Spring Chicken Roll-Ups with Lemon Dijon Pan Sauce

Spring Chicken Roll-Ups with Lemon Dijon Pan Sauce

Prep Time: 10 min.

Cook Time: 20 min.

Serves: 4

EASY!

I made these for dinner last night. I watched Rachael Ray make them on her afternoon show. I got the pictures from google. These bundles are a healthy twist to a Cordon Bleu chicken. In fact, I think we liked them better. They are much lighter and still have all the taste. I didn't have chicken breasts, so I used 2 chicken tenders per serving, just pounded them out and put them side by side and layered the cheese, ham, and asparagus on top. They stayed together perfectly. I served them with bow tie pasta and a pesto sauce. It was awesome!

Ingredients
2 (6-ounce) pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 thin slices provolone cheese
4 thin slices prosciutto cotto OR 4 thin slices honey ham lunch meat (I used Deli Select in the carton with the red lid.)
12 medium-thin spears asparagus, trimmed of tough stems and blanched in salted water 2 minutes, drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 cup chopped, flat-leaf parsley, a handful ( just used dry parsley, about 2 T.)

Cook's Note: Some markets sell "thin cut" chicken for a premium price. With a sharp knife, cutting the chicken breast yourself is easy. When chicken is on sale, stock up. Plastic storage bags can be stacked and frozen. Each portion will thaw in minutes and be ready to use for dinner any night of the week. Plus, by halving and pounding out the breast meat, you're stretching your dollar and the meat to provide twice as many portions.

1. Halve the chicken breasts horizontally separating each into 2 cutlets.
Place each halved cutlet in an individual freezer plastic storage bag. Add a tablespoon of water to each bag and pound into1/8-inch thick cutlets.

2. Arrange the 4 cutlets on work surface. Season cutlets lightly with salt and pepper on the side facing up. Cover each piece of chicken with 1 slice cheese and 1 slice ham. Starting on 1 side of the breast, place a small bundle of 3-4 asparagus spears. Wrap and roll the chicken around the asparagus. Wash hands.

3. Heat about 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan, in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, using tongs, add the chicken roll-ups to skillet with seam side down. Season the roll-ups with salt and pepper. Cover the pan loosely with tin foil and cook 4 to 5 minutes, turn roll-ups over and cook and other 4 to 5 minutes. Remove cooked roll ups to a serving plate.

4. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons flour Stir in the chicken stock and Dijon mustard, scraping up any drippings from the bottom of the pan, and simmer 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley and spoon over chicken.

t.u.e.s.d.a.y.

Lazy but busy day.

Got all the windows washed. Nice crew who came. There are a lot of windows and it took the better part of the day. Got laundry done. Books and movies put away. Read. Talked with Jenn, Sue, the kids. Working on some Christmas things.

No new news on Wendy.

Tried a new recipe for dinner tonight. I will post it separately. It is a keeper. A lighter version of Chicken Cordon Bleu. Funny thing. Here we are alone and we still choose to stay in and cook. That's just how we are. And it works for us!

The Dr. Says: This Is It

Got a call from Grandma while I was in the market. Wendy was rushed to the hospital again this morning at 4am in extreme pain. After being examined, the Dr. called the family together and told them that she has 24 hours to 30 days at the longest to live.

They are sending her home tomorrow depending on how she is so she can pass away at home. Hospice will come in to keep her comfortable until that time that she goes back to Heavenly Father. Auntie Tia is calm, resigned. Larry is emotional. After almost 9 years it is finally here. Wendy is aware of the situation and is mad. She wants to live. Russell and his family are there. Sherry and her family are there. Shelly and David are coming, I've been told. David just started a new job.

I've had this on my mind all evening. Getting her 'ready' to die. I remember when my little cousin was born. She was very sick at birth and Uncle Bob gave her a blessing and she lived. I remember that. Then I thought about us getting ready for Natalie's baby. We are excited; planning; getting things ready; making blankets; anxious for it to get here. It occured to me that that is probably what is going on on the other side of the veil. I wonder if those there have known she is 'coming' and have been excited; planning; getting things ready; anxious for her to get there. I think that is absolutely what is happening. I can picture Mamo and Daddo, Auntie Joann, Auntie Dolene, ChrisAnn all working together to greet her and introduce her to the next part of eternity. I've been feeling the veil between heaven and earth is thin tonight for me.

