Happy Thanksgiving

We got to celebrate Thanksgiving

all week at our house,

starting with Taylor's Pre-School Thanksgiving "Feast".

On Tuesday she went to school at the normal time,

and they made muffins and popcorn,

and then parents and siblings and grandparents

were invited to come later that morning

to join in on the fun!

(I don't know why Tay chose a sad face-

she was having a great time!

But like I've said in previous posts,

she's sort of experimenting with her facial expressions

so sometimes this is what we get!)

Taylor made a Thankful Turkey at school.

As you can see,

she's thankful for Macaroni

and her toy puppy with a bone!

You may also see here that she's writing her name!

There's a T,a,y and l on the white paper

and then the o and r strayed over to the blue and red feathers.
Makes me smile!!

This year, for actual Thanksgiving Day
 we went over to Greg's cousin's house,

which was very festive and fun!

And, as is tradition,

we all chipped in with bringing a few dishes.

I volunteered to make the veggie and relish trays

cuz I saw an idea I wanted to try!

Turkey Tray #1:

Turkey Tray #2:

(complete with celery and peanut butter!)

and...

to go with the apples was this AWESOME apple dip

that I MUST recommend

to anyone and everyone!

Try it!

It's incredible!!

I don't have any other pictures with people in them...

I was too busy stuffing my face,
chasing down lil' tykes,
and enjoying the company of this wonderful family
God gave me when I married Greg!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

May you find His blessing
as you enter the season of celebrating His birth!

So much to be thankful for
and so much to look forward to!

Bridal Shower for a Friend

Kathy hosted a bridal shower for one of Anna's good friends

and I got to help with the decorations!

It was extra fun to put together the tablescape

because after all the construction on the living room

there is still a variety of knick-knacks that don't yet have a home

so I knew where everything was packed up

and I just went "shopping" for anything yellow or gray!

I made the little banner out of dollar store plastic table cloths

and puff paint for designs on each triangle

and glued them to silver ribbon.

And Kathy bought this great yellow frame at a local shop

and put a black&white of the happy couple in it.

The bride got to take it home after the party!

I got this great idea from Pinterest

and adapted it to the bride's favorite candy

and the yellow & gray theme!

I bought round pretzels,

put them in mini cupcake papers,

and put one Rolo on the center of the pretzel.

I put six on a microwave-safe plate

and cooked it for 25 sec on Power 5 (med).

Then I would press the Rolo down to get it intertwined with the pretzel.

Then I put another Rolo on top of that,

and cooked them again for 25 sec on Power 5 (med).

Then pressed a Sixlet candy (you could use an M&M)

into the center of the top Rolo,

"squishing" the bottom one until it oozed out a little further than the top candy.

Cooled completely, and stored in an airtight container until the party!

Salty, sweet, caramely, just GREAT!

We put out recipe cards and wrote

"Recipes for a Successful Marriage"

and had guests fill out their advice.

We made fancy lemonade

(see recipe below)

and also served fancy water

in these cute Mason Jars.

Drinks Table

Gifts Table

(in the frame on the right

you can see a copy of her wedding invitation

which we used as the inspiration

for the whole shower!)

Party favors for each guest

included a mini flower pot with decorations

and the initials of the Bride and Groom. 

Snacks included "Avocado Salsa Boats" in Romaine lettuce leaves,

Home-made Chocolate Dipped Strawberries,

Cucumber Feta Crostinis

(recipe adapted from Kelley Jordan-Taube's blog

which she adapted from Joanne Weir's From Tapas to Meze)

some wonderful individual Cherry Cheesecakes made by the bride's sister,

Parmesan Cheese Tuiles

Mixed Nuts with Rolos and Sixlets

Drinks were inspired by a Pinterest Pin or two as well.

We had extra fresh tasting water

with Lemon and Cucumber floating in it.

(bonus: added a lil' yellow) 

We also had a fantastic, refreshing, creation

we like to call Mint Grapefruit Lemonade!

