Recipe for Rosemary Chicken and Smoked Ham with Cheese Fondue Topping

 

My goal for this dish was for something similar to Chicken Cordon Bleu in a skillet.  Although it didn't turn out quite the same, it's still quite good.

The smoked ham helps add a wonderful flavor to this dish, along with the rosemary and cheese fondue.

This entire recipe is flexible enough to alter to your taste preferences and for what you have available to you.


Ingredients:
(The quantity of meat in this recipe can easily be reduced.)
3 pounds of chicken breast (cut into pieces)

1 1/2 pounds smoked ham (cut into pieces)
1 - 2 tablespoons of rosemary
1/2 - 1 tablespoon of black pepper
1/2 - 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
1 yellow onion (cut)
4 green onions (cut)
1 package of Cheese Fondue (you can make your own too)


You can use leftovers to make this dish.  I had on-hand a 3 pound bag of frozen chicken breasts.  I also had on-hand a 1.65 pound package of smoked ham that was originally purchased for another dish that I never made.  For this recipe you will need a very large skillet to fit it all in!

The ham in this recipe is already cooked, so start off with the chicken.  Thaw the chicken if it is frozen.  Cut the chicken in half two ways for smaller and thinner pieces.

Add the chicken, rosemary and pepper to your skillet.  Brown the chicken on both sides.

Next, add the ham pieces, red wine vinegar and onions.

Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Melt the cheese fondue according to the package's directions, or you can make your own from scratch.  I place mine in a small pan on the stove to melt.

I did not add the cheese fondue to the meat in the skillet.  Each person simply topped their own so they got the amount they wanted.  Cheese fondue has somewhat of a strong flavor for some people, so not everyone will want it on their chicken and ham. 

This dish was served with cream and honey biscuits and rice.  It would also be great with a crusty bread and couscous.

Recipe for Homemade Dog Treats

Our dogs absolutely love these!

Ingredients - Use organic & whole grain when possible
1 - 15 ounce can of pure pumpkin
3 eggs
2 Tablespoons of honey
6 heaping spoonfuls of peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix the wet ingredients together first (pumpkin, eggs, honey and peanut butter).

Add the salt, cinnamon, flour and oats to your wet mixture.
The dough will be thick and sticky.  At this point, I use my hands to blend and knead the dough.

Place the dough on parchment paper and roll to a approximately 1/4 inch thickness.  I have found that if I let the dough rest for about 5 minutes, it will not be as sticky and is easier to work with.

Use a cookie cutter or knife and cut your dough.  Place dog treats on an ungreased cookie sheet.  I line the cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until hard at 350 degrees.  Turn the dog treats over after the first 15 minutes of baking. 

I have made these several times.  Each time I make them our dogs can smell them and start getting excited while they are still in the oven.  I have given some away to friends and family too.  Everyone is surprise at how much their dog enjoys these treats.  Don't be surprised if your dog lures you to where you keep their treats to get you to give them more!

Recipe for Nacho Cheese Chicken Soup

This nacho cheese chicken soup is fairly quick and easy to make.

Ingredients
1 - 15 ounce can nacho cheese dip
1 - 32 ounce container of chicken broth
2 - 12.5 ounce cans of canned chunk chicken (You can substitute with leftover chicken meat.)

Garnish - 1 green onion and / or cilantro leaves.

Whisk together the nacho cheese dip and chicken broth in a pot on medium heat.  Then, add chicken.  Heat to desired temperature, garnish and enjoy!

 

Spaghetti Squash Chicken Alfredo Recipe

I love pasta, but I was very excited to find a substitute for some of my pasta dishes.  It will not replace all pasta, but it offers a great alternative to some of your simple pasta dishes.

Spaghetti Squash is a winter squash that contains many nutrients and is low in calories. 


Ingredients
1 Spaghetti Squash
1 Rotissarie Chicken (remove the skin and debone)
1 Jar Alfredo Sauce
1 Package frozen broccoli florets
1/4 - 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (for topping)
Black Pepper to Taste

Cut the Spaghetti Squash in half (I cut it lenghwise), scoop out the seeds and discard.  Place both halves cut-side down on baking sheet.  Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

While the squash is baking, debone the rotissarie chicken and cut into pieces.

Steam the frozen broccoli.