LOVE that girl!

Check-In

We decided to sleep with the blinds open to let in as much of the sweet, cool mountain air as we could. What we forgot, is that the sun wakes up very early in the mountains! So when it felt like it should've been 8am, it was really 5am. I rolled over and went in and out of sleep until I finally just got up around 7.

Fortuately the car started without any trouble as we headed down the canyon around 8:45. We picked up Addy at her sister's and then made a dash to the Sprint store to pick up a phone charger and then to BBB to get a flat iron since Christine had forgotten both 'essential' items at home. Now she can just leave them at the cabin and not have to take them back and forth.

Breakfast at the Village Inn. We thought we might try Kneaders, but didn't know if they serve savory breakfasts or just sweet. And since 2 of us had a hankering for sweet and 2 for savory, we decided on a place we knew did both.

The girls waiting for their start of the day meal. They were really excited for today to get going. I think I had more butterflies than they did. Christine and I both had a belgian waffle with strawberries and whipped cream, over-easy egg and sausage (her) and bacon (me). Duff had the Denver omelet (could've guessed that one...) and Addy the 2 egg breakfast with pancakes and hashbrowns.

Down the 'diagonal'. Do they call it that anymore? That's how it was referred to 'back in the day'. Check in west of the stadium. It was so crowded I thought they didn't have a clue what they were doing, but I was proven wrong, because right at 11 on the dot, they cruised people through 3 lines of check in and the girls were done. Then a ride through a nearby neighborhood instead of the main streets (we've learned a lot of shortcuts from our football days), arriving at Heritage Halls to move in for the week. Man, did that bring back memories of living there when I was in college.

Christine's assignment.

Lanyard, Dorm Door, and the most important thing, her smile.

She unpacked her suitcase and Duff and I made her bed. She knew exactly where she wanted everything to go. Then we went to Addy's and helped her.

Addy is next door. The girls are in the same session, but not together. They have different roommates and counselors too. This way it helps them to learn to stand strong on their own, make new friends, while still having a bit of security knowing someone from home is nearby.

Have a great time, girls!

( Came back to the cabin. Duff got a nap, and I made the grocery list and puttered around until he woke up. Then we went to the market. We stopped at a local stand and picked up a watermelon and a dozen ears of beautiful white corn, which we had for dinner. THIS IS SO CRAZY: While I was walking down the aisle in Smith's I ran into Tristan Faulkner who moved earlier in the year from our neighborhood and ward! Of all places, in a grocery store in a little town. Her father passed away 2 days ago. All of her family has come in. The viewing is tomorrow and the funeral on Wednesday. She had just come from the mortuary and cemetary with her mom and sister making the arrangements. Tiffany, her niece, was with her too. I had been her visiting teacher for quite a while right after she graduated from YW. I gave Duff the list and he finished up the last items so we could all have a good visit. We laughed, hugged, cried, held hands. It was really good to see them all. They are all doing well in spite of the circumstances. Nice quiet evening with a lot of wind. I'm hoping it brings some clouds and another little storm...)

Off We Go.

Well. We are here in Utah. Everyone else is holding down the 'fort' at home. We got away just when we said we would which is really good for us. Usually we say a time to leave and we never keep it and are late. This time it wasn't me we were waiting for (which is mostly the case because being the 'mom' I always remember something else that needs to be done before I go...), but it was our teenager who was making sure she had everything she needed.

All that being said, we made great time. No traffic of any kind, and I snoozed until I woke up in Las Vegas and looked at the clock and realized we made it there in a little over 3 hours. None of needed to stop so we continued on to St. George. We pulled into a gas station, walked the dog, used the facilities, and filled up the car. We all climbed in and it wouldn't turn over at all. Tried and tried. Nothing! Called AAA and they sent a truck. It was kind of ironic that here we were in a gas station and no one there could help us, so we had to call for a truck! We quickly learned it wasn't the battery. We wondered if it might have konked out because of the heat--it was 112*. But why would it do that in St. G and not in AZ? The starter was frozen. The serviceman had to bang on it with a wrench and then we had to rock the car forward in neutral and then throw it into park. Then roll it backwards and do the same thing. Wah-lah! It started! Now the only problem was that we couldn't stop or risk it freezing again. Not that we would have, it is a straight shot here and we don't have to stop for anymore gas. He said the starter is o.k., but it is starting to go out and won't be very reliable.

