Chicken Puffs

My new favorite! Oh my were they delish! This can be used as an entree (as I did) or a smaller version as an appetizer. My mouth is watering just thinking about them and I just got done eating them an hour ago.

Ingredients

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

3 tablespoons chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1/8 tsp rosemary

1/8 tsp basil

1/8 tsp marjoram

1/8 tsp parsley

3/4 package cream cheese

6 tablespoons butter

3 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough

Directions

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, slowly cook and stir skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, onion and garlic. Cook until onions are tender and chicken is lightly browned.

In a medium bowl, blend chicken mixture, cream cheese and butter until creamy.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Unroll croissants and divide in half to create 12 rectangles. Place approximately one tablespoon of the chicken mixture on each rectangle. Fold into balls.

Arrange balls on a large baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

 

Delicious sausage, potato, corn chowder

I realized as soon as I logged in that it had been a while since I posted. I remember to take pictures and think about which recipes I want to post but then it gets delayed. This is my new favorite dish. It was incredible. I already want to make it again and we had it less than a week ago! I use a mixture of hot and regular sausage in most things I make with sausage. It made this dish so much better but know that you can obviously make it with just regular or just hot. :-)

Ingredients

• 1 pound bulk pork sausage (like I said I used a 1/2 hot sausage and 1/2 regular sausage)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 4 cups cubed peeled potatoes (1/2-inch cubes)
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Clove of fresh garlic (depending on your liking)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon of basil
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (14.75 ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

Directions:

1. In a soup kettle, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the potatoes, water, salt, marjoram and pepper. (I have done this two different ways, browned sausage in my stockpot and then added or browned sausage in a frying pan then transfer to stockpot.)
2. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Add the corn, cream-style corn and milk; heat through.

**Every time I make this, I regret not doubling the recipe because we all love it!

Garden Herb Bread

This could quite be my new favorite thing to make! I will make this for every meal for quite some time. It is also fairly easy and low maintenace. It is also made without a bread machine so you will have to hand knead it. It is DELICIOUS!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons white sugar

2 (.25 ounce) packages instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup butter

1 egg

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:

In large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, salt, and herbs.

Heat milk, water, and 1/4 cup butter until very warm (120-130 degrees F); stir into dry ingredients. Stir in egg and enough remaining flour to make soft dough.

Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes. Cover; let rest on floured surface 10 minutes.

Shape into a somewhat round shape. Tuck under edges to keep it smooth on top. Place on greased baking sheet. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubles in size, about 20 to 40 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 30 to 35 minutes or until done, covering with foil during last 10 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning. Melt remaining butter; brush over loaf. Sprinkle with additional herbs, if desired. Remove from sheet; let cool on wire rack.

Ham and Potato Soup

Seriously, the best ham and potato soup I've ever eaten! So filling and so perfect for a chilly night! I will make this soup over and over again for years to come as I will with most of the stuff I put on this blog. :-) However, I will give you a head's up that this is a semi time consuming soup. It also needs to be served immediately or will be turned into mashed potato soup. With all that said, it is amazing and well worth it!

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes 

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

3/4 cup diced cooked ham

3 1/4 cups water

2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste

5 tablespoons butter

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

Directions

Combine the potatoes, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Shredded Beef and Cheese Baked Flautas

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs of chuck roast
1 7 oz can of whole green chiles reserve the juice
1 tbsp olive oil
Chili powder
Oregano
Garlic salt and pepper, to taste
4-5 cloves of chopped garlic
1-2 cups of beef broth
Flour tortillas
Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

Pre-heat crock-pot on high. Sprinkle each seasoning on both sides of the meat, to taste then rub in with olive oil. Spread the green chiles over the roast. Add beef broth, reserved green chile juice and chopped garlic. Cook 3-4 hours until the beef shreds easily. Check on roast every couple of hours to make sure there is plenty of liquid... if it's low add more broth.  Shred the meat and mix into the remaining liquid. Taste and re season if necessary. Set aside and let cool.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place a bit of cheddar cheese in the center of the tortilla first, then add some shredded beef on top of the cheese; roll. Place, seam side down, on a baking sheet that's been coated with cooking spray. Finish rolling the rest of the flautas.

Place into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes then turn over and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

**Mostly from "From the love of cooking" blog.

Monkeybread

This was the best monkey bread I had ever eaten and my daycare kids loved it!

Ingredients:
4 cans refrigerated biscuits
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins (these are optional and I did not put them in mine)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-10 inch tube pan.
2. Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a medium sized plastic bag. Cut the biscuits into halves or quarters and place six to eight biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Shake well.
3. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the greased pan (I used a loaf pan but normally would use a bundt pan). Continue layering until all the biscuit pieces are coated and in the pan. If you are using raisins, place them among the biscuit pieces as you are layering.
4. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the layered biscuits.
5. Bake for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Pull apart and enjoy!

**Recipe courtesy of momswhothink.com

Dare I say, Gourmet Chicken Mac 'n Cheese!

