Chicken Cordon Bleu with Cream Sauce

It's so easy for me to get stuck in a routine, rotating several different prep ahead recipes from week to week.  Sometimes it's easier to stick to what you know.  My oldest critic called me out on it a few weeks ago and I (although thoroughly annoyed by the sass) decided to branch out.

Chicken cordon bleu!  I can't believe I have never made this before.  So ridiculously easy to throw together with restaurant quality results.  It's a keeper!

Prep Ahead Plan:  I prepared the chicken the night before and refrigerated the baking dish overnight.  The sauce took about 10 minutes to prepare on the stove.  I made it while the chicken cooked but you could easily make it ahead of time and heat it in the microwave.

Chicken Cordon Bleu
(I doubled the recipe and there were no leftovers!!!)
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thinly sliced)
Salt and pepper
4 slices of deli ham
6 slices of swiss cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
4 small pats of butter

Directions
1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 X 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2.  Lay the chicken out and pound with a mallet if you find they are not thin enough.  Season chicken with salt and pepper.   Lay one slice of ham and one slice of swiss cheese on each piece of chicken. Roll up and secure with toothpick. Place rolled chicken in baking dish.
3.  Brush each chicken roll with egg and top with 1/2 a slice of swiss cheese.  Roll chicken in bread crumbs.
4.  Put a small pat of butter on top of each chicken roll before baking.  
5.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Lemon Cream Sauce
Ingredients
1 can condensed chicken soup (or mushroom soup)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
water for thinning sauce (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:
1.  Place soup, sour cream and lemon in a sauce pan and heat through.  Add enough water until you get the consistency you want for the sauce.

Prep Ahead Pizza Casserole

Two posts in the same week? Crazy!  For some reason, my productivity level rises as my days get increasingly busier.  Why is that?  Summer afternoon cocktails with friends is not the most motivating  activity, I guess.   Oh how I miss those late afternoon pool-side mai-tais.  I will count the days until next summer, until then, let's talk about easy, weeknight, crowd pleasing meals. Or we could just drink mai- tais and call for pizza. Tempting.  


I feel like my oven is rarely turned on over the summer given all of the grilling that takes place!  These days it has been putting in overtime and I have some great recipes to share.  We had this really simple, kid friendly recipe tonight and we can't stop raving.  No, it's not gourmet food but it was SO GOOD!  Such a great weeknight meal!  Try it!


Prep Ahead Plan:  Prepare recipe the night before and bake it right before the dinner hour!  It freezes well too!!! 


Pizza Casserole


Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked egg noodles
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni, quartered
• 1 1/2 (16 ounce cans) pizza sauce
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese PLUS 1/2 cup for topping
• dash pepper
• salt to taste
• **Crushed red pepper and parmesan for serving if your family likes it!
• 
  
• Directions:
• 1.  Brown meat with onion, pepper and garlic.
• 2.  Cook noodles according to package directions and drain.  Put back in pot.
• 3.  Mix meat mixture and remaining ingredients in the egg noodle pot.
• 4.  Pour into a greased 9 X 13 baking dish.  Cover and refrigerate overnight or bake, uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  
•  

Asian Style Pepper Steak

Ready, set, GO!  That's how I feel when our back to school routine starts.  I'm already missing our lazy summer days filled with poolside fun and surprise get-a-ways.  A small part of me likes getting back to a set schedule, I guess. VERY small.

I have taken on a part time job at my daughter's preschool and while I adjust to this addition to our already busy schedule, I decided to try some new set it and forget it slow cooker meals.  I found this asian style pepper steak on Allrecipes and adapted it slightly.  It was picky eater approved and will definitely be making the regular rotation in our house.  I thought I would share it for those of you, who like me, are looking to free up some time during those crazy hours right before dinner!

Prep ahead Plan:  Mix all ingredients in the slow cooker insert the night before and refrigerate.

