Thursday, September 30, 2010

Turkey Noodle Bake

Okay this was good, but it could definitely be great. Next time I will omit the green peppers because we did not like them in this at all. I added them (they were in the original) because I thought it might be too bland. It was a last minute decision and I should have stuck with my gut which told me to omit them. I also doubled the original recipe so that we could have leftovers. I do need to tinker with it as it has potential, but was a little runny and could be slightly creamier. 


Turkey Noodle Bake
adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients
4 cups uncooked egg noodles (I used wide)
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup diced onions
2 TBS chopped green pepper
15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup 4% small curd cottage cheese
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 TBS sour cream
grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. 
Cook the noodles according to the package directions.

In a large skillet, cook onion until it is slightly translucent and add the turkey and green peppers. Cook until the turkey is no longer pink. Stir in the garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Add the tomato sauce and sugar. Cook on medium-low heat for a few more minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the cottage cheese, cream cheese and sour cream. Add this into the turkey mixture and remove skillet from heat. Add in drained noodles. Mix together.

Put noodle mixture in a 9x13 pan, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and cover with foil. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Crash Hot Potatoes

I love these potatoes. They are such a change from stewed or mashed or au gratin. (Can you tell we eat a lot of potatoes?) They do take a little work, but are worth it. I will say that it's almost better to buy the potatoes individually (where you can pick them out) as opposed to pre-bagged. You really want some smaller potatoes with this recipe. Thanks to PW for this potato goodness.


Crash Hot Potatoes
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
12 whole new potatoes
3 TBS olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Italian seasoning to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 450. 
Add potatoes to a pot and cover with water. Cook until fork tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Best. Pretzels. Ever.


The other day I saw that my friend, Amber, was going to make soft pretzels for her son's birthday party and put it on her blog, This Mommy Cooks. They just sounded so good so I thought "Why not do a grown-up version for hubby's birthday party?!" I think the title of this post says it all. I preferred the plain ones with the Beer Cheese Dip, but people went crazy over the cinnamon sugar ones. You can definitely use this as a base to make many different kinds, some other examples might include jalapeno, cheddar, chocolate chip, etc. For a great video on how to make the pretzels, visit Joy the Baker

PS - The recipe I used from Food Network Magazine is one of their "Almost Famous" recipes. It's a copycat of Auntie Anne's pretzels.



Best. Pretzels. Ever.
from Food Network 

Ingredients
1 cup milk
1 package active dry yeast
3 TBS packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
2 TBS unsalted butter, plus more for basting
1 tsp fine salt
1/3 cup baking soda
2 TBS coarse salt

Directions

Warm the milk in a saucepan until it's about 110 degrees; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes; stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 450 and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.
Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until golden about 10 to 12 minutes.
Enjoy!

Beer Cheese Dip

What should have been the original recipe came from the creative culinary minds of my mother and me at 9 am on Saturday morning while I was driving to the store. I couldn't find a good recipe and so I did what I always do - I called my mom. Needless to say, I screwed it up when I put the seasoning in and was rather liberal when I should have erred on the side of caution. I scrounged in my sister-in-law's fridge, "fixed" it and thus this recipe was born. People thought it was so good they were putting it on everything, not just the pretzels! Great pairing for the Best. Pretzels. Ever


Beer Cheese Dip

Ingredients
1/2 cup beer (I used Budweiser)
2 jars of Kraft Old English cheese
3 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz Velveeta 
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dry mustard

Directions
In a saucepan over medium heat, scoop out the Old English cheese. Cube the cream cheese and Velveeta. Add them to the saucepan. Stir frequently. Once the cheese is mostly melted add the beer. You can add more or less depending on the consistency that you are wanting. 

**You could also go for a darker beer for more "beer" flavor. Just beware - a really dark beer might      change the color of your dip making it brown or gray and wholly unappetizing. 

