Cindy's Recipes and Writings

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Cindy Kerschner

Chicken Cordon Bleu
The term “Cordon Bleu” once referred to a ribbon awarded for excellence in cooking. Cordon Bleu as a dish has that ribbon look to it. You see layers of meat and cheese when you cut it open!
Don’t feel intimidated if you’ve never made it before. It isn’t difficult but it can be messy! But that’s okay, because the outcome is worth it!
I first made this recipe in class, step by step with our Chef. I tweaked it a little (like by seasoning my own homemade breadcrumbs) but his advice still holds true.
Ingredients
2 8-ounce chicken breast cutlets (or 4 4-ounce)
4 1-ounce cheese slices, Swiss or Gruyere
4 1-ounce ham slices, pork or turkey
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup flour
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning (or 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried rosemary)
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon seasoned salt or sea salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil

1. Pound cutlets with flat side of mallet into 1/4-inch thickness. Set aside.
2. Place one slice of cheese on top of one slice of meat and roll tightly. Tuck ends underneath, set aside.
3. Combine flour and basil on a flat plate. On another plate, combine breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic and salt together.
To Assemble:
Dredge cutlet in seasoned flour. Shake off excess.
Place ham/cheese rollup (2 end to end if using 8 ounce breasts) in center of underside of cutlet. Fold all sides together making sure to cover the rollup. Pinch shut.

Here comes the start of the messy part!

Dip the chicken into the beaten egg. Carefully coat all parts. Pinch together to seal seam. Immediately roll in breadcrumb mix. Pinch shut. Redo the egg bath and breadcrumbs as necessary to close seam. (Only redo parts of seam as necessary).

Place finished breasts seam-side down on a clean plate sprinkled with lightly with breadcrumbs to prevent sticking. Cover and refrigerate anywhere from 15 minutes up to overnight to allow Cordon Bleu to set.

Preheat oven to 350.
Add oil to glass baking dish. Place Cordon Bleu seam side in dish. Cover with foil.
Bake for 20 minutes. Flip over. Bake an additional 20 minutes, flip back to seam side down. Bake an additional 10 minutes until internal temperature taken at the thickest part of chicken reaches 165 degrees.
Serve whole or let rest 5 minutes and slice.
Note: There will be a “pink” color on the chicken left there from the ham. It can be easily mistaken for improperly cooked chicken!

Posted in cheese, chicken, cordon bleu, everyday, food, main dish | Tagged chicken, chicken cordon bleu, cordon bleu, dinner, main dish, recipes, stuffed chicken | 6 Comments

Chocolate Pineapple Upside-down Cake

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Cindy Kerschner

This started out as a dare from a friend (you’re safe, I won’t give you away) to make a killer Upside-down Cake. How could I resist? You know chocolate needs to fit in somehow!
You can use fresh pineapple or canned. I chose fresh pineapple.
If you use fresh, cut off both ends, cut off peel and slice into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces. Cut out cores with a knife or corer. Remember to beware of Pineapple Tongue!.

Ingredients
2/3 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar packed
4 to six pineapple slices
Maraschino or bing cherries
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons pineapple juice or water
2 Tablespoons Maraschino cherry juice or water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (scant)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Melt butter over low heat or in microwave.
Pour into 10-inch ungreased cake pan. Sprinkle on brown sugar.
Arrange pineapple slices and cherries. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat eggs until thick and lemon colored.
Gradually beat in sugar. Add juice and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Mix.
Stir dry ingredients into wet mixture.
Pour batter over pineapple slices. Try to coat evenly.
Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
Turn pan over onto serving dish. DO NOT REMOVE PAN. Let pan rest in place for several minutes to allow butter to coat the cake.
Cool, remove pan, cut and enjoy!

Posted in baking, breakfast, cake, chocolate, dessert, food, pineapple, upside-down | Tagged baking.breakfast, cake, dessert, pineapple, upside-down | 13 Comments

Tortellini in Garden Sauce

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Cindy Kerschner

This started as a quick throw-together meal that used some extra zucchini as a bonus, but turned into a favorite family standby on those hectic short on time dinner nights!

2 medium zucchini, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 12 ounce bag frozen tortellini
1 cup water
In a large fry pan, sauté zucchini, carrots, onion and garlic in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add bouillon cubes and water. Simmer over medium-low heat until tender and bouillon is dissolved (about 5 minutes).
Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain, and then add to sauce mixture. Stir and serve. Enjoy!
Chop all the vegetables at once in a food processor, if possible to cut down preparation time.
Add some parmesan cheese for an Italian touch or red pepper flakes for a spicy zing!

Posted in casserole, cheese, everyday, fasy and easy, lunch, main dish, pasta, tortellini, vegetarian, What's For Dinner?, zucchini | Tagged casserole, dinner, everyday, lunch, main dish, quick and easy, skillet, tortellini, vegetarian | 4 Comments

Potluck Casserole with Cornbread Stuffing

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Cindy Kerschner

I grew up in a household where you did not waste food. My Mom also cooked huge batches of stews and soups; enough for 2 or 3 days of meals. Her most popular ones were Chicken Pot Pie, Ham and Beans, Potato Soup and of course, Beef Stew. Combine the two ideas and you inevitably save time and money.
I haven’t quite mastered that skill. I usually wind up with enough for one meal and a little extra! In this case, it was Beef Stew.
So what I did was make something similar to Sheppard’s Pie.
I also like to keep cornbread on hand. It freezes well and makes a great impromptu stuffing (stuffing recipe below if you need one). Luckily for me, cornbread also goes great with Beef Stew!

You could also use leftover beef roast, cook up a bag of stew vegetables, add your favorite gravy and you’re good to go!

Easy Cornbread Stuffing

2 cups crumbled cornbread (your own or purchased)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced onion
2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon dried parsley

Sautee onion and celery in butter over med-high heat until softened. Add to crumbled cornbread, stir. Add broth a little at a time to reach desired consistency.
Place stew in an 8×8-inch casserole dish. Top with cornbread stuffing and bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes or until cornbread is browned and casserole is thoroughly heated.