Chicken Salad Pinwheels

Pin It Now!

On their own, these are terrific.  But add some of the Cajun Garlic Aioli as a dipping sauce... Certainly a "Top Five" snack.

But actually, depending on how large the project becomes, these qualify as a "Top Five" Lunch, even as a "Top Five" Appetizer.  But what they mostly are is one of the "Top Five" things that I make for my wife.  She loves these and asks for them often.

When I am lazy, I just get a tube of biscuits and make them as sliders...


When I want to make something a little fancier... I'll make them as Crescents (different tube)...

But, I like them best as these appetizers.  Very easy to make, just mix the chicken goo, spread on some pastry dough sheets (Different tube, but still a rare pre-packaged ingredient for me).  Roll them up, slice into 3/4 inch slices and bake...

Here's the recipe.  Mostly this is inspired by blog post I read on The Mystery Lover's Kitchen...

Several months ago, Riley Adams (author of the newly released PERFECT summer reading culinary mystery, Finger Lickin' Dead) posted her version of this recipe. It's a pretty simple recipe (especially if you have a weekly addiction to those rotisserie chickens that are so cheap and handy to buy). Takes about 15-20 minutes of cooking time, but only 10 minutes or less of hands on work. Like I said, it has become our "go-to" snack for drop in guests!

You can visit Riley's original blog post and her version of the recipe by clicking HERE.

After making these at least a half dozen times since I first read the recipe back in March *they are that good), I have made a few changes to make them my own. But, credit where credit is deserved, the this recipe certainly deserves a big inspired by credit to Riley and the Mystery Lover's Kitchen.

Riley's Chicken Crescent Rolls...

Ingredients
6 oz cooked, chopped chicken
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup chopped mushroom
1/2 cup Red Pepper
2 T diced green onion
1 TBS "Big Easy in a Jar" Cajun spice mix
1 pkg Pastry sheet rolls (can of 8)
2 T melted butter
3/4 cup seasoned Bread Crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine chopped chicken, chopped mushroom, green onion, red pepper, Cajun spices and softened cream cheese in a Kitchenaid Mixer (or mix by hand).

Unfold pastry sheet rolls. Add a 1/4 cup dollop of the chicken mixture to the center of each of the 8 squares. spread the chicken goo evenly and roll up. into a tube.  Slice each tube into 6 "coins"

Line them up on parchment paper or a silicon mat. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes at 375.

A Delicious "Top Five" Appetizer when served with the Cajun Garlic Aioli, But I have served these as a lunch, even dinner.

And the are in my wife's "Top Five" most asked for dishes!

******************************************************

This recipe has been added to my growing list of "52 Uses For a Rotisserie Chicken"  (Now close to 100!)...I am so confused... $5.49 for a fully cooked, fully seasoned Oven Roasted, Rotisserie Chicken. Yet shop in the raw meat department and most raw chickens are at best $8 each and usually far closer to $10. Anyone have an answer??? Me either. So, I can either rail against the machine, or learn to embrace the beauty that is the $5 chicken! In this pin are recipes I have made, and recommend. MORE than 52 (I just can't stop)..
You get the idea.  From Scratch Pizza to Chinese Take Out recipes, Lots of Soups and Chili... Appetizers to Main Courses (Still can't find a dessert, but I am looking).  More than enough ideas for that store nought bird to shine with just a little extra work

***********************PINTEREST*********************

Come and find me on Pinterest... Any of my "52 Ways to cook" Boards are worth following.  If you like this post, please take a second and "Pin" this to your own boards... Better yet, if you are part of a foodie group board please take a second and add this post to your group pins... best way to show your Love!

And BTW, if you are not yet part of a group board, drop me an email at Contact@eRecipeCards.com and request to be added to my group board... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! (be sure to include your pinterest ID when you write)  Once you are added, any pins you add will be seen by 10s of THOUSANDS of followers of the board (and growing daily).

Rules, only 2... 

1. In order to join you need to start following the group board as well as at least one of my boards.
2. And you must ONLY pin original sources, posts from food related bloggers only.  If you are a blogger, this is a great way to have thousands of potential readers see your work,  If you are a fan of bloggers, a great way to share your favorites...
   Come and be a part of ... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! on Pinterest

Cajun Garlic Aioli

Pin It Now!

This is a recent find for me.  I've certainly ordered fancy bar food served with an aioli.  It's just a fancied up mayonnaise.  It's just one of those condiments that I never really thought about.  Awhile back i saw a post from Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen where she showed her version of this very useful.. um, let's call it a dipping sauce for now.

Since I first made Bobbi's version (Click HERE), I've tweeked just a bit and added a few of my own spices, but for the most part, she deserves an inspired by credit for a new "Top Five" condiment...

1 cup Mayonnaise
Zest from one Lemon
Juice from one Lemon
1/2 TBS Dijon Mustard
4 Garlic cloves, smashed and minced
1 TBS Not Your Grandmother's Herbes de Provence (Savory spice mix)
1 tsp Big Easy in a Jar (Cajun Spice mix)

Put everything in a mini chopper, small food processor or a blender and whirl away!

