In honor of the Queen's birthday (May She Live Forever), I will be shortly donning an apron and preparing the following meal: Chicken Cordon Bleu, rice, stir-fried zucchini, tossed salad and cheesecake for dessert. Aside from the cheesecake (purchased at Wal-Mart), the remainder of the meal will be made from scratch with my own two hands.

Please wish me luck.

The chicken recipe was found at Absolute Recipes: Chicken Cordon Bleu. It is reprinted below for your convenience.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 4 Ham slices (sliced thinly) 4 Provolone cheese slices 1 egg 1 Tablespoon. water ground oregano

onion powder pepper 1 cup plain bread crumbs 1 cup flour 1/3 cup. Parmesan cheese salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F

Butterfly each chicken breast horizontally so that you may add the fillings and fold them back together later on. If this sounds confusing, just think about how you or someone else would butterfly shrimp.

Sprinkle each with onion powder, pepper, and oregano. Place a piece of ham and cheese on each chicken breast. Fold the chicken breasts back together so that the chicken appears almost as it did before being butterflied. If any of the ham and cheese pokes out, push them back inside as best as you can. Use toothpicks to keep the edges sealed.

Using 3 bowls or plates add the following ingredients:

Note: Be sure to have extra on hand in case you need to replenish the bowls with more.

• Bowl one: Flour mixed with a sprinkling of salt and pepper
• Bowl two: Beaten egg and water mixture.
• Bowl three: Bread crumbs and parmesan mixture.

Dip and coat each breast into the flour mixture first, then the egg, and finally the bread crumbs.

Brush oil liberally onto a baking pan large enough to hold all the chicken breasts yet has extra room so that they do not touch one another. Bake the cordon chicken bleu for about 20 minutes on each side.

Ovens do vary in how they disperse heat, check on occasion to make sure the breading does not burn before chicken is cooked.

As with all poultry dishes, make sure the meat is fully-cooked before serving.

I will try to remember to update this post and let you know how it turns out.

After Action Report: Absolutely smashing! This recipe tastes great but the preparation is a bit tedious. Butterflying chicken breasts is definitely an art form. I think I became partly competent by the time I was on the last breast. The amount of flour in the first bowl is way too much...1/2 Cup would be plenty. I would have taken pictures but we were too hungry and just consumed it all right away.