Chicken Cordon Bleu- 2 ways

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6 slices of swiss cheese

6 slices of deli ham

salt and pepper

4 Tbs. melted butter

1/2 c. Italian style bread crumbs
1/2 c. panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1st version:

Mix both bread crumbs together in a small bowl.

Cut each chicken breast in half.  Then butterfly each half so you have 6 pieces of chicken.

Place chicken between wax paper and flatten with a meat mallet (or something else that is hard!).  I like the chicken pretty thin.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place a slice of ham and cheese on top of each breast. Roll up jellyroll style. Stick a toothpick through to hold if needed.

Roll in butter and then bread crumb mixture.  Place into pan.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 40-60 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Bake 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  (I like to remove the foil for the last 5 minutes).

2nd version:
Mix both bread crumbs together in a small bowl.

Cut each chicken breast in half.  Then butterfly each half so you have 6 pieces of chicken.

Place chicken into the bottom of a 9x13" pan.  Top each piece of chicken with a piece of ham and then cheese.

Mix the melted butter and both bread crumbs.  Sprinkle on top of cheese.

Bake, covered, for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Serve both with sauce:

4 Tbs. butter
4 Tbs. flour
2 c. milk
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2-1 Tbs. dijon mustard (how much mustard flavor do you like)
2 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1 c. parmesan cheese

Melt butter in a pan.  Add flour and cook stirring for a minute or two.  Add the milk, whisking constantly.  Crush the bouillon cubes and add to milk mixture.  Add salt.

Cook until it thickens some.  Careful to not let it boil.

Add worchestershire sauce, mustard and parmesan cheese.  Stir on low heat until cheese is melted.

Meatballs with Cranberry Chili Sauce

Place frozen meatballs in crockpot.

Mix and cover with sauce:

12 oz. chili sauce

16 oz. jellied cranberry sauce

2 Tbs. lemon juice

2 Tbs. brown sugar

Cook in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

Great for appetizers or serve as a main dish over rice.

from: Shersti Pearson

Spinach and Swiss Salad

*This poppyseed salad dressing goes great with anything, but especially with spinach salads and fruit...

1 large head iceberg lettuce, torn

1 (10 oz) bag spinach (I prefer baby spinach)

1/2 red onion, chopped

3/4 c. sliced mushrooms

3/4 c. grated swiss cheese

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

1 c. cottage cheese, drain off the liquid in small colander

crutons

Note: the dressing makes more than you will need for one salad)

Poppyseed Dressing

1 c. sugar

2 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. salt

2/3 c. apple cider vinegar

2 c. vegetable oil

1 Tbs. poppyseeds

Mix dressing ingredients in a blender. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Lemon Crisps

1 pkg. Pillsbury Lemon cake mix

1/3 c oil

2 eggs

1/4 c. sugar

1 c. powdered sugar

2-3 Tbs. lemon juice

Heat oven to 375. In large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, and eggs; stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; dip half of ball into sugar; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press cookie flat with the bottom of a glass, about 1/4 inch thickness.

Bake at 375 for 5-7 minutes. Cool one minute before removing from cookie sheet.

Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.

from Pillsbury

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

*This recipe does take some planning ahead, you let it simmer for 1 hour, but it is totally worth the wait! It also makes a lot, it would easily serve 8-10 adults.

1/2 c. butter

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2-1 c. corn

1/2 c. chopped celery

1/2 c. carrots, sliced

1 1/2 c. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (small)

1/2 c. chopped fresh mushrooms

3/4 c. flour

6 c. chicken broth

2 c. cooked wild rice (I like the Near East brand, original long grain wild rice)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. mustard powder

1 tsp. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 c. slivered almonds

2 c. nonfat half-and-half (you can use regular, but nonfat is great and, well, nonfat!)

Prep:

Start cooking your rice and then cut up your veggies and chicken and have your broth and half-and-half measured while the rice is cooking, then putting it together is easy!

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, celery, corn, chicken, and carrots. Saute for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through. Add the mushrooms and sauté 3-4 more minutes. Then add the flour and stir well. Over medium heat, gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly. (Warmed chicken broth works the best). Bring the soup just to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer, while stirring, for 5-6 minutes, until it has thickened slightly.

Next, add the rice, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, black pepper, and almonds. Allow the ingredients to heat through and then pour in the half-and-half. Let the soup gently simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. The soup should not boil but should simmer over low heat so that is thickens slowly.

from: melskitchencafe.com

Creamy Garlic Alfredo Sauce

I love this sauce. It is simple, tasty, and easy to "dress up." You could add veggies, chicken, or our favorite, shrimp.

Makes about 2 cups of sauce.

