Week 6: Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwiches

Our original plan was to make chicken cordon bleu. But when we pulled out our chicken, they were really small and would have been very problematic to roll up. So...we improvised and came up with something equally delicious but quite a bit easier (I think). So, without further ado, may I present....

Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwiches
1 egg
1/2 c. seasoned bread crumbs
2 chicken breasts
4 slices sourdough bread (or any other bread that will hold up on a panini grill)
ham
swiss cheese
mustard
mayo
butter or margarine

Crack the egg into a flat dish (big enough to dip your bread in) and scramble it with a fork. Pour the bread crumbs into a separate flat dish. Dip the chicken first into the egg and then into the bread crumbs. Then place onto heated panini grill (you could also cook it in olive oil on the stove if you wanted to). Cook thoroughly. In the meantime, butter the backs of the slices of bread. Put mayo and mustard on the fronts of the slices of bread. Pile desired amount of ham and cheese onto one slice of bread. When chicken is done, place it atop ham and cheese and top with a second slice of bread. Place it onto the heated panini grill for approximately 2 minutes. Viola! You have a delicious sandwich.

My Review:
So I know that I am the person who made this recipe up, so it may seem a little presumptuous to give myself a good rating; but this sandwich was really good. I love sandwiches, so I really liked this interpretation of a classic chicken cordon bleu. I will definitely make it again!

Week 5 (aka the real week 1...makeup): Orange Cake

 

This recipe has a story attached, as many recipes do.

It was Saturday night. Ryan and I were watching "Burn Notice" on CastTV.com (we don't have cable) (but at least we have CastTV and Hulu). I got the sudden urge to bake. But I didn't want to bake just anything--chocolate chip cookies or brownies or anything normal wouldn't do. I wanted to make something different. Ryan somehow came up with the idea of an orange cake (and he didn't even know we had oranges!). After a little searching, we found a ridiculously awesome looking recipe in our Betty Crocker Cookbook--the one printed in 1973. The recipes in 1973 were so much yummier than the recipes today because there is actually fat and calories (and a lot of it) in the recipes. Anyway, I made a quick trip to the store and got started on my first ever cake made from scratch. I didn't start it until 9:00 p.m., so we didn't get to eat any until about 10:30 or 11:00; but it was worth the wait. Here is the recipe:

2 eggs, separated

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 1/4 c. cake flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/3 c. vegetable oil

Juice of one orange + enough milk to make one cup

Grated peal of one orange

Heat oven to 350*. Grease and flour baking pans (2 round layer pans). In small mixer bowl, beat egg whites until foamy (My note: Don't throw away the yolks! You need them later). Beat in 1/2 cup of the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until very stiff and glossy. Set meringue aside. (My note: You have to beat it for a long time! Don't worry if it is taking a while.)

Measure remaining sugar, the flour, baking powder, and salt into large mixer bowl. Add oil, orange juice + milk combo, and grated rind. Beat one minute on high speed, scraping bowl constantly. Add eggs yolks; beat 1 minute, scraping bowl occasionally. Fold in meringue. Pour into pan(s).

Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (My note: my oven cooks very hot and fast, so it only took my cakes 23 minutes.) Split to make four layers. Fill layers with Orange filling (below). In chilled bowl, beat 1 cup chilled whipping cream until stiff. (My note: I definitely added powdered sugar and vanilla to my whipping cream--I like it sweet!) Frost side and top of cake.

Orange Filling:

Prepare 1 package (3 oz.) vanilla pudding and pie filling (My note: not instant pudding!) as directed on package except omit milk and add grated peel of 1 orange and juice of 1 orange plus enough water to measure 1 cup liquid. Cool. In chilled bowl, beat 1/2 c. chilled whipping cream until stiff. Fold in pudding.

My Review:

Oh. My. Goodness. Cake heaven. This cake was SO good. I think it is my favorite cake of all time and is definitely going to be my birthday cake this year. YUM. Ryan and I would have eaten it all on Saturday night, but decided that would be a bad plan so took it over to my parents' house to share on Sunday. YUM!!!

 

Go make an orange cake. You know you want to.

