Chicken Croissant Sandwich

1 Costco rotisserie chicken - de-boned and cut into small bite size pieces. Add the chicken drippings from bottom of the rotisserie container to make the meat moist.

Add:

• Lawry’s seasoned salt to taste*
• Mrs. Dash to taste*
• 1/2 bunch of Celery cut into small pieces
• 1 red pepper cut into small pieces
• Best Foods Mayonnaise (add enough to coat the chicken so that it is moist)
• 1 cup cashews (optional) -best if broken in pieces or halfs

Just before serving the sandwiches, add cashews (if you use them) and spread on croissant rolls that have been cut in half. Add a piece of leaf lettuce to each sandwich.

This is a modified version of Debbie Jones' recipe that you can get here.

I like to use the small setting on my chop wizard to cut my vegetables. You can get a chop wizard from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. (As a side note, I use my chop wizard all the time for different recipes such as making vegetable soup or salsa)

*When putting this together, I like to use generous amounts of seasonings. You don't need to use croissant rolls to put the chicken mixture on. I like the rolls that Smart and Final has available.

**One added bonus from making this recipe is that you can also make a pot of chicken broth from the chicken carcass and skin.

**How to get chicken broth from rotisserie chicken: After de-boning the meat, put the chicken carcass and skin into a pot. Cover with water and boil on the stove for 30 - 60 minutes. When it has cooled little bit cool, take out bones and skin with a slotted spoon. Then put the broth into the fridge. The next day, skim off the fat that has risen to the top. Put the broth into a ziploc bag or another container and put it into the freezer for for future use. Or you can leave the broth in the fridge if you are going to use it within the week. You now have a batch of nutritious chicken broth to use as a base for any other soup recipe such as cream of broccoli soup or chicken noodle soup or any other chicken soup found in my soup section.

Bread Bowls for soup

2 TBS yeast

2 1/2 cups water

4 TBS sugar

1 TBS salt

5 TBS oil

7 cups flour

1 TBS dough enhancer

Start yeast in 1/2 cup warm water and set aside. In Bosch, combine 2 cups warm water, sugar, salt, oil and half the flour. Mix well. Add yeast mixture, dough enhancer and the remaining flour Let rise. Mix down and let rise again if time permits. Shape dough into 8 equal balls and place on two large cookie sheets. Brush with egg whites. Let rise until double. Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes until golden. Cut tops off and hollow out for soup.

Seriously, who doesn't love soup in a bread bowl?? This recipe comes from the wife of a counselor in the bishopric. Maybe someday when I have more time on my hands and a Bosch to do all the dirty work, I'll actually try making these myself!

Cranberry Salad

2 large (6 oz) pkg. Raspberry Jello

2 cups boiling water

1 cup sugar (can use less)

2 Tbs lemon juice

1 can 20 oz crushed pineapple, undrained

2 cups cranberries (fresh)

2 oranges peeled

2 apples

2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans

Dissolve jello in water. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Add lemon juice and pineapple. In food grinder, grind cranberries, oranges and apples together. (Or you could use a grater or put in a food processor.) Add cranberry mixture and nuts to jello mixture. Chill until set in 9x13 pan.

This is a Magnusson Family recipe from Great Grandma Cula Magnusson that is traditionally served at our Magnusson's Thanksgiving meal. My friend, Melissa, requested that I post this recipe.

Sesame Twist Bread

Use a Bosch bread mixer or a heavy duty Kitchen Aid

Place the following ingredients in mixer with dough hook:

3 cups very warm water

2 TBS dry yeast

4 TBS sugar

Wait 3-4 minutes, then add:

2 eggs

6 cups bread flour

1 TB dough enhancer

1 TB salt

Place splatter ring on bowl; quick stir to mix everything together; then turn mixer on #1 (slow speed) then add:

2 1/2 - 2 3/4 cups of flour, a little at a time. If dough remains too sticky, add a tiny bit more flour. Stop when you can see the dough coming away clean from the sides of the bowl. It's better if the dough is a tiny bit on the sticky side rather than dry. Test by stopping your mixer and touching the bread dough.

Then turn mixer on #2 speed and run for 10 minutes.

