I don't watch Rachael as a rule. Not because she doesn't cook great food but more for the fact that she is annoying. When she calls Extra Virgin olive oil EVOO it just drives me bezerk. I know some people find it cute and endearing but I think it's pure laziness that she does this. The morning she was making this recipe I was channel surfing and it caught my attention. I had all the ingredients and was excited to try something new and I was happy I did. Although I didn't have saffron because that stuff is expensive and I just can't justify paying 16 dollars for something I never use. I ended up using a little turmeric for this recipe. I didn't really measure. I just added a little at a time until I got the right taste. I did add just a little paprika for color.

4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and ground black pepper
48 green beans or enough to fill your chicken bundles
2 large red bell peppers, cut into about 30 strips the size of the green beans
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup of chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup cream

Preparation
Budget tip from Rach: Halve the chicken breasts horizontally separating each into 2 cutlets. (Some markets sell “thin cut” chicken for a premium price but with a sharp knife, cutting the chicken breast yourself is easy, so why not save yourself some money!) Place each halved cutlet in an individual freezer plastic storage bag with a slider tab. Add a tablespoon of water to each baggie and pound them into thin cutlets. The baggies can now be stacked and frozen for future use. Each portion will thaw in minutes and ready to use for dinner any night of the week. Plus, by halving and pounding out the breast meat, you’re stretching your dollar and the meat to provide twice as many portions.

For this recipe, arrange 4 cutlets pounded to 1/8 of an inch thick on work surface. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper on one side then lay about 6 or 7 green beans and 4 or 5 red pepper strips in the center, with the ends sticking out. Fold the bottom half of the chicken up around the bundle then roll the two ends around so it looks like a little package with green beans and red pepper sticking out. Season the outside of the chicken with salt and ground black pepper.


In a large, nonstick skillet with two turns of the pan of olive oil over medium-high heat, cook the stuffed cutlets seam side-down. Cook about 7-8 minutes, then turn to brown the other side. Remove the cooked chicken to a plate and reserve.


To the pan, add the saffron and ginger then pour in the chicken stock and bring up to a bubble. Stir in the cream and heat through.

My baking skills in general are lacking. I love to do a lot of improvising when it comes to cooking and I've found improvising is a huge drawback in baking. This is why I normally use cake mixes. They are so simple and even I can't screw it up. One night though I was really craving some chocolate cake but I had no cake mix and I wasn't in the mood to go to the store. I decided to try and make a cake from scratch and this time I would be careful to follow the instructions to the letter. I did a search for chocolate cakes and found the Hershey's web site. I knew that if Hershey's has a cake recipe it had to be good and it was. Now I make this recipe all the time. Sometimes chocolate cake makes everything all better.

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.