TURKEY CLUB RING with AVACADO AIOLI

Ingredients:

2 cans Crusty French Loaf
1 egg
1 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp shredded Parmesan
1 1/2 cups of shredded romaine lettuce
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 medium plum tomatoes, chopped
1/4 Extra virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 Tbsp of Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 cup mayo
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 avocado, pitted, peeled, and chopped
8 oz thinly sliced turkey ( I also put double the meat and use turkey and ham.... Jesse likes more meat and I aim to please. ;)  )
8 slices of provolone cheese cut in half
8 slices of bacon, halved and crisply cooked

This is of course another Pillsbury recipe, but it is one of our favorites! I have done it for poker nights and birthday parties, it is always a hit!

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large cookie sheet with non stick spray. Place both loaves of bread on tray seam sides down and shape into a large circle pinching the ends of each loaf to the other to seal. Use a sharp knife and cut slits in the top of the dough. I do about 8 to 10 slits about 1/2 inch deep.

In a small bowl beat the egg and 1/2 tsp of the oregano together. Brush gently over the dough. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Bake 20 to 30 min until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix lettuce, onion, tomatoes, oil, vinegar, red pepper flakes and remaining 1/2 tsp oregano. Refrigerate for about 20 min to marry the flavors together.

In a food processor, mix mayo, garlic and avocado until smooth.

Cut bread in half horizontally. Press inside of top and bottom of ring to flatten bread slightly for fillings. Place lettuce mixture in the bottom of the ring. Top with turkey, ham, provolone cheese, and bacon. Spread the avocado aioli on top of ring and place it on top of the sandwich.

This really is a very pretty sandwich as well. It looks very impressive and it is pretty easy to do. :) ENJOY!

HERB CHICKEN SLIDERS with RASPBERRY MUSTARD

1 egg
1 tsp water
1 can crusty french loaf
1/2 cup Raspberry jam
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp whole grain Dijon mustard
1 1/4 lb ground chicken or turkey
4 medium green onions chopped (1/4 cup)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp dried tarragon leaves
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 bag mixed baby salad greens


Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 10 regular sized muffins cups with non stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, beat egg and water until well blended. Cut loaf of dough crosswise into 10 slices for buns. Place each slice, cut side up, in muffin cup; brush with egg mixture. Bake 16 to 22 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Remove from pan and place on cooling rack.

In a small bowl, beat jam and mustard's with fork until smooth.

In a medium bowl, mix chicken, green onions, parsley, tarragon, and garlic.
Shape mixture into 10 patties, about 1/2 inch think. In 12 inch skillet heat oil over med-high heat. Add patties; cook 3 to 5 min on each side, turning once.

Cut each bun in half horizontally. Spoon 1 tsp of raspberry mustard on cut sides of each bun. Place bottoms of buns on a large serving platter; top each with a burger, small amount of salad greens and top of bun.

These were SO good! I made them a while back and never posted the recipe. The only adjustment I made to this recipe was I used dried sage instead of tarragon. I didn't have any tarragon.



Everyone loved them!

Scentsy Party!

I had a little Scentsy Party yesterday and I made lunch for all the gals. I think the best part about making food, is sharing it with people you love.




The little chocolates were SO easy. They white chocolate covered ones are a box of oreos crushed up with a block of cream cheese, rolled into balls, and dipped in white chocolate. The chocolate ones are the same, only with vanilla oreos. And the ones with the pecans are a chocolate covered pretzel, with a rolo on top, you put those into the oven at 300 degrees for 3 min. then you press a pecan in the top and drizzle with white chocolate. These were SO yummy and I found that recipe from Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade!





These little Sandwiches were are called "Asian Chicken Sandwiches". I got this recipe from the Pillsbury Cook book.

