Chicken Cordon Bleu

Got this recipe from Summer/Mandi, and modified it a bit. It was great!

6 chicken breasts
6 thick slices of swiss cheese
6 slices of ham
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
6 tbsp butter
1/2 cup white wine
1 chicken bullion cube
1 can cream of chicken soup

Pound chicken flat. Lay slice of ham and a slice of thick cheese on top. Roll it up and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour, salt, pepper and paprika in seperate container. Coat chicken in flour mixture.In a large saucepan/skillet, melt butter. Cook chicken on med-high till the outsides are golden brown, turning. Add white wine and bullion cube. Turn heat down to low and cover for 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Take chicken out and keep warm in foil. Add can of chicken soup to the skillet with the remaining sauce. Wisk this into the skillet mixture. Turn heat up to med-high and stir till it gets thick. Use this sauce on top of the chicken.

Ham & Pea Pasta

I stole this picture (and recipe) from Krista - of Krista's Culinary Creations. It was quick and yummy!
1 cup frozen green peas

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 cup turkey ham, chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 lb linguine, fettucine or other long pasta (I used cavatappi - the spirals)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese or more to taste (I'm always liberal with cheese!)

Bring large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. While that cooks melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat; add mushrooms and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned. Add ham and cook 1 minute. Stir in peas, cream, salt, and pepper. Turn heat to low; keep warm, stirring occasionally, while pasta is cooking. Add Parmesan and toss. Serve immediately.

Hungry Jack Casserole

This is a quick and easy dinner fix.

1 lb. ground beef
S & P
1 large can baked beans
1 c. your favorite BBQ sauce
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 can jumbo biscuits (8 in a can)
cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef and onions on med. high until no longer pink, season with salt and pepper. Add can of baked beans and BBQ sauce (add more or less to your liking). When mixed, add into a 9x13 pan. Open can of biscuits, flatten each biscuit out , place on top of the beef mixture. Bake according to biscuit directions (mine was 375 for 15 minutes). Take out, sprinkle with cheddar to cover, and return to oven. Broil on high for 2 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbly. This meal reminded me of a campfire cookout.

Cute Quiche Biscuit Cups

3-4 slices bacon, crisply cooked and finely crumbled
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
2 chopped green onions (2 medium), 3 fresh chopped mushrooms, and some leftover chopped roasted potatoes, optional
1 can refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits)

Heat oven to 375F. Grease 10 muffin cups. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, milk and eggs on low speed until smooth. Stir in Swiss cheese and green onions (and mushrooms and potatoes, if you choose to add them); set aside.Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Place 1 biscuit in each greased muffin cup; firmly press in bottom and up sides, forming 1/4 inch rim. Place bacon in the bottom of the dough -lined muffin cups. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture over the bacon. I had some extra egg mix, so I filled the other 2 cups without the biscuit cup, and they were good too!

Bake for about 23 minutes or until filling is set and edges of biscuits are golden brown.

Lasagna...Thrown Together

I was interested in making a lasagna that could be frozen and used for later use...I threw in some stuff I had in the fridge for "secret ingredients" (which I am about to divulge), and it was honest-to-goodness the best lasagna we've ever had. I made 2 lasagna's out of the below ingredients, and my measurements are purely estimates, so take liberties where you see fit!

Lasagna (makes 2, 9x13 pans) - Make one for tonight, and freeze one for a friend!

about 17-18 lasagna noodles, uncooked

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 lb. pork sausage

1 15 oz. carton ricotta cheese

2 c. cottage cheese

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

28 oz. jar cabernet marinara (or your favorite spaghetti sauce)

2 cans diced tomatoes, partially drained

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 bag of fresh spinach leaves

1-2 cans mushrooms, drained

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tsp. fresh minced garlic

s&p to season

4 c. mozzarella - divided

2 c. fresh shredded parmesan

1 c. shredded or sliced muenster cheese

1 c. fresh shredded asiago cheese


In large sauce pan, brown sausage and ground beef with garlic and onion on medium. Meanwhile, in separate bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, s&p to taste, cottage cheese and cream cheese together until well blended, set aside. Once the meat is cooked, add spaghetti sauce, all 3 cans of tomatoes, Italian seasoning, spinach and mushrooms. Simmer for 20 minutes or so, continuing to stir until well incorporated. While that's simmering, mix all the rest of the shredded cheeses together.