2 Tbs. butter

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

4 oz. cream cheese, softened and cut into 6 pieces (can use low fat, but gives it a slightly grainy texture)

1 c. milk (1% works great)

3 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. salt, more to taste if needed

In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, taking care not to let the garlic burn. Add the cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. It will look a little curdled at first, but with constant whisking for 2-3 minutes, it should start to come together to form a creamy paste. Add the milk gradually, stirring constantly. Stir until creamy. Stir in the parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir until the cheese is melted. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately over hot, cooked noodles (we like mini penne).

from: melskitchencafe.com

Acini de Pepe Salad (Frog Eye Salad)

This makes a lot! You may want to half it if you don't want to be eating it for days. :)

1 3/4 c. pineapple juice

1 Tbs. lemon juice

2 beaten eggs

1 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. flour

1 pkg. acini de pepe noodles

1 Tbs. oil

2 tsp. salt

3 qts. water

3 cans mandarin oranges

3 cans pineapple tidbits

1 can crushed pineapple

9 oz. cool whip

2 c. mini marshmallows

Mix pineapple juice, lemon juice, eggs, sugar, flour, and salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Cool. Heat water until boiling, add noodles, oil, and salt. Cook until tender and drain (according to package). Rinse with cool water. Combine lemon juice mixture and noodles and refrigerate over night. Add remaining ingredients the next day before serving.

Naan Bread

1 c warm water
2 Tbs honey
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1/4 c sour cream
2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 1/2 c flour
4 Tbs butter
3 tsp minced garlic

1.  Stir together warm water, honey, and yeast.  Proof if needed.
2.  Add the sour cream, salt, and egg, mix.
3.  Add the baking powder and flour.  Mix 2-3 minutes until the dough is smooth.
4.  Place dough into a clean, greased bowl.  Cover and rise until double.
5.  Melt the butter and add the minced garlic.  Set aside.
6.  Once the dough is ready, move it to a floured work surface.  Divide into 10-12 equal sized pieces.
7.  Roll out each piece one at a time, about 1/4" thick.
8.  Brush the dough lightly with the garlic butter (both sides).
9.  Cook the dough in a cast-iron skillet (or other heavy pan) on med-high heat, for about 1 minute on each side.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

*Makes 24 muffins

For the muffins:

3 c. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice*

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

4 eggs

1 1/4 c. vegetable oil

2 c. sugar

2 c. pumpkin puree

For the filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 c. powdered sugar

For the streusel topping:

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. flour

4 Tbs. cold butter, cubed

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Prepare the filling 2 hours before making the muffins:

combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar and whip until smooth. For into a log on a plastic wrap or greased foil, making sure the diameter is small enough to fit into the well of a muffin pan. Wrap the log up tightly and freeze until slightly hardened, about 2 hours.

To make the muffins, combine the flour, spices, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside. In another large bowl combine the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, and pumpkin puree. Mix until well combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

To make the streusel topping, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Mix together with a pastry blender or two forks until crumbly.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin pans with paper liners. To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well 1/3 of the way with batter. Remove the cream cheese log from the freezer and slice into 24 equal slices. Place a slice on top of the batter in each muffin well and gently press (don't press all the way to the bottom but just slightly into the batter.) Divide the remaining muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups on top of the cream cheese. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the top of the batter. Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the top of the muffin (only about 1/3 of the way down) comes out with moist crumbs. Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

*If you don't have pumpkin pie spice use the following combination: 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/8 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp. cloves. Mix together and you have the equivalent of 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice. Note that this recipe calls for 1 Tbs, so you will need to triple these amounts! :)

from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ice-cream Puffs

This recipe comes from the Family Fun magazine. They are simple, but delicious. You could easily switch things up and use different ice cream and different sauces on top! Click here for step-by-step pictures on their website.

1 c. water

1/2 c unsalted butter, diced

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. flour

4 eggs

1 lightly beaten egg for coating

Vanilla ice cream

For chocolate sauce (I just melt chocolate chips!)

1/2 c. heavy cream

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. unsalted butter

1. Move the oven rack to a position slightly below the center and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat two baking sheets with butter.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil. Remove the pan from the stove top and stir in the flour until well blended. Return the pan to the stove top and cook on medium, stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from the sides, about 2-3 minutes (mine did after about 30 seconds!).

3. Remove the pan from the stove top once more and transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in the 4 eggs, one at a time, until each is fully incorporated.

4. While the dough is still warm, use a tablespoon size cookie dough scoop to place 1 1/2 inch wide mounds on the baking sheets (I don't have one, so I just used a tablespoon slightly overfilled). Stagger the rows to give the puffs room to expand as they bake. Gently brush the top of each with the beaten egg.

5. Bake the puffs until golden brown 25-28 minutes. DO NOT remove them until they are fully baked or they will collapse. (I cooked mine for 30 minutes and they could have used another minute or two, I think mine might have been slightly bigger than theirs.) Transfer then to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. (I skipped this step and just added ice cream when I served them.) While the puffs are baking, line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Place 1 1/2 inch wide ice cream scoops on the sheet, one for each puff. Cover the ice cream with plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use.

7. For the chocolate sauce, bring the heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Place the chocolate in a heat-safe bowl and pour the cream on top. Let the mixture sit for 3 minutes, then whisk it until it's smooth. Add the butter, then whisk again.

8. To assemble, cut each puff in half, place a scoop of ice cream on the bottom, replace the top, and drizzle with the warm chocolate sauce. Serve immediately.

Berry Cheesecake Parfaits

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 c. cold milk

1 pkg. (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding

1 1/2 c. thawed cool whip

Nilla wafers, coarsely chopped (about 24)

1 1/2 c. mixed blueberries and strawberries (fresh is best)

Beat cream cheese in a bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk. Add dry pudding mix; mix well. Whisk in 1 c. cool whip.

Layer in glass: wafers, berries, pudding, twice.

Top with remaining cool whip.

from Kraft