*2Cans of Pillsbury crusty French Loaf
*1 cup Sliced Almonds
*1/2 Apricot Preserves
*1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
*1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
*2 1/2 Tbsp Veggie oil
*1 tsp of salt
*1/2 tsp ground black pepper
*1 red or green finely chopped jalapeno chile
*3 cups cold shredded deli rotisserie chicken
*1 bag coleslaw mix

1. Heat oven to 375 Degrees. Spray large cookie sheet with non stick cooking spray. Cut each loaf cross wise into 4 pieces. (I cut it in half and then each of the halves in half, to make sure they are even.) Place rolls seam side down on cooking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 12 to 16 min or until golden brown. Let cool.

2. While oven is warm, toast almonds in ungreased shallow pan 3 to 4 min., stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bow, beat remaining ingredients except chicken, coleslaw, and almonds.

4. In medium bowl mix chicken, coleslaw and almonds. Add the Apricot Vinaigrette; mix thoroughly.

5. Cut each roll horizontally almost to the other side and fill with chicken mixture.




Mississippi Mud- Loaded Brownies
(Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade recipe again!.. gotta love her)

*1 (18.8- ounce) package family style dark chocolate brownie mix
*2 large eggs
*1/3 cup water
*1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
*1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut ( I am not a huge coconut fan, so I left this out)
*1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
*1/2 cup chopped pecans
*3 1/2 cups of mini marshmallows
*4 1/2 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
*1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
*1 1/4 cups sour cream
*3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray a 13x9 in pan with non stick spray. in a large bowl, combine brownie mix, eggs, 1/3 cup water, and 1/3 cup melted butter. Using a wooden spoon, beat for 50 strokes. Stir in coconut, chocolate chips, and nuts. Spread into prepared pan.

2. Bake for 26 to 28 min, or until set and firm to touch. Immediately sprinkle marshmallows on brownie layer; return to oven, and bake for 2-3 min longer to soften marshmallows. Let cool completely. (about 1 hour)

3. In a small saucepan, combine chopped chocolate and 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until chocolate melts. Transfer to a large bowl; add sour cream and powdered sugar. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer (or really fast with a wire whisk...that's what I did.) Beat until fluffy. Pour and spread evenly over marshmallows. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Cut into squares.

These were a perfect make ahead desert! I just threw them in the freezer!




7 Layer-Dip

I love 7- layer dip. It's one of my favorites. This is the way I do it.

*1 can of spicy refried beans
*1 container of zesty guacamole (If I don't have time to make my own)
*1 container of sour cream
*cherry tomatoes, sliced
*olives, sliced
*pickled jalapenos, sliced
*shredded jack cheese

Layer in the order. :) easy peasy and SO good! Serve with tortilla chips.

Breakfast

Breakfast Casserole

I threw this one together one saturday morning and it turned out not to bad.

1 1/2 cups frozen hash browns
6 eggs
1 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp cream cheese
6 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp dill

Cook the hash browns in butter until golden brown. Press them into a small casserole dish. Spread the cream cheese and bacon over the has browns. ( I use my clean hands to brake up the cream cheese.) in another bowl beat eggs, milk, dill, and add some salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the hash browns, bacon and cream cheese. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes. Take out and add cheese on top and then bake for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is a little crisp and bubbley.

This was so easy and so yummy. I just kind of threw together what I had and it turned out yummy.



SO EASY PUMPKIN BREAD

This receipe I found out of the magazine "PARENTS". I had all the ingrediants so I whipped it up and it was pretty yummy.

BREAD
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 cup of pure pumpkin puree
1 cup smashed bananas
1 tsp of cinnamon

Prepare cake mix as directed omitting the water. Stir in pumpkin, bananas, and cinnamon. Pour into a greased 9" loaf pan; Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.




FROSTING

4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup softened butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Stir in vanilla and slowly add powdered sugar. Frost cooled Bread: chill.

Makes 16 slices. Each slice has 281 calories and 1/2 served of fruits and veggies.

A Day at the Beach

We went to the beach over last weekend and had a blast! And I made some yummy food to take along with us. Which included:

Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups of fresh Dill or Cilantro or whatever herb you like best. (I used dill from my garden :) )
2 Tbsp of Lime Juice
zest of one lime
Salt and Pepper
Blend in a food processor or blender until smooth. Set aside.

