Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

(A special and fabulous recipe from my archives...a wonderful way to use up any leftover Easter ham=)

I found this fabulous recipe at Mennonite Girls Can Cook.

I have already shared this recipe in the monthly food column I write for locally.

It would be a great recipe to use up your leftover Easter ham, so I thought I'd share it with you now so you have time to plan ahead.  *-*

I think chicken/ham/cheese are a hard combination to beat. And the crunchy topping on this dish makes it taste very similar to the real thing...the more

time consuming way to make it.

(I made half the recipe and it worked very well)

I served it with Crockpot Sweet Potatoes and my taste buds thought that was a marriage made in heaven too.  Just like the casserole... 

I'm sure I'll be making this again after Easter!! And I can hardly wait!

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU CASSEROLE

4 cups chicken, cooked and cut into chunks

2 cups ham, cooked and cut into chunks

1 cup shredded swiss cheese

1 cup onion, chopped

1/4 c. butter

1/3 c. flour

2-1/4 c. milk

1/2 tsp. dry mustard (I used a little more)

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Layer chicken, ham and cheese in a greased 9" X 13" pan. Saute onions in butter.  Stir in flour and blend in milk; add dry mustard and seasonings. Cook and stir until thickened.  Pour over ham and sprinkle with topping.

CRUNCHY TOPPING

2-1/2 c. coarse bread crumbs (I replaced 1 cup crumbs with panko crumbs)

1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 c. melted butter

Mix together until combined before sprinkling over ham mixture. Bake 30 minutes uncovered 
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And...the link (at the bottom of this post) will take you to a page where my newest blogging friend, Lark, of Lark's Country Heart has posted a similar recipe for a community "Recipe of the Week" online. 

Her recipe uses raw chicken and a soup based sauce.

She recommends making and freezing it ahead too.  I love that option anytime! 

Check it out at Lark's Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole - MMMMM Good!

Linked to Totally Tasty Tuesday

Melt in Your Mouth Monday

This Week's Cravings

Recipe of the Week - Warm Casseroles

Hunk of Meat Monday

Scrumptious Sunday

Mop it up Monday

GBP Roundup - Favorite Casseroles

Weekend Potluck

Church Window Candy

Here's a fun and kid-friendly recipe I thought would be great for Easter.  (Though I did make it for Christmas and saved the recipe for now=).

This was one of my mama's favorite recipes and my kids always think of her when I make it.

It's also in my cookbook.  (Page 141=)

It's just sooo colorful isn't it??

YUUUMMMMMM-YYYYYYY too!

I like that it can be made days ahead and refrigerated until ready to slice and serve.

Only 5 simple ingredients! And only a few minutes to put together too!

Have fun with it and enjoy every marshmallow-y bite!!

CHURCH WINDOW CANDY

1/3 c. margarine

1 - (12 ozs) pkg. semi sweet chocolate chips

1 - (16 ozs) bag colored mini marshmallows

1 c. chopped nuts

1 c. shredded coconut

Melt margarine and chocolate chips together. (I do it on medium power in the microwave, being careful to stir often).  Cool slightly. Stir in marshmallows and nuts.  On two long pieces of waxed paper, sprinkle coconut in a line on each. Drop mixture into a roll on top of the coconut; sprinkle with more coconut on top before wrapping up tightly in the waxed paper; refrigerate. 

When chilled, remove paper and slice into pretty slices.

Linked to Totally Tasty Tuesday

            Crazy Sweet Tuesday

       Mop it up Monday

Show Me What You Got

GBP Roundup - Christmas Cookies/Candies  

Weekend Potluck

Candy Plan Monday

Meal Plan Monday

Leader Enterprise - March 7, 2012 - Crockpot Cooking

I recently came across some wonderful recipes at www.eatathome.com using a crockpot and I just had to share them with you. I am also amazed by another blog-www.365daysofcrockpot.com. She has prepared a crockpot dish every day of the year! There is no difference between a crockpot and a slow cooker. Unless you are talking with the manufacturers, who prefer to call their own product one name or the other, they work on the same principle. Slow cookers may have a range of number settings instead of simply 'low' or 'high'. They are so handy to use during the summertime when you don't want to heat up your kitchen, but they're also great to use any time you are busy and want to have dinner ready when you get home from work or running errands. Who could argue that idea?

