Chicken Pillows

For those of you who weren't such big fans of the previous posted Indian cuisine, let me indulge you with this nice American dish!

2 oz plain cream cheese
4 oz cream cheese (garden vegetable or chive, your choice)
1/4 c soft butter or margarine
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix above ingredients, then add:
2 c. cubed cooked chicken
1/4 c. fresh, chopped mushrooms

2 pkg crescent rolls, refrigerator, uncooked type
1/4 c. plain bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. salt-free seasoning

Roll out crescent rolls - Taking 2 triangles and making 1 rectangle. Put 1/4 c chicken mixture on each crescent roll. Fold and seal. Brush top with melted butter, sprinkle with bread crumbs, garlic salt and seasoning. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Gravy:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c water (or more, depending on the consistency you like)
1/4 c. fresh, chopped mushrooms

Pour gravy on top of pillows, and serve with side salad, boiled carrots and fresh fruit.

Navratan Korma - the easy way

We are big fans of Indian food at our house. This one was no exception. There is nothing quite like a tasty korma!

1 TBS. vegetable oil
1/3 c. cashews
1 medium onion, grated
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. ginger paste
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans mixed vegetables, drained and patted dry
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. garam masala
1 c. water
1/4 c. golden raisins and 1/4 c. shredded coconut
1 c. premade frozen paneer cubes (optional)
1/2 c. heavy cream (or milk, for less fat and runnier consistency)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Place cashews in skillet, cook and stir until golden brown, set aside. Stir onion into skillet, cook until tender and clear. Mix in garlic and ginger paste, cook 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce and all of spices. Pour in water, raisins, coconut, and canned tomatoes and mixed vegetables. Bring to a boil. Add paneer cubes. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until paneer is heated through. Stir in cream, bring to a boil. Continue cooking for 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with naan and basmati rice.

Master Meatloaf

I've never been able to sink my teeth into meatloaf until tonight! Something about the title alone just made me quiver. But...this one was pretty darn tasty, if I do say so myself.

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1.5 pound lean, ground beef
1 c. oats (quick or regular)
1/2 c. plain bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 TBS. dried parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 finely chopped onion

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix above ingredients well. I like to blend mine together with a fork.
Place meat in 2 loaf pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and baste with:
Savory Topping (mix all below ingredients until smooth)
6 TBS. brown sugar
1/2 c. catsup
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. prepared mustard

Place pans back in oven for 15 minutes.

Chocolate Chunk Cake Box Cookies

My friend Becky has a similar recipe to this one on her blog. It reminded me of this old and easy favorite if you're in a crunch for quick dessert.

1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix
1 cup milk chocolate chunks
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup oil
¼ c. sour cream (optional)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine all ingredients, except chocolate chunks, and mix with hand mixer until smooth.; fold in chocolate chunks.

Use small melon scoop to place dough on ungreased cookie sheets (I usually do 16 cookies per batch). Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes.
Makes about 4 dozen.

Creamy Tomato Zucchini Sauce

I love creamy pasta sauce, and this one is a cinch.
3 TBS. butter
2-3 TBS. flour
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
pinch pepper
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 cup half and half or cream (use milk if you want less fat, just add more flour to thicken)
1/2 can petite diced tomatoes
1 c. zucchini, grated into large shreds
1/2 c. shredded parmesan, divided

Melt butter in frying pan on med-high. Add flour, garlic salt, pepper and minced garlic, stir well into butter to create a roux (thick paste). Slowly add cream and continue to stir until incorporated, reduce heat if thickening too much. Add 1/2 can of petite diced tomatoes, zucchini shreds and 1/3 c. parmesan cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Pour over hot pasta. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Serve with crusty french bread and roasted chicken. mmmmmmmm.

