Gypsy Cooking

So, one of my favorite things to do is throw dinner parties. In fact, there's a group of us who love this and that's how Supper Club was born. But when I host, the tricky thing is that I almost never stick with the recipes. I use them as a sort of guideline... look at the ingredients suggested, the order and ways in which things are prepared, and then I substitute, and in general, make-it-up as I go along. Could never tell you the exact measurement, I just "eye it" and guess.

But I'm hungry right now and want to reveal some of my favorite recipe variations.

______________________

CHICKEN GYPSY

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken breasts pounded flat

Bearnaise sauce (you can cheat like I did and buy it in a jar, or it's simple to make from scratch)

For the Stuffing Inside:

Cream cheese softened

Crab meat (just used 1 or 2 cans...whatever I had on hand)

Chives, finely chopped

Garlic powder

Breading:

Egg

Milk

Flour

Crumbs (I think in the last time I didn't have bread crumbs, so I finely crushed Ritz crackers or something of that sort)

COOKING PART:

1. Oven @ 350 F
2. Mix all the Stuffing Ingredients together
3. Lay chicken out & insert a dollop of stuffing; tuck corners over (use toothpicks to temporarily hold)
4. Make egg wash using an egg & a brief pour of milk
5. Dunk chicken in flour, then egg wash, then coat with crumbs
6. Place in baking dish with corners face down; remove toothpicks (should stay-put)
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes (make sure there's no pink!)
8. Top with heated Bearnaise sauce.

_______________________

_______________________

_______________________

Then once I took this recipe for Maple Chicken Cream de Brie Sauce and gave it my own twist.

CANDIED CHICKEN BRIE

INGREDIENTS:
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

Marinade:
equal parts- Honey; Maple Syrup; Brown Sugar
Garlic Powder
Crushed Red Pepper (this ingredient is key for the kick!)

Brie Sauce:
Brie
Heavy Whipping Cream
White Wine
Garlic chipped
Chopped chives
Dijon Mustard

COOKING PART:

1. Mix marinade ingredients & then marinate the Chicken for 15 minutes in a large Ziploc bag. Make sure it inhales all the sweet, sugary goodness. I always add just a sprinkle more of the red pepper right before I place it in the oven.
2. Bake chicken @ 350 F for 35-40 minutes (I put foil down because this mess gets very gooey)
3. Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining wine, garlic and chives in a large sauce pan. Add cream and simmer for 10 minutes, then add Brie and mustard...keep stirring mixture to make sure the lumps melt evenly. I'm pretty sure I added a little more wine here and there until the consistency was just right.
4. Top the candied chicken with the Brie sauce and it's a yummy goodness you wouldn't expect!