Crock pots are a good way to cook food without having to devote constant attention to a cooking appliance. People use crock pots to cook meals as pot roasts, chicken dishes, stews AND desserts! When your busy day allows you more time for preparation in the morning than in the afternoon, that's a good time to throw together a crockpot meal to enjoy later in the day with no fuss.
These recipes are made in using a 5-6-qt. crockpot. If using a smaller size, then I suggest cutting back on ingredient amounts & cooking times. As oven temperatures vary, so do crockpot temps,so be sure to check before alloted time is up.
Comfort food at its best!

SUNDAY CHICKEN DINNER
2-3 lbs. chicken (boneless or bone-in)

2 c. potatoes, chunked

4-5 carrots, chopped

1 onion, sliced

2 c. (1 can) chicken broth

1/2 c. water

1 (10-3/4 ozs) can cream of chicken soup

salt and pepper

Place chicken in bottom of the crockpot. Place the veggies on top.Stir the broth, water and soup together with salt and pepper. Pour over the veggies and chicken. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8. If you want to make gravy before serving,remove chicken and veggies. Turn the heat to high. In small bowl mix 2-3 Tb.flour with a little water and stir to make a thick paste. Slowly whisk flour mixture into broth. Cook several more minutes until thick. Serve with cornbread or biscuits and enjoy a delicious meal.

This is a yummy dish your family will think is 'take out' food. Add a box of fortune cookies and make it a fun meal.

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN
2 lbs. chicken(may still be frozen), cut into large chunks

small onion, sliced

red and green pepper, sliced,optional

1-20 ozs. can pineapple chunks

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

2 Tb. cornstarch

1/4 c. cider vinegar

1/4 c. water

1 Tb. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. salt
Place chicken, onion and peppers in crockpot. Drain pineapple. Set aside for later. Mix pineapple juice with remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 7-9 hours or high for about 4-5. Just before serving,add pineapple chunks; heat. Serve over rice.
CROCKPOT ALL DAY BEEF STEW

2 lb. stew beef
3 c. chopped potatoes
2-3 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
3-4 c. tomato juice
1 Tb. sugar
1/4 c. instant tapioca
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on low 8-10 hours. If you want it to be ready sooner, use frozen stew veggies instead of fresh. Feel free to adapt it to your family's taste by adding mushrooms or tomatoes or maybe frozen green beans.
This is an OH-MY kind of dessert! It can be cooked in a smaller sized crockpot.
CROCKPOT APPLE CRISP

1 c. (dark)brown sugar

1 c. quick oats

1/2 c. flour

1/4 c. butter

3-4 c. peeled and sliced apples

1/4 c. dried cranberries

1/4 c. chopped pecans

3/4 c. water

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Stir first 3 ingredients together. Cut in butter with pastry blender or fork to make soft crumbs. In separate bowl, combine apples,  cranberries and pecans.Stir in half the crumbs, mixing to coat all the apples. Pour into greased crock. Stir water, sugar and cinnamon together. Pour over apples. Top with remaining crumbs. Before placing lid on crock, cover top with a couple of paper towels. (This will collect the moisture from the lid so you don't have a soggy dessert top.)  Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5-6 hours.

Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Simple pantry staples come together to make this delicious dessert.

PEACH CRISP

1 c. brown sugar
1 c. quick oats
1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c.butter, softened
2 (20 ozs.each) cans peaches, drained well
Grease inside of crock with cooking spray. In medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, oats, flour and cinnamon. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with pastry blender until crumbly. Place the drained peaches in crock and stir 1/2 the crumbs into the fruit. Top with remaining crumbs. Cook on low 3-4 hours.
This is a favorite that I included in my cookbook. May use reduced sugar ingredients if desired.

CROCKPOT CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE

1 (18 ozs) box chocolate cake mix

1 (3 ozs) box instant chocolate pudding

2 c. sour cream

4 eggs

1 c. water

3/4 c. canola oil (or part applesauce)

1/2 c. toffee bits, optional

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

whipped cream or vanilla ice cream


In large bowl, combine first 6 ingredients. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in toffee and chocolate chips. Pour into 5-qt.crockpot that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Cover(lay paper towels over top first) and cook on low for 4-5 hours.Center will be soft. Yield: 8 servings
This dish would make a great addition for any big family dinner.

 CROCKPOT SWEET POTATOES AND APPLES

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chunked

4 small apples, peeled and quartered

1/4 c.apple juice, plus 1-2 Tb.

