Welcome to My Kitchen

Christmas is coming! Programs, concerts and parties fill days, along with gift shopping, and celebration meal planning. Meanwhile, in all this, the family needs to eat three meals a day.

Barbara Walter catered a meal for a recent Christmas party and many requests came in for her recipes. Barbara is a master of making recipes for delicious meals easy to prepare for parties or everyday. Her recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu is no exception.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

8 chicken breast halves, flattened

8 slices Swiss cheese

16 slices deli style ham

2 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

Egg Wash:

4 eggs

4 Tbsp milk

1 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Have a large rimmed baking pan ready.

Flatten chicken breast halves by placing one or two at a time in a large zip closure bag and rolling with a rolling pin until thin, about 1/2 inch thick.

Prepare egg wash by beating egg and milk together until well combined.

Top each breast piece with 2 slices ham and 1 slice cheese. Roll up and dip in egg wash, then melted butter. Then roll in panko bread crumbs.

Place seam side down in baking pan. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 degrees on a meat thermometer. Yield:8 servings.

Barb serves this with Mustard Cream Sauce, which is delicious with any poultry entrée, as the flavors are delicate, not overpowering.

Mustard Cream Sauce

4 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp cornstarch

1 cup chicken stock

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp prepared Dijon mustard

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cornstarch and blend well. Add chicken stock, thyme, milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder and mustard. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Add cheese and whisk until combined. Serve over chicken. Yield: about 3 cups sauce.

Speaking of requested recipes, someone brought a cereal/haystack style cookie to the Community Thanksgiving Dinner, and many folks have requested the recipe. If you were the maker or know who was, please share the recipe or information so we can print it here.

Insta-pots are very popular now. Mainly due to lack of space, I haven’t purchased one, but I do get a number of requests for recipes and use tips. Please share any favorite recipes you use with this appliance. Cooks who work outside the home are finding them very useful in meal preparation.

Another time saving cooking venture is group, freezer meal prepping. Three or four family go together, preparing meals for a month, splitting the costs.

Kitchen theme gifts are appreciated by most cooks. Large counter top appliances, like Insta-pots, stand mixers, microwave and toaster ovens may top the list, but small utensils make useful stocking stuffers. Our local hardware and drug stores have some nice selections of kitchen ware, and if you can’t decide what item to buy, they have gift certificates, which fit nicely in a stocking. Additionally, the local grocery store has a number of kitchen items and specialty ingredients.

My favorite Christmas cookie is Cherry Delights, a smooth butter cookie rolled in chopped walnuts and topped with a candied cherry half. They freeze and ship well so you might want to make a second batch.

Cherry Delights

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

2 eggs, separated

2 1/2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour

2 cups finely chopped walnuts

24 candied cherries, cut in half

In large mixer bowl, beat butter with sugar until well blended. Add corn syrup and egg yolks and beat until smooth. Stir in flour until well combined.

Chill dough at least 2 hours or overnight. Divide dough into 48 equal pieces and roll into balls.

With a wire whisk or fork, beat egg whites until smooth.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease or line with parchment paper, cookie sheets and set aside.

Dip cookie dough balls in egg white, then roll in nuts. Place on prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Press a cherry half into the center of each.

Bake about 20 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges. Yield: 4 dozen cookies.

Quick breads are an easy gift from the kitchen and in this season of abundant sweet treats, most can be frozen to enjoy throughout the coming months. Banana and pumpkin bread recipes abound, but I share here a recipe for Cinnamon Bread, from long ago Farm Journal recipes. This bread, based on a then newly developed baking mix (Bisquick), was common at bake sales when I was a kid. The ladies varied add-ins to make a variety of choices.

Cinnamon Bread

1 egg, well beaten

3 cups, baking mix

3/4 cup whole milk

2 Tbsp butter, softened

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp warm water

Optional Add-ins:

1/4 to 1/3 cup, raisins, or diced dates, or chopped nuts

Any dried fruit, like Craisins, or chopped dried apricots or cherries would work as well.

In a large mixing bowl, combine egg, baking mix and milk, mixing well.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly, then roll out into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.

Spread with butter and sprinkle with the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle with desired add-in.

Beginning at a long edge, roll up tightly, as for cinnamon rolls. Seal ends and place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. With a sharp knife or kitchen shears cut decorative slits about 1 inch apart on the top of the loaf.

Let loaf sit while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Bake loaf 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and prepare glaze by mixing powdered sugar with the warm water. When loaf has cooled slightly drizzle with glaze. Cool completely before cutting into slices. Yield: One loaf.

Share your favorite recipes by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Follow us on Facebook. Gift certificates to seed and nursery companies make good gifts for the gardeners on your list.