30 Dishes Before 30: Recipe #1: Chicken Cordon Bleu

My 30 Recipes before 30 challenge has officially begun!

Recipe 1: Chicken Cordon Bleu

I made my first new recipe for my personal challenge this weekend. My lovely friend Jillian was kind enough to brave my first new dish: chicken cordon bleu. I learned that chicken cordon bleu is extremely easy and quick to make. It was so easy, that I'm going to make it for myself for dinner again tonight because I have a little bit of the breading mixture left to use up.

With the new dish, I served a baked potato with dolled up sour cream (little dried onion and minced garlic for flavor), broccoli and a baguette served with olive oil and a delicious Parmesan garlic seasoning mix I bought from Pampered Chef. We also shared a bottle of chardonnay. (A dinner party is not a dinner part without wine!)

The recipe I used was from a favorite cookbook of many, The Joy of Cooking. This recipe I found on Food Network from Tyler Florence is nearly identical. (Of course, I don't think you're allowed to deviate too much to make chicken cordon bleu

Good things that came from my first 30 before 30 dish were:

• I finally bought a meat tenderizer.
  
• Now owning said meat tenderizer, I intend to cook a lot more stuffed chicken and pork chop recipes-- delicious!
• I have no need to ever buy frozen chicken cordon bleu from the grocery store ever again.
• I had a great dinner with a great friend who is always brave and gracious when it comes to my cooking.
  
• We drank a lot of good wine with the dinner.
  
• I got to play hostess. This I like.

So, dish one, I would count as a success. Thanks, Jillian, for being my first guest! I look forward to hosting several more parties between now and September!

Cute Drake Bulldog Video

Maybe I love my alma mater a little too much. Or maybe I work too much with our development office at my job so I just love what a unique way this giving message is presented. Whatever it may be, this video is ridiculously adorable and worth sharing.

Museum Tour 2011: Museum 2: Science Museum of Minnesota

Yesterday I made it to my second museum on my 2011 museum tour-- one I've been to several times before with a date who hadn't yet visited the "new" science museum. (Note: it was built in 1999). So, we chose to spend a few hours of our Saturday afternoon touring the Science Museum of Minnesota. While the museum wasn't new to me, I was glad to bring a date along to a museum that was new to him.

I think my favorite part of the day (other than the great company) was watching all the children and families at the museum. There were a lot of darn cute kids at the museum yesterday, who fully entertained me with their big wondrous eyes and heads undoubtedly full of imagination.

At its best, the museum really is made to educate kids about science-- and it does a great job at that. And being with a science teacher, I learned a few things myself. (Or maybe re-learned; I suppose I could try to to play "are you smarter than a fifth grader?" for validation in that.)

For those looking for a leisurely afternoon wandering around and enjoying the exhibits and people watching, the Science Museum is a great choice. If you are interested in going sometime soon, the Science Museums is opening a special exhibit on Tutankhamen in a few days, and while I doubt I will make it back for it, I'm sure it will be really interesting. Due to the increased media coverage of Egypt lately, I hope it will spike more people's interests to see their exhibit. (But that's just the PR person in me-- current events usually are a good way to draw interest in a subject matter.)

I think next month I take in art museum-- likely the Minneapolis Institute of Art, which currently has an exhibit on Titian, as well as The Mourners, which my friend Lisa told me is amazing. Who wants to be my date next month?