Chicken Cordon blue with Bacon

                                   Chicken Cordon blue with Bacon

A friend of mine in Germany once made this recipe and I thought, everything is better with Bacon, right? So I actually liked this one better then the traditional Cordon blue (Blue ribbon). 

This is what you need:

- Chicken breasts

- Bacon

- Cream cheese

- salt, pepper

This is how you do it:

Clean the Chicken Breasts off of any access fat. Butterfly them carefully, but try to keep 3 sides intact. Now salt and pepper them from all sides, but not to heavy. With a knife apply some cream cheese to one side of the chicken (inside) and layer it with Bacon. Close the chicken and secure it with a tooth pick or metal stick.

In a pan, heat up oil or Ghee (for the buttery flavor) and sear both sides of the chicken breast. Now reduce the heat to low to medium and cook the chicken through, turning it around every min so it doesn't burn. You can also just finish up the chicken breast in a 350 degree oven until its cooked through. It will take a bit longer, but it leaves the chicken breast more juicy. Be patient with this process. You don't want an inside raw chicken but the outside burned. 

The sides and sauce to this is really your preference. My husband had it with mushroom cream sauce, we had it with brown gravy or with my Kraeuterrahmsauce from a previous recipe on my blog. I also invented already some sauces myself to this here (like in the picture: roux and then chicken broth and crema media with Tarragon herb, marjoram, thyme and oregano) 

Also, you can eat from french fries over mashed potatoes everything with this chicken breast. Let your imagination flow. 

Guten Appetit

Cauliflower Vegetable Casserole

                                 Cauliflower Vegetable Casserole

This dish I found in a german Magazine once and I liked how it sounded. It's actually pretty fast and easy to make and good to prepare ahead. It also would match with meats like a steak or Schnitzel. We usually it it plain as is. 

This is what you need:

- 1 head Cauliflower

- 2 small or 1 big head of Broccoli

- 2-3 Carrots

- same amount of hickory smoked, water added Ham

- Butter and Flour for the Roux 

- Milk for the Bechamel 

- Cheese to your liking. I use usually Swiss cheese

- Salt, Pepper, Nutmeg

This is how you do it:

Cut the florets off of the Cauliflower and Broccoli. Dice the Carrots in mouth size pieces. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Add salt and now, on low heat, cook the Carrots and Cauliflower for 5 min.. After the 5 min add the Broccoli florets and cook for another 5 min.. They all should be soft on fork peak. Strain them and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. 

In another pot melt Butter and stir in Flour and let cook for 30 sec to 1 min.. Add Milk and stir constantly. You want a creamy consistency, not to thick. Now add a good amount of cheese. 2 handful will do it. Stir so it can melt. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

In a casserole, pour in the vegetables and the sliced ham and stir to combine. Now pour the Cheese Bechamel over the Vegetables. You can now add a bit more cheese on top. 

Put the casserole in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 30 min.. 

Guten Appetit