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!!!

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.

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!

Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie

2 recipes pie crust (whole wheat)                                   ½ cup flour

4 cups chicken stock                                                     1/3 cup oil

2 lbs chicken                                                                 1 tsp salt

4 medium carrots, sliced                                                1 tsp parsley

8 white mushrooms, minced                                           ½ tsp thyme

2 medium red potatoes, cubed                                       ½ tsp sage

2 stalks celery, sliced                                                     1 egg

4 cloves garlic, minced                                                   2 Tbsp water

Directions:

1.   Prepare the crusts: If you haven’t already, make out two full recipes of whole wheat pie crusts (or use your favorite recipe). This recipe makes two pies, so you will want enough for two pies worth (2 tops, 2 bottoms). Roll out the pie crusts to fit two pies.

2.   Make the filling: In a large soup pot, bring the stock to a boil. Add the chicken to the broth, and bring back to a boil. Then simmer for 5 minutes. Add vegetables and bring back to a boil. Simmer until potatoes are fork tender.

3.   Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

4.   Thicken the filling: Combine flour and oil in a small skillet and cook for about 3 minutes (until they form smooth paste). Next, ladle a cup of broth into the skillet of flour mixture. Stir until the mixture is thick and smooth.

5.   Combine the filling and thickened sauce: Pour the thickened flour mixture into the large pot with the chicken and vegetable mixture. Add spices. Mix well.

6.   Finish the pie and bake: Pour the mixture into the pies. Roll out the remainder of the pie crusts and fit the top of the pies and seal the pies. Mix the egg and water together in a small bowl and brush the pies with this mixture (this will make it more flaky). Poke a few holes in the top for ventilation. Bake, uncovered for about 30 minutes.

Notes: This recipe makes two pies. So you can easily make them both up, and bake the first, and cover the second, freeze it, and then later thaw and bake it. Hello easy dinner idea!

Taco Seasoning

Taco Seasoning

2 Tbsp chili powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp marjoram

1 tsp paprika

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp kosher salt

2 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp cornstarch

Directions:

1.   Mix it up: Mix all ingredients in a small Tupperware container and shake.

2.   To Use: Add one to two tablespoons to one pound of cooked ground meat. Use less if you are worried about it affecting your bladder badly.

Notes: 

You could use this to make up tacos, and then use the extra meat to make taco salad or even in quesadillas. 

Of course tacos are not IC friendly in the least bit! But after months of eating just plain tacos when our family had tacos, I decided I needed to come up with a recipe that was a try it recipe! I took some popular recipes online and adjusted them so that the not so safe ingredients are in much smaller quantities. The beauty of this recipe is that you can make up a big batch of the mix and use as little or as much as you want, depending on how your bladder is doing. And if you have no bladder issues at all, just live on the edge and make it spicier! 

Pizza Dough for the Breadmaker

Pizza Dough for the Breadmaker

1 1/3 cup chicken broth or water

3 ¾ cups wheat flour

3 Tbs. sugar

1 ½ tsp. salt

1 ½ Tbs. butter

1 ½ tsp yeast

Directions:

1.    Place ingredients in bread maker in order listed, except yeast.

2.    When you come to the yeast, dig a well in the dry ingredients and place yeast in it.

3.    Place bread pan in maker and select the dough cycle. Push start.

4.    When cycle is complete roll out and place on a greased baking sheet.

5.    Add sauce, cheese and toppings.

6.    Bake at 425 for about 10 minutes.

Notes: I can't really take credit for this recipe. My friend Lessa gave me this recipe from one of her cook books. All I did was change out water or chicken broth for the beef broth. This recipe is so yummy and has helped our family enjoy pizza again. So I had to share it with all of you!

Pot Roast

Pot Roast

For the crock pot:                                        For the dry rub:

2 cream of mushroom soup recipe               2 tsp Parsley, 2 tsp Oregano               

2 bay leaves                                                   ¼ tsp Thyme, ¼ tsp Rosemary

½ cup water                                                  ½ tsp Dill Weed, ½ tsp Basil, ½ tsp salt

3 large potatoes, chopped                             1 tsp Garlic Powder

2 stalks celery, chopped                                 ¼ cup flour

6 carrots, chopped                                      

1 large beef chuck roast                               

Directions:

1.   Prepare your ingredients: If you haven’t already, make up 2 recipes of the cream of mushroom soup. (If preservatives don't bother you, you can also just use 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup from the store). This is also a good time to chop all your veggies, as it is simmering.

2.   Make a dry rub: Mix the parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary, dill, basil, garlic powder, salt and flour together in a small bowl.

3.   Sear the meat: Rub as much of the mix as you can onto the meat, and then sear it in a skillet over medium heat.

4.   Mix up the sauce and veggies: Mix up the cream of mushroom soups, bay leaves, water, and any of the left over dry rub together in a large bowl. Add the veggies to the bowl and mix well.

5.   Prepare crock pot: Spray crock pot with non-stick spray. Pour veggie/soup mixture into the crock pot. Put roast in crock pot. Spoon any leftover soup from large bowl on top of roast. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Enjoy J 

Notes: I am still perfecting my cream of mushroom soup recipe. So for now, you could just use the cream of chicken soup recipe. Just saute 1/2 cup of mushrooms and add them to the cream of chicken soup recipe and you should be good to go! I would omit some of the extra spices in that recipe though, because there is plenty of flavor with all the spices I added. I would also love to try just putting all the stuff for the cream of mushroom soup into the crock pot and see if it would still work. I just wasn't brave enough to try it my firs time. Does anyone know if that would work?