Add the seasonings to the cheese mixture and cook for a few minutes more. Keep the dip warm while serving. 

Enjoy!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Birthday Blueberry Muffins

I really only make these muffins once a year and it's usually for my hubby's birthday. He's a huge fan of blueberry muffins and he thinks these are the best muffins ever! I do recommend using fresh blueberries as opposed to frozen. I know, I know - you are thinking "Um it's September and not blueberry season. Not only will they be difficult to find, but outrageously expensive." I agree, but you will not be disappointed. 


Birthday Blueberry Muffins
adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients
Muffins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Topping
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 TBS butter, softened

Directions
Preheat oven to 400. 

Combine dry ingredients for the muffins. Add the milk, vegetable oil and egg. Fold in the blueberries. Fill the muffin cups almost to the top.

With a fork mix together the ingredients for the topping. Sprinkle on top of the muffin batter.

Bake 14-16 minutes or until golden on top. 

Enjoy!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Weekly Menu - September 25-30


So, here we are, the last week of September. Crazy, huh? I feel like it just started. We are starting to get some cooler weather here and I can only hope that it will stick around. The last week has been mid to upper 90s. Um, hello? It's the 3rd week of September. Yeah just thought I'd let you know in case you didn't get the memo. Meanwhile, I'm just going to keep on pretending it's fall weather meal time. 

Homemade Pizza Dough
Hot Crash Potatoes
Turkey Noodle Bake

Friday, September 24, 2010

Steak Diane

The first thing I said after popping a bite in my mouth was "Oh my gosh, this is as good as I remember!" It really is divine. The flavors in the sauce are so perfect. I could have probably licked my plate clean, but I seriously had to restrain myself. Even my picky hubby and my 3 year old niece liked it! As my picture of dinner looked wholly unappetizing as it was taken with my Blackberry since the camera battery was dead, I leave you with a picture of Julia.


Steak Diane
adapted from Julia Child & Company

Ingredients
3 strip steaks
soy sauce
olive oil
black pepper
5 TBS butter
1/4 cup minced shallots
1/4 minced parsley
1 cup beef stock
1 TBS dijon mustard
1 TBS cornstarch
4 TBS Brandy or Cognac
1 1/2 TBS Worcestershire

Directions
Trim out the strip steak and pound it out until it's 1/4-1/2 inches thick. Drizzle with soy sauce and olive oil and rub it in. Sprinkle with pepper. "Roll them up like a rug" says Julia. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more. I stuck mine in the fridge for 3 hours.

You can mix the beef stock, dijon and cornstarch together and let it sit on the counter to save time later. I did this about 45 minutes before I was ready to start cooking. I also mixed together the brandy and Worcestershire at this time and set it aside.

Shallots and parsley can be done ahead of time, just remember to cover them with a damp paper towel.

Over medium high heat, melt 1 TBS butter with 1 TBS olive oil. Saute the steaks just to brown.

In the same pan, add 4 TBS butter and melt. Toss in shallots and parsley. Cook for a minute or so, until slightly translucent. Stir in stock mixture then brandy and Worcestershire.

Whisk and turn down heat to medium-low. Put steaks back in, cover and turn off the heat. Let it sit for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Shrimp Po'Boys

I have made these before and we love them! I usually serve them with hushpuppies (not homemade). I also serve it with a vinegar based coleslaw. I am the only one that eats the slaw, but that is okay - more for me! If you are a fan of tarter sauce, I do recommend the one with this recipe as it is delicious.


Shrimp Po'Boys
adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
Po'Boys
1 lb peeled and deveined large or jumbo shrimp
2 tsp cajun seasoning
2 tsp olive oil
4 hoagie rolls
shredded romaine (optional)
sliced tomato (optional)

Tarter Sauce
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 TBS sweet pickle relish
1 TBS chopped shallots
1 tsp capers, chopped
1/4 tsp Tabasco

Directions
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the tarter sauce and chill.

