http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/potatoportobello-gratin-recipe.html

Congratulations!!

As to the casserole part, I would just follow the recipe as is if you have the right sized dish to fill it. An idea I learned from Linda is to buy them at yard sales and thrift stores and then have plenty to leave. (I haven't done that yet, but intend to!)

So, texturally, I think chevre is close enough. Mix it with herbs, garlic and other seasoning, and maybe add a drop of cream or milk if it's too rigid. Boursin is pretty sweet, while goat cheeses run on the sour side. The carrots are sweet. If you think the kids won't like the sourness, you can add a bit more carrot, or more cream, or even a pinch of sugar, but I think I'd like it better with the sourness of the chevre just as it is than the Boursin.

That's a long winded way of saying I think it'll be fine!

If you really want to make a casserole, you can make a bottom "crust" with an additional portion of the bread mixture and bake it slightly to set. Or use sliced, cooked potatoes or pasta or rice. Layer in the chicken, either pounded out as directed, or cut into pieces, any cooked and very well drained, diced vegetables that you like, and do a layer of the cheese mixture, repeat if your dish is deeper than wide. You can add some gravy (stock + starch) or custard (milk and eggs), to bind it all. Then top with the bread crumbs.

Thanks to both of you for commenting. I meant to try to take this post down or to at least say that it had been "overcome by circumstances." I never thawed the chicken breasts, and I found another way to use the goat cheese. I made mashed potatoes with goat cheese, green onions, and bacon. Packed them into 2 cup containers and froze them. DSIL frequently will throw a couple of steaks on the grill. This will give them a side dish. With a salad, it will be a perfect meal.

I am hereby pledging to stop buying cheese at Costco unless I have a specific plan for using it up. I buy it and then stress over wasting it. There is no way on this green earth that I can use up 20 oz of goat cheese before it goes bad.

Yeah! Twins! Double your pleasure, double your fun....and halve your sleep!!
I can't really get around mixing carrot, boursin, parsley and pecans and putting it inside a chicken breast. Have you eaten this??
My take on it would be.....
Pound the chicken breasts, mix the cheese with some garlic....or if you would like something milder, chopped chives, and the flour, and some cooked ( or frozen) chopped spinach squeezed very dry...not a lot of spinach, maybe 1/4 cup.
Spread on the chicken, roll up, secure with a toothpick if necessary. Season 1/2 cup of flour with 1/2 tsp salt and roll the chicken in the flour, then in a beaten egg and then in a crumb mix, consisting of 2/3 cup dry bread crumbs, 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans and a good amount of dry parsley....maybe 2 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika.
Nestle in your casserole, drizzle with the melted butter and sprinkle with the parmesan.
Sorry, goat cheese, carrots chicken and pecans don't sound like they go together to me.

I have eaten it when DD made it. I would swear that there weren't carrots or pecan in it. But above is what she sent when I asked for the recipe.

Good work on your side dish. I think that will go over very well, especially as the weather cools. And you can always give them the frozen chicken breasts as something else the SIL can throw on the grill. :)

Perhaps now that you're past the what to do with too much chevre issue, it might be time for a big pot of minestrone? Or some other vegetable soup? For when it's too hectic to produce a salad but one is desperate for vegetables. I've had pretty good luck with freezing minestrone and having the vegetables come out decently on reheating.

I could eat 20 oz of chevre before it goes bad.....easily! Nom-nom!

Plllog, you read my mind! I made two pots of soup yesterday. One was Zucchini Soup and the other was my father's vegetable soup/stew. Daddy always called it stew because it is quite thick with vegetables and meat.

They sound similar but really aren't. The Zucchini Soup starts with a pound of browned Italian sausage and 2 lbs of zucchini, diced. To that you add celery, onions, green peppers, canned tomatoes, and seasonings. It is then simmered for an hour.

Daddy's vegetable soup is melange of whatever vegetables you have on hand (generally, onions, carrots, celery, okra, lima beans, and corn), canned tomatoes, and some sort of beef. It is a very simple soup, but it is very satisfying. For my family, it is truly comfort food.

Elba, I am glad to hear that you've successful frozen goat cheese! I was afraid freezing might adversely affect the texture. Your salads sound delicious!

bbstx, I have no suggestions, but I wanted to tell you congratulations on the twins! What fun you'll have.....

Annie

Like Elba, I too have sliced it into rounds and wrapped each one individually. Very handy for salads and stuffing into chicken breasts.

I have a habit of buying Feta at Costco and I don't use it fast at all. But it has a pretty long shelf life. I've also been known to replenish the salt water on it to keep it fresher.

Your zucchini soups sounds way different from any I've had before! Mine is just zucchini and onions, chopped and sautéed a bit before adding chicken stock and simmering until soft. Purée and add some cream and a good sized dollop of pesto.

Colleenoz, I cannot abide zucchini but a member of my cookbook club made this soup and I really liked it. At DD's now. When I get home, I'll post the recipe. It has no broth. All of the liquid comes from the vegetables.

Your soups sound great. I'm going to have to try making your zucchini soup. :)

I hope everything is going well there. At least, no one's going hungry. :)

Back home, for a bit. Here is the Zucchini Soup recipe.

Zucchini Soup

Yields 12 cups

I pound Italian sausage, bulk or remove casings, crumbled

2 pounds zucchini, ends cut off and coarsely chopped

2 cups chopped celery

2 green bell peppers, chopped

1 cup chopped onion

42 ounces canned diced tomatoes

1 (10 oz) can tomatoes with green chiles

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon basil

Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Brown the sausage in a skillet. Drain. reserving a small amount of fat. Saute the zucchini, celery, bell peppers, and onion in the same skillet until tender. Combine sausage, zucchini mixture, undrained tomatoes, and remaining ingredients, except Parm, in a stockpot or dutch oven. Simmer for 1 hour covered, stirring occasionally. Do not be alarmed if soup appears too thick. Liquid will form as the soup simmers. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with Parm. Freezes well.

bbstx's notes: I used sweet Italian sausage. I used a scant 2 cups of celery. It can overpower other flavors so easily. I was careful to choose small zucchinis with smooth, tender skin, so I did not peel the zucchini. I used Original flavor Rotel tomatoes for the tomatoes with green chiles.

Bon appetit!

Everything is going very well. The twins are growing and thriving. I'm closing down the "to-go" kitchen. DD & DSIL have a small chest freezer and it is full to the brim. I'm going back next week to help while the photographer is making the newborn pictures. All I'm planning to take are some apple muffins.

Phew! You did a good job of providing for them. Good to hear that it's all going well.

Thanks for the soup recipe and notes!

The Apple Muffins turned out great! Here is a link to the King Arthur Flour Apple Muffins. My only comment is pay attention to the fact that the brown sugar is DIVIDED. I now have in my freezer a container holding 1/2 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, and 3/4 cup of brown sugar blended together. Fortunately, with the addition of more butter and more white sugar, I can use it to make Brandied Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies from Simply Recipes.