Kickin' It up Cajun Style

If you live in Indianapolis, I'm sure you've at least heard of Yats, and if you haven't ever been there, you should go.  Right now.  This post can wait.  Go ahead...

Ok, so now that you are back, I will share with you the recipe for their delicious Chili Cheese Etouffe... the owner was awesome and shared it once in Indianapolis Monthly magazine, and it is pretty darn close to the kind you have at his restaurant.  Don't let the massive list of ingredients scare you away, you have most of them on hand, I promise...

Yats Chili Cheese Etouffee

1 stick butter

½ cup flour

1 cup chopped green onions

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced bell peppers

1 cup diced onions

2 tsp minced garlic

1 can Rotel Original diced tomatoes

½ tsp dried thyme

1 Tbs tomato paste

1 tsp dried basil

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp white pepper

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

3 cups chicken stock

3 cups shredded aged cheddar

8 oz. half and half or heavy cream

1 tsp. chili powder

Pinch ground coriander

Pinch ground cumin

Pinch ground cloves

Dash Leas and Perrins Worcestershire sauce

Dash Tabasco sauce

1 lb cooked crawfish, shrimp and/or chicken (I used chicken)

Cooked white rice

Make a roux by heating the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat then blending in the flour, consistently stirring and scraping the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the roux is golden color.

Add the green onions, celery, bell peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes and cook until the onions have browned.

Add the thyme, tomato paste, basil and peppers (black, white, and cayenne).

Add the stock, bring to a boil and simmer until the mixture becomes thick

.

Add the cheese, half and half, chili powder, coriander, cumin, cloves, Lea and Perrins and Tabasco and stir until the cheese and half and half are blended in well.

Gently stir in the crawfish, shrimp and/or chicken and serve with white rice.

Aunt Marge's Delicious Tomatoes...and other stories.

Wow, it has been about two weeks since I last posted a recipe.  Who knew unemployment would keep me so busy?  I have been going non-stop, thank goodness I don't have a "real job" to tie me down!  I've gotten the chance to assist at my old sorority as school gets ready to begin and although it has been hard work, it has been very rewarding.  I've also been hitting the gym as much as possible to start pre-training (yeah, I need to train to train) for a mini-marathon next year. 

Last night I made Blake a nice home cooked meal complete with leftovers for tonight, since I knew I'd be in Bloomington at the Alpha Delta Pi house today.  PLITS!

The most important part of this recipe involves Aunt Marge's Tomatoes.  If you don't have an Aunt Marge who grows the most delicious tomatoes this side of the Mississippi, then I don't know what to tell you.  I guess you better scout out the farmer's market, but even then, I doubt they will come close.  Anyway, once you have procured the ripest, reddest, and most delicious tomatoes, then you may proceed.

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with Roasted Tomatoes

4 large tomatoes (Aunt Marge's is possible)  ;)
1 box Fettuccine Noodles
1 jar Alfredo sauce
fresh basil (or frozen cubes of basil, which are very handy!)
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 small onion, diced
1 lb chicken breast cutlets, sliced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil

Step 1 - Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice tomatoes into rounds and place on greased baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast for 1 hour.

Step 2 - Cook fettuccine noodles as directed.

Step 3 - In a large skillet on medium-high heat, cook onion, mushrooms, and chicken until chicken is no longer pink.  Add the Alfredo sauce, roasted tomatoes, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and fresh basil.  Heat through.

Toss the pasta and sauce together and top with some fresh shaved Parmesan cheese.  Voila!

Now go hug your Aunt Marge.

Happy Halloween!

If you know me at all, you know that I would never let you down on posting Halloween recipes! I hosted our annual Ghoul's Night and here are the frightful tricks and treats that I served. (Sorry the pictures aren't the best, we were in a hurry to eat!)





Snake Sticks

1 (11 ounce) can refrigerated breadstick dough
1/4 teaspoon butter, melted
herbs or spices, to taste
pimiento, for tongue sliced
black olives, for eyes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray each skewer with non-stick spray. Wrap each breadstick around the skewer and flatten out the end a bit. You will have to work with the dough a bit, but place 2 black olives on the top for eyes and a small piece of pimiento in the "mouth" for the tongue. Bake on a prepared baking sheet for approximately 20 minutes or until the breadsticks are golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the herbs/spices of your choice. Let cool. If desired, slide the skewers off the bread or serve with the skewers in for easy handling.


