The Loosle Chronicles

I don’t know about any of you, but I LOVE chicken cordon bleu. I’ve never made it myself until about a month ago. I didn’t have a recipe because I figure there’s not much to it…right? heehee. So, I made it up and I’m sure Jon was nervous, but he loves me so he ate it. AND he loved it! So here’s what I did. BTW, I’m not very specific. I really think every recipe has room for doing whatever you want with it. This will definitely be one of them. I’ll give you the ingredients, but I’m not going to say how much I used because I have no clue. Enjoy!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Breasts

Deli Ham

Swiss Cheese

Italian Bread Crumbs

Parmesan Cheese

Egg

Salt & Pepper to taste

Pound the chicken breasts out (I did this by placing the chicken between plastic wrap and then used a mason jar to pound it). Season with salt and pepper. Then place a few slices of ham and swiss cheese toward the end. Roll it all up and use toothpicks to secure the ends. You want to try to get all the cheese and ham wrapped in the chicken. Then beat an egg or two (depending on how many pieces of chicken you’re making) in a dish that will allow you to coat your chicken. And in another dish add some bread crumbs and the parmesan cheese. Now, you’re going to dip the prepared chicken in the egg mixture. Then coat it with the bread crumb mixture. Then place it on a sheet pan. Bake it in 350 degree oven for 20-30 min or until chicken is cooked thru. I’m sure there’s a sauce you can make with it, but Jon doesn’t usually like the sauce. Have fun!

These rolls are delicious! I wanted sloppy joes for dinner, but didn’t want to go to the store to buy hamburger buns. So I decided to make these rolls. I’ve had the recipe for awhile now, but never got around to making them. Well, now that I’ve made them I’m definitely going to make them again and again. You can find the recipe here. I LOVE the recipes I’ve found off this website. She ROCKS!! Enjoy!

FRENCH ONION BUNS
(Adapted from the King Arthur Flour website)

Dough:
3/4 cup to 1 cup (6 to 8 ounces) lukewarm water*
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) butter
1 large egg
3 ½ cups (14 ¾ ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
¼ cup (1 ¾ ounces) sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1 package onion soup mix (if you want less onion, just use half a package)
1 tablespoon instant yeast

*Use the lesser amount in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate), and somewhere in between the rest of the year, or if your house is climate controlled.

Topping:
1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice (I used about a cup of cheddar because Jon LOVES cheese)
1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water
topping seeds: sesame, poppy, etc., optional

1) To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients, and mix and knead them—by hand, mixer, or bread machine—to make a soft, somewhat tacky dough.

2) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or other container large enough to allow it to at least double in bulk, cover, and let it rise for about 60 to 70 minutes, till it’s just about doubled.

3) Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and pat/roll it into a 12″ x 17″ rectangle.

4) Sprinkle the dough with the shredded cheese and pat/press it into the surface gently.

5) Starting with a short (12″) end, roll the dough into a log, sealing the ends and side seam.

6) Cut the log into eight slices.

7) Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.

Flatten the buns till they’re about 3″ wide. Cover them, and allow them to rise till they’re very puffy, about 1 hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.

9) Uncover the buns, brush them with the beaten egg white/water, and sprinkle with seeds, if desired.

10) Bake the buns for 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re golden brown and feel set when you poke them.

11) Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack. When completely cool, wrap in plastic, and store at room temperature.

I was craving english muffins, but I didn’t want to go to the grocery store (because I spend way too much when I go shopping…I know, it’s bad). So, I decided to make them. And oh boy am I glad I made them. Jon and I are always on the look out for really good english muffins. Well, we definitely don’t have to look any longer. These were easy to make and so good to eat. You can find the recipe here.

Ok…so not the best picture in the world, but I promise you this cake was the BOMB.COM!! lol! I LOVE Texas Sheet Cake. It takes me back to living in Chicago with Teri and the Sears familia. I think it was the first time I’d ever had it. Anyhow, those were the days. I think between the three of us we put that entire cake away within 2 days. lol! What heffers! heehee. Anyhow, I used a recipe I got from thepioneerwoman.com. So go and make it now! DELICIOUS!!

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake
(adapted from Ree, thepioneerwoman.com)

Combine in a mixing bowl:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan, melt:
2 sticks butter
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together.
Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In measuring cup, pour 1/2 cup buttermilk.
Add:
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make icing:
Chop 1/2 cup pecans finely.
Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat.
Add:
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Stir together.
Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Cut as desired. And devour! So delicious.

Friday night I got together with a group of my girlfriends from work. We played Mad Gab and had some yummy snacks. I have been dying for an excuse to make cupcake pops (as photographed above) since I saw them posted on Bakerella.com. And then I saw that she had a party at the Pioneer Womans and I knew I had to give in (heehee) and make these! I’ll be honest…I didn’t totally love the flavor of the cake and frosting when I first made it, but I tried it the next day and it tasted a lot better. In the future I’ll definitely not use the entire can of frosting and I want to try new flavors. The girls liked them so I guess that’s all that mattered! It was really easy and fun to make too! Enjoy!

Cupcake Pops

1 Box Cake Mix (Any flavor…I used Devil’s Food)

1 Can Frosting (I guess you could make your own too…I’m not brave enough to do that, but feel free to try it!)

Candy Melts

Candies to decorate (be creative!)

Lollipop Sticks

Waxed Paper

Styrafoam (or something to hold the pops in to dry)

Prepare cake as directed. Once completely cooled crumble into a large mixing bowl. Once completely crumbled add a little less than a full can of frosting. I mashed mine to combine with the back of a large spoon. Then form little balls with the cake and place on lined cookie sheet. Place in fridge or freezer to harden. Then shape and dip into candy melts (melt as directed on package) and decorate as desired. For step by step pictures click here.