Chicken 'N Veggies Braid

Preheat: 375 Bake: 25-30 min Serves: 6
Ingredients

• 2 batches Crescent Roll Dough, can use store bought Crescent Roll Dough
• 2 lb cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
• 2-3 c diced vegetables; such as: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, corn, peas, green beans, spinach...
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• pepper to taste
• 1 c shredded cheese
• 1 c milk
• 2 Tbs butter
• 2 Tbs flour
• 1 egg white, beaten

Directions

1. Prepare crescent roll dough, roll out to form a 9"x12" rectangle. Cut 1"Wx2"L strips in towards the center, starting on the long sides. There should be a solid strip about 3-4" down the center, with the cut strips forming a fringe down each side.
2. Combine chicken, diced vegetables, salt and pepper in a large bowl until well mixed; pour evenly over Crescent dough.
3. Make a white sauce roux: Melt butter in sauce pan over low heat; slowly blend in flour until smooth; stir in milk, heat to boiling, boil 1 min stirring constantly.
4. Slowly mix shredded cheese into roux until melted; pour over chicken mixture on crescent dough.
5. Fold crescent edges criss-crossed to form a braid, pinch or twist ends to seal.
6. Brush braid dough with egg white.
7. Bake, until golden brown.

French Toast Casserole

Preheat: 350F Prep: 15 min Bake: ab 45 min Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf cinnamon raisin bread, cubed (see recipe)
  
• 6 eggs
• 3 c half & half (see recipe)
  
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping Ingredient Options:

• Butter & a light dusting of cinnamon & sugar
  
• Butter drizzled with pure maple syrup
• Butter & a light dusting of confectioners sugar
• Whipped honey butter (see recipe)
  

Directions:

1. Place bread cubes in a greased 3-qt shallow baking dish.
2. Beat eggs, half & half, & vanilla in a medium bowl with a fork or whisk.
3. Pour over the bread cubes.
4. Cover dish and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
5. Uncover the dish & Bake until golden brown and set in the center.
6. Top with your choice of topping while still hot & serve with a tall glass of milk.

Tip: For convenience you can use 1, 16 oz, loaf cinnamon rasin bread from your local grocer or bakery.

Chicken à la King

Prep: 10 min Cook: 25-30 min Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast; cubed
• 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbs light olive oil; divided
• 1 1/4 c white mushrooms; quartered
• 1 lg green bell pepper; diced
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 c dry sherry
  
• 1 c reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 c low-fat milk
• 1 4-ounce jar sliced pimientos, rinsed

Directions:

1. Toss chicken & flour in a md bowl until coated.
2. Heat 1 Tbs oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Reserve remaining flour, add chicken to pan & cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.
4. Transfer chicken to a plate.
5. Reduce heat to md & add remaining oil to the pan.
6. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, and ground pepper, cook stirring often, until mushrooms are softened & starting to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
   
7. Pour in sherry; bring to a boil & cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits, 3 minutes.
8. Whisk broth & milk into the reserved flour until smooth.
9. Stir the mixture into the pan & bring to a simmer, stirring often.
10. Stir in pimientos & chicken, return to a simmer.
11. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer & cook until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
12. Serve immediately over egg noodles or fresh baked biscuits.

(Leftover) Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Preheat: 350F Prep: 30-60 min Bake: ab 30 min Serves: 4-8

Ingredients:

• 4 large bell peppers
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs butter
• 1 lb turkey, shredded
• 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
  
• 2 c mushrooms, sliced
  
• enough rice to make 2 c of cooked rice, preferably white rice
• enough chicken broth to cook rice in & a bit in reserve
  
• 1 Tbs parsley, chopped
  
• 1 Tbs fresh basil, chopped (3/4 tsp dried basil, crushed)
  
• 1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce, optional
  
• 1 c shredded Colby-Jack cheese

Directions:

1. Cut the tops from peppers; removing pepper from stem, chopping 7 reserving.
2. Discard pepper: membrane, seeds & stem.
3. Place pepper halves in an 8x8x2-inch baking dish.
4. In a skillet cook saute garlic in butter.
5. Once garlic turns a golden brown toss with shredded turkey.
6. If using quick cooking rice: Stir in chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, rice, parsley, basil, broth, and hot pepper sauce; bring to boiling, reduce heat, cover & simmer ab 15 min until rice is tender.
7. If using traditional rice: Cook rice in broth until done. Add chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, rice, parsley, basil, hot pepper sauce, garlic, turkey & enough broth to wet the mixture.
8. Fill peppers with mixture & top with cheese.
   
9. Bake, covered by foil, until heated through.
10. Remove foil & bake until cheese is a golden brown.
11. Serve immediately.

Tip: to make 8 smaller servings slice peppers in half lengthwise without removing tops, fill & bake.

Bread Pudding

Preheat: 350°F Prep: 20 min Bake: 40-50 min Serves: 15 Cost: Under $1 per serving

Note: In my house we never have stale or leftover bread... When I want to make bread pudding I have to actively buy bread for the pudding. So I stop in at my local supermarket bakery & see if they have any day old french bread. They will even cut it up into chunks for me while I am doing the rest of my shopping. Talk about your mess saver!

