Chicken Cordon Bleu

Written Reality

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half

12 slices of thin sliced ham

1 1/2 cups swiss cheese, shredded

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 cup of Ritz crackers, crushed

3 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

FOR THE SAUCE. . .

3 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

1 cup milk

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Meatloaf

• Food and AllRecipes
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• 1 1⁄2 lbs ground beef (ground shoulder roast is good)
• 1 slice of chopped bread, or croutons, or 7 crackers, or oatmeal
• 1 slice bread (broken or chopped finely or 7 crackers)
• 1 egg
• 1  onion finely chopped and sauteed
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 T parsley
• 1/2t sage, basil, oregano (or dry onion mix)
• 1⁄2-2⁄3 cup whole milk or 1⁄2-2⁄3 cuphalf-and-half
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• Sauce
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 -4 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed firm (to taste)
• 1⁄2 cup ketchup

1. This can be prepared and sitting in the fridge for 2 days before it is cooked.
2. Combine meat loaf ingredients and place into a loaf baking dish. Smooth out top.  Sauce: Combine sauce ingredients and pour on top and sides of meatloaf. Bake at 350°F about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until done.
3. OR
    This can be cooked in the crockpot, line with strips of aluminum foil coming up sides of crock. and spray with oil. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.

1. *The addition of 1 or 2 teaspoons of Kitchen Bouquet® makes this recipe very good. **Recipe should be"plump" from the addition of the milk or Half & Half.  It should NOT be runny.

Cooked peach pie

My recipes

We loved it.

1 1/3 cups cold butter

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 to 3/4 cup ice-cold water

8 large fresh, firm, ripe peaches (about 4 lb.)

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg, beaten

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preparation

1. Cut 1 1/3 cups butter into small cubes, and chill 15 minutes. Stir together 4 cups flour and 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until mixture resembles small peas. Gradually stir in 1/2 cup ice water with a fork, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened and dough begins to form a ball and leaves sides of bowl, adding more ice water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, if necessary. Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap; press and shape dough into 2 flat disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and chill 30 minutes to 24 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 425º. Place 1 dough disk on a lightly floured surface; sprinkle dough lightly with flour. Roll dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Starting at 1 edge of dough, wrap dough around a rolling pin. Place rolling pin over a 9-inch pie plate, and unroll dough over pie plate. Press dough into pie plate.

3. Roll remaining dough disk to about 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.

4. Peel peaches, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; cut slices in half. Stir together brown sugar, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 1/4 cup flour in a bowl; add peaches, stirring to coat. Immediately spoon peach mixture into piecrust in pie plate, and dot with 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter. (Do not make mixture ahead or it will become too juicy.)

5. Carefully place remaining piecrust over filling; press edges of crusts together to seal. Cut off excess crust, and reserve. Crimp edges of pie. If desired, reroll excess crust to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 3-inch leaves using a knife. Brush top of pie with beaten egg; top with leaves. Brush leaves with egg; sprinkle with 1 1/2 Tbsp. granulated sugar. Cut 4 to 5 slits in top of pie for steam to escape.

6. Freeze pie 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a jelly-roll pan in oven 10 minutes. Place pie on hot jelly-roll pan.

7. Bake at 425° on lower oven rack 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°; bake 40 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning, and bake 25 more minutes or until juices are thick and bubbly (juices will bubble through top). Transfer to a wire rack; cool 2 hours before serving.

Chicken Spaghetti

Pioneer Woman

1 whole raw chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 pound thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces
2 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar
1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Two 10 3/4-ounce cans cream of mushroom soup
1 medium onion, finely diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350degrees F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the chicken pieces to the boiling water and boil for a few minutes, and then turn the heat to medium-low and simmer, 30 to 45 minutes.
Remove the chicken and 2 cups of the chicken cooking broth from the pot. When the chicken is cool, remove the skin and pick out the meat (a mix of dark and white) to make 2 generous cups. Discard the bones and skin.
Cook the spaghetti in the chicken cooking broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When the spaghetti is cooked, combine with the chicken, 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, the green peppers, red peppers, seasoned salt, cayenne, soup and onions, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 cup of the reserved chicken cooking broth, adding an additional cup if needed.
Place the mixture in a 9- by 13-inch casserole pan and top with the remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake immediately until bubbly, about 45 minutes. (If the cheese on top starts to get too dark, cover with foil.)

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/chicken-spaghetti-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Chicken burritos

From Better Homes and Garden Cook Book

2 bags of tortillas (20 tortillas)
cooked or canned chicken or beef or pork
2 chopped onions
chili powder
cumin
garlic powder
oregano
salt and pepper
cut sticks of cheese or shredded
1 can of black beans or refried beans

4 chopped tomatoes or salsa

Saute onions till translucent, then add seasonings to taste, beans, meat, and tomatoes.
Put mixture in tortilla, cut a slice of cheese and roll up. Roll up tortillas and place seam down on a baking sheet, not touching one another. Spray lightly with cooking spray, or lightly brush with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.  You can place the tortillas in the pan touching each other if desired, but I like crunchy tortillas.

I made extra filled tortillas and put them in a ziplock bag and froze them.

Bake 425 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Add shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, avocado

Serve Avocado-Cilantro Sauce:

• ½ cup sour cream/plain yogurt/mayo
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and skinned
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 jalapeno, chopped and seeded
• Salt, to taste

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Forkknifeswoon

• 16 jumbo pasta shells (Cook a couple of extra shells to allow for a few breaking while the pasta cooks.)
• 1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp fresh garlic, minced
• 4 cups (packed) fresh spinach leaves, roughly-chopped
• 12 oz skim-milk ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded skim-milk mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
• 1-1/4 cups marinara sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown, about a minute or two. Add the spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves begin to wilt but are still bright green, about 3 to 4 minutes. The spinach should be reduced by half. Remove from the heat and let cool.
3. In a mixing bowl, stir together the spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, basil and salt and pepper until thoroughly combined. Pour 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a shallow 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish. Stuff each pasta shell with a generous amount of the spinach and ricotta mixture, and place in the baking dish.
4. Cover with the remaining sauce and bake covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top begins to brown and the sauce begins the bubble, another 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with a dusting of Parmesan.

Cheesy Baked Tortellini

Food Network

Olive oil
2 cups marinara sauce
1 sauteed onion
1/2 lb beef cooked
I didn't have 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese (or cottage cheese)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 pound purchased cheese tortellini
2 ounces mozzarella
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

I Doubled this and froze some for future dinner.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish.
Whisk the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl to blend. 
Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat. Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top the mixture with the smoked mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about 30 minutes.

Surprisingly the kids loved this.