It's good to be back!... especially with Chicken Cordon Bleu

We are back on the east after a great summer with family. My husband just started his job in Manhattan landing us across the river in New Jersey. Great area... great neighborhood... great commute... and an incredible view of the city, it can't get much better than that.
We couldn't be happier to finally be settled back into our normal life and even more excited to jump into some new creations in the kitchen.
We had family visiting us over the weekend so I stalked up on fresh deli ham in case we wanted to pack ham 'n cheese for our outings in the city. I bought way more than we ended up using. Great... now what do I do with a lb. of fresh deli ham?...
Chicken Cordon bleu of course!

We haven't had this in forever. I can't believe I had forgot about this little french gem. I know it looks complicated but it really is simple to make using very simple ingredients... ah... I love french cooking.

Chicken Cordon Blue
4 large chicken breasts
1/2 lb. deli ham slices
1/4 lb. Tillamook pre-sliced medium cheddar (you can use whatever, this is just my fav.)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (my attempt to make everything healthier... you can use all-purpose)
 2 eggs
1 cup Panko bread crumbs (much crunchier crust than plain bread crumbs... try them!)
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
2 Tbs. butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lay the chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove the top sheet of plastic and lay 2-3 slices of ham neatly over the top to cover the breast and top 2-3 slices of cheese over the ham. Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight like a jellyroll inside the plastic wrap. Squeeze the log gently to seal inside and twist both ends of plastic wrap tight to form a nice log. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Season the flour with salt and pepper. Mix the bread crumbs with thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, and melted butter. The butter will help the crust brown. Beat together the eggs and season with salt and pepper so the flour, the eggs and the crumbs are all seasoned.

Remove the plastic wrap. Lightly roll the chicken roll in flour, dip in the egg mixture and gently coat in the bread crumbs, keeping it tightly rolled up. Lightly coat a baking pan with olive oil and carefully transfer the rolls onto it. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until browned and cooked through.


*recipe inspired by Tyler Florence

Pardon Me

Please pardon the long break. I am taking a summer sabbatical as we are in between homes for the summer. Not having my own kitchen is not very conducive to creating menus of my own. I will return full steam in Sept.

Strawberry Balsamic Chicken

This is a quick and easy recipe for those busy nights and it is so good! You wouldn't know it is low in calories.
Perfect for spring!

Strawberry Balsamic Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce
1 Tbs. Olive oil
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup strawberry preserves (with strawberry chunks!)
3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

Place flour, egg, and bread crumbs in three separate flat dishes. Flatten chicken breasts with meat tenderizer or placing between two pieces of plastic wrap and hitting with a roller pin until chicken is evenly 1/2 inch thick. Salt and pepper chicken on both sides to taste. Dredge chicken in flour until well coated. Dip into egg to cover. Shake off excess and dredge in bread crumbs until well coated. Place on dry tray and place in fridge for 5-10 minutes.
While your chicken is resting, start your sauce.
In small sauce pan, heat oil on medium heat. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes, add garlic and allow to cook until lightly golden brown and tender. Add chicken broth, strawberry preserves, and balsamic vinegar. Mix well. Cook on medium high heat until sauce thickens to a syrup consistency, about 10 to 15 minutes.
In large pan, heat 1 Tbs. olive oil on medium high heat. Cook chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side and the crust is nicely browned. Allow to rest at least 5 minutes.
Pour warm sauce over chicken and serve with Roasted Garlic Asparagus and refreshing Cole Slaw.

Recipe inspired by Taste of Home magazine

Homemade Flatbread Pizza

The key to great pizza is the crust. Living in Manhattan inspired my love for pizza, especially thin crust pizza. There is a fabulous pizza place in Brooklyn called Grimaldi's, just under the Brooklyn bridge that I miss so much! So I have been trying out all different kinds of crust recipes attempting to match the pizza expertise of Grimaldi's. I am not sure this is possible but I think I have come close to finding a really great crust recipe. 

(Note: this picture is NOT of this crust recipe, it is a little thicker and did not turn out as well as the recipe I have posted. I promise to post another one with a picture of the actual crust in this post!)
This is a great dinner to make when you have a lot of veggies in the fridge you need to use up. I LOVE lots of veggies on my pizza, but my husband needs meat on his. So I always throw on some sausage or chicken with my veggies. This is a very versatile recipe that changes every time I make it (except for the crust). Follow the crust recipe to a T and play with the toppings, use what you and your family likes.
You can't go wrong with pizza right?

Homemade Flatbread Pizza
Dough
1 pkg active yeast or 2 1/4 tsp.
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. rosemary
3/4 warm water
1 tsp. olive oil

Sauce
1 small can tomato paste
1 small tomato paste can filled with water
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt.

Toppings
2-3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1-2 cups Mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
1/4 to 1/2 lb. Italian sausage
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 whole tomato, sliced
5-7 fresh basil leaves, sliced thinly
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (if you like it spicy)

In the bowl combine the yeast, sugar, flour, salt and rosemary. While mixing, add the water in a steady stream until the dough begins to form a ball, turn it on to a board and knead with the heel of your hand until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Coat a bowl with oil. Place dough in bowl, and cover with a damp cloth. Put in a warm spot to rise until double in size, about 1 hour.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough, scrape it onto the counter and knead it lightly into a smooth ball. On a floured surface, roll dough out thinly until about 1/4 in. thick.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pour sauce over dough and smooth until evenly distributed. Sprinkle garlic sliced over sauce. Top with cheese, veggies, basil, Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned and cooked through the middle.

