Dinner's On Us

This week I tried two new recipes.  We enjoyed them so I thought you might also. I made a chicken cordon bleu casserole and peas with parmesan cream.   I had 2 turkey cutlets I had bought and decided to use that in place of the chicken and had some ham I diced and used in place of the deli ham. The only other change I made was I used regular mustard in place of the Dijon because I thought I already had Dijon but ended up I was wrong.  I think I used a little under half of what it called for since I used the regular yellow mustard.  Never be afraid to make some changes to recipes. I am always tweaking them.  The pea recipe I made exactly as stated.  Three of us ate them and it was 2 yesses and 1 no.  The funny thing is the person who doesn't like peas is one of the yesses. Ok, enough of the small talk, here are the recipes. Feel free to share your thoughts.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Yield: 8-10 servings

4 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 cups shredded swiss cheese, divided

2 cups shredded provolone cheese, divided

1/2 lb thinly sliced deli ham, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup butter, divided

4 tblsp all-purpose flour

3 1/2 cups half and half

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. smoked paprika

2 cups panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Place chicken in an even layer in pan.  Sprinkle with 1 cup swiss, 1 cup provolone, and ham.  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat.  Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until smooth.  Add half and half whisking to combine.  Add mustard, remaining 1 cup swiss, remaining 1 cup provolone, salt, pepper, and paprika.  Cook, whisking constantly until cheese melts. Pour mixture over ham.

In a small microwave safe bowl, microwave remaining 1/2 cup butter on high 30 seconds or until melted.  Add bread crumbs, stirring to combine. Sprinkle evenly over casserole.

Bake until browned and bubbly.

Peas with Parmesan Cream

4 cups fresh peas(from about 4 lbs peas in the pod) or 4 cups frozen (from two 10oz packages)

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 small fresh rosemary sprig

2 tblsp unsalted butter

1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

Freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the peas for about 4 minutes, or until just tender.  Drain well.

Meanwhile, in a medium-heavy saucepan, combine the cream and rosemary and cook, stirring, over medium heat until the cream begins to bubble slightly, about 2 minutes. 

Whisk in the butter until melted, then whisk in the cheese. 

Season to taste with pepper; discard the rosemary sprig.

Fold the peas into the sauce; serve.

Makes 8 servings.

New at the Cottage

As promised we have the owl necklace on Etsy.- $30

Coming Soon

Check back soon for some new additions. Here's a sneak peek of some jewelry we'll be offering soon.

On the Drawing Board

Since you've been watching the patchwork purse since it was just three balls of wool. I thought I'd share it sewn and ready to be felted. 

On the Bookshelf

Dead Men Don't Crochet by Betty Hechtman.  Molly Pink finds herself in a mystery.  A mean spirited man is found dead in his office and one of her friends is the prime suspect.  While juggling her job as events coordinator at a bookstore and her work for a charity crochet group making shawls for a women's shelter Molly has to investigate the murder.  Could it be the brother who moved on too fast, the mysterious bald man that only Molly remembers seeing, or could her friend really have committed such a crime?  With a fun cast of character this is a quick read.  It also includes a pattern and recipe for a dessert to round out your meal.  I would recommend this book to cozy readers.

We hope you have enjoyed your visit to the Blue Rabbit Cottage.  Check out our Etsy page for a short video we made and any new offerings we have.  Stop back soon for another visit! Have a great weekend.