this is another big meal that i was very proud of. the first time i made this chicken a few months ago mike almost died he said it was that good - and the recipe came about because the ingredients i wanted to find -flavoured havarti, prosciutto - i couldn't in our small town, so i came up with other things. i think it's much better this way anyway!

the thing with this stuffed chicken is that it's really not that hard, and is totally an impressive meal. i find the trick to it is to get the chicken pounded out, clean up that mess, then lay everything out in front of you in stations. it makes stuffing, wrapping and coating go super fast and quite easy once your elbow deep in raw chicken.

stuffed chicken (or the awesome chicken if you're mike)

• four chicken breasts, pounded flat
• herb and garlic cream cheese
• a handful of spinach
• a handful of mushrooms, sliced thin
• shaved deli ham (or prosciutto if you can get your hands on it, but i can't)
• home made shake 'n bake (recipe to follow)

pound chicken breasts flat between parchment paper with a meat mallet or rolling pin. prepare baking dish by sprinkling home made shake 'n bake on bottom. spoon cream cheese in centre of chicken, add spinach and mushroom. roll up and secure with toothpicks. place ham on top, set in baking dish and top with shake 'n bake. bake 350 for 40 min. this may vary depending on the thickness of you chicken.

i got this next recipe out of a canadian living a while ago. it was originally a home made chicken fingers recipe, but it's so awesome i use it for everything - it goes especially well with a white fish. i make tons of this at a time and keep it in the freezer and pull it out for whenever.

home made shake 'n bake (i really need a better name for it)

• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs, as small as possible, like food processor small
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp oregano (or more to taste)
• 1 tsp paprika (or more to taste)
• salt and pepper to taste

combine altogether... and that's it!

i came up with this next dish about half hour before supper. for some reason i always struggle with a side for this chicken, so i thought i was just go herby and cheesy to compliment the flavours in the chicken and keep it as simple as possible.

butter herb pasta (a chemical and processed-free version of a side kick. and a lot cheaper, too!)

• 1/3 cup butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (but we like things garlicky)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 2 tbsp of freshly grated parmesan

combine everything in a sauce pan (i recommend not really cooking the garlic much), simmer on low for a few minutes so the flavours marry. then toss with hot pasta. this amount of sauce covered enough pasta for a side for 4 people. mike thinks i could serve this as a main dish as well.

i always serve a salad, always.

that's just steamed asparagus with a store bought cheese sauce, i didn't have the energy to make up my own at the time.