Day 242: Company Potato Casserole

Good morning everyone!  I just sent my 5 year old daughter Brylie on the bus for her first day of kindergarten.  I'm so sad to see her go I could cry, and I did a little.  But its quite a milestone in a child's life and I don't think I've ever seen her more excited.  Now its just me and my baby until lunchtime.  Its going to be a quiet day!  I'll have to make some treats to celebrate her first day.  I know just the recipe!

Speaking of recipes, I found today's recipe in a Taste of Home magazine.

Company Potato Casserole
10" dutch oven

5 cups cooked cubed peeled potatoes
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese, divided (I used cheddar)
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 Tbs. dried parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp paprika

In a bowl, combine the potatoes, sour cream, 1 cup cheese, carrot, onion, parsley, salt, dill and pepper.  Transfer to a dutch oven.  Sprinkle with paprika and remaining cheese.  Bake at 350° for 25-35 minutes or until bubbly.  Use 1 ring on top and 1 ring on the bottom.  Serves 8.

The Finished Product

The Review

The only company I would serve this to is someone I didn't like.  This was not good at all.  When I made it I hoped the herbs would give it good flavor since the sour cream wouldn't help out in that department.  It didn't happen.  It just tasted like potatoes and sour cream.  Not to mention that the sauce broke and was gross and lumpy.  If you're smart, you'll just skip this recipe all together.  Grade D.

Day 241: Chicken Cordon Bleu Bundles

One thing that I'm discovering as I try so many new recipes is that the best recipes are simple, even if they look complicated.  It takes as much time to make something like these bundles that look difficult and fancy as it does to make a casserole.  And the reality of it is that these didn't cost much more to make than a casserole would.  Its changing my thinking as to what an inexpensive meal could be.  These bundles probably cost just over $2 each.  If you add some fresh seasonal veggies and some bread you have a very nice and relatively inexpensive meal. I found this recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bundles
10" dutch oven

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbs. butter or margarine
3 Tbs. cornstarch
1 1/4 cups milk
1 Tbs. minced fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 pkg. frozen puff pastry, thawed
8 thin slices deli ham
4 slices provolone cheese

Put the chicken in a 10" dutch oven, cover with water and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until juices run clear.  Use 1 ring on top and 1 ring on the bottom.  After the chicken is done, drain and keep warm.  Wipe the dutch oven clean.
In your 10" dutch oven over a full spread of coals saute the onion and mushrooms in  2 Tbs. butter until tender.  Combine the cornstarch and milk until smooth; stir into the mushrooms.  Add seasonings.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened.
Cut the pastry sheets in half width wise.  On one side of each half, place a chicken breast, 1/4 cup mushroom mixture, two ham slices and 1 cheese slice.  Fold pastry over filling and seal the edges.
Place each bundle in a greased 10" dutch oven and bake at 400° for 20-30 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden.  Serves 4.

The Finished Product

I had an extra sheet of puff pastry so I made 6 bundles that completely filled up a 12" dutch oven.

The Review

These little bundles were really good and really easy.  I'm surprised by how easy they were.  They took me about 20 minutes to put together, but they look and taste like they were much more difficult to make.  I was surprised by how easy the puff pastry was to work with and how good it was.  After cooking in water, the chicken was so tender that you could cut it with a fork.  I have to warn you, these were huge!!  We had to cut them in half because they were too much for one person.  Next time I'll cut the chicken in half and make 8 bundles instead of 4.  I'll be making these again.  Grade A.

