Chicken Cordon Bleu Pillows

This is similar to the chicken pillow pockets but a little better with ham and bacon and swiss cheese and a delicious homemade sauce instead of the cream of soup and sour cream.  This came from Chef in Training and can be found here:

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pillows

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 Tblsp butter, softened
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1/2 cup cooked and diced ham
6 pieces cooked and diced bacon
1 cup swiss cheese
1 can Pillsbury Grand Crescent Rolls
1 egg
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 Tblsp  dried parsley flakes

Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half and half
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup swiss cheese

Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and butter and stir until well combined.
Add chicken, ham, bacon, and swiss cheese to the cream cheese mixture and evenly stir into the mixture.
Lay out the 8 crescents on a cookie sheet .  Stretch the crescent out width wise.
Place a couple large spoonfuls of the creamy chicken mixture into the center of the crescent to fill it.  Then fold the crescent around the mixture so that all the cream cheese mixture is sealed off by the crescent roll.  I'll call this the "pillow"
In a separate smaller bowl, put the egg and a little bit of water, maybe a couple Tablespoons worth and beat together.
In another separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, panko bread crumbs and dried parsley flakes.
Dip the "pillow" into the blended egg,   After dipping into the egg, proceed to dip it into the bread crumb mixture and place on greased cookie sheet.  Repeat for the remaining 7 crescents.  Cook the pillows at 400 for 20 min.  Keep an eye on them as your oven may cook them quicker, don't burn them!
For the Sauce:
To make sauce melt butter in a large sauce pan.  Once melted add flour and stir for a minute or two to make a roux.  Once roux is made, add half and half slowly, stirring constantly, until all has been added and sauce thickens to desired consistency.  Remove from heat and add garlic salt, onion powder.  Stir in Swiss Cheese until melted into sauce
Drizzle each pillow with sauce.

(I, Sandee, have not made this using one triangle, I have always had to use two triangles, so you may want to buy 2 cans of the rolls, I like to make these bigger)

Baked Cream Cheese Rangoons

I love cream cheese wontons and found this recipe at chef in training, the picture and link is here

Baked Cream Cheese Rangoons

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/8 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tblsp chopped green onion
1 egg
24 wonton wrappers

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, garlic, salt and green onion until well mixed
Whisk egg until well beaten in a small bowl
Place one teaspoon of cream cheese mixture into the center of one wonton wrapper
Dip your finger into the beaten egg and lightly coat the outer edges of the wonton wrapper
Bring all the corners of the wonton together up to the center and pinch. Pinch all the sides together to form an "X" or star appearance.  Place on greased cookie sheet
Repeat for remaining wontons
Lightly spray the tops of the wontons with cooking spray
Bake at 400 degrees for 7 to 12 min or until tops are golden brown in color.

Dip into sweet and sour sauce and enjoy!

Sweet and Salty Trail Mix

The combination of sweet and salty is really good, I have seen different versions put together and I like this one from chef in training at this site:

Sweet and Salty Trail Mix

Ingredients:

1 (18.75 oz) bag Chex Mix Traditional Snack Mix

2 1/2 cups Bugles

2 1/2 cups Chocolate Chip Teddy Grahams

1 1/2 cups M & M's (pretzel or peanut or regular)

1 cup licorice bits

1 1/2  cups Sweedish Fish

1 1/2 cups Gold Fish Crackers

YUMMY!

Orange Fluff Jello Salad Recipe

This recipe is from six sisters and you can see it at this following site:   It is very yummy and the kids love it!

Orange Fluff Jello Salad Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 large package Cook and Serve vanilla pudding (4.6 ounces)
1 large package orange jell-o (6 ounces)
2 cups water
1 16 oz Cool-Whip (lite or fat-free is fine)
1/2 bag mini marshmallows

20 ounce can pineapple tidbits (drained)

22 ounces mandarin oranges (drained)

2 to 3  bananas, sliced (Optional, put in before serving so they don’t turn brown in the fridge)

Directions:
Mix together pudding, Jell-o, and water over medium heat until it boils. Remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Refrigerate until mixture has thickened (about an hour). Beat until creamy. Fold in Cool Whip, marshmallows, and fruit. Chill about an hour before serving.

