Chicken Cordon Bleu Puffs

These chicken, ham, and swiss puffs have the most delicious sauce.  Ready in 1 hour.  Serves 10.

Ingredients:
2 sheets of puffed pastry (Like Pepperidge Farm)

4 chicken breast halves (2.5 lbs) skinless, boneless chicken breast diced
14 slices swiss cheese
12 slices ham (I purchase the thicker slices at the Deli counter)
3/4 cup flour
4 tsp paprika
6 Tbsp butter
Sauce: (We double the sauce and use as gravy over mashed potatoes) 

1/2 cup dry white wine (do not omit this!)
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup heavy whipping cream


Directions:

1. Allow puffed pastry to thaw according to package directions.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
3. Mix the flour and paprika in a bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.
4. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until lightly browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 7-10 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear - remove chicken and turn the skillet down to warm.
5. (While chicken is simmering) roll out pastry sheets on lightly floured surface into a long rectangle. Transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. In the middle of each pastry sheet, with the long ends on the top and bottom, place 3 slices Swiss cheese. Top with 3 slices ham. Top with a layer of chicken.
7. Top chicken with 3 more slices cheese & 3 slices of ham.
8. Fold top side over middle. Fold bottom side over middle.
9. Flip puff pastry and tuck in the ends. Cut slits into the top of the puff pastry.
10. Repeat steps 5-9 for 2nd pastry.
11. Bake both pastries for 25 minutes (or until the the crust is brown and flaky). Allow pastries to cool for 5 minutes.
12. When puffs have 5 minutes remaining cook time, turn the skillet back up to medium-high heat. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet where the chicken was cooked. Add remaining 2 slices of Swiss cheese. Cook, stirring until thickened. Serve warm over slices of the puffs.

Leprauchan Cinnamon Waffles

My husband and I created these waffles for St. Patrick's Day, but end up making them almost weekly. They're so yummy, light and fluffy, and we feel like they're a healthy alternative to traditional waffles.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup flour (or a combo of white, wheat, or oat flours, see directions below)
1 TBSP baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 3/4 cup unsweetened Almond Breeze almond milk

1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 cups spinach leaves (or more!)

Directions:
Heat your waffle iron. I use the ceramic Presto flipside Belgian waffle iron, it doesn't require any nonstick cooking spray and waffles are done perfectly in 3 minutes.

A note on the flour - My favorite method is to measure out two cups of instant quick oats, I use 2 cups instead of 1 3/4 cup flour because the oats grind down to about 1 3/4 cups oat flour. This recipe is also good with full white flour, half wheat flour and half white flour, or all oat flour. Combine all ingredients into the blender and blend until there aren't any traces of leaves and everything is smooth. Let the batter rest for 3-4 minutes so that it can thicken up.

After the batter has rested for 3-4 minutes and is thicker, pour 1 cup batter onto the waffle iron grids of a preheated (greased if needed) waffle iron. Close lid and bake according to waffle iron instructions. Mine cook perfectly in exactly 3 minutes. When done, use a fork to gently lift waffle off grid. Makes ~4 waffles. Serve immediately, these tend to get a little soft as they sit, so they are best eaten fresh off the griddle while they are still slightly crispy.

Optional: top with chopped walnuts, chocolate chips, or strawberries & whipped cream.

Sopa de Fideo

This dinner was super quick to whip up, done in under 30 minutes. The kids all agreed it was delicious! Serves 8

Ingredients:
1/2 onion, quartered
6-7 Roma tomatoes, quartered
1 tsp minced garlic
2 TBSPs chicken bouillon
2 TBSPs tomato bouillon
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
pinch of cumin
2 cups of water
2 TBSP olive oil
16 ounce package of fideo (or vermicelli)
another 4-5 cups of water
1-2 tsp fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. In a blender place onion, tomatoes, minced garlic, chicken bouillon, tomato bouillon, pepper, cumin, and 2 cups of water. Puree until smooth and set aside
2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering add the fideo. If using vermicelli break up the sticks into smaller sections. Stir for 1-2 minutes until fideo/vermicelli is slightly toasted, but not burned.
3. Stir in the pureed mixture into the fideo until the puree thickens and darkens, about 5 minutes.
4. Add remaining 4-5 cups of water and bring soup to a boil. Add in cilantro, cover and reduce to low heat and cook for 10 minutes or until pasta is tender.
5. Serve warm, topped with more fresh cilantro leaves if desired.

THE BEST baked chicken and rice casserole

Ingredients:
2 cups white rice
1 white onion diced
6 TBSP butter, melted
2 TBSP flour
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4-6 chicken thighs
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.
2. In the 9x13 pan stir rice, onion, 3 TBSP melted butter, and flour together until the flour has no more visible white specks. pour in chicken broth, heavy cream, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
3. Place chicken thighs on top of the the rice mixture. Brush remaining melted butter on top and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and garlic powder.
4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake another 30 minutes until rice and chicken are cooked through and the chicken skin cripss up. Serve hot.

Crock Pot Salmon and Vegetables

Ingredients:
4-6 salmon fillets
1 package frozen vegetables (stir fry, asian, classic)
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 TBSP Soy Sauce
2 TBSP Honey
2 TBSP Lemon Juice
1 tsp sesame seeds, optional

Directions:

1. Dump the frozen vegetables in the slow cooker.
2. Season the salmon with salt and pepper to taste
3. Place the salmon on top of the vegetables.
4. Mix together the soy sauce, honey, and lemon juice. Drizzle it all over the salmon in the crock pot.
5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.
6. Cover and cook on LOW 3+ hours, until the salmon is done to your liking. 
7. Serve over rice, if desired.
8. Drizzle everything with the sauce from the slow cooker.

Instant Pot 15 Bean Ham Soup

Ingredients:
1 TBSP olive oil
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
1 package (20 ounces) Hurst's Beans 15 Bean Soup
8 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups cooked diced ham
15 ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Turn Instant Pot to "saute" and add the oil to the pot. Once the oil is hot, add the carrots, celery, and onion and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
2. Open the bean package and discard the ham seasoning. Rinse and sort through the beans. Add them to the Instant Pot along with the chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaf. 
3. Turn the Instant Pot to High Pressure and set the vent to "pressure." Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes.
4. Once the soup has cooked for 45 minutes, allow the pressure to release naturally - about 20 minutes.
5. Remove the lid and stir in the tomatoes, ham, and lemon juice. Add salt to taste. Stir well and let set for 5 minutes to allow the ham to heat through.
6. Serve hot.

Skillet Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Penne Pasta

Ingredients:
1/4 cup diced green onion
1 lb milk Italian sausage
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
12 oz penne pasta
3 cups peeled and diced butternut squash
3 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, combine the green onion and sausage. Cook over medium heat, breaking up the meat into small pieces, and cooking until the sausage is cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Scrape the mixture to a plate and return the skillet back to the heat.

1. Add the chicken broth and pasta and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking and the pasta clumping together. Stir in the squash and simmer 5-7 minutes longer until the squash and pasta are both tender. As the squash breaks down, it will help bring a creaminess to the sauce and pasta so add more liquid, if necessary, while cooking if the mixture seems dry.

1. Stir in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until the spinach is wilted. Add the sausage/green onion mixture back to the skillet and stir in the mozzarella cheese and add salt and pepper to taste.

1. Off the heat, cover the skillet with a lid or foil and let the pasta sit for 5-10 minutes. Give it a good stir and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

*Adapted from Mels Kitchen Cafe