2 Tb. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

dash nutmeg

1 tsp. cornstarch

Place sweet potatoes and apples in the slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray. Stir the 1/4 c. apple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together. Pour over the apples and sweet potatoes, stirring to coat. Cook on high for about 3 hours. Stir 1-2 Tbs. apple juice with 1 tsp. cornstarch. Stir into the sweet potatoes and apples in the slow cooker. Let cook for a couple more minutes; then serve.

Andes Creme de Menthe Chunk Cookies

Top O'the Mornin' to ya! 

Enjoy a happy St. Patty's weekend!

I recently became involved in baking lots of cookies that were being used in a prison ministry, so I will have MANY cookie recipes to share in the weeks ahead.

This is a deliciously wonderful cookie that tastes like 'MORE'...=)

Being the cookie monster that I am...I loved baking several recipes I've been wanting to try.  MMMM!

I had a bag of the Andes mint chunks in the freezer, so it was just a 'given' that I bake these up. The recipe is on the back of the bag.

They were wonderful!

Here's a link to another post I had last year that is a chocolate cookie with chopped Andes mints in them...and I chopped my own. 
Mint Chocolate Cookies

I present to you this Andes Chunk Cookies...

ANDES CREME DE MENTHE CHUNK COOKIES

1/2 c. salted butter, softened
3/4 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 pkg. (10 ozs) Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips
2-2/3 c. all purpose flour

Blend butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs until smooth and well blended. Stir in Andes baking chips and then flour.  Chill approximately for one hour. Measure out approximately 1 ozs. of dough (I made mine the size of large walnuts). Form ball and slightly flatten.  Raise oven rack one level above middle and bake on non-stick (or greased) baking pans at 350 for about 8 - 10 minutes. Cool on pans for 2 minutes before removing.

Yield: 3 - 4 dozen cookies

They don't spread out a lot so I was able to put 15 on a medium cookie sheet.

Linked to Weekend Potluck

Single Serving Thin Mint Diet Coke Cake - Seriously!!

Is this unreal or what???

I wish I could be someone who comes up with simple and delicious recipes like this one! 

This recipe fits those who have a sweet tooth, but don't want to mess with making a whole dessert.

This is perfect for those who want to satisfy that sweet tooth, without leftovers.

YOWZA!!!

I was just SO happy when I came across this at Something Swanky.

Ashton has tons! of cutsie & delicious recipes and her photos are so delightful & appealing.

This is one of her simple presentations that looks 'over the top'.

LET ME JUST SAY...

Yes, I do realize there are controversies going on about diet soda 
(AKA 'sweet poison').....I haven't tried it, but suppose regular soda would work in this recipe.  It is...after all...only 2 Tb. in the recipe. 

We all have to make our own choices - there are plenty of controversies about sweetners, and we just have to do our research and do what we feel is best for us and our families, so....

With that said....make this your own by using whatever cake mix (regular, 50% reduced sugar , or sugar free?) you'd like....same goes for the kind of soda you use too.   *-*

I've made this a few times now and will continue...even after my Girl Scout Thin Mints are gone. I'll go find that Keebler alternative.

I love the crunchiness the cookie adds to this terrific treat.

I really must include one of Ashton's photos..just so you get a 'taste' of the awesome presentation she has with each of her special recipes.   Please stop by and check out her amazing creations.

I can't begin to imagine having such COOL photos!

Anyway....this is the simple recipe and I hope you'll run right to the kitchen and enjoy it.  It has been a great after-dinner dessert for hubby and me.  I love sharing the simplicity of the idea with everyone I come in contact with also.

Here ya go....3 simple ingredients, plus ice cream or whipped topping! 

This (ugly) photo was taken just before microwaving...

THIN MINT DIET COKE CAKE

(SINGLE SERVING)

2 heaping TB. of chocolate cake mix

2 TB. diet coke

1 chocolate covered cookie (like Girl Scout thin mints or peanut butter pattie cookies - Keebler has similar cookies too)

(or use a handful of chocolate or peanut butter chips)

Grease oven safe mug or ramekin with shortening.

(I used cooking spray).

In small bowl, mix cake mix with diet coke, using a spoon. Mix until smooth - pour into ramekin.

Press thin mint into the batter until batter comes up a little bit over edges of the cookie.

Microwave on high for 60 seconds or bake at 350 for 15 - 18 minutes.

Top with ice cream or whipped topping, and fudge sauce if desired.

Linked to Mix it up Monday
                   Mop it up Monday
                   Crazy Sweet Tuesday
                    Gooseberry Patch Roundup

                         Gooseberry Patch Roundup - Shortcuts
             Ingredient Spotlight - Cake Mix