Lemon Chicken Cordon Bleu

This was so good! I served it along with salad with a lite honey-mustard dressing. My hubbs loved to dip it in the dressing.
Found it on Pinterest:


http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2011/01/14/the-easiest-lemon-chicken-cordon-bleu/

Dad's French Bread

My dad learned to make this bread on his mission. It's really crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Perfect!

Makes 4 loaves or 16 big rolls

10 c. flour
2 T. yeast dissolved in 1/2 c. hot water
3 T. sugar
4 t. salt
3 1/2 c. Hot water
1 egg white

Mix all ingredients, except egg white, and stir until moistened. Pour out and knead for 10 minutes or until dough is soft and smooth. Let rise in large buttered bowl for 1 1/2 hours. Punch down. Divide into 4 equal slices. For loaves, flatten each piece into a rectangle and roll into a loaf, pinching the crease shut. Place crease-side down on greased sheet. Let rise for 20 minutes. Mix 1 egg white with 1/2 c. water and brush the loaves. Make diagonal (1/2 inch deep) cuts with a sharp knife in the top of each loaf. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Brush with egg white mixture once again. Bake 15 more minutes until golden brown. French bread must be eaten the same day or frozen for future use.

For rolls, follow the same directions as for loaves. Once the loaves are rolled and formed, cut each loaf into 4 equal pieces. Brush with egg mixture and bake as directed preceding.

Boeuf Bourguignon

This is Julia Child's Boeuf, and one of Matt's favorites. It has a lot of steps, but it's well worth it. She recommends serving it with boiled potatoes, but we like it over mashed potatoes.

The best choice of meat for this stew would be a Rump Roast cut into chunks, next would be Chuck pot roast, sirloin tip, top or bottom round.

6 oz bacon cut into thick chunks
1 T olive oil
3 lbs beef, cut into 2 inch cubes
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 T flour
3 c. red wine (I used a Cote du Rhone)
2-3 c. beef stock
1 T tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 t. Thyme
Crumbled bay leaf
18-24 small white onions (You find these in the freezer section)
1 lb mushrooms cooked according to directions in  stroganoff and sauteed mushrooms

Preheat oven to 400. Saute bacon in oil in a casserole pan over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with slotted spoon. Reheat the pan until fat is almost smoking before you saute the beef. Dry the beef in paper towels or it will not brown. Saute it a few pieces at a time in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides, remove from pan and add to bacon. In the same fat, brown the slices vegetables, pour out the sauteing fat. Return the beef and bacon to the casserole dish and toss with salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in the middle position of a preheated oven for four minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for four minutes more. This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust. Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325. Sir in the wine, and enough stock so the meat is barely covered. Add the toamto paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the sotve. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers solwly for 2 1/2-3 hours. The meat is done when fork pierces it easily. While the beef is cooking prepare onions and mushrooms. When meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucpan. Wash out the cassole dish and return the beef and bacon to it. Distrubute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat. Skim fat off the suace. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 c. of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, add some stock. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables.
This much can be prepared in advance.
For immediate serving:
Cover the casserole and simmer for 2-3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded by boiled potatoes, noodles, or rice.
For later serving:
When cooled, cover and refrigerate. About 10-20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Easy French Bread or Breadsticks

3 c. water
1 T yeast
pinch of sugar
7-8 c. flour
1/4 c. olive oil 1
T. salt

Mix together all ingredients except the salt. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add salt. Mix in a Bosch or other heavy-duty mixer with a kneading attachment for 5 minutes or knead by hand for 10 minutes. Let rise for 15 minutes, punch down, let rise 15 minutes more, roll into 2 loaves or into breadsticks. Brush with beaten egg. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes per loaf or 15 minutes for breadsticks.