Kid Tested Chicken Cresent Roll Casserole

Chicken Cresent Roll Casserole **this makes enough to fill one 9x13" dish and one 8x8"dish.**

2 (8 ounce) cans Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can of cheese soup, undiluted
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk

FILLING
4 ounces cream cheese (very soft)
4 tablespoons butter (very soft but not melted)
1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cans of diced cooked chicken
1/2-3/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2-4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1-2 cup grated cheddar cheese (for topping)

directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a casserole dishs (any size to hold crescent rolls). In a saucepan, mix milk, 3/4 cup grated cheese (can use more cheese if desired) and undiluted cheese soup. Heat just until the cheese melts (do not boil).

For the filling --- (make certain that the cream cheese and butter are very soft) in a bowl, mix the soft cream cheese with butter until very smooth, then add in garlic powder. Add in the chopped chicken, onion and cheddar cheese; mix well until combined. Add in 2 tablespoons mayonnaise; mix to combine (add in a little more if the mixture seems too dry). Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Unroll the crescent rolls. Place 1 heaping tablespoon chicken mixture (or a little more) on top of each crescent triangle, then roll up starting at the thicker end. Drizzle soup mixture on the bottom of the dish.Then place the crescent rolls seam-side down on top of the creamed mixture in the casserole. Sprinkle with 1 cup (or more) grated cheese, or amount desired. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Freezer Shakes

Here is my first ant- cold cereal recipe:)  My husband goes to work early in the morning and is ALWAYS in a hurry. I am not the wife that gets up and makes him breakfast (sorry babe) so here is a great idea for making sure he gets out the door with something quick and healthy!

For this post I am using a high protein spinach shake that my husband likes. You can apply this method to any shake you like to make. We have a magic bullet so this method is perfect but you can freeze your shake in quart sized freezer bags to fit your traditional blender as well.

Take the container you will be blending the shake in and put a quart sized freezer bag in it so you don't put more than it can handle.

Stuff it with sliced bananas, blueberries, sliced strawberries, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt, 1 tsp. Agave nectar, handful of fresh washed and dried baby spinach leaves.

Freezes in the shape of the cup so all you have to do in the morning is add nonfat milk and blend. No ice needed!

Bye Bye Cereal

For about a month we have stopped serving cold cereal in my home. I got fed up with my kids fighting over what kind of cereal they wanted or having a meltdown because the kind they like ran out. It has been much easier than I thought. Sure I have to get up 10-15 minutes earlier to make a hot breakfast but it's worth it. Most days we will do oatmeal with fruit or yogurt with granola but I have a few recipes to share. The next few recipes I post will feature make ahead yummy breakfast alternatives. The first one here is baked oatmeal. You can freeze these and set them out before and they will thaw by morning.


Baked Oatmeal Muffins

3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup sugar (I used no calorie sweetener instead)
1 very ripe banana, sliced
1 cup fruit of your choice or chocolate chips
5 cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup flax seed, ground
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cup 1% milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, and sugar until combined.
Add banana, and other fruit of your choice. (If using chocolate chips add them last) In another bowl, mix oats, salt, baking powder, flax seed, and cinnamon. Dump dry ingredients into wet ingredients; mix well. Pour in milk and stir until combined. Spray two 12 cup muffin tins with cooking spray or use cupcake liners. Scoop mixture evenly into muffin cups. Bake 35-40 minutes or until the center of each muffin is set. Cool and enjoy — or freeze them in gallon freezer bags.

New favorite dip

My dad told me about this recipe. I don't know where it came from but it's my new favorite dip. I have made it a few times so far and it's well worth the pomegranate work.  I am sorry for the not so great pictures. I was in a huge hurry last time I made it that I didn't take the time to make sure the lighting was good.

Pomegranate and Avacado Dip

2 pomegranates, seeds only
2 avocados,  chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 Tablespoons onion, finely diced
1/2 tsp. red cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground corriander
1 tsp. Salt
1 lemon, just juice

Mix all together in bowl. Let chill in fridge before serving. Serve with chips or Fritos scoops.

Goodbye Goodies

Well it's a new year and I am not pregnant (couldn't cook/bake much while sick) so my husbands diet is back on track. I made these delicious cupcakes to say goodbye to sweets for a while.

Inspired by these

Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper Cupcakes


Cake:
3 cups all purpose flour
6 T cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk*
1 1/2 cups Cherry Dr. Pepper
3 tsp vanilla

* you can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tsp. vinegar to milk and let sit 10 min.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with liners or spray with baking spray. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa in a bowl and set aside.

In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine sugar and butter and beat on medium-high until light and creamy. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating about 1 minute after each. In a large mixing cup or small bowl, combine buttermilk, Dr. Pepper and vanilla. (Make sure you wait for the foam to go down when measuring the soda and don't worry if your mixture looks curdled when you add the buttermilk.)

Beginning with the dry ingredient mix, add in 4 parts to the butter mixture, alternating with the soda mixture. Beat each addition just until incorporated.

Transfer the batter to the muffin tins, filling each tin about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the tops spring back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center cupcake comes out clean. Cool about 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
4 T Dr. Pepper

Mix together with a whisk in a small bowl. You are going to glaze the top of the un-iced cupcakes. Let glaze dry before icing. The mixture should run slowly off a spoon so you can drizzle the cupcakes but it won't run all over the place.

Icing:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
6 T powdered sugar
Maraschino Cherries for garnish

Beat cream in a chilled bowl with whisk attachment or hand mixer on low speed. Begin adding sugar, 1 spoonful at a time, increasing speed as the cream comes together. Whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks.  Pipe the whipped cream onto cupcakes as desired and top with maraschino cherries for garnish.

Christmas Cards

 Hope you have a Merry Christmas!

 I made these holiday card displays last year as well before I started this blog. I love to display the Christmas cards we receive and this is an easy CHEAP way to do it. Purchase a cross stitch hoop. I took mine apart so it makes two! Then using wood glue, glue on tiny clothespins to the hoop. 

Candy Wreath

I made this wreath last year. SO fun! It took about 5 pounds of gum drops but it was well worth it. I hot glued each piece of candy on a Styrofoam wreath. To make is last I sprayed it with a spray acrylic sealer. It still looks great!