In 2, 9x13 pans, pour enough sauce to thinly cover bottom of each pan. Cover that layer of sauce with the dry lasagna noodles (about 4 and a half, one will be broken to fit the short end of the pan). Pour a layer of sauce on top of this, then a layer of the wet cheese mixture, then a sprinkle of the dry cheese . To complete lasagna, place another layer of noodles, then cheese mixture, then sauce, then a whopping topping of the rest of the cheese for the top.

Set one of the fridge to get cool enough to put in freezer. Cover with foil. Freeze for later.

For the room temperature lasagna - Cover with foil, bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

For the frozen lasagna - there are 2 ways to cook it. I write both on the foil and let the recipient decide. 1) From Frozen, leave foil on and bake at 375 for 1 hour, remove cover and bake for 30 additional minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly. -or- 2) Thaw in fridge for 8 hours. Bake with foil for 1 hour, remove foil, bake an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Kimmy's Smash Hit Ranch Southwest Chicken

Got this one from Kim, the head chef over at...you guessed it, Kimmy's Kitchen! She's got lots of goodies, check it out. I changed a few things here, but stole her picture since they looked the same!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
1 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup medium salsa
1 cup corn (drained)
1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes, or chopped fresh tomatoes
salt
pepper
1. Marinate four chicken breasts in 1/2 cup barbecue sauce for at least 15 minutes.
2. Place chicken halves in glass pan and cook chicken at 350 for 22-25 min, or until juices run clear (Kim used a little olive oil and fried hers up in a frying pan, which might be faster)
3. Remove chicken from pan, then baste the chicken with barbecue sauce on both sides.
4. RANCH SAUCE: Combine 1/2 a cup of ranch dressing and 1/2 cup salsa.
5. Toss 1 cup of drained corn and 1/2 cup of tomatoes together (or just throw in as much of each as you'd like). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Top chicken breast with ranch sauce and garnish with corn mixture.

This was definitely a favorite! Quite easy, too!

Parmesan Ranch Chicken

I don't think a main dish can get much more simple than this. It was gone so fast I don't even have pictures to post.

Chicken breasts or tenders - marinate for at least an hour in prepared ranch dressing (I used Hidden Valley and let it sit overnight, but any kind will do).

Dip marinated chicken in shredded parmesan cheese to coat.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until juices run clear. Easy as that. The sauce is yummy with a side of roasted red potatoes.

Swiss Cheese Fondue

Made this for book club and it was a hit!

Ingredients:
1 garlic clove, halved or 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
2 cups white wine, chicken broth or unsweetened apple juice, divided
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
7 cups (28 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese (if you don't have enough Swiss, you can substitute some with Gouda, Mozzarella or Gruyere)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Cubed French bread

Rub garlic clove over the bottom and sides of a fondue pot; discard garlic and set fondue pot aside. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, bring 1-3/4 cups wine and nutmeg to a simmer. Gradually add cheese, stirring after each addition until cheese is melted (cheese will separate from wine). Combine cornstarch and remaining wine until smooth; gradually stir into cheese mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and mixture is blended and smooth. Transfer to prepared fondue pot and keep warm. Serve with bread cubes. Yield: about 4 cups.

Sticky Coconut Chicken

This recipe is fantastic - a little spicy (if you're hot chili flakes are fresh), but flavorful and delicious.

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1.5 lbs)
2/3 c. canned coconut milk
1 TBS. fresh minced ginger
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. hot chili flakes
3/4 c. rice vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
3 TBS. soy sauce
1 tsp. hot chili flakes
4-5 green onions, finely chopped

Rinse chicken, pat dry. In large bowl, mix coconut milk, ginger, pepper, 1 tsp. hot chili flakes. Add chicken and mix - cover and chill for at least one hour, or up to a day.

Lift chicken from bowl, reserving marinade. Pull thighs open and lay flat on lightly oiled grill on high heat (we broiled this in the oven and it worked fine). Cover and cook, turning thighs as needed to brown on both sides until meat is no longer pink inside. Baste frequently with remaining marinade (USE ALL MARINADE). Tranfer thighs to warm platter and pour chili glaze (recipe below) evenly over meat. Garnish with chopped green onions.

Chili Glaze:
In large sauce pan, combine rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and hot chili flakes. Bring to boil over high heat and cook until mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup (8-10 min.) Makes 1/2 c. glaze. Make sure to put your pan straight in water after the glaze has been used- once it hardens, it's VERY HARD to get off - it turns to a candy-like substance!

Serve warm over steamed brown rice.

Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup

All I can say is, "un-button your top button" and get ready for some serious indulgence. This soup is (so not healthy for you) comforting, flavorful and should be served warm with your favorite bread. I make the bacon, bake & mash the potatoes, and saute the veggies ahead of time to make dinner assembly a cinch! Hope you love this as much as we do.

