Home Cooking After 5---Cream Cheese & Spinach Chicken

A picture of my sweet family from Easter

When I tell people about the course of a typical day in my life, it is not usually the work I have done or the interiors I have created that really blows people's hair back. What constantly seems to floor people is that I cook dinner for my family upon arriving home from work. I do this six nights a week. On the seventh day, we are usually at our local country club for dinner. My mother comes over for dinner every night, and joins us at the country club on night seven. My husband Nick is also there, and if they are home from college, so are my twenty-two year old twins, Riley and Harrison.

What makes it possible for me to cook dinner every night after having run my business all day, is first off, effort. Of course there are some nights after a long day where I don't feel like cooking a gourmet meal. These are the nights I may take a chicken breast and vegetables and throw it on the grill to be served with a simple salad. I shop at Central Market weekly and Costco every three weeks. I find that with some simple planning, I am able to serve my family a home cooked meal every night. And I do mean EVERY NIGHT.

One of my favorite go to recipes is from the Tidewater on the Half Shell cookbook. I have altered it to make it "Kay Easy". I will say, that some shortcuts can  be easily taken to make gourmet recipes more realistic for the working woman or busy mom.

Here is my recipe for what I'll call Cream Cheese/Spinach Chicken. It is delicious and beautiful on the plate.

Ingredients

1 package of frozen chopped spinach
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 package of plain cream cheese-softened
1 serrano pepper
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
Knorr Seasoning
1 package of sliced swiss cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook frozen chopped spinach in small stock pot according to package directions. Transfer cooked spinach in batches to strainer and remove all water.
2. Mix softened cream cheese (at room temperature) with spinach and minced serrano pepper (use 1/4 of the pepper for a more mild flavor and the whole pepper for a spicier version).
3. To cream cheese and spinach mixture, add fresh lemon juice and 2 shakes of Knorr Seasoning.
4. Pile cream cheese mixture on chicken breasts in an even mound.
5. Top chicken and cream cheese mound with one slice of swiss cheese per serving. Swiss cheese should cover the top of the chicken
6. Bake for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through the middle.
7. Use leftover cream cheese mixture on crackers!

I serve my delicious chicken with an arugula salad with salted pecans and Italian dressing.

Along with cooking every night, my table is constantly set with linens and knife rests and I always serve dinner on formal china. Life is too short not to eat on beautiful china.

I have several patterns that I love and I am frequently falling in love with a new pattern.

This Herend Pattern is my newest china crush!

Herend Queen Victoria Pattern

I know this will surprise you, but singing and dancing whilst cooking makes it all the more enjoyable!

Besides my musical entertainment, a cold glass of Chardonnay is a MUST.

This Becker Vineyards Chardonnay is my current favorite!