Chicken Salad

Chicken salad reminds me of summer time and it reminds me of girl parties.  Two things I love!  Chicken salad is one of the easiest most versatile recipes.  You basically can't screw it up.  I'll give you the gist of what I put in mine - but go nuts - add and take away what suits your taste buds.

 

Cooked chicken breast - cubed or shredded (You can use canned, rotisserie, I like to

throw my chicken in a crock pot the night before with a few herbs and then shred it the next day.)

Once I shred the chicken I add enough mayo/ miracle whip to make it moist (less is more - you can add more but can't take it away)

I add chopped pecans and red grape halves, as well as chopped celery - these are all pretty standard ingredients, but I also like to add a few spoon fulls of crushed pineapple, that one is not so standard.  i think it adds to the moisture, gives it a little bit of sweetness and is slightly unexpected.

Add spices to taste - salt, pepper, rosemary, etc.

 

This will keep in the fridge for a few days - serve it on sliced rolls or just on bread.

Ravioli Cabonara

This is a tasty, kid friendly weeknight meal.

 

2 Tbsp. Italian Dressing

1 lb. boneless chicken chunks

3/4 c. chicken broth

1 package refrigerated or frozen (thaw) cheese filled ravioli

1/2 c. half and half or cream

4 slices bacon, crispy cooked and crumbled (precooked works too)

Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Chopped Parsley

 

 

In a rimmed large skillet cook chicken with the italian dressing, until brown.  Add broth and ravioli to skillet, heat to boiling - then reduce heat.  Cook uncovered until ravioli are tender and most of the broth is gone.  Stir in half and half (or cream) reduce heat to low.  Add bacon and parmesan cheese, simmer to get sauce to desired consistency.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Sticky Buns

These are SUPER easy and amazing! These were a lazy saturday morning Pinterest find.

 

2 cans refrigerated biscuits

3 Tbsp. melted butter

1/2 c. pancake syrup

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c. chopped pecans

 

Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside.  in another bowl combine sugar, nuts and cinnamon.  Spoon half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle half the nut mixture on top of that.  Next add the biscuits, I generally have 3 or 4 biscuits left over - instead of squishing them in I just cut them in fourths and put them in a small bread pan and layer it like the fluted pan.  You want the biscuits to overlap and form a ring.  Top the biscuits with the remaining nut mixture and syrup mixture.  I like to lift some of the rings up as I'm doing this to get the nuts down in between the biscuits.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Cool in the pan for 1-2 minutes and then invert onto a serving platter.

 

These are pretty enough for a holiday breakfast - the cherries make me think of

Christmas or any old Saturday will do. 

Raspberry Fluff

Crust:

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tbsp. sugar

3 tbsp. butter

Filling:

2/3 cup sugar

zest of 1 lemon

1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese, softened

juice of half lemon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 (8 oz.) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 cup fresh raspberries, slightly mashed

These are light and fluffy and a easy dessert to whip up for company.  The variations are limitless - change out the berries, make it lemon, or how about chocolate with oreo crust?

YUM!

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

10-12 stale cinnamon rolls (I scrape off some of the frosting)

6 eggs

2 cups milk

1 cup cream

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 Tbsp. real maple syrup

1 cup fresh blueberries*, washed

Quarter the cinnamon rolls and place in a 9x13 dish overnight.  In a large bowl whisk the eggs and then the sugar.  Mix in the cream, milk, vanilla and maple.  Add the blueberries to the pieces of cinnamon roll in the pan - I lift up pieces of the rolls so there are blueberries evenly distributed.  Pour the milk mixture over the cinnamon rolls.  This needs to sit for at least 20 minutes, but it does great in the fridge overnight.  I just throw some foil on it and then bake it in the morning.  Bake at 325 for 50-55 minutes. 

This is amazing warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

*Pears or raspberries can be used in place of the blueberries or feel free to omit.

