Mulled Wine

1 bottle of red wine (the cheap stuff is OK)
3 or 4 cinnamon sticks
4 or 5 whole cloves
4 or 5 whole allspice berries
1 or 2 whole anise stars
peel from a large orange
1/2 c. of sugar
1/2 c. dark rum

Remove white lining from orange peel (too bitter if left on).
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients except the rum.
Heat until steaming (don't boil it!) and maintain temperature for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and add rum.  Serve hot, of course.

Makes about 4 servings.  For the Cleydael crew, triple the recipe and keep warm in a crock pot.

Italian Chicken Cordon Bleu

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 slices of prosciutto
8 slices of smoked provolone
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 eggs
2 tsp water
1 c. Italian-flavored Panko bread crumbs
1 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butterfly and pound chicken breasts until 1/4 inch thick.
Lay two slices each prosciutto and provolone in center of each breast, leaving 1/2-inch "margin".
Tuck in sides and roll each breast tight.  Secure with toothpicks if needed.

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a flat dish.
Beat together eggs and water in another flat dish.
Mix bread crumbs and olive oil in a third flat dish.

Roll chicken in flour, dip in egg mixture, and then coat with bread crumbs.
Set chicken (seam side down) on lightly olive-oiled baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Goes great with Orange Beurre Blanc sauce (below).

Orange Beurre Blanc Sauce

1 c. orange juice
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 c. heavy cream
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp dried rosemary (.5 tbsp if fresh)

Combine orange juice and wine in saucepan over medium heat until reduced by half.
Stir in heavy cream and simmer over low heat until thickened.
Stir in rosemary and remove from heat.

Excellent on chicken or almost any seafood.

Parmesan Chicken Nuggets

2 lbs of skinless, boneless, chicken meat, cut into pieces no larger than 2x2 inches
1 clove garlic, minced
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 c. dried bread crumbs
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/8 tsp of Italian seasoning (herb mix)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels.
Combine the minced garlic with the melted butter.
In a separate bowl mix together the remaining ingredients.
Dip chicken pieces into garlic butter, then into crumb mixture to coat.

Place coated chicken pieces on to a 9x13 baking dish. Try to leave a little room between each piece. Drizzle with remaining garlic butter and bake uncovered 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Note that the chicken will get much more browned on the bottom side than on the top.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

10 oz chunk chicken, drained
16 oz softened cream cheese
1 c. ranch dressing
1.5 c. shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 c. hot sauce (Franks, or Texas Pete)

Heat chicken and hot sauce in skillet over medium heat.
Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing.
Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes.
Mix in half of shredded cheddar cheese.
Transfer mixture to crock pot (on Low) and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Serve with crackers and/or celery sticks.

Fried Turkey Injection

3 tbsp melted butter
1/3 c. maple syrup
1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
2/3 c. chicken stock
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp finely ground black pepper
optional: 1 or 2 tsp Tabasco sauce

Chicken and Grape Salad

2 or 3 large chick breasts
1 lb seedless white grapes
1/4 slivered almonds (more to taste)

2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt

Boil (or bake) chicken until cooked.  Cool thoroughly and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (or shred).
Wash grapes and slice into halves.
Mix everything else in a separate bowl.
Combine all ingredients and enjoy.