Chicken Cordon Blue

Here's how we do it:

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
About 1/4 c. Dijon mustard
1/2 pound sliced deli ham
4 slices Swiss or provolone cheese
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375

Salt and pepper the chicken breasts. Slather the mustard on both sides of each peice, then place in a glass baking dish (probably should Pam the pan here). Divide the ham into four even portions and place on the chickens. Bake for 20 minutes, then add the cheese slices and continue to bake, probably about another 10 minutes or so.

Spicy French Dip

I have another swing shift tonight, and our fridge is (finally) empty of leftovers, so I needed something quick and easy to prepare for separate dinners (my husband and son will be eating at home, while I will be eating at work). All of the Arby's commercials for 2 for $5 French Dip sandwiches got me hungry for, well, French Dip. So I made some up. It probably cost just as much to make it at home, but by fixing them at home I was able to buy natural roast beef and add a salad to make it a bit healthier.

Here's how I made our sammies:

Spicy French Dip

4 bakery rolls
1 pound roast beef
4 slices pepper jack cheese
Spicy prepared horseradish
Butter, if desired

1 packet of au jus mix 

1 bag of mixed greens/pre-washed salad mix

Set the oven to broil.

Prepare the au jus mix per package instructions. While it's cooking, start the rolls.

Split the rolls in half, spread with butter if you like (I skipped this) and then the horseradish. Put 1/4 of the meat on the bottom side of each roll. Add a slice of cheese to each. Pop into the oven (open faced for now) and broil for 1-3 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the edges of the rolls begin to brown. Watch them like a hawk, unless you like charcoal sandwiches.

Serve with a cup of au jus and a side salad.

If you are watching calories and/or carbs, you can make these open faced, therefore approximately halving the carbs and dropping the calorie count by a bit.

Gratin Recipe to Try

Several years ago, my husband and I were invited to his then-boss' house for a holiday dinner. His wife made this freaking amazing cauliflower dish. Seriously, nobody hates cauliflower more than me. But this was so cheesy and downright naughty, it more than made up for the sin of cauliflower inclusion. I have been lusting over a recipe for this ever since. Thankfully, I turned the TV on a bit early on Thanksgiving for the parade and happened to catch Bobby Flay making this. I haven't tried it yet (we are still trying to eat our way through the pile of leftovers in the fridge) but I am hopeful. Here it is, in case the link stops working:

Recipe: Cauliflower and goat cheese gratin

Bobby Flay

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole milk, plus more milk if needed
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
• 6 ounces soft goat cheese, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large head cauliflower florets, each floret sliced into 2-3 pieces

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and butter a large baking dish. Place the milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Melt butter over medium heat in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk in the flour and let cook for 1 minute (do not let the mixture get brown). Slowly whisk in the milk, increase the heat to high, and cook, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens, 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the Monterey Jack and half of the goat cheese and half of the parmesan cheese until melted, season with salt and pepper. If the mixture seems too thick, thin with a little extra milk. Transfer the sauce to a large bowl, add the cauliflower and stir well to combine. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining goat cheese and parmesan and bake on a baking sheet (in case the mixture bubbles over in the oven).

Serving Size

Serves 6 to 8

Striped Delight

This dessert is super yummy. The Double Musky in Girdwood, Alaska does a similar-tasting dessert, with nuts instead of graham crackers. This is very easy, plus it looks really pretty in the trifle container. Enjoy!

Striped Delight Trifle

Ingredients:

1 sleeve graham crackers, crushed
1/3 c. butter, melted
1/3 c. sugar

2 small boxes instant pudding (your choice of flavors), plus 4 c. milk to prepare
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 16 oz container heavy whipping cream
2 T. milk
1/3 c. sugar

Mix one box of pudding and 2 c. of milk together per package instructions. Pour into trifle dish, put in refrigerator.

Put whipping cream into stand mixer bowl and whip until stiff peaks form.

