Chicken Salad Sandwich

i really like that this recipe calls for both mayo and mircale whip, they both bring different flavors and they meld together nicely.

6-8 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 cup chopped celery
2 tsp chopped onion
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup miracle whip
2 tbsp chicken stock
1 tsp salt

can add:
toasted silvered almonds
sliced purple grapes
dill
seasoning salt

serves approx 40 medium croissants

*a note. i always add grapes, sometimes the almonds if i am feeling like dressing it up a bit. not a fan of dill so i always omit that. this makes a large quantity, can be halved, or make the whole batch and it keeps well in the fridge for quite a few days!

Sticky Pull Apart Buns

these are a favorite for when company comes and we also make them for birthdays at our house. they are super easy to whip up at night and in the morning, they make your kitchen smell so great!

18 Rhodes frozen rolls
2/3 cup brown sugar
1-2 tsp cinnamon (depends on how cinnamony you like them)
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1/2 cup butter, cut into small slices
1 small pkg cook and serve butterscotch pudding
1/4 cup light corn syrup

lightly grease a bundt pan, place the frozen rolls around the bottom. sprinkle and pour all ingredients in order. put clean, DAMP dish towel over pan, leave on counter over night. in the morning, remove towel and bake in at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

*a note. once you have removed from oven, let cool for 10 minutes before flipping the contents of the bundt pan onto a plate. this is two-fold. #1) it allows the ooey gooey hot liquid on the bottom of the pan to be absorbed by the buns, and #2) i have burned myself more times than i care to tell, the liquid shot out while i was flipping. so a word to the wise, let it cool!!

Chocolate Toffee Pie

thank you paula deen again!

makes 1 (9 in) deep-dish pie

1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp butter, melted
1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 (5.9 oz) box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 (16oz) container cool whip
6 (1.4oz) milk chocolate covered toffee bars, crushed and divided (i used about 1/2 a bag of toffee bits from the baking aisle)

-preheat oven to 350
-in a medium bowl, combine cracker crumbs and sugar. add butter, stirring to combine. press mixture evenly into bottom and up sides of a 9 inch deep-dish pie plate. bake for 8 minutes, set aside to cool.
-in a medium bowl, beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. gradually beat in powdered sugar until smooth.
-in a separate bowl, whisk together pudding mix and milk until smooth. let stand 2 minutes.
-add pudding mixture to cream cheese mixture, beating until smooth. stir in whipped topping. fold in toffee bits. sprinkle with remaining toffee bits. cover and chill for 4 hours before serving.

paula's pointers:
-for more toffee texture (or if you're just a big fan of toffee like me!) fee free to add more candy to the filling. this is one of the rare times that a pie recipe doesn't demand exact measurments.
-the bottom crusts of pies do not bake well in shiny metal pans. use aluminum pans or heat-proof glass dishes to achieve a better crust.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with white chocolate cream cheese frosting

thank you paula deen!

red velvet cupcakes:
makes approx 2 1/2 dozen

3/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar, divided
3 large eggs, separated
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa
2 tsp salt
1 2/3 cup whole buttermilk
3 tbsp red food coloring
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

-preheat oven to 350. line 30 cups of 3 (12 cup) muffin tins with paper liners
-in a large bowl, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. beat in egg yolks until combined
-in a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa and salt
-in a small bowl, combine buttermilk, food coloring and vanilla
-gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture. beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating well after each addition.
-in a medium bowl, beat egg whites at medium high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. gently fold beaten egg whites into butter mixture. spoon batter evenly into prepared pans. bake at 18 to 20 minutes, or until wooden toothpick comes out clean. remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. spread or pipe evenly with desired frosting.

white chocolate cream cheese frosting (the yummiest frosting EVER!)

makes approx 4 1/2 cups frosting
1 1/2 cups butter, softened (that's paula for ya, 3 sticks of butter!)
1 8oz cream cheese, softened
2 1oz squares white chocolate, melted and cooled
1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
4 1/2-5 cups powdered sugar

in a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. beat in white chocolate and lemon juice until combined. gradually beat in confectioner's sugar until smooth.

Spunky Spinach Dip

from the Gooseberry Patch Christmas Book 7. I have found these cookbooks to be great for many things, they have a very old fashioned, homey spin.

2 cups salsa (i use pace picante)
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1 8oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
10 oz pkg. frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup pitted black olives, chopped (optional, i never do this)

mix all ingredients together; stir well. place in a microwave safe bowl, cook until heated through. serves about 10-15.

Garden Chicken Pasta Salad

this is from my good friend Sonja Glick. I first had this at her son Trace's baby blessing about 8 years ago. I've been making it and loving it ever since.

12 oz cooked, drained garden rotini pasta
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 purple onion, thinly sliced
2 crowns broccoli, stems trimmed, cut into bite size pieces
1 chicken breast, cooked and diced
1/2 bottle Kraft brand "3 Cheese" salad dressing

mix all together, let flavors meld and salad chill before serving!

*notes- depending on your family's taste, you can add more or less of the peppers, onions and broccoli. and to make this a meal salad, add lots of chicken. i have found in some grocery stores that there is a lite version of the salad dressing and when i can find it, i buy it, otherwise i try to use just enough of the dressing to coat without glopping it everywhere. and this salad keeps well for several days, i usually make it a day ahead when i fix it.

Skillet Chicken with Pasta and Broccoli

(stolen again from mykitchencafe.com, LOVED IT, will make this again soon!)

Skillet Chicken with Broccoli, Pasta, and Parmesan Cheese
adapted from The Best Skillet Recipes

**The original recipe only used 8 ounces of pasta. I knew that wouldn't be enough for our family so I adapted the recipe to make more for my family. It makes for a very full skillet, but if you have a 12-inch skillet, it should still be big enough. This serves 4-6. If you don't want to make as much, scale down the amounts in the recipe.**

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares
Table salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
12 ounces ziti (penne makes a great substitution - I've used both with great results)
4 1/4 cups water
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4-5 cups broccoli florets (depending on how much broccoli you want)
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped coarse
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (asiago was the cheese in the original recipe and can be interchanged, but I always have parmesan on hand so I used that)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 1 minute without stirring. Stir the chicken and continue to cook until most, but not all, of the pink color has disappeared and the chicken is lightly browned around the edges, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the skillet. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the pasta, 3 cups of the water, and the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is very thick and syrupy and almost completely absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, and the remaining 1 1/4 cups water. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the broccoli turns bright green and is almost tender, 2-3 minutes.

Uncover and return the heat to medium-high. Stir in the cream, parmesan, and reserved chicken with any accumulated juices and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing more grated parmesan at the table, if desired.