Next Top Chef? Very Likely.

Lately, I have been very interested in cooking new things! I've challenged myself to make a new recipe every week, whether it be for dinner or just a snack! So far, I'm loving the recipes I have done and I've decided to share them with you! Cooking recently has reminded me of how much I am like my mother, and I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing! One thing that I do know, is that it means that I don't measure anything out. I add things in amounts that just feel "right". Therefore, some of these recipes might drive you absolutely crazy if you are someone that needs actual measurements. Sorry about that!

Chicken Cordon Bleu:

This Chicken Cordon Bleu is a masterpiece, and I'm not just saying that because I made it (; I gave it a breadcrumb/cheese topper and it was melt in your mouth delicious. 

Ingredients:

Enough Chicken Breasts for each person in your party. I tripled that amount so that we could have left overs

Two slices of Ham for each Chicken Breast. I used deli ham and it worked great!

Two pieces of Bacon for each Chicken Breast

One slab of Swiss Cheese for each Chicken Breast. Any cheese will work. We actually blended three cheeses together in total

One sleeve of Ritz Crackers

Shredded Cheese

Toothpicks

1 small can of Chicken Broth

2 dollups of Sour Cream

Thyme

Parmesan Cheese

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, 200 degrees Celsius. In a bowl, crush up Ritz crackers. This will be a breading layer, therefore crush up however many you need to make a nice crumb layer on top of the chicken. I personally only used 8 crackers for 6 chicken breasts. Once the Ritz crackers have been crushed, add Sour Cream, Chicken Broth, Thyme, and Parmesan Cheese In a separate bowl, soak toothpicks in water. A good way to make sure they absorb as much as possible is to put a spoon into the bowl that pushes the toothpicks to the bottom.

Step 2: If you want thinner chicken slices to then roll up like a cinnamon bun, pound your chicken flat. I personally love having my chicken thick and juicy. Once you have decided what you are going to do with your chicken, place all of the breasts on a large baking sheet. I put mine in a casserole dish so that the crumb layer could be spread throughout the entire casserole dish. 

Step 3: Cut your strips of bacon in half and place 4 halves on each slice of chicken breast. Cover the bacon with two slices of ham folded up so that it conforms to the general size of the chicken breast. Then, layer on your slabs of Swiss cheese. If you decided to roll your chicken breast, now carefully roll them into a ball. Make sure to secure everything with your wet toothpicks.

Step 4: Take your crumb layer mixture and slather it on top of each chicken breast. Don't feel timid! This is seriously the best part! After you have slathered each piece, take your shredded cheese and add a final cheese layer. Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until chicken is browned and thoroughly cooked through.

Baked Asparagus:

This baked asparagus was absolutely delicious. I made this as an appetizer but it was so lux I wish I had made a steak or something to go along with it! Be warned, this recipe is not long lasting if you overcook the asparagus!

Ingredients:

Asparagus

Salt

Pepper

Grill Mates Steak Seasoning

Olive Oil

Lemon Juice

Large Ziploc bag

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, 200 degrees Celsius. Cut off the hard ends of your asparagus. If you feel the asparagus, you will notice that there is a natural place where the stalk becomes tender and indents. Cut right at that point. This step is optional.

Step 2: Place the asparagus in a large Ziploc bag, add in enough olive oil to light cover each piece of asparagus. Then, take the grill mates seasoning, salt, and pepper, and sprinkle enough in the bag for a nice even coat. Work the bag with your hands until each piece of asparagus is coated in seasoning and olive oil.

Step 3: Take the asparagus out of your bag and lay them flat on a baking sheet that you have sprayed with non-stick spray. Lightly sprinkle lemon juice on the asparagus.

Step 4: Bake in oven for 12-20 minutes depending on preferred crunchiness. Serve hot.

Homemade Pizza Rolls:

These pizza rolls are great for several reasons. One, they don't scald your mouth. Two, you can make as many as you would like. Three, they take about 10 minutes to make from start to finish!

Ingredients:

1 can of Pillsbury Rolls

Prego Sauce

Pepperoni slices

Pizza seasoning

Shredded Cheese

Olive or Vegetable Oil

Step 1: Preheat Oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, 162 degrees Celsius. Spray non-stick spray on a large baking sheet.