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients:

2 cans Frozen Lemonade

100% Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice

Cold Water

2 Pink Grapefruits

2 Ripe Lemons

1/4 c. Splenda (could use other sweetener)

Fresh Mint

Directions:

In a large soup pot whisk the cans of frozen lemonade

with 8 cans-worth of cold water.

Fill the can twice with grapefruit juice and add to the lemonade.

Take three of the mint leaves and mince finely.

Whisk together.

Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

Meanwhile thinly slice halves of grapefruit and freeze in a tupperware,

separating layers with wax paper.

Do the same with lemons.

When ready to serve, put whole mint leaves, 

frozen citrus and lemonade in punchbowl.

Here you can see all the decorations together.

Congratulations to the Bride and Groom!

They get married this weekend!!

I can't wait to see pictures!

Slow Cooked Teriyaki Pork Chops

I am subscribed to a few recipe blogs.
Some are friends, others are blogs I've stumbled upon.

One that I've gotten a few ideas from
is known as the 365 Crockpot Lady.
She made a pact one year
that she'd use her crockpot every day of one year.
Well, now she doesn't use it every day,
but she certainly still uses it a ton.
Her recipes are all gluten free,
as her family eats gluten free only.
But, it's very easy to adapt a gluten free recipe
into a glutenous recipe! ha!

She certainly "overuses" her slow cooker,
as sometimes she makes stuff there
that would have been easier to make on the stove
or in the oven for goodness sakes!
But there are several that are yummy =).

So I adapted her Teriyaki and Apricot Porkchops
to my own liking...
Porkchops were mega on sale
I guess it was because of Labor Day or something?
And I think it'd be even better
if I had had green onions on hand
to throw into the mix!

Without further ado,
here's my own recipe for
Slow Cooked Teriyaki Porkchops
(italics for the diabetic version)

4 or 6 Thick Juicy Boneless Pork Chops
1/4 cup thick Teriyaki Sauce
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Yellow Mustard
1 tsp Grated Fresh Ginger
1 Tbsp Chopped Garlic
2/3 cup Sugarfree Apricot Preserves
(Smuckers makes a good one)
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
(I wanted this flavor
but was afraid to put too much
cuz it might toughen the slowcooked meat!)

In a small bowl,
mix all ingredients except the pork.
Mix well,
being sure to break up the preserves.
Place pork chops in the Crockpot.
Pour 2/3 of sauce over chops,
spread over tops.
Turn each chop over,
pour remaining sauce over tops.
Again, I think I would like to add green onions next time as well.

Cook, on LOW for 6-8 hours.
Enjoy with Asian inspired stirfry veggies
and brown rice (or white for those of you non carb counters!).
(if you were in more of a hurry,
the Crock Pot lady says you could
cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours)

** Bonus **
It really makes your house smell awesome!

Diabetic Cheesecake

So when it comes to being diabetic
there are a few things I just WISH for
but know that I can't indulge,
due to Little Man Hickle
and his growin' lil' body inside me.

There are days where this is not a difficult choice at all.
Still, at times, I crave something
and feel I need to satisfy the sweet tooth somehow!

When counting carbs (as diabetics do),
I think the biggest thing that surprises people
is that fruit is a BIG TIME carb!
One slice of melon is equivalent to 1/3 cup of pasta!
One small tangerine equals 1 cup of oatmeal!
Two tablespoons of raisins is the same as 3 cups of popcorn!
And apples and bananas are strictly forbidden,
as they have so much sugar and starch in them!

But there are a few fruits that are better...
Blueberries have quite a bit of fiber in them,
and therefore I can eat more of them for a serving of carbs!


So I decided to come up with a "dessert" that I could make
using splenda, limited carbs, and blueberries!

I was sitting in one of my doc's waiting rooms,
and picked up an old magazine (circa January I think)
and so I didin't feel as guilty
when I saw this ad for Philadelphia Cream Cheese
that showed a cheesecake recipe that I thought I could adapt...
so I tore it out of the magazine...eek! Don't tell!

And I came up with this scrumptious treat
that I can eat, and it doesn't affect my blood sugar AT ALL!
I mean AT ALL!