Week 4: Pasta Carbonatta

1- 16 oz. package pasta, any variety (I used mini shells)
12 oz. bacon
1 onion, chopped
1 pt. whipping cream
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. frozen peas, thawed

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, but do not rinse. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add pasta to bowl with beaten eggs and mix well. Hot pasta will cook eggs. Fry bacon with chopped onion until bacon is crisp.  Pour whipping cream over  bacon and onion in skillet. Stir in peas. Pour half of cream and bacon mixture over pasta. Stir well. Add half of Parmesan cheese. Stir well. Add the rest of the cream and bacon mixture. Stir well. Add the rest of the Parmesan cheese. Stir well. Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley if desired.

-Jan Beutler

My Review:
I was kind of nervous to try this recipe because it sounded like it could be weird. Luckily, it was not weird--it was delicious! I would definitely add chicken next time, because chicken would taste so good with this pasta. The recipe is kind of vague on what to do once you put the cream into the skillet with the bacon, so I just heated it until it was just barely bubbling. I also halved this recipe, which made more than enough for the two of us--it made about 4 servings when halved, judging on the amount of leftovers we had. The final verdict: this one is definitely going in the recipe box.

Week 3: Circles and Squares Vegetable-Pasta Soup

1 32-oz. box vegetable broth
1 c. medium-size pata
2 c. frozen diced hash browns with onions and peppers
2 c. frozen peas and carrots
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies
Snipped fresh parsley (opt.)
1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained (opt.)

In a large covered saucepan, bring broth to boiling. Add pasta, potatoes, peas and carrots, beef, and undrained diced tomatoes. Return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 10-15 min. or until pasta is tender. Garnish with parsley. Serves 4.

BHG Magazine


My Review:
Overall, the recipe was great. It tasted good and was very easy to make. I did think this soup was a little spicy, so would substitute the green chili diced tomatoes to a milder can of diced tomatoes next time I make it. (Ryan, however, thought it was fine...) The first thing Ryan said when he saw this recipe was, "It needs meat." Haha. So I added meat, which I thought was a good addition. I didn't have any parsley, so left that out, but think it would be a good addition, as well. I think this one is definitely going in the recipe box :)

Week 2: Almost-Famous Breadsticks

I'm not sure how Food Network would feel about me posting their recipe here, so I will just send you to their website to get this recipe. Good luck :)

My Review:
Yum. These breadsticks were delicious and were relatively easy to make. I did have a few yeast issues (I'm not exactly a yeast expert), so my breadsticks didn't rise as much as they should have, but they were still tasty. I'm thinking they will be even better next time (assuming I learn how to use yeast properly before I make them again).

Week 1: Ro-Tel Fiesta Chicken

1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp. oil
2 cans Mexican festival Ro-Tel*
4 green onions
2 Tbsp. lime juice (optional)
Olives, cheese, sour cream, and cilantro (optional)

Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Roll chicken in flour combination. Brown chicken in oil. Add Ro-Tel, onions, and lime juice. Heat to boiling. Simmer 20 minutes or until sauce thickens. Serve chicken over rice. Top with sour cream, cheese, olives, and cilantro.

*I used a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies instead. I think a can of diced tomatoes with lime and cilantro would be delicious, as well!

(Recipe from Green Valley 14th Ward Cookbook)

My Review:
This recipe was great! One thing I really liked about it was how easy it was to put together. Prep time was minimal; I did the whole recipe (from gathering ingredients to eating dinner) in 30 minutes! Quick and easy are definite signs of a winner--especially for a mom who has a one year old underfoot while cooking. In addition to being easy, this recipe was delicious! Ryan and I were both big fans, and I will definitely be making this dish again.

Something New

I've neglected this blog--I'll admit it. But I want to try something new. I'm not sure I'll stick with it, but hopefully I will. My new purpose for this blog is to try one new recipe this week, then to review that recipe (what I liked or disliked, if I would make it again, etc.) I know I've already missed one week of 2010, but maybe I'll make two new recipes some week to make up for it. I don't think anyone actually looks at this blog, but I think this is more for me. A goal. An experiment. Something new. Wish me luck!