Before we talk about chicken…we need to talk about this.

And now let’s talk about the heart wrenching fact that I don’t own a waffle maker. Well, we have a Mickey Mouse shaped waffle maker but that wouldn’t work because I want mine to look exaclty like those.  I mean ohmygoodnessgracious.  All I want to do at this very moment in time (even though it’s 10:13pm) is go buy a waffle maker.  Or order one on Amazon.  Or at the very least pick out the exact one I would purchase.  Done.

I think I’m a round waffle person.  Not a square.  Glad we determined that.

And (!) in addition to a waffle maker, I realized this week that I don’t have one of those meat pounder thingys.  I used a heavy skillet to pound the smithereens out of my chicken breasts to make them thinner.  The skillet worked except for the loud noise it was making and the concerned looks my dogs were giving me as I repeatedly smashed the chicken.

The only bad part was that our extremely heavy granite cutting board (yes, I know this isn’t the best material for knives) almost ended up smooshing my toes.  I didn’t realize how closely I had moved the cutting board to the edge of the counter during my pounding.  A 40-pound cutting board falling onto my toes really would have put a damper on my day.

Right after I pounded the chicken, my grandma stopped by (she lives on my street 2 houses away…and my other grandma lives 4 houses away…we’re trying to buy the whole street I guess…the neighbors should be concerned).  So she stopped by to tell me the gossip she heard at the beauty shop (AKA hair salon) about a home builder in the area Andrew and I are planning on moving to.

I think the best gossip is from grandmas in beauty shops.  So then we started to talk wedding things and she asked to see the final wedding guest list.  She kept saying, “oh yay, so-and-so” made the list!” It was pretty funny.  I think she might be more excited for my wedding than I am.  So I decided to not tell her the story about losing my ring. Well okay I didn’t really lose it because I knew it had to be somewhere in/around my bed because I remember waking up in the middle of the night and the ring feeling uncomfortable for some reason so I must have took it off in my half asleep slumber.  Luckily, my mom had the idea of getting a flashlight and shining it around until it caught the diamond sparkle.  Thank goodness for moms.

Speaking of ring things, I got a ring holder for a graduation gift and when I opened it Andrew was like, “ooo a mini donut maker.”  Hmm, not quite.  But definite points for creativity.

So today I bring you layers of delicious food.  I’ve come to the very scientific conclusion that all things with layers are good because cinnamon rolls, parfaits and banana pudding all have layers and all those things have been proved to be freaking awesome.

Goat Cheese, Sun-dried Tomato & Arugula Chicken

serves 3-4

[oh so slightly adapted from here]

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 ounces goat cheese, divided and rolled into 4 logs

1 cup arugula, packed

4 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil, sliced into long and thin strips

salt/pepper

Pound chicken into thin sheets by covering the chicken breast with parchment paper and pounding it with a meat pounder or heavy bottom skillet.  Season each side of the chicken with salt and pepper.  Lay a piece of thinned chicken on a flat surface.  Top the chicken with arugula leaves and sun-dried tomato strips.  Place the 1 ounce goat cheese log at the skinnier end of the pounded chicken breast and roll the chicken up into a pinwheel.  Secure chicken with 3-4 wooden toothpicks.  Repeat with three remaining chicken breasts.

Preheat oven to 425F. Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to a heavy-bottomed, oven-safe skillet. Heat skillet over medium-high heat.  Add rolled chicken breasts and sear each side of the chicken until golden brown and caramely.  Place chicken into the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165F.  Serve with roasted baby bok choy.