In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with the cajun seasoning. I do recommend using the larger shrimp as the small and medium size don't stay on the bun very well. 

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook until done. 

Slice rolls and add tarter sauce, lettuce, tomato and shrimp.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

White Chicken Chili

I personally thought this was really good, maybe a little soupy. I think this might be solved by adding less chicken stock and maybe some puree of the beans. It had great flavor and was filling. Hubby wasn't as fond. He thought it was too soupy to be classified as "chili" and he didn't think it had much flavor. Granted, he has been sick for the last week so I am going to blame his "lack of flavor" comment on that.


White Chicken Chili
adapted from multiple recipes

Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz can of chopped green chiles
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
32 oz Kitchen Basics unsalted chicken stock
1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded (approx 3 cups)
2 cans white beans (Northern or Cannellini)
Monterey Jack cheese
sour cream

Directions
Put all ingredients with the exception of the cheese in the slow cooker. Turn on low for 8 hours.

Top with a dollop of sour cream and some Monterey Jack cheese. 

Enjoy!


Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Hallelujah! I found canned pumpkin in the store. I was fully prepared to make my own pumpkin puree, but buying it canned saves me time. I have to tell you that this is waaaaayyyy better than the other recipe I posted last week. Basically the only changes that I made were swapping spice cake mix for the yellow cake and leaving out the pumpkin pie spice. Delish!


Pumpkin Spice Cake

Ingredients
Box of Duncan Hines spice cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups pumpkin

Frosting
8 oz package of cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325.

Mix together cake mix, vegetable oil, pumpkin and eggs.

Pour into a 9x13 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool.

In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar.

Enjoy!



Saturday, September 18, 2010

Potato Soup

So I need to fiddle with this recipe. I got this recipe from a friend and made it a couple of times last winter. I think I fixed it then, but of course did not write down the changes that I made. I think that it has too much Velveeta as written so you might want to add only 1/2 of the block and then add more as needed. I might just do away with it all together. Feel free to fiddle and leave comments, too!


Potato Soup

Ingredients
3 cans Campbell's cream of potato soup
1 can diced potatoes, drained
16 oz block of Velveeta
1 1/2 cans of milk

Directions
Cut Velveeta into 2" cubes. Combine all of the ingredients in a pot and heat over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the cheese is melted. 

Garnish with bacon, cheese or sour cream. 

Enjoy!

Weekly Menu - September 18-23


It's a little bit of everything this week. Comfort food, family recipes, slow cooker meals the list goes on! I even threw a little New Orleans in there, too. 

Tuna Noodle Casserole
Steak Diane
White Chicken Chili
Pan-Seared Shrimp Po'Boys with vinegar-based slaw


Friday, September 17, 2010

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These are so delicious. The only thing I might consider doing is adding an additional 1/4-1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice for a little stronger flavor. Regardless, these were great even without the frosting. Very moist and the perfect fall treat!


Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from multiple recipes

Ingredients
Cupcakes
Box of yellow cake mix
Eggs
Vegetable Oil
2 cups pumpkin puree OR 15 oz can pure pumpkin
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Frosting
8 oz package of cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350.

Follow the directions on the back of the cake box, but substitute the pumpkin for the water and add the pumpkin pie spice.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tins and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool.

In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar.

Enjoy!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

How To... Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree

So I guess this is kind of a new feature. It will obviously only be posted when I have a "How To..." on something. Hopefully this can be helpful to y'all. I definitely know that this pumpkin puree will probably be helpful this fall. I get the feeling that there might be a pumpkin shortage again this year. If you saw my post on Facebook, I went to 4 stores with no luck on finding canned pumpkin. 2 stores actually had a spot of the shelf for the cans, but the other 2 didn't even have a spot. I mean it's the middle of September, fall is right around the corner, but we can't get pumpkin? I mean even Dunkin' Donuts is already selling their pumpkin donuts and muffins again! So for all of you who need pure pumpkin and can't find it, here is an easy way to make your own!