4 ears of Corn
(Put in cold, salted water, Bring to a boil, turn off heat, cover and let sit for 10-12 min, rinse under cold water and then shave corn off onto a clean kitchen towel. This prevents it from flying everywhere.)
1 cup of cherry tomatoes halved
1 cup of fresh mozzarella balls
2 avocados diced

Mix all the veggies and cheese together and pour the dressing over and chill for an hour before serving. This was SO good! I made this recipe twice, and the second time I made it I threw in some sweet red bell pepper, it was yummy.

Ham, Cheese, and Spinach Pin Wheels

2 cans of crescent rolls
some thinly sliced deli ham (you could also use prosciutto)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese or Asiago
salt and pepper
1 garlic clove finely minced
1 cup of cooked spinach

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the crescent rolls and pinch all the seams together. Lay the ham over the dough in an even layer. Mix the Spinach, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Spread the spinach mixture evenly over the ham. Roll up making a "jelly roll" kind of. Then slice thin slices like you would a Cinnamon roll and lay on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 12 - 15 min until they are golden brown. These traveled very well and were delicious! Let them cool for a good 15- 25 minutes before you pack them up so they stay crisp and don't get soggy.


Along with these 2 delicious recipes I made tiny chocolate chip cookies. The dough I made about a week before our trip and had in the freezer, so it was easy to just bake some off to take with us. I made them about tsp size. They were prefect to just pop in your mouth. I had bought a pineapple about 5 or 6 days before we went on our little weekend beach trip. I sat it in the window so it got nice and ripe. I chopped that up with some strawberries. We had a very fun weekend of boating and swimming and building sand castles. The food was just the cherry on the cake.

What is with the ground beef?

I don't know about you, but I always have ground beef in the freezer. Well I have been trying to eat healthier and I was wondering what in the world I could make with ground beef. So I googled it, I food networked it, I kraftfoods.comed it... I couldn't really find anything. So I am sitting at work and it hit me... LETTUCE WRAPS! And boy were they good.

1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey
1/4 cup of grape jelly (not really healthy, I know... but good)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 Honey BBQ Sauce
Salt and Pepper

Brown your meat add the rest of the ingredients and feel free to experiment.. that's what I do.

1 head of crisp romaine lettuce (or what ever lettuce you would like to use)
7 baby carrots - I cut them into thin strips (or just buy shredded carrots)
1 can of water chestnuts (compliments of my mom... I didn't have any :) )
15 roasted almonds with no salt added. ( cut them up )
1/2 of a large red bell pepper or one small, cut the same size as the other veggies.

Mix all that into a bowl except for the lettuce leaves. Pile the meat mixture and veggies into the lettuce and WALLAH! My man put ranch on his and loved them... I ate them plain and loved them. Whatever you like, get creative.

Green Chile Enchiladas

18 corn tortilla's
1 large can of Green Enchilada Sauce.. 25 oz (I think)
1 cup of Canola Oil
1 cup of sour cream
1 small can of green chiles
1 small can of jalepenos (or fresh if you have them) remember these go a long way, so if you don't like it too hot, only use half the can.
2 cups of shredded chicken. (2 or 3 chicken breasts)

2 cups of mexican style cheese


Roast 2 or 3 chicken breasts in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour. I put olive oil, salt, and pepper on them and covered the baking dish with foil.

In a blender blend sour cream, 3/4 of the can of enchilada sauce, jalapenos, and green chiles. Blend just until combined.

heat 1 cup of Canola Oil in a deep skillet and begin to fry all of your corn tortillas until they are golden brown.

Shred the chicken after it has cooled for a about 10 minutes.

Start to layer in a 13x9 glass dish. put down 6 of the corn tortilla's then spread some of the chicken evenly over the tortilla's then pour some of the sauce over the chicken, then add some cheese and repeat. Add the last layer of corn tortilla's and the the rest of the sauce and cheese. (you can really layer however your little heart desires.)

Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. I served this with green salad, fruit and tortilla chips, sour cream and salsa... of course. No picture, sorry...but they were yummy. I used a whole can of jalapenos, so they had some kick FOR SURE. :)