So we parked at an incline in the driveway just in case we have to rock it in the morning to get Christine down to Provo.

It is beautiful. So green and mountainous. We got everything opened and there is a nice breeze that has cooled it all down wonderfully. Chris and Duff played a game of pool and she wupped him! Darla knew exactly where we were. First thing she always does is go straight to where her dish goes and waits for someone to fill it with water. Then she runs in the bedroom and gets all her 'babies' out of the kennel and brings them to the great room. We had a refreshing rain storm when we pulled in complete with some thunder and lightening to welcome us. Just so you know, we did order it!

With all that went on this week with Wendy, we were on 'hold' not knowing if mom and dad were coming or not. When they did, we delayed leaving until Sunday instead of Saturday. So the 3 of us had our sabbath quietly together listening to music and talking. Christine got a call from Robert and a text from Sister Steinert that the YW board was reorganized today. So many great women released and so many great women called to serve. She is excited and bummed all in the same emotion. But change happens and it is good for the girls to learn how this works.

Now I'm going to go and make some chocolate chip cookies, per request from Duff and The Miss!

s.a.t.u.r.d.a.y.

Everyone came over for breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa this morning.

We had belgian waffles with maple syrup, blueberries and raspberries, whipped cream, and blueberry syrup (or was it boysenberry?)... (I'd really like to get a waffle iron like this. It was totally cool!)

Doesn't that look scrumptious?

....eggs and bacon...

Adrianne had the cutest hat on. I had the song Smooth Criminal in my head all day long because of this hat. The cranberry/raspberry juice was good too.

...hash browns. We like ketchup with our savory breakfasts. Can you tell?

It was a fast, but fun morning. Everyone had to go and get Saturday things done, but that added to the pleasure of it. Grandpa and Grandma thought it was the best ever.

They were very, very tired and overwhelmed from all they had been part of at Auntie Tia's. At one point they decided to stay until tomorrow. Then all of a sudden at around 1:30, Grandpa decided he needed to be 'home'. So they packed up and left. It's good it's only a 5 hour drive. I still was kind of worried though. My mom didn't want to go. She cried. She wanted to stay. She needed to rest. Her fibromyalgia was acting up and she was in a lot of pain. But they made it safely and now they can rest up. They worked hard in Wrightwood, and if that was my sister I would want to be there and help her too, so I completely understand.

It was way too hot for me today!

Christine and I went to Target to get a few things for her to take to EFY. They were having a great sale and she scored some nice things that she can use when school starts. I like accomplishing 2 things together.

She packed up and then left to get ready for the stake dance with friends. Whew. What a busy gal. I guess there was a bit of drama. That happens with girls.

f.r.i.d.a.y.

I've been getting ready to leave for Utah and Christine ready for efy. She went to the beach with Meredith. It has turned hot now and will continue to be like this until the fall, usually through September and part of October.

I got a call late this afternoon from my mom. She and my dad were going to come over after all. With so much going on at Auntie Tia's with Uncle Bob and Wendy, they didn't think they would be able to spend some time with us. I had told them on Wednesday not to worry about it--they were needed there--so we hadn't planned on company. We were getting ready to go to a wedding reception and quickly changed our plan. I put some dinner together and got ready for them to unwind and relax and spend the night.

My dad fell asleep on the couch right away. My mom was just so tired, but needed to talk and vent and get all the emotions out. The kids are all going to come over in the morning for breakfast and see them.

Celebrating Josh's Birthday

Josh's birthday was yesterday, but since we had to teach the marriage class last night and Grandma and Grandpa thought they would be able to come today we collaborated with Meredith to celebrate tonight.