Meatballs with Cream Sauce

Okay, I made this recipe today for Shauna who just had a baby.  I love this recipe, the meatballs are so good and so easy to make using the oven!  I got this from mel's kitchen cafe at this site:  she has great recipes!
Meatballs with Cream Sauce

INGREDIENTS

Meatballs:
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 T. ketchup
• 1 t. Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup quick oats
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef or lean ground turkey
• 3 T. flour
Cream Sauce:
• 2 T. butter
• 3 1/2 T. flour
• 1/4 t. dried thyme
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/8 t. pepper
• 14 oz. can chicken broth (If you want your sauce thicker, cut down the chicken broth to 1 cup)
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 T. minced fresh parsley

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients EXCEPT the beef and flour. Add beef and mix well. Shape into balls. Roll in flour, shaking off excess. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet and bake, uncovered, at 400 for 10 minutes. Turn meatballs, bake 8-10 minutes longer or until no longer pink.
2. Meanwhile, for the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, thyme, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add broth and milk; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. If using the full can of chicken broth, the sauce doesn’t thicken overly much, but it is delicious that way. If you want it slightly thicker, cut down the chicken broth to 1 cup.
3. Drain meatballs on paper towels; transfer to a serving dish. Top with sauce and parsley. Serve over rice or egg noodles (I used egg noodles and loved the result!).

For the nourishment of the soul:

"To really have a true love, you have to understand your relationship to the Savior and the love that emanates from Him.

BBQ Bacon Ham French Bread Pizza

Okay, this recipe came from chef in training at this following web site   Her husband picks his favorites and this one is really good and easy as well, I would like to put it with my favorites!

BBQ Bacon Ham French Bread Pizza
Ingredients:
1 loaf french bread, sliced in half lengthwise
8 slices of deli ham, more or less depending on size of loaf
Favorite barbeque sauce (she likes Sweet Baby Rays, so do I)
8 slices Colby Jack cheese
12 pieces cooked bacon
1 green onion, diced

Honey Dijon Sauce:
6 Tblsp Grey Poupon mustard
9 Tblsp mayo
3 tsp yellow mustard
3 tsp honey

Instructions:
Make honey dijon sauce and set aside
Toast the french bread under the broiler until desired toast
Spread the mustard sauce over the toasted bread 
Layer sliced ham generously over the sauce
Drizzle barbeque sauce over the ham
Cut bacon into bite size pieces and sprinkle over barbeque sauce
Place cheese over bacon and broil until cheese is melted
Garnish with green onions

Side note from Sandee:  I like to leave out the ham and use chicken that I have previously cooked and is in bite sized pieces, yum!

and now for the nourishment of the soul:
"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out"

Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

I recently helped with a baby shower for my daughter Jenna in which we made muffins but I also ended up making coconut bread and lemon bread.  It was then that I got to thinking it would be nice to have several other breads to choose from as the muffins dont seem to go over as well as sweet breads do. .. so instead of my lemon blueberry muffins, I found this lemon blueberry poundcake from chef in training, she has the best recipes, you can find a picture of this bread here

Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake (Bread)
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
zest of one lemon
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 cups fresh blueberries
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Lemon Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tblsp lemon juice
1 Tblsp lemon zest
1 Tblsp milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In large bowl, cream butter, sugar and lemon zest together for 3 to 5 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time and beat an addition of one min per egg
In a separate large bowl, mix and combine dry ingredients together.
Add dry ingredients alternatively with the buttermilk to the butter/sugar/lemon zest/egg mixture
Fold in blueberries
Grease and flour either 2 large bread pans or 3 small bread pans
Pour batter and bake at 350 degrees for 55 - 60 min
Let loaves cool and pour glaze over them
For LEMON GLAZE:
Whisk  glaze ingredients together until smooth


Yay for delicious bread, it is easier than having to scoop batter into individual cups.  Love chef in training web site!

And for nourishment of the soul  here is a saying I found on faceboook:

"Always remember that your present situation is not your final destination.  The best is yet to come"

also "The moment I stop comparing myself to others is the moment I find my true strength"