Texas Style Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

1 cup seasoned Panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 oz smoked Gouda cheese, sliced into 1" squares about 1/8" thick

20 strips of hickory smoked bacon

1 egg, beaten

salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder (these items will just be a dusting)

4 slices deli style sliced smoked turkey breast

Pam cooking spray

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Clean and trim chicken breasts of all excess fat. Wash, then pat dry breasts. Place breasts on flat surface and using a sharp knife, cut into the breast parallel to the flat surface, making a pocket in the breast. Make the pocket large enough to hold the Gouda and turkey.  Lightly season breasts on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Take 3 slices of smoked Gouda and wrap them in one slice of smoked turkey breast. Place the gouda and turkey wrap into the pocket in the chicken breast. Lay out 5 strips of bacon side by side, then lay stuffed breast on one end of bacon strips and roll up the breast in the bacon. Repeat this process with each breast. Baste breast/bacon with beaten egg.

In a large mixing bowl, blend Panko and Parmesan cheese.  Coat the breasts with Panko by rolling and covering with breadcrumbs.  Place coated breasts into a baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam. Place in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, or until no pink juice comes from breast.

Makes 8 servings when each breast is cut in half cross ways.

Tips:

I cut into the breast on the large side, and keep my other hand on top of the breast. You can feel where the knife is inside of the breast, and if the knife is sharp enough, guide it where it needs to go. You don't really need to worry, with this recipe, about going to far with the pocket because the bacon and breading will hold it together.  This will be good practice for filleting those fish you catch over the summer.

I use so much pepper, garlic and opinion powder that I have a special home made blend of equal parts salt, garlic powder, pepper and onion powder that I use religiously. Keep the empty containers from your store bought seasonings and start blending your own spices.  Make sure you label them though, I have had too many sneezing fits smelling the unlabeled containers. LOL.

Healthier variations of this recipe can be made: use regular breadcrumbs to cut down on sodium; use low fat cheese in place of the gouda; use turkey bacon in place of the regular to cut down on fat.

Super Soup

Creamy Vegetable soup

This recipe makes about 10 servings of about 3/4 cup.  It is a perfect winter storm~stay at home~in front of the fire or T.V. soup. I took a Baguette loaf of bread and cut some slices about 1/2" thick, sprinkled them with olive oil and some Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Blend, then broiled them for about 2 minutes on high(until lightly toasted), and used them for my dipping crackers with the soup. 

Ingredients:

2 10.5 oz cans Cream of Mushroom soup

1 cup sour creamy mashed potatoes(recipe follows)

1/2 Cup chopped zucchini

1/3 cup copped carrots

1 tsp Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb blend

1/4 cup chopped Green Onions 

3 strips Bacon fried and crumbled

8 cups water

Method:

In a 5 qt sauce pan, mix mushroom soup with water.  Make sure the soup and water are thoroughly mixed(no lumps). Add carrots, green onions, Mrs. Dash and bacon. Heat on medium heat until soup begins to boil. Add mashed potatoes, and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat and simmer for another 10 minutes to allow all flavors to blend properly.  Easily served in over sized mugs for that nostalgic or romantic evening in front of the fire.

Sour Creamy Mashed potatoes:

Ingredients:

4 Large Russet baking potatoes

2 Tbsp Butter

4 Tbsp Philadelphia Chive & Onion Cream cheese

1/8 tsp sea salt

5 cups water

1/4 cup fat free skim milk

Method:

cut potatoes into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes and place in 5 qt. sauce pan with water and sea salt.

bring potatoes to a boil and continue to boil until potatoes fall off tines of a fork. 

Add butter and milk and mash potatoes completely with potato masher. fold in Cream cheese until

completely incorporated with potatoes.