Balsamic Asparagus Chicken

My dear cousin, Betty, gave me a fun new cookbook for my bday. I am loving some new options for dinner. Sunday I tried this delish chicken recipe. Minutes before it was done, though, I was mashing my potatoes, when Cameron jumped on a stool near me and asked to "help" me mash the potatoes. His stool slipped out from under him and he caught his fall by touching the stove! So, my dinner was eaten with 2 kids who didn't appreciate it, while Craig took Cam to Primary Children's. Luckily they appreciated it when he returned so hungry hours later!

Here it is:

4 chicken breasts

Marinade:

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tsp brown sugar

pepper to taste

Sauce:

2 TBLS vegetable oil

2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1 can (about 2 cups) beef broth

1 TBLS butter

Topping:

12 asparagus spears

4 slices provolone cheese

4 slices of mozzarella cheese

Place chicken between 2 pieces of Saran wrap and pound until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Place chicken in a Ziploc bag. Combine marinade ingredients and pour in the bag. Squeeze all the air out of the bag and refrigerate for about 2 hours. About 20 min before chicken is done marinating, heat oil in large skillet. Add mushrooms and saute for a couple minutes. Add remaining sauce ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for about 30 min or until sauce thickens and reduces to about 1/4 of its original volume (when it is done, the sauce should be dark brown in color).

While the sauce is simmering, place chicken in a lightly greased glass dish and bake 400 degrees for 15-20 min (or until cooked through). While chicken is baking, prepare the asparagus. Bring a saucepan, filled 1/2 way with salted water, to a boil. Toss in asparagus and boil for about 4 min. Quickly remove asparagus and drop in an ice-water bath. Remove chicken from the oven (when it's finished) and layer on one slice of provolone cheese, a few asparagus spears, then one slice of mozzarella (I grated mine instead) on each piece of chicken. Set the oven to broil and broil about 3 min or until cheese is melted and starts to brown a little. Right before serving, spoon some of the sauce over each piece of chicken.

(Cam after Primary's--proud of his "Cast")