This could be the most gooey, delicious macaroni and cheese I have ever eaten in my life. It's also "one" of the most expensive things I've ever made for dinner as the cheese isn't exactly "every day cheese". If you are craving the ultimate macaroni and cheese, take the leap to make this. It is A-mazing! It can be made just as macaroni and cheese but I added chicken to make it more of an entree rather than a side dish. It is uber rich so don't expect to eat a large portion.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
Kosher salt
1 pound bow tie pasta
1 quart milk (4 cups)
8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 oz Gruyere, grated (3 cups) (This is where the expense comes into play)
8 oz extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 lb. Chicken breasts
1/2 c canned mushrooms or fresh
1 cup Garlic breadcrumbs

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Drizzle oil into a frying pan and saute the chicken breasts until fully cooked.
3. Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling water. Add 1 Tbsp kosher salt and pasta. Undercook the pasta about 2 minutes- this will ensure the pasta doesn’t get too mushy while it’s baking in the oven. Drain well.
4. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it.
5. In a separate large pot, melt 6 Tbsp of butter, and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk.
6. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth.
7. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 Tbsp salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
8. Add the cooked macaroni, chicken and mushrooms, stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.
9. Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter, combine them with the fresh breadcrumbs, and sprinkle on the top.
10. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

**Gruyere can be bought at Kroger in the deli specialty cheeses. It can be bought as a chunk or shredded in a fondue mix. For this recipe, I used the shredded fondue mix. It was $12.99 for the bag already shredded or $8.99 for the chunk. Sorry, it may not seem like much to some of you but to me, this was sticker shock. :-)

**Reminiscent of Ina Garten's mac n' cheese with some Ashley twists!

Beginner Stromboli

Ingredients:

1/2 lb lean ground beef (I recommend using sausage)

1 T crushed red pepper

1T garlic powder or fresh garlic

1 can Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust

1/3 c pizza sauce

1 c shredded mozzarella cheese (I used ched/monterey jack)

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

I also added a handful of mushrooms because that's what I prefer but you could easily add whatever you like for toppings.

Olive Oil (Or melted butter)

Garlic Salt

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F.

2. Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray.

3. Brown ground beef, once browned add in crushed red pepper and garlic. Continuing browing until thoroughly cooked. Drain. Set aside.

4. Unroll dough; place on cookie sheet. Press out dough until it's approx. a 15X11" rectangle.

5. Spread pizza sauce over dough within 2" of long sides and 1/2" within short sides. Spoon and spread ground beef (or sausage) lengthwise down center.

6. Top with cheese, Italian seasoning and any other toppings you choose.

7. Fold long sides of dough up over filling; press edges and ends to seal.

8. Brush olive oil (or melted butter) over the length of the top of dough. Sprinkle with garlic salt.

9. Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cut Stromboli into slices to serve.

*Partial recipe courtesy of Pillsbury

Cheesecake Filled Strawberries

I recently made this for a jewelry party I hosted and oh my, were they a HUGE hit! I thought what better way to keep kicking off my food blog was with the most in demand recipes I've made. They sound so complicated but are sooo easy. You will for sure be asked to bring them to every get together you go to!

Ingredients:
Cheesecake filling (recipe below)
24 large, firm strawberries
Ziploc bags
Graham cracker crumbs (You could easily do sprinkles, choc. chips, etc. but I just thought the graham crackers went along with the cheesecake)

Cheesecake filling: (You can also buy pre-made cheesecake filling but this is way better IMO)
12-oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
¼-1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Combine and whip together the cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Skip this step if you are using the pre-made filling.
2. Wash your strawberries and cut off the tops. Using a sharp paring knife, hollow out the inside of the strawberry without puncturing the bottom. I use the "white" insides as a measure and try to use that as my diameter to hollow out. **This part intimidated me a little but once I got started with my PC paring knife, I could have kept going for hours!
3. Dip in graham cracker crumbs and serve.

**Courtesy of The Piggly-Wiggly blog

Pizza Breadstick Casserole

The one everyone has been asking for. This is the recipe that I had the most requests for so this was my true push over the edge to start this blog! I also forgot to mention, if it's not already obvious, I am NOT a photographer. I do like to see pictures before I cook something so I will always "try" to have a picture that goes along with a recipe. :-)

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup diced pepperoni
5 green onions, sliced
1 1/2 cups chunky tomato pasta sauce
1 can refrigerated Parmesan/Garlic breadsticks (I bought regular and added the parmesan and garlic powder myself)
1 cup shredded Colby-Monteray Jack Cheese

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375. Spray 2 qt. glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook ground beef over med-high for 5-7 minutes, drain.
3. Stir in pepperoni, onions, and pasta sauce. Cook until boiling.
4. Unroll breadstick dough into 1 large rectangle. Sprinkle mixture from can or your own concoction over dough. Seperate breadsticks and cut into 3 pieces.
5. Spoon ground beef mixture into baking dish. Spread dough pieces evenly over top of beef mixture.
6. Bake 15-18 minutes or until topping is brown and NO LONGER DOUGHY (I double layered some breadsticks so mine was a little doughy still)....I recommend only single layering the breadsticks to avoid this.
7. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 10 minutes longer!

It is delish! A favorite of my husband's that's for for sure!

*Pillsbury inspired

Getting the hang of this

Hi all,

I have been wanting to do this for some time and am now excited to dedicate part of my life to this. I have a crazy life so bear with me but I promise to post a new recipe weekly. Crafts will be much more random and may come in spurts as that's how I craft. I may from time to time just post about my life, day, dogs, books I've read, etc. Hope you all enjoy coming here as much as I know I'll enjoy posting! Please leave me comments if you make something to let me know how you liked it!

Bon Appetit!