Chicken Cord on Bleu

1 cup sour cream
1 can of Cream of Celery
1 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbs minced onion
1 Tbs of fresh dill
1 Tbs of fresh flat leaf parsley
Salt & Pepper
Mix the above ingredients together and set aside

Pound 3 or 4 chicken breasts out flat. I put wax paper on both sides and used my rolling pin to make them nice and flat. Place a slice of Swiss cheese and 2 slices of thinly sliced deli ham in the chicken breast and roll up. Secure with toothpicks.

Spray a glass cooking dish with Pam and place your chicken seam side down in the dish. Pour the Sour Cream mixture over the top of the chicken making sure they are all covered. Place tin foil over the top and place in a preheated oven at 375 degrees. Let them cook for about 90 minutes.

I always serve this dish with roasted veggies because the sauce is SO yummy to pour over them. This time I did baby Yukon golds, cauliflower, and carrots. I put them on a cookie sheet and tossed them with salt, pepper, and olive oil. I put them in the oven with the chicken for about 30 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn.

When you are slicing your chicken, make sure to let it rest for about 15 minutes before you cut it. This will ensure that they will look pretty.

Jesse said this one gets an A+. He loved the veggie combo.

One more helpful hint, DO NOT use low fat sour cream... it makes the sauce have a more sour flavor, rather then rich.

Chimichangas

1/2 Cup minced onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 Tbs olive oil
2 cups of shredded chicken
(I roasted mine in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 min. with salt and pepper and Olive oil)
1 can of the large crescent rolls
Salsa
Shredded cheese
Sour cream

Heat oven 350 degrees, grease a large cookie sheet. In a skillet cook onion and garlic with oil until tender. Add the shredded chicken and heat through.

Unroll the dough and separate the triangles. Spread on each one some of the salsa. (not all the way to the edge) Add the chicken mixture and roll the dough up around the filling. Seal the edges and place on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 16 - 20 min until lightly browned, add some of your cheese on top of each one and throw them back in the oven until the cheese is nice and melted and kind of crispy. (That's how we like it)

Served with sour cream and salsa. Pretty easy, and pretty good.

Fudgy Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

Another Pillsbury recipe... SO GOOD

1/2 Cup melted butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 bag Heath Bits O'Brickle Toffee bits (they are in the baking isle)
1 roll of refrigerated cookie dough
1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 Tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan with non stick spray.
Ina bowl mix 1/2 cup butter, 1 1/2 cups of the graham cracker crumbs and 3/4 Cup of the toffee bits. Press this mixture into your greased pan. Throw into the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes.

Pull the cookie dough out of the fridge for about 10 minutes to soften. In a 2 quart sauce pan, heat chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and 1 tbs of butter over med heat stirring frequently, until chops are melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Spread this mixture over crust.

Using the same bowl you mix your crust in, break up the cookie dough into small chunks and mix in the remaining graham cracker crumbs. Crumble mixture over the chocolate layer and sprinkle with more toffee bits. (I used the rest of the bag)

Bake for 25 minutes until top is golden. Cool completely. These bars are the best when you put them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. YUM...

Southwest Sloppy Joe Pizza

( I almost forgot to get a picture )


I got this one from my Pillsbury Cookbook... it sounded kind of weird, but I had all the stuff to make, so I did... and we loved it!

1 can of refrigerated pizza dough
1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion (minced)
1/4 cup diced jalapeno peppers
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp of minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce
1 cup of salsa
1/2 cup of grape jelly ( I know weirdness, huh?)
2 cups of shredded mild cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non stick spray. Unroll pizza dough and push it into the pan so it fits. (If it tears then mend it together, no biggie) Bake the crust for 8 - 10 minutes.

In a skillet brown your ground beef with the onions and jalapeno.

Stir in mustard, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salsa, and jelly into beef mixture. Cook until sauce is slightly thickened.

Spread the beef mixture over the partially cooked dough and sprinkle with cheese. Throw that back in the oven for 8 more minutes until cheese is melted and crust is browned. Let stand for a few minutes before you cut into slices.

It's kind of sweet and spicy. Surprisingly delicious and easy!

Dry Rub BBQ Chicken

1 Tbs brown sugar
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp of ground ginger

Mix together the ingredients above and rub on 3 to 4 breasts of chicken. Line a baking sheet with foil and bake for 45 min at 350 degrees.

3/4 cup of honey BBQ sauce
1 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Mix ingredients in a small sauce pan and let heat through. Serve over top of chicken.

I served this chicken with a big green salad and Risotto. I didn't get a picture of it because it disappeared way to quick. :) My 2 1/2 year old ate half of a chicken breast him self. Jesse said this one is a keeper.

Apple, Raisin, Pecan Salad

1/2 cup raw pecans
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 medium apple (I chose honey crisp.. oh so good)
1 head of crispy Romain lettuce
5 dried apricots (diced into small pieces)

Mix together all ingredients except nuts.

Toast the pecans in a dry pan, stirring frequently. Mix together 1 Tbsp of brown sugar and 1 Tbsp of water and add to the nuts. Keep stirring until liquid is gone. Pour on top of the salad.

I think Raspberry Vinaigrette would be awesome on this salad. But I made my own orange marmalade dressing.

2 Tbsp orange marmalade
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp of lemon juice
a dash of apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper

Mix together and pour over salad.

Jesse said the dressing was funky. :) I liked it, but like I said Raspberry Vinaigrette would be a safe route and yummy.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

2 1/2 Cups of Flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 Cups of Sugar
1/2 Cup of Vegetable Oil
3 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 Cups of Mashed Banana's ( I use more if I have more)
1 Cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips ( once again, I use more sometimes)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and CINNAMON SUGAR (that is my secret ya'll) your loaf pans, or muffin pan. The sugar makes this sweet kind of crunchy crust. So delicious.

Stir flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl and set aside. (if you have a sifter, sift. But I just stir them together. In another bowl mash up your banana's with a fork.

In a mixing bowl mix together sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla until well blended. Add banana's and blend well. Mix in your flour mixture just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide batter among loaf pans and/or muffin pan. Put in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. For Muffins set timer at 30 min and then check on them. To check if they are done stick a toothpick in the middle, if it comes out clean, your good to go.

I am telling you, buttering and sugaring the pan makes ALL the difference!