Ham and Cheese Puffs

I like poppable foods--things you can just pop in your mouth. These things fit the bill and are a nice change from the usual things I can eat.

Ham and Cheese Puffs
1 (2.5 ounce) package sliced fully cooked ham, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 c shredded Swiss cheese
1 egg
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls

Combine the first 4 ingredients, set aside. Divide crescent dough into 24 portions. Press into greased mini muffin cups. Spoon 1 tablespoon of ham mixture into each cup. Bake at 350 for 13-15 or until golden brown.

NOTE: I didn't have a mini muffin tin, so I used a regular one, and it was fine. Just divide the dough into 12 and not 24. :)

Stuffed Mushrooms

These are a family tradition. We started serving them as appetizers for Thanksgiving years ago, but now I try to make them a couple of other times.

Unfortunately, this is a bit of a "dab of this, spoonful of that" recipe.

Stuffed Mushrooms
1 package of cream cheese
Garlic salt
1 lb Browned sausage


Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Mix the cream cheese, browned sausage, and garlic salt to taste. Spoon into the mushrooms, overfilling. Broil for 3-5 minutes or until browned. Serve hot.

Spinach Chicken Casserole

This is a big deal. Seriously. This is MY recipe. Well, I didn't create it, but I found it and haven't had anything like it. Anyway, to spread the love, I'm putting it out there for all ya'll.

Spinach Chicken Casserole
2 1/2 c uncooked noodles
2 c cubed cooked chicken or turkey
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/8 t garlic salt
1/8 t crushed dried rosemary
dash pepper
10 oz frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 c cottage cheese
3/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 2 quart baking dish (I use Corningware).
Cook noodles. Combine cooked chicken, cream of chicken soup, garlic salt, rosemary, and pepper in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine spinach, cottage cheese, and 1/2 c mozzarella. Drain noodles and place half in the dish. Layer with half of the chicken mix and then half of the cottage cheese mix. Repeat the layers. Cover and bake for 25 min. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake another 10-15 min.

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

This is my favorite smell ever! And they don't taste too bad either. :) 

Cinnamon-Roasted Almonds
1 egg white
1 t cold water
4 cups whole almonds
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 t salt
1/2 t ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250. Lightly grease a 10x15 jellyroll pan (or a cookie sheet).
Lightly beat the egg white; add water and beat until frothy but not stiff. Add the nuts and stir until well coated. Mix the sugar, salt, and cinnamon and sprinkle over the nuts. Toss to coat and spread evenly on the prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until golden. Allow to cool and store in airtight containers.

Tilapia Parmesan

I love fish. Really. LOVE it. I grew up fishing and camping and eating fish baked on the coals of a campfire. I rule cooking fish while camping. However, stick me in a kitchen and give me a fish and I'm lost. I've been exploring a couple of different options and really liked this recipe. Plus D eats it. And he's not so much of a fan of the fishy food.

Tilapia Parmesan
1/2 c parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp celery salt
2 lb tilapia fillets

Preheat your oven's broiler. Line a pan with aluminum foil. In a small bowl, mix the herbs together. Season the fillets with the herbs. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for 2 more minutes. Cover the fillets with parmesan cheese and broil for 2 more minutes or until the cheese is brown.

NOTES
Be careful not to overcook the fish. It should flake easily with a fork.

I seriously edited the original recipe to make it IC friendly, but it turned out quite well. Don't be afraid to try a recipe just because it has some problem ingredients. Cut those ingredients out or sub in something else, the worst that could happen is it's bland, it's probably not going to be disgusting. :)

Pork Chops and Gravy

I have a confession to make. I can't make pork chops. Well, I can, but they are usually tough or dry or nasty or . . .
Anyway, I'm constantly trying new recipes and rather liked this one. It wasn't as juicy as those Hormel-cut-your-chop-with-a-fork commercials that continue to mock my failure, but it was good. And it's one pan for the chops and the gravy. Win win!!

Pork Chops and Gravy
6 Pork Chops
1 large onion, sliced (or dried onion flakes, as I usually use)
2 c beef broth
2 Tbsp flour
1 c sour cream
Sage, rosemary, etc

Rub chops with seasoning. Brown chops in a large skillet with onion. Pour broth over chops. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove chops. Add some cold milk to flour and stir until smooth. Pour into broth mixture and stir until thickened. When broth is thickened, add sour cream. Stir until smooth. Serve chops with gravy.

Baked Potato Soup

No I have not given up on this project. Fooled you though eh?

So this recipe is a great soup that I first did when D's parents visited us back in April. Soup is hard for me because most soups have tomatoes in them, and those that don't taste like water. Thus, the plethora of creamy soups ("Would you say I have a plethora of pinatas?") on the blog. 

Baked Potato Soup

4 large potatoes

1/2 c butter

1/2 c flour

2 c chicken broth

4 c milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

4 green onions, chopped

12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 1/4 c cheddar cheese, shredded

Bake potatoes in 400˚ oven for 1 hour or until tender. Let cool, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out pulp, set aside. Discard skins. Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour, stirring til smooth. Cook one minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add broth and milk, cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, green onions, bacon, and cheese. Cook until heated. 

NOTES:

To cut down time, I often just cube the potatoes and boil them, then lightly mash them (lightly--you don't want mush that you can't even tell is potatoes, not that I know that from experience . . .)