Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

My very favorite food is Chicken Cordon Blue, but it really isn't a quick thing to make. I first tasted this casserole at a ward cook off years ago and the original cook wouldn't give away the recipe! I decided that I wouldn't rest until I had the recipe in my hands and thanks to the internet...it happened that day. This recipe is so good and so easy! I have had this recipe for about 7 years and I have no idea the source...

1 egg
1/2 c. milk
2 lbs chicken tenders (I just cut up boneless skinless chicken breasts)
dried bread crumbs
8 oz cubed swiss cheese (I use more)
8 oz cubed ham
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Bea egg and add 1/2 c. milk. Dip chicken in egg then bread crumbs. Fry until crispy in hot oil, place in baking dish. Sprinkle ham and cheese over chicken. Mix soup and 1 c. milk, onion powder, salt and pepper and pour over casserole. Bake for 40 minutes @ 350 degrees.

Texas Sheet Cake

So we are of the understanding that most of the recipes that I post on this blog are simple easy classic recipes right? This cake is a.ma.zing. Probably some of you have made or at least eaten this cake. I think I could eat a whole thing MYSELF! It also makes a TON which is great. The recipe is from this cookbook.

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. margarine
1 c. water
3 T. cocoa
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
In large bowl mix flour, sugar and salt. In saucepan mix together shortening, margarine, water and cocoa. Bring to a boil then mix with dry ingredients. In a small bowl mix eggs, buttermilk, baking soda and vanilla. add to chocolate mixture. Combine well and pour on a greased and floured cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. During last 5 minutes of baking prepare icing.

Icing:
1/2 c. margarine
3 T. cocoa
4 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
4 T. milk

Melt margarine and cocoa. Then add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Stir until smooth. ice immediately while cake is hot.

Shepherds Pie

Okay I know that this is a recipe that a lot of you have grown up with. It is pretty basic, but the funny thing is that I had never tasted Shepherd's Pie until I was married. I instantly LOVED it, and now my kids love it too. It is also a great way to use left over mashed potatoes.

1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 14 oz can green beans
1 10 3/4 oz can tomato soup
1-2 c. mashed potatoes (I make these with butter, salt and milk-just like what you would make to eat
2 c. grated cheddar cheese

Cook ground beef in olive oil. Add onion, salt, pepper and saute until the onion is tender. Put into a greased 9X13 casserole dish (I use a pie plate). Layer green beans (drained) on top of meat mixture and spread the tomato soup on top of that followed by mashed potatoes. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over casserole and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cheesy Potato and Sausage Frittata

I love potatoes, cheese and egg together. So yummy. I make this frittata for both breakfast and dinner.

6 oz sausage
3-4 potatoes cubed and rinsed well
4 or 5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 c. cheddar cheese
1/4 c. green and red peppers (optional)

In a nonstick skillet over high heat cook sausage stirring frequently. Drain and add potatoes
In a small bowl, mix eggs and remaining ingredients except cheese until well blended. Pour over potato mixture; cover and cook over medium-low heat 10 minutes.

Uncover; cook 5 to 8 minutes longer until eggs are set. Sprinkle cheese over top and let stand until cheese is melted, cut into wedges and serve.

Malibu Chicken

I have to admit I was skeptical of this recipe at first. It just seemed too simple to be any good. Well I actually really liked it. It is from a really cool cookbook that I picked up at a Women's Expo called "What's For Dinner." It is a really cool concept actually. This gal put together menus and recipes for 30 weeks. I am always wondering what to make my family so I thought this was great!

1 cup water
1 tsp chicken bouillon
6 boneless chicken breasts
6 slices ham
6 slices Swiss cheese

Bring water to a boil in large skillet. Add bouillon and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Add chicken breasts and marinate for 15 minutes, turning frequently. Bring to a boil on high heat. Lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, turning every 10 minutes until no longer pink inside. Place a thin slice of ham and a slice of cheese on top of chicken. Cover and cook for another minute or until cheese starts to melt.

Simplest Peach Chops

I collect cookbooks. Strange I know, but I can't get enough of them. I love to flip through the pictures of wonderful meals and imagine myself cooking them. My husband sometimes brings them home for me when he travels on business (I always get a cookbook when I visit another place). He brought this one home for me a few weeks ago and I recently made this scrumptious dish from it. I always love to pare fruit with pork. This was easy and fast.

1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
6 boneless pork chops, cut 1 inch thick (I just used the pork chops I had on hand-bone in)
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 c. peach preserves,
2 TBS Dijon mustard
1 TBS water

1. Rub salt and pepper on both sides of the chops. In a medium skillet, over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the chops and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Reduce the heat to medium; add preserves, mustard and water. Cook, covered, for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F.

Heavenly Turkey Burgers

Okay I am adding a lot of "heavenly" stuff lately, but the name "Turkey Burger" just didn't fit this amazing burger. I made these for my family for our little Superbowl party. They were HEAVENLY. I can't even describe how in love with these burgers I am. Luckily we had some leftovers that I have been hoarding. They are even better the next day.

I have switched my family over from ground beef to ground turkey. The word on the street is that it is just better for you, lower in fat, and I feel better about serving it to the family (ya know, limiting our red meat intake). Most of the time I don't even notice the difference. There are a few things that I still use ground beef for, but for the most part, we are a ground turkey family and I actually think it tastes better. Well, I was skeptical of making hamburgers with ground turkey. That is one of the avenues that I had always thought ground beef was better, not after these babies. They are HEAVENLY (I really was looking for a different adjective to describe them, but heavenly just fits). Okay here is the recipe. Go here to get it off the site I got it from. I changed it up a little based on one of the commenter's suggestions.

3 lbs ground turkey
1/4 c seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 c finely chopped onion
1/2 c. finely chopped red bell pepper
2 eggs beaten lightly
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley (I LOVED this ingredient, fresh is the only way to go for these)
6-10 splashes of Worcestershire sauce
1 clove of garlic peeled and minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
(I only had plain bread crumbs, so I also added some freshly grated Parmesan cheese, onion powder and garlic powder in place of my seasoning in the bread crumbs and it was delish.)

In a large bowel mix ingredients together. Form 12 patties (I formed 6 huge patties...maybe too huge).
Cook the patties in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning once, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C).

We grilled ours on the grill outside and then added Swiss cheese to them. The result was...heavenly.

Gingerbread and Banana Heaven

Oh how I love My Kitchen Cafe. Her recipes are wonderful and they are perfectly gourmet without being weird and overwhelming. I made her wonderful gingerbread recipe over Christmas and it was a huge hit with my family (even the kids ate it, which is not normal).
Gingerbread:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup very hot water
Cinnamon Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9X13-inch baking pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until well blended. Add the eggs and molasses and blend again. Sift the dry ingredients together in a mesh strainer directly into the molasses/butter/sugar mixture and mix. Add the hot water and beat until the batter is smooth. It will be fairly thin.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 32-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Don’t overbake or the gingerbread will be dry.
Serve the gingerbread warm or cold with cinnamon whipped cream and sliced bananas, if desired.

For the cinnamon whipped cream:
In a medium bowl, begin beating the whipped cream. After it starts to just slightly thicken, add the sugar and cinnamon and beat until medium-stiff peaks form.