A few weeks ago I wrote a post about an experiment I did with rolled chicken (An Improv Dinner). Today I made another  rolled chicken entree.

Like last time I started with sliced boneless chicken breast. I put on a sprinkling of pepper, thyme, and oregano.

Sliced and seasoned.

Next I added strips of bacon covered with shredded monterey jack, cheddar, and asadero cheese. I coated a glass pie plate with bacon grease, put in the rolled up chicken, and placed it in the oven. 

Ready for the oven.

While I waited for the chicken to bake I boiled a few ears of sweet corn. After the chicken had cooked thoroughly I added a healthy dollop of Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet ‘n Spicy barbecue sauce on top and sprinkled on a bit more cheese. A couple more minutes in the oven and it was ready.

And there it is.

I was happy with it. This was the first time I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet ‘n Spicy barbecue sauce, and I really liked it.

Chicken, bacon, and cheese. Good things.

Rolling chicken is addictive. There are many more variations I would like to try. . .

I enjoy cooking and baking things using what I have on hand. This is even more fun when no recipe is involved. Some of my favorite meals have occurred under these circumstances (and to be fair some of the worst).

Today I had leftover marinara sauce that I had to use up, so I decided to make something with that thought in mind.

I happened to have boneless chicken breast, and I recalled an entree my sister made over Easter weekend that involved rolled up chicken breast. I decided to slice the chicken breast in half to make it nice and thin, and I searched in my refrigerator for stuff to put in it. I had some deli sliced ham and shredded mozzarella cheese remaining from making strombolis (that’s why I had the marinara sauce too), so I decided to use that. I put a layer of mozzarella on the chicken, added a mix of spices (pepper, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley), a couple of pieces of sliced ham, and then a bit more cheese. I then rolled the entire thing up like a scroll and put it in the oven.

A chicken scroll before (left) and after (Right) baking.

When the chicken emerged from the oven I put some marinara sauce on it and sprinkled a bit more mozzarella on top of that, then put it back in the over for a few more minutes.

I made a batch of rice and boiled a few carrots to accompany the chicken. So the finished product looked like this:

A chicken scroll that has been marinaranated.

I also had some lettuce and a cucumber in my refrigerator, so I added crumbled smoked cheddar cheese, croutons, and pecans to that for a salad (topped with Tangy Tomato Bacon dressing of course).

You don't win friends with salad.

Throw in a Killian’s Irish Red and a glass of water and dinner is served.

Let’s ponder a question; a question almost as popular as: why did the chicken cross the road? Here it is: is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? 

Now you might be quick to respond with an answer. But be careful. You see, this question is mired in semantic chaos. In fact, both terms may be applied correctly.

To a botanist the issue is quite simple. A tomato is a ripened ovary, thus it is a fruit (to be more specific, it is a berry). Vegetable is not a scientific term, so it is not used. A tomato is a fruit.

If you look the word vegetable up in a dictionary you will get a very vague and broad definition like: “any member of the vegetable kingdom” or “any plant whose fruit, seeds, roots, tubers, bulbs, stems, leaves, or flower parts are used as food.” So a tomato is a vegetable too. In 1893 the United States Supreme Court ruled that the tomato was a vegetable in Nix v. Hedden. Well, sort of. To paraphrase the ruling: We know tomatoes are technically fruit, but everyone refers to them as vegetables, so they are vegetables. Later, Associate Justice Potter Stewart was asked about the verdict and he said: “I know a vegetable when I see a vegetable” (ok, so I made that last quote up).  

You might be wondering what my point is. Here it is: fruit and vegetable are not exclusive terms. One of them is a scientific term, one is not. Tomato happens to be described by both of them.

Oh by the way, the chicken crossed the road because he is a thrill-seeking daredevil.