Chicken Cordon Bleu Stuffed Shells

This recipe is DIVINE.

I love anything with the flavors of chicken cordon bleu.  So when I saw this in the October 2014 issue of Woman's Day, I had to try it.

I made a few minor changes.  I used Swiss instead of Gruyere and 1/4 tsp of dried thyme instead of fresh tarragon.  I was lazy at the store and there was a long line at the deli, so I bought cubed cooked ham instead.  I think I would do that again.  It's perfect for this recipe.

Also, I fear the broiler, so I just uncovered it and kept baking it for about 5 minutes.

This recipe was in paragraph form, so I just typed it up that way too.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Stuffed Shells

Heat oven to 400.  Cook 16 jumbo shells (from a 12 oz box) according to package directions.  Drain and rinse under cold water to cool.  Prepare the Bechamel and spread all but 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a large broiler proof baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup Bechamel with 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce.  Toss with 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken.  Fold in 3/4 grated Gruyere cheese, 2 oz thinly sliced deli ham (cut into 1/2 inch pieces), 1/2 a small red onion (finely chopped), 1 Tbsp fresh tarragon (chopped), and 1/2 tsp pepper.

Spoon the mixture into the shells (about 1/4 cup each) and place on top of the sauce.  In a bowl combine 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs and 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil.  Sprinkle over the shells.  Cover with foil and bake until the shells are heated through, 12-15 minutes.  Heat broiler.  Uncover and broil until the cheese begins to brown, 2-3 minutes.

Ham a la King in Pastry Shells

If you're looking for a homemade, rich cheese sauce infused with wine, look no further.  This would be delicious on so many things -- from pasta to chicken to vegetables and everything in between.

I had trouble getting this to thicken, which I think is because I used 1% milk.  I would either reduce the milk to 1 cup or increase the fat content, perhaps even use half and half or cream.  I used 1/2 pound of diced ham and it was plenty.  I think using the full amount will be way too much.  I didn't buy pastry shells -- I used Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits instead.

This recipe comes from a gem of a cookbook I checked out of the library called Cooking with Wine by Virginia and Robert Hoffman.

Ham a la King in Pastry Shells

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 small onion, minced

1 pound ham, diced

2 Tbsp butter or margarine

2 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3/4 cup Chardonnay wine or Sherry (I used Stone Cellars Chardonnay)

1 cup frozen petite peas

6 prepared individual pastry shells, baked according to directions

On low heat, saute the pepper, onion, and ham until tender.  Set aside.  (The recipe doesn't say what to do with the peas -- I just tossed them into this mixture at this point.)

In a saucepan, make the cheese sauce by slowly melting the butter.  After it is melted, add the flour 1 Tbsp at a time, stirring constantly.  Add the milk slowly, and continue stirring.  Then, slowly add the cheese.  Still stirring constantly, add the wine or Sherry.  Cook over low heat until it bubbles.  (I cooked it over medium and it took awhile to bubble)  Add the meat and vegetables.

Pour into prepared pastry shells.  Serves 6.

Serve with a Chardonnay or Pinot Blanc.

Caramelized Ham and Swiss Buns

These are FANTASTIC!!  The sweetness of the brown sugar combines with the horseradish to make an unbelievable taste in your mouth.  Simply divine.

You make them a day ahead and bake them before you want to serve them.  They are easy and delicious!  I made them for our Christmas party, but they would make an excellent brunch or dinner anytime.  You could also serve them as an appetizer before dinner.

I will definitely be making these again!  This time I doubled the recipe, but forgot to double the sauce.  It was a happy accident because I wouldn't have wanted more sauce!  The amount was just perfect.  I think I might half the sauce if I only made 12 sandwiches in the future.

Based on the leftovers, I think I better make 36 instead of 24 for next year's party!

The recipe comes from the December 2013 issue of Taste of Home.

Caramelized Ham and Swiss Buns

1 package (12 ounces) Hawaiian sweet rolls, split

1/2 cup horseradish sauce
12 slices deli ham (I used Black Forest Ham from Giant Eagle's deli)
6 slices Swiss cheese, halved (I bought a brick and shaved it on the cheese grater)
1/2 cup butter, cubed
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard (I used Dijon because that's what I had)
2 tsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Spread roll bottoms with horseradish sauce. Layer with ham and cheese; replace tops. Arrange in a single layer in a greased 9 in.square baking pan. 

In a small skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour over rolls. Refrigerate, covered, several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake, covered, 25 minutes. Bake, uncovered, 5-10 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

This isn't very good for you.  But OH is it worth it!

Lately I've been tweaking recipes, either because I don't have exactly what the recipe calls for or I want to jazz it up a bit.  Here is what I did instead:

• I never buy garlic salt, so I used minced garlic.  I think it was a little less than 1/2 tsp.
• I've never even heard of onion salt!  I chopped up 2 green onions from the garden instead.
• I use penne all the time.  I thought gemelli would be more fun!
• When I read this recipe I was surprised it didn't have any mustard in it.  So I added about 2 Tbsp of dijon.  I think the sauce would have tasted flat without it, so I highly recommend adding it.
• Next time I think I'd also add some thyme to it.