Source: Recipezaar.com







Green Slime Dip


1 pound pepper jack cheese (shredded or cubed)
1- 4 oz. can diced green chilis
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8-oz. block cream cheese
Green food coloring

Combine in saucepan and stir over medium heat until smooth.


Source: Lisa Graves, ghoulfriend





Crunchy Worm Salad


2 bags shredded cabbage
3 green onions
1 (3-ounce) package ramen noodles with seasoning pack
1 (6-ounce) package slivered almonds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Black food coloring

Preheat the broiler.
Tear the cabbage and slice the onions, and place in a large salad bowl. Crumble the noodles into a broiler pan, add the almonds, sesame seeds, and broil for 2 minutes, being careful not to scorch the sesame seeds. In a jar with a tight lid, combine the oil, sugar, vinegar, and salt with the contents of the seasoning pack. Cover the jar and shake well to blend the dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad, add the toasted sesame and almond, and toss to combine Toss the ramen noodles with black food coloring for added effect.


Source: Paula Deen

Werewolf Claws

Nonstick vegetable spray
10 chicken cutlets
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
1 12-oz. can large pitted black olives, drained
Ketchup
1 head of lettuce

Spray a cookie sheet with the nonstick spray. Slice the cutlets into strips about the width of one bony finger, the more crooked the better.
Place the flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs into three separate bowls.
Dust the chicken strips with flour, dip them into the eggs, and then roll them in the bread crumbs. You probably won't use all the flour or crumbs.
Place the strips on the cookie sheet and broil about 5 minutes on each side until brown.
To make the fingernails, cut the olives in half lengthwise. Trim the halves into pointy nail shapes, and place one on the end of each chicken strip. Press them into the chicken and, if you need help in making them stick, use some ketchup as glue.
Serve the claws on a head (of lettuce, of course).


Source: www.familyfun.go.com



Spooky Pasta

1 16 oz. bag of Halloween shaped pasta
1 26 oz. jar of pasta sauce
4 oz. sliced pepperoni (chopped)
2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese

Cook pasta as directed. Mix pasta with sauce and pepperoni. Pour into a casserole dish and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 min or until cheese is melted.

Burried Alive Cupcakes

chocolate cupcakes
chocolate frosting
crushed chocolate cookies
baby doll arms (available at craft stores)

Bake and frost cupcakes. Push a babydoll arm into each cupcake and the top with crushed chocolate cookie crumbs.

Utilizing the ol' Microwave

Although microwaves are pretty popular, I rarely use mine. Maybe once a month or so... possibly because I have it on the bottom of a cart in my kitchen out of the way, or possibly because I love my gas range... who knows. Either way, it never occurs to me to use it and I almost took the stove top route when making this dish, but decided to give the microwave a try and follow the instructions. It came out great, and I had time to watch some TiVo'd stuff while it cooked.

Microwave Green Chile-Chicken Risotto

2 Tbs butter
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 cup arborio rice
1 (14 oz.) fat free low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cup water (divided)
1 (4.5 oz.) can green chilies, drained
1 1/2 cup chopped roasted chicken
1 cup shredded reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbs water
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine the butter, onion, rice, brother and 3/4 cup water in a 2-quart microwavable dish. Cover with plastic wrap, and vent.

Microwave on high for 15 min. Stir in remaining 3/4 cup water, cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Stir green chiles and chicken into rice and let stand for 5 min. Uncover and stir in cheese, 2 TBS water, salt and cilantro.

Source: Cooking Light

Keep your baking soda handy!!!

So tonight I was preparing these yummy Chicken-Pepper Tostadas for dinner. Everything was going just swimmingly. Veggies and chicken were sauteed and I was toasting the corn tortillas under the broiler as directed... and then bam! The tostadas caught on fire...guess my broiler was set a little to high! Luckily I have baking soda handy, and after tossing a handful at the flames, my tortillas were extinguished. However, they were not salvageable. So I tossed a few more in the toaster, and voila! Crunchy little tortillas, flame-free!

