Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Cordon Bleu

A simple main dish that is sure to impress your dinner guests

Imagine being responsible for feeding 65 people dinner. What would you prepare? Soup? Casserole? Now imagine that this dinner needs to be nice. It is a banquet to show appreciation for some amazing people. The budget is small- less than $3 per person. Obviously, hiring a caterer is out of the question. Suddenly, you have become the caterer. What would you do?

I found myself in precisely this situation last month. In an attempt to be more involved in the community, I chose to volunteer at my local elementary school as the vice president of the parent teacher organization. Like any good entity based on service, we like to give gifts. The Christmas gift we chose to give the outstanding faculty and staff was a catered dinner. Of course, we didn't have the budget to pay someone else to make and serve the food. Luckily, I worked my way through college at a very small restaurant that specialized in delicious food. I spent many hours making and serving meals. My speciality became chicken cordon bleu (in December of 1993 I personally made more than 400 servings). So a small group of foodies-including me - asked other parents to donate ingredients. With the generous donations, we were able to create a lovely meal that received rave reviews. Plus many, many requests for the recipes. Normally, I wouldn't create an entire post about chicken cordon bleu. Mostly because it's more about assembly than precise measurements. Also, I worry when the happy diners find out how easy this meal is to create, they will be slightly less thankful for the gift. But because they were so persuasive, I agreed to share how it's done.

Step One: cut chicken to a uniform thickness.

Step Two: Pound with a meat mallet until the breast is ½” - ¼” thick. Use care not to damage the skin side of the breast.

Step Three: Place cheese on the muscle side of the breast.

Step Four: Top with ham.

Step Five: Roll up.

Repeat with the other five chicken breasts.

Step Six: Prepare the flour, egg and breadcrumbs by placing each in a separate bowl. Add about 1 Tbs. milk to the egg and mix well with a fork. (One egg will coat about 5 cordon bleu rolls)

Step Seven: Coat chicken in flour, then egg mixture then breadcrumbs. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with the other chicken roulades.

Step Eight: When all of the chicken is coated and ready for baking, place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 30 min. (Until the juices run clear.) Let meat rest for 10 min. before serving.

Top with cream sauce and chopped pecans (if desired).

Enjoy

*Note: a green salad, Harvest Rice Medley and fresh baked rolls make this meal amazing.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6 slices swiss cheese (Jarlsberg is my favorite)

6 slices ham

¼ c. flour

1 egg

3 Tbs. milk or heavy whipping cream

½ c. bread crumbs

1. Slice the chicken breasts to a uniform thickness

2. Using a meat mallet, pound the meat between ½” and ¼”

3. Place a slice of cheese on top of the pounded breast

4. Top with one slice of ham

5. Roll everything together

6. In a shallow bowl, beat the milk (or cream) and egg by hand. Set aside.

7. Place the flour and breadcrumbs in separate bowls

8. Coat the rolled up chicken in flour, dredge in egg mixture and roll in breadcrumbs.

9. Place coated chicken in baking dish.

10. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 - 30 min. (until juices run clear)

Harvest Rice Medley

Harvest Rice Medley

An impressive (and surprisingly easy) side dish

Wether you pair this with chicken cordon bleu, pumpkin bisque or eat it as a snack, this rice is simple to prepare and delicious to eat.

Using two types of rice makes it even more impressive. 

Although, this dish can be made with any type of rice, I love using long-grain brown rice along with forbidden rice. Chinese legend says that the beautiful dark grains were eaten exclusively by Emperors. Anyone else caught eating it could be put to death. Hence the name "forbidden rice." In addition to being exotic and beautiful, forbidden rice is rich in vitamins and a good source of protein, fiber and complex carbohydrates. The beautiful, rich purple color and the slightly nutty flavor of this delicious grain make my taste buds sing. I look for excuses to use it in recipes.

Step One: Cook the rice. I add one or two teaspoons of Better Than Bullion into the rice cooker. I chose Better Than Bullion because I prefer the taste, but it is also gluten free. Something not all commercial bullion products can claim.

Step Two: Dice the onion and sauté in melted butter until tender (about 3 min.)

Step Three: Add garlic and mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms release their moisture. (3 - 5 min.)

Step Four: Stir in the brown sugar. When it is mixed well, add the dried cranberries.

