Chicken Cordon Bleu

I wonder how people in other cultures welcome babies into the world. There is a ceremony in New Zealand among the Maoris where they bury the placenta in the family's land, unmarked, but usually near a tree or some other indicator, in order to tie the new baby to their ancestors and their family's land. I even read about a Maori girl who now lives in the States who flew home to have her baby so that she could do this ceremony. It's that special and meaningful. No matter where you live, you are Maori, you belong to Aotearoa.

In the ancient Hebrew culture, they would name their child something that almost prophesied who that child would be, what he would do, or somehow proclaim God's greatness. We decided to follow the same custom with our daughter. Her name means "Who is Like God Bringing Light?" and we pray over our daughter that her life would proclaim God's greatness to everyone she meets.

In our culture in the U.S. in modern days, we take the family food. No significance, no prophesies, just... a meal. It's usually a casserole, and a bad one at that. When we had our daughter, we ate more bad food than good... Sad, but true. (Not to sound ungrateful for their thoughtfulness... But sometimes you can't be grateful for something that you literally can't eat!)

So, I made our friends who recently had their fourth child Chicken Cordon Bleu. It was on the menu for this week anyway, so I just made extra... I don't know that I had ever made it before, and it was easier than I expected!

WHAT YOU NEED: (Ingredients listed makes two servings)
1 large chicken breast
Plastic bag
Hammer (if you don't have a mallet)
Cutting Board
2 thin slices ham of your choice
1 slice Swiss cheese
2 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan
2 Tbsp. Panko bread crumbs
Spices:  salt, pepper, parsley, and basil

HOW TO:
Butterfly fresh chicken breast.
One piece at a time, place in bag, on a cutting board, and beat the heck out of it =)
Lay on the meat ham and Swiss. Roll. Secure with toothpicks, if you've got them handy (I didn't).
Mix together Parmesan, bread crumbs, and spices.
Coat each piece in bread crumb mixture.
Bake at 350 for ... 25 minutes?
*Pairs well with Archer Farms Sichuan Green Beans, with added butter and sesame seeds; and Archer Farms Italian Four-Cheese Mac&Cheese, topped with fresh ground black pepper, shredded Asiago and shredded Parmesan.

COST: Because I am a fruuuuugal shopper, each piece of chicken ended up around a dollar!!!

Ummmm, Yum! I've never meet a Chicken Cordon Bleu I didn't like! This was my first hand at it, and I loved this one as much as any other. Although, I had to cut into it to see if it was done. So, if you have any suggestions on how to know when it's done without carving into it, I'd really appreciate it!

Leave me a comment!