Pudding Ingredients:

• 2 loaves french bread, cubed (about 8 c)
• 2 c raisins (juicy fat raisins, not super dry tiny ones)
• 4 c whole milk
• 1/2 c salted butter
• 1 c sugar
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 2-4 Tbs real vanilla extract
• 1 Tbs ground cinnamon

Simple Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk

Optional; Vanilla Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c whipping cream
• 1/2 c butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 Tbs dark rum, optional

Directions:

1. Combine bread & raisins in a lg bowl
2. In a sauce pan, over mead heat, cook milk & butter until butter is melted.
3. Pour milk mixture over bread & raisins; let stand 10 min.
4. Stir in remaining pudding ingredients letting stand several minutes, repeating the process several times until bread is soaking.
5. Pour into a lightly buttered 9x13 in baking dish.
6. Top with sweetened condensed milk.
7. Bake until center is set & top is browned & bubbly.
8. Best served warm.

Vanilla Sauce directions:

1. In saucepan, over med heat, cook: sugar, brown sugar, whipping cream, butter, & rum if desired; stirring occasionally until mixture thickens & comes to a full boil, 5-8 minutes.
2. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
3. Serve sauce over warm pudding.

Mashed Potatoes (Variations)

Prep: 10 min Cook: 10 min Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound potatoes, quartered; Optional: peeled
• cold stock, such as: beef, chicken, veal, or vegetable
• 6 whole roasted garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 c heavy whipping cream, or low-fat buttermilk
• 2 Tbs butter, plus more to taste
• Salt & freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Optional Ingredients:

• mascarpone cheese
• sour cream

Ingredients For Mash Potato Dinners:

• bacon, green onion, cheese
• broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, cheese, ground meat, such as: beef, chicken, lamb, veal

Directions:

1. In a sauce pan cover potatoes with cold stock & bring to a boil.
2. Cook just until tender -- do not overcook or potatoes will be watery.
3. Drain well, return pan with potatoes to low heat & shake to dry.
4. Heat butter in a small pan & saute garlic.
5. Add butter, garlic, cream, salt and pepper to potatoes.
6. Mash together with a potato masher until ingredients are combined but potatoes are still lumpy.
7. Serve.

Tip: save your starchy stock for: more potatoes, risotto, or soup!

Macaroni & Cheese (Variations)

Preheat: 375° F Cook: 15 min Bake: ab 20 min Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1. 9 oz macaroni, or mini shells
2. 1/4 c breadcrumbs
3. salt & pepper to taste

Mornay Sauce:

1. 3 Tbs butter
2. 1/3 c flour
3. 1 1/2 c whole milk
4. 1 lb shredded cheese, divided

Variations:

1. 1/4 c onions and 1/2 c crumbled bacon
2. Chicken Bake: 3/4 lb precooked cubed chicken with 1-2 c steamed vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, & cauliflower or green beans, corn & peas
3. Cheeseburger Mac: 3/4 c precooked ground beef with Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mustard & relish
4. BBQ Mac: 3/4 c precooked ground beef or stew meat with barbecue sauce
5. Mac & Cheese Mini Muffins: double all ingredients; add 3 eggs, whisked, for binding; put in a lightly greased muffin pan, over fill cups; top with breadcrumbs & bake at 350 F for 20 min or until browned on top. Cool 10 min. Makes: 48 mini muffins

Preparation:

1. Cook macaroni in a lg saucepan of boiling water for 8-10 minutes; drain well & set aside.
2. Melt butter over low heat in a saucepan slightly larger than that used for the macaroni, whisk in the flour to form a roux.
3. Gradually add in milk, whisking constantly to keep the sauce smooth.
4. Add spices & any optional ingredients.
5. Bring sauce to a simmer & cook for 5 min.
6. Remove sauce from heat, add 13 oz of cheddar cheese & stir until cheese is well combined & melted.
7. Add macaroni to sauce, mixing well.
8. Transfer to a deep 9x9" glass pan, sprinkle remaining cheese & breadcrumbs over the top.
9. Place in oven & bake until cheese is bubbling.
10. Let stand 5 minutes, & then serve.

Potato Au Gratin (Variations)

Prep: 15 min Preheat: 375 F Bake: 80 min Serves: 8-12 Cost: ab $8for basic and $12 for casserole

Ingredients:

• ab 12 red potatoes (3-4lbs), washed
• 1/4 c butter
• 1 Tbs onion powder
• 1 Tbs all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper, freshly ground
• 1 1/2- 2 c milk
• 2 1/2 c shredded cheese, divided
• 1/4 c dry bread crumbs
• paprika

Potatoes Au Gratin Casserole Options:

• 1-2 c broccoli or cauliflower florets
• 4-5 carrots, peeled & sliced 1/8" thick at an angle
• 1 turkey or chicken horseshoe sausage, sliced 1/8" thick at an angle

Directions:

1. Line a 9x13" pan or 1 1/2 qt casserole dish with aluminum foil, shiny side up, to save yourself on cleanup.
2. Melt butter in baking dish, pour into a large bowl.
3. Mix in: onion powder, flour, salt & pepper until thoroughly combined.
4. Stir in milk & 2 c shredded cheese
5. Spread potatoes & any desired optional ingredients evenly in pan & cover with cheese mixture.
6. Bake 1 hour.
7. Combine remaining shredded cheese & bread crumbs in a bowl.
8. Sprinkle cheese & bread crumb mixture over the top of the potatoes.
9. Sprinkle with paprika, to taste.
10. Bake an additional 20 min.