Chicken Pillows

2-3 pieces of cooked chicken breasts, diced (or 2 cans of chicken if you're in a pinch for time)
4 oz. cream cheese
salt & pepper
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
6 crescent rolls (Pillsbury Grands are best)
stuffing mix (I prefer Pepperidge Farm brand)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. milk

Combine first 3 ingredients. Add a spoonful of mixture on crescent roll. Wrap around and pinch the edges. Dip in melted butter and then roll in stuffing mix. Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes. Serve with mushroom sauce (combine soup and milk in saucepan over low heat until smooth and creamy).

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

16 oz. Farfalle pasta
1 c. heavy whipping cream
3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed OR garlic salt (I do a spoonful of crushed garlic)
1 Tbsp. pepper*
1/2 c. butter
1 lb. bacon, crumpled**
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz) Lawry’s mesquite marinade with lime juice

*Seems like a lot of pepper, but it has a wonderful flavor when everything mixes together. If you're apprehensive, do less pepper. You can always add more.
**We like to cook our bacon in the oven (400 degrees, convection). Way less messy. And it's crispy every time. Time varies, so you just have to watch it. I think it's usually around 30 minutes. Allow to cool and then crumple (I totally wear disposable gloves for this part - surprise, surprise).

[ directions ]
Crock pot chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 6 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred (I pull it apart). Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top.

Cheesecake

Crust:
2 cups graham crackers, crumbled
2 Tbsp sugar
1 stick margarine, melted

Mix and pat into bottom of spring form pan. Put in freezer.

Filling:
2 (8 0z) pkg cream cheese
1 pt sour cream
4 eggs
1 stick margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 pint heavy cream

Cream sugar and cream cheese. Add one egg at a time. Add melted butter, sour cream, flour, vanilla, and cream. Mix well. Pour onto crust. Bake for 1 hour at 350. Do not open door. Turn off oven, open door, and leave for 1 more hour.

New York Cheesecake

1 cup graham crackers, crushed
1 cup +3 Tbsp sugar, divided
3 Tbsp butter, melted
5 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream

Mix crumbs, 3 Tbsp sugar and butter. Press into 9" spring form pan. Bake at 350 for 5 min. Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time. Blend in sour cream. Bake at 350 for 65 minutes. Run knife around edge to loosen. Cool before removing. Chill 4 hours or overnight.

Lemon Bread

3 Tbsp oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 3/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

Glaze:
1 Tbsp juice
2 Tbsp sugar

Mix oil and sugar. Stir in lemon juice. Add eggs one at a time. Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add to mixture alternately with milk. Spread into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes. Brush with glaze. Bake another 5 minutes. Brush with glaze again and bake another 5 minutes. Let stand in pan 10 minutes. Turn out and serve.

Baker's One Bowl Death by Chocolate Cookies

2 pkg (16 oz) Baker's semi-sweet baking choc, divided
3/4 cup firm packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 cups chopped nuts (opt)

Preheat oven to 350. Coarsely chop 8 squares of choc, set aside. Microwave remaining 8 squares in large bowl on high 1-2 min. Stir until choc is melted and smooth. Stir in sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in flour and baking powder. Stir in rest of chocolate and nuts. Drop on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12-13 min or until cookies are puffed and feel set to the touch. Cool on cookie sheet 1 min.

makes: 1 1/2 dozen cookies

Campbell's Creamy Pesto Chicken & Bow Ties

3 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
2 Tbsp butter
1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cubed
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup pesto sauce
1/2 cup milk

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Meanwhile, heat butter in skillet. Add chicken and cook until brown, stirring often. Add soup, pesto, and milk. Bring to boil. Cook over low heat 5 min. or until done. Stir in drained pasta and heat through. Serves 4.

Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup choc. chips

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Play Dough

Mix:
1/2 cup salt
3-31/2 cups flour
1 Tbls Alum or cream of tarter

Then add and kneed:
2 cups very hot water
2 Tbls of either baby oil or cooking oil
food coloring

Mix and need to consistency of play dough. Add more flour or water as needed.

Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

2 Tbls sugar
1 cup half and half
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup salt (The bigger the granules, the better. Kosher or rock salt is best, but table salt is fine.)
Ice cubes (enough to fill each gallon size bag about half full
1 pint-size Ziploc bag
1 gallon-size Ziploc bag

1. Combine the sugar, half and half, and vanilla extract in the pint-size bag and seal it tightly.
2. Place the salt and ice in the gallon-size bag, then place the sealed smaller bag inside as well. Seal the larger bag. Now shake the bags until the mixture hardens (about 5 minutes). Feel the small bag to determine when it's done.
3. Take the smaller bag out of the larger one, add mix-ins, and eat the ice cream right out of the bag. serves: 1

Frozen English Toffee Cake

Cake:
1 box devil's food cake mix
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

Filling & Frosting:
1/2 gallon choc or vanilla ice cream, softened
1 bag (10-oz) English toffee bits
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.

