Chicken Florentine

Did I ever tell you how I love easy knock-offs? You feel like you're fixing something fancy all while cutting down on your time in the kitchen.

Don't get me wrong - there are times that I love slaving over a supreme culinary work of art. But with my family and the amount of distraction I face, it is usually not possible. So - I opt for the knock-off.

One of my favorite websites is http://www.kraftfoods.com/. It has TONS of knock-offs, and I am always delighted to find something that I can make that requires what I already have stapled in my fridge or pantry. I also love their "Recipe Box", where I can not only copy my favorite recipes from Kraft, but also input any I find in magazines or cookbooks. I have almost completed transferring 3 of my most beloved cookbooks into my personal Recipe Box. I only wish they had a better way of categorizing them so they were easier to pull up, and I don't have to go through thousands of recipes to find the one I want.

Maybe I can invent something some day that does just that...

Until then - a knock-off PERFECT for those Sunday Dinners...

This goes great with a veggie side (we're using the rest of my red potatoes to make crispy wedges drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with thyme and pepper). You don't really need a salad because you have the spinach...but if you can't imagine a dinner without salad, buy some extra spinach and make a traditional spinach salad with crumbled bacon, blue cheese, and hard-boiled egg and balsamic vinaigrette dressing (preferably warm).

Double if you're me.

Chicken Florentine

3 TBS Zesty Italian dressing

4 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves 9essentially one salad bag of spinach)

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves

8 slices thinly shaved deli smoked ham

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1. Heat 1 TBS of the dressing in a large skillet on medium heat. Add spinach, cook and stir 1 minute until spinach is wilted. Remove from skillet; cover to keep warm.

2. Add remaining 2 TBS dressing and the chicken to skillet; turn chicken over to evenly coat both sides with dressing. Cook 5 to 6 minutes on each side until chicken is cooked through.

3. Transfer to a cookie sheet, and top evenly with ham and cheese. Place under broiler to brown. Spoon spinach mixture evenly onto four plates; top each with a chicken breast.

- a great substitution for the spinach is asparagus. The chicken looks elegant a decidedly

"spring-y" on top of several trimmed asparagus spears.

courtesy Kraft foods