Slaving away in the kitchen on Sunday

I woke up at 6:30 AM on Sunday, but I read in bed until about 7:30. Then I started a pot of coffee and breakfast. It was not as windy, but it was raining off and on.

I made waffles along with the now-thawed bacon. It was great! And, I have left over bacon for BLT’s this coming week and left over waffles I think I could warm up and eat another time.

I took out that vegetarian “pantry” chili from the freezer to thaw, as well as a pound of frozen ground chuck. I got a plan!

After I shaved and showered, I ran out to a nearby hardware store for some cheap drill bits (on sale). I’ve already got two or three sets, but all of them are missing the drill bit I need for the handrail install.

I realized that I forgot to mention I made some garlic toast to go with Saturday’s dinner. I had cut three slices off a baguette, drizzled them with olive oil and toasted them in the toaster oven. When they were ready, I rubbed each one with a garlic clove.

Now, anybody who’s bought a fresh baguette soon realizes that, without preservatives, they only last a day or two at best. So, today, I cut the remainder of the loaf into one-inch slices and cut off the crusts. The crusts did not go to waste; they went outside for the birds or squirrels.

I preheated the oven to 400 degrees F., cubed up the slices and put them into a bowl. I drizzled them with olive oil and seasoned them with salt, fresh ground black pepper, some red pepper flakes (for a little kick) and a sprinkle of garlic powder. I mixed them up to make sure all the cubes were coated. Then I put them on a half sheet pan and stuck them into the oven for about 10-15 minutes (until they were golden). I pulled out the sheet tray and let them cool.

When they were room temp, I stuck them in a baggie and washed the sheet pan. Now I have croutons for my soups!

I started to vacuum the house, but the sun came out around 2:00 PM. So, I took the platform outside after the patio dried off and sanded it.

The chili and ground beef had thawed, so I browned the meat with one diced yellow onion in a large skillet. When that was ready, I added in the six cups of vegetarian chili. I let that get happy for a while, tasted it (good!) and the let it cool. When it was cool, I put it into two four-cup freezer containers, labeled them and stuck them back in the freezer. Then I washed up the skillet.

I began my Sunday supper around 5:30 PM by peeling some russet potatoes. I cut them into 1/4 inch slices. Then I did the same thing to a medium yellow onion. I buttered my two-quart Pyrex casserole dish and preheated the oven to 400 degrees F.

I arranged half the potato slices in layers on the bottom of the pan. Then I put in a single layer of the onion slices, broken into rings. The rest of the potatoes were layered on top.

I melted three tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. I whisked in three tablespoons of flour and a little kosher salt. I cooked that for about a minute or so. Then I added two cups of whole milk and whisked that until it started to thicken. Finally, I threw in 1 1/2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese and continued to whisk until the cheese had melted (another minute or so).

I poured the cheese mixture over the potatoes, covered the casserole dish with tin foil and stuck it in the oven. I set the timer for 1 1/2 hours and cleaned up the saucepan and the counter.

Then I got started on a simple chicken cordon bleu recipe. Someday I want to make the Cooks Illustrated version I saw done on TV (It’s baked, not fried, with shredded Swiss cheese and rolled in homemade breadcrumbs, etc.) but today I’m going with what I have.

So, I pounded out three boneless, skinless chicken breasts between two layers of cling wrap until they were at a uniform thickness. I put on a ham slice and two slices of Swiss cheese, only going to 1/2 inch of the edge of the chicken patty. I tightly rolled them up and secured them with toothpicks. I secured the ends with toothpicks as well (I don’t want the cheese to run out as often happens). I put the chicken back in the fridge for a bit to set while I cleaned up.

About an hour before the potatoes au gratin would be done, I mixed some flour with paprika in a shallow dish. I melted six tablespoons of butter in my skillet over medium-high heat. I coated the chicken rolls with the flour mixture and then browned them in the butter until all the sides were golden.

I added in 1/2 cup of white wine and one teaspoon of chicken bouillon granules, reduced the heat to low, covered the skillet and simmered it for 30 minutes.

When the 30 minutes were up, I checked the chicken by slicing into one of the rolls. The juices were clear and it was not pink, so I removed them from the skillet to a plate. I had to use a pair of pliers to pull out the toothpicks (they were too slippery for fingers).

I mixed together one tablespoon of cornstarch with one cup of heavy whipping cream and whisked that slowly into the skillet. I cooked it, whisking all the while, until the sauce thickened.

I plated it by slicing one of the chicken rolls into rounds, topped it with some of the sauce and added a generous helping of the potatoes Au gratin.

I ate that watching my Sunday night shows. The chicken was great although some of the cheese did leak out (I gotta try that other recipe!). The potatoes were also excellent, except they were under-seasoned. I fixed that by adding table salt to them, but I will have to remember that next time.

My shows were coming on, so I put the left over in the fridge and just soaked the skillet. I’ve done enough cooking and dish washing for one day and will catch it in the morning!