Royal Icing

4 Tbsp. meringue powder
1/2 scant cup water
1/2-1 tsp. corn syrup
few drops of clear extract (I use almond)
1 lb. sifted powdered sugar.

With your paddle attachment mix the meringue powder and water, then add in the powdered sugar.  Once those are incorporated add the extract and corn syrup.  Mix on med-high for about 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form.

The icing can now be thinned 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Peanut Butter Pinterest Cookies

These cookies are very close cousins to these.  So if you are a fan I definately suggest give these a go. like that these are bite size and stay really soft - the down side to those two things is that you seem to eat more of them because a bite is just never enough and they were a little difficult to form... I ended up having to smash them together a little, but that didn't effect the taste one bit.
1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 jar (18 oz ounce) creamy peanut butter
6 cups corn flakes
3 oz chocolate of your choice (I used chocolate chips)

Combine sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and stir until the mixture comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and stir in the whole jar of peanut butter. Mix well.

Add corn flakes to a large bowl. Pour peanut butter mixture over corn flakes and mix well, taking care to coat all of the corn flakes.

With a tablespoon or cookie scoop, scoop out and form into 1-2 inch balls, depending on your preference, and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.

Put the chocolate in a small bowl and melt in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir until smooth.

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies.

Apple Cranberry Crisp

3 large apples (peeled, cored, and thinly sliced)
2 cups whole cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup oats
1/3 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
5-6 tbsp. melted butter

In a large bowl combine sliced apples, cranberries, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.  Mix well and then pour into a greased 8x8 baking dish.  In a another bowl mix the oats, flour, brown sugar and butter and then sprinkle over the apple cranberry mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, it is done when the apples are tender.

*I used Granny Smith apples (I like tart), but feel free to use a sweeter apple such as Gala if you prefer.  This is a tart dish, but it's great war with some vanilla ice cream.  I suggest this ice cream recipe.

Summer Spinach Salad

Baby Spinach

Mixed Greens

Mandarin Oranges

Sliced Almonds

Sliced Strawberries

Dried Cranberries

Diced Apples - Green or Gala (Optional)

Soft Cheese of Your Choice (Optional)

I like this salad because you can tweak it to your company.  My Mom isn't a fan of the soft cheese so I skip it.  My sister doesn't love the apples, so if she's going to eat it I leave them out of add them after I get her a bowl.  It's a light and fresh salad with some flavor and color.  I like to use a poppyseed dressing or a raspberry/strawberry vinegrette.

Orange Scented Cake Balls

Make a batch of vanilla cake ball.  Basic cake ball instructions found here. 

Once the balls have been rolled out and chilled in the freezer, it's time to dip them. 

Melt down some white chocolate or white chocolate bark and add 2-3 drops of Wild Orange essential oil.  Mix well.  After dipping I added some orange zest to the top of each cake ball.

For a more pronounced orange flavor I would add a couple drops of the oil to the cake batter while preparing and some orange zest.  This can also be done with a chocolate cake, but I would make sure to add extra orange since the chocolate is a stronger flavor.

What to do with leftovers

For obvious reasons I often find myself with left over cupcakes, cake or cake tops/scraps and frosting.  Hazards of the hobby.  I have a really hard time wasting food, so I like to "repurpose it."  I'm not really sure if it counts taking food and tweaking it as repurposing it, but you catch my drift.

I really like to do this after I make a cake for someone.  You see I spend all this time making our house smell great and building this yummy looking creation, just to cart it out the door and give it to someone else.  This can be super disappointing to my kids, so here's my solution.  I take the cake scraps from carving/leveling the cakes, gring them up add some spoonfuls of leftover frosting and turn them into cake balls. These can be made in no time and really with no extra ingredients other than the chocolate I dip them in and the sprinkles I let the kids dump on top.

Leftovers are used up, kids get a goodie and we can spend time decorating them together.  This is a definite Win-Win in our house.

Cake balls are great in a cute baggie or container to give as a quick gift and they are easily dressed up in any color combination for any event or holiday.