She set beautiful tables with her mom's china, and finery. Josh got the 'red' You Are Special Today plate. One of their traditions.

His favorite birthday dinner is round steak with mushroom gravy, potatoes, and asparagus, biscuits with butter and jam. She got my recipe and made the dish and it was delicious.

His favorite cake: Cardiac Arrest Cake. This is our name for it because that is what my sister, Sue, called it the first time we ever had it. It also goes by Heath/Skor bar cake, or BTS cake. Plenty of candles with one for good luck! He blew them out in one breath.

"Happy Birthday to You..."

It was a really nice evening. Thanks, Mere.

And here is sweet Sophie. She is 13, and is starting to feel it. She is such a sweet dog. I just had to get a picture.

Wendy's Wednesday

What a day it turned out to be. Cousins at the temple: Wendy, David, Me

Josh's bday. The plan was that we will celebrate tomorrow because my mom and dad will come then for a couple of days, and Duff and I had the Strengthening Marriage class to teach tonight. Grandma and Grandpa have been at Auntie Tia's for a week helping her have a break from all her caregiving.

We went along with that outline until I got a call from Lisa this afternoon telling me that our cousin, Wendy, collapsed and was on her way to the hospital in an ambulance being worked on.

Wendy has been battling breast cancer for almost 9 years. She is my 'little' cousin. She's had a rough life. Her first marriage was to a very abusive man, and she was lucky to finally get out of that somewhat in tact (which is saying a lot considering she was his punching bag and lived getting thrown into walls on a regular basis), and put a small life together for her and her 2 sons. She found love again and re-married only to be diagnosed with cancer.

Wendy lives close to her parents, and my aunt does what she can to help her very sick daughter, but she also takes care of my uncle who has serious diabetes and dementia. It is a miracle she cares for them both. So my dad followed the ambulance as best he could considering it had the siren blaring and the lights blazing down the mountain from Wrightwood to San Bernardino. He lost it, but the driver told him he probably would and gave him a map on how to get there. Auntie Tia couldn't leave Uncle Bob alone, so my mom stayed with them.

She is very thin, bald, and grayish. My parents said it is painfull to look at her. She spent the day at Auntie Tia's on the couch. When Larry came after work, she needed to use the restroom and he helped her sit up and put her arms around his neck in preparation to pick her up. When she stood up she was steady for a second or two and then collapsed, unconscious. They couldn't revive her and called 911.

The EMT's worked on her the whole way, and she did respond a little. She did regain some consciousness at the hospital. Her bishopric came and gave her a blessing, but she was told by the bishop and the doctors that her time is short.

We made a new dinner in the crockpot. One of Christine's leaders made it at girls camp. Defrosted chicken tenders with Bullseye bbq sauce. Let it cook on high for 4-6 hours. Shred. If there is too much liquid from the chicken, pour off. Add more bbq sauce it needed. Serve on a hamburger bun or sandwich roll with a slice of american or provolone cheese. It was really good. I think next time I will offer some shredded cabbage to put on it as well for a little crunch.

Meredith and Christine went to the beach.
Mike came over in the afternoon.

Marriage class went very well. It was punctuated with phone calls about Wendy that I just quietly left the room for. I made a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and I put roasted almonds on the sides. It was REALLY good. Everyone commented on how moist it was, because you know that red velvet can tend to be dry. But here is the secret: Duncan Hines. Yep, it was a cake mix that I didn't use for the 4th. Not from scratch. Now it's out. Go Mr. Hines!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSHUA!!

Happy birthday to my second born!

You were such a fast labor and delivery. 5 hours start to finish. You gave us a good scare when you spiked a fever on the day we were supposed to go home. They took you to the NICU and dad and I followed behind you and the nurses. We were a young couple in school with a toddler at home, but we held hands tightly in a way that only a husband and wife can do that told each other we are in this together no matter the outcome. A small act that says more than words can.

They did test after test. Even a spinal tap. You were given a priesthood blessing. The doctors finally concluded it was an infected circumscision. So home we came with a newborn on anitbiotics.

You were always a happy baby and little boy. You were my 2nd best sleeper. Just waking up during the night to eat and go right back to sleep. You could sleep through just about any noise. Thank you for that!

