Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Can't find the photo.  THIS WILL BE MY LAST POST AT THIS BLOG ADDRESS.  E-mail me for the future blog address and I'll put you on my list, but only if I know who you are.  Don't know when this will happen.  People that I despise have been able to access this wee blog.

I had one small package of Christmas ham and shredded Swiss cheese in the freezer that badly needed a home.  And a local supermarket had split chicken breasts for $1/lb.  A chicken cordon bleu sounded good, but I really didn't want to the trouble of rolling traditional rolls.  A quick search of a chicken cordon bleu casserole turned up a slew of recipes.  I opted for the one from Food Network.

It was really easy to assemble.  I always have some cooked chicken breasts on hand (or use a rotisserie chicken) and then I just chopped the ham and made the sauce.  I served this with the Cauliflower Gratin Bake and some sautéed zucchini.  For a dish in one, you could add some parcooked broccoli.  No side dishes needed in that case.

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU CASSEROLE (

2-3 Tbsp butter

1 cup small-cubed ham

heaping 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

heaping 1/2 cup shredded Jack cheese

2 cups cooked chicken breasts, cubed

1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp flour

1 cup milk

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

smidgen cayenne powder, or to taste

S&P to taste

Preheat oven to 350F.  Prepare an 8x8 baking dish.

Put ham on a paper towel-lined dish and microwave for 3 minutes to reduce moisture content (that sounded like a long time to me......I put mine in a paper towel and squeezed out any excess moisture).  Mix Swiss and Jack cheeses in a small bowl and set aside.

Put about a 1/3 of the chicken in the bottom of the baking dish.  Top with half of the ham.  Sprinkle 2-3 Tbsp of cheese.  Repeat one more time and top with the remaining chicken.

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Put the Panko in a small bowl and pour half of the melted butter and mix.  Set aside.

Add the flour to the remaining melted butter and cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking out any lumps.  Whisk in milk, broth, Dijon, and cayenne and let it cook until it begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese until melted. Season with S&P.

Pour the sauce over the casserole.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and the Panko mix.  Bake until the top is browned and the casserole is bubbly, about 25-30 minutes.

Recipe Source:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/chicken-cordon-bleu-casserole

Cauliflower Gratin Bake

I picked up a big, lovely head of cauliflower the other day and it had just so happened that Kristin had posted a cauliflower recipe a few weeks ago that sounded to good to pass up.  But Mel, my other favorite blogger, had something similar on her blog.  So this was a combination of the two.

CAULIFLOWER GRATIN BAKE (3-4 servings)

1/2 head of large cauliflower, but into large florets

1 1/2 Tbsp butter

1 1/2 Tbsp flour

1 medium fresh garlic clove, minced

1 cup milk, room temp

3/4 cup shredded cheese (mixture of Swiss, Jack, Cheddar, Parmesan, your choice)

1/2 tsp dry mustard

smidgen of cayenne, optional, or to taste

Topping:

1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1/2 Tbsp butter

1-2 Tbsp shredded cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add cauliflower.  Look cook for about 2 minutes (not mushy....al dente).  Drain.  Set aside.

In small saucepan, melt butter.  Whisk in flour over medium heat.  Whisk for a few minutes.  Add garlic until fragrant, no more than a minute.  Slowly add milk and continually whisk until thickened.  Remove from heat.  Stir in cheese and whisk until melted.  Add dry mustard and cayenne, if using.  Pour into an 8x8 baking dish.

Combine topping ingredients in a food processor.  Sprinkle over cauliflower.

Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes.

Recipe Adapted from: Iowa Girl Eats and Mel's Kitchen Cafe