Pumpkin Puree

Ingredients
1 pie or sweet pumpkin
   **don't buy a large jack-o-lantern type pumpkin, it will be too stringy and tough
   **rule of thumb: one lb per cup of puree

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325. Cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds and stringy goop. Wrap each half in aluminum foil. Bake for one hour. 

Let the pumpkin halves cool and remove the foil. Scoop the flesh (that sounds gross doesn't it?) out of the shell and put into a food processor. Mix in the food processor until the pumpkin is a smooth puree. Voila, you have your own pumpkin puree!

Enjoy!



Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joes

These were very yummy and easy! It's a great twist on traditional sloppy joes. We used a Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Barbecue sauce and it had a sweeter taste to it. I think that KC Masterpiece would be great for a more barbecuey (is that a word?) flavor. Obviously you could use any barbecue sauce. This received a thumbs-up from a 3 year old all the way up to my hubby so it's perfect for families.

Photo credit to Southern Living

Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joes
adapted from Southern Living

Ingredients 
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
11.25 oz package frozen garlic Texas toast
shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions
Brown turkey in a large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked. Stir in tomatoes, next 3 ingredients. Cook 10 minutes.

While the sloppy joe mixture is cooking, make the Texas toast according to package directions.
Top toast with sloppy joe mixture and sprinkle with cheese (or in my case generously coat!).

Enjoy!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

I know. It sounds totally bizarre. I saw it in my Food Network magazine back in April and was just as skeptical. Last weekend we spent time with my parents and my mom raved about it! I figured I would add it to the weekly menu and see what all the fuss was about. We are big fans of buffalo chicken and mac & cheese. It was good, but I have to admit that I thought the "buffalo" was a little overwhelming. I think part of the problem might have been that 1. I didn't use pepper jack cheese, just regular monterey jack, since I belated found out that mine was out of date and 2. I didn't use bleu cheese on top as we are not fans. We will definitely be eating it again as hubby gave it two-thumbs up. I'll just remember to use pepper jack next time! 


Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
adapted from Food Network

Ingredients
1/2 lb elbow macaroni
1/2 of a small onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup plus 2 TBS hot sauce (preferably Frank's)
1 TBS all-purpose flour
1 tsp dry mustard
1 1/4 cups fat-free half-and-half
1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese 
1/3 cup light sour cream
1 cup ranch croutons, crushed

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8x8 casserole dish.

Melt 2 TBS butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/4 cup hot sauce and simmer until well mixed.

Bring a pot of water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain and spray with cool water. 

In a large bowl, put the cooked macaroni and chicken mixture. Set aside.

Melt 1 TBS butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard until smooth. Whisk in the half-and-half, then add the remaining 2 TBS hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth.   

Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and chicken mixture. Stir until it is well mixed and put it in the casserole dish. Sprinkle with crushed croutons.
Bake for 30 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Swedish Meatballs

So I tried to do this in the slow cooker, but it did not want to cooperate. The meatballs got too brown and I ended up adding the soups and cream half way through. If I had actually left the house that day I probably would have come home to little brown golf balls in my slow cooker! Another option would be when you prep the night before to just brown the meatballs a little and then put the soups in with it the next morning. Dairy products don't tend to do well long term in the slow cooker so it might be better to add an additional soup to make sure the meatballs are completely covered. Beyond all of this these were so yummy! Perfect fall or winter meal.


Swedish Meatballs
adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
2 TBS cream
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of cream
1/2 cup of fat-free half-and-half
8oz container of low-fat sour cream
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs with 2 TBS of cream and stir, allowing the crumbs to absorb the cream. Add the turkey, onion powder, egg, salt, pepper and parsley. Mix well and form into golf ball sized meatballs. 

