Chicken Cordon Bleu Calzones!!!

I had posted the recipe below for "Breaded Ranch Chicken", and that was what I planned on making for dinner last night, but then after I looked at my menu, I realized that I really wanted to try the Chicken Calzones.....so that is what I ended up making.

They were delicious and SO filling. The kids LOVED them, and hey, anything that gets the kids eating is good enough for me :)

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU CALZONES

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 pound)
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/4 cups milk
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 package (17.3 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed
8 thin slices of deli ham
4 slices of provolone cheese
Additional milk, optional

1. Place chicken in a greased 2-qt. baking dish; cover with water. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute mushrooms and onion in butter until tender. Combine cornstarch and milk until smooth; stir into skillet. Add seasonings. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
2. Drain chicken. Cut pastry sheets in half width-wise. One one side of each half, place a chicken breast, 1/4 cup mushroom mixture, two ham slices and one cheese slice. Fold pastry over filling; seal edges. Place on a greased baking sheet. Brush tops with milk if desired. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until puffed and golden.

BREADED RANCH CHICKEN!!!

I love making this chicken, it's quick and easy to prepare and very tasty.

BREADED RANCH CHICKEN

3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

In a shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and salad dressing mix. Dip chicken in butter, then roll in breadcrumbs to coat. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

BEEF STEW!!!

I found this recipe a few years ago, in one of my numerous Taste of Home big books, and I've made it often. It's deliscious and one of those stick-to-your-ribs meals.

BEEF STEW

2 pounds meaty beef soup bones, beef shanks or short ribs
6 cups of water 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (28 ouncs) plum tomatoes, undrained
1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced, optional
1 bay leaf, optional
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water

Place soup bones and water in a soup kettle or Dutch oven. Slowly bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours. Set beef bones aside until cool enough to handle. Remove meat from bones; discard bones and return meat to broth. Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, barley, tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic and bay leaf if desired. Cover and simmer for 50-60 minutes or until vegetables and barley are tender. Discard bay leaf. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into stew. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Yield: 10 servings

FIVE INGREDIENTS FRIDAY!!! Aug. 18th

So here we are again, another friday and time to hit the ON button on my printer and get ready to enjoy all the wonderful recipes being shared in blog world.

Overwhelmed with Joy started this feature, so go on over and either add your name to the list or if not, then go ahead and check out all the great recipes.

The recipe I'm sharing today is for a Crockpot Chicken Supreme.
You can substitute different types of cheese and different flavors of condensed soup to change the flavor of this fabulous, easy slow cooker recipe.

CROCKPOT CHICKEN SUPREME

INGREDIENTS:

* 3 slices bacon
* 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
* 10 oz. can condensed cream of chicken soup
* 4 oz. jar sliced mushrooms, drained
* 1/2 cup chopped swiss cheese

PREPARATION:
In large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon and set aside in refrigerator.

In bacon drippings in skillet, cook chicken over medium heat 3-5 minutes or until light brown, turning once.

Place in 4-6 quart slow cooker. Top with mushrooms. In skillet, heat soup and pour over mushrooms and chicken. Cover and cook on low setting for 4 hours.

Top chicken with cheese slices and sprinkle with bacon. Cover and cook on high for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. 6 servings

Smothered Steaks!!!

I was recently going through all my cookbooks, and I found some that I had totally forgotten existed. It was like finding money in a coat pocket that's been stashed away for a long time.....that's how giddy I get with cookbooks :)

The one I picked up was called "43 Healthy Soul Food Recipes". It had some really neat recipes in it, but the one I picked to try today is called "Smothered Steak", it looks really good and anything to do with steaks is usually a winner in our house. Meaning, the kids will eat it without forcing, bribing or threatening to remove all snacks from the house LOL

SMOTHERED STEAK
Serves: 4

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 eye-of-round steaks (about 4 ounces each), all visible fat discarded
2 teaspoons canola or corn oil
8 ounces sliced button mushrooms
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 cup fat-free, no-salt-added beef broth
2 tablespoons imitation bacon bits
2 teaspoons soy sauce (lowest sodium available)
1 teaspoon molasses
1 cup frozen green beans

1. In a shallow bowl or plate, stir together the flour and pepper. Coat the steaks on both sides with the mixture, shaking off the excess.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Cook the steaks for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Transfer to a plate.
3. In the same skillet, cook the mushrooms and onion for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is tender-crisp, scraping to dislodge any browned bits and stirring occasionally. Stir in the broth, bacon bits, soy sauce, and molasses. Add the steaks. Bring to a simmer, still on medium high. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the steaks are almost tender. Stir in the green beans. Simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the steaks are tender and the beans are cooked through.

Slow-Cooker Method: After browning the steaks and cooking the mushrooms and onion, put all the ingredients except the green beans in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, adding the green beans for the last hour of cooking, or on high for 2 to 3 hours, adding the green beans for the last 30 minutes of cooking.