So I'm gonna include the diabetic recipe here,
but I'll add the regular ingredients as well.
Diabetic will be in normal font, and regular in italics.

Diabetic Vanilla Mouse Cheesecake
adapted from spreadphilly.com's Philadelphia Vanillla Mouse Cheesecake

If making it regular, you'll make a wafer crust.
40 vanilla wafers, crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted.
Mix wafer crumbs and butter; press onto bottom
of 9-inch springform pan.

If diabetic, skip the above *smile*

Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease 12 cupcake tin cups
(or use cupcake liners)

Beat 1 and half pkg cream cheese
3/8 c. granulated Splenda (1/4 + a bit)
1/2 Tbsp vanilla with mixer until well blended.
Add 1 egg
Mix on low speed just until blended.
Fill cupcake cups NO MORE THAN HALF.
For regular cheesecake,
double cream cheese, use 3/4 c. sugar, and 3 eggs.
Pour over crust.

Bake for 17-20 minutes
or until barely brown on the top,
and mostly set in the middle.
They will "fall" a little in the middle,
which I thought was a perfect little "cup"
for spooning the blueberry mix when they've cooled.
For regular cheesecake
Bake 50-55 minutes,
run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake
and cool completely in pan.

In sauce pan,
1/4 c. blueberries (reserve another 1/4 c. on the side)
1/4 c. "Splenda" juice (they sell it in the juice aisle,
but it doesn't have any real fruit in it-- it's glorified KoolAid)
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Tbsp Splenda, granulated
Stir and let it warm up.
Smash blueberries using a potato masher.
Then in separate bowl stirl 1 and half Tbsp cornstarch
with 2 Tbsp more Splenda Juice and add to the sauce pan.
When thick, add other 1/4 c. blueberries, reserving 12 berries for topping.
(I think I would like to add some Lemon Juice and Zest next time, Mmm!)
Let cook until thick. Cool in pan.

The regular cheesecake recipe doesn't call for blueberries,
but you could always adapt the above to include regular sugar and juice...

Beat remaining 1/2 pkg cream cheese,
3 Tbsp Splenda (granulated)
1 tsp Vanilla with mixer.
Whisk in 1/2 c. whipped topping (sugar free)
(Again, I think I'd like to add a little Lemon Zest here!)
Put it into a piping bag.
Remove cupcakes from tin, place in coverable dish.
Spoon blueberry topping onto cooled cupcakes.
Pipe whipped topping over each cupcake.
Top with a blueberry and a litlte more Zest for fun.
Refrigerate, covered, for at least 4 hours.

For regular cheesecake,
Beat 1 pkg cream cheese,
1/4 c. Sugar
1 tsp vanilla with mixer.
Whisk in 1 c. (8 oz) whipped topping.
Spread over cooled cheesecake,
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Remove rim of pan before serving.
Garnish with berries if desired.

Enjoy!
For regular cheesecake,
Enjoy!

This was relatively cheap,
SO yummy
and practically no carbs...

Now if only I could get Greg to enjoy creamy things...

While at Philly's website
I also found an option to include peanut butter in the cheesecake.
Maybe I'll try this next time,
following most of this recipe's diabetic guidelines...
I'll let ya know how it turns out!

Salsita

We had an incredible time in Wisconsin,
visiting the Gowanitos
and just being fam together.
One of our first days there
we got to take a lil' trip into Milwaukee
and watch the Brewer's Game
just us adults! What a gift!
Thanks to Sally and Daisy's Auntie Jane for babysittin'!

The girls bonded so quickly
and spent so much time hanging out together!
Laura and I would sit back and try to picture the future
where they'll enjoy each other's company
and hang out, maybe paint each other's nails.

And we got to ride around in the Gowanitos' new van!
We had to squeeze one adult in the back seat...
three car seats didn't quite fit right.
(Look at those cute expressions on the lil' girlies!)

Look at these three Gowan Grandchildren
enjoying the "heated" outdoors!

We spent a lot of time cooling off from the heat!
It was warm, but it was SO humid,
that it truly felt hot!

