Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Cranberry Compote

I am personally a big fan of cranberries and often get annoyed that they're treated as a one-holiday food. The other day I was particularly in the mood for them, and thought they'd be good on chicken.

I stuffed my chicken with goat cheese for some added flavor and depth, then topped the whole thing with a quick and easy cranberry compote that I make every Thanksgiving.

The result was a deliciously moist and flavorful chicken that paired so nicely with the cranberry compote. I served it with white rice which worked wonderfully. This is a perfect dish for fall especially!

Ingredients
Cranberry Compote adapted from Emeril Lagasse

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded thin
Aprox. 2-4 tbsp goat cheese
1/2 cup frozen or fresh cranberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. good vanilla extract
2+ tsp. honey
1 tbsp. cornstarch
3 tbsp. milk
aprox. 1/2 tsp. lemon zest

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a baking dish with non stick spray. On the bottom of both chicken breasts, spread a liberal amount of goat cheese and "roll" chicken up and secure with toothpicks. Place in baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour, removing foil after 45 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, make the cranberry compote. In a medium saucepan, add cranberries, water, cinnamon, vanilla, zest and honey. Stir to combine. On medium heat, bring to a gentle boil and continue to cook until the cranberries have "popped" and the mixture thickens. Meanwhile in a small bowl, whisk together milk and cornstarch and add it to thickened cranberry mixture. Taste everything and make sure it's sweetened to your liking (if not, add more honey).

Pour on top of cooked chicken and serve hot.

Zucchini Stew

In the summer when I have zucchini completely overtaking my garden, this is a recipe I make quite often. It's simple, easy and adaptable. Chances are, you'll have everything you need for it right in your pantry. It's also vegan which I find to be a nice chance of pace during the week. I usually serve it over white rice or pasta.

Ingredients

1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 28 oz. can of diced or petit diced tomatoes
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/4 - 1/2 cup chicken stock (optional)
salt
pepper
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add zucchini, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil and salt & pepper to taste. Simmer for aprox. 30 minutes, or until zucchini is tender. If mixture becomes too thick, add chicken stock (you could even just add water or vegetable stock if you want to keep this completely vegan) and thin the sauce to your preference. Check again for seasoning and add more salt and/or pepper if need be.

Once zucchini is tender, serve hot over a bed of pasta or rice. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Also makes great left overs!

Fishing Cake

I made this cake for this past father's day, but it can easily be made for any special occasion! It's a marble cake that was made in a 13x9 pan. Then for the water, I used light blue buttercream and swirled in a darker blue for more depth. The grass was made of green buttercream, and the dock and fishing pole was made of gumpaste. The fish and other little sea-creatures were made of fondant. Overall this was a fun cake to make, and my dad and grandfather's really enjoyed it!

My 1st Wedding Cake

Well, I finally broke down and did it. I made my first ever wedding cake. It was sort of a last minute thing - I go to the bank every day for work and one of the teller's I talk with mentioned he was getting married in a few months and needed a cake. Well one thing led to another, I got in touch with his fiance (now wife!) and I ended up doing their cake! At first I was rather stressed (mainly about trying to cover the big bottom layer in fondant without it cracking) but I was really pleased with how it turned out!

And the best part about the whole experience was that the bride and groom loved the cake - how it looked and how it tasted! They've even referred me to some of their friends who are engaged!

So all in all, my 1st wedding cake was a success and I'm so glad I did it!

Hi!

Hi! Remember me? I'm Kristen and I'm a blog slacker.

Although Le Petit Pierogi has been severely neglected, it's not been forgotten. But you see, back in April I got a promotion at work! yay! But as we all know, promotions always equal way more work. I definitely haven't stopped cooking/baking (I've even done my 1st wedding cake!) but it's been hard to find the time to post my pictures/recipes because, truth be told, the last thing I want to do when I get home at night is stare at the computer after staring at it all day at work. But the good news is, I work in a seasonal industry where spring and summer are the busiest months of the year.

So things are finally slowing down, and I thought it might be time to dust off the ole' blog again. Hopefully some of you (any of you?) are still with me! And if you are, THANKS! But I've got lots of great recipes to share and lots of CAKES!!! I can't guarantee I'll be as active as I once was, but I do hope to continue blogging and sharing recipes!

It feels good to be back. :)

Zucchini "Fries"

As soon as I saw these on Two Peas & Their Pod, I decided to make them that night! I had fresh zucchini in my fridge and these looked too great to wait another minute on.

I was NOT disappointed with these! These were amazing - even my husband ate them and said I could make them any time! During the summer I plant zucchini and always have a TON of them on hand from my garden, so I will definitely remember this recipe for the summer!

These are great for a side on many different main courses. Sandwiches, burgers, meat, etc...these fries will go with a lot! I used marinara sauce to dip them in which was great. I absolutely loved these and will absolutely make them again and again!

Ingredients
Adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

1 zucchini, cut into sticks
2 eggs
splash of milk (about 2 tbsp)
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
marinara sauce for dipping

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and line a large baking dish with foil and spray with non stick spray.

Set up a breading station. On one plate, add flour. In a small bowl, whisk eggs and milk together with a fork. On another plate add panko and cheese and mix together. Season zucchini sticks with salt and pepper.

One by one, dredge zucchini sticks in flour, then dip in egg mixture, then press into panko until completely coated. Place on baking sheet side by side, until all zucchini sticks are breaded.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown - flip after 10 minutes and serve hot with marinara sauce.

Zucchini

Creamy White Bean Soup

I absolutely love making soup. Soup recipes tend to make a lot, so not only do I get to enjoy it for dinner, I also get to enjoy it for subsequent lunches at work. This is a healthy soup that is easy to make.

This soup is flavorful, healthy and hearty. The beans create a wonderful creaminess to the soup, especially when blended. The kale adds so much color and flavor, that I seriously load this soup with it! I really love this recipe and will definitely make it again and again.

Ingredients
Adapted from The Daily Green, originally published in Good Housekeeping

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium celery stalk, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cans (15 1/2 to 19 ounces each) white kidney beans (cannellini), rinsed and drained
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2-3 springs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 cups water
1 head fresh kale
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Optional - aprox. 1 cup cooked small pasta (I used little stars)

Directions
In 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add beans, broth, pepper, thyme, and water; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, trim tough stems from kale and discard; thinly slice leaves.

With slotted spoon, remove 2 cups bean and vegetable mixture from soup; set aside. Blend the rest of the soup with an immersion blender and puree until smooth.

Stir in reserved beans, vegetables and pasta (if using). Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in kale and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat. Serve with Parmesan, if you like.