Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

Make-Ahead Tip: I made the entire casserole the morning before I wanted to serve it and stored it in the fridge all day. It cooked up beautifully. The original recipe recommends making the topping and cheese sauce and then refrigerating them in separate bowls for up to 1 day. To reheat and assemble, poke several vent holes in the plastic wrap covering the sauce and microwave it for about 3 to 5 minutes, until it is hot. Cook the potatoes and assemble and bake according to the recipe directions.

INGREDIENTS

Topping:
• 4 slices white sandwich bread, torn into quarters (I used a long forgotten bread bowl tucked in the back of the freezer – thawed it in the microwave before using)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
• 3 pounds russet potatoes (about 4-5 medium), peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cup heavy cream or milk
• 6 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded, about 2 cups
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat and sliced thinly
• 9 ounces deli ham, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. For the topping, process the bread and butter in a food processor until coarsely ground. Set aside.
2. For the filling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, making sure the oven rack is in the middle. Place the potatoes, 6 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are partially cooked, about 2 minutes (don’t overcook because they will continue to cook in the oven!). Carefully drain potatoes, or remove them with a slotted spoon, and transfer them to a bowl. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until the onions are softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute (this helps cook out the flour taste in the roux). Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and the cream or milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking often, until slightly thickened (if using milk instead of cream, you may have to cook longer for it to thicken up a bit). Off the heat, whisk in the Swiss cheese, Dijon, and cayenne pepper until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until ready to use.
4. Toss the potatoes with half of the sauce and spread into the bottom of a lightly greased 9X13-inch baking pan. Layer alternating pieces of the chicken and ham over the potatoes, overlapping as needed. This is not a scientific procedure, just make sure that the chicken is in a single layer (not on top of each other) so that it cooks thoroughly. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the chicken and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the casserole is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes (add about 5-7 additional minutes onto the baking time if baking it after it has chilled in the refrigerator for more than a couple of hours). Sprinkle with parsley and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Credit: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Chicken Cordon Bleu (the easy way)

Note: fresh bread crumbs here make all the difference. I save the heels of my bread stashed in the freezer for just a recipe like this when I need to grind up fresh bread crumbs quickly in my blender or food processor. Also, try to find really thick chicken breasts – it makes it easier to cut them in half lengthwise and still have a good-sized portion.

INGREDIENTS

For the Cordon Bleu:
• 3 large chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise (to form two thinner chicken breast cutlets)
• 12 slices deli ham
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/3 to 1/2 pound thinly sliced swiss cheese
For the Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (or 1 bouillon cube, crushed)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and melted butter. Set aside.
2. Lay the cut chicken breasts in a single layer in the 9X13-inch dish. Layer each chicken breast with two slices of ham and top with 2 slices of swiss cheese, shingling across the chicken breast to make sure the entire chicken breast is covered with ham and cheese. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the chicken.
3. Bake the chicken for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through completely, the cheese is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden.
4. While the chicken bakes, in a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, whisking constantly, while cooking the flour/butter mixture for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking quickly. Stir in the chicken bouillon granules and salt. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 3-5 minutes. Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened, remove from heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Keep the sauce warm until the chicken is finished baking.
5. Serve each chicken cordon bleu portion with warm sauce.

NOTES

Make Ahead Instructions: Assemble the chicken, ham and cheese according to the recipe. Store the prepared bread crumb/butter mixture in a resealable plastic bag or other container. Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and store it and the bread crumb mixture in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours. When ready to bake, sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top and bake according to the recipe, adding anywhere from 5-15 extra minutes since it was refrigerated prior to baking. Make the sauce while the casserole bakes or make it ahead of time, let it cool, and store it covered in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, reheating over low heat and whisking to recombine before serving.

Recipe Credit: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Disneyland Monte Cristo Sandwich (Blue Bayou Copycat)

Serves 4

1 egg
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 slices egg bread (challah works well), sliced 1/2-inch thick
8 thin slices ham
8 thin slices turkey
8 thin slices Swiss cheese (make it meatless by removing turkey and ham and including a couple more cheese choices!)
3 cups canola oil
Confectioners sugar
Blackberry preserves

Line a cookie sheet with paper towels; set aside.

Whisk the egg and water together in a mixing bowl. Add flour, salt, and baking powder and whisk thoroughly for 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth, scraping sides of bowl.

On one slice of bread, arrange 2 slices of ham, turkey, and cheese, covering the bread evenly. Place another slice of bread on top and slice each sandwich in half diagonally.

Heat oil to between 365 degrees F and 375 degrees F in a 10-inch pan. Do not let the oil reach a higher temperature than this; if the oil starts to smoke, turn the heat down. Dip half of the sandwich into the batter, allowing excess to drain, and very carefully place into the oil.

Repeat with the other sandwich half. Cook 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Place the cooked sandwich on the prepared cookie sheet in a warm oven until ready to serve. Repeat with the other three sandwiches.

Cook one at a time, and allow the oil to reach the desired temperature between each.

Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and serve with blackberry preserves on the side.

Recipe Credit: Disney Food Blog

Ham and Cheese Sliders

Serves 6 (2 sandwiches per serving)

• 12 good quality Dinner Rolls
• 12 slices thinly sliced Honey Ham
• 12 slices Swiss Cheese

Mustard Sauce:

• 5 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Yellow Mustard
• 1/2 Tablespoon Minced Onion
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 Tablespoon Poppyseeds

Directions:  Cut the rolls down middle. Place bottom halves of rolls in a 9×13 baking dish. Top each bottom with one slice of ham and one slice of swiss cheese. Cover each roll with their top half.

In a small microwavable-safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Whisk in the mustard, minced onion and worcestershire sauce ingredients. Carefully pour the sauce evenly over all of the rolls. Sprinkle the tops of rolls with the poppyseeds. Let stand about 10 minutes or until butter has set slightly. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Remove foil and place back into oven for 2 minutes or until cheese has completley melted. Serve warm.

Recipe credit: Life in the Lofthouse

Pineapple Ham

Wow, this one was great. I had actually had this a few times before with Jeff's side of the family, but I just forgot how delicious it is! Oh, so good. And so simple as well.

Sliced ham
1/2-1 cup brown sugar
1 can sliced pineapple OR 1 fresh pineapple (chopped into bite-size chunks)

Put sliced ham in pan. Top with 1/2-1 cup brown sugar. Pour over juice and sliced pineapple. Bake for 30 minutes, covered.

Recipe credit: Jenna Steed