Chicken-Pepper Tostadas

4 6 in. corn tortillas
cooking spray
12 oz. frozen pepper stir-fry
12 oz. chicken breast tenders, chopped
2 1/2 tsp. Mexican seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 cup shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat broiler. Place tortillas on baking sheet; lightly coat each tortilla with cooking spray. Broil 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp (or in my case, until your oven catches fire).

Place pepper stir-fry in a colander and rinse under cold water until thawed. Drain and pat dry.
Coat a large skilled with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat. Add peppers and saute for 4 min. Add chicken and seasonings and saute until done.

Top each tortilla with 1/2 cup of chicken mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Broil for 1 minute or until cheese melts. (or microwave for a few seconds if your oven is now covered in baking soda.)

Source: Cooking Light

Faster than delivery!

This past Sunday, my friend Sara and I made plans to watch the MTV Movie Awards. We could basically care less about the awards, we were watching just to see the teaser trailer of the next movie in the Twilight saga, called New Moon. The trailer, complete with vampires, werewolves, and hot steamy kisses was awesome! Now we just have to wait until November to see the movie...

So for dinner I tried out another Cooking Light Superfast Supper recipe, and it was delish!

Chicken-Pesto Pizza

1 10oz. can refrigerated pizza dough (I used thin crust)

1 lb. chicken breast tenderloins, chopped

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

3 Tbs. Commercial pesto

2 Cups shredded skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Unroll dough onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 9 minutes.

Sprinkle chicken with Italian seasoning and saute in a skillet over medium-high heat until done.

Spread pesto over baked crust, top with cooked chicken, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Back in the day...

Back in the day of wonderful college years... I spent a summer waitressing at a wonderful little Mexican restaurant called Tortilla Flat. Unfortunately, the restaurant is no longer there, but the delicious food lives on! My favorite dish on the menu was Chipotle Chicken with Spinach in Cream Sauce served over rice. While this recipe isn't exactly how it was made at the restaurant, it tastes almost identical! It is also much faster to make this way, and is a quick and healthy dinner.

1 (7 ounce) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
10 ounces baby spinach, rinsed
1/2 cup chicken broth
salt to taste

Combine chopped chile peppers with 2 tablespoons sour cream. Mix together and spread mixture over chicken breasts. Sprinkle lightly with salt to taste, cover and marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Place marinated chicken in an ungreased 9x13 inch baking dish and broil for about 5 minutes (rack should be about 6 inches from the top.) Pour 1 cup sour cream around edges of chicken and turn over chicken breasts. Broil for an additional 5 minutes. Sour cream should be lightly brown on the edges. Move breasts into a separate dish and cover to keep warm. Set aside.

Pour leftover broiled sour cream into a medium saucepan over high heat. Add spinach, broth and salt to taste. Boil for about 1 minute until all melted and mixed together. Pour mixture over chicken breasts and serve.

Serve over Spanish rice if desired.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Opa! Indeed!

I love Greek food, and when I saw this simple recipe for Chicken Gyros, I knew I had to try it. I love regular lamb gyros, but I'm short on lamb and a spit for the yard, so I figured a chicken breast substitution would be a little easier to prepare.

Chicken Gyros

1 lbs chicken breast

4 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 heaping Tbsp. plain yogurt

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

salt and pepper

sliced tomatoes

sliced red onions

4 (pocketless) pitas

feta cheese

Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, yogurt, and oregano in a bowl. Add the chicken and rub the marinade in. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.
Preheat the grill pan. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and then grill until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, depending what size/type chicken you are using. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing into strips.
Meanwhile, warm your pitas. Top the pita with the chicken, tzatziki (see recipe below), tomatoes, onions, and feta.

Tzatziki Sauce

16 oz. Fage Yogurt (or other plain yogurt)

1 regular cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

2 garlic cloves minced

1 tsp white wine vinegar

salt & pepper

squeeze of fresh lemon juice
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Combine and allow to refridgerate for at least 30 min. before serving.

Source: Adapted from Ellysaysopa.com

Super Easy, Quick & Cheesy!