And now you are an awesome adult with a great wife and your whole future ahead of you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH.

WE LOVE YOU!

Oh, What Do You Do In The Summertime?

The days are lazy and the days are flying by.

Nothing newsworthy to note, I guess. Josh has been coming over after class to study and have Duff quiz him for the bar. 2 weeks left. I got daily things done and then worked on the laundry room. It is our 'catch-all' room. If it needs to be put away and you don't want to put it in 'its place', then it ends up in the laundry room. Everyone probably has a place like that. When I was growing up it was the dining room table.

I've been keeping a big box of school supplies since elementary school in one of the cupboards. Now that Christine will be in high school, she doesn't need dotted lined paper to practice her letters on, so that and a bunch of other things like it are going to the local elementary school. Math flash cards and laminated sight words went to JT. Sometimes I get side-tracked and think I need to keep all those kinds of things in case I need to home-school my kids or grandchildren. Kind of like emergency preparedness for education. But, I purged it today and left only the things that Chris will need going forward.

That action left cupboard space open for other things that have made their home on the countertop. The streamlined effect makes me smile. It may seem a small thing, but it feels good to have my house 'in order'. Not that it will stay that way, but I think it's the act of doing it over and over that is important.

I think of the scripture of a 'house in order', and of the temple. It is ALWAYS in order. If those are the patterns God wants us to follow, then I should practice on my house, physically and spiritually. Sometimes we only focus on the spiritual part, but they are linked.

Duff took down the very dirty kitchen sink blind and got it all spic and span out on the bball court. What a difference. Why don't we do that more often? And I spent quite a bit of time on the refrigerator. I took everything out, and washed the entire inside, and all the shelves and drawers in a sink of hot, soapy water and then put it back together. Ahhhh. I remember my mom doing that each and every Saturday after she came home from her weekly shopping. And then once a month turning it off and defrosting it to get all the ice off. Remember those days?! Before what we enjoy now. I can remember the advertisements for 'FROST FREE' refrigerators when they first came out. They were expensive. Now it's all they make.

Oh, and I did watch the Michael Jackson memorial service. All in all, I thought it was nicely done for a Hollywood service. I can't help but wonder how many people will always think of him now when they eat Kentucky Fried Chicken! It was nice to see and hear spiritual things. So many of his family and acquaintances believe in God and life after death.

Our Kitchen Table on Monday

I spent a long day picking up, cleaning, washing, and reflecting. I went from one task to another and back again all the while pondering about my life. There was so much to do that I decided I better think about something positive so I didn't get weighed down with the plain mundane yuckiness of household work. Nowadays is a time that is difficult for so many. We've had our share as well. But a good session of counting my blessings puts it all in it's proper perspective. So grateful to have a family to clean up after a holiday, to cook for, to nurture. A home. Cars. Friends. Food. Laughter. The gospel. This country. I don't think I sat down until we ate dinner. I didn't realize how tired I was until then, but it made the brief rest feel that much sweeter.

Since we were all together for the 4th on Saturday, all the kids came over tonight for our 1st of the month dinner and FHE. Twenty years ago we bought our first kitchen table. Up until then we had been using a card table and then a very ugly hand-me-down given to us with much love from a neighbor who found it at a garage sale and didn't want to see 5 of us huddled around that rickety little card table! I hugged and thanked them and when they closed the door after bringing it in, I cried. It was so ugly and I knew we would have that for a long while now because it was 'adequate' and we could use our money for other things that were necessities. We bought an oak table with 6 chairs seven years later. The selling point though was that this table had a 48" width, instead of the standard 36", and it had 4 leaves that all store inside the table. So when all the leaves are in we can comfortably seat 16 people. It needs to be refinished and a few new chairs, but it's awfully satisfying to have everyone around that table.

We had a chicken dish, salad, rice, and asparagus. There was nothing left. Every one pitched in and the kitchen was cleaned and wiped down and the dishwasher on in 10 minutes! Then our lesson was on Elder Bednar's last conference talk about prayer. Christine took notes on the white board.

We finished up with leftover homemade ice cream.