On lightly floured board divide dough into 4 parts. With a rolling pin, roll each part into about a 4 x 12 rectangle, cut each loaf into 3 strips, then braid the strips, tucking ends under the loaf.

Spray bread pans with Pam and place loaves in pans. Cover with a damp thin cloth and let rise 35-40 minutes. Before baking brush tops gently with 1 egg yolk diluted with 1 TB water. Then sprinkle tops with sesame seeds.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake about 20 - 25 minutes or until golden.

Remove bread from pans immediately and place on a wire rack to cool.

Tips: When adding the salt always put it on top of the flour then mix it in. Salt added to yeast can kill the yeast and dough won't rise well. To check doneness, use two oven mitts and tilt the bread out of the pan to see if the bottom of the loaf is light brown. If it isn't return to oven and bake another 2-3 minutes.

I got this recipe from Donna Corrigan. She made several loaves for the Acradia Stake Women's conference last month. It was so delicious I asked Donna for the recipe. She said Carol Moore gave her the recipe 30 years ago to use with her Bosch bread machine.

I've never used dough enhancer. If I can't find any in our local stores, I saw that you can buy it online... just google dough enhancer.

I don't have a Bosch machine, so I'm going to knead the bread myself. I also haven't ever braided bread before and look forward to trying that. After I make a loaf, I'll post a picture. It was a beautiful looking and great tasting loaf of bread.

Dijon Chicken Strata

1 8 oz loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (8 cups)

2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey

1 4 1/2 oz jar sliced mushrooms, drained (I USED FRESH MUSHROOMS...canned mushrooms are NASTY.)

1/2 cup sliced green onions

3 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese or American cheese

5 beaten eggs

2 1/2 cups milk

3 TB Dijon-style mustard

1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Place bread cubes in a greased 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Layer chicken, mushrooms, and green onions over bread; sprinkle with cheese.

2. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, milk, mustard, and pepper. Carefully pour over layers in dish. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours.

3. Bake, uncovered, in a 325 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

My sister-in-law got me hooked on dijon mustard! This is from a "Better Home and Gardens Cookbook." It is SO YUMMY. Have it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner!

Shake and Bake Potatoes

• 10-12 medium red potatoes
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¾ cup Italian style bread crumbs
• 1 package dry ranch dressing mix or dry Italian dressing mix (I used ranch) (Click here for a homemade dry ranch dressing mix)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Wash and dry potatoes. Cut potatoes int 1 inch cubes.
3. Place potatoes in a large bowl or gallon-size bag and drizzle with olive oil. Toss or stir well until potatoes are coated with the oil.
4. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and stir together.
5. Add dry ingredients to potatoes. Shake in the bag or stir in the bowl until all potatoes are coated with the seasoning mix.
6. Place on a baking sheet (at least a 10×15 sized) 45 minutes at 450, stirring and flipping potatoes halfway through.
7. Remove from oven, salt to taste and serve. Potatoes should be light and golden brown when they are finished. Bake time may vary depending on the size of potatoes. Makes 10 servings.

I like potatoes and so when I saw this recipe on realmomkitchen.com, I decided to post it. Click here for the link to the original recipe that Laura posted.

Slime

My friend, Julie, did a post about slime on her family blog.

Slime....It looked like fun, so I asked her for her recipe.

Here is it:

SLIME!

· water

· white glue (like Elmer's™)

· borax

· food coloring (unless you want uncolored white slime)

There are two components to slime. There is a borax and water solution and a glue, water, and food coloring solution. Prepare them separately.

· Mix 1 teaspoon borax in 1 cup of water. Stir until the borax is dissolved.

· In a separate container, mix 1/2 cup (4 oz) white glue with 1/2 cup water. Add food coloring, if desired.

After you have dissolved the borax and diluted the glue, you are ready to combine the two solutions. Stir one slime solution into the other. (I poured the water/borax into the glue solution.) Your slime will begin to polymerize immediately.

The slime will become hard to stir after you mix the borax and glue solutions. Try to mix it up as much as you can, then remove it from the bowl and finish mixing it by hand. It's okay if there is some colored water remaining in the bowl.

