Chicken Squares

I've had a lot of people think these are the same as chicken pillows. They are not, but after all the talk about chicken pillows, I just may have to make them!

Ingredients:

3 oz. cream cheese *

3 T. butter, melted

2 c. chicken, cubed and cooked **

1/4 t. salt

1/8 t. pepper

2 T. milk

1 T. chopped onions ***

1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls

* I use 8 oz.

** I like to shred the chicken, or just canned chicken

***I like to use dried chopped onion and reduce the amount to about 1/2.

Recipe:

In a saucepan blend cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Divide rolls into 4 squares by combining two crescents together and pressing the edges together. Spoon serving of meat mixture into center of each square. Fold and firmly press corners to seal. Bake on ungreased sheet according to Pillsbury package directions (generally 375 for 11-13 minutes).

Rating: 4.5 of 5

Well, this recipe isn't new at all. It's just our favorite. We love it. I discovered a few weeks ago, that you can form the squares and keep them in the fridge until ready to cook. Easy way to take dinner to someone and have hot food still!

Source: cook book with family recipes

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

Ingredients:

2/3 c. butter, softened

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 egg

1 T. milk

1 t. vanilla

2 c. all-purpose flour

Recipe:

1 In large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until conbined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. If necessary, cover and chill dough 30 minutes or until easy to handle.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough at a time until 1/8 in. thick. Using a 2 1/2 in. cookie cutter, cut dough into desired shape. Place 1 in. apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake in 375 degree oven for 7-8 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. If desired, frost with icing.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

I like these sugar cookies because they aren't super sweet and perfect with frosting. I made these tonight to play around with what cookies I want to make for our ward Pioneer Day activity on Saturday. I think I'll stick with trying to make them look like wagon wheels. I like this recipe. Although, if the cookies are too big they aren't as soft.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, pg. 223

Mama's Best Broiled Tomato Sandwich

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

2 T. balsamic vinegar *

4 ripe tomatoes, sliced

3 T. mayonnaise

1/2 t. dried parsley

1/4 t. dried oregano **

1/4 t. ground black pepper

3 T. grated Parmesan cheese

4 slices bread, lightly toasted

* I substituted the balsamic vinegar with red wine vinegar + 1 T. sugar

** I didn't have oregano alone, so I just used Italian seasoning

Recipe:

1. Preheat the broiler.

2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together olive oil and vinegar. Marinate tomatoes in the mixture for at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, parsley, oregano, pepper, and half the Parmesan cheese. Spread mixture on each slice of toasted bread. Divide marinated tomatoes evenly between 2 slices and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. *

* I actually topped with with grated mozzarella as well.

4. Place on a baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes or until cheese turns golden brown. Serve immediately, open faced or closed.

Rating: 4 of 5

Despite not having all of the exact ingredients I think this turned out pretty well. It's light, it's easy, it's quick. The sandwich has a good balance between sweet and tangy. I don't like mayo at all, but I couldn't taste it. Next time I think I will add more cheese, both Parmesan and mozzarella, before broiling. We ate the sandwiches closed. This sandwich would definitely be good with a soup.

Source: All Recipes: Dinner Tonight, pg. 230

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

(It may not looked completely cooked, but it is!)

Ingredients: *

1 can (1o.75 oz) Campbell's Condensed Cream of Potato Soup

3/4 c. milk

1/8 t. ground black pepper

1 c. frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

2 cans (4.5 oz each) Swanson Premium Chunk Chicken Breast, drained**

1 c. all-purpose baking mix***

1 egg

*I doubled the entire filling part of the recipe. Glad I did too.

**I used canned chicken as well as frozen chicken shredded.

***Opps! Used flour instead of baking mix. Don't do that!

Recipe:

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Stir the soup, 1/4 c. milk, black pepper, vegetables and chicken in a 9-inch pie plate.

3. Stir together the baking mix, egg, and the remaining milk with a fork in a small bowl until the ingredients are mixed. Spoon over the chicken mixture.

4. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and topping is golden.

Rating: 2 of 5

Not my favorite, but I did mess up the topping since I used all purpose baking flour and not mix (easy to misread that when skimming). It's a little bit of a bland dish. I think it would be better with some other spice or maybe cream of chicken soup instead. I think a non-sweet pie crust recipe wouldn't be too bad as the topping either. The good thing is that the sister missionaries are my guinea pigs and ate it....and liked it enough to have more than one helping.

Source: Campbell's Cooking Companion pg. 197

Fresh Strawberry Pie

(Sorry for the terrible picture - it was already mostly eaten!)

Ingredients:

1 c. white sugar

2 T. cornstarch

1 c. boiling water

1 3-oz. package strawberry flavored gelatin*

2 1/2 quarts fresh strawberries, stems removed**

1 9-inch pie crust, baked

Whipped cream (optional)***

*I didn't have strawberry, so used cherry. If I didn't know I used cherry, I probably wouldn't have been able to taste it.

**I sliced the strawberries so that it would be easier for Ally to eat

***We used vanilla ice cream as topping

Recipe:

1. In a saucepan, mix together the sugar and cornstarch; make sure to blend cornstarch in completely. Add boiling water and cook over medium heat until mixture slightly thickens. Remove from heat. Add gelatin and stir until smooth. Cover and let mixture cool to room temperature.

2. Place strawberries in baked pie crust, pointed ends facing up**. Pour cooled gelatin mixture over strawberries.

3. Refrigerate until set. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Rating: 3.5 of 5

We liked this recipe and think it's great with the ice cream. I do think it will probably be better with the strawberry flavored jello instead of cherry. This is a super quick and easy recipe and I didn't feel bad about eating it for breakfast!

Source: AllRecipe: Dinner Tonight book, pg. 319

Here We Go!

This blog is to document my cooking adventures. I have so many recipe books and want to break out of the habit of cooking the same favorites every time. So, I have been trying a new recipe every week and thought I would blog them so that I can remember what I cooked, what alterations I made to the recipe, what it looked like, and how we liked it.

Don't worry about commenting on this one. Just a "what's been done" blog for my own interests. But, maybe some of you will find a recipe that you like.

Happy cooking!