Chicken Cordon Bleu in white wine cream sauce

Cheese, wine, butter and cream. Those words should send anyone's heart a-flutter, if for no other reason than artery-hardening palpitations. They'll also help a gal gain the necessary pounds that she may have mysteriously lost, days after being told not to have any weight fluctuations in order for her wedding dress to fit perfectly. A note to all brides starving to get into their dresses: NYAH-NYAH!

2 boneless chicken breast halves
2 slices honey bourbon ham
2 slices swiss cheese
1/2 C a/p flour
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter
1 tsp chicken bullion
1/2 C white wine
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 C half & half (or heavy cream)

Pound out the chicken breasts until they're a uniform thickness, usually about 1/4". This helps everything cook evenly. Lay them out flat and put one slice of ham and one slice of cheese on each, and roll them up (almost like a burrito) until the fillings aren't visible and secure with toothpicks.

Get a covered skillet warming on medium-high heat while you do this next step. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt & paprika and tumble the bundles in it until they're coated on all sides. Now, melt your 6 tbsp of butter in the skillet and once it's all melty, place your chicken bundles in. Cook uncovered for about 3 minutes on each side until they're completely browned, then add the wine and bullion, move heat to low and cover. Let it simmer for about 20-25 minutes (more if the chicken was thicker than 1/4").

Transfer the chicken to its plating destination and get started on the cream sauce. Mix the cream & cornstarch and slowly whisk it into the skillet with the remaining liquid. You may also want to dial up the heat a bit to help the thickening process. Continue whisking until it's the consistency of a thin gravy and ladle it over the chicken.

I realized all too late that a cross-section would have made a much prettier picture, but we had big hongries. So, you'll have to take my word for it that it was magically delicious.