Honey Dijon Chicken

Barbie’s Autumn Chicken

1 large chicken breast

1 tsp lime juice

2 tsp vegetable oil

½ cup Dijon mustard

½ cup honey

4 slices bacon, halved

4 mushrooms, halved

4 slices Monterey Jack cheese

4 slices cheddar cheese

Italian seasoning

Combine lime juice, vegetable oil, Dijon mustard and honey in medium bowl and beat with electric mixer just until frothy.  Remove skin and bone from chicken breast and divide into 4 pieces.  Place in zip lock bag and pour ¾ of the mustard mixture over the chicken.  Let stand for at least two hours.

Preheat oven to 350º. In a cast iron fry pan cook the bacon until crisp; sauté the mushrooms briefly in the last minute or so of cooking bacon.  Remove bacon and mushrooms and keep 1 tbsp grease.  If the bacon grease is too yucky, wipe out pan and use vegetable oil.  Sear chicken in pan for 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown.

In same pan, brush each seared chicken breast with a little of the reserved honey mustard marinade.  Lay two slices of bacon halves on each breast, top with two slices of mushrooms and one slice each of the cheeses. 

Bake at 350º for 15-20 minutes until the cheeses is thoroughly melted and starting to bubble.  Top with Italian seasoning before serving. 

© Crackerberries 2011

Sweet Mustard Pickles

                   

{SPECIAL BLEND} Mustard Pickles

I love to experiment with pickles… I thought about how chocolate and peanut butter together make an awesome candy bar, putting my two favorite pickle recipes would be the same ~  but different.  These are very sweet and very sour and very YUM!

12 cups cucumbers, sliced ¼” or so

2 cups chopped onions

5 cups sugar

3 cups cider vinegar

1½ tsp turmeric

1½ tsp celery seed

2 tsp mustard seed

1 tsp red pepper flakes

¼ cup white vinegar

¼ cup water

2 Tbsp cornstarch

½ cup Dijon mustard

Brine:  2 Quarts water and 1 cup canning salt

Brine the cucumbers overnight (cover with salt brine); drain and rinse. 

Prepare preserving jars.

In small bowl combine cornstarch, white vinegar, water, cornstarch and mustard and mix well.  Set aside.

In large preserving pot bring vinegar, sugar and spices to a boil.  Add cucumbers and cook till boiling again.  Once you have a nice rolling boil pour in cornstarch mixture and cook just until thickening.  Ladle into hot sterilized jars leaving ½ inch head space.  Wipe the rims clean; adjust two piece covers, process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.  Yield: 7 pints.

© Crackerberries 2011