Homemade Gnocchi

My cousin Brooke gave me this recipe, courtesy of Mario Batali on the Food Network. I modified it quite a bit to suit my liking and it was delicious, especially with Creamy Tomato Zucchini sauce which I will post next. If you've never tried gnocchi, but like pasta, you should try these, they are a delicacy, and pretty easy to make.
3 pounds russet potatoes (about 12 medium) at least 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, extra large
1-2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup canola oil

Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft (about 45 minutes). While still warm, peel and mash well (don't leave any lumps).
Set 6 quarts of water to boil in a large spaghetti pot. Set up ice bath with 6 cups ice and 6 cups water near boiling water.

Make well in center of potatoes and sprinkle all over with flour, adding more flour as necessary until dough is still wet but heavy and thick. Place egg and salt in center of well and using a fork, stir into flour and potatoes, just like making normal pasta. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is dry to touch.

Roll baseball-sized ball of dough into 3/4-inch diameter dowels and cut dowels into 1-inch long pieces (I used a pizza cutter to do this part). Flick pieces off of fork or concave side of cheese grater until dowel is finished. Drop these pieces into boiling water and cook until they float (about 1 minute). Meanwhile, continue with remaining dough, forming dowels, cutting into 1-inch pieces and flicking off of fork. As gnocchi float to top of boiling water, remove them to ice bath. Continue until all have been cooled off. Let sit several minutes in bath and drain from ice and water. Toss with 1/4 cup canola oil and store covered in refrigerator up to 48 hours until ready to serve. I like to warm mine up and serve them with Creamy Tomato Zucchini Sauce.

This made a ton! You could easily cut the recipe in half if you are feeding 4 or less.

I'm Officially a Daring Baker

I joined an online baking group called the Daring Bakers. They give you one challenge per month, and this month was Julia Child's french bread - click here for the link to the step by step instructions. It took forever to make, but it turned out authentic, smelled amazing, and was fun to try. Since I spent literally all day in the kitchen, I decided to make some homemade gnocchi (Italian pasta-like potato dumplings), a roasted chicken and creamy tomato zucchini sauce. I posted a pic of the finished bread, as well as of my dinner, since it was quite delicious. I'll post my gnocchi and sauce recipes next.

Beef & Broccoli

This was deliciously flavored, fast and easy! Tastes just like chinese takeout...but fresh (and no msg of course!)

3 tablespoons cornstarch , divided
1/2 cup water , plus 2 tablespoons water , divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lb boneless round steak or charcoal charcoal chuck steaks , cut into thin 3-inch strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil , divided
4 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 small onion , cut into wedges
2 stalks celery, chopped into chunks
4 carrots, sliced
1/3 cup soy sauce
2.5 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
hot cooked rice

In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water and garlic powder until smooth.
Add beef and toss.
In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, stir-fry beef in 1 tablespoon oil until beef reaches desired doneness; remove and keep warm.
Stir-fry broccoli, carrots, celery and onion in remaining oil for 4-5 minutes.
Return beef to pan.
Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and remaining cornstarch and water until smooth; add to the pan.
Cook and stir for 2 minutes.
Serve over rice.

Feed the Hungry!

Since I spend a lot of time feeding myself, I thought it wouldn't hurt to try to help feed others.

Feed the Hungry...It just takes brains, not bucks.

For Mindy: The Cheater Way to Use Corn Tortillas

For all my recipes (mostly enchiladas) that call for corn tortillas, this is my secret. I NEVER actually roll them up! I always have trouble with them crumbling to pieces before I can get the filling in them (unless I soak them in oil first). This is what I do to use less grease. I wish I had pictures. I will take one next time I do it. This might be common knowledge, but it was a revelation to me once I figured it out!


However many tortillas your recipe calls for, take that many. Slice them in half so you have a bunch of semi-circle shaped tortillas. Like so:

Now, I take the flat edge of the tortilla and place it against the edge of your 9x13 pan, or whatever you use. It usually takes me about 8-9 half tortillas to cover the bottom. Then, I place the filling in between, and cover the top with the remaining half of the half tortillas, cover with enchilada sauce and cheese, and Voila! You just cut it up like lasagna and serve it!

Questions? :)