It's a terrific little dipping sauce, spread (just about anything you use mayo for you can use this stuff... very useful for lots of things.  I make a cup at a time and it usually lasts about a week.

Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you about my Chicken Spread pinwheels!

Cajun Chicken Salad with lots of Farmer's market Goodies!

Pin It Now!

Lunch

For me, I usually grab a lunch on the go.  Sandwiches were invented as a meal on the go.  No accident that fast food is mostly sandwiches.  Chicken salad is terrific to have around the house.  You can make it ahead of time, usually while you multi-task another meal (or while you are baking some Sodom and Gomorrah Sesame Seed Buns).

Mine is filled with extras that add an extra crunch for texture (Pickles), snap of sour (Granny Smith Apples), pop of sweet (Grapes), the heartiness of a sweet Onion and the beauty and flavor of some fresh Cilantro.... And with a moderate amount of Big Easy In a Jar (my Cajun spice mix(feel free to use a store bought brand)), you have something special

Perfect to have around the fridge to make a quick sandwich.  But with a little imagination you can make a presentation piece out of the meal (or wrap in plastic wrap for a fun picnic meal)...

Here's my recipe...

The meat from half a rotisserie Chicken, diced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup diced sweet Onion
1/2 cup diced Sweet Gherkin Pickle
1/2 cup diced Granny Smith Apple
1/2 cup seedless Red Grapes, quartered
1/4 cup real Mayonnaise
2 tsp minced fresh Cilantro
2 tsp  Big Easy In a Jar (my Cajun spice mix(feel free to use a store bought brand))

Mix well and serve.

Certainly one of my "Top Five" lunches!

******************************************************

This recipe has been added to my growing list of "52 Uses For a Rotisserie Chicken"  (Now close to 100!)...I am so confused... $5.49 for a fully cooked, fully seasoned Oven Roasted, Rotisserie Chicken. Yet shop in the raw meat department and most raw chickens are at best $8 each and usually far closer to $10. Anyone have an answer??? Me either. So, I can either rail against the machine, or learn to embrace the beauty that is the $5 chicken! In this pin are recipes I have made, and recommend. MORE than 52 (I just can't stop)..
You get the idea.  From Scratch Pizza to Chinese Take Out recipes, Lots of Soups and Chili... Appetizers to Main Courses (Still can't find a dessert, but I am looking).  More than enough ideas for that store nought bird to shine with just a little extra work

***********************PINTEREST*********************

Come and find me on Pinterest... Any of my "52 Ways to cook" Boards are worth following.  If you like this post, please take a second and "Pin" this to your own boards... Better yet, if you are part of a foodie group board please take a second and add this post to your group pins... best way to show your Love!

And BTW, if you are not yet part of a group board, drop me an email at Contact@eRecipeCards.com and request to be added to my group board... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! (be sure to include your pinterest ID when you write)  Once you are added, any pins you add will be seen by 10s of THOUSANDS of followers of the board (and growing daily).

Rules, only 2... 

1. In order to join you need to start following the group board as well as at least one of my boards.
2. And you must ONLY pin original sources, posts from food related bloggers only.  If you are a blogger, this is a great way to have thousands of potential readers see your work,  If you are a fan of bloggers, a great way to share your favorites...
   Come and be a part of ... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! on Pinterest

Banana Nut Muffins (or Banana Bread, but I Like Muffins)

Pin It Now!

I've got a secret... two actually that make my banana bread (but I prefer muffins) better than most.

Add butter last and allow chunks (about half the size of a dime) in the batter.  This leaves the bread light and airy as the butter melts.

I also use Greek Yogurt.  Stays moist, tender and delicious with a little tang to taste.

I also have a heart shaped muffin pan, making these perfect for a Sunday morning breakfast, get up with the chickens, make these fresh, plan for them to come out of the oven in time for the CBS Sunday Morning show (the best of the weekend "news" infotainment shows).

Grab a tray, some coffee, Sunday paper, the TV show in the background and snuggle back in bed for one of my very favorite breakfasts!

Certainly one of my top five!

So, here's what I do...

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
3 large eggs
3 mashed ripe bananas (just a bit less than a packed cup and a half)
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

• Pre heat oven to 350 degrees
• In a stand mixer, add Bananas, Greek Yogurt and start the mixer.
• Add sugars, salt, baking powder, baking soda, Vanilla and eggs
• Add flour 1/2 cup at a time
• Add Walnuts if you like (I do)
• Last step, add butter in chunks.  DO NOT OVER MIX, chunks should be a little visible in the batter 
• Pour into molds.  I make mine a little thin, so I only put 2 TBS of batter in the bottom of each mold.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 185 degrees.  

Serve with coffee and the morning paper and indulge in a pad of butter if you like!

Baked Crunchy Kale Chips

Pin It Now!