Taylor got more and more brave
when it came to the water!
She doesn't love the floating sensation
but she sure enjoys splashing
and when she can touch her feet to the bottom
she's in seventh heaven =)

We also spent some time IN Lake Geneva!
Literally in it =).
It's amazing to think
the next time we're all together
there will be TWO MORE of us!
The adults will be outnumbered!

And we got to go out on Laura's bro's boat!

Taylor was SO excited when she spotted the boat!
Can you tell she's applauding?

One of my favorite things about being in their home for a week
was getting to see a lil' of how life functions for them
and therefore "know" them a lil better!
Plus, Taylor got to spend time with Daisy and Sally,
where she just focused on "copying" everything they did =).

And on that note,
I'd like to post that I'm "copying" something LAURA did =).
When we got there
she had a gallon bucket in the fridge
full of homemade salsa,
(recipe courtesy of her friend "Kotter" I think...)
and we devoured over half of it
before the week was over.
I snuck a peek at the recipe
and couldn't believe how simple it seemed!
So, based on availability at our grocery store,
and my memory of her recipe,
and a few things that sounded good,
I have made us a huge batch of salsa!
YUM!

I wanted to post the recipe here
in case you'd like to give 'er a try,
but also so that I can find the recipe later,
when I wanna try to recreate =).

"Fresh" Homemade Refrigerated Salsa
1 can Rotel Tomatoes (I found lime juice/cilantro cans!)
1 can diced stewed tomatoes, no salt added
1 can Mexican Recipe S&W Stewed Tomatoes
1/4 c. cheapest med. salsa in the store (to add some heat)
1 onion chopped (big or small chunks- to your liking)
pinch of sugar (or Splenda in my case)
sprig or two of chopped cilantro

I blended the S&W tomatoes, cuz they were halved,
but I left the diced Rotel and stewed tomatoes,
so as to have some "chunk" to put on the chips.
You totally don't have to add the med. salsa, if you prefer less heat.
Anyway, super delish,
and so fresh tasting,
despite the fact that it almost all came from cans =).
Laura also says you can throw in a mango or pineapple
if you wanted to go for a sweet fruit salsa!
Thanks for letting me "copy cat" you, Laurita!

And thanks for the amazingly wonderful connecting time!
All five of you Gowanitos blessed us...
even the lil' Gow in utero!

Can't wait to find out if Little Man Hickle
will have a boy cousin, or 'nother girl cousin...
Either way, we're excited to be due 'round the same time as you!
Love you five Gowanitos!

Italian Roast Beef Sandwiches

I've decided to take a lil' break from the
Christmas Postings
and throw in a post
about our dinner tonight.

This is a recipe I got from my mama
who got it from Aunt Carol Snell
down in Quito, now in Texas,
and I adapted it a little to turn up the flavor.
It was quite easy,
and the tri-tip roasts were MEGA on sale,
so I only paid $1.99 a pound for an almost three pounder
and it will serve us for at least three meals
(just to let you know-
I cut off about a pound of fat...
so you don't think we're each eating
1/2 a pound at each meal! haha!)

I served the shredded roast
on garlic toast rolls from a local, Mexican-run Panaderia
and almost felt like I was in Ecuador.
Almost.

To make the Garlic Toast:
Slice french rolls almost all the way in half.
Butter both sides.
Sprinkle generously with Garlic Powder.
Sprinkle with Dried Oregano.
Broil, open faced, until browned to your likeness.

I highly recommend, even if you use other bread,
that you toast the bread, because the meat is so juicy
that it soaks into fresh bread too quickly.

The Roast:
Trim any excess fat from the roast
(again- I used Tri-Tip, but any beef roast should work)

In small mixing bowl:
2 tsp Garlic Salt
2 tsp freeze-dried Basil (regular dried would work)
1 tsp freeze-dried Garlic (fresh minced would work)
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp white sugar
Fresh Ground Pepper

Mix together with fingers.
Take pinches of herb/spice mixture,
and rub into all sides of the meat.
I had some very thick areas of meat,
so I made a few cuts into the meat,
and rubbed the mixture down into the cracks.