In a skillet over medium heat, brown the meatballs slightly. Transfer the meatballs to the slow cooker. Add the cans of soup and garlic. Put on low for 8 hours.
30 minutes before you are ready to eat add the cream, half-and-half and sour cream to the slow cooker. 

Serve over egg noodles.

Enjoy!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Weekly Menu - September 11-16


So last week I was obviously on hiatus due to a crazy schedule, but we are back this week! I think you can definitely tell from the menu that I have transitioned into fall meals. It's starting to get a little cooler and less humid here making it perfect for these meals. Looking forward to this week!

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joes
Baked Potato Soup

Friday, September 10, 2010

Friday Favorites - Breakfast

This is hands down one of my favorite breakfast dishes. My mom started making it for Christmas morning many years ago and it is now tradition. It's super rich so I only make it once in a while, but you will never want to go back to regular French toast again! Just a heads up, this is best if it sits overnight so plan ahead.


Creme Brulee French Toast
adapted from Food Network

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 TBS dark corn syrup
1 loaf Challah bread
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 tsp vanilla 
1 tsp dark rum (optional)
1/4 tsp salt

Directions
In a small saucepan melt butter with butter with brown sugar and corn syrup over moderate heat, stirring, until smooth and pour into a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.

Cut six 1-inch thick slices of bread and trim crusts. Arrange bread slices in one layer in baking dish, over the sugar and butter mixture. It will be a tight fit. In a bowl whisk together eggs, half and half, vanilla, rum and salt until combined well and pour evenly over bread. Chill bread mixture overnight.  


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bring bread mixture to room temperature. Let it sit on the counter for about an hour before baking. Bake uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed and edges are pale golden, 35 to 40 minutes.

Enjoy!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Taco Casserole

This is slightly reminiscent of Mexican Lasagna, but with a twist. For more of a taco taste and less Mexican, try cutting back (or out) the cumin. We both really enjoyed this and I will be making it again! Very easy to put together at the end of a long day.


Taco Casserole

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
1 package of taco seasoning
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
8 oz can tomato sauce
10 oz can mild Rotel
10 oz can mild enchiladas sauce
Package of par-boiled rice (like Uncle Ben's) or 2 cups cooked rice
6-8 small corn tortillas
Mexican cheese blend

Directions
Preheat oven to 375.

In a small skillet, heat the enchiladas sauce over medium-low heat.
Cook turkey until no longer pink. Add taco seasoning, cumin, garlic and onion powders. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add tomato sauce, Rotel and rice. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Spray an 8x8 casserole dish. Dip 3 tortillas, one by one, in the enchiladas sauce and place in the bottom of the casserole dish. I actually like to cut mine in half so that they don't overlap. Put about 1 1/2 cups of the meat mixture on the tortillas and top with 1/2 a cup of cheese. Repeat these steps again ending with the meat mixture and cheese. 

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

How to... Make Homemade Honey Mustard Sauce

This is great with the Homemade Chicken Tenders or Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu! It's so easy to make and very good. Don't be totally grossed out by the mayo. You can't taste it once you add the honey and mustard.


Homemade Honey Mustard Sauce

Ingredients
1/4 cup light mayo
1/4 cup honey
2 TBS dijon mustard

Directions
Mix together the honey, mustard and mayo. Chill for 30 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

So of course again I forgot my photo on my sister-in-law's camera. I do have to say that a photo is much needed to show you how yummy this dish was and easy too! I like to serve this with Homemade Honey Mustard Sauce.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 lb of sliced ham
8 slices swiss cheese
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 tsp paprika
1 TBS dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions
Preheat oven to 425. 

In a plastic bag, mix together the breadcrumbs, paprika, parsley, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders. Wet each chicken breast with water and put it in the bag, shaking until the chicken is thoroughly coated.

Set a rack on a foil-lined baking sheet and generously coat the rack with cooking spray. Place the chicken on the rack and mist with cooking spray. 

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top each breast with ham and 2 slices of cheese. Return the chicken to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!