Step Five: Cook until the berries begin to plump. 

(Note: Be careful not to overcook. The syrup can turn to toffee if left unattended.)

Step Six: Stir in sautéd mixture. Add roasted pecans. Top with parsley flakes (if desired).

Step Seven: Enjoy

Harvest Rice Medley

1 c. long-grain brown rice

½ c. forbidden rice*

3 tsp. bullion (Better Than Bullion is my personal favorite)

1 Tbs. butter

½ onion, diced

1 Tbs. crushed garlic

8 oz. fresh mushrooms, washed and sliced

½ c. dried cranberries (Ocean Spray craisins give me the best results)

2 Tbs. brown sugar

½ - 1 c. pecans, roasted

dried parsley flakes (optional)

1. Prepare rice according to package directions adding bullion to the water.

Note: for better results, prepare the forbidden rice separately. The beautiful purple color tends to “bleed” into the brown rice, giving it an unappealing hue.

2. In a skillet, melt the butter add onion. Cook until translucent - about 3 min.

3. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms release their moisture.

4. Stir in the brown sugar. When it is mixed well, add the dried cranberries.

5. Cook until the berries begin to plump. (Be careful not to overcook. The syrup can turn to toffee if left unattended.)

6. Stir in roasted pecans. Top with parsley flakes (if desired).

7. Enjoy.

*Found in the bulk section of your local grocery store. I found mine at Broulim's. You can also buy it at WinCo. If forbidden rice isn’t available, wild rice is an acceptable substitute.

Celebration Brownies

Celebrate Good Times with this Decadent Dessert

This blog has been a semester-long assignment for a social media marketing class I took at the local university. Returning to school after 20 years was quite an experience. Most of the technologies we discussed and used in the class didn’t even exist when I earned my bachelor’s degree. I am a bit of a luddite and learning to use all forms of social media including (gulp) YouTube was very intimidating. Finding out I was the oldest person in the room - including the instructor - didn’t help.

Now the semester is over, I feel extremely accomplished. I have created YouTube videos, learned to tweet on Twitter, designed an infographic, established a business Facebook page, maintained an independent Instagram account and pinned many a recipe on Pinterest. I even have a Google Plus account. That’s an impressive list of accomplishments for an old lady, if I do say so myself. Now that the semester is over, it’s time to celebrate!

This is my favorite recipe because I usually have the ingredients in my pantry (with the notable exception of the marshmallow crisis of ‘15) and it’s loaded with ooey gooey chocolatey goodness. What’s not to love? That is why I made these brownies to share with my class the final time we met.

Step One: Cream the softened butter and sugar. Add eggs. Beat until fluffy

Step Two: Add the baking powder, salt, vanilla and cocoa powder.

Step Three: Add the flour. Mix well.

Brownie batter waiting for the ingredients to make it outstanding

Step Four: Stir in the chocolate chips and one cup of the marshmallows. This step is optional. But if you want swoon-worthy brownies, don’t skip it.




Step Five: Spread in the pan. I get the best results from a pampered chef stoneware bar pan.

Step Six: Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 -25 minutes. Do not over bake!

Step Seven: Remove mostly baked brownies from the oven and sprinkle a generous amount of marshmallows on top. Return to oven and bake an additional 2 - 5 min. Watching the pan carefully. Note: Marshmallows can burst into flame in the oven. 

(I will neither confirm nor deny my personal experience with this phenomena.)

Step Eight: Top with candy. I like mini M&Ms because they are like edible confetti. You can add anything you’d like: nuts, chocolate chips, graham cracker pieces, chopped Reese's peanut butter cups, Butterfingers, Heath Bar, Snickers, Whoppers etc.  Be creative.

Step Nine: Enjoy

Note: Cutting these can be tricky. I have the best results when I run a sharp knife under hot water each time I make a cut in the brownies.

Celebration Brownies

1 c. butter, softened

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

1 c. cocoa

1 ½ c. flour

½ c. chocolate chips

2 c. marshmallows (divided)

1 c. mini M&Ms (or other candies)

Cream Butter and sugar. Add eggs. Beat until fluffy. Add baking powder, salt, vanilla and cocoa. Mix well. Add flour and mix well.

