Recipes

Celia's Chicken Salad

• 1 whole chicken deboned (I just used a small rotisserie chicken from the store).
• 2 stalks of celery (with leaves), chopped.
• 1 small apple, diced.
• 1-2 handfulls of grapes, sliced in half.
• 1/4-1/2 C Mayo 1/4-1/2 C plain yogurt or sour cream (I like plain Greek yogurt).
• Juice of half a lemon or about a Tablespoon of bottled.
• 1 tsp. dried basil (optional)
• 1 tsp. dried dill (optional)
• Salt and Pepper to taste.

Combine chicken, celery, apples, and grapes in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, salt and pepper and herbs if using. Pour over the chicken mixture and mix well. Adjust seasonings as needed. Dried cranberries and chopped nuts are also a great thing to throw in. When I do that, I leave out the grapes and/or celery, but you can't really mess it up.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

• 3-6 oz. jars of marinated artichoke hearts, drained & coarsely chopped

• 10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed, water squeezed out

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened (reduced-fat is fine)

• 1/3 c. grated Parmesan (I think I actually added 1/2 c.)

• 1/4 c. sour cream (light is fine)

• 1/4 c. mayonnaise (light is fine)

• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

• 1/2-1 tsp. basil, optional

Place all ingredients in a small slow cooker.  Heat on high for an hour, or low for longer, stirring as it heats up to combine the ingredients.  

Serve hot, with pita chips, crackers, or whatever you like!  Although you *can* substitute regular canned artichoke hearts, I think the marinated ones make this dip something special, so I don't recommend it. 

Chicken & Dumplings

• 1 whole Chicken
• 6 cubes of chicken bullion
• 3 tbsp salt
• 3 tbsp pepper
• 6 celery stalks cut up
• 1 onion chopped

Boil everything until chicken is done.  Remove the chicken when done.  When the chicken is cooled down remove the meat from the bone.  Chop or pull apart by hand and put chicken back in the pot.

Dumplings-Remove one cup of broth from the pot and add flour to make dough until it is not sticky.   Roll dough out and cut into desired pieces.  Bring the pot back to a boil and add dumplings.  Cook until done.  

Italian Layer Bake

• 1 (8oz.) container refrigerated crescent rolls
• 8 slices deli turkey (about 1/2 lb)
• 8 slices deli ham (about 1/2 lb)
• 12 slices deli hard salami (about 1/2 lb)
• 8 slices swiss cheese (about 1/2 lb)
• 1 (12oz.) jar roasted peppers, drained
• 4 eggs, beaten 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Unroll crescent roll dough without separating triangles.  Separate dough into 2 squares along center cut line.  Place 1 square of dough into an 8 inch square baking dish, using your fingertips, press dough to fit bottom of dish.  Layer with half the turkey, ham, salami, swiss cheese, and roasted peppers.  Pour half of beaten eggs over peppers and repeat with remaining meats, cheese, and peppers.  Place remaining square of dough over peppers.  Pour remaining beaten eggs over dough and cover lightly with foil.  Bake 20 minutes, remove foil, and bake an additional 20-22 minutes, or until golden and heated through.  Let cool 15 to 20 minutes then cut and serve. 

Sausage Pinwheels 

• 1 Roll of Breakfast Sausage
• 1 Tube Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
• 1 pkg Softened Cream Cheese 

Brown sausage and drain.  Add cream cheese to browned sausage.  Remove crescent rolls from packaging, do not separate sections.  Roll out onto cookie sheet and seal all areas with your fingers.  Spread cream cheese mixture on the dough.  Roll the dough lengthwise.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes or in freezer until firm.  Cut into thin pinwheels.  Follow the same directions to cook as on the crescent roll packaging.

Sausage and Cream Cheese Crescents 

• 1 pkg of cream cheese
• 1 1lb roll of lean sausage
• 3 rolls of crescents 

Cook sausage on the stove top until brown, drain all extra grease. Add a whole pkg of cream cheese, keep on low to medium heat and melt the cream cheese.  After it is all melted turn heat off and take one crescent from the largest piece, add a teaspoon of the mix, and roll. Continue with all 24, put on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. 

 Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Mary Beth used the KRAFT Sizzling Salads Classic Caesar Salad kit.  It comes with a dressing for the salad and a cooking sauce for the chicken.  They have several different varieties, SO EASY AND YUMMY! 
For the croutons she cubed whatever bread she  had on hand (She prefers something fresh from the bakery) 

1. Cube bread (about 1/2 a gallon ziplock full)

2.  Drizzle about 1-2 Tbs Olive Oil into bag.

3.  Add whatever spices and seasonings you like.  IShe used GarlicGarlic and OnionOnion from Tastefully Simple. Seal the bag and shake like crazy to evenly coat all bread cubes.
4.  Arrange bread in single layer on a baking sheet and bake in oven at 350, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned.

Mike's Breakfast Bake 

• 10 eggs
• 1Small box velveeta cheese
• 1 Roll breakfast sausage cooked
• 1 Roll of crescents 

Spread and connect the crescents on the bottom of a casserole dish (8x10). Pour some of the melted velveeta cheese over the crescents then layer sausage and then eggs (beaten). Then drizzle the rest of the velveeta on top. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or until the eggs are no longer runny.

Fruit & Yogurt Popsicles

• 1 cup of yogurt (I use vanilla, but you can use any flavor)
• 1 banana, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 6 strawberries, washed, halved, and sliced
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 kid-sized paper cups or plastic popsicle molds
• aluminum foil
• 4 popsicle sticks 

Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well. If you want your popsicles to have a smooth consistency, place all ingredients in a food processor.  Now pour the mixture into the cups or molds so they are 3/4 full.  If you are using cups, cover each with a piece of foil. Cut a small slit in the middle and poke the stick through.  Place them in the freezer for about 5 hours.  When they are ready to eat, remove the foil. Turn the cup upside down and run the bottom under hot water and gently wiggle the stick until you can pull the popsicle out. Enjoy!