front of a Netflix queue. (Also, the hubs was gone this weekend, and it took about 12 seconds to revert to a helpless blob of single person, unable to make independent decisions.) Preserving the illusion of winter outside meant making comfort foods inside, and one of mine growing up was Chicken Cordon Bleu.  So, I decided to play with the traditional recipe, but seeking fuller flavor from each of its elements, I chose to use dark meat chicken, Gruyere instead of swiss cheese, and proscuitto for the ham. It is so far from a "Cordon Bleu" that I'm calling it a roulade.

Chicken roulade at rest.

From the large natural foods superstore that shall not be named, this meal's groceries, a $12 bottle of wine, salad fixings and $4 for a box of Girl Scouts Thin Mints, cost $41. If I hadn't sulked at home by myself sans husband on a Saturday night, the meal would have fed four if it was a crowd willing to eat Thin Mints for dessert. Leftovers and my self image are in the fridge. 

Prosciutto and Gruyere-stuffed Chicken Roulade
Burwell General Store

Serves: 4

"Chicken Sink" Pot Pie with Light-Roux Gravy and Herbed Drop Biscuits

Here we are! Another recipe swap, and this time 13 of us joined the fun. This time, we reinterpreted "Grandma's Pot Pie and Drop Biscuits" from "All Day Singin' And Dinner on the Ground" (Read more about the swap here). We created a wide spectrum, from Lindsay's Pork and Apple Pot Pies with Rosemary Gruyere Biscuits, to Sabrina's Thai Green Curry with Spicy Brown Rice Balls, Boulder Locavore's gluten-free Chicken Nonya Curry, Chef Dennis' Chicken Crostata, Mari's Thai Coconut Chicken Stew with Sweet Potato Falafel to Nay's close interpretation with goat cheese biscuits. I am excited to welcome newcomers who jumped right in and are as creative and diverse as the rest of the bunch: Jennifer made a Buffalo stew, Shari our first international swapper is blogging from Australia, Cindy, writing in the City of Angels, Monique from Chicago, and The Cake Duchess who shares a rare savory dish with us from Florida. You simply must take 15 minutes and visit all their pages to read these inventive and delicious recipes that we blogged about from all over the world. Thank you all for contributing, it is always such fun to collaborate.

The spirit of the original recipe spoke to my hardy yet latent Midwestern resourcefulness, so like Nay, (in close interpretation, not in Midwestern roots) my own recipe fell closer to the original, incorporating ingredients I had laying around in the fridge, hence the "Chicken Sink" label. I used only what I had available, which is probably not going to be what you have available in your own kitchen. As far as the filling goes, add or remove anything you like from the list below as long as you have a heavy four to five cups of filling. My "twist" is the addition of a roux-gravy, which adds complexity both in flavor and technique to the dish. I love the flavor toasted flour brings to the table.


"Chicken Sink" Pot Pie with Light-Roux Gravy and Herbed Drop Biscuits

Serves: 4

How to eat Fried Chicken: Ludo Truck in Los Angeles

Among foodies and chefs, Ludo Lefebvre is our Los Angeles French darling, popping up and out of restaurant spaces, crisscrossing town in his food truck. In combination, those things make one feel like they're a private detective hunting down an elusive person of interest, which is exactly why I jumped on my bike and rode six blocks down the hill from my apartment when I heard Ludo Truck snagged a spot this week on the Santa Monica Gourmet Food Truck Corner. Person of interest, indeed.