Meanwhile, put the graham crackers in a ziploc bag, crush with a rolling pin. Mix the crumbs together with 1/3 c. butter and 1/3 c. sugar.

Remove the trifle dish from refrigerator, add half the graham crumb mixture, and lightly press into an even layer.

When the whipped cream is finished, remove half into a small bowl. Into the remaining whipped cream, add the package of cream cheese, 1/3 c. sugar, and 2 T. milk. Mix on medium high until smooth. Add this as another layer to the trifle dish.

Next, add the remaining graham crumb mixture and press into another even layer.

Mix the remaining box of pudding and remaining 2 c. of milk together, again per package instructions. Pour on the trifle, and put the dish back in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes.

When the pudding layer is set, spread the remaining whipped cream on top. If desired, garnish with some chocolate shavings or a sprinkle of cocoa powder. Return to the fridge and cool for several hours.

The whipping cream, all finished

Layer one: pudding (chocolate)

Layer two: graham/butter/sugar mix, lightly pressed

Layer three: cream cheese/whipped cream/sugar mix

Layer four: graham/butter/sugar mix, lightly pressed

Layer five: pudding (white chocolate)

Layer six: whipped cream

Turkey and Ramen Soup

This is quick, easy, and cheap. Great use for leftover turkey.

Turkey and Ramen Soup

4 packages Top Ramen
1 c. chopped leftover turkey
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. sesame oil
2 eggs
3 green onions, chopped*

Cook the ramen according to package directions. While it's cooking, chop the leftover turkey and warm it in the microwave. Once the ramen is cooked, add the remaining ingredients. Stir (the hot soup will cook the egg; if you are not cool with this just omit the egg). Serve.

*optional

Turkey and Butternut Squash Bake

This recipe is gooooood. Even if you have never had squash, or if you think you don't like squash, this is really tasty. I altered a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens to make more of a casserole (and use up leftover turkey).

Turkey and Butternut Squash Bake

2 c. chopped turkey (cooked)
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
2 T. olive oil
8 oz. dried extra-wide noodles
4 T. butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1 T. lemon juice
1 package light cream cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
1 c. panko or bread crumbs (maybe a good use for leftover rolls?)

Preheat oven to 425. In a bowl, toss the squash cubes in the oil. Place in a rectangular baking dish and cook for 30 minutes, stirring twice.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain, set aside. In the same pot, melt 2 T. of the butter. Add the onions and stir. Cook the onions over medium heat until translucent. Stir in lemon juice. Add noodles to the onion mixture, then stir in the cream cheese, 1/2 of the Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the cooked squash cubes and chopped turkey.

Put mixture in a baking dish, and top with the panko/bread crumbs and remaining butter and Parmesan. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Green Turkey Enchiladas

This is a green enchilada recipe, adapted for use with Thanksgiving leftovers, from a recipe my in-laws were kind enough to give to us. It's really good with some roasted Hatch green chiles (my in-laws are from southern New Mexico) but canned green chiles will work just fine.

Green Enchiladas

2 c. chopped turkey
4 small cans green chiles (or about 1 c. chopped frozen or fresh roasted)
4 c. chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 T. flour
24 corn tortillas
canola oil (for frying the tortillas)
about 1 c. grated cheddar cheese

Put broth and chopped turkey into a large pot, put on medium heat. Meanwhile, saute onions and garlic in butter over medium heat in a medium pan until onions are translucent. Add onions and garlic mixture to the broth pot.

Add a bit more butter to the pan and melt, then whisk in the flour and cook to a golden brown color. Whisk in enough of the broth to make a thin gravy, then add the contents of the pan to the broth pot.

Set the pot to simmer and fry up the tortillas, one at a time, in a thin layer of oil in a fry pan (if you have a helper, they can fry the tortillas while you are working on the previous steps).

Start layers, in either a large crock pot or a large baking dish. The broth pot goes first, then a single layer of tortilla, then a thin layer of cheese. Repeat until done.

If using a crock pot, cook on low for about 3 hours. If using a baking dish, cook at 350 for 1 hour.