I was first introduced to this easy recipe by my friend Ali, back in the olden days of our downtown apartment living. This is a quick and easy weeknight meal!

Quick & Easy Quesadillas

6 Flour Tortillas
1 can diced tomatoes w/ chilies
Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
1 lb cooked and diced chicken

Place cooked chicken in a large skillet and add can of tomatoes. Cook over medium high heat until the liquid has evaporated. Place tortilla in an oiled griddle over medium high heat and top with a thin layer of cheese, then cover half with a layer of the chicken & tomato mixture. Fold in half and cook on both sides for a minute or so until tortilla is crisp and cheese is melted. Serve with salsa and sour cream if desired.

Just Wingin' It

We love chicken wings, and they are obviously a very simple dish. I've always wanted to make them at home, but didn't want to drag out the deep fryer for one batch of wings.

I found a recipe that had a ton of great reviews, so I thought I'd give it a try. They came out pretty good, however I'd probably reduce the time on the second side when broiling, but I might have had the pan too close.

Either way, these are great to make at home and satisfy your wing craving.

Crispy Baked Chicken Wings

1 lb chicken wings 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup Louisiana hot sauce
1 tablespoon margarine

Fill a large pot half way with water and then add the first 4 ingredients. Bring water mixture and wings to a boil and then boil for 15 minutes. Transfer wings to an oven safe container coated with cooking spray. Bake wings on "Broil" for 15 minutes on each side.(For crispier wings, cook longer on each side, maybe 20 minutes per side). While waiting for wings, combine the Hot Sauce and Margarine in a microwave safe container and cook in microwave for 2 minutes or until melted. When wings are done, shake 'em up with the sauce and enjoy!

Source: Allrecipes.com

Warm up with some Chilies

It has been unbelievably cold this week, with wind chills creeping to 35 below! I thought I'd spice some things up with some Sante Fe Style Chicken roll-ups. These are great re-heated for lunch also.



Sante Fe Roll-Ups

1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon onion (minced) 1 garlic clove (minced)
2 anaheim chilies (cut into strips & chopped)
4 ounces cream cheese (softened)
4 chicken breasts
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 ounce) can green chilies (chopped)

Melt butter or oil in a skillet over med heat, add onions, garlic and anaheim chilies, saute until onion is soft, set aside. Pound chicken between sheets of plastic wrap until flattened, spread 1/4 of vegetables over each chicken breast & place 1 tablespoon cheese mix in the middle of each chicken piece. Roll tightly to enclose cheese completely, secure with wooden tooth picks. Chill covered for 8-24 hours, then place in a baking pan and bake 350 degrees fro 30 minute or until cooked through. Remove to a serving platter, scrape baking pan drippings into a saucepan, add sour cream and green chilies, cook over med. heat until heated through, pour over chicken.

Source: www.recipezaar.com

Mexican Addiction

My co-worker Beth and I are Mexican food addicts. We could probably be happy eating lunch at the little nearby Mexican restaurant everyday and be happy. My favorite lunch special there is the Acapulco Chicken. This isn't quite the same, but it is pretty good!

Chicken Acapulco Tortillas

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon chili powder, divided
salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 large tomato, cut into chunks
10 drops hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup cream

Season chicken with 1/2 tablespoon chili powder, salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and saute seasoned chicken for 3 to 4 minutes, or until no longer pink. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon and keep warm. In same skillet, stir fry bell pepper and onion until soft. Add tomatoes, remaining 1/2 tablespoon chili powder, hot pepper sauce and cream. Cook, stirring, for an additional 3 to 5 minutes; add chicken and stir fry for 2 minutes more.


Serve with tortillas and desired toppings.

Source: Adapted from Women's Health

Ultra Comfort Food

After all the holiday excitement died down, I somehow managed to pick up some bug. We felt blah for a few days, so I decided comfort food was in order. I thought a big pot of chicken and noodles sounded good, and I had some extra time, so I made a batch with homemade broth and slow cooked chicken.



