Chicken Balls

2 (8 oz.) refrigerated cresent rolls dough
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1/2 tsp. chives
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1-2 chicken breasts cooked and diced
1 box of Stove Top stuffing
1/2 cube melted butter
15 oz. can cream of chicken soup


Combine cream cheese, chicken, chives, pepper, garlic powder, and italian seasoning. Roll 1- 1/2 Tbsp. of chicken mixture in each cresent roll and shape into a ball. Dip each chicken ball in butter then roll in Stove Top stuffing. Place chicken balls on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. In the meantime, make cream of chicken soup according to directions on the can. When ready to serve, drizzle soup over chicken balls.
My four year old son LOVED this recipe! It was super fast an easy to make! We served the chicken balls with mahed potatoes and corn!
Makes 16 chicken balls

Peachy Pork Medallions

This isn't really a fun presentation type food, but it really pleased my two-year old this week. She gobbled it up and kept asking for more. That is a rare thing. Plus it is from Parenting magazine, so I think it counts as a kid food, right?! Oh, and it is super fast to make, so that's gotta be a mommy-pleaser!


1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 8 slices, flattened to 1/4 inch thick
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
8 slices (1/2 inch thick) precooked polenta
2 tsp olive oil
2 2/3 cups sliced peaches
1/4 cup reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
6 Tbs seedless raspberry all-fruit spread
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp ground ginger

1. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and set on medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper, and sauté 2 minutes on each side; remove from pan and cover with foil to keep warm.

2. Brush polenta slices with oil. Cook in skillet on medium-high heat, 3 to 4 minutes per side or until lightly browned. Remove and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and cook peach slices, stirring frequently, until barely tender.

3. Add broth to peaches and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly. Add preserves, vinegar, and ginger. Stir until preserves melt.

4. Serve pork, drizzled with sauce, with peaches and polenta.

Edible Crayons

I randomly came across this today- good timing! Made from pretzel rods and chocolate... can't go wrong with that combination, right? Click here for the labels. Also click that link for pictures of the process.

Ingredients:
*Pretzel Rods
*Candy Melts (or white chocolate bark/chocolate chips with a little of your favorite food coloring added)
*Paper Labels (Print on colored paper of your choice)

Instructions:
-Break or cut pretzel rods in half.
-Melt candy melts or chocoalte chips in microwave on medium heat for 1 minute. Stir and continue cooking at 15 second intervals until melted. Stir well. Add a few drops food coloring if desired.
-Dip ends of pretzels in melted candy.
-Place on wax paper or aluminum foil to dry.
-When dry, wrap with crayon label and secure with tape. We put some in inexpensive pencil boxes for back to school gifts!

Notes: To color melted white chocolate chips or chocolate bark, oil-based candy food coloring is best. If you have regular food coloring, just make sure the chocolate isn't too hot (just warm) when you add it or it might make it clumpy.

Macaroni Grill Bread

1 Tbs. Dry Yeast
1 Tbs. Sugar
1 c. warm water (105 - 115 degrees)
2 1/2 c. white flour
1 t. salt
2 Tbs. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tbs. canola oil, peanut oil or olive oil
nonstick cooking spray
2 T. butter

Place yeast, sugar and water in large bowl and allow mixture to become bubbly. Mix in 2 cups of flour and the salt. Add one tablespoon of the fresh chopped rosemary. Knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add flour if necessary.

Put dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled.

Punch down dough and divide in half. Let dough rest about 5 – 10 minutes. Spray baking pan with cooking spray. Shape the dough into 2 small rounded oval loaves. Melt margarine or butter. Brush over the top of the loaves. Sprinkle remaining 1 Tablespoon of rosemary over the loaves and press lightly into the surface. Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly sprinkle course salt over the loaves. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until lightly browned.

I received this recipe from my dear friend, Tiffany (with whom I've eaten many, many loaves of MG bread), but it is originally from Recipe Circus.

Of course this bread is incredible on its own, but I also like to use it to make Italian-herbed chicken avocado sandwiches. A-mazing!

Instead of making two loaves, make four, as shown below.

Then slice two raw chicken breasts depth wise, to make four flat chicken breasts. A bread knife works well for this. Place them in a deep plate filled with milk.

