Chicken Cordon Bleu

Another favorite from Allrecipes.com! I made this as stated and it was absolutely delicious!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Cordon-Bleu-II/Detail.aspx

INGREDIENTS

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 6 slices Swiss cheese
• 6 slices ham
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.
2. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
3. Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.

Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs

Another great recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com! Jammie can back me up on this one, it is FABULOUS! I marinated the chicken separately from the veggies, more so just so the flavor of the veggies didn't overpower the chicken while marinating. I used onion, and green and red pepper the first time that I made this dish. It would also be great with button mushrooms, grape tomatoes or pineapple added into the mix! It's a very versatile recipe when it comes to the veggies.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Yummy-Honey-Chicken-Kabobs/Detail.aspx

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 5 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
• skewers - Don't forget to soak them!!!
  

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better).
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

Fire Roasted Tomato Chipotle Salsa

Absolutely delicious! An old friend got this out of a salsa recipe book and tweaked it a bit. He always told me that the easiest way to blacken the tomatoes was to use a torch. I picked up one from Wal-Mart for really cheap, but I'm sure you can blacken them any way that you'd like. Enjoy!

¼ Cup + 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion Chopped
2 Pounds Roma Tomatoes Blackened
4 Clove Garlic Roasted & Peeled
½ Cup Cilantro
4 Chipotle Chile In Adobo Sauce (more or less depending on how hot you want it)
¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Sugar

Preheat oven to 350, wrap garlic (skin on) in foil and put in the oven until the garlic is soft.
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat until
lightly smoking, add the onion, and sauté until caramelized, about 10
minutes. Transfer the onion, half of the blackened tomatoes and garlic
to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not pureed. Add
the cilantro and chipotle chilies, and pulse again to mix. Peel, and
seed remaining tomatoes. Cut into chunks. Place in food processor and
pulse a few times but not so much as to puree. You want some chunks of
tomato left. Add remaining EVOO, vinegar, salt and sugar.

Amazing Mac & Cheese

By far a family favorite! I've made this with the bread crumb topping and without and either way it is delicious!

Recipe courtesy of Food Network, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-best-of/chef-joes-baked-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe/index.html

Kosher salt
2 cups elbow macaroni
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2-1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar
1 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook, stirring occasionally until it is almost tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, 1/4 cup melted butter, the cayenne pepper, and a teaspoon of salt.

Put half the macaroni into a buttered 2-quart casserole and top with half the cheddar cheese. Repeat. Pour the milk mixture over the macaroni and cheese.

In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs with the paprika, the remaining butter, and the Parmesan. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the macaroni and bake until brown and bubbly, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm.

Chicken Gorgonzola

I was inspired by a meal that I saw at Trader Joe's last week and I thought to myself, "Hey, I can make that!" and my oh my I am so glad that I did and the best part...Start to table in 30 minutes!! I think the kids would love a "naked" version of this, just chicken and the cheese sauce.

• 3 Chicken Breasts
• Whole wheat flour
  
• 3 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1/3 Cup Portabella Mushrooms, cut into pieces
  
• 1 Small Shallot, chopped
  
• 2 Cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 Cup half and half
• 1/2 Cup Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese
• 1 Roma Tomato, chopped
  

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in large pan. Add in mushrooms, shallot, and garlic and cook until shallot is tender. Lightly dredge the chicken through the flour and add to the pan cooking until juices run clear. Meanwhile, heat half and half in a saucepan until warm, add in Gorgonzola cheese stirring until creamy. When the chicken is cooked through remove from pan and top each breast with the mushroom mixture and chopped roma tomatoes. Drizzle cheese sauce over top of chicken and top with parsley flakes if desired.

Sauce for Lasagna

As requested, a fabulous sauce for Lasagna or pasta in general (if you want to freeze some). Courtesy of Allrecipes.com

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Worlds-Best-Pasta-Sauce/Detail.aspx?prop31=1

Here is the sauce that I use for Lasagna.

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, sliced
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the sausage, beef, onion, and garlic until well browned; drain fat. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Mix in sugar and season with basil, fennel seed, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.