In Crock Pot:
1/2 Yellow Onion, sliced thinly
1 Green Pepper, sliced thinly (I used yellow/red/green mixture)
2/3 cup Red Wine

Set rubbed roast into crockpot on top of veggies.
Cook on HIGH for 5-6 hours.
Shred using a fork and tongs.
Serve on garlic toasted rolls
or with potatoes.

Another serving idea would be to melt
a slice of Provolone on top!!

Mmm!
Enjoy!

You-Cah

Yesterday,
I was in our corner store
where they sell so many fruits and veggies
for a much better price than the "real" grocery store,
and while I shopped I chatted with my mama
(the magic jack is FANTASTIC and allows me to talk to her
for FREE from my cell phone!)
and while we swapped stories about the weather
I glanced at the spices and teas
while Greg went to grab the veggies we needed
and my eyes darted over to a frozen cooler
with odd looking frozen veggies
and I saw that they had frozen yucca!!
(Bobby Flay from food network
pronounces this wonderful latin american root veggie
as the 'yuck-uh' plant,
but that just sounds yucky and makes me grit my teeth,
so please read that as frozen you-cah, okay? *smile*

So I bought a bag, got good tips from my mom on how to best prepare the yucca, and brought it home to defrost. Today I plopped the thawed clumps of yucca into VERY salty water, and boiled them for 15 minutes.

Then I filled the skillet with lots of canola oil, heated it, and cut the slightly boiled yucca into slices (about the size of home fries). I did 3 minutes on each side, and then pulled them out, blotted off the oil, salted them with Sea Salt (definitely a new favorite for me!) and then served them up.

They turned a beautiful golden brown, and they tasted incredibley wonderfully salty and crunchy.

If you haven't tried this before, you'll just have to come visit us here, and I'll buy some more frozen yucca, and fry it up for ya!

It's like a tastier, crispier, flakier french fry.

There's proof you need to come visit us *wink*!

Chili Cook Off

Today we are going to our church's
First Chili Cook Off
to kick off the Rally Week
before next week's Rally Sunday

Rally Sunday traditionally signifies
the pastor gives the church a challenge
to "jump on board" the church's vision
and commit to the next year...
It's usually an exciting series,
and also a good one to invite others to.

Anyway,
We are bringing Chicken Chili
to today's Chili Cook Off
(accompanied by a Swing Band!! fun!)
So I thought I'd put up the recipe
and tonight I'll let you know
how it was received by people
ha!


Hickle Chicken Chili
adapted from a recipe from Lori Meehan

Cook 1.5 pounds Chicken
Place raw (or still frozen) Chicken breasts or tenders
in crockpot on High. Add:
1 Bay Leaf
6 Black Peppercorns
1 tsp Celery Seed
1/2 Yellow Onion, in chunks
1 Clove Garlic, in chunks
Cover Chicken in water, and put in High until fully cooked.
Remove Chicken, shred and set aside.
Discard liquid.

In Saute Pan with 1 Tbsp Oil:
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, mashed
Saute until transluscent and beginning to brown on edges.

In Saute Pan Add:
1 can "Mexican Style" stewed tomatoes
2 cans "regular style" stewed tomatoes
2 cans Black beans (do not drain)
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup your favorite salsa
(this is how you control whether it's hot, med or mild)

Cook nice and slow:
Pour entire mixture into preheated crockpot.
Add shredded chicken. Stir. Add:
3 Adobo (dried) chili pods, whole
(Leave peppers floating in chili)
Cook for 2-3 hours on high.
When ready to serve, remove and discard adobo peppers.

Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream.
Enjoy!

So I'll let you know what people think
of the Chicken Chili
after today's cook off.
I'm excited to go hang out with church people =)

Have a happy Sunday!

Herb Slow Cooked Chops with Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

I don't have a picture
of this wonderful creation
but I just have to share with you
how wonderful this recipe turned out!

I made it up.
I just didn't feel like
having the same ole' same ole'
flavored pork chops for dinner.

