Peppermint Wreaths

After seeing the peppermint wreaths all over Pinterest, I decided I needed to make one.  Instead of making a wreath, I did an H.  I already had one at home from JoAnn Fabrics.  I painted the H red, after it was al dry, I hot glued the peppermints on the top.  I tried to line them up before hand to make sure they all would fit.  It's not perfect, but I'm happy with how they lined up.  After that, I hot glued ribbon to the back to hang it up.  I tied the ribbon into a bow at the top and hung the center of the bow on the hook of the wreath hanger.  

Love how it looks on the front door.  

But, it couldn't stay there because when a little sun hit it, it started to melt! 

Cheesy Chicken and Tomato Bruschetta Turnovers

I completely slacked on dinner this past week.  I hosted a cookie exchange on Sunday and was preparing for that all weekend.  Therefore, I never made a meal plan for the week or even made it to he grocery store.  At work on Tuesday, I decided to get a rotisseree chicken.  I figured I would have something at home I could put with it,  so I searched for quick and easy rotisseree recipes.  This is the one I decided on, it came from Disney Family.com. 

This recipe was very simple to make.  I decided to make my own bruschetta because it's much cheaper.  I will admit I struggled a bit with the turnover portion of the dinner.  Mine ended up looking like pockets.  But, they still turned out great.  I loved the flakiness that came from the puff pastry.  That with the cheese, bruschetta and chicken= deliciousness! 

Ingredients

• 1 package (2 sheets) puff pastry, thawed
• 2 pounds rotisserie chicken, (1 small)
• 1/2 cup tomato bruschetta, (store-bought)
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Remove meat from chicken and chop -- you need 2 cups. Save leftover chicken and carcass for other recipes.
3. Unfold puff pastry and cut each sheet into 4 even squares.
4. Beat egg and water until frothy and brush the outer edge of each square with mixture.
5. Mound in the center of each pastry square: 1/4 cup chicken, 1 tablespoon each of bruschetta, Parmesan and mozzarella.
6. Fold pastry over diagonally, making a triangle, and press the edges well to seal. Brush the top of each pastry with egg wash and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling at the edges.
7. For appetizer-sized turnovers: Cut each pastry sheet into 8 squares and top each with a tablespoon of chicken and a teaspoon each of bruschetta, Parmesan and mozzarella. Brush with egg wash and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling at the edges. Makes 16 appetizers.

Brie- Apple Pastry Bites

I'm pretty sure I've shared my love of anything and everything bite sized before.  You just cant go wrong with an appetizer or dessert that you can "one bite".  Which is exactly the reason I ripped this recipe out of the December/ January Taste of Home magazine last year.  I've been wanting to make them every since, but I never got around to it...until recently.  Last Sunday, I hosted a cookie exchange at my house. I was looking for a few appetizers to serve that weren't too heavy.  I knew these would be perfect...and they were.  I have to give my wonderful mother for making them while I was running around like a mad woman to get last minute things done for the party done.  They looked pretty easy to make...but I can't tell you for sure.  What I can tell you is that I could not stop eating them.  You'll definitely want to add these to your holiday party appetizer list. Enjoy! 

PS.  I used the Pampered Chef mini muffin pan to make this recipe =-)

• 48 Servings
• Prep: 30 min. Bake: 15 min.

301545

Ingredients

• 1 package (17.3 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 round (8 ounces) Brie cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 medium apple, chopped
• 2/3 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• Ground nutmeg

Directions

• Unfold puff pastry; cut each sheet into 24 squares. Gently press squares onto the bottoms of 48 greased miniature muffin cups.
• Combine the cheese, apple, nuts and cranberries; spoon into cups. Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Yield: 4 dozen.

Cheddar & Cracker Chicken

It's been a while since I've made chicken and sides in our house.  I've had a slight obsession with casseroles and crock pot meals lately.  They're so easy!  Anyhow, we came back from my parents house with lots of mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving.  So, I decided to make chicken and broccoli to go with. I went to Pinterest for the recipe, which I found here.  It was the perfect chicken recipe to compliment the mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Looking forward to the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  Enjoy!

Cheddar & Cracker Chicken

                                                          recipe adapted from Real Simple

16 buttery crackers (such as Ritz), crushed (about 3⁄4 cup)

6 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1-2 stalks scallions, thinly sliced

kosher salt and black pepper

4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Heat oven to 350° F. 

In a bowl, combine the crackers, cheese, garlic, scallions and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Pound the chicken to about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thickness with a meat mallet. Dip the pounded chicken in the butter, then in the cracker mixture, pressing gently to help it adhere, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle any remaining cracker mixture on the chicken and drizzle with any remaining butter. Bake until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, 20-25 minutes.

Wreath Button Frame

As soon as I came across this creation on Pinterest, which originally came from this blog, I knew I wanted to make it.  I already had an extra frame at home and ended up finding buttons in the dollar section at Target.  This pretty creation is now sitting on my kitchen counter, resting on a plate holder.  Love it! Here's how I did it...

I used a spool of ribbon to trace the center onto white paper.  

I ended up using only 2 of these containers of buttons.  

I didn't glue anything first.  I just lined it all up because I didn't want to glue it down and it not work.  I started with the largest buttons, placing them around the circle I drew.  Then, I went around the outside with medium size buttons and put the smallest ones in the inner center.  Once everything was lined up, I started hot gluing them down. 

Once they were all glued down, I flipped the paper over and secured the frame.  

Last, I made a bow and hot glued it to the top of the wreath.  I also used some extra ribbon on the corners of the frame to add a little more detail.  