In another deep plate, make a breading by mixing flour, grated Parmesan (you can use fresh and the Kraft powder stuff--it's best with both, but if I don't have fresh, I'll just use the powder), thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and pretty much any other Italian seasoning you like. Sorry I don't have measurements; I just put a bunch of everything in, but more of what I like best (basil, thyme, and garlic).

Heat a frying pan on low with some olive oil. Dip, and thoroughly coat, chicken breasts with breading mixture. Place in frying pan in heated oil. Cook on both sides, only once each side, for a few minutes until done all the way through.

Place on bread with mayonnaise, lettuce, avocado, and anything else you like on your chicken sandwich. Enjoy!

Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken

Honey Mustard Marinade
1/2 c. Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
1/2 c. honey
1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Combine ingredients in a bowl. Whip with electric mixer for about 30 seconds.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Pour about 2/3 of marinade over chicken. Marinate, covered in refrigerator for about 2 hours. Chill the remaining marinade until later.

Topping
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 c. sliced mushrooms (10 to 12 mushrooms)
2 Tbs. butter
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
8 slices bacon, cooked
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 375. Heat large frying pan over medium heat. Sear chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until olden brown. Place chicken in baking dish.

Saute sliced mushrooms in butter. Brush seared chicken with reserved honey mustard marinade (save a little extra to serve on the side of the dish). Season chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika. Stack two pieces of bacon, sauteed mushrooms, 1/4 c. Monterey Jack cheese, and 1/4 c. Cheddar cheese on each chicken breast.
Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until cheese is thoroughly melted and starting to bubble. Sprinkle with parsley before serving. Serve extra honey mustard marinade on the side.

Compliments of A Treasury of Top Secret Recipes.

The Cheesecake Factory Key Lime Cheesecake

Crust
1 3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
5 Tbs. butter, melted
1 Tbs. sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Combine ingredients, stir to coat all crumbs with butter. Press crumbs onto the bottom and about half way up the sides of an 8-inch springform pan. Bake for 5 minutes, then set aside.

Filling
3 - 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 5 limes)
3 eggs
Whipped cream

Combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Add lime juice and eggs; beat until smooth and creamy. Pour filling into pan. Bake 60 to 70 minutes. If the top of the cheesecake is turning light brown, it's done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it in the refrigerator. When the cheesecake has chilled, remove the pan sides and cut. Serve with whipped cream on top.

Compliments of A Treasury of Top Secret Recipes.

California Pizza Kitchen Chicken Club Pizza

My favorite pizza at California Pizza Kitchen* is the Chicken Club. And the Thai Peanut Chicken. And the Jerk Chicken. And the Pear and Gorgonzola. And the Vegetarian with Japanese Eggplant. But for the purpose of this post, it's the Chicken Club, so here we go.

This is not actually a copy-cat recipe. It is one that I made up because I wanted this pizza but didn't want to go get it (see the footnote). So I'm sure it doesn't taste exactly like it, but it's yummy. So let's all pretend we can't tell the difference, shall we?

Your favorite pizza crust (I like this pizza with whole wheat)

garlic butter

ranch powder

1 chicken breast

2 roma tomatoes

6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

mozzerella cheese

1 head romaine lettuce

1/4 c mayo

1/4 c sour cream

2 avocados

Rub chicken breast with oil and ranch seasoning. Bake in 375 degree oven until cooked through. Dice into bite sized pieces.

Roll out pizza crust or pat into pizza pan. Precook dough according to recipe instructions. Remove from oven and slather generously with garlic butter. Top with sliced tomato, diced chicken, and crumbled bacon. Top with slices of mozzerella cheese until the entire pizza is covered. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10 - 12 minutes, or until cheese is golden.

Yes, in this picture I used cherry tomatoes. They are also good on this pizza.

Meanwhile, cut lettuce into strips and mix with mayo, sr cream, and salt and pepper to taste.

Place on top of cooked pizza. Top the entire concoction with fresh avocado slices. Season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Done and done.

*It should be noted that I absolutely HATE, with a capitol H-A-T-E, California Pizza Kitchen. I have stepped foot into one of their establishments once in my life and I will never ever go back. It was so pretentious. And I hate that. And I also hate that frequenters of the restaurant refer to it as CPK. I don't know why, but that just really really bugs me. Like all you need is a blue tooth and some CPK to be the world's biggest D-Bag. But, I love their pizza. Sue me.