Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add enough extra virgin olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan, about 2 tablespoons. Add the chopped mushroom stems (chop them pretty small) and saute for about 5 minutes until they are tender.

   

   

2. Add the chopped garlic, then the breadcrumbs. Mix together. Turn off the heat and add the cheese and mix through. The residual heat will melt the cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove pan from the heat and set aside.

   

   

   

   

3. Butterfly your chicken breasts (cut them in half, without cutting all the way through). Cover your surface with plastic wrap and place a piece of plastic wrap on top of your butterflied chicken. Take the spiked side of your mallet and pound and simultaneously gently pull the chicken out to the side to flatten and create a bigger surface. Flip them skin side down (yes I know they are skinless, pretend there is skin) and put your stuffing on top a little away from the edge. Now roll the chicken, starting from the edge and tucking the stuffing in as you go. The rollups will be a little uneven but we will take care of that in step 4.

   

   

   

   

4. Take a piece of plastic wrap about 12′ by 12′ and lay it flat on your counter surface. Put your rollup on the edge, centered on the plastic wrap edge and roll it tight as you go in the plastic wrap. When your chicken is all rolled up. Twist the sides of the plastic wrap in opposite directions tightly. This will result in a uniformed size rollup. Tie off the ends. Put them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more to continue forming.

   

   

5. When ready to cook, remove rollups from the fridge and let set on the counter for about 5 minutes. Unwrap and salt and pepper rollups. In an oven safe fry pan add two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of whipped butter, melt over medium heat. When butter is melted brown your chicken rollups on all sides. About 1 minute per side. Baste chicken with butter sauce as you turn. Finish cooking in the oven for about 20 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Remove from the oven, and put them on a plate and set aside to rest.

   

6. Put your fry pan back on the stove, be careful as the handle will still be really hot! Over medium heat, add two more tablespoons of whipped butter, the sherry, chicken stock and the mushrooms. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the mushrooms are to your desired texture and the sauce has reduced about half.

   

7. Slice your chicken rollups on a biased (diagonal) and feather them out on your plate. Pour a nice amount of reduction on top and serve with your favorite vegetable. Enjoy!!!  🙂

   

1. Bring your stew meat out of the fridge and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes while you prepare your flour/dredging mixture. This will take the chill out of the meat and is better for the browning/searing process. In a plastic bag combine the flour, one tbsp of the pepper, garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Add your stew meat, seal the bag lid and shake it all about. Do the Hokey Pokey if you like, this is a no judgement zone.  Make sure to coat all of the meat. Set the meat aside. In a cast iron pot or any regular pot, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and heat it up on medium heat. Add about half of the meat and brown on all sides. Depending on how many pounds of stew beef you are searing, please do this step in batches to keep the heat of the oil nice and hot and ready for searing. After all of your meat has been seared, remove from the pot and set aside.

   

   

2. Add the remaining two tbsp of olive oil to your pot and add your diced onion. Let the onion cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the garlic. Saute the onion and garlic together for another minute or so, add a little more flour from the dredging mixture, about 2-3 tbsp and combine with the onions and garlic. Add the sherry to deglaze the pan, picking up all of those oniony, garlicy bits off the bottom of the pan. Add your stew beef back into the pot and add the beef stock and stir all the players together. Bring to a boil for about 3-5 minutes to thicken the sauce. Lower the heat to low or just above, cover your pot and let that meat do what it does best cook low and slow for 2 hours. Stir occasionally.

   

   

   

   

3. This step is purely optional! But I thoroughly recommend it! Pour yourself a glass of wine and read a good book.  😀

   

4. Now that the 2 hour mark has arrived. It is time to add the veges. I cut the veges pretty small because I want them to cook a little bit quicker as your family is pretty much probably starving by this time and the smell in your kitchen that has permeated the house is probably driving them crazy. I know every time I went to stir the beef my husband would say “when is dinner going to be done Woman?” To which I politely replied (politely, that’s funny), soon honey, soon.  😛 When the veges have been added to the pot, add a tbsp of the dried parsley, crushing it in your palm first to release the oils. Add more salt and pepper to taste and let them simmer for 30 minutes.

   

   

5. At the 30 minute mark, ladies and gentlemen start your grits. Follow the directions on your grits package but basically boil 4 cups of water. When the water is boiling slowly add your grits and a pinch of salt or two and whisk away. Turn your heat to low and let the grits thicken for about 10-15 minutes, whisking occasionally. When they are to your desired thickness, add the butter and cheese and a little salt and pepper and combine.

   

   

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   When all is said and done it is as always time to plate. Put a little (or a lot) of those cheesy grits to line the bottom of your bowl and add to your heart’s desire the beef tips, veges and gravy, sprinkle with a little dried parsley and Enjoy! Cheers to Family and the lost, hopefully to be found again, coveted tradition we call Sunday Night Dinner.  🙂

   

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