Modified Classic Stuffing

This is the Classic stuffing I make for my family.

Following the Guidelines here for the Classic stuffing, but with the following twists:

I do a combination of potato bread and white bread.  Some times I even use french bread, I just like adding more than one bread for variation.

I do NOT use the eggs.  I've done it with and without the eggs and I don't think they are necessary, but feel free - to each his/her own.

I add 1-2 granny smith apples to the onion/celery mixture.

Also, more often than not I will make the fruit/vegetable broth mixture the day before and let it sit over night with all the herbs to let the flavors blend more and then I throw the bread in and cook it the day of.

Stuffing/Dressing 101

How to make stuffing:

1. Cook vegetables, fruits, herbs and/or meat in butter, then add broth.

2. Toss with beaten eggs and cubed bread.

3. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter or drippings. Bake, covered, at 375 degrees F, 30 minutes; uncover and bake until golden, about 30 more minutes (or cook the cooled stuffing in the turkey).

Each recipe serves 8 and is enough to fill a 12-14 pound turkey.

Classic Melt 1 stick butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cups each diced onions and celery and 1 tablespoon each minced sage and thyme; add salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add 3 cups turkey or chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Beat 2 eggs with 1/4 cup chopped parsley in a large bowl; add 16 cups cubed stale white bread, then pour in the vegetable-broth mixture and toss. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees F; uncover and bake until golden, 30 more minutes. (Or stuff in your turkey and bake.)

Orange Cranberry Make a directed above, but add the zest of one orange and it's juice to the stuffing mix before baking, as well as 1/2-1 cup dried cranberries.

You can make any variation of stuffing, do what suits your family.  Change up the fruits/vegetables as you like and add cooked sausage if you'd like, add more or less herbs.  Just follow the basic equation and add the flavors your family likes best.

For my family I ususally do two flavors - the Orange Cranberry and a Modified Classic.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 pound (about 3 breasts) frozen chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 can black beans
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil
Garnish:
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Dollop of sour cream
Shredded Cheese
Directions

Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in chicken broth and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Garlic Knots

This yummy little recipe was a suggestion from my friend Aubrey.  I added them to our dinner of Ya-Ya Noodles (recipe coming soon) and they were a hit!  Anything that dresses up a meal and starts with store bought rolls works for this busy Momma.  Try them, I'm sure you'll love them.
- 1 tube (12 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits ( I used Pillsbury Golden Layers Refrigerated Buttermilk Biscuits)
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

PREPARATION:

Roll each biscuit into a 12-in. rope and tie into a knot; tuck ends under. Place 2 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; brush the warm knots with the mixture. Yield:10 knots.

Thick Pumpkin Pie Filling (For Pie Pops)

Pumpkin Pie Pops
1.5 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c sugar
3 tbsp melted butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 cup toasted pecans (optional)

In a bowl, mix everything. Mix well until incorporated. Pumpkin pie pops need to cook about 5 minutes longer than fruit filled pie pops.

Pie Pops - How to

• Pie Dough

• Filling
• Craft sticks or Lollipop Sticks
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar, if desired for drizzle
• 2 to 3 teaspoons milk, if desired for drizzle
• 3 inch round cutter**

Step 1: The dough
For premade dough dust counter with flour and unroll, for homemade dough make sure you roll it out thin.
Step 2: The filling
Make or buy your favorite pie filling.

Step 3: Roll, cut and fill

Using a 3 inch round cutter**, cut out 16 rounds (8 rounds per crust). Place 8 rounds on ungreased cookie sheet. Spoon a 1-2 teaspoons filling evenly onto each round to within 1/2 inch of edge. Place 1 craft stick or lollipop stick in filling of each.

Step 4: Top off the Pops

Flatten remaining rounds to 4 inches in diameter. Brush underside of each round with egg white; place over filling. Press edges together; seal with fork. Cut small slit on top of each. Brush tops with egg white; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar, dividing evenly among pops.

