Chicken Squares

Chicken Squares

For the crescent rolls: For the chicken filling: For the gravy:

¼ cup butter 6 oz cream cheese, softened 3 Tbsp butter

1 cup milk 6 Tbsp butter, melted 6 Tbsp flour

1 ½ tsp salt 4 cups cubed chicken, cooked 2 cups chicken broth

2 Tbsp sugar ½ tsp salt 1 tsp salt

4 ice cubes ¼ tsp black pepper (optional)

2 Tbsp yeast 1 tsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp rosemary

½ cup water, lukewarm bread crumbs

2 cups bread flour 2 Tbsp melted butter

2 cups wheat flour

Directions:

1. Make the dough: In a small sauce pan, mix butter milk, salt and sugar together. Scald the mixture. Add ice cubes to help cool the mixture. In a liquid measuring cup, dissolve yeast and sugar into the water. Add the yeast mixture to the scalded mixture. Pour all of that into a large mixing bowl. Add flour one cup at a time and knead until workable but soft. It is fine to sub all-purpose flour for any of the flours if you want to.
2. Prep work: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and spray two cookie sheets with non-stick spray.
3. Make the filling: Mix together cream cheese, butter, chicken, salt, black pepper, garlic powder and rosemary in a medium sized bowl.
4. Make the squares: Roll out the dough and cut into squares (about 12). Place the mix inside each square and then seal up by meeting the ends in the middle (forming an x). Place on cookie sheets. Spread a little melted butter on top and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
5. Bake: Bake at 325 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Make up the gravy and serve: In a saucepan, melt the butter. Then add the flour and blend. Slowly add the chicken broth and salt. Allow to thicken and keep warm until ready to serve. We like to make rice to go along with this as well as some steamed veggies. We top the squares with the gravy. One of our families favorites!!!

Pear Jam

Pear Jam

8 cups chopped pears

4 cups sugar

Directions:

1. Combine and simmer: Combine all ingredients into a dutch oven or large pot. Simmer uncovered for about 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until it thickens. Be sure to stir more frequently as it thickens to prevent burning.
2. Prep the cans: Run your cans and bands through a dishwasher cycle so they are hot and ready to go when you are finished. Remember that you will need to prep the lids by having them warm up to just below a boil (you can do this as you fill the cans).
3. Fill the jars and process: Remove the pear jam from the heat and skim off any foam. Ladle them into hot half-pint jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Remove the air bubbles by placing your lid lifter into the sides of the jar. Wipe the rims and place a lid on top using a lid lifter. Then tighten the rims finger tight (not too tight). Process these for about 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.
4. Remove from water bath and cool: Remove them from the water bath and place them on a towel to cool. Remember not to bump them or move them after they are on the towel, so they can finish processing. After they are fully cooled you can loosen the bands and wipe the jars down if they have gotten sticky. Replace the bands, label and enjoy!

Notes:

This recipe yields 6 half-pint jars. You can do smaller or bigger jars, just be sure to adjust the processing time if you do.

Tex Mex Chicken

Tex Mex Chicken

1 recipe cream of mushroom soup 1 cup corn

½ cup chopped red pepper 1 small can sliced olives

½ cup chopped orange pepper 2 cups cooked rice

4 cloves minced garlic ½ cup cooked pinto beans

2 Tbsp butter 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

2 cups cooked chicken 2 tsp taco seasoning

Directions:

1. Prep work: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 2 quart square casserole dish with non-stick spray.
2. Precook: If you haven’t already, mix up the cream of mushroom soup recipe. Also cook up the chicken, beans and rice.
3. Saute veggies: Saute red pepper, orange pepper and garlic in the butter until veggies are tender.
4. Mix it all up: In a large bowl, stir all the ingredients together (the soup, sauteed veggies, chicken, corn, olives, rice, beans, cheese, and taco seasoning).
5. Pour it into casserole dish and bake: Pour the mix into the casserole dish, and then bake at 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with cheese: When finished baking you can sprinkle it with more cheese for prettiness factor.

Notes:

This recipe is still a bit of a work in progress, so I may keep tweaking it. You really can add as much or as little taco seasoning as suits your bladder best. I have made a homemade taco seasoning that I use that adds a little kick, but isn't as bad as most. You could probably omit it too if you wanted.

Chocolate Butterscotch Chip Cookies

Chocolate Butterscotch Chip Cookies

1 cup butter 1 tsp baking soda

¾ cup white sugar ½ tsp salt

¾ cup packed brown sugar 2 ¾ cups all purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla 1 cup chocolate chips

2 eggs 1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:

1. Prep work: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with non-stick spray.
2. Mix the sugars: With a wooden spoon mix the butter, sugars and vanilla together until creamy.
3. Add eggs: Add the eggs and whip it up.
4. Sift in dry ingredients: Sift in the baking soda, salt and flour. Mix well.
5. Add the chips: Mix in the chips.
6. Bake and enjoy: Bake cookies at 325 degrees for 9-11 minutes on non-stick cookie sheets.

Notes:

1. For my family: This is based on the perfect Aunt Debbie cookie recipe. I altered a few things due to differences in altitude and my IC Diet. She usually cooks them at 350 degrees (instead of 325). She also uses 2 ¼ cups of flour (instead of 2 ¾ ). Both these alterations had to happen due to a difference of like 3000 or more feet in altitude here. She also used 1 tsp of salt (instead of ½ tsp), 2 cups of chocolate chips (instead of the mixed chips) and adds 1 cup of chopped nuts (Alexander is allergic to nuts).
2. For the ICers: As stated above, you are welcome to add nuts if you like. And of course, we aren’t supposed to do chocolate at all, but sometimes I like to indulge. You can sub the chocolate chips for white chocolate chips if you want.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup

4 red potatoes, diced 1 cups milk

2 head broccoli, chopped 3 cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded

5 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups chicken broth

1 tsp salt

Pinch black pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Add veggies to crockpot: If you haven’t already, get chopping! Chop up all your veggies and place them in the crock pot. Add the chicken broth. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (if using).

2. Cook the veggies: Cook the veggie mix on High for 2-3 hours OR on Low for 5-6 hours.

3. Blend it up: Place all the contents of the crockpot in a food processor or immersion blender. Blend until smooth. Return mix to crockpot.

4. Add the dairy: Stir in the milk and cheese.

5. Cover and heat: Let the mixture heat back up (about ten minutes) and serve!

Corn Bread

Corn Bread

½ cup butter (softened) 2 cups wheat flour

1 cup sugar ¼ cup flax seed

2 eggs ½ cup cornmeal

1 cup milk 1 Tbsp baking powder

¼ cup honey ½ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking soda

Directions:

1. Prep Work: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan.

2. Mix the wet stuff: In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar and eggs together. Then add the milk and honey and mix well.

3. Sift the dry stuff: Add the flour, flaxseed, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and baking soda to your sifter. Then sift directly into the bowl.

4. Mix together: Mix all the wet and dry together.

5. Optional Step: Mix in ⅔ cup corn. This is delicious! Unfortunately my picky two-year-old was not a fan. So this is here for the future!

6. Bake: Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.