Chicken Cordon Bleu from "Come What May"

HH6 for the month of April had a really fun theme

Pick a recipe or dish from a HH6 blogger's blog to prepare

Since I love to check out food blogs this was perfect. 

I started with Chicken Cordon Bleu from "Come what May" 

with just a few minor changes. 

The first was instead of ham I used prosciutto because I had some that needed to be used up. 

I also changed the cheese a bit, again to use up what I had. I used a combination of Gouda, Monterrey, and Asiago since that what I had in my fridge and I have to say we LOVED that combination of cheese. 

Then I combined the cheese and bread crumbs since I was in a hurry and just sprayed the chicken with cooking spray and then coated it in the crumb/ cheese mixture and baked.

I will be making this again, though I think next time instead of pounding, I will just cut a pocket in the chicken and stuff it that way to save time.I served this with wild rice and canned green beans.

 

White Enchiladas

Household6 cooking clubs January theme is 

"Prepare a dish that you have never made before but always wanted to try.  

Tell us why you have taken quite some time to make this dish"

So this brings me to white chicken enchiladas. Which I have been meaning to make forever! I've even bought the Monterrey cheese a time or two and then ended up using it in something else and never made my enchiladas. This was due in large part to the fact that I hadn't found a recipe that I like. They always call for canned cream soup, and while I'm ok with making things with that stuff in the crock pot where it really cooks down and makes a gravy, I don't care for the taste in something where you can, well, taste it. But then I saw the Pioneer Womens recipe. And I put it on my menu. And then passed it up (that was in early summer) But then I got the HH6 theme and decided it was finally time. I'm really sorry I waited. 

I personally would have liked them with more heat and missed the jalapeno, my kids sadly, don't do hot. I was a little worried they wouldn't like the chilies but when my 3 year old, who eats like a bird, asked for seconds I knew this was a keeper. 

You can check out the original recipe or check below for my changes. This was a great use of the leftover turkey I had in the fridge but chicken works too. Instead of shredding a whole chicken for stuff like this I usually throw a couple boneless, skinless, chicken breasts in the crock pot the day before, shred and refrigerate until I'm ready to use.

3 c. leftover cooked shredded chicken or turkey

2 Tbsp butter

1 onion, chopped

2 can diced green chilis

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 tsp. paprika

16 oz Monterrey cheese, grated

12 flour tortillas

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1 c. sour cream

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 can green chilies

Saute the the onion is the butter until tender. Add the chilies, turkey, broth, and paprika. Stir all together and let simmer. Add the cream and keep over low heat while making the sauce.

For the sauce: melt the butter and flour together. Add the broth, paprika, chilies, and sour cream, with an immersion blender process until smooth. Keep heating until thick. Add about 1/3 of the cheese and stir until melted. 

In the tortillas add some of the turkey mixture, top with the remaining shredded cheese, and place in the a 9x13 baking dish seam side down. When all the tortillas are filled top with the sauce and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

HH6 And Taco Soup

So this soup isn't really my recipe at all. I mean I make it all the time, but I didn't come up with it.

But when I got this months HH6 Cooking Club challenge and was thinking about it, this came to mind. The challenge itself I wasn't worried about sticking too, I usually keep a large pantry pretty well stocked, along with a large deep freeze full of meat and other frozen stuff, and a 2 year supply of all the basics, wheat, rice, sugar and such, plus Husband Man had just gotten back from Sams club. I was set. 

But then the next night I found myself needing to make something for dinner. And while I had all the essential, I didn't really feel like making a huge dinner. So I grabbed several things from the pantry and dinner was ready in a flash, using mostly pantry staples.Which really embodies the idea of the challenge. Which is

We all need to be prepared in the event of a disaster.  You have stuff in your pantry and fridge/freezer.  If a disaster should strike today and you have no access to going to a grocery store but your stove/grill is still working, what would you make with what you have on hand?

 

1 lb. ground turkey or hamburger
1 packet taco seasoning (About 2 Tbsp)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney or black beans
1 can chicken broth
1 c. Ketchup

Brown meat.

Add remaining ingredients. Simmer one hour or longer. Can be dumped in a crock pot for the afternoon.

This can also be made without the meat all together, just skip it and add an extra can of beans.

The next day I drained the soup and cooked rice in the liquid. Then I added it back to the mix, added some cheese, and used it as a filling for enchiladas. Just fill tortillas with the mix, roll and place in a casserole dish, top with enchilada sauce and bake until heated through. 

HH6 Cooking Club Pizza

I came up with the challenge this month, I chose Pizza, but you couldnt use tomato sauce. So I used my favorite eggplant sauce in place of the tomato sauce.

Then I wanted to highlight my other favorite pizza that uses a spinach sauce and mention some other things I have done with pizza.

First off my eggplant sauce recipe. Just use in place of the tomato sauce, top with cheese, and bake! Sorry about no pictures, my computer is being worked on and this dinosaur doesnt have bluetooth.

Eggplant Sauce
2 egg plants, quartered lengthwise
4 roma tomatoes, quartered
3 cloves garlic
1 onion, quartered
olive oil
Salt

Brush vegetables with oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast at 400 for 40 minutes.
Then combine
4 c. chicken broth
2 tsp. marjoram
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Scrape eggplant from purple skin. Add eggplant, onion, tomatoes, and garlic to broth. Simmer 30 - 40 minutes until vegetables are tender. Puree. Let sit 15 minutes.

Stir in 1/4 c. cream

So thats the eggplant sauce, I highly recommend it.




Now for the Spinach Pizza.

Some other pizza's I have either made or had are

Breakfast
Don't worry about a sauce, top crust with cheese, green onions, cooked bacon and a whole raw egg and bake until the crust and the egg are cooked

Hot Wing
Use wing sauce instead of marinara, sprinkle with a powdered ranch, top with cheese and some chopped up boneless hot wings.

BBQ Chicken
BBQ sauce, gouda cheese, sliced red onions, chicken cooked in bbq sauce, and fresh chopped cilantro

Pesto
Pesto for the sauce, top with cheese and bake

Alfredo
Only use a little alfredo sauce, top with a lot of cheese and then top with cooked chicken tossed with a little sauce, and sliced garlic.

Make the alfredo primavera, and top with lots of spring veggies.

What do you put on your pizza?