Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Since I've been baking more, I've been making easier dinners. So, I made this chicken dish. While we were eating, my son told me that it wasn't done since the middle was pink. I told him the pink was the ham. Then my daughter asked why I put ham in the middle of chicken. I said it was suppose to be like that. I make new dishes all the time but boy my children didn't like the idea of ham inside their chicken. My husband said it had a nice taste and he liked it. The kids said they liked it besides the ham. I guess I will have to make more dishes stuffed so it isn't such a foreign idea to them.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
1 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup milk
1 egg,whisked
2 lbs. chicken breasts
8 slices of swiss cheese
4 slices of ham
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can of cream of chicken soup
1 cup broccoli, chopped

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper onto a plate. Set aside.
3. Slice the chicken horizontally. Flatten the chicken out.
4. Place one slice of cheese and ham on top of the chicken. Fold the chicken over in half.
5. Dip the chicken into the egg and then coat with the bread crumbs. 
6. Repeat steps 2 through 4 with the other pieces of chicken.
7. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
8. Brown the chicken on each side for 3 minutes. 
9. Remove from the pan and place into a baking dish. 
10. Top each piece of chicken with a slice of cheese. 
11. In a small bowl, combine the milk with the cream of chicken soup. 
12. Mix the broccoli with the soup mixture. 
13. Evenly distribute the soup mixture over the chicken. 
14. Bake the chicken for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Recipe adapted from Food.com

Two years ago.........................I made Bran Banana Muffins.
Three years ago.......................I made Lemon Frosted Cupcakes.

Did you already know.............
-Cordon Bleu means the highest class.
-In the 16th century, the highest order chivalry knights were awarded a medal on a blue ribbon.
-Cordon blue means blue ribbon.

Steak Fajita Quesadilla

I decided to combine two of my sister's favorite dishes: steak fajitas and quesadillas. Oh, this dish was so good. What a great combination. The cheese melted over the steak, onions, and green peppers. My youngest daughter ate her whole quesadilla. Normally, she doesn't eat her whole quesadilla. The steak was tender. The dish was cheesy. Supper was fast. I know my sister will be making this dish real soon.

Steak Fajita Quesadilla
2 tsp vegetable oil, plus additional for the quesadilla
1 green pepper, cut into long thin strips
1 large onion , cut into long thin strips
1 lb. top sirloin steak
4 tsp butter
1 cup Mexican cheese blend
8 large flour tortillas

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat.
2. Add the green pepper and onion. Stir occasionally. Cook for about 8 minutes.
3. Place the cooked onion and green peppers onto a plate. Set aside.
4. Add the steak to the pan. Saute for about 3 to 4 minutes or until the steak is cooked to the desired doneness. Set aside onto the plate with the green pepper and onion.
5. Reduce the heat to medium.
6. Add 1 tsp of vegetable oil and 1 tsp of butter to the pan.
7. Add one tortilla to the skillet.
8. Top the tortilla with 1/4 of the green pepper, onions, and steak.
9. Sprinkle some cheese blend over the steak. 
10. Top with another tortilla. Press down and allow to cook for a few seconds before flipping.
11. Allow the other side to cook until golden brown before removing from the pan.
12. Assemble the next tortilla as in step 6.  Add additional oil if needed.
13. Top the quesadillas as desired with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, salsa, tomatoes, etc.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago...........................I made Winter Savory Chicken.
Three years ago.......................I made Lemon Curd.

Did you already know............
-Very rare steak is called blue rare.
-Rare steak has an internal temperature of around 125 degrees F.
-The USDA recommends the internal temperature for steak to reach medium doneness at 145 degrees F.

Best of 2014

To recap this year, we moved from Maine to North Carolina. The kids had to start a new school. My sister came to visit me twice. My Dad came down to visit me once. I've been back to Maine to visit twice. We were fortunate and went to Disney early this year plus took a week vacation in Vermont. I was lucky to return to Disney with my sister. Overall, this year was crazy. I could live at Disney but I'm sure they would deny my request. I hope you had a wonderful year and not as crazy as mine.  To recap our favorite recipes, they are:

Favorite Breakfast:

Pineapple Syrup

Favorite Meat:

Bourbon Bacon Burger

 Favorite Bread:

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits

 Favorite Cookie:

Lemon Cream Cookies

Favorite Dessert:

Profiteroles

Best of 2013
Best of 2012
Best of 2011

Did you already know.................
-Per Amazon, Happy by Pharrell Williams was the best selling song.
-Their best selling book was StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath.
-Per Box Office Mojo, the highest grossing U.S. movie of 2014 was Guardians of the Galaxy.

See you next year! 

Happy New Year!

Zuppa Toscana

Alright, I will admit I have never had the Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup. I always pick minestrone especially in the winter time. So, I can not personally say this recipe taste like the restaurant's version. All I can say is I liked it. It is creamy. It is filling. The kids liked it. It has a vegetable in it. It is an easy dish to make. It is a great soup. I served biscuits with the soup.

Olive Garden Copycat Zuppa Toscana
4 bacon stripes 
1 lb. Italian sausage
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 quart water
2 large russet potatoes, cut inot 1/4 inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups swiss chard, chopped
1 cup light cream

Directions:

1. In a large pot, brown the bacon until crisp.
2. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside onto a paper lined plate.
3. Add the sausage and brown.
4. Add the garlic and onion. Saute for a couple of minutes. 
5. Add the chicken broth and the water. 
6. Add the potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
8. Simmer for 10 minutes. 
9. Reduce heat to low. Add the swiss chard and cream.
10. Cook for a few minutes until the soup is heated.

Recipe adapted from Food.com.

One year ago.............................I made No Bake Peanut Butter Bars.
Three years ago.........................I made Penguin Cupcakes

Did you already know................
-In 1982, the first Olive Garden opened in Orlando, Florida.
-Olive Garden is the third largest restaurant chain.
-Olive Garden's parent company is Darden.

Honey and Nut Clusters

Alright, I admit I like nuts. I like cookies with nuts. I like my chocolate with nuts. My husband isn't nuts about nuts. So, these bars aren't for him. When I saw this recipe, I actually thought it would harden like peanut brittle. They are gooey and chewy. I guess I could have tried to freeze them but why? I could easily break off a little piece. I could taste the honey and the nuts. These clusters are very rich. I guess if you want a recipe which isn't so gooey then maybe dipping them into chocolate.

Honey and Nut Clusters
1 cup almonds, toasted
1 cup walnuts, toasted
2 egg whites
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup fine sugar

Directions: 

1. Roughly chop the almonds and walnuts. Set aside. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff. 
3. Gently, stir in the chopped nuts. Set aside.
4. In a small pot, combine the honey and sugar.
5. Bring the honey and sugar to a boil. 
6. Stir in the nut mixture and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
7. Add the mixture into a baking dish and evenly level. 
8. Cover the mixture with a piece of parchment paper. 
9. Place several cans of food on top of the parchment paper to weigh it down. 
10. Allow the mixture to chill for at least 2 days to set before serving.

Recipe adapted from The Cookie and Biscuit Bible Cookbook.

Two years ago...........................I made Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies.
Three years ago........................I made Snowman Sugar Cookies.

Did you already know.........................
-Since 7000 B.C., the walnut is one of the oldest tree foods known to man.
-Walnuts begin to be harvested in August.
-It takes at least five years for a walnut tree to produce walnuts after the planting of a walnut tree sapling.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!