It's 10:00 am! Do You Know What You are Having For Dinner? (Chicken Cordon Bleu)

Do you remember those commercials in the early '70s where they used to announce at 10:00 pm, just before the evening news...

It is 10 o'clock!  Do YOU know where your children are?!

One of the things that I keep scheduled in my home is that by 10 am I know what my family will be having for dinner that night.  By that time, I have everything I need from my pantry or freezer (to be thawed) in preparation for our meal.  This saves so much time come 4:30 when you start to prepare dinner.  You know what to make and there is none of the last minute dash to the grocery store (where you end up buying more than you planned for) or l'horreur d'horreurs you find yourself running through the drive-thru window of your local fast food restaurant because you simply didn't plan ahead.  It does not take that long to pull out what you need early on in the day.  Just make plans for it and make it happen.  You will be so glad you did and notice a change not only in your budget but also your waistline!

At around 4 pm - the children and I have a little something something to tied us over until we do sit down to dinner as a family which is usually around 7:30ish.  This keeps us from inhaling our food and less prone to snack on handy items that again...only add inches to our waistline.  Today, Sarah made peanut butter cookies.  It was a perfect something something to keep us satiated until later.  Yes, I am fully aware of what they are made off...your basic ingredients of sugar, flour butter, peanut butter, etc. but we don't eat so many that we ruin our appetite but just enough.  We don't buy the prepackaged cookie dough stuff that despite their claims...add more fat and not the good kind of fat you want in your body!  Stick to the real stuff as much as you can - you can't go wrong with that!

By 10 am - make it a goal to have your dinner planned and ready to go!  Sometimes, I will pull out what I need from the freezer, the night before and let it thaw in the fridge.  With some of the meat packaging not being 100%, I wrap up the meat in a bag to catch any drainage that may occur during the thawing process.  I also use this bag to contain the packaging when I have opened it, along with the juices and wrap it up and throw it away.  This saves me some cleanup time!

If you find that your meat did not thaw out fully over night in the fridge, simply place your meat and/or package and all in the sink and run warm water over it and allow to sit for a few minutes...

I am not a big fan of microwaves and rarely use mine so this works for me as it did my mother and grandmother! 

Below is a recipe I use to make Chicken Cordon Bleu.  It is the one I use as a basic start to making the dish but I tend to tweak it a bit according to the items I have on hand or don't have on hand at the time.

In the beginning of the day, I marinate my chicken in a mixture of olive oil and vinegar (red wine or balsamic) and some seasonings and refrigerate...

...making sure to turn the pieces over every few hours.

Even if you are not making the recipe here, marinating the chicken this way adds so much flavor and helps make the chicken tender and juicy during cooking time.  This is something you can do before starting your busy day whether you work in the home or outside of the home.  Put your chicken in a sealable container, add your mixings, cover, refrigerate and go!

At 4:30 pm (or whenever you arrive home that evening) start preparing the rest of the dish.  A few days ago I shared with you how to make a cream of (fill in the blank) soup or it is also known as a basic white sauce...

...I start to make the white sauce and add mushrooms and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Using another casserole dish, place leftover ham slices (hopefully a no preservatives kind) on the bottom of the baking dish...

Place your marinated chicken on top of the ham reserving the oil/vinegar for later...

Cut bacon strips in half and place on each piece of bacon...

~Check out Otis in the 2nd picture above - between me and the chair! ~

and pour the remaining oil/vinegar marinade over the chicken and bacon. 

By now your oven should be preheated.  Place your dish, uncovered, in the oven to allow the bacon to cook and bake for about 20 - 30 minutes (depending on how crispy you want your bacon to get)...

Next place your favorite sliced cheese on top of each chicken piece...

Spread the cream of mushroom sauce over the top...

and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

What I love about this recipe is that it is one you don't need to have a recipe card for or print it off.  This is simple and easy to do and remember- even if the only thing you do is marinate the chicken and bake it in the oven.  I also love the sauce this makes after cooking.  You could take the sauce and make it into a gravy for later.  The other thing that I love is that this is more than enough chicken for me and my family and the leftovers make a nice meal the next day or two.  I can either eat the chicken as one piece or take the leftover chicken off the bone and add the extra sauce and serve warm over noodles or spaghetti or make it into a nice creamy chicken soup.  See!  No one has to know that this all came from a leftover meal!   We will call it repurposing! 

Love and God's Blessings to You All!

Mrs. Catherine