Store your slime in a sealed ziplock bag, preferably in the refrigerator. Insect pests will leave slime alone because borax is a natural pesticide, but you'll want to chill the slime to prevent mold growth if you live in an area with high mold count. The main danger to your slime is evaporation, so keep it sealed when you're not using it.

Thanks, Julie for the recipe.

A New Recipe Blog Link

I just stumbled across another great blog. It's called: Fun with Food Storage, Finances and More.

The web address is: http://positivelyprepared.blogspot.com/ or you can click here to get to it.

The blog has links to and posts about:

• Food storage lesson
• Dave Ramsey's financial advice
• Emergency preparedness ideas
• Canning tips
• Delicious recipies

I will also put link to the site on the side of this blog.

Thanks Katie and Lori for the great blog.

Thanksgiving Dinner 2010

In case you haven't heard, I became a grandmother last week.

Savannah was born on November 19th.

She was 8 lbs 15 oz

She is so precious.

I traveled 10 hours by car, and then 6 hours by shuttle bus to meet her in Idaho.

I was there over the Thanksgiving holiday and got to make theThanksgiving dinner for David, Janelle,and David's Grandmother.

We had: Turkey, Gravy, Stuffing, Rolls, Mashed potatoes, Green bean casserole, Cranberry Jello salad, and, Punkin crunch for dessert

Several years ago, I figured out that making the turkey the day before relieved a lot of stress on Thanksgiving day. It allows you to get the turkey all cooked, carved and cleaned up without having to worry about all the last minute things that go on with serving the holiday meal. After I have cooked the turkey, I carve the whole bird and put the sliced meat in one or two 9 x 13 pans (depending on how big the turkey is) with a can or two of Swanson's chicken broth to keep the meat moist. Then I put tinfoil over it and heat it up the next day 15 to 20 minutes in the oven before dinner is served.

After the turkey is carved, I put the carcass in a big pot and cover it with water and add onions, carrots, and celery. I let it boil for about 45 minutes. After it cools down I remove and discard the bones, and cooked vegetables and put the broth in the fridge or freezer. You can use this broth to make turkey vegetable soup or creamy turkey soup for the days ahead with some leftover meat, new vegetables, noodles and spices (such as Mrs. Dash).

Why Eat Together?

When we were in Utah last week for the Thanksgiving holiday, the Deseret News had an excellent article entitled: It's Time for Dinner (with family) by Carolyn Campbell . I would suggest that you click onto the link and read the whole article.

Here is a little section of the article that I thought was interesting:

So why eat together?

Family bonding

Eating a family meal creates an environment that fosters conversation. During dinner, the family has the opportunity to spend time together, author Janet Peterson says.

"Because they are sitting down together at the table, looking across at each other, it is a level playing field, with the parents not standing taller than the children, which creates a more relaxed atmosphere," she says.

Saving money

"Restaurants are in the business to make money," Peterson said. "Their labors, real estate and profit margin all cost. If they don't make money, they don't stay in business." She says if you multiply the average of $812 spent annually per person on eating out, it doesn't take a CPA to tell you that it's costly, especially for a family with children.

"Restaurant prices in recent years have risen slightly faster than inflation, making it even more expensive to eat away from home," Peterson says.

Healthier meals

A study published in the British Archives of Family Medicine found that having a family dinner was not only associated with a healthier way of eating, but also had a positive effect on the family's physical and emotional health.

The study reported that those who ate dinner with their families were more likely to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables daily. The home-cooked meal is more likely to contain a variety of food groups. Milk or water is more likely to be served, and less soda pop or high fat foods are typically offered.

Commercially prepared foods are notoriously high in sugar, starch and fat, although some restaurants do list low-fat items on their menus, says Peterson. She adds that home cooking allows a family to select healthful ingredients, tailor meals to suit their own particular nutritional needs and tastes, serve portions appropriate to age and activity level, and monitor methods of preparation.

We also eat more when we eat out.

"Everything is super-sized," Peterson says. "Restaurant portions continue to increase. The usual restaurant plate used to be 10 inches in diameter and now it is 12 inches."