Step 5: Bake

Bake at 400°F for 10 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack; cool 10 minutes before serving. Do not handle by the stick until completely cool and the filling has had time to set.

Step 6: Drizzle (Optional)

Mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth, adding milk until thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over pops and let stand until set, about 30 minutes.

**Instead of 3 inch circles you can cut them into heart shapes or smaller circles, etc.

Pumpkin Oreos

This is an easy and cute idea for parties or as a small gift or thank-you.

You will need:

Lollipop Sticks

Orange Candy Melts

Oreo Cookies

Black Candy Melts (Optional)

Green Fondant (Optional)

Pretzels (Optional)

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Then open up the oreos and using a little of the melted orange attach the stick to the inside of the Oreo and close back up.  I put these in the freezer to set for about 5 minutes - I found it was easiest to work in batches.  While some were in the freezer I was adding sticks to others in preparation of sticking them in the freezer.  If you want to have "stems" on your pumpkins you will need to break apart a few pretzels and have them ready to go in a bowl.

2. Melt the orange wafers in a small deep bowl or a cup.  Take the set-up Oreo on a stick and dip it in the orange, all the way up to the stick, make sure to cover it all and then tap off any excess.  Place the Oreo on the parchment paper cookie sheet - if you are adding stems do it now while the chocolate is still wet.  Repeat.  Set aside to firm up/dry - you can put in the freezer to speed up this process.

3. If adding leaves, roll out prepared green fondant and cut out a leaf shape/ tear drop shape and then squeeze it around the stem to attach.

4. Once set feel free to add scary faces, words or any other design you fancy with black melted wafers of black royal icing.

All wrapped up and ready to go.

Happy Halloween.

Raspberry Muffins/ Peach Muffins

These were great!  Super moist and with great flavor.  I made these with raspberries and with peaches since I had both on hand.  I also added streusel topping to some of them.  I prefer the streusel on the peach and raspberry plain, but all of the options were yummy.

Raspberry Muffins

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (you can use plain or lemon) 

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Juice from one lemon

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 cup fresh raspberries (can use frozen)

2 tablespoons white sugar for decoration (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.

In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, eggs, and, lemon juice. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just blended. Gently stir in the raspberries. Spoon batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle remaining sugar over the tops for decoration, if desired. Or spoon over strussel topping.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool muffins in the tin on a wire rack.

Peach Muffins

I followed the same recipe as above, but I omitted the lemon juice, zest and of course the raspberries and added in 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and a little milk for some added moisture and then 2 cups pealed and diced peaches.

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon 

2 cups pealed and diced peaches 

1/4 cup milk

strussel topping (optional)

Strussel Topping

1 cup brown sugar 

6 tablespoons softened butter

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Chopped walnuts nuts (optional)

Mix ingredients with fork until clumpy spoon over muffins before baking.

Canned Pears

I love this time of year! 

I have so many memories of standing at the kitchen sink helping my Mom bottle fruit.

This is how we do pears at our house...

In clean and sterile quart jars add about 3 inches of HOT water at 1/3 cup sugar, stir until sugar is dissolved.

Add some cold water to your sink with the stopper in place.  Blanch pears for 20-25 seconds in a pot of boiling water.  After blanching place pears in the cold water.  The skin of the pears should now slide off with your hands.  Cut the pear in half lengthwise and use a spoon to clean out the seeds, stem and strings.  You can either place the halves in the prepared quarts or cut again lengthwise for quarters.  Fill the jar with pears making sure to not have any pears or liquid in the neck of the jar.  If more liquid is needed to cover the pears add additional water.  Once all of your jars are filled, use a wet cloth to clean the tops of the jars - anything on the rim can prevent the jars from sealing correctly.  Next place your lids in a small saucepan of boiling water for 60 seconds and then using tongs pull out a lid, place it in a ring and screw it onto the jar.  Repeat for all of your jars.  Now on to processing.  It can be different based on if you are using a steamer or a waterbath and your elevation.  But, I process mine for 30 minutes.