Tutorial Tuesday: Chicken Cordon Bleu....uh, I mean, Swiss

Last Thursday I shared my "All About the Eiffel" tablescape, which included a menu of Chicken Cordon Bleu, French Style Green Beans, & Croissants.  Ironically, yesterday was National Cordon Blue Day, so I figured what better time to share my easy, low-carb Chicken Cordon Bleu Swiss Recipe. 
(I hope you don't get tired of me referring to all these crazy national days & weeks......lately they've given me much inspiration!)

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU (OR SWISS):

Here's What You'll Need:
~ 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (the thinner, the better!)
~ 8 slices of ham (cut thin)
~ 4 oz. Bleu or Swiss cheese (I prefer Swiss)
~ 1 tablespoon butter (melted)
~ 1 large egg
~ 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese


Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350*.

2) Pound chicken to about 1/3" thick.

 3) Place 2 thin slices of ham on chicken.

4) Add 1/2 oz. cheese to each piece of chicken (sliced or grated).

5) Roll up, securing with a toothpick.

6) Beat egg & melt butter.



7) Mix the egg & butter together.

8) Dip chicken into the butter/egg mixture, rolling if needed to thoroughly cover.

9) Roll in Parmesan cheese & place in buttered baking dish.

10) Sprinkle more Parmesan cheese on top of chicken as needed/desired.

11) Bake at 350* for 35-45 minutes or until browned & tender.


And here's a bonus recipe for
ITALIAN GREEN BEANS:

What you'll need:
~ 1 large can green beans (I prefer French style)
~ 1 teaspoon Grill Mates steak seasoning
~ Approx. 1/3 to 1/2 cup Kraft sundried tomatoes salad dressing (to taste)
~ bacon bits or 1 slice raw bacon

Directions:
Add all ingredients.  Cook on low-medium heat for 15 -20 minutes.

It's that easy!

Be sure to remove the toothpicks from the chicken before serving.

{I added the little Eiffel Tower cocktail picks for fun.}

 

 Bon Appetit!

{Check out Mosaic Monday at Little Red House!}

Sunday Scripture: Trusting in God's Timing

Now Sarai was barren; she had no children. Genesis 11:30 (NIV)

The Lord had said to Abram, "......I will make you into a great nation...."

.....Abram was seventy-five years old. Genesis 12: 1-2, 4 (NIV)

The Lord said to Abram....., ".....I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted."  Genesis 13: 14-17 (NIV)

But Abram said, "O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless....? You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."  Then the word of the Lord came to him, "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir."  He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them." Then He said to him, " So shall your offspring be."  Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.  Genesis 15: 2-6 (NIV)

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children.....so she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children.  Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."  Abram agreed to what Sarai said......He slept with [his maidservant], and she conceived.  Genesis 16: 1-4 (NIV)

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ".....I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.......I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you." Genesis 17: 1-2, 6 (NIV)

God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife.....I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her...."  Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?  Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?"  Genesis 17: 15-17 (NIV)

Then the Lord said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."  Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.  Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.  So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?"  Then the Lord said to Abraham, " Why did Sarah laugh and say, "Will I really have a child, now that I am old?"  Is anything too hard for the Lord?  Genesis 18: 10-14 (NIV)

Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what He had promised.  Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.  Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him.  Genesis 21: 1-3 (NIV)

As I was reading through these passages a few weeks ago, these verses really hit home with me.  You see, I, like Sarah, have struggled with fertility issues.  While I plan to save my story for another time (just that fact that I shared this much is HUGE for me!), I couldn't help but share this passage now.....if for no other reason but to remind myself that God is in control and His timing is perfect. 

If you noticed in the above scriptures, these events take place over several chapters, but more than that, over a span of 25 years!  Abram, whose name was later changed to Abraham, was 75 years old when God first promised to bless him with a child.....and numerous descendants.  But it wasn't until he was 100 that Sarai, now Sarah, gave birth to Isaac!  Talk about having to trust God's promises and His timing.  (That makes my 4 years seem small in comparison.) 

What is also interesting to me is that God promised descendants greater than the stars in the sky (one of those descendents of whom would be Jesus Christ!) through Abraham's line, yet his wife Sarah and later Isaac's wife Rebekah were both barren!  (Genesis 25:21)  But in God's perfect time, he allowed both to have children.  Could it be that this was the only way to show that it was only by God's supernatural power that His promised was fulfilled, and not by anything man could do?

And speaking of man trying to take things into his own hands, Abram & Sarai tried to "fulfill" God's promise in their own way by having a child through the maidservant, which if you read on, only caused problems for them.

But God had a plan.....a perfect plan, and although Abraham's faith waivered at times (whose wouldn't after waiting for 25 years?), he still believed God (Genesis 15:6).  And in God's perfect timing, He fulfilled His promise and blessed Abraham beyond measure.

While you may not be struggling with infertility or longing for a child, there may be something else.....some other promise, some other longing....for which you continually hope & pray. 

What is it that God has promised you? 

Don't give up yet!  Know that if, like Abraham, you continue to trust & obey God, in His perfect timing, He will give birth to that promise!

Friday Favorites: Stacked Pillow Tuffet

A couple years ago, when my hubby & I were touring a "dream home," I came across this stacked pillow tuffet from Bella Rose by Chateau's "Esmerelda" line:

And I fell in love!.........with the materials, with the tassels, with the style, but not with the price!

Over the next couple months, I came across the same tuffet in a few high-end furniture & decor stores.....and when I say high-end, I mean it was WAY out of my price range!

But I just couldn't get it out of my mind!

