Chicken, Bacon and Spinach Crescent Roll-Ups

Yummy, easy lunch or dinner for the kids, or anyone! These freeze fantastically for easy pull out meals too!

Crescent Rolls:(of course you can use pre-made dough if you want to omit this step)
2 tsp yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter ,melted (or butter flavor shortening, omit salt if using)
4 cups flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar  in warm water, allow to stand for 5 minutes, until foamy.











Stir in eggs, butter, salt  and 2 cups of flour, mix well

Add remaining 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, switching to the dough hook when it starts to hold together.
Knead until smooth and elastic.









Place in a lightly greased bowl and turn to coat, cover and allow to rise to doubled(about 1- 1.5 hours)

Filling:

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

6 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

1 loosely packed cup baby spinach , chopped fine

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all in a bowl and set aside.

(this photo is with 4 oz cream cheese, I decided I wanted it creamier and added more)











Preheat oven to 375

Punch dough down and divide into 3 sections.

Roll section into a 12 inch circle and cut into 8 wedges.

Place a few TB of  filling on the wide end













 roll up, pressing edges slightly to seal.

Repeat with remaining dough sections and filling.

Place on greased baking sheet and brush with a little melted butter if desired.








Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.











Great with a cream of mushroom sauce to top it, but sauce-less is great too.
1 can  condensed cream of mushroom soup(homemade)
1/2 cup sour cream
milk to thin
Mix soup and sour cream  in a saucepan and heat through, mixing well, thin with milk as desired.


To Freeze:
Cool Completely and freeze in a single layer on cookie sheets. When fully frozen place in a ziplock freezer bag and return to freezer.

To Reheat:
Preheat oven to 400, bake 12-15 minutes on a cookie sheet. Or you can cover and microwave for 1-2 minutes, it will just be a little softer.

Chewy Chocolate Snickerdoodles

My sons class was going to the park for a field trip and I was asked to bring a few dozen cookies. I asked him what kind he wanted and he said Chocolate Snickerdoodles. I wanted something a little softer than traditional Snickerdoodles so I played around and got these!








3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2  cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 TB vanilla
3 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper(brings out the chocolate flavor, may be omitted)

3 TB sugar
1 TB cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350

Beat butter and sugars on medium high until fluffy.












Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

In another bowl mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder and cayenne if using until well combined.










Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until well combined






In a small dish mix sugar and cinnamon.






 Shape into 1 inch balls and roll in cinnamon sugar.
Place on lightly greased cookie sheets and press down slightly.











Bake 8-10 minutes. About 1/2 way through baking I like to give them another light pressing, they dont spread alot on their own but do very well if you tap them down slightly.

Cool on sheet for 1 minute, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Spinach and Herb Tortillas

I was making Black Bean Burritos and I wanted a different twist on the tortillas. I love spinach tortillas so I decided to give them a try.

2 cups chopped fresh spinach
2 TB water
2 cups flour
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp dried oregano(2 TB fresh)
1 tsp dried basil(2 TB fresh)
1 tsp dried parsley(2 TB fresh)
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 TB oilve oil
about 1/2 cup water

In a pan heat the 2 TB of water and add the spinach, stir and cook until bright and wilted well.












Add spinach to a mixing bowl(I used my kitchenaid food processor with dough blade)and add in oil and seasonings. Give it a few quick pulses.

Add in flour and start mixing SLOWLY adding water until it just forms into a ball....you may not need the full 1/2 cup. Do not over moisten, if you do add a bit more flour.









Remove from bowl and hand knead for a few turns.












Divide into 8 pieces.












Roll ball out to about a 10 inch diameter.
(forgive me, for the life of me I cannot roll a nice circle, LOL)











Heat a large pan over medium heat(no oils or sprays!!)
Place rolled tortilla on the pan and cook for 45-60 seconds until slightly browned and flip. Cook 45-60 seconds more.




Store on paper towels and covered(preferably a tortilla warmer, it keeps them warm and soft, line it with paper towels to absorb excess condensation) and repeat with remaining sections.
Best used immediately.

Tropical Pork Chops

I had 2 cans of Tropical Fruit Salad so I decided to make them into a Pork Chop dinner! As a side I took the extra juice and added it to the rice cooking water.






Salsa Topping:
2-15 oz cans tropical fruit, drain and reserve juice
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 small jalapeno, de-seeded and minced
3 TB white wine vinegar
2 TB chopped cilantro
3 TB unsweetened applesauce

Chop the fruit salad into small pieces(you can leave them larger if you want, I just thought they were TOO big)Combine all in a bowl and allow to mingle for at least 2 hours.

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 TB worcestshire sauce

1/2 of reserved tropical fruit juice

6 pork chops

Combine above in 1 gallon ziplock bag and marinate for at least 2 hours.