And as I was smelling them cooking
and envisioning what I would serve with them,
a friend called,
who rarely makes the initiation to hang out,
and asked if we would like to drive down
to have dinner with him...
so we accepted.
Poor, sad, lonely chops...
would go into the fridge that night,
and wait for their debut today!

Herb Slow Cooked Chops
with Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

in a frying pan:
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried rosemary
(I'm sure fresh herbs
would be even MORE WONDERFUL
but I didn't have any on hand...)

Cook until onions are transluscent,
and beginning to brown on the edges.

Lay six thick, juicy pork loin chops
over top the onions.
Generously salt and pepper the top of the chops.
Sear until browned on that side.
Flip, salt and pepper, and sear until browned.
(chops will NOT be fully cooked,
just browned on each side)
Transfer chops to preheated slow cooker.

Into pan with onion remnants add:
1 c. white wine
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 c. milk
1/2 package mushroom soup mix

Simmer until thickened a bit.

Pour sauce over the chops in the slow cooker.
Cook, on low, 4-6 hours.

About 15 minutes before ready to serve,
pour 1/4 c Balsamic Vinegar
into small sauce pan.
Simmer over low fire until beginning to thicken.
Stir occasionally.

To serve:
Place pork chop on plate
(we served ours on creamy pasta- delish)
and drizzle balsamic vinegar reduction over top.

Mmm...
can't even tell you how excited I am for lunch tomorrow
cuz this meal was just so good, good, good!

Easy Peasy Chicken Enchies

This afternoon as I drove home
I knew dinner was going to have to be somethin' quick
as it was already near 4:30,
I was already beginning to feel hunger,
and I had prepped nothing early,
so whatever we ate would begin
either frozen,
canned,
or dried.
Spaghetti? with frozen meatballs?
chicken tacos? from frozen chx breast?

Then I decided I would go with
Chicken Enchiladas
even though I didn't have any Enchilada sauce
so I would have to improvise my own.

I did,
and decided the frozen chx might take too long,
so I asked Greg if he were willing to
"go on an adventure"
with me, and try canned chicken.
(I keep it in the cupboard
to use for quick bbq chix sandwiches
with homemade bbq sauce-
so easy... you just have to have time
to pick up some good rolls or buns.)

Thing was,
the corn tortillas we had on hand
turned out to be a little too old,
so they wouldn't fold around,
and broke apart,
so we decided
(Greg was helping assemble)
that we would make it a casserole.

So here's the creation,
and it's not gourmet to say the least,
but certainly
CHEAP,
FAST,
and quite
YUMMY.


Easy Peasy Chicken Enchies

2 Lg Cans Chicken, drained
1 Can Stewed Diced Tomatoes (I like the ones with garlic)
1 Can Cream of Chx Soup
1 sm Can Green Chiles
2 tsp chile powder
1/4 chopped onion
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
3 shots tobasco sauce
18 corn tortillas, uncooked
several cups of shredded cheese (we used Mexican blend)
several sliced black olives

Put tomatoes, soup, chiles, and spices in sauce pan.
Stir, and simmer for five minutes.
Pull out 1/3 of the mixture,
to use for later.
Add canned chicken to sauce pot.
Simmer for five more minutes.
Spoon 1/4 c sauce (no chx) mixture onto bottom of 9x13 pan.
Lay 6 tortillas over sauce, overlapping a little bit.
(sort of like lasagna noodles)

Spoon half chicken mixture over tortillas.
Sprinkle cheese generously.
Sprinkle half of sliced olives.
Repeat tortillas, all remaining chicken mixture, cheese.
Repeat tortillas, sauce (no chx), lots of cheese, and remaining olives.

Cover in tinfoil.
Bake @ 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Remove tinfoil.
Bake @ 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven,
and let rest for 3 minutes.
Slice and serve with sour cream.
(makes 8 generous servings)

Green and Ham

When Kathy was here
I think she "re-wet" my appetite
for cookin' in the kitchen!

So this week I've had fun
makin' real-ish meals!