So I continued to check periodically, hoping that one day it would be mine.....you could say I was a tuffet stalker!  My husband, knowing my obsession, even offered to try to make me one!

And then it happened!  One day while visiting a local decor store, I came across it yet again, only this time something was different, this time it was on sale!  Almost 70% off!  I couldn't believe it!  Although still a bit pricey, I just couldn't resist.....not after all of that!  And I knew that even if we attempted to make it ourselves, the materials alone would be close to that amount!

So I grabbed it up, & loaded it in my car......a Camaro at the time.....I must have been quite a sight trying to get that thing to fit.....but I adjusted the seat, scooting it & leaning it back as far as possible, and then squeezed the tuffet in the front passenger seat.....smiling the whole way home!

And now it sits happily in my living room......

.......by our fireplace.......

.......where it typically holds a Gracious Goods tray & magazines.......

.......but also showcases the occasional seasonal decor.......

.......and when company comes, it adds a little extra seating as well. 

And every time I look at it, I smile! 

Tablescape Thursday: All About The Eiffel

The name of the Lord is a strong TOWER; the righteous run to it and are safe.  Proverbs 18:10 (NIV)

March 31st marks the anniversary of the completion of the Eiffel Tower, which gave me a great excuse to put together an Eiffel tablescape!  But I can't do an Eiffel tablescape without mentioning my interior designer sister, who LOVES all things Eiffel.  In fact, I borrowed a few items from her (most of which were presents from me!) for this fun 'scape.

But before I get started, I want to share a few fun facts about the Eiffel Tower:

~ it took 2 years, 2 months, and 5 days to build & was completed March 31, 1889

~ it's main architect was Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the same person who built the internal frame of the Statue of Liberty

~ it's the tallest building in Paris, & until 1930 it was the tallest building in the world

~ it's height is equivalent to 81 levels in a conventional building

~ on a clear day, you can see up to 42 miles away from the top of the tower

~ strong winds can sway the tower slightly (during the storm of 1999, it moved approximately 13 cm from its original position!)

~ it's painted every 7 years in 3 shades of brown, with the darkest one at the bottom

~ it takes approximately 60 tons of paint & 15-18 months to paint it

~ it's open 365 days a year.......

So what are we waiting on?  Let's go!

For this simple tablescape, I chose a color scheme of black, white, and silver, with pops of bright turquoise blue. 

Once again, my black tablecloth, black rhinestone chargers, & black dinner plates get to participate......I've been getting a ton of use out of them lately!

 A turquoise napkin is layered between the charger & dinner plate....adding some definition.






Although I considered borrowing a set of my sister's Eiffel Tower salad plates so that they would be uniform, I decided to instead use my "Bon Voyage"  plates to give the table a little more interest.

I love how the scalloped edges of the salad plates mimic the dinner plates.





And as in many of my previous tablescapes, I'm again using my acrylic flatware from Walmart.  I can't tell you how much use I've gotten out of this flatware!  It's so versatile!



A coordinating spreader adorns each place setting as well, while miniature Eiffel Tower placecard holders sit just above.  {Seeing as how this was make-believe, the cards simply read: you, me, guest, & friend.}







And how fun are these goblets?







To add a little more color (& because I'm in love with turquoise), I used this great turquoise, slightly-distressed platter for the base of the centerpiece.  Then I simply displayed a black Eiffel Tower, borrowed from my craft room, as well as a black picture frame, to which I added turquoise paper & the menu (I really will be making this for dinner one day this week!), and a candle to add a little sparkle!






{This is about as French as my cooking gets!}




 Eiffel Tower salt & pepper shakers sit close by.



Here's a few more pics of the table:

All of this Eiffel tableware & I didn't even get to use all I had!  Oh well, there's always next time.

Here's a couple more pics I took just for the fun of it, showing some of the un-used "Eiffel-ware":

{an Eiffel tassel used as a napkin ring.....I love using tassels for napkin rings!}

{I also have these white Eiffel napkin rings!}

{And then there's the Eiffel cocktail picks......I guess I kinda like the Eiffel Tower, too!}

And I can't do an Eiffel tablescape without mentioning one more thing.  Remember how I said that my sister loves anything Eiffel?  Well, let me introduce you to my sister's 2 year old Maltipoo, whose birthday also happens to be in March.

Her name?  Eiffel!

{Here she is when she was a little younger.}

Isn't she cute?

But don't let the cuteness fool you!  She's a mess!  In fact, we have a couple nicknames for her:

Awful Eiffel & Eiffel Terror.  Get it?  Like tower, only terror?

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the tablescape. 

I'm linking with Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday & A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday.  Hope to see you there!

black tablecloth - Bed, Bath, & Beyond
black rhinestone chargers - Michael's
turquoise napkins & spreader knives - Steinmart
black dinner plates - by Rosanna
Bon Voyage salad plates - by Rosanna (I actually found these at TJ Maxx a year or two ago for $12 for the set.  They're normally about $40 for the set!)
acrylic flatware - Walmart
goblets - Ross (Z Gallerie also carries them) - I gave these to my sister a few months back, but borrowed them for this tablescape!
place card holders & salt & pepper shakers- also given to my sister by me, but I can't remember where I bought them.....I think maybe a local gift store called The Candy Basket....I've also seen them on the internet
turquoise platter - Wisteria
Eiffel Tower - either TJ Maxx or Hobby Lobby?
picture frame - TJ Maxx
candle holder - Hobby Lobby
tassel - Hobby Lobby
cocktail picks - Target Dollar Spot
Eiffel napkin rings - Ebay