Chicken Pillows

For those of you who weren't such big fans of the previous posted Indian cuisine, let me indulge you with this nice American dish!

2 oz plain cream cheese
4 oz cream cheese (garden vegetable or chive, your choice)
1/4 c soft butter or margarine
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix above ingredients, then add:
2 c. cubed cooked chicken
1/4 c. fresh, chopped mushrooms

2 pkg crescent rolls, refrigerator, uncooked type
1/4 c. plain bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. salt-free seasoning

Roll out crescent rolls - Taking 2 triangles and making 1 rectangle. Put 1/4 c chicken mixture on each crescent roll. Fold and seal. Brush top with melted butter, sprinkle with bread crumbs, garlic salt and seasoning. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Gravy:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c water (or more, depending on the consistency you like)
1/4 c. fresh, chopped mushrooms

Pour gravy on top of pillows, and serve with side salad, boiled carrots and fresh fruit.

Master Meatloaf

I've never been able to sink my teeth into meatloaf until tonight! Something about the title alone just made me quiver. But...this one was pretty darn tasty, if I do say so myself.

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1.5 pound lean, ground beef
1 c. oats (quick or regular)
1/2 c. plain bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 TBS. dried parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 finely chopped onion

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix above ingredients well. I like to blend mine together with a fork.
Place meat in 2 loaf pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and baste with:
Savory Topping (mix all below ingredients until smooth)
6 TBS. brown sugar
1/2 c. catsup
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. prepared mustard

Place pans back in oven for 15 minutes.

Success with a Pork Chop! Hallelujah!

This is so easy, and I have never had such success with succulent, fall apart pork chops.

4 pork chops (I bought the 1" thick, boneless ones from Costco - they are great, and lean)
1 cup crushed pineapple (not drained)
1 cup BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's brand, also available at Costco)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Place pork chops in a greased crock pot. Sprinkle with pepper and garlic salt. In separate bowl, mix pineapple and BBQ sauce. Pour sauce over pork chops and set at low for 6 hours (do not over cook). These were delicious and fell apart! No knives necessary, and the sauce was great. I'll definitely make these again. I served it with the sweet potato fries recipe below.

Crock Pot Cordon Bleu

6 chicken breasts - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
6 thick slices swiss cheese
6 slices deli shaved ham
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. Italian flavored bread crumbs

Place slice of cheese and ham on each chicken breast. Roll up and secure with toothpick, place in bottom of crock pot. Mix soup and milk. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.

Jamie's White Chicken Chili

This recipe is fabulous, and is just like my mom and sister's recipes.

4-5 cans great northern beans
4 cups chicken stock or broth
1-2 lg. onions chopped
1 tsp. garlic chopped
1 can green chilies chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Simmer beans with stock, garlic, onion & chilies for 1.5 hours. Add other ingredients & simmer in crock pot for 30 minutes. Serve with monterrey jack cheese, sour cream, avocado & corn chips.

Yogurt Parmesan Chicken

2 c. crushed Ritz Crackers
2 T. Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. seasoned salt
8 boneless chicken breasts (I use 4 and slice them in half by width, since they are so big)
8 oz. (1 c.) plain yogurt
1/4 c. melted butter

Combine Ritz crackers, parmesan, garlic salt and seasoned salt. Set aside. Dip each chicken breast in yogurt, then coat with crumb mixture. Arrange pieces in a buttered 9x13 baking dish. Drizzle with 1/4 c. melted butter and bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes. Serves 8.

Honey Mustard Chicken

In bowl, combine:
4 TBS butter, melted
1/4 c. mustard
3/4 c. honey
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
Mix well.

Wash 6-8 chicken breasts with warm water. Dip each piece of chicken in the sauce above (I let it marinate overnight). Place in 9x13 glass dish and bake at 350 for 25-30 min, or until no longer pink.

Healthy Chicken Garlic Pizza

Crust:

2 T. active dry yeast

2 1/4 C. warm water

2 T. sugar

2 T. shortening

1 T. sugar

4 C. wheat flour

2 C. white flour

Mix yeast and warm water until dissolved. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well, knead, and press into large cookie sheet. Let rise for 30 min - 1 hour.

Sauce:

3 TBS. butter or margarine

1/8 c. flour

1 c. skim milk

1 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves minced

Mix flour and butter in sauce pan on medium-high heat to create paste. Add milk and remaining ingredients. Stir well to create an alfredo-type sauce. If needed, add more milk to create desired consistency. Spread over risen pizza crust.

Toppings:

Shredded Chicken

Fresh cut tomatoes

mushrooms (optional)

green onions

3 c. part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. DELICIOUS!

Kentucky Cheesy Garlic Grits

1 cup Quick grits

4 cups Water, boiling

1 tsp Salt

4 oz Butter

12 oz Cheddar cheese, sharp

1 Egg

1 Tbl Garlic powder

3/4 cup Milk

dash Frank's Red Hot Sauce

Cook grits in boiling water until thick. Remove from heat. Stir in butter & 1/2 the cheese. Beat egg with garlic powder, milk & hot sauce. Add to grits. Pour into buttered 2 Qt casserole. Top with rest of cheese. Bake 1 hour at 350.