In a pan heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat.(I used a cast iron griddle pan, Also fabulous on the grill!!)

Drain the liquid marinade into a small sauce pan and heat to boiling.

Length of cooking time for your chops will vary greatly depending on your cut. I would start with about 10 minutes per side.
Cook basting often with the boiled marinade liquid. Until the internal temperature is 165.

Place chop on plate and top with some salsa. Enjoy!

One Pot Spaghetti- Stove Top or Slow Cooker

I have been using this recipe for years. I found a recipe in a Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook about 10 years ago and have modified it into my own.. I recently tried it in the slow cooker and it turned out fantastic too! See instructions at the bottom.




12 oz ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers(optional)
1 14.5 can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cups beef broth

2 sm cans tomato paste

1 TB brown sugar

2 cups water

seasonings to taste:

basil

oregano

parsley
pepper
seasoning salt

1 lb spaghetti noodles, broken up
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese



In a large pot cook ground beef, onions and garlic until meat is no longer pink.
Drain and return to the pot.











Add beef broth,tomatoes, tomato paste,peppers (if using) brown sugar and water. Seasonings to taste and bring to a boil.

 Add spaghetti, return to boiling, reduce heat and cook 15-20 minutes until spaghetti is desired consistency. Gently stir in parmesan until it is melted.





Scoop onto a plate and top with more parmesan cheese as desired...I sprinkle on a few red pepper flakes too.





Slow Cooker:

Brown beef with onion and garlic, add peppers and diced tomatoes, cook until the peppers and onions are tender and the beef is no longer pink, drain if necessary.

Add beef broth, tomato paste, water , sugar and seasonings. Bring to a boil.






Pour entire mixture into a slow cooker(lined preferably!) and add pasta( I had to use penne, I was out of spaghetti and didnt feel like making a batch LOL).









Cover and cook on low 2-4 hours, until pasta is tender.(you need to watch it pretty carefully so it doesnt get mushy not all crock pots are the same so an exact time is difficult, this is also not an "all day" meal...it works if you want to get dinner done a few hours early, but not if you need to leave in the morning) Fold in parmesan cheese close to the end.


Serve as above.

Flaming Hawaiian Pizza

This is a copy cat of Domino's Fiery Hawaiian.....Very tasty. I made this one on the grill but it can be done in your oven. All amounts are variable to your preferences.








1 pizza crust recipe(pre-baked)(my fave recipe HERE, makes enough for a kid pizza too)
tomato pizza sauce of your choice
Mozzarella
Smoked Provolone (Lucerne makes a great combo of the 2 for a time saver)
Ham or Canadian Bacon
Bacon( I do 2-3 slices, cut up and cooked crisp)
Roasted Red Peppers
Pineapple(I grill it first too)
Jalapenos
Hot Sauce

I sprinkle fresh grated Parmesan on my crust before baking too.

Spread pre baked crust with pizza sauce.

Place on ham, red peppers, pineapple and jalapenos.













Sprinkle with cheese and bacon and top with a squirt of hot sauce.

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven until cheese is melted and bubbly, around 10-15 minutes


I did mine on our fit pit grill, medium high heat, cover with foil and bake until cheese is melted about 15 minutes, just watch carefully to make sure it doesn't burn.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes(Gluten Free Version too)

It came to me within a dream!  I had a dream about making cinnamon rolls and pancakes. I woke up with an idea. I googled a few ideas and made my own modification.

Update 5/23/12....I made these gluten free and in an oven pancake form! See the bottom for instructions.




Pancakes:
2 cups flour
1 TB baking powder
2 TB sugar
2 cups milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 TB oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup loosely packed raisins(optional)

"Filling":
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon


Frosting:
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1 TB melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
milk to thin
(if you want you could add a little heated cream cheese to this too for an extra treat!)




Pancakes:
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients and add to dry mixing until just moistened. Fold in raisins.







Filling:

Combine melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix well and place into a ziplock bag with the tip cut off.



Frosting:(sorry no picture)
whisk powdered sugar, butter and vanilla and slowly add milk until it is desired consistency, set aside






Preheat your griddle to 350 and scoop batter by 1/3 cup full(make sure to give it a good stir because the raisins will settle). Immediately swirl the filling over the top. Cook until the edges are dry and bubbles form. Flip and cook for several more minutes.

Place on a plate and top with frosting. Enjoy!

Gluten Free/Oven Form

Replace the Flour with

3/4 cup sorghum flour 

1/2 cup sweet rice flour

1/3 cup potato starch 

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

Continue with mixing directions as above.

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 8 x 11 baking dish.

Pour batter into prepared dish and top with the "filling" mixture(I actually used quite a bit less of the mixture for top of this)

Bake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Top with the powdered sugar topping.