This recipe appeared in the September/October issue of Taste of Home.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

3 cups uncooked penne pasta
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened and cubed
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic dalt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups sliced cooked chicken breast
3/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon
3/4 cup cubed fully cooked ham
3 Tbsp dry bread crumbs

My additions:
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 to 1 tsp thyme
chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 350.  Cook pasta according to directions for al dente.  Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat cream and cream cheese over medium heat until smooth, stirring occasionally.  Stir in one cup of cheese, onion powder, garlic salt and pepper until blended.

In a bowl, combine chicken, bacon, ham, and pasta.  Add sauce.  Toss to coat.  Transfer to a greased 13x9 baking dish.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese and top with bread crumbs.  Bake, uncovered 18-22 minutes or until heated through.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza

This is super easy and really tasty!  I don't normally make recipes that use so many pre-made ingredients, but sometimes you just want something quick and simple.  And yummy!

This comes from the April/May 2010 issue of Taste of Home.  I don't have a picture, but I'll get one next time I make it!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza

1 tube refrigerated pizza crust (13.8 oz)
1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
10 breaded chicken nuggets, thawed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces*
1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

Unroll dough into a greased 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan (or whatever you would normally make pizza in!).  Flatten dough and build up edges slightly.  Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes or until edges are light browned.

Spread with Alfredo sauce.  Sprinkle with garlic salt and Swiss cheese.  Top with ham, chicken nuggets and mozzarella.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

* When making chicken nuggets, I sometimes find that they get soggy if you let them just sit out to "thaw."  You might want to cook them first to keep the coating crunchy instead.

Ham 'n' Cheese Bow Ties

This is another recipe from my latest Taste of Home casseroles booklet (and can be found online). It was fairly simple to put together, and the cheese melted quickly! I used the Rachael Ray (where I've seen it anyway) trick of a microplane for the garlic so there aren't any chunks. The only pre-shredded Colby cheese I could find at the store was a Colby-Jack blend, so I went with that. It is *so* cheesy that I would say that you probably don't need to bother with the extra half cup of cheese (since the packages are labeled approximately 2 cups), although I haven't tried it to be sure. I now have 1 1/2 cups of shredded colby-jack to find a use for though. The only other thing I would do differently is to make the ham a bit more bite sized as my julienned strips were a bit longer than I liked in hindsight. We had green salad alongside to balance out all the cheese.

Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 2-1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded Colby cheese
• 2 cups uncooked bow tie pasta, cooked and drained
• 6 to 8 ounces fully cooked ham, julienned
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• In a large saucepan, saute garlic in butter for 1 minute. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Stir in mustard and Colby cheese; cook and stir until cheese is melted. Add pasta and ham; stir until coated.
• Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Linguine with Ham and Swiss Cheese

We found this recipe in the Taste of Home Casseroles booklet. We don't make it very often because it's so rich with the sour cream and cheese, but it's soooo tasty! And it looks amazing when you pull it out of the oven, all golden and bubbly.



8 ounces uncooked linguine, broken in half
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded swiss cheese, divided
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Cook linguine according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the ham, soup, 2 cups cheese, sour cream, onion, green pepper and butter. Add the pasta, toss to coat.
2. Transfer to a greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish. cover and bake at 350* for 35 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Croque Monsieur Pockets

These were easy to make and super yummy!

My only problem was rolling out the dough as wide as they suggested.  It was just not possible!  So mine were a bit puffier.  But they stayed closed and tasted great!

This recipe comes from the October 2011 issue of Food Network Magazine.

Croque Monsieur Pockets

1 cup grated gruyere (3 oz) (I used swiss -- much cheaper!)
1 cup deli sliced ham, chopped (4 oz)
2 tsp dijon mustard (I might try honey dijon next time)
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (I used a few shakes of dried)
pinch of cayenne pepper (I skipped this)
1 11 oz tube of refrigerated French bread dough
1 large egg
flour for dusting
vegetable oil for pan

Preheat oven to 425.  Mix cheese, ham, mustard, nutmeg and pepper in bowl until combined.  Squeeze the mixture together with your hands to make it compact.

Brush a baking sheet lightly with vegetable oil.  Cut the dough into four pieces.  On a floured surface, roll out the dough into 6 x 8 inch rectangles. (good luck with that)  Fill the pockets and close the sides. 

Place the pockets seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet.  Beat the egg and 1 Tbsp water in a small bowl.  Brush the pockets with the egg wash.  Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Stuffed Ham Rolls

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home annual cookbook. Ham, swiss cheese, and stuffing - how bad can that be? Mine didn't come out as pretty as the picture, but they were very tasty! And although I underestimated how long they would take to put together, they weren't very hard or complicated to make. I could only fit 4 rolls at a time in my pan, comfortably, so another time I would split the butter between the batches. Definitely one I'd make again (and I'll get a picture the next time).