Learning

Preschool children who eat with the family have better language skills, according to the Rockford Clinic. Dinner-time conversation exposes them to a broader vocabulary, especially as they listen to adults and older children. Eating together as a family can teach good communications skills, such as listening patiently and expressing one's opinion in a respectful manner.

According to researchers at the University of Illinois, children age 7-11 who did well on school achievement tests ate the majority of their meals and snacks with their families.

One study points out how family dinners are strong preventative medicine. Joseph A. Califano Jr., president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, reported: "Intensive research and teen surveys have consistently revealed that the more often children eat dinner with their parents, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use illegal drugs."

Family tradition

Food served at the family table helps shape and give lasting meaning to our cultural heritage, says Katherine Carson, associate professor of food science at Pennsylvania State College.

"Positive food memories created during childhood are cherished for life," she says.

Peterson adds that food provides a connection among families.

Meatball Soup

20 meatballs (homemade or store bought)

1 TBS olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced OR 1 tsp crushed garlic from jar

1/2 cup diced carrots

4 cups chicken broth
1⁄2
1/2 cup orzo pasta, uncooked

3 cups spinach, de-stemmed and chopped coarsely (1 cup if using frozen spinach)

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil. Saute onions, garlic, carrots.

Add chicken broth, orzo pasta, and meatballs. Bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add spinach and boil for 5 minutes longer.

Ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4-6.

This soup is from Trader Joe's cookbook and is officially called "Italian Wedding Soup." My friend Carrie invited me over to have some when I was having a very bad day. It filled my tummy and evening with happiness!

Homemade Eye Glass Cleaning Spray

1 cup of water

1/4 cup vinegar

1/8 cup rubbing alcohol

2 drops of dish soap

Combine above ingredients and fill into a spray bottle.

To clean glasses:

Spray both sides of each lens and rub clean with a soft cloth. Never use paper towels, toilet paper or kleenex as they contain harsh abrasives that will scratch your lenses.

Scott cleans his glasses every day, sometimes twice, so he asked if I could find a recipe for a cleaning solution for his glasses.

The above recipe is a combination of two recipes that I got off the Internet. It takes pennies to make this compared to the cost of picking up something from the store.

Breakfast Casserole

½ lb cooked bacon, ham, or breakfast sausage(or any combination of the 3)
chopped veggies (optional. We like to use broccoli & tomatoes. You can also do red peppers and onion if you want even more flavor)
12 eggs
1 c. milk
1 pkg. (1 b.) frozen shredded hash browns
1 c. cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp pepper

In a bowl, beat eggs and milk. Stir in all other ingredients. Put in greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 45-55 min or until well set. Serve topped with salsa.

Scott's secretary served this at a work breakfast the other day. He mentioned how good it was. When I asked Jo Ann for the recipe, I recognized that is was the same recipe that was posted on Family Favorite Recipes that can be found on my blog list (on the side of this page).

Pumpkin Crunch

1 package Yellow cake mix

1 can (15 oz.) solid pack pumpkin
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup butter, melted (I use 1/2 cup butter and instead of melting it I grate it with a cheese grater.  See picture below)

Heat oven to 350°. Mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bow. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture. Then sprinkle with nuts. Drizzle with butter. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown. Cool, served chilled. Serve with whipped topping.

I saw this recipe in the paper this morning. I got off livingonadime.com  On the last step I cut the butter from 1 cup to 1/2 cup. 

2025

I made this for dessert last night and I wanted to add some pictures of our Pumpkin Crunch dessert.

This is what my grated butter looked like before I put it on the dry cake mix 

This is what it looked like just before I put it into the oven. 

Pumpkin Crunch done

 

On the far left of the pan I didn't put on any walnuts because I would rather eat it without nuts. 

I had a friend reach out to me and said this about the recipe: I Love this recipe!. My family and co-workers request this every year for Thanksgiving. I double the recipe every time I make it but instead of 3 cups of sugar I use 2 cups instead, it will still taste the same. Its great with vanilla ice cream. 

Someone's been eating my.......

You all remember the story of Goldie Locks and the Three Bears.... Someone had been intruding on the poor bear family and ate their porridge, sat in their chairs, and slept in their beds.

