Chicken Broccoli Braid

**This is not my recipe, it originally came from a Pampered Chef cookbook**

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped (optional)

1 garlic clove

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup mayo

2 tsp all purpose dill seasoning mix (pampered chef)

1/4 tsp salt

2 packages crescent rolls

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 Tbs slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Chop chicken and broccoli. Place in bowl. Chop pepper and add to bowl. Press garlic into bowl. Add cheese to mixture. Next add mayo, dill mix, and salt. Mix well. Unroll crescent rolls but do not separate. Arrange longest sides of dough across width of a 12x15 pan. Using dough roller seal perforations. On longest sides cut dough 1 1/2 strips apart for braiding. Put mixture from bowl into center of dough lengthwise and pull cut pieces of dough up over filling to cover in a "braided" fashion. Twist each strip one turn. Tuck ends under to seal. Coat outside of dough with brushed egg white. Sprinkle top with almonds. Bake 25-28 minutes or until deep golden brown.

**Mary's modifications: I used egg beaters egg whites instead of separated eggs, used a pizza crust/roll mix instead of crescent rolls, did not do the whole braid thing...instead more of a stromboli...it was a hit**

Chili - "6 Way"

What can I say, we watch too much TV in our house. Really. But....because of what we are watching we are also learning new ways to cook our favorite dishes. Tonight was supposed to be Chili for dinner kinda night. It was. Kind of :)



Our version of a "6 Way" - - next time, more jalapenos!!

1 - Spaghetti noodles
2 - ground beef, slow cooked in tomato sauce and chili spices
3 - red kidney beans
4 - diced onions
5 - shredded colby-jack cheese
6 - sliced jalapenos


Beeeeee-licious!!

This was adapted from a segment featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Awesome. Just, awesome!!

Cashew Chicken

1 - 1/5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs

3 Tbs soy sauce

1 teas ground ginger

1 can Golden Mushroom soup

1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms stems & pieces, drained

2 cups cashew halves & pieces

green onion, for garnish

Place chicken, soy sauce, ginger, soup, and mushrooms in crock-pot and cook on low 4-6 hours. During the last hour of cooking add cashews. Serve over rice - garnish with green onion.

YUMMM!

**We served with egg rolls, pot stickers, and steamed broccoli. Family pleasing meal!!**

Cajun Chicken Pasta (remake)

Our remake of Cajun Chicken Pasta (a favorite from Chili's). Kids cleaned their plates and Jon said mine was better than Chili's - Woohoo!!

Cajun Chicken Pasta:

Start with:

penne pasta, cooked as desired - drain and add to:

1 jar prepared Alfredo sauce + 2 TBS white cooking wine

1 lb diced grilled chicken breast

cajun seasoning (to taste)

Top with:

roma tomatoes

diced green onions

chopped parmesan cheese

**served with garlic bread and fresh salad**

Bringing in 2012

The last day of 2011, happened to also be my 38th birthday. After spending a couple of weeks in the house with the kids home for Christmas vacation, we decided to head out to our local Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Oh. My. Goodness. I love breakfast from Cracker Barrel!



While my kids enjoyed pancakes and my husband enjoyed the Southwestern Sausage and Hash - I indulged in this HUGE plate full of home fries, scrambled eggs, veggies, and cheese with a portion of spicy salsa on the side. Definitely a great way to start my 38th year!!

Strangely enough, dinner that night was the one meal we didn't plan for on our menu calendar. Whoops!! We typically stay home on New Years Eve night, and this year was no different. We opted to pick up a Bacon Caesar Salad mix, frozen Braised Beef and Tortellini meal, and Garlic Bread from the grocery store and prepared it at home.

Honestly, the pasta and beef dish was not my favorite but my husband and kids *LOVED* it. I call that a success!!


Then on Sunday I had Jon put some pork steaks in the crock-pot with a can of sauerkraut. That cooked all day and then we made black-eyed peas, greens, and cornbread to serve with our pork-n-kraut. This was a delicious meal!! And so easy to prepare!!

Here's to a new year and lots of good eating!! May your home and family and circle of friends be blessed as we approach this new year!