Ingredients

• 2 cups seasoned stuffing cubes
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 fully cooked ham slices (1/8 inch thick)
• 8 slices Swiss cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the stuffing, boiling water and 2 teaspoons butter. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Top each ham slice with a cheese slice. Place 1/4 cup stuffing off-center over cheese. Roll up and secure with a toothpick.
• In a shallow bowl, combine egg and water. In another shallow bowl, add bread crumbs. Dip ham rolls in egg mixture, then roll in crumbs.
• In a large skillet, saute ham rolls in remaining butter for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Discard toothpicks. Yield: 4 servings.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bread Bowl Casseroles

Oh. My. GOD. I made these for dinner tonight for the first time and they were FANTASTIC!!!!! I got the bread bowls from Panera's.  They get really crusty pre-toasting them, but they were YUMMY.  It created a delicious texture with the mustard sauce and the perfectly cooked chicken.  There is nothing at all I would change about this recipe.  But it would also be good over toasted baguettes as a dinner or an appetizer. I got this recipe in my email from Cuisine at Home eRecipes. Chicken Cordon Bleu Bread Bowl Casseroles For the chicken: 2  Tbsp. unsalted butter

¾ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

¼ cup minced shallots

1 Tbsp. flour

½ cup apple juice or cider

½ cup low-sodium chicken broth

¼ cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan

1 Tbsp. stone-ground mustard

½ tsp. dried thyme

1 cup broccoli florets, blanched (or frozen thawed)

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste (I used regular pepper)

For the casserole:

2 round 6-inch sourdough loaves

4-6 thin slices smoked ham

2 slices Swiss cheese, divided (I used shredded)

2  tsp. grated Parmesan, divided

Preheat oven to 400°. Coat a small baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Melt butter over medium-high heat in a sauté pan. Add chicken and sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

Stir in shallots and sauté until softened, 2 minutes. Sprinkle mixture with flour, cook 1 minute.

Combine apple juice and broth; slowly add, stirring constantly to avoid clumping.

Stir in cream, Parmesan, mustard, and thyme; simmer after each addition until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli; season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low.

Hollow out loaves by cutting off tops and tearing out insides. (Remove as much bread as possible.) Compress any remaining bread inside loaves to make room for filling. Toast loaves directly on oven rack, about 5 minutes; remove to prepared baking sheet. 

Arrange ham slices in bottom of each loaf. Using a slotted spoon, divide chicken mixture evenly between loaves, reserving sauce in pan. Top the chicken in each loaf with a slice of Swiss and sprinkle with 1 tsp. Parmesan.

Bake casseroles until cheese melts, 7–10 minutes. (For extra browning, broil casseroles on high, 3–5 minutes.)

Pour reserved cream sauce over each casserole.

This is what they look like when you get into them!

Ham Tetrazzini

I served this dish for my very first dinner party in Cooperstown back in 1997 (of course, it has soup in it!).  It was a hit with my "friend" Chris then, and it's a hit with my husband Chris today!

This recipe comes from my mom.  I have no idea where she got it from, but it is real comfort food for me.  It's quick and easy, and makes a delicious weeknight dinner.

Ham Tetrazzini

1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 to 1/2 soup can water (add until desired consistency)
1 tsp parsley
2 ham steaks, cubed
3/4 block extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I like white because it looks better)
8 oz egg noodles

Cook egg noodles according to the package directions.

Melt the butter in a frying pan.  Cook onions until soft and slightly carmelized.  Add soup and water.  Stir to mix.  Cook on low-medium heat for 5 minutes. 

Add parsley, ham cubes and shredded cheese.  Cook and stir until cheese is melted and ham is heated through.

Stir sauce into egg noodles and serve hot.

Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake

I adore this recipe. Found it on allrecipes.com. It's easy to make since the pasta cooks while it bakes. And I use the minced garlic from the jar and buy the cubed ham from the market. If you're going the easy route, might as well go all the way! This last time I tried switching the pasta to penne (not that you can see it with all the cheese in the picture), and some of the pasta was a bit more al dente than it should've been, but it was still tasty.

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package rotini pasta
1 (26 ounce) jar onion and garlic spaghetti sauce
1 pound thickly sliced honey baked ham, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine dry pasta, spaghetti sauce, ham, garlic, onion powder and pepper. Fill sauce jar with water, and pour over mixture. Mix well, and spoon into 9x13 inch casserole dish. Cover tightly with foil.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes. Carefully remove foil, then sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Bow-Ties with Peas and Ham

This is from the magazine Everyday Food. I used the cubed/diced ham from the store, since I felt lazy. I was rather pleased with it and will make it again.

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6.

• 1 pound bow-tie pasta (farfalle)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 10 ounces (2 cups) frozen peas
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 pound cooked ham
• Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain pasta; return to pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add peas and half-and-half; season with salt and pepper. Simmer until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Cut ham into strips. Add to sauce; cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Toss sauce with pasta. Serve with grated Parmesan.