Day 240: Buffalo Chicken Pizza

I've seen recipes for this pizza before, but I didn't have one when I made it, so I'm going to call it mine.  Before today I've never had Buffalo Chicken Pizza before.  I've never even had buffalo wings before.  Not because I haven't had the chance, but because I don't like eating wings.  There just isn't enough meat on them to make it worth the effort it takes to get it off.  My hubby thinks I'm nuts, and he may be right.  :) 

Buffalo Chicken Pizza
12" dutch oven

1 cup buffalo wing sauce, divided (I used Frank's)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. oregano
2 green onions, sliced
blue cheese salad dressing
Pizza dough (recipe below)

Prepare the pizza dough and allow to rise while preparing the chicken.  In a 12" dutch oven, cook chicken, garlic salt, pepper and chili powder in butter until chicken is browned.  Add all but 3 Tbs. of the buffalo wing sauce and cook and stir until the chicken juices run clear, about 5 minutes.  Remove chicken from the pot and wipe the pot clean.
Press the pizza dough into the bottom of the greased dutch oven.  Bake at 400° for about 7 minutes.  Remove from heat and brush the dough with the remaining 3 Tbs. of buffalo wing sauce.  Combine the cheddar and mozzarella cheeses and sprinkle 1/2 of the cheese over the crust.  Spoon the chicken over the cheese, sprinkle with oregano, remaining cheese and green onions.
Bake at 400° for 20-22 minutes or until crust is golden and the cheese is melted.  Serve with blue cheese salad dressing.  Makes 1 12" pizza.

Pizza Dough

1 Tbs. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup scalded milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbs. melted butter
4 cups flour
1 Tbs. oil

Dissolve yeast in water. Scald milk and add salt, sugar, butter, and oil and cool.  Add yeast and flour a little at a time until dough is stiff.  Knead well.  Allow to rise.  Makes 2- 12" pizza crusts.

The Finished Product

The Review

This was smokin' hot!  I think we could have breathed fire at each other.  But it was really good.  I'm glad I made a cheese pizza for my little kids, because there is no way they could have eaten this.  I had smoke coming out my ears.  I like spicy foods, but this was a little to much even for me.  I think I'll try to find a milder sauce next time.  The blue cheese dressing really finished this off and added a great flavor.  I'll make a milder version of this one again.  Grade B+.

Day 239: Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Today's recipe comes from a Taste of Home cookbook.  Its one I've eyeballed forever, but just never tried.  I have some homemade raspberry jam that will make this taste even better!

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
10" dutch oven

2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup cold butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

Filling:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/2 cup slivered almonds

 In a large mixing bowl, combing the flour and sugar.  Cut in the butter until crumbly.  Remove 1 cup and set aside.  To the remaining crumbs, add baking powder, baking soda, salt, sour cream, egg and almond extract; mix well.  Spread in the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of a 10" dutch oven.  For the filling, beat cream cheese, sugar and egg in a small bowl; mix well.  Pour over batter; spoon raspberry jam on top.  Sprinkle with almonds and reserved crumbs.  Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes.  Let stand 15 minutes.  Serves 9-12.

The Finished Product

The Review

Delicious!  We loved this!  The almond extract makes it taste and smell so good.  I used a raspberry-blackberry jam in this one, but you really could use just about any flavor you want.  This will go in my tried and true file.  It would be a good breakfast cake or dessert.  Grade A.

Day 238: Camping Chicken Pot Pie

Whew!  I'm glad that today is over.  I hate having car problems.  I wish we could go back to the horse and buggy days, then when my horse gave me problems I could just shoot it.

I have a friend that is going camping for Labor Day weekend and wanted some help practicing DO cooking so she didn't mess up.  So we made this easy pot pie. 

Camping Chicken Pot Pie
10" dutch oven

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 - med/large potato diced and cooked
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. rosemary
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 1/2 Cups Biscuit Baking Mix (Bisquick or Jiffy)
1 cup milk
1/2 - Stick Melted Butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In your dutch oven, layer the chicken, carrots, and peas. Mix the soup, chicken broth, thyme, rosemary and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Pour over the layers. Stir together the biscuit mix and milk, and pour this over the casserole. It will be very thin.  Drizzle butter over the topping. Bake until the topping is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

The Finished Product

Sorry, we forgot to take a pic of the inside of this one!

The Review

For a camping meal, we agreed it was pretty good.  For a make at home for dinner meal, not so much.  I think I lower my standards when I cook at camp because everything just tastes better outdoors.  So in my opinion, take this one camping.  The only way I'd make it at home is if I had absolutely nothing else to make.  For camping, we give this a B, for at home it gets a C.