Slow Cooker Asian Style Pepper Steak
Ingredients
2 pounds beef sirloin strips*
2 teaspoons garlic
1 cube beef bouillon
1/4 cup hot water
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 onion chopped
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 can (14.5 ounce) stewed tomatoes, with juice
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:
1.  Sprinkle garlic over meat and place in a slow cooker insert that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
2.  Mix bouillon with warm water and add in the cornstarch. Pour over meat.
3.  Add remaining ingredients to pot and cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve over rice.

* To add a layer of flavor, sear beef on both sides in a couple tablespoons of oil.  I didn't do this but it was recommended.  Also, the peppers were very soft after 8 hours of cooking.  If you can, toss the peppers in 2-3 hours before the steak is done instead.

Lessons in Hurricanes and Snack Prep...

We’re battening down the hatches over here and mourning the loss of our Country Music Festival tickets for Saturday evening.  We’ve made the responsible decision (boooo) to skip Saturday evenings show and prepare the house for Sunday’s storm. It's unfortunately the right decision given the work that needs to be done including the calming of nerves amongst our little ones!

The storm coverage and adult, hurricane themed, conversations have my kids in a panic.  I have been getting lots of questions about what hurricanes are, how they form, how they’re named and what to expect on Sunday during the storm.  I’m anticipating power outages that will last over an extended period of time and am preparing some foods that do not need refrigeration like granola, granola bars and some honey wheat bread!  We have also stocked up on fruit that can sit in a bowl on our table at room temperature like bananas, apples, oranges, and peaches.  

In addition to food prep, I’m putting together a few hurricane themed books and activities to keep my children from killing each other while (hopefully) lessening their hurricane fears by teaching them what hurricanes are all about.   I’m hoping to calm their fears by explaining that with proper preparation and safety precautions, our family will remain safe and hopefully by making use of the information below, not bored to death!  Good luck and stay safe everyone!

Weather Wiz Kids

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-hurricane.htm

This site has a plethora of information on hurricanes including how they form, how they’re names and additional lessons on safety precautions.  You might want to print it out and screen some of the information.  I’m going to steer clear of the super scary information!!!

Hurricane Tracking Chart:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/AT_Track_chart.pdf

Here is a blank tracking  that allows kids to plot Irene’s track along with the meteorologist on the local news!

Free Weather Coloring Pages For Younger Kids:

http://www.coloring.ws/weather.htm

http://www.coloring.ws/weather.htm

 Books for all ages:

Storms and Hurricanes (Usbornne Books)

Kathy Gemmell (Author)

National Geographic Readers: Storms! by Miriam Goin

The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth (Magic School Bus) by Joanna Cole and

Bruce Degen

Hurricane Book & CD (Read Along Book & CD) by David Wiesner

Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival by Kirby Larson, Mary Nethery and Jean Cassels

Time of Wonder (Viking Kestrel picture books) by Robert McCloskey

Hurricanes! by Gail Gibbons

Yesterday We Had a Hurricane by Deirdre McLaughlin Mercier

Hurricane adventures in reading while the power is out:

For older children-ages 9-12

The Cay by Theodore Taylor

This is one of my favorite books for older kids!  I used to read this to my 5^th graders every year when I was teaching.  Even reluctant readers hung on every word.  If you have a battery operated CD, pick up the audio CD  or download for your MP3 here:

http://www.theaudiobookmart.com/search.php?searchBy=name&query=The%20Cay&sub=ABM_titles04_02-2630&gclid=CPq-9amL7aoCFRlsgwodtk3KQg

The audio version REALLY adds to the story.  Michael Boatman is a FABULOUS narrator and really captures the intense adventure of this story of survival and friendship!

I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 by Lauren Tarshis

Storm Runners: Book 1 by Roland Smith

Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Storm Rescue #6 (Vet Volunteers) by Laurie Halse Anderson

Hurricanes: Earth's Mightiest Storms by Patricia Lauber

Giada's Pesto for the Freezer...

Talia caring for the baby herbs back in May...

Four cups of fresh basil washed and ready to go...