Step 2: Unroll your dough from the can. I prefer using crescent rolls because they aren't as buttery as the dinner rolls. Either way, flatten your rolls into a large oval shape. Make sure to not pierce through the dough. Keep the dough a little bit thick. 

Step 3: Cover one side of the dough with desired amount of Prego sauce. Add two pepperoni's to each "pocket". Finally, fill with shredded cheese. Place filled pockets on the baking sheet so that they are not touching. 

Step 4: Oil the tops of each pocket and sprinkle pizza seasoning and shredded cheese. Bake in oven for 8 minutes or until dough is golden brown. Serve hot!

Spinach Artichoke Pasta:

This pasta is great as either a side dish or a full meal. Being a poor college student, it is easy to whip this up and not worry about adding a meat to the dish. 

Ingredients:

16 oz or 1 bag of either Penne or Macaroni Pasta Noodles

Shredded Cheese

15 oz of artichoke hearts (1 jar)

Dried Spinach leaves

Parmesan Cheese

1 cup sour cream

Half of a chopped onion

Cayenne Pepper

Garlic Powder

Step 1: Preheat oven to 325. In a large pot, cook the noodles. Recommended that you bring the water to a boil before adding the noodles. While cooking the noodles, start chopping up the artichoke hearts and spinach leave. I personally used an electronic dicer to speed up the process. Chop up your onion to your preference of size. If you like the taste of onions, feel free to change the amount used.

Step 2: Drain the noodles completely. In the same large pot that you cooked the noodles in, combine diced artichoke hearts, spinach leaves, onions, sour cream, and shredded cheese. Add the noodles back into the pot and stir all contents until the noodles are nicely coated with the sour cream mixture. Add a pinch of Cayenne Pepper. Add salt and pepper to taste. If this is going to be the staple of your meal, I recommend adding a stronger flavor. To accomplish this, I added more garlic powder than I normally would. I also added some Season Salt. Optional things to add to make this a base meal: extra seasonings or spices, minced garlic, and/or tuna fish from a can. 

Step 3: Pour the noodle mixture into a baking dish that is safe for the oven. Cover with a layer of shredded cheese and Parmesan cheese. Bake in oven for 25 minutes. If you want to eat this dish cold, heat in the oven until the cheese melts.

Barbecue Pork Stir Fry:

This dish is time consuming to make but it tasted so good that I immediately wished I had doubled my recipe. The taste alone makes up for all of the now dirty pots and pans that went into it!

Ingredients:

Instant Rice or preferred rice

Pork Shoulder

Barbecue Sauce

Kikoman Soy Sauce

Frozen Stir Fry bag

Step 1: Cube the pork shoulder, making sure to cut away any fat as necessary. I purchased a pack of 6 pork shoulders and only used two of them for this recipe. Once the pork shoulder is cubed, place in a oiled pan and begin to cook the meat at a medium temperature. Once the pork is added, add Kikoman Soy sauce and Barbecue sauce. For the Kikoman sauce, add what you would normally add if you were eating that much meat alone. For the Barbecue sauce, add enough that each piece of pork is covered but not drenched. Feel free to add more sauces as the pork cooks if needed. Stir occasionally. 

Step 2: Start defrosting or drying off the stir fry vegetables. They should not be wet when you cook them or else they will become soft and mushy. 

Step 3: Begin preparing the rice. For 2 people with hefty appetites, I boiled 2 cups of water and added in 2 cups of rice. While the water for the rice is boiling, in a separate deep pan or wok, heat oil until it starts to lightly smoke. I used the highest setting on my stove. Make sure you keep your range hood fan on! Once the water for the rice boils, add the desired amount of rice, take it off of heat, and let it sit. 

Step 4: Once the wok or deep pan starts to lightly smoke, add the vegetables. Stir them occasionally for the first few minutes they are in the wok. Once they start to get very hot, stir them around very often to ensure that nothing gets burned but that they are each crispy. 

Step 5: As soon as the vegetables are hot and crispy, lower the heat to keep them warm while the pork continues to cook. Once the pork is cooked through entirely, serve hot. 

I guess you could pretty much consider me a shoe-in for the next Top Chef competition. Hopefully you enjoy these recipes as much as my cute little husband does!