Parmesan Rosemary Crescents

I wanted to make some sort of stuffed bread item to go along with the Garlic Lime Chicken I made for my parents and I had a can of crescent rolls so I thought I'd play with this. I'm blogging it however I'm not happy with how the recipe turned out. It was a little too rich. I'm thinking it would work better in a pinwheel shape instead of in the crescent because then the cheesy flavor would be spread out better instead of in one big blob in the middle of the roll. Oh well, live and learn.

1 8 oz can crescent rolls
1/2 cup regular cream cheese spread
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
4 tsp fresh snipped rosemary

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Separate dough into triangles.
2. Place cream cheese in small mixing bowl. Add grated cheese and rosemary. Mix well. Spread in center of each triangle and roll up.
3. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Garlic Lime Chicken

My parents came up to visit a couple of weeks ago and I decided to make this dish for them. It is quick, easy, healthy, and tasty. Everything a girl can want.

Garlic Lime Chicken
Source: www.savingdinner.com

1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp thyme
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup chicken broth

1. On a dinner plate, mix together salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and thyme. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts.
2. In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown (about 5 minutes per side). Remove chicken and add lime juice and chicken broth to pan, whisking up browned bits off the bottom of pan. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan. Heat through and coat to serve.

Easy Chicken Taco Casserole

I made this dinner one night when work was a little busy. I really wanted some Mexican flavor but I also wanted something quick.

Easy Chicken Taco Casserole
a Julie original

1 pound chicken breasts cut up into bite size pieces
1 small can corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can green chiles, drained
1 packet taco seasoning
1 container Pace Salsa
1 cup taco shredded cheese blend
1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add taco seasoning to skillet. Then add corn, beans, and chiles and mix thoroughly.
3. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Place chicken mixture into casserole dish. Cover with salsa and then with shredded cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly.

It does actually taste better than it looks. Casseroles just don't photograph well.

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

I wanted to bake my Dad some chocolate chip cookies for Father's Day. So when I saw this recipe I figured Best Ever? Ok, worth trying. Dad really liked them, and he actually wants me to send him some more. I'm not sure they're the best ever, though.

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
Allrecipes.com

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups jumbo semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (I omitted because Dad doesn't like them)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time then stir in the vanilla. Blend in the sifted ingredients to form a soft dough. Stir in the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

3. Bake for 8 to 11 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly golden. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Banana Creme Pie

My Dad's birthday was June 9th and so when they came to visit us the following weekend I knew that instead of making him a birthday cake I would make his favorite dessert ever .... Grandma's Banana Creme Pie. Please forgive the mountain of meringue. I had to go and nurse my son so my Mom put the meringue in and used all of it which made a HUGE pile of meringue.

Banana Creme Pie
Source: My Grandma

1 deep dish pie crust (I use frozen store bought, prepared according to package directions)
8 Tbsp cornstarch
4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 12 Tbsp for meringue
1/2 tsp salt (I omit)
6 eggs, separated
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
2-3 sliced bananas
1/2 tsp Cream of tartar

1. Mix cornstarch and milk. Add 1 1/2 cups sugar and salt. Cook on medium heat and slowly stir.
2. When thick, add 6 egg yolks and cook 2 minutes longer. Add butter, vanilla, and combine. Then add sliced bananas. Let this mixture cool to room temperature. Place it in baked pie shell.
3. Whip 6 egg whites and add 12 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp at a time mixing very well after each addition. Add 1/2 tsp cream of tartar and keep mixing until stiff peaks form. Spread over banana mixture. Brown in oven for about 10 minutes at 375F.

Barbecue Sauce

My husband's uncle gave us this barbecue sauce recipe. It is my husband's favorite. In fact he prefers it to store bought barbecue sauce. Since my parents were coming up to visit he wanted to make this sauce to pair with my Dad's pulled pork recipe. We all really enjoyed it.

Barbecue Sauce
Source: My uncle-in-law

2 Tbsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cups sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cups apple cider vinegar
6 Tbsp Texas Pete Hot Sauce
2 cups Worcestershire sauce
64 oz ketchup
1 cup mustard

Start with mustard and gradually add the ketchup until they are well blended. Add the rest of the ingredients to this mixture (I use a large stockpot). Cook on medium and stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Simmer on low heat and stir occasionally for 2-3 hours.

Quilted Table Runners

Yes I am still here but work has been really busy so I have been making more convenience foods, or my husband has been cooking and I don't feel right blogging about something he prepared.

So I figure that in the meantime I can put some of the crafts I have finished up here. I made these table runners for my Mom and Mother-in-law for Mother's Day in either 2006 or 2007 (I can't remember).




I will have some more recipes this week. I promise

Mexican Casserole

I found this recipe on Sparkpeople.com a couple of years ago and it quickly became one of our favorites. I probably make this dish at least once every other month (probably closer to once every 6 weeks or so) and it is one of my comfort foods.

I dont have a picture because last night my husband made it and since it is close I was on the couch, nursing the baby, with my laptop on my free side working so couldn't quite get the camera within reach to snap a photo, but casseroles don't photograph well in general so I figure it's fine. Take my word though, this is very yummy!

Mexican Casserole
adapted from Sparkpeople.com

1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
1 package Uncle Ben's ready rice - Whole Grain santa fe flavor
Tostitos, crushed
Taco seasoned shredded cheese
Other desired taco toppings - we use just sour cream but you could use guacamole if you like it too.

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Brown meat in skillet. Near end of browning add in onion and cook until translucent. Drain off fat.
3. Add in taco seasoning and mix well. Add in bag of rice and then cream of mushroom soup and tomatoes and mix well.
4. Add layer of crushed tostitos to the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Top with half of the meat mixture. Then add another layer of crushed tostitos and top with remaining meat mixture. Put taco cheese over top the whole thing and cover pan with aluminum foil.
5. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until cheese is melted.
6. Serve with sour cream on top.

Yummy!