Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

 I don't know about anyone else but I am so ready for the weekend. I have been dealing with Jakey's cold, getting Matt fitted for a homecoming tux and making sure Ray has what he needs to go on a fishing trip this weekend. Throw in a 5 hour power outage Tuesday morning and I would say I kinda deserve a weekend soon. Thank goodness we have just a little over 24 hours til Friday Happy Hour.


I have been doing pretty good lately finding great recipes that the entire family will enjoy. Recipes that are quick, ingredients most of us have on hand and super delish.  When I make a new dish and both boys tell me that it is "Blog Worthy" I know that I have succeeded.  I found this over at www.madefrompinterest.net.  There are many versions out there....I have made something very similar from Gooseberry Patch....equally as good.  I found that this came together very quick....and the sauce is way good!

 

I made this as a going away dinner for our sweet Sarah who was leaving for college.  Sarah became a part of our family several years ago.  She volunteered her time helping out in the daycare/preschool that I had in my home and also was Jakey's babysitter on the rare occasion that Ray and I ever got a night out.  We love her to pieces and we wanted to make her a great "comfort food" meal before she went off to a life of Top Ramen.



 In fact she sent me a message last night and told me that her first day was great and she was eating "Cup O Noodles".  I knew it!  Good thing we filled her with mashed potatoes and cheesy gooey ham/chicken.

 

 

 

 

 

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

 

5 cups chicken breast, diced or shredded

1/2 pound sliced deli-style black forest ham, chopped

1/2 pound sliced swiss cheese

 

Sauce:

4 Tb butter

4 Tb flour

3 C milk

2 Tb lemon juice

1 Tb dijion mustard

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp pepper

 

Topping:

4 Tb melted butter

1 1/4 C seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 C parmesan cheese

 

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick spray.  Layer the chicken in the bottom of the dish followed by the ham and finally the swiss cheese.

2.  In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add the milk, whisking to keep clumps from forming.  Turn the heat to high and cook until the sauce thickens and boils completely, whisking often.  Remove from the heat and add the remaining sauce ingredients.  Pour the finished sauce over the base layer already in the dish.

3.  In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients until the butter is evenly distributed over the crumbs.  Sprinkle over the top of the dish and bake for 45 minutes.  Allow to cool for 10 minute before serving so the sauce will thicken just a bit.



Happy Thursday!  Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Cake

When I think of caramel....I automatically think apples.  Really....it is a natural pairing don't you think.  Sure....a sliced apple and caramel for dip brings happiness to my heart but I wanted to bring that same happiness to the entire house.  That wonderful smell of apples baking...a scent that brings back wonderful memories of my Grandma.

 

I think I have mentioned all the apples that my dear friend has shared with me.....I have been trying to vary my apple recipes.  Cobbler, crisp, apple butter, apple chips.....all super delish.  But I needed something different.  I found a recipe for caramel apple bread over on www.thedomesticrebel.com and instantly knew I had to make it. 

 

When got ready to make it though I simply forgot what I was doing and grabbed my 9x13 baker....sprayed it and poured the batter into the pan.  Ooops!  Yikes....it was supposed to go into bread pans.  I decided that it was going to be way more trouble to try and get it out of the baker and into the pans....so....I left it.  And it was very yummy....in fact my husband thought that I had made a coffee cake.  Of course I did admit to him my mistake....but it seemed to work out great....the fam loved it.

 

 

Of course we topped ours with a spray of whip cream and a drizzle of caramel.  Did it need it.....no probably not.....but really it was super delish with it.

 

 

Caramel Apple Cake

 

1 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp lemon or lime juice

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups coarsely chopped apples

Caramel sundae sauce

 

 

Crumb Topping Mixture

1 tsp cinnamon

4 Tbsp flour

4 Tbsp brown sugar

4 Tbsp cold butter

 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non stick cooking spray.

 2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until creamy. In a separate bowl, dissolve the baking soda into the lemon juice. Mixture will foam up; that’s normal. Once dissolved, add the baking soda mixture, eggs and vanilla to the butter and beat to combine.

 3. Add the flour and salt until a thick batter has formed. Stir in the chopped apples by hand.

 4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the crumb ingredients until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Set aside.

 5. Spread 1/2 of the batter into the pan.  Sprinkle 1/2 of the crumb topping on top of the batter.  Drizzle caramel syrup over the crumb mixture.  Repeat layers ending with caramel syrup.

6. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out of center clean; allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

7. Bread can be stored up to 2 days at room temperature, wrapped tightly.

Happy Wednesday!  Enjoy!





Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Nothing screams "cozy comfort food" more than a great chicken pot pie.  I have a great recipe for chicken pot pie that is a family favorite.  For me the flaky buttery top crust is what it is all about.  Of course I do have one family member (Jacob) that does not like the crust...top or bottom and will scrape out all of the creamy filling and just eat that.  I know!  Really?....who's kid is he?  I don't complain too much though....because I usually snitch his top crust.

So when I came across this recipe for a soup version over at www.shugarysweets.com I was thrilled....and actually thought...why hadn't I thought of this?  I did make a couple of changes to ingredients...but other than that I stayed pretty true to the recipe.  I wish I would have doubled the recipe though....both boys were looking for seconds....and there were none.  I guess that is a good sign.  Bottom line....it was delish!  Creamy and flavorful without using a "cream of anything" soup.  I chose to use 2 cups of 2% milk rather than 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of heavy cream and it turned out great.

Instead of making strips out of the pie crust I took a biscuit cutter and made little discs.....we just tucked them in like you would crackers.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

 

2 cup chicken, cooked and diced

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 yellow onion, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

1/2 cup carrots, diced

1/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup chicken broth 

2 cups milk 

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper  

1/2 package pie crust (I used Pillsbury), thawed

 

1.  In a large pot, melt butter over medium high heat. Add onions, celery and carrots and cook to soften about 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook an additional minute, stirring constantly. Slowly add broth, milk, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Use a whisk to combine, then add in cooked chicken. Heat over medium heat until warm, about 10-15 minutes.

2.  To make crust strips, unroll thawed pie crust (for one crust). Cut into strips and lay on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 6-8 minutes, until browned. Remove from oven.

 

3.  To assemble, Ladle soup into bowls and top with warm crisp pie strips. 

 

 

 

 

Happy Wednesday!  Enjoy!

 



Glitter Cup

We are huge football fans.....and we love our Seahawks!  In fact...we have always loved our Hawks....even when they were not so good and now that they are playing well it makes the games even better. 

Set up the big screen...gather friends and put on all of our 12th man gear....we are set.  I had to have a special cup for the games....whether it be water, diet coke or a Green Wave cocktail....I needed it.  I had a bunch of cups left over from last fall.  Sparkly cups with big ribbons were perfect for the gift giving season last year.

These are super easy to make.  The cups came from the dollar store....the Mod Podge and craft sealer can be found at a variety of locations....I picked mine up at Wal-Mart when I got the ribbon.  Try and find ribbon that has wire....it makes it much easier to make those great big full bows.

I raided my boys room for anything I could attach in the center of the bow to represent the Seahawks....I came across this great little helmet and beads that I cut and hooked in with wire.

These really are super fun to make and the possibilities are endless.  There are so many colors of glitter available now....I am sure that you could find a color that would work for your scheme.

1.  Remove the lid from the cup and set a side.

2.  Brush Mod Podge over the entire cup.  Try not to get it up near the area where the lid screws on.

3.  Sprinkle glitter very liberally all over the cup.   Don't worry there is no wrong way to do this.  Be sure to cover your work surface because glitter will be everywhere.  Also this way you can recollect the glitter  to use again.

4.  Allow to dry....at least 30 minutes.

5.  When dry, apply another coat of Mod Podge and sprinkle more glitter on the cup.  This will give the cup a great all over coating of sparkle.  When this coat is dry, apply a thin coat of clear multi-purpose sealer.

6.  I used a thin piece of ribbon (without wire) to wrap around the cup with a small Velcro dot to hold it in place.  It works great so the ribbon can be removed when washing the cup.

7.  Make the bow...attach the bling or extras with a thin piece of wire.  And then hot glue the bow to the thin piece of ribbon.  When glue is dry.....wrap the ribbon around the cup...press the Velcro pieces together and it is ready to use.

There is no worry with the glitter color bleeding when it gets wet.  I have used expensive glitter and also glitter from the dollar store.  Just remember you have to hand wash the cup.

Happy Sunday!  Go Seahawks!

Chicken Tortilla Stack

First full week of school is in the books....and we made it.  High School has been a success for Matt and Jakey has gotten back into the "school groove" without too much difficulty. 

We have had a week of beautiful sunshine and record breaking temps.....I know that the rain is coming soon...but I so enjoyed these last few day.  Wednesday was the warmest....hitting nearly 90 degrees.  We enjoyed happy hour in the garden with neighbors and before I knew it Jacob was asking what was for dinner!  Lucky for me I did have a plan....and lucky for me it came together quick and was very yummy.

Long ago I was a Pampered Chef consultant and one of the recipes that everyone wanted was the Tortilla Stack.  This is my little twist on that.....just as easy and delish!

My boys love to make nachos....everyone gets to create their own little masterpiece....well these are very similar.  I found these cute little tostada shells at Safeway that worked great....each stack used 3 shells filled with yummy chicken and cheese between the layers.  And then topped with all our favorite toppings.

Chicken Tortilla Stack

12 corn tostada shells

2 cups of cooked chicken, diced or shredded

shredded Mexican blend cheese

6 oz sour cream

taco sauce

favorite taco toppings...

tomato

green onions

avocado

shredded lettuce

 

1.  Mix sour cream and taco sauce together....the taco sauce is by taste.

 

2.  Spread some of the sour cream mixture onto a tostada shell.  Place the shell into a baking dish. 

 

3.  Sprinkle chicken and then cheese on top of the shell.   Then repeat the layer with another shell.  Place the 3rd shell on the top.  Gently pressing down.....then sprinkle a final layer of cheese on the top.

 

4.  Repeat to make 3 more stacks.  A 9x13 baking dish will hold 2 stacks....so 2 baking dish will be needed.

 

5.  Cover baking dish loosely with foil.  Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 min.

 

6  Remove foil and bake another 6-8 minutes.

 

7.  Remove from oven.  After plating slice each stack into 4 slices....a pizza cutter works great for this.

 

8.  Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Happy Friday My Friends!





Spiced Cider

It isn't often that I mid week post Happy Hour recipes but I really wanted to make an exception today. I had intended on posting this over the weekend but a family emergency kept me everywhere except at home with my computer.  But all is well now and I am actually thinking a nice cocktail is just what I need after the last few days.

I wish I could remember when I first had this drink....or who made it for me.  What I do remember is how much I love it.  It has to be my absolute favorite fall drink.  Actually Fall in a Glass is how I often refer to it.  I am sure that you could make this a warm cocktail as well.  By just heating the apple cider and then adding the spirits....I am sure it would be delish.  I however am not a big fan of warm cocktails....they just make me cozy and sleepy....which I suppose is not a bad thing. 

When making this you could use apple juice....but it isn't the same.  Find your favorite fresh apple cider and use that.  We have a local farm that makes fresh pressed apple cider....and apple fritters...but we will leave that for another day.  I typically will use Sailor Jerry's spiced rum...but as you can see Captain Morgan will work just as well.  The key really is the apple cider.

Spiced Cider

2 oz spiced rum

1 oz cinnamon schnapps

fresh apple cider

 

1.  Fill a glass with ice.

 

2.  Add rum and schnapps

 

3.  Fill glass with cider and stir.

 

Happy Tuesday!  Enjoy a mid week Happy Hour.

Crock Pot Pizza Soup with Cheesy Garlic Toast.

 Wow! What a stormy past couple of days. Rain...Rain and more Rain! Not to mention all of the thunderstorms....holy cats it was a crazy weather day yesterday. It certainly hasn't been cold...in fact very muggy....temps in the mid to upper 70's.....just wet and sticky. But I just couldn't help myself...I had to make a soup for dinner. It seemed like the perfect day for it.

 I came across this recipe over at www.sweettwistoffate.blogspot.com a few weeks ago and thought it would be perfect for a cozy fall evening.  I remembered it yesterday morning and I had everything I needed plus I thought it would go great with the kickoff to the football season.

The soup was delicious....very versatile...you could add just about any of your favorite pizza toppings.  I made ours pretty basic....because remember I do have to feed the "picky one".  But he loved it!  I made just a few minor changes to the original recipe.....so I was able to use what I had.

For me the best part was the little slices of cheesy garlic toast.....if you lay them across the top of the soup they will soak up some of the broth and become part of the soup.....so yummy.

Trying to do my part in making this a bit more "healthful" I did use turkey pepperoni.  Really I don't know that it is any better for you....but we can try...right.

Crockpot Pizza Soup

 

1/2 a medium size onion, diced small

1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes, with Italian seasoning

1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

4 cups beef broth

1 lb Italian sausage, browned

1 package of slice pepperoni, quartered

slices of French bread

garlic butter

mozzarella cheese

 

1.  Place the diced onion, tomatoes, mushrooms and beef broth into crock pot. 

 

2.  Turn crock pot to low and cook for 5-6 hours

 

3.  45 minutes to an hour before cooking time has ended add the browned sausage and pepperoni.*

 

4.  Before serving place sliced bread in oven at 450 degrees.  Lightly toast. 

 

5.  Remove from oven and brush with melted garlic butter and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

 

6.  Return to oven and toast until cheese is melted.

 

7.  Ladle soup into bowls and top with toasted bread.

 

*  I actually added my sausage half way through the cooking time....I wanted some of the sausage flavors to enhance to soup flavor.

 

**  Prior to adding the sausage I took my hand held blender and smoothed out the texture a bit....my boys do not care for chunks of tomato or onion. 

 

 

Happy Friday!



Mounds Brownie Bars

So another school year has begun for us.  It was kind of a big one in different ways for both of the boys.  Matt, my oldest son, headed off to his first year of High School this morning.  We were both pretty nervous about it.  He was afraid he was going to get lost in such a big school....I was worried because he was worried! 

Little Jakey walked into 4th grade today. He told me this morning that he didn't need us to walk him to his class.  He said "Mom....I am in 4th grade now!  I got this!".   I had to smile even though my heart was breaking.  I love watching my children grow and become independent....but as each day passes they need me just a little bit less than they did the day before. 

But the one thing they always look to me for is After School Snacks!  They will tell you though that I am much more creative at the beginning of the school year.....after Spring Break....not so much.  So following tradition today they are having a fantastic snack.

When Halloween rolls around I am so guilty of sneaking the Mounds and Almond Joys.....really what is better than coconut and chocolate.  When I found these over at www.inkatrinaskitchen.com a few months ago I was originally thinking Christmas Cookie Exchange....but I think these are the perfect fit for the first day of school.

Mounds Brownie Bars

1 pkg family size brownie mix

5  cups sweetened flaked coconut

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 container of chocolate frosting

 

1.  Prepare brownies according to package.

 

2.  Mix coconut, condensed milk and powdered sugar in mixer.

 

3.  Spread coconut mixture over cooled brownies.

 

4.  Remove lid and foil from frosting container and microwave for 10 seconds.  Or until frosting is thinned and pourable.

 

5.  Pour frosting over brownies.  Allow frosting to harden and set before cutting.

 

 

To all the teachers out there.....Have a Wonderful Year.

Thanks for all you do!