Shepherd's Pie

Comfort Food That Transcends Language Barriers

What’s your favorite international food? Pad Thai? Profiteroles? Sushi? Pupusas? Did you like it at once or was it something that grew on you? This week we had a front-row seat to watching some Japanese boys fall in love with good ol’ Shepherd’s Pie on their first trip to the United States. I’m sure you’re dying to know how Japanese boys ended up in my home while touring a foreign country!  My town hosts an international dance festival every year. In an effort to involve the community and cut costs, community members are asked to host dancers in their homes for the 10 days the dancers are in town. The host families are asked to provide beds, meals, and transportation to the performers. I happen to have two unused twin beds, so I volunteered to host. Our family was assigned two 16-year-old Japanese drummers. Until I picked them up,  I didn’t realize that they spoke almost no English. I don’t speak any Japanese! On the drive home, I worried about what I had gotten myself into (I am confident they felt the same). However, I soon learned that when the food is good, words aren’t necessary.  

I made a variety of meals for “my” boys. Grilled cheese, french toast, pizza, muffins, hamburgers, salads and even tuna melts were on the menu. But the meal they loved the most was a simple casserole that I threw together in an effort to use the mountain of garlic smashed potatoes leftover from last week’s buttermilk fried chicken meal. As I was making it, I felt bad that I didn’t have time to produce a fancier meal. But with a hectic schedule - made even more hectic by running two extra boys to and from rehearsals and performances - it was the best I could do. As it turned out, my guilt was unnecessary. The boys loved the shepherd's pie! Each of them having second and third helpings. I was surprised and delighted that they liked it so much. In fact, when I asked them (through an interpreter) what they wanted to eat for their last meal with us in America, without hesitation - and with huge smiles on their faces - they began describing what the interpreter called “potato casserole.” I was more than happy to treat these boys we’d grown to love. And bonus, it’s an easy meal to prepare.

When it came time to say goodbye, many tears were shed. Aside from those initial awkward moments in the car, the hosting experience was wonderful. Now that the Japanese team has safely returned home, we are left with happy memories. Hopefully, they will return next year. Maybe the “potato casserole” will tip the scales in my favor.

Step One: Brown ground beef. While it is browning . . .

Step Two: Chop the vegetables. This is where you can get creative. You can sneak a lot of nutritious food into this casserole. My favorites are : carrots, broccoli, potatoes, peas and corn. But you can any veggies that strike your fancy.

Step Three: Add onion and garlic to beef. Saute until tender (about three minutes).

Step Four: Add bullion. (I use better than bullion because I find it to be a superior product.) Mix well.

Step Five: Add vegetables. The order in which the veggies are added is important. Start with the ones that need extra cooking time (carrots, potatoes), cook until tender, adding ¼ c. water to help steam them, if necessary.

Step Six: Next, add the vegetables that require medium cooking time so they are just tender.

Step Seven: Add about ⅛ c. flour (for a gluten-free meal, use cornstarch) and mix well. Add about ½ c. water to make a nice, rich gravy.

Step Eight: Remove from heat and add the vegetables that require no extra cooking time (peas, corn, etc.) You don’t want these to overcook; the oven will warm it.

Step Nine: Place meat and vegetable mixture in a 9 x 13 casserole dish

Step Ten: Top with mashed potatoes. You can be creative and pipe them in beautiful florets or simply spread them over the top. I chose the middle ground and used a Pampered Chef small scoop on the potatoes.

Step Eleven: Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 min, or until the casserole bubbles and the potatoes are slightly crispy.

Step Twelve: Enjoy

Shepherd’s Pie

1 lb. ground beef

1 tsp. minced garlic

½ c. diced onion

2 tsp. beef bullion

¾ c. chopped carrot

½ c. chopped potato

½ c. chopped broccoli

⅛ c. flour (or 2 Tbs. cornstarch)

½ c. water

¼. c. frozen peas

¼ c. frozen corn

3 c. mashed potatoes

Brown the ground beef (drain if necessary).

Add onion and garlic. Cook until tender - about 3 min.

Add carrot and potato. Cook until tender - about 5 min.

Add broccoli.

Mix in the flour or cornstarch. Combine well.

Add water and stir until a gravy forms.

Add frozen corn and peas.

Place in 9 x 13 casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until the meat mixture bubbles and the potatoes are a light golden brown. About 30 - 45 min.

Hurry back boys. We miss you already.