Chicken Pillows

Maybe many of you have experienced these chicken pillows, but I was new to them and loved them. A couple sidenotes:

1. I did not take the time to make 16 small pillows and just made 8 - kept 2 crescent rolls together and they were the perfect size for adults.

2. Some of you may be aware of my new gluten-free child and it's been challenging to say the least! So much more planning and time is required for our meals so when I do something like this, I will for sure let you know if I altered it for my gluten-free child.

Chicken Pillows
Ingredients:

2/3 cup crushed Mom's seasoned stuffing
2 (3 oz.) package cream cheese
4 Tbsp. softened butter
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups cooked chicken pieces
2/3 cup mushroom pieces
2 cans crescent dinner rolls
6 Tbsp. melted butter
Directions:

Combine cream cheese, softened butter, and pepper. Mix well, then add the cooked chicken and mushroom pieces. In a separate bowl, put the crushed stuffing. Roll out each section of crescent roll into a square and put 2 heaping tablespoons of chicken mixture in the center of each one. Fold over and pinch edges. Dip each one in melted butter and then roll it in the crushed stuffing. Place them on a cookie sheet and cook at 375 for 20 minutes. This is best served with a mild chicken gravy or a sauce made with cream of chicken soup and sour cream. Makes 16.

Variation: Add 1/2 cup chopped pecans to stuffing.

Gluten-free meal:
Gluten-free "cream of chicken"
3T. butter or oil
3T. flour blend (gluten-free)
1 1/4c. chicken broth (or milk if you can)
salt, pepper

Melt butter/oil in saucepan. Stir in flour and seasonings. Cook over medium heat until bubbly. Add liquid slowly, stirring with whisk to get rid of lumps. Cook until thick.

Makes 1 cup or equivalent to 1 can of condensed soup.
***It's more just like a thick chicken gravy, so for this I put a little of the chicken mixture aside and added more milk to make it gravier. Then I served it over rice and used the extra gravy over the chicken pillows and rice.***

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

We have been in a recipe hump and so I have been trying a bunch of new recipes - this is a new favorite and it freezes well too, so it's all around wonderful! Try it out! I halved the recipe, but next time I'm going to do the full recipe and freeze the extras to give away to all of our new babies families in the ward. I also substituted the ricotta for cottage cheese.

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

Submitted by Erin (Brittany's delicious recipe. :) )

44 uncooked jumbo pasta shells (That’s about one and one-half 12-oz boxes)
2 c chopped cooked chicken
2 c fresh chopped spinach
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (5oz) package shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 2/3 c.)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tb dried parsley flakes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (26oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce (any variety)

Cook shells according to package directions (be sure to stir every once in awhile so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan and tear apart); drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease 2 13x9x2inch baking dishes.
In a large bowl, combine chicken and all the rest of the ingredients except mozzarella and spaghetti sauce. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella. Spoon into shells. Spread half of spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dishes. Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.
Makes 8-10 servings.

Gingerbread Waffles

Tis the season for anything with ginger or pumpkin, right? I made these last year and plan on making them again this week. - enjoy!

Gingerbread Waffles
from Rachel Ray

Directions

3 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, eyeball it

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter, plus some to butter the iron

Syrup, whipped cream or fresh fruits for topping, to pass at table

Preheat waffle iron.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in pumpkin, milk, molasses and melted butter. Stir the wet into dry until just moist. Do not overstir the waffle batter. Brush the iron with a little melted butter and cook 4 waffles, 4 sections each. Serve with toppings of choice.