Welcome to my Blog!


I am so glad you stopped by. A couple of months ago I saw the movie Julie & Julia, where a young woman decides to take a year and make every recipe in Julia Child's French Cookbook. I enjoyed the movie very much and became intrigued. Maybe I could do something like that, so, I got out my barely used, 13 year old, Better Homes Cookbook and started flipping through. Thus began my cooking experiment.

Cooking is something I have always hated to do, it was a chore for me, not a pleasure. I am not a professional cook, and never will be, but the movie ignited a spark in me and revealed a new discovery, cooking can be fun!

I am learning that with patience, motivation, and good recipes anyone can be a good cook. Believe me, if I can do it, so can you! I hope you will experiment along with me and let me know what you think of the recipes I share.

I will post each new recipe I try along with a picture (I can't stand cookbooks that don't include pictures!) so you can see the final product. I will also share tips that I have learned along the way. For you seasoned chefs, the tips may seem like common sense, but for those of us who are dummies in the kitchen, they are epiphanies.

Happy Cooking!

Nancy

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Savory Crescent Chicken Squares & Orange-Glazed Carrots


This was a fun and easy dinner to make. The Chicken Squares looked great and tasted wonderful. Though the carrots were naughty, they were delicious and a great way to get a picky eater to eat vegetables. It probably could have used another side like rice or potatoes, to improve the plate appeal. I will definitely make this again.

Savory Crescent Chicken Squares:

Ingredients:

1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon chopped pimientos, if desired
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3/4 cup seasoned croutons, crushed

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, mix cream cheese and 1 tablespoon softened butter; beat until smooth. Add chicken, chives, salt, pepper, milk and pimientos; mix well.

2. Separate or cut dough into 4 rectangles. If using crescent dough, firmly press perforations to seal. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto center of each rectangle. Pull 4 corners of dough to center of chicken mixture; twist firmly. Pinch edges to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush tops of sandwiches with 1 tablespoon melted butter; sprinkle with crushed croutons.

3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Servings: 4

www.pillsbury.com


Orange-Glazed Carrots

Ingredients:

16 oz. package baby carrots
1/2 cup orange juice
5 tbsp. brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp. butter
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:

Place carrots in a medium saucepan. Cover with water and boil until tender. Drain and return to saucepan. Add orange juice to saucepan; simmer until juice is nearly evaporated. Stir in remaining ingredients; heat until butter is melted and mixture is well blended.

Servings: 4-6

Gooseberry Patch: Almost Homemade

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Disclaimer:


None of the recipes posted on this site are mine, they are all taken from other sources, or given to me to try. I am not nearly creative enough or good enough in the kitchen to have come up with any of them.

I also cannot promise that any of these recipes are going to turn out good, or taste good for that matter, so you try them at your own risk.

Enjoy!!! Nancy
SmileyCentral.com