A meal he's sure to love

Last Saturday, the Mr. and I had no plans so we decided to hang out at the house and make dinner. You see, Aaron has put me on a little thing he likes to call a budget. "A what?" you ask. I know, I had the same reaction. So we've been trying to cut back on the eating out. I figured I would try my hand at a restaurant style meal. I looked through my recipes and I found the one for Chicken Saltimbocca. I've made this before and A loved it. It was super tasty the second time around and it's actually pretty easy for as good as it is. As I was making the chicken and the sides (asparagus and mashed potato's) I asked Aaron if he would make the lemon Sprinkles cupcakes that had been sitting around. He willingly agreed. After being asked a zillion questions like "why does it ask for one egg and 2 yolks" "what is the zest of a lemon", etc. I knew my cupcakes might be in trouble. He cracked me up because he's so by the book when following recipes. Normally I just toss in vanilla or salt and beat the batter until I see it's no longer lumpy, but not Aaron. He was super precise....or so I thought. He then went on to make the frosting, which led to a whole other list of questions, but I didn't mind because it was fun having him help! After dinner, I went to pull the cupcakes out of the oven and they looked a little funny. They were sinking in the middle and they were a little on the hard side. I didn't think much about it. I let them cool and then checked over the frosting which looked like runny batter. This can't be good. I tried to recover it by adding more powdered sugar and whipping it to try to thicken it, but it never really looked like frosting. I decided, what the heck, I'll dab a little soupy frosting on them and have a little taste. Ehhh. I'm not really sure what happened with the whole cupcake/frosting process, but I give him an A+ for trying! I was a little bummed because the lemon cupcakes are my favorite and they are $14/box!! Oh well. It was a perfect evening regardless. And now I leave you with the recipe. Enjoy!

CHICKEN SALTIMBOCCA WITH COUNTRY HAM - I used Prosciutto

Serves 4 to 6

4–6 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
16–24 fresh sage leaves, plus more for garnish
8–12 paper-thin slices country ham, prosciutto, or Serrano ham (about 6 to 8 ounces total)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more if needed
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup Marsala or port
1/2 cup chicken stock or low-fat, reduced-sodium chicken broth
Coarse salt

1. To prepare the cutlets, place a chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound to slightly over 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Place 4 fresh sage leaves on each cutlet; top with 1 or 2 slices of ham and press lightly to adhere. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate to set, at least 10 minutes.

2. Place the flour in a shallow dish and season with pepper (no salt is necessary because of the salty ham). To cook the cutlets, heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Working with 2 pieces at a time, dredge both sides of the chicken in flour, then shake off the excess flour—the chicken should by lightly dusted. Without crowding, add 2 pieces of chicken to the skillet, ham side down first, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a warm platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Repeat with the remaining chicken, adding more oil if necessary.

3. To make the sauce, pour off any excess oil from the skillet. Return the skillet to the heat. Add the wine and Marsala and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits. Add the stock and increase the heat to high. Cook until the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, garnish with fresh sage, and serve.