I love making use of fresh herbs in the summer time!  Several varieties grow in abundance on a plant stand on our back deck.  I clip them as much as possible, tossing them in pastas, salads and marinades.  I feel so guilty as I watch them wilt away, as the colder nights set in until the first frost forces me to toss whatever remains in the compost bin.  Every year I tell myself I will learn how to dry them or freeze them, but it just never happens! 

I wish I could say that this year will be different and I’m learning how to properly dry herbs or working hard to stock our freezer with the lush, overgrown, twelve varieties I planted, but I’m not!  However, I have decided to trim our four basil plants down in order to make and freeze pesto for the winter!  It's a start.  

This recipe from Giada de Laurentiis is so simple and flavorful!  I serve it over pasta and chicken and have frozen a bunch for us to enjoy throughout the winter! 

Prep Ahead Plan:  Make the pesto recipe as written, divide in half and freeze it in individual containers.

Simple Basil Pesto

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves, peeled

4 cups fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (I couldn’t find the toasted variety so I heated a skillet, tossed in the nuts and mixed them around until they were brown on all sides)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup – 1 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup grated Parmesan

Directions
1. Combine garlic, basil, toasted pine nuts and salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Pulse until finely chopped.
2. With the blender or food processor still running, add in olive oil until desired            consistence is reached.
3. Stir in Parmesan cheese.  Serve or freeze!

Toasted pine nuts....

Summer Picnics....

Mid-August has crept right up on us this year!  We have been enjoying every second of the summer months and despite my my urge to order backpacks, buy fleeces and stock up on back to school supplies as the fall months quickly approach, I refuse to do so.  Sitting poolside, applying sunscreen, taking bike rides and playing with friends all day, are hard habits to break.

We're soaking up every last second of that warm summer sunshine by taking advantage of some great local picnic spots! In my opinion, breezy evenings at the beach during those twilight hours are the best part of the day! We love packing a picnic and enjoying our dinner on a blanket, watching sailboats, collecting sea glass and climbing on empty lifeguard chairs.  This barbecue chicken recipe is one of our favorite prep ahead packable dinners! Enjoy!

Prep Ahead Plan:  Prepare the chicken the night before and leave it in the fridge until ready to bake.  I use a foil pan to save on clean up time! A couple hours before heading to your picnic, bake it and pack it up while it's still warm.  We also enjoy this chicken cold, right out of the fridge!

Oven Baked Barbecue Chicken
Ingredients:
2-3 pounds chicken pieces (legs and drumsticks work well)
garlic powder
onion powder
black pepper
18 oz bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce or use the homemade recipe found here.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Arrange chicken pieces in a foil pan.
2.  Sprinkle with garlic, onion powder, and pepper.  Be sure to season all sides AND underneath the skin.
3.  Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
4.  Remove pan from oven and brush with barbecue sauce.  Again, be sure to get all around each piece and under the skin.  Continue to bake uncovered for 15 minutes.
5.  For crispy skin, broil on high for the last few minutes until the skin is browned up to your liking!  Enjoy!!!

Bruschetta Salad...a no recipe, recipe

Forgive the iphone pic..eeek!!!!

Finally! I'm back! I have no good reason for my blogging hiatus unless you consider lazy summer days a worthy excuse! Many of my summer menu items are no recipe kind of dishes. I haven't shared any until now but decided these kind of recipes are what everyone needs this time of year!

Bruschetta salad is one of our favorites to have as a summer lunch, light dinner, or as a hearty appetizer. In season tomatoes combined with fresh basil and mozzarella define the flavors of summer in my mind. Add as much or ad little of each ingredient as you like. You really can't mess this fish up. Enjoy!

Bruschetta Salad

Ingredients:

tomatoes, cut up (I like to use grape or in season heirlooms!)
basil
fresh mozzarella, cut up
red onion, diced
fresh basil, torn
salt
pepper
olive oil

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Chill for an hour or longer. Serve with crusty French bread slices or alone as a salad. Yum!!