Of course, I only like expensive cheese.

I've never considered myself a cheese whore. It's awesome, but also just kinda a staple. Like...chicken. Or wine. I don't feel like I buy/use more than the normal person. Then I opened my fridge and saw this.

Normal people don't have this much cheese at one time, do they? Seriously? If you can't see, that would be gorgonzola, goat, feta, parmesan—shredded and shaved—cheddar, mozzarella, brie, and cream cheese. You name it, I got it. Ri.diculous.

I guess it all makes sense. When I went to New York, the only thing I brought home was a huge block of romano. Fondue night was always my fave girls-night-out (I so miss my SD girls!) And we know about the nacho obsession (though, really, is that cheese?) I'm just still in a bit of cheese-shock. I guess it's a good thing my allergy isn't dairy.

So prepare yourselves for some cheese-based recipes the next few days. Starting with last night's deliciousness. I apparently love cheese, and I love to stuff things in chicken. So, ta-da, brie and onion stuffed chicken breasts. Throw in some asparagus with browned butter sauce and wild rice? Very fancy-schmancy. I even impress myself sometimes. It makes a lot...would be awesome for a dinner party, if that's your bag.

I got these both from Cooking Light, but adjusted them, per usual.


Onion-Brie Stuffed Chicken
Olive Oil
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
1/4 large onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup white wine, divided
Brie, about a 1/4 cup, chopped up
Sage (1 tbsp. fresh or 1 tsp. ground)
Dash of thyme
Salt and Pepper
1 cup chicken broth
3 large chicken breasts

Heat a splash of olive oil in large skillet or shallow sauce pan on medium heat. Add sliced onion, and move it around to separate. You're going to just let it cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until they are caramelized, about 20 minutes. It'll be done when it's brown and kind of a messy mass of soft onion. Add garlic slices, cook a couple of minutes until garlic is soft, stirring frequently. Add 1/4 cup white wine, and let cook until the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

Once cool, add the cheese (the cheese will be a little melty, it's ok), salt (about 1/4 teaspoon) and pepper.

Take the large chicken breasts and cut in half. Make a slit in each cut side with a knife, as deep as you can without going through. With your hands (this is messy), take some of the brie mixture and stuff into the slit. Get as much in there as you can without it spilling out. If you have any left over filling, save it to sprinkle over the chicken at the end. Take some toothpicks and close each piece up to keep the filling from leaking out when it cooks.

In the same pan you used for the onion, heat a bit more oil. Saute the chicken for 6-8 minutes a side, depending on how thick the breast is. Remove chicken, put in serving dish and cover with aluminum foil.

Add minced onion and garlic to pan, and stir while cooking about 3 minutes. Add sage, thyme, broth, and 1/2 cup wine. Bring to a simmer and cook until about half of it has evaporated. Then return chicken to pan, and cook a couple minutes until it's hot again. Remove toothpicks. Serve with a bit of sauce on top.
Serves six. About 220 calories, 7g fat, 1g fiber, 7g carbs, 31g protein


Asparagus with Brown Butter Sauce
One bunch asparagus
Salt and Pepper
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp soy sauce
1.5 tsp balsamic vinegar
lemon zest
cooking spray

Clean and trim the asparagus (if you don't know how, just bend the stalk near the bottom. The 'dead end' should snap off.). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, then arrange asparagus in a row. Coat them lightly with cooking spray, and sprinkle well with sea or kosher salt and fresh pepper. Bake at 400 about 10 minutes.

When they are almost done, melt butter in small saucepan over medium. Shake the pan a little bit every 30 seconds or so, and it should be brown after about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and add balsamic and soy sauce (it'll splatter, so be careful). Mix, and pour over asparagus. Toss them evenly, and sprinkle with grated lemon zest.

As shown, serves 2 big servings. You can always double or triple it, though, by adding another tablespoon of butter for each additional bunch of asparagus.
About 90 calories, 6g fat, 4g fiber, 8g carbs, 4g protein