After the squash has baked for an hour, remove it from the oven and use a spoon to remove the squash from the outter peel.  It will look a bit like spaghetti noodles as you scoop it out.  Discard the outter peel.

Mix together the squash, chicken, broccoli and alfredo sauce.  Place it in an oven safe dish (either a cake pan or casserole dish).  Sprinkle the parmesan cheese and black pepper on top.  Place the dish in the oven at 350 degrees for another 10 - 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Recipe for a Tasty and Quick Breakfast: Pancakes, Strawberries, Chocolate Fondue and Whipped Topping

To make pancakes, chocolate fondue, homemade whipped topping and fresh strawberries for breakfast may sound more elaborate than it really is. 

For the pancakes, I used Krusteaz buttermilk instant mix (the kind that you just add water).  The instructions are on the package.  I usually add a couple dashes of cinnamon and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

The chocolate fondue is also instant - just melt in the microwave and enjoy.  Swiss Knight Imported Fondue Au Chocolat (7 oz container available at Walmart in the deli/cheese area).

Fresh strawberries rinsed and the stems removed.

For the whipped topping, I used 1/2 pint of heavy whipping cream, 6 heaping spoonfuls of powdered sugar and about 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

• Place bowl and beaters to your mixer in the freezer for several minutes to get them really cold.
• Pour the heavy whipping cream into your chilled bowl and mix until it starts to thicken.
• Add the powdered sugar and mix some more until you start to see ripples or waves.
• Add the vanilla extra and mix some more until you are able to lift the beaters and some of the whipped topping will form peaks.

You can use pre-packaged whipped topping, but homemade tastes so much better and it's very fast and easy to make.

Recipe for Excellent Chicken Pot Pie - Easy to Make!



Chicken Pot Pie



This pot pie is very easy to make and tastes wonderful!

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken (pre-cooked from your grocer’s deli)

1 pound bag of frozen mixed vegetables

2 cans of Campbell’s Cream of Chicken soup

1 package of 2 refrigerated pie crusts (near the cookie dough in your grocery store). 

¼ cup of water

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon dried rosemary

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon coarse ground pepper



Chicken mixture before top crust.



A little paprika sprinkled on top of crust.

My seasonings are rarely measured.  I tend to pour until it smells good.  Use less or more of the seasonings based on your taste preferences.  You can add just about any seasoning you like with chicken and vegetables to this.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Pull the chicken meat off of the bone and chop as needed to small pieces.

Mix chicken, Cream of Chicken, water, frozen vegetables and seasonings in a medium to large bowl.



Right before going into the oven.





Place 1 of the refrigerated pie crusts on the bottom of an ungreased, deep dish pie plate.

Pour your chicken mixture into your pie dish.

Place the other pie crust on top and seal the edges.

Sprinkle paprika on the top pie crust.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour until done.

A great variation would be to use smoked turkey legs instead of chicken. 














No Leftover's With This Dish!




Recipe for Celery - Mushroom - Onion - Parsnip - Apple Soup

Soup with Celery Onion & Parsnips

We juice lots of fruits and vegetables for breakfast and lunch.  Today, I made a quick and easy soup with some leftovers.  Many of my recipes are based on odds and ends we have on hand in the pantry or frig. 

The ingredients may sound a little odd, but they work well together.  It cooks up fast, meaning the vegetables soften quickly.  Because of the sweetness of the parsnips and apple, I chose White Zinfandel and cinnamon as 2 of the ingredients.  Celery is great for working well in just about any flavor direction you choose.  This soup isn't sweet like dessert, but is more savory with the earthy flavors of the cumin and rosemary.

I garnished it with provolone cheese and served pumpernickel bread on the side.

Ingredients
1 entire package of celery chopped (even the leaves)
3 parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 yellow onion chopped
1 Fuji apple, peeled and chopped
32 ounce container of Swanson organic vegetable broth
2 packages of Lipton Mushroom Onion soup mix (the dry powder kind)
Couple shakes of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup White Zinfandel wine
1/2 tablespoon Mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon of Garlic powder
Couple shakes of Cumin powder
Couple shakes of Cinnamon powder
Couple pinches of dried Rosemary
1/2 teaspoon of salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper or to taste
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Chop the onions first and saute in your pot with the olive oil and pepper.  Add your ingredients into the pot and boil just until soft (approximately 20 minutes).

Garnish with provolone cheese.
Goes well with pumpernickel bread.