2. Combine cake mix, water, oil and eggs in large bowl. Beat for 2 minutes or until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans on cooling rack for 15 minutes. Remove cakes form pans and cool cakes completely on cooling rack.

3. Line three 8-inch cake pans with plastic wrap, allowing 3 inches of plastic wrap to hang over sides. Divide ice cram equally among pans. Spread ice cream over bottoms of pans, forming smooth, even layers. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of toffee bits over ice cream in each pan. Freeze for 3 hours or until frozen solid.

4. Cut each cake layer horizontally in half. Working quickly, remove ice cream from pans. Peel off plastic and place 1 ice cream circle on each of 3 cake layers. Stack cake and ice cream on top of each other on serving platter. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost cake with whipped topping and sprinkle with remaining toffee bits. Freeze until ready to serve. Let ice cream cake stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.

Peanut Butter Rice Crispies

1 cup sugar
1 cup Karo syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter
6 cups rice crispies
12 oz choc. chips (or 6 oz butterscotch and 6 oz choc.)

Bring sugar and Karo to boil, take off heat. Add pb and let melt. Add rice crispies. Press in pan. Melt choc. chips spread on top.

Rhubarb Topping

rhubarb
water (very little) (1/2 cup)
sugar to taste (1/2 cup)
red jello for color

Bring to boil and simmer.

Frozen Yogurt

1 big container of vanilla yogurt
berries (sweetened with sugar)
skim milk

Put yogurt and berries in ice cream maker. Fill to 3/4 full with milk. Follow ice cream maker instructions.

Brother Walker's Egg Nog

3 eggs blended (very well)
2 sprinkles nutmeg
3/4 c. sugar

Blend well. Add:

2 cups milk
3 scoops vanilla ice cream
1 cup Sprite (pour to top of blender)

Blend.

S'Mores Brownies

1 pkg brownie mix
2 cups mini-marshmallows
5 graham crackers, broken into quarters
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom of 9x13 pan. Prepare and bake brownie mix as directed. Immediately upon removal from oven, sprinkle marshmallows and chocolate chips over warm brownie surface. Return to hot oven for about 2 minutes to melt. Arrange graham crackers on top and press down lightly. Cool completely. Cut and serve.

Orange Brownies

A Paula Deen Recipe.


2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 teaspoons pure orange extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter, eggs, orange extract, and orange zest and beat with a handheld electric mixer until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until light golden brown and set. Remove from oven and pierce top of entire cake with a fork.

Glaze: Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stirring until smooth. Pour glaze over cake. Cool cake and cut into squares.

Chocolate Oat Squares

1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened, divided

2 c. packed brown sugar

2 eggs

4 tsp. vanilla extract, divided

3 c. quick-cooking oats

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt, divided

1 tsp. baking soda

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

2 c. (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

1 c. chopped walnuts

In a mixing bowl, cream 1 c. butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and 2 tsp. vanilla. Combine the oats, flour, 1 teaspoon salt and baking soda in a separate bowl; stir into creamed mixture. Press 2/3 of oat mixture into a greased 9" x 13" baking stone (or pan). It's also fine in an 8" x 8" pan. You'll just have taller squares.In a saucepan combine milk, chocolate chips and remaining butter and salt. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat; stir in walnuts and remaining vanilla. Spread over the crust. Sprinkle with remaining oat mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool. Cut into squares.

Yield: 4 dozen.

GRILLED CHICKEN BRUSCHETTA

Sundried tomato salad dressing (we used Kraft brand)

8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

4 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 small pkg. fresh basil, chopped

Marinate chicken in sundried tomato dressing ahead of time. Place large sheet of heavy-duty foil over half of grill grate; preheat grill to medium heat. Grill chicken on uncovered side of grill about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, cheese, basil and dressing (as much as you desire; we did about 1/2 cup). Back to the grill - Turn chicken over; place on the foil-covered part of the grill, cooked-side up. Top evenly with tomato mixture. Close lid. Grill an additional 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Good stuff.

Rice Pilaf

2 (liquid):1 (rice) ratio

Heat a little oil in pot. Over medium heat add rice and toast. Add water, bring to boil, cover with lid and turn down to low. Leave on for 20 minutes. Last 5 minutes add chopped peppers to add color.