Yesterday,

I had alot of fun making. . .

Seared Chicken and Maytag Blue Cheese Sandwiches.

1/4 C. Honey

1 jalapeno chile pepper, minced

1 T. grated fresh ginger

1 clove Garlic,minced

1/2 t. ground cumin

1/2 C. soy sauce

Juice of 1 orange

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lime

1.4 C. extra virgin olive oil

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4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 T. olive oil

8 T. Maytag blue cheese dressing (recipe below)

4 rustic sandwich rolls, split

1 large avocado, cut into 12 slices

4 (1/8" thick) slices red onion

1 head bibb lettuce, washed, dried, and leaves separated

1. In a small bowl, combine the honey, jalapeno, ginger, garlic and cumin; wisk in the soy sauce and citrus juices. Wisk in the extra virgin olive oil. Add the chicken; toss to coat with the marinade. Cover and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.

2. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Heat a large saute pan over high heat until it is smoking.

3. Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the marinade; gently blot with paper towels (do not wipe dry). Add the olive oil to the pan. Carefully place the chicken breasts, smooth-side down, in the hot pan; cook about 3 minutes or until caramelized. Turn the chicken over and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish; bake 5 to 8 minutes or until cooked through. Cools lightly.

4. Spread 1 T. Mayag blue cheese dressing on the bottom half of each roll. Cut each chicken breast into stripes and arrange 1 breast on each bottom half. Top each chicken breast with 3 slices avocado, 1 slice red onion, and 1 T. dressing. Divide the lettuce among the sandwiches; add top halves of the rolls. . . enjoy!! makes 4 sandwiches.

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Maytag Blue Cheese Dressing

1 large egg

1t. freshly ground black pepper

1 clove garlic

1 t. dijon mustard

1 t. fresh lemon juice

1 C. safflower or canola oil

1/2 C. sour cream

4 ounces Maytag blue cheese (or any rich, creamy blue cheese)

1.8 t. ground red pepper

In a food processor or blender process the egg, black pepper, garlic, mustard, and lemon juice until blended, about one minute. With the machine running, gradually add the oil in a thin steady stream through the feed tube, and process until smooth. Add the blue cheese and red pepper; pulse just until the dressing is smooth and very small pieces of the blue cheese are evenly distributed. Makes 2 cups.

And I have to say, I did not do all this on my own. The day before yesterday, Mama made the rolls, Grace and Nathanael made the marinade and Enoch made the dressing. So, my job was not all that hard! Well, I want to get something in the mail for a dear friend and after that I am going out skiing (I went out yesterday too with Grace, Enoch and Nathanael. It was alot of fun!). So, bye for now!

~Recipes from The Metropolitan Bakery Cookbook ~