I can relate to the bear family because someone has been eating my winter garden of peas, carrots, and lettuce. The tender sprouts were growing so nicely. It was a little unnerving to get up each morning and see my tender plants plucked and dug right out of the ground. Ugh!

I called our city's animal control and they said if I caught the critter, they would release him into the hills. My neighbor came to the rescue with the trap and advice. The little critter was caught red handed and is now roaming the hills above the beautiful city of Duarte. We'll see if he has a mate, and if he does, hopefully we'll be able to reunite them soon.


You can read part II of this saga by clicking here

Pumpkin Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 egg

1 cup raisins (optional)

Pre-heat over to 400 F. Stir flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients with beaters (milk, pumpkin, butter or margarine, egg). Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir in raisins last if desired. Line muffin tins with liners or grease with spray. Fill each up 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 min. Makes 12 muffins.

Cookie Sandwiches

Purchase the boxed cake mix of your choice + whatever frosting you would like to pair with it (or make your own!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine:

Cake mix of your choice

2/3 cup shortening

2 eggs, beaten

Place walnut-sized balls of dough onto a baking sheet that has been sprayed with Pam (or whatever you prefer). Bake cookies for 8 - 10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, move to a cooling rack until completely cool. Spread frosting onto the backside of a cookie and top it with another.

Typically makes about 45 cookies = 22 cookie sandwiches, plus a bonus cookie to eat as you frost. :)

Try these AMAZING combinations!!!

• spice cake mix w/cream cheese frosting
• chocolate cake with peanut butter (or cherry...or vanilla...) frosting
• lemon cake with vanilla frosting

My coworker made the lemon cookies w/vanilla frosting and they were AWESOME!

Hiker's Stew

Potatoes, peeled and diced (or leave on the skins if you use red potatoes)

Onion, cut into big slices

Carrots, peeled

Celery, cut in large chunks

Beef of some sort (I used browned ground beef. Stew meat would be awesome. Leftover roast would work, I'm sure.)

1 can golden mushroom soup

1 pkg. onion soup mix

Water

Seasonings to taste (I used pepper, Mrs. Dash, and Creole seasoning)

Throw everything in a crock pot and turn on low. Leave and go for a long, long hike. Come home, salivate as you pull into the driveway because you can already smell it, and eat three big bowls.

Ok, so maybe you can enjoy this even if you haven't been hiking all day. But it definitely tastes ten times better if you have.... :)

Halloween Cupcakes

If you have some time on your hand, and want to make some cool Halloween cupcakes check out how to make them here . This web site has some pretty amazing ideas. I have a link to www.makeit-loveit.com on my sidebar to the right.

Another Recipe for Happiness....

...Be grateful for the beautiful things in your life.

Click here to see the video

Click on the image below to see the music

Business Cards

What gift do you give your mom on her 54th birthday?

Blog business cards.

Thanks Renee! No more writing down my blog address on a scrap piece of paper when someone asks me for a copy of a recipe.

Canned Tomatoes

Pilar Fonbuena taught a canning class in Relief Society and told us about this recipe that she got years ago. I asked her to email me the recipe. Below is a copy of the email she sent me.

Here's the recipe for the Tomato Soup. I got this from Pam Hadfield in 1980 or 1981

1 lug tomatoes = about 15 lbs (I used 23 lbs in the last batch I made)

Cook the following vegetables separately

5 onions, chopped

2 bell peppers, chopped

1 bunch celery, sliced

15 medium carrots, sliced

1 bunch parsley chopped - add to carrots after carrots are cooked

1 pkg pearled barley (I used 2 cups) - cook 10 minutes, then rinse

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup salt

Add all ingredients together with 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup salt and simmer 10 minutes.

Bottle and process 15 minutes in steamer or water bath canner

Measurements are not exact, but turn out OK each time.

Eat soup as is, warmed up, or do the following:

I sauté garlic, onions and ground beef, then add soup, for a complete meal. May also use meat balls.

Can also stir fry zucchini, yellow crook neck and patty pan, then add soup. Delicious!

Love,

Pliar