Crockpot Jambalaya

Again, I've found another delicious crock pot recipe.  And again, thanks to Pinterest.  The recipe comes from Plain Chicken. I took her advice and prepared the meal the night before and threw it in the crock pot in the morning.  Very easy.  I'm glad I saved it for a cold night because it was perfect. Plus, there was a lot leftover so I enjoyed it for lunch a few times as well.  


Slow Cooker Jambalaya

approximately 5-6 servings

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pound smoked turkey sausage, sliced 
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
3 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 tsp minced garlic
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
white rice or instant rice (I used 2 packs of Uncle Ben's Ready Rice - Garlic & Butter flavor)

In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage, tomatoes with juice, onion, garlic, celery, and broth. Season with oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and thyme.  (I do this the night before and put it in the fridge.  I put it in the slow cooker before I leave in the morning.)

Cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on Low, or 3 to 4 hours on High. Mix in cooked rice cook for about 15 minutes to warm through.

Pampered Chef- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

I'm still in search of the prefect recipe for my cookie exchange this weekend.

When I made these, I was still working towards my Pampered Chef recipe goal.  I'm doing a great job of stocking up on cookies for the season.  As of now, I have 5 dozen frozen cookies, three different kinds!

  Again, any cookie recipe that is ready to bake in 10 minutes or less gets a thumbs up from me! These are delcious.  I think next time I'll use creamy peanut butter, there was something about the peanut chunks that I didn't love.  But, I still managed to eat way more than I should have!  

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2	cup crunchy-style peanut butter
3/4	cup vegetable shortening
1/2	cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2	cup granulated sugar
1	egg
1	teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4	cups all-purpose flour
1/2	teaspoon baking soda
1/4	teaspoon salt
1	package (6 ounces) chocolate morsels

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Measure peanut butter, shortening and brown sugar into Classic Batter Bowl using Measure-All® Cup. Add granulated sugar, egg and vanilla; beat until thoroughly combined.
2. In Small Batter Bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to peanut butter mixture; mix well. Stir in chocolate morsels. Using Medium Scoop, drop batter 2 inches apart onto Rectangle Stone. Bake 10-15 minutes. Let stand 2 minutes; remove cookies to Stackable Cooling Rack to cool.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Pampered Chef- Powered Sunshine Cookies

Surprised to see another Pampered Chef recipe?  

I had a goal this month to try 10 new PC recipes.  

I forgot about the goal.  

I remembered the goal this weekend. 

I've been baking for hours each night when I get home from work to meet this goal. 

 I like crossing things off my list and don't want to admit to the world that I didn't meet the goal.  

Which is why I chose this quick and easy cookie recipe.  I'm also still testing cookie recipes for my cookie exchange this weekend and freezing for the 

holiday craziness. 

These cookies- light, fluffy and tasty! 

Powdered Sunshine Kisses

Ingredients:

1	package (18-19 ounces) lemon cake mix
1	egg, lightly beaten
1/3	cup vegetable oil
2	tablespoons water
1/3	cup pecans, chopped
	Powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine cake mix, egg, oil, and water in Classic Batter Bowl; stir with Mix 'N Scraper® until thoroughly combined. Mixture will be slightly dry.
2. Chop nuts with Food Chopper. Transfer nuts to Batter Bowl using Handy Scraper; mix well. Using Small Scoop drop level scoops of dough 2 inches apart onto flat Baking Stone.
3. Bake 13 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 3 minutes on Baking Stone; remove to Stackable Cooling Rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Cool completely. Fill Flour/Sugar Shaker with powdered sugar. Sprinkle cookies with powdered sugar.

Yield: 3 dozen

Pampered Chef- Ham and Cheese Calzones

Do you have leftover ham from Thanksgiving?  I definitely had a good amount.  But there was a problem...I was out of sides! No more mashed potatoes, no more sweet potatoes, no more stuffing.  Yes, I could easily whip up some of these things, but it wouldn't be the same.  So I set out on a search for a recipe to use my leftover ham in.  By now you should know how obsessed I am with crescent roll dinners.  Which is exactly why I chose this recipe. Loved how these guys turned out.  D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S.   

Ham & Cheese Calzone

Ingredients:

2	tbsp (30 mL) mayonnaise
2	tsp (10 mL) Dijon mustard
1	cup (250 mL) fresh broccoli florets (about 2 oz/60 g)
1	8-oz (250-g) slice smoked deli ham (about ½ in./1 cm thick)
1/2	small onion
8	oz (250 g) Swiss cheese, grated, divided
1	tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil, divided
2	pkg (13.8 oz/283 g) refrigerated pizza crust
1	oz (30 g) Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Combine mayonnaise and mustard in Classic Batter Bowl; mix well with Small Mix ‘N Scraper®. With Utility Knife, cut broccoli into small florets; dice ham. Using Food Chopper, coarsely chop onion. Grate Swiss cheese withUltimate Mandoline fitted with grating blade. Combine broccoli, ham, onion and half of the Swiss cheese in batter bowl; mix well.
2. Lightly brush Large Bar Pan with 1 tsp (5 mL) of the oil using Chef's Silicone Basting Brush. Unroll one package of dough onto bottom of bar pan, gently stretching and pressing dough to cover bottom. Sprinkle with remaining Swiss cheese to within 1 in. (2.5 cm) of edges; spoon ham mixture over cheese. Unroll remaining dough directly over filling, matching edges of dough and shaping to fit as dough is unrolled. Trim 1/2 in. (1 cm) off sides of dough with Utility Knife. Press edges to seal with Mini-Tart Shaper. Brush remaining oil over dough. Using Utility Knife, make 12 slits, in three rows of four each, into top crust.
3. Bake 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, grate Parmesan cheese usingMicroplane® Adjustable Grater; sprinkle over calzone. Return calzone to oven; bake 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is deep golden brown. Slice with Pizza Cutter; serve with Mini-Serving Spatula.

Yield: 4 servings