Chicken Cordon Bleu

Years ago, as newlyweds at BYU, I made my husband take a couples cooking class with me. Cooking together has been a favorite past time for us ever since. This is one of the recipes that we got from that class and it has remained a staple in our house. I have modified it over the years to accommodate our tastes. So, here is my version.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

4 slices provolone cheese (or whatever kind you like)

4 slices ham

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1 t poultry seasoning

1/4 t garlic salt

Preheat oven to 350. Pound chicken flat to an even thickness. Layer each flat chicken breast with a slice of cheese and a slice of ham. Roll the chicken breast up, securing as much of the cheese and ham inside as possible. I seal the ends with a toothpick. Combine the bread crumbs, seasoning and garlic salt together. Dip each chicken roll into the melted butter and then the bread crumb mixture. Arrange in a baking dish and cook for about 30 minutes at 350 until the chicken is cooked and the cheese melted. Top with this sauce recipe, if desired.

Veloute Sauce

2 T butter

2 T flour

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 t salt

1/8 t pepper

1/8 t nutmeg

Melt butter in a sauce pan over low heat. Add flour and stir until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add in chicken broth. Cook until boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Add in the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour some over each chicken roll.

Dutch Oven Cooking

We went camping last week with some great friends of ours so I had to try my hand at a little Dutch Oven cooking. I totally loved it! There is something so cool about being out of doors and having great food. Especially since it was a little cold and rainy. I tried a few different recipes but this was my favorite. I am excited to try again in our backyard as there are tons of amazing sounding recipes, but for now here is the winner of the first round. I am also including a neat little chart that shows how many coals to use for certain temperatures.

Au Gratin Ham and Potatoes

4 T butter
1 onion
3 T flour
2 cups milk
seasoning salt
pepper
1-1/2 cups cooked ham, diced
3 cups potatoes, diced (I used red)
1/2 c grated cheddar
1/4-1/2 c bread crumbs

Preheat dutch oven to 325. Melt butter and saute onion until translucent. Blend in flour. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Add pepper and seasoning salt. Mix in ham and potatoes and mix well. Sprinkle cheese and bread crumbs on top. Cover and bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Coal chart for Dutch Oven

Temperature	10" Oven		12" Oven		14" Oven
Degrees F	Top	Bottom	Top	Bottom	Top	Bottom
300	12	5	14	7	15	9
325	13	6	15	7	17	9
350	14	6	16	8	18	10
375	15	6	17	9	19	11