{Mom's} Double Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Most people grew up on the infamous ghirardelli brownies in a box, but not I. My mom has been making these brownies from scratch ever since I can remember. They are amazing, and way better than any brownie mix. These are probably our second most made dessert in our house. I am not sure how it happens but they have an amazing way of disappearing surprisingly quickly. :-)

 So thank you mom for all those years of delicious, fudgy, warm, chocolaty goodness we call brownies.

Mom's Double Chocolate Brownies
1/3 cup Butter/Margarine
 ¾ cup Sugar
 2 Tbs. water
 2 Eggs
 ¾ cup Flour
 1/4 tsp. baking soda
 1/4 tsp. salt
 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (11.5 oz)

Preheat oven to 325˚
In a sauce pan, melt butter, sugar and water together. Bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips until melted.
In separate bowl, combine flour, soda and salt together.
Add eggs to chocolate mixture 1 at a time to ensure the eggs do not cook.
Mix in flour mixture a small amount at a time.  Sprinkle in half of remaining chocolate chips. And mix a little.
Pour batter into greased 8x8 pan. Top with remaining chocolate chips and bake for 25-30 minutes.  

Great served hot with a cold glass of milk.

What's Cooking in My Kitchen this week?

Pork and Chicken are on sale this week  
so I am stalking up and making recipes to match.
Sunday: Italian night

Monday: Left-over Chicken Pot Pies

Tuesday: Homemade Flatbread Pizza

Wednesday: St. Patrick's Day! Corned beef and Cabbage 
and green mint cookie milk shakes

Thursday: Hawaiian Haystacks

Friday: Date Night!

Saturday: Pork Enchiladas

Pan-Asian Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Steak

I made this last night on a whim. I went to the store yesterday and found a lot of great deals at the store and ended up with more produce than I knew what to do with. I wasn't feeling too excited about our current planned dinner so I pulled out some of my favorites new purchases from the fridge and created this.

Pan-Asian Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Steak
1/2-1lb. beef roast (any kind of cut you like)
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 bundle asparagus, chopped 2 inches long (remove bottom inch of stem)
1 zucchini, sliced 2 inches long
3 scallions sliced 2 inches long
1/2 bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 Tbs. butter
1/2 lb mushrooms sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. chicken bullion
2 Tbs. flour
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 inch of shredded fresh ginger
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 lb. cooked linguine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In frying pan, heat olive oil on high heat until barely smoking. Pat meat dry and sprinkle salt and pepper generously... it is a lot of meat so don't be shy. Place meat in hot oil. Allow to cook for  1-2 minutes on all sides or until a nice brown crust forms. Remove from heat and place in roasting pan. Bake for 5-15 minutes more depending on how you like your meat cooked. I do about 12 minutes for medium well. Remove from oven and allow to rest at least 5 minutes.
In the meantime, start a new frying pan on medium high heat with a little oil to saute your veggies-asparagus, zucchini, scallions, and bell pepper until crisp tender. Salt and pepper to taste.
Place butter in frying pan you used for your beef roast on medium high heat. Saute mushrooms for 1-2 minutes, add garlic and ginger. Saute until mushrooms are tender. Add flour, chicken bullion, and salt and pepper. Mix well. Slowly whisk in milk until well combined. Add apple juice and cook until sauce thickens.
Slice rested meat into thin slices. Combine your sauce, veggies meat and linguine in large bowl. Serve warm.
Enjoy!

Whats Cooking in My Kitchen this week?

Veggies are on sale this week! 
Mmm... my favorite.
Sunday: Potluck at our Church

Monday: Pan-Asian Stir-fry

Tuesday: Chicken and Broccoli Rice Casserole

Wednesday: Beef Stew

Thursday: Pea Pesto Linguini

Friday: Date Night!

Saturday: Indvidual Chicken Pot Pies

{Halley's} Cranberry-Almond Breakfast Granola

Breakfast cereals at the store are so expensive these days, even the store brands are getting pricey. I guess I can't bring myself to pay $4.00+ on a single box of cereal that will only last us a week. So to solve this dilemma, I use what I have on hand to make this yummy breakfast treat. 

 By making your own breakfast cereal, you safe so much money and it is super easy to make. 

Halley's Cranberry-Almond Granola

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

3/4 cup slivered almonds

2 Tbs. ground or whole flaxseed

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

3 Tbs. maple syrup

3 Tbs. honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, honey, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

Remove from oven and allow to cool do not mix*. Transfer into a large bowl. Add cranberries and gently mix until evenly distributed.

Serve with milk or over yogurt. 

*TIP: Cooling on pan will allow the granola to set and form clusters.

What's Cooking in My Kitchen this week?

Sunday: Italian night- Linguine with Bolognese sauce

Monday: Leftover Linguine

Tuesday: Strawberry Balsamic Chicken 

and mashed sweet potatoes

Wednesday: Pork Chops

Thursday: Roasted lemon herb chicken

Friday: Pork Stroganoff

Saturday: Chile verde chicken enchiladas