Tonight I took some of what was left in the fridge
and found a yummy combination
so I thought I'd share.

In some ways,
the whole idea reminded me of Bon Pan
and all the different types of things
they put in their empanadas
and on their "pizza" bread.
Man, I could really go for a
pizza square,
an empanada de carne,
an empanada de queso dulce,
and an empanada de queso de sal
from Bon Pan.
Nothing beats it!
I would also love some Rosas de Agua
and Pan Empanado.
Any Quito mouths salivating yet?

But...
I don't have a Bon Pan down the street,
so I'll have to stick with stuff like this.
Just beware...
It's definitely NOT gourmet,
in fact it is more like a "quick fix"
but it was pretty yummy
and definitely fast!

'Green Ham' Sandwiches
from the brain of Katrina Hickle

* ham steak, diced into cubes
* American Cheese slices
* crescent tube (I used an off brand)
* finely FINELY finely chopped green onion
(to the point that they looked almost like chives)

Line cookie sheet with tinfoil.
Grease it, cuz the melted cheese will stick.
Fill one triangle at a time with
small piece of cheese, ham, onions, then small piece of cheese.
Roll like a regular crescent,
Bake in 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.

They turned out a lot like a HOT POCKET
but with extra Umph, cuz they had the onions.

Also- I had some green onion left over,
so I made two crescents with JUST green onion,
and OMG I would TOTALLY serve those with a turkey dinner!
(Although my hubby would probably kill me
cuz he doesn't like it when I complicate something
when it was already good as it was...)

Anyway, try them for a QUICK and pretty CHEAP lunch.
I can imagine SEVERAL different variations I could do.
Maybe meatball with marinara,
shredded leftover chicken with black pepper and cheddar,
or pulled bbq pork or chicken.
Mmm!
Why have I never done this before?

Here's a shot of the process:

And here's the final product!
Yum!!

Savory Chicken Squares and Warm Potato Toss

I've come to really enjoy
what food has to offer:

both to my taste buds
and my presence with company!

I love encountering new recipes
especially easy/quick/cheap/tastey ones
and it's a joy to add new flavor profiles to my repertoire.

Kathy is here,
as you've seen in the last few posts,
and she brought with her many yummy recipes
for us to try this week.
She even hand wrote them on recipe cards for us!
Too sweet!
Or should I say "too savory"?
haha

This our rendition of two of her recipes.


SAVORY CHICKEN SQUARES
lightly adapted from Montana Rural Electric Magazine
via Aunt Barb Prichard

2 cups cooked, cubed chicken (about two chicken breasts)
6 oz cream cheese, room temp.
3 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp chopped green onion (whites and greens)
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 "tubes" refrigerated crescent rolls

Mix all ingredients except rolls together. On wax paper, pinch 2 triangle "rolls" together to form a rectangle. Place large spoonful (about 1/8 of the mixture) of chicken mixture into center. Bring four corners together over center, and twist. Sides of roll will not completely come together. That's okay, chicken mixture is not going to run out.

Bake on greased cookie sheet @ 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown.
Makes 8 Chicken Squares.

WARM POTATO TOSS
originally from Southern Living Magazine
called "Spring Potato Toss"
but very adapted, so I changed the name

This recipe is originally made with pesto sauce, but being that I do not enjoy pine nuts all that much, and my hubby doesn't enjoy parmesan that much, and I don't have any pesto sauce on hand anyway, we decided to adapt the recipe to fit our tastes, and our available ingredients.

1 lb baby red potatoes, quartered
1 & 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen petite onions (pearl onions)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Italian salad dressing
3 strips bacon, crumbled

Bake quartered potatoes on a baking sheet, in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until tender to a fork. Put cooked potatoes in a bowl, and generously cover with Italian dressing. Fold together, careful not to mash potatoes. Add remaining ingredients, and toss. Serve warm or chilled. (If you do pesto, it calls for lemon or lime juice to bring out the flavor, and no pearl onions.)

We had it warm, alongside the Chicken Squares. Fantastic!

Today is my dad's birthday.
Happy Day Dad!
Love you!