Crista's Easy Chicken & Noodles
1 whole chicken
1 onion, quartered
3 celery stalks, chopped
water
salt & pepper
(any other seasonings you like)
Wide noodles (I like the Amish brands)
Put onions, celery, and chicken in a pot and fill with water (just enough to cover the chicken). Bring to a boil and cook on a high simmer until chicken easily falls off the bone. Strain and reserve the broth. Cook the noodles until tender in the broth. Meanwhile, pick the chicken from the bone. Add chicken back to the noodles and serve over mashed potatoes if desired.

Mmmm...Leftovers!

No kidding, these leftovers were awesome! I got this idea from one of the other cooking blogs I read, Good Thymes & Good Food, where Rachel posted her recipe a while back. I had some leftover chicken from last night's Saucy Honey Mustard Chicken, so I shredded that and followed Rachel's recipe from there. So good! You could fill these pockets with almost anything, and they'd be great!

Puff Pastry Chicken Pockets

1 chicken breast, bone in, skin on - roasted and shredded
1/4 c. cream cheese, softened
juice of 1 lemon (I omitted this)
puff pastry sheet
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 c. breadcrumbs
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Shred chicken and mix with cream cheese, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Cut puff pastry sheet down fold lines so that you have three sections. Pile 1/3 of the chicken mixture in the middle and wrap ends in. Fold gently. Repeat until mixture is gone. Dip in melted butter and then breadcrumbs. Bake according to puff pastry directions. (I baked for 20 min)

Woo Hoo, my 100th post!

It has been a while since I tried out a recipe from Kraft's website. Everything I've tried from the site has been easy, quick, and very good. This recipe was no different. I had dinner on the table in about 20 minutes, which was nice after and extreemly long week!

Saucy Honey Mustard Chicken

1 Tbsp. oil
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1/4 cup Cream Cheese

1/4 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
2 Tbsp. Grey Poupon Savory Honey Mustard
1 Tbsp. honey

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cover. Cook 5 to 6 min. on each side or until chicken is cooked through (165°F).
Mix remaining ingredients; spoon over chicken.
Cook 2 min. or until sauce is heated through, stirring occasionally.

Source: Kraftfoods.com

Yummy Pasta Bake

Tonight, after a wonderful 2 week hiatus, I finally went to the grocery. I had picked this recipe out after seeing it in issue of Better Homes & Gardens. It won a prize, and sounded great. It was delicious, I highly recommend it!

Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake

8 oz. dried bow tie pasta

1 small onion, chopped

1 Tbsp. butter

2 eggs

1-1/4 cups milk

1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz.)

14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

1/2 cup oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In medium skillet cook onion in 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat about 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; set aside.
In bowl whisk together eggs, milk, seasoning, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir in chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, artichokes, spinach, tomatoes, half of the Parmesan, cooked pasta, and onion. Transfer to 3-quart rectangular baking dish.
Bake, covered, 20 minutes. In small bowl combine remaining Parmesan, bread crumbs, paprika, and melted butter. Sprinkle mixture over pasta. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes more or until golden. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Source: Better Homes & Gardens

I've been busy!

Confession....I have not been to the grocery since before Thanksgiving. What can I say? I've been busy! It seems like my life is going non-stop!

So today I was going to go to the grocery, but it is soooo cold outside. I just didn't feel like going out. So I headed into the fridge and pantry to see what I could come up with for dinner...

I managed to whip up the following from things in the cupboard and freezer!

Chicken & Noodles

3 small frozen chicken breasts

1/2 bag of small egg noodles

1 carton + 1 can of chicken broth

2 TBS corn starch

salt & pepper

I cooked the frozen chicken breast in the chicken broth for about 30 min, and shredded with a fork. Next I cooked the noodles in the broth w/ the chicken for 10 min. I added the corn starch to about 1/4 cup water and then added the mixture to the broth to thicken. Season w/ salt and pepper.

I served the chicken & noodles over Trader Joe's Instant Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and brussel sprouts on the side. It hit the spot!

You-Won't-Even-Miss-the-Carbs Casserole

In my quest to cut back on carbs, I'm trying out some new dishes. This one caught my eye because I'm a big fan of cauliflower, so this sounded yummy to me.

