Biscuits

Decided to make biscuits this morning.  I love a egg, cheese and tomato biscuit.

Here is my recipe for biscuits:
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up in small pieces
2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated shortening
1 cup heavy cream

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add butter and shortening.  Use forks to cut in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles crumbs.  Make a well in the center and add cream. Stir until dough comes together and is sticky.  Put onto a lightly floured counter and gently fold dough over a couple of times to incorporate the ingredients.  Roll out to about 1 inch thick and use a biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits (If you don't have a biscuit cutter a clean open ended can will work).  Reform dough and continue to cut until all dough is used.  Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet (If you use parchment paper they won't stick).  Place in a 450 degree Fahrenheit oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.  You can brush some melted butter on the top of the biscuits when they come out of the oven if you want.

I added a cooked egg, a slice of cheddar cheese and a slice of tomato.  For the egg, beat one egg and pour into a hot pan.  Cook on one side and then flip, cook until done.  Fold and add to biscuit.

Chicken Manhattan

I found this recipe in a "365 Ways to Cook Chicken " Cookbook years ago.  It is a great recipe and tonight I adapted it to what I had available.

1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to about 1/4 inch thickness
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 package (10 ounces) frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
4 slices Swiss cheese (the recipe calls for provolone cheese, but I had Swiss available)
1/4 cup dry white wine (I used a chardonnay from King Family Vineyards in Virgina)

Place bread crumbs and egg in separate shallow dishes.  Dip chicken in egg' then dredge in bread crumbs to coat.  In a large pan, heat oil  over medium heat.  Add chicken and cook about 4 minutes on each side.  Remove chicken to a platter, cover and keep warm.  In pan, add butter and melt over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic, saute until beginning to soften about 2 minutes.  Add spinach and nutmeg.  Mix well and cook until heated through.  Add chicken back to pan, top with spinach mixture.  Arrange cheese slices on top.  Add wine and cover.  Cook about 5 minutes until cheese is melted and chicken is tender.

Use the extra amount of spinach as the side for this dish. 

To this I added a small side salad of lettuce, tomato, carrots and a small sprinkling of blue cheese.  I used a dressing of extra virgin olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar.