Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole + 10 Miles.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

I'm still recovering from last night's ten miler with Lauretta.  I know this because my legs are truly "dead" right now.  However, the run was quite interesting, I must say.

Here we are about to leave from my husband's office. 

Once we got started, my stomach immediately started to not feel well.  I had to stop to go to the bathroom not once, but twice, during the course of the run.  Ugh!  The second time, the guy from the taco stand handed me a menu on the way out, which I thought was pretty funny. Ha!

Lauretta took me on a trail that I have never been on in my life (and I have lived here for 37 years!)  We felt pretty good and ended up running approximately 7:30 - 7:50 pace for a final time of 1 hour, seventeen minutes.  Being the crazy runners we are, we decided to do a half lap around the track at the finish to make it an even 10.  


Lauretta had the time on her watch.

Thanks for a great run, Lauretta!  



On to the recipe...

The other day I made a special dinner for my family.  Since they love my chicken cordon bleu, I decided to take all of the ingredients in that dish and turn them into a tasty casserole.  Rather than pounding, stuffing, and rolling...I cut the chicken and ham into cubes, topped it with shredded cheese and some stuffing mix, popped it into the oven, and tada...done!  


It was easy and delicious!  


Here's what I did:

5 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless, cut into large pieces

1 ham steak, cut into ½ inch cubes

1 ½ - 2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded

1 can cheddar cheese soup (or cream of chicken)

¾ cup water

1 stick butter, melted

2 cups Herb stuffing mix (I used Pepperidge Farms)

Paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Place chicken pieces in the pan and top with cubed ham.  Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the top.

Add the grated cheese over chicken and ham layer.  

Combine soup and water.  Pour over casserole. 

Melt butter and mix stuffing mix together.  

Spread over casserole.   Sprinkle top with paprika for extra flavor and color.   

Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour.  Cover with foil if the stuffing is getting too brown.  

I served this dish with baked asparagus and quinoa...

...along with a side of fresh fruit.

The finished product!

My family gave this dish a perfect ten!  Delicious!


Make it great Friday!


Tracy

Falafel Chicken in a Pita with Broccoli Slaw and Hummus Sauce.

 My girls LOVE chicken fingers, all crispy and baked in the oven.  And they love the fried kind even more, but those are saved for special occasions (like restaurants).  I usually make my own chicken fingers at home by coating pieces of organic chicken breast in Dijon mustard, and then dipping them in seasoned panko, which are flaky breadcrumbs used in Japanese cuisine.  They are a hit on most nights and I wanted to try something a little different.  This recipe appeared as I was cruising through the Food Network website, so I decided to start from there.   Below is the link to the original recipe found online at Food Network.  I made a few substitutions according to my family’s tastes. 

Recipe:

Cooking Spray

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 pounds), sliced into 1/4-inch-thick strips

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 

1/2 cup falafel mix

2 whole-wheat pitas, halved

6 tablespoons hummus 

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Dash red (cayenne) pepper

4 cups broccoli slaw

1 cup chopped fresh parsley 

Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Set a rack on a rimmed baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Toss the chicken with the olive oil in a large bowl, then add the falafel mix and toss to coat.

Arrange the chicken on the rack and bake until golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes. 

While the chicken is baking, stack the pita halves and wrap them in foil and warm in the oven, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the hummus, lemon zest and juice, cayenne pepper and 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Remove 2 tablespoons of the hummus sauce and reserve.

In a large bowl, add the broccoli slaw and parsley.  Add the remaining hummus sauce and toss. Season with salt.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes until golden brown.

Stuff the slaw into the pitas and add the chicken.  Drizzle the hummus sauce over the top.

For the recipe that inspired this dish, go to:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/falafel-crusted-chicken-with-hummus-slaw-recipe/index.html

My ten year old gave this recipe a 9 out of 10 and my seven year old gave "just" the chicken a perfect 10.  They are tough critics, so I guess I have a winner! 

Enjoy your day!

Tracy

Chicken Noodle Soup with Lemon and Herbs

Poor Fred!  My husband has been under the weather for a few days and he asked me to make him some chicken noodle soup on Thursday night.  I decided that chicken soup would be the perfect ending to another cold and rainy day, so I looked in my fridge to see what ingredients I had and here’s what I came up with…

Chicken Noodle Soup with Lemon and Herbs

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion (or a half of a large), diced

3-4 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cartons low-sodium chicken broth, 32-ounces each

¼ cup parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped

1 tablespoon thyme, chopped

1 bay leaf

¼ cup leaves from the tops of celery (optional)

1 small piece of a Parmesan cheese rind

1 small can of corn

¼ pound spaghetti noodles, broken into approximately 2 inch pieces, cooked and drained

Juice from ½ of a lemon

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place two chicken breasts in a baking dish and sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper, and Herbs de Provence.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked through.  Shred almost immediately and set aside. 

Bring a separate pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to the instructions on the package until they are al dente, or firm.  Set aside when finished.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add carrots, onion, and celery and cook until soft, about five minutes.  Make sure you add a little kosher salt at this point.  Add garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.

Add the broth and bring to a gentle boil.

Add rosemary, thyme, parsley, celery leaves (optional), bay leaf, corn, and cheese rind.  Let simmer for 15 – 20 minutes.   

Add the shredded chicken to the soup and heat through.  

When ready, ladle into bowls and squeeze a small amount of fresh lemon juice over the top to give it a fresh, clean taste.

The finished bowl of soup!

Why Herbs de Provence?  This is a mixture of dried herbs used primarily in French cooking.  The herbs that generally make up this mixture include savory, fennel, basil, thyme, and lavender.  The flavor of these spices is amazing on chicken or pork.  I recently found a nice jar of Herbs de Provence at my local Marshall’s in their kitchen department.  

Why Celery leaves?  Celery leaves (you know, the leaves at the top of a stalk of celery) can be used like an herb. They add a ton of extra flavor to soups and stews, and tend to sweeten when cooked.

Other notes:  A store-bought rotisserie chicken can be used in place of baking the chicken breasts in the oven.  Just buy, and shred!  Also, I like to keep my noodles separate and add them as needed. 

For dessert: It's that time of year again!  I had myself some Girl Scout cookies...one of each: a Thin Mint and a Peanut Butter Patty.  

 

This soup was relatively fast, easy, and simply delicious.

Enjoy!

Tracy