10 oz hickory smoked bacon
5 stalks celery finely diced
2 large carrots, peeled, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 cups small cubed ham
32 oz chicken broth (or substitute with veggie broth)
6 oz heavy whipping cream
10 med/lg. potatoes, baked, peeled and mashed
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ Cup heavy whipping cream
4 oz sour cream
1 ½ Cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Garnish each bowl with:
dollop of sour cream
sprinkle of sharp cheddar cheese
sprinkle of chives
sprinkle of crumbled bacon

1. Heat large pot over medium-high heat. Cut bacon into small pieces and cook until browned and crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Discard bacon grease, reserving 2 Tablespoons to sauté veggies. Saute celery, carrots, jalapeno, and onion in bacon grease for 10 minutes, stirring often until softened. Stir in garlic and ham; cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in chicken broth and cream.
2. Place mashed potatoes in bowl to mash/mix. Mix while adding salt, pepper and cream. Stir mashed potatoes into soup until combined. Heat for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in sour cream and cheese until smooth. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low until ready to serve. Spoon into bowls and garnish.

Rosalie's Pork Chops 'n' Baked Apples

This will be a new family favorite - we had it first at Christmas, and again for Sunday dinner tonight. It is scrumptious! Some people prefer the apples on the side...but not me. Slop 'em right on top and smear it all together...Delish. Oh, and you can bake them both in the oven at the same time!

BAKED PORK CUTLETS

2 cups finely crushed Ritz cracker crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teasponns garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
6 boneless pork chops
1 cup plain yogurt

In a medium-sized bowl combine cracker crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic salt, and sage; set aside. Coat each pork cutlet with yogurt, then dip both sides into crumbs. Place in greased baking dish. Bake at 350 F. for 45 minutes or until tender. Makes 6 servings

APPLE TOPPING

6 apples, peeled, pared, and sliced
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine ingredients in an 8X8-inch baking dish and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes or until tender. Serve as a side dish or atop the pork chops. Makes 6-8 servings

Baked Coconut Chicken

Mix:
2/3 c. bisquick (or similar baking mix)
2/3 c. coconut
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 TBS. dijon mustard

Dip 6 chicken breasts in wet mixture until well coated. Dip in dry mixture and place in greased 9x13 pan. Pour remaining wet mixture over coated chicken. Pour any remaining dry ingredients over that. Melt 1/2 stick of butter, pour over dry mixture. Place in over for 35-45 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through).

Best Breakfast Casserole

I cannot believe that I have not yet posted this winning recipe. It is by far our favorite breakfast meal - and we love it so much we sometimes make it for lunch or dinner. It's also a great meal to bake ahead of time and freeze in individual portions.

24 oz. frozen Southern style (little cubes) hashbrowns

1/2 c. butter (I use less, unless I am trying to fatten up skinny guests)

8 beaten eggs

2 c. half & half (or you can use milk for thinner consistency, or cream for thicker)

1/2 tsp. season salt

1 c. fresh chopped mushrooms (optional)

2 small green onions (split in half and chopped)

2 c. grated Swiss cheese

2 c. grated cheddar cheese

1.5 cups diced ham (I've also used shredded ham, bacon or nothing at all)

Place butter in 9x13 pan and set in oven to preheat at 375. When butter is melted, add frozen hashbrowns and bake for 20 min. While hashbrowns are baking, mix remaining ingredients in bowl. Remove hashbrowns from oven and pour egg mixture over top. Return to oven and bake an additional 35-45 minutes (until cheese browns).

Split Pea Soup w/ Ham

Found this gem on Southernfood...


1 (16 oz.) pkg. dried green split peas, rinsed
1 meaty hambone (you can usually get these for under $8 at Honeybaked Ham, and they are delicious, with tons of extra meat left on)
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 chopped vidalia onion
3 ribs of celery plus leaves, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. seasoned salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. fresh pepper
1 1/2 qts. hot water (that's 6 cups, people...)

Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the order given; pour in water. Do not stir ingredients. Cover and cook on HIGH 4 to 5 hours or on low 8 to 10 hours until peas are very soft and ham falls off bone. Remove bones and bay leaf, shred meat, and return shredded ham to soup. Mash peas to thicken more, if desired. Serve garnished with croutons or crusty bread. Freezes well.Serves 8.

Divine Deep Dish Pizza

I stole this recipe (and the pictures, thanks Krista) from one of my favorite food blogs. It is amazing - and better than any order-out pizza you can get! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.


