Chicken Cordon Bleu

This has always been one of my favorite things.  It's really easy and yet I never seem to remember to make it. 

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 6 slices Swiss cheese
• 4 slices cooked ham
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 7x11 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness.
3. Sprinkle each piece of chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 cheese slice and 1 ham slice on top of each breast. Roll up each breast, and secure with a toothpick. Place in baking dish, and sprinkle chicken evenly with bread crumbs.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from oven, and place 1/2 cheese slice on top of each breast. Return to oven for 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove toothpicks, and serve immediately.

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 419 | Total Fat: 19.4g | Cholesterol: 124mg

Glazed Ham with Pineapple Mustard Sauce

This is a great glaze with a mild mustard sauce

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil for greasing pan
• 1 (8- to 10-pound) partially cooked smoked shank-end ham (preferably Cook's brand)
• 3 cups unsweetened pineapple juice (24 fl ounces)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 cup Dijon mustard (7 ounces)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

• Special equipment: an instant-read thermometer

• Garnish: sprigs of fresh thyme

Directions

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Oil a large roasting pan.

If ham comes wrapped in plastic, rinse ham and pat dry. Cut away and discard any thick skin with a sharp paring knife, leaving a 1-inch band around shank end, then cut away all but about an 1/8-inch layer of fat where possible. Put ham, cut side down, in roasting pan. Pour 3/4 cup pineapple juice around ham and cover pan tightly with foil, then bake 1 hour.

While ham is baking, combine sugar and remaining 2 1/4 cups pineapple juice in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan and gently boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 3/4 cup, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer pineapple syrup to a bowl and cool 5 minutes. Whisk in mustard, salt, and pepper, then pour 1/2 cup into a small bowl and stir in thyme. Reserve remaining mustard mixture for serving.

Discard foil from pan and brush ham with thyme mustard mixture, then bake, basting with pan juices occasionally, until thermometer inserted into center of meat (do not touch bone) registers 145 to 150°F, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. If pan juices evaporate during baking, add 1/2 cup water. Transfer ham to a platter, discarding pan juices, and let stand, uncovered, 15 to 30 minutes before slicing. Serve ham with reserved mustard mixture on the side.

Cooks' notes: ·Pineapple mustard mixture, without thyme, can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
·Ham can be trimmed of skin and fat 8 hours ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking.

Creamy Potato Casserole

This is an excellent recipe if your a fan of Gruyere cheese and Dijon mustard, both of which I love. Follow the recipe closely as there are a few tricks to getting the potatos cooked through.

Ingredients

1 medium onion chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tsbp Dijon style mustard
1 3/4 cups milk
4 oz of cream cheese
4 oz of Gruyere cheese
1 tbsp snipped fresh chives or green onions
6 red or Yukon gold potatoes cut into 1/8" wedges
8 oz sliced cooked ham or canadian bacon

Preparation

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 2 quart rectangular baking dish with cover; set aside.

2) For sauce, in medium saucepan cook onion in hot butter over medium heat 5 minutes or until tender; stirring occationally.

3) Stir in flour and mustard.

4) Add milk all at once, cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low.

5) Whisk in cream cheese until smooth.

6) Gradually add 1/2 cup of the Gruyere cheese until cheese is melted. Sirt in Chives or Green onions.

7) In bowl combine potatoes, ham and sauce; toss gently to bombine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.

8) Bake, covered, 1 hour or until potatoes are tender, stir carefully about every 20 minutes.

9) Uncover, and sprinkle with crushed chips and remaining cheese.

10) Bake uncovered for 15 minutes more or untli cheese is melted.

11) Let stand 10 minutes before serving,.