Low Carb Sausage, Mushroom and Chicken Casserole

3-4 cups diced cooked chicken
1 lb pork sausage
1 stalk celery, chopped fine
1 tablespoon onion, chopped
1/2 lb mushroom, sliced
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
16 ounces frozen cauliflower, cooked well and drained
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
paprika (optional)

Brown the sausage with the celery, onion and mushrooms. Stir the softened cream cheese into the sausage mixture until well blended. Coarsely chop the cooked cauliflower. Mix all ingredients and spread in a greased 9"x13" baking dish. If desired, dust the top with paprika. Bake, covered with foil, at 350º for about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until hot and bubbly and top is lightly browned, about 10 to 15 minutes

Source: not sure! Whoops!

Happy Halloween!

This week I've been keeping up the Halloween spirit with some festive recipes. Any little ghoul or goblin is sure to gobble these recipes right up!

Crescent Mummy Dogs

1 (8 ounce) can Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations™ refrigerated flaky dough sheet
2 1/2 slices American cheese slices, quartered 10 large hot dogs
Cooking spray
Mustard or ketchup, if desired

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Crescent Rolls: Unroll dough; separate at perforations creating 4 rectangles; press perforations to seal. Recipe Creations: Unroll dough; cut into 4 rectangles. With knife or kitchen scissors, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough. Slice cheese slices into quarters (1/2 slice cheese, cut in half). Wrap 4 pieces of dough around each hot dog and 1/4 slice of cheese to look like "bandages," stretching dough slightly to completely cover hot dog. About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog, separate "bandages" so hot dog shows through for "face." On ungreased large cookie sheet, place wrapped hot dogs (cheese side down); spray dough lightly with cooking spray. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are hot. With mustard, draw features on 'face.'

Source: Allrecipes.com

Chicken Enchilada Mummies

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 1/2 lb), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup chopped roasted red bell peppers (from a jar)
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
3 cups finely shredded Mexican cheese blend (12 oz)
2 cans (10 oz each) enchilada sauce
12 flour tortillas (8 inch)

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) and 8x8-inch (2-quart) baking dishes with cooking spray.
In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and onion; cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Stir in cumin, garlic salt and oregano. Cook 1 minute longer; drain if necessary. Pour chicken mixture into large bowl.
Reserve 2 tablespoons sour cream in small bowl; refrigerate. Into bowl of chicken mixture, stir remaining sour cream, roasted peppers, chiles and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese blend.
Spread heaping 3/4 cup chicken mixture in center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas; arrange 8 seam-side down in 13x9-inch baking dish and 4 seam-side down in 8x8-inch baking dish.
Top each baking dish evenly with enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Spray 2 sheets of foil with cooking spray; cover each baking dish with foil, sprayed side down.

Bake about 50 minutes or until enchiladas are hot. Place reserved 2 tablespoons sour cream in Ziploc bag; cut off 1 corner of bag. Squeeze bag to pipe eyes and mouth on each mummy.

Source: Pillsbury Halloween Recipe Book

Cream of Crap Dinner

If you read posts on any cooking board, you will come to find that there are 2 kinds of people. Those who cook with "cream of crap" and those who don't. Being from Indiana, where Green Bean Casserole is part of every holiday meal, we are tend to fall in the "cream of crap" cookers category.

So when you open my pantry (which is way to small and over stuffed) you will usually find at least one kind of "cream of crap" on hand. Having avoided the grocery this past week in hopes to use items from my overly stuffed freezer, I looked in the pantry and found a lone can of Campbell's Cream of Broccoli soup. The can boasted that it contained 5 recipes on the label, so I decided I'd try one if I had all the called for ingredients. Thanks to some frozen chicken and broccoli spears in the freezer, I was all set to make Campbell's Chicken Broccoli Divan. It was a very easy and really tasty casserole. I served it over rice, but you could eat it alone or even over noodles.

Chicken Broccoli Divan

1 lb broccoli, cooked and drained

1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 can Cream of Broccoli Soup

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

4 Tbs. dry bread crumbs

2 Tbs. butter, melted

Place broccoli and chicken in a 2 qt. baking dish. Mix soup and milk and pour over broccoli and chicken. Sprinkle with cheese. Mix bread crumbs and melted butter and sprinkle over top. Bake at 450 for 20 min.

Source: Adapted from Campbell's