Cook of the Month
Laurie Myer, Southern Pine EC
Cheese is near and dear to the heart of Laurie Myer, who was a dairy farmer along with her husband, Norman, for several years in Lottie, near Atmore. Now retired from full-time teaching at Perdido Elementary School where she still substitutes when needed, she enjoys cooking and especially likes making her prize-winning “Baked Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole.” “I like to make it on the weekend, then bake it on Monday,” she says. “It lasts a long time.” Laurie, a New Jersey native who lived in Pennsylvania before moving south, says she came across the recipe probably on Pinterest and tweaked it a bit. Using cubed ham and chicken makes it easier than the traditional cordon blue recipe which requires pounding chicken breasts flat and wrapping them with ham and cheese. “It uses a lot of cheese, but us being former dairy farmers, it was a good promotion for our industry,” she adds. If you don’t have a cooked ham at home, you can also use deli ham (she recommends Boar’s Head), and for the chicken “I always use chicken breasts.” The cream sauce blends deliciously with the Swiss cheese, and panko crumbs on the top give it “crunch.” Laurie says she’s made this casserole for friends who were sick, and others who’ve had a death in the family, and it’s always appreciated. The name “cordon blue” is French for “blue ribbon,” and in this case, it perfectly suits our winning recipe! -Lenore Vickrey
Baked Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole
- 2 cups ham, cubed
- 2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
Cheese sauce:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 11/4 cups Swiss cheese (5-ounces), shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Panko topping:
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9×13-inch pan. In a saucepan, melt the butter; whisk in the flour until mixture gets dry and clumpy. Whisk in milk slowly. Add the mustard, lemon juice, garlic powder and salt. Simmer for 3-5 minutes whisking until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in Swiss cheese and Parmesan cheese. Layer the cooked chicken on bottom of pan, then ham on top. Pour cheese sauce over top of layered chicken and ham. Pour 3 tablespoons melted butter over panko breadcrumbs. Combine and pour over casserole. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then serve. Goes well with rice or pasta.
Brie in a Bread Bowl
1 16-ounce round Brie cheese
1 round bread loaf
1/3 cup savory jam (onion, fig, tomato, etc.)
Olive oil
Topping:
2–4 tablespoons butter
1 medium purple onion, diced
½ cup dried cranberries, or cherries or any dried red fruit
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ cup pistachios, chopped (substitute pecans or walnuts)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil. Slice the top off the bread loaf, then scoop out enough of the inside so that the Brie fits in snugly and even with the top, then take out the Brie. Reserve the chunks of bread that were removed.
Spread your favorite jam around the bottom and sides of the hole. Cut slits around the top of the bread about two inches down from the top then put the brie back in. It is not necessary to peel off the white rind which is edible and
quite tasty.
Put the Brie bread bowl in the hot oven. Take the reserved bread from the top of the loaf and cut it into two-inch chunks. Put that and the chunks you cut out from the inside of the loaf into a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, toss to coat and lay in a separate lined sheet pan. Toast the bread cubes in the same oven while the
Brie heats.
Cook time is about 20 minutes. The Brie should be soft all the way through and bubbling around the edges. Toss the bread chunks so that they brown evenly.
Topping:
Saute’ the onion in the butter until pieces are soft and clear. Add the remaining ingredients except for the pistachios, and cook until syrupy, stirring frequently.
When done, take the brie out of the oven and let it sit for ten minutes. Add the onion topping over the brie and sprinkle with the chopped pistachios. Pull off a chunk of the loaf, or dip with the toasted chunks.
Gretchen Mayer, Baldwin EMC
Cheeseburger in Paradise Dip/Spread
11/2 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup Heinz 57 sauce
1/3 cup kosher dill pickle, chopped
2 tablespoons pickle juice
16 ounces Velveeta cheese
Shredded lettuce, for topping
Fresh tomato, chopped, for topping
Hawaiian Buns, toasted, or tortilla chips, for serving
Cook and scramble the ground beef. Drain well. Add the chopped pickle, pickle juice, Heinz sauce and Velveeta cheese. Heat and simmer until the cheese is melted. When ready to serve, pour into a service dish and top with the shredded lettuce and chopped tomato. Serve with toasted Hawaiian buns or tortilla chips.
Note: Dip warms great in slow cooker for transporting and tailgating. The lettuce and tomato can be served in separate bowls.
Joy Griswold, Dixie EC
Confetti Cheese Ball
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
½ cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
1 cup medium cheddar cheese or Colby Jack (your preference), finely grated
1 large can chicken, well-drained
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon everything bagel
1 tablespoon dried chives
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1-2 cups pecans, finely chopped (reserved to roll your cheese balls in)
In a large bowl, dump everything together and mix with your hands. Mix well to incorporate all the seasonings, nuts and cheese. Once thoroughly mixed, divide mixture into two portions and roll into two balls. Roll each cheese ball in the finely chopped pecans, pressing firmly so that the pecans stick. Immediately wrap in clear plastic wrap very tightly. Let the cheese ball sit 4 hours to overnight. Serve with crackers.
Aprille Thompson, Central Alabama EC
Laurie’s Olive Cheese Balls
8 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter
2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
11/4 cup (8-ounces) flour
36 pimento-stuffed green olives, juice drained
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat or in a medium mixing bowl in microwave and remove from heat. Stir in flour until well-mixed. Grate cheese into mixture. Stir to mix into dough. Divide it into 6 equal portions. Beginning with one portion, divide it into 6 bits. Form each one around an olive, concealing it with the dough bit and placing it on a greased or parchment-lined jelly roll baking pan. Do similarly with the other 5 portions, arranging the olive cheese balls with some space around each, so that all 36 are baked on the same pan.
Bake 20 minutes or until they become light golden brown. Let sit a few minutes before transferring them to a platter, but they are best served while still warm. If smaller appetizers are desired or a bigger crowd anticipated: Start with more olives and portion dough accordingly. I’ve stretched it to nearly 5 dozen.
Laurie Klaas, Baldwin EMC
The Buttered Home
Chicken, Bacon and Broccoli Mac and Cheese
3/4 cup elbow macaroni
3 cups broccoli, chopped
5 slices bacon
1 pound chicken breasts, cubed
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water
1 tablespoon garlic minced
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
11/4 cups Half & Half
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Preheat the broiler to medium or low setting. Cook elbow pasta in water with a pinch of salt according to package directions for al dente. During the last few minutes of cooking, add chopped broccoli. Drain and set aside.
In a large, oven-safe skillet, cook bacon. Drain and set aside to crumble when it cools. In the same pan, add chicken breasts that have been cubed into bite-size pieces. Season the chicken with half of the teaspoon salt. Cook in the pan drippings over medium heat until chicken has browned. Add minced garlic and cook a minute more, stirring often to prevent burning.
Add in the turmeric and cook a minute more. In a large bowl, mix another half teaspoon of salt, Half & Half, chicken broth and flour. Whisk to combine. Pour over chicken in skillet. Season with pepper. Increase the heat to a soft boil and boil a few minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat.
Stir in half of the cheese and spread evenly in the pan. Top with the other half of the cheese and reserved bacon. Broil on low to medium until bubbly and slightly brown.