2 1/3 – 3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp yeast
1 cup warm milk
2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil

In your mixer combine the flour, salt, and yeast. Mix well. In a separate bowl combine warm milk, sugar and olive oil. While your mixer is on low, slowly pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. Let the machine knead the dough for 5 minutes. Put in a greased bowl and let rise. After dough has doubled in size put dough on lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll each half into a 7 inch circle. Place over your knuckles moving the dough around in a circle so that the middle is thinner than the sides. Place each dough ball into 2 separate cake pans that has 1-2 Tbsp olive oil (or vegetable, whichever flavor your prefer) in the bottom. And press out to the sides of the pan, trying to avoid getting the oil on top of the dough. I probably only used about 1-2 Tbsp. You need enough so that it will fry the bottom of the dough. Let the dough rise 10 minutes. The put on your favorite toppings.

Bake on bottom rack of oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Crock Pot French Dips

Sorry, I'm lacking pictures lately....Promise to be better.

That said, no picture for this one, sorry.

2-3 lb. chuck roast
2 cans beef broth
1 packet Au Jus seasoning
1 onion, chopped how you like it
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 can chopped mushrooms (optional)

Place roast and ingredients in crock pot on low for 8-10 hours. 30 min. before serving, shred and return to juice.

Serve shredded meat on broiled/toasted hoagie buns (broil with your favorite cheese, we like provolone or gruyere), and use the remaining sauce for dipping.

We use all the leftover juice to have French Onion soup the following day. All you need to do is add 1 can of condensed French Onion soup. Warm the mixture together, top with croutons and broil gruyere or swiss cheese on top. Serve with bread.

Lasagna Style Baked Ziti by Guest Chef Amy

½ lb.dried ziti
16 oz ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella
3 cups spaghetti sauce
½ cup grated parmesan
Italian sausage (optional)
Sautéed vegetables (optional)

Cook ziti until tender, about 8 minutes. Mix cooked ziti with ricotta and ½ of the mozzarella cheese in a large bowl. Grease a 9 x 13 dish. Spread ½ spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the dish. Add ziti mixture and cover with remaining spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese on top. Bake @ 350 for 20-30 minutes or until it bubbles on the edges.

***Serve with Guest Chef Amy's Quick Breadsticks

Creamy Bean Soup & Taquito Dippers by Guest Chef Amy

Start to finish: 30 minutes 4 servings

1 can (16 oz) refried beans
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup (from 14 oz can) unsweetened coconut milk (not cream of coconut)
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
1 package (1.25 oz) taco seasoning mix
6 sticks (0.75 oz each) sharp cheddar or chipotle cheddar cheese
1 pkg (10.5 oz) of 12 flour tortillas for tacos & fajitas
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 medium green onions, sliced

Heat oven to 450. Line cookie sheet with foil. In 2-quart saucepan, stir beans, tomatoes, broth, coconut milk, chiles and taco mix; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut each cheese stick in half lengthwise to make 2 thin sticks. Place 1 cheese stick on one edge of each tortilla; roll tortilla tightly around cheese. Brush edges of tortillas with water to seal. Place taquitos, seam sides down, on cookies sheet. Brush each lightly with oil. Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until edges of tortillas are golden brown and cheese is melted. Pour soup into serving bowls; garnish with cilantro or onions. Serve with taquitos for dipping.
**Amy’s notes:
--You can find unsweetened coconut milk in the oriental section of the grocery.
--Instead of prepackaged sticks of cheese, I just bought an 8 oz block and cut into thin strips.
--I had Azteca brand tortillas and Kroger brand tortillas. The Azteca sealed well with water. The Kroger brand wouldn’t stick and I had to secure with a toothpick for heating.

Sausage and Tomato Rigatoni by Guest Chef Amy

4 cups rigatoni pasta, uncooked
1 lb. Italian bulk sausage, cut into chunks
1 medium red onion, sliced
¼ cup tomato paste
¼ cup Kraft Sun-dried tomato vinaigrette dressing
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, brown sausage in large nonstick skillet; drain. Stir in onions and tomato paste; cover. Cook 15 min. or until onions are tender and sausage is cooed through, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing. Toss sausage mixture with pasta. Sprinkle with parsley and cheese.
Makes 4 two cup servings.

Chicken Tetrazzini by Guest Chef Amy

4 chicken breasts, boiled, cubed
7 oz spaghetti noodles, cooked in chicken borth
1 jar sliced mushrooms
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
¾ stick margarine
8 oz. sour cream
Combine all ingredients and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 45 minutes.
(Breadsticks in picture will be posted next!)