My Wife's choice Birthday Dinner

Desert First: Cupcake Trio 1. Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting 2. Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate with Peanut Butter Frosting 3. Orange Pound with Lime Dark Chocolate Ganache.

Classic Chicken Cordon Bleu with Swiss Cheese and Ham. Homemaded Fettuccine and Broccoli

Chicken Cordon Bleu Egg Rolls with Swiss Cheese Dipping Sauce

It is tradition in our family that the birthday boy or girl gets to choose his or her birthday dinner. This year Jessie wanted chicken cordon bleu with homemade pasta. I took the liberty to deviate and make an original appetizer. The recipes for the food follow.

Cordon Bleu Eggroll

1 pacakge egg roll wrappers

2 chicken breasts

4 slices of virinia ham (1/4 inch thick) chopped I had the deli at Walmart slice it for me

2 cups shredded napa cabbage

1/4 cup tangy bbq sauce

2 tbs olive oil

Canola oil for frying

Dice (1/4 inch cubes) chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook diced chicken in olive oil. Once the chicken is browned add the ham. Cook together until ham has a good color. Add bbg sauce and simmer for five minutes. Toss the the nappa cabbage in and set aside. Place about 1/4 cup of filling in the wontons. Brush egdes of wrapper with egg wash ( 1 egg and 1/4 cup water). Roll egg rolls according to package. Heat Oil to 350 Degrees. Fry until golden brown. If you want to bake the egg rolls, brush with olive oil and cook on cookie sheet with a cooling rack in the bottom. Cook until brown.

Dipping Sauce (Alfredo Swiss Sauce)

2 tbs of butter

2 tbs of flour

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

dash of cayenne pepper

1/2 cup cream

1 cup of milk

1 cup swiss cheese

Melt butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. Sprinkle flour over butter and combine until butter and flour are like a foam. Add cream and 1/2 of the milk and whisk until thick. Melt the cheese into the mixture. Once the mixture begins to smooth add remaining milk to desired consistency.

We used this sauce on top of our noodles as well if you want a classic alfredo sauce use parmigian instead of swiss. My wife says the sauce would be good with a white sharp cheddar like dubliner.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Amounts vary on amount of eaters

Chicken Breasts

Eggs

1/4 inch thick strips of ham

1/4 inch thick strips of swiss

Italian bread crumbs

1 cup flour

pepper

salt

ancho chili powers

Pound chicken breast with cooking mallet, rolling pin, or whatever is in your kitchen that is safe. Breast should be about 1/4 inch thick. Place ham and swiss on top of each other in the middle of the chicken with the skin side down. Fold in the ends of the chicken and roll just like you would make a burrito. I use tooth picks to hold everything together. Season flour in on dish, beath eggs in one dish and pour breading into another dish. I always remeber Dry, Wet, Dry when I am bredding things to fry. Roll the chicken in the floor then the eggs and then the breading. Place the Chicken on a cookie sheet and remove the toothpicks. Cook for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve with your choice of sauce.

Cupcake Trio

Red Velvet Cupcake:

Paula Dean Helped with This one See the Recipe Here.

Orange Cupcake:

Use the same recipe above without the cocoa powder, vinegar, and food coloring. Add in a 1/2 orange juice concentrate.

Chocolate Ganache:

1/2 cup chocolate chips (dark or milk your Choice)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs lime juice

Heat cream to just before boiling and pour over chocolate. Let sit for about a minute. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Dip cupcakes in ganache.

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate.

¾ c. sour cream (light can be used)
4 eggs
½ c. water
½ c. oil (Rachelle uses applesauce instead and says it tastes better)
1 chocolate cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Beat sour cream, eggs, water and oil together in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed. Add cake mix and pudding mix. Stir in chocolate chips. It will be a thick batter. Place in a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake 45 to 55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. While still hot (wait 2-5 minutes), invert cake on a platter. When cool, sift powdered sugar over the top (you can make designs with templates like stars). We change the recipe and put it into cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Frosting: Courtest of Food Network Barefoot Contessa

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream
Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

This was a fun meal to cook. If there are any suggestions that people would like to see I am always up for something. You can all post your favorite birthday dinners or desserts as well.