I’m not sure what it is about the cold winter but it brings out the gut cooking in me. You know opening the frig and saying what do I have and throwing something together. Lyn takes advantage of these days and throws different ideas at me. Last night I grabbed a couple of chicken breast that had been sitting in butter milk pound them flat and did a little salt and pepper. In a  bowl I took some ricotta cheese, chopped up some spinach and tomatoes mixed together until it look right to me. I spread the mixture on each of the breast and rolled like a jelly roll. A couple of toothpicks to hold them together and scrapped off the cheese that was oozing out. I browned in a little oil on all sides (start with the seam side down) then put the pan in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Yum it was good. I supposed some pasta sauce and shredded cheese on top would have been nice but did not have any at that time. There is still one left perhaps I’ll make a quick sauce and shred some cheese and have with some zucchini spaghetti and leftover meatballs.

This is a combination of two recipes that I have made before, fruit stuffed pork chops and fig stuffed pork loin roast with chestnut puree gravy. I started with about a 3 lbs pork loin which I butterflied and pounded  to uniform size,  then salt and peppered (1 tsp kosher salt 1\2 tsp pepper). Made fruit stuffing 1\4 chops fresh orange, 1 cup bread crumbs, 1\2 cup raisins, sprinkle of nutmeg mix well and spread over pork leaving room on edge roll and bind with twine at 1 inch intervals. I wrapped and refrigerated about 6 hours but over night works. Melt 1 tbs butter and olive oil in pan and brown roast all sides about 5 minutes. Put in preheated oven 325 cook until about 142 degree. Remove and cover let sit for 30 minute to an hour.  Reheat pan that you used to brown pour and dripping in melt 2 tbs butter, add 1 cup of hard apple cider, 1\2 cup water, 1 tbs fresh chop thyme. Bring to boil reduce half. Whisk in 1 cup chestnut puree. There ya go slice the meat pour the gravy and eat.

Sorry Lyn I like this better than pork tenderloin.

For Xmas Lyn wanted to do a Thanksgiving redo since it came out so tasty. It was a Wholefoods brined turkey that I smothered with my herb infused butter. Got to admit it did come out good. So we got a natural turkey grabbed the brine that Missy gave us way back when and brined that baby overnight. Of course this one came out better and it is one of those never to duplicate ones well at least the brining part.

Anyway the next day I made turkey soup,  canned it and today as I prepared to watch the Patriots play like shit I made my first turkey Pie. I don’t bake its to much of exact measurements for me but at least this way the inside was my cooking style. It came out pretty darn good.