It's a week before Christmas.  How many of us have a bowl of candy, a tray of cookies and "special" family dishes loaded with butter, cream and sugar?

Hey, I've got all that and more.  But I also have a bowl of these to snack on.  Crunchy, delicious and filled with flavor.  And, really tasty and delicious.  Savory tasting does not replace Grandma's sugar cookies, but having these around does help moderation.  Have a cookie, it's just once a year, but instead of the second one, snack on a few of these.

They are very easy.  All you need are...

A Batch of Kale
Olive Oil (A great time to break out some flavored Oils (Like the now famous O Olive Oils)
Sea Salt (Or try a spice mix... Cajun spices if you like heat, or my own mix of Sesame Seeds, Garlic Flakes and Sea Salt that I call Sodom and Gomorrah Salt alternative).

Kale has a thick spine that needs to be cut off.  This leaves the soft leaves.  Cut these to about silver dollar size.  Put these in a bowl, mix with Oil.  Add oil about a TBS at a time.  You do not want them too wet, but you do want them lightly coated.

Spread in a single level on parchment paper or a Silipat.

Sprinkle with the spices... Sodom and Gomorrah works PERFECT!  Garlic flavor, Sea Salt and the nuttiness of the Sesame Seeds!  But, Sea Salt works just fine as well.

Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for about 20 minutes.  Check half way and flip if they are still wet and not beginning to crisp.

Very easy, Very fast, HEALTHY and VERY DELICIOUS!

Could easily serve these as a healthy alternative appetizer, but works best to just have a bowl of these around to snack.  Especially when you could easily just grab a cookie anytime you walk through the kitchen.

But it's the delicious taste that earns this a spot in the snack category of my "Top Five" project!

Pickle Eyeballs - Church PotLuck Appetizers

Pin It Now!

 

I am thinking of starting a new series called "Gasteau was Right - Anyone can Cook".  That would probably mean more if you saw the rat cooking movie, Ratatouille.

This is probably the first thing I remember making on my own.  Nothing glorious, nothing difficult, nothing culinary, but certainly tastes great.

For now, I am working on a "Top Five" project.  This has to be included as a top five appetizer.  They are delicious.  When I do make these for a party, they are usually completely eaten.  They are addictive.

And like I said, easy.

You need...

Buddig Meat, that very thinly sliced packaged prepared meat.
(I usually use ham, but the corned beef works great with Dill Pickles)
Baby Sweet Gherkin Pickles (or like I said, Baby Dills work too)
Cream Cheese softened

And that's it... Dry a pickle, wrap in cream cheese, wrap in three layers of Buddig Meat and slice.

The chef gets to eat the end pieces as they make lousy presentations, but are just as good.

No top five appetizer list from me would be complete without these.

Here's a pictorial "How-To"...

They are really easy... easy enough for the kids to help (all but the sharp knife part).  And with the name, they will love to eat their eyeballs.

After all, Anyone Can Cook!

******************************************************

This recipe has been added to my growing list of "52 Church PotLuck Dishes"!

A list of something NEW worthy of being shown off at a neighborhood BYODish (Bring Your Own Dish) Party, a Family special occasion dinner, Any Big Holiday Gathering or of course that glorious day when you bring a dish to share with your Church family...

Ages ago, literally almost a half century ago I was listening to our pastor talking about a PotLuck Dinner. It happened to be scheduled around a church work day when we were expected to weed, polish and do general cleaning and maintenance around the church (you know, back in the day when there were no no-wax floors and church pews smelled of Old English furniture polish). I am of course paraphrasing, but as I recall the pastor said,

"A potluck, like a church requires work. At a potluck everyone is expected to contribute.. At a church no one should come empty handed and no one should leave unfed".

I will confess that in my youth I brought more store bought plastic spoons and forks than I ever brought covered dishes and crock pots of fresh made love and caring delights. But now that I have become a hobbyist cook, I occasionally am reminded of those days and people from my youth. I reminded and I do wish that I could drop a dish of some new creation on those old tables at my fondly remembered Liberty Baptist Church.  Tables covered with newspapers and loaded with God's bounty prepared with love and caring... Enjoy

***********************PINTEREST*********************

Come and find me on Pinterest... Any of my "52 Ways to cook" Boards are worth following.  If you like this post, please take a second and "Pin" this to your own boards... Better yet, if you are part of a foodie group board please take a second and add this post to your group pins... best way to show your Love!

And BTW, if you are not yet part of a group board, drop me an email at Contact@eRecipeCards.com and request to be added to my group board... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! (be sure to include your pinterest ID when you write)  Once you are added, any pins you add will be seen by 10s of THOUSANDS of followers of the board (and growing daily).

Rules, only 2... 

1. In order to join you need to start following the group board as well as at least one of my boards.
2. And you must ONLY pin original sources, posts from food related bloggers only.  If you are a blogger, this is a great way to have thousands of potential readers see your work,  If you are a fan of bloggers, a great way to share your favorites...
   Come and be a part of ... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! on Pinterest