Garlic Chicken Puffs

Garlic Chicken Puffs

Ingredients
4 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 c cooked shredded chicken*
2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls
optional alteration:
2 cloves garlic, minced
some chopped up greet onion

Instructions

1. Mix cream cheese, garlic, and chicken until well blended.
2. Unroll crescent rolls and cut each triangle into 2 triangles (when you unroll the crescent rolls, 2 triangles are attached making a big square, cut from there following the perforation for one cut and make another cut from the other corner, giving you 4 little triangles).
3. Place 1 tsp of chicken mixture on the center of each triangle and fold the corners in over the creamy mixture.
4. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 375F for 12-14 minutes.

*For cooked chicken, I threw 5 or 6 chicken tenderloins into a baking pan and baked them for about 30 minutes.

Comments

• I made this recipe twice within a week (Christmas party and Christmas day), and I had to "alter" the original recipe (above) because it was a little bland.  Second time, although they were all gone by the time I came inside, I was told that they were delicious! (I guess the fact that they were all gone is a good sign!)
• I used reduced fat cream cheese (a full 8 oz block) and reduced fat crescent rolls.

Recipe from Tidy Mom

Cake Batter Chocolate Bark

Cake Batter Chocolate Bark

Ingredients
6 oz good dark chocolate
12 oz good white chocolate
1 tsp yellow cake mix
sprinkles of your choice (at least 3 tbs or more)

Instructions

1. Melt dark chocolate either in the microwave or a double boiler.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour chocolate on.  You can smooth it with a spatula to the thickness you desire. Stick in the freezer for 20 minutes.
2. Melt white chocolate.  Whisk in cake mix, stirring well until no lumps remain.  Let it set for 3 full minutes (or at least until it slightly thickens).  Remove baking sheet with dark chocolate from the freezer and immediately pour white chocolate on top.  Sprinkle on sprinkles.  Freeze for 20 minutes.
3. Once set, break into chunks.  Keep refrigerated.

Comments

• The recommended "good chocolate" of Lindt (70% dark and regular white) was too expensive, so I went the cheap route (semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips).

Recipe from Jessica at How Sweet It Is

Fat, Fluffy Snickerdoodles

I love snickerdoodles.  Who am I kidding, I love cookies!  But these had me at "fat, fluffy", kinda like me.  :)

Fat, Fluffy Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
1/2 c butter, room temperature
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbs milk
1/4 c sugar + 1 tbs cinnamon for dipping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add egg and vanilla, mixing well until combined, about 2 minutes.  Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon.  Mix until dough comes together.  Add in milk.  If dough is still crumbly, add milk 1 tbs at a time until it comes together.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. In a bowl, combine remaining sugar and cinnamon.  Remove dough from fridge and roll into big 1 1/2" balls.  Dip in cinnamon sugar mixture and place on baking sheet.  Lightly press down on dough to flatten it.  Bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes.

Comments

• Delicious!

Recipe from How Sweet It Is

Beer Cheese Dip

Who doesn't love a good dip?  And who doesn't love to try to make a new dip, especially when it's only 4 ingredients!

Ingredients
2 - 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
1/3 c beer
1 envelope Ranch dressing mix
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Beat the first three ingredients until well blended.
2. Stir in cheddar cheese by hand.

Comments

• If dip is too thick, add a little beer to thin it down. (wish I had read that before, my dip was pretty thick)
• Any dipping chip goes well with this dip.  Doritos were a bit too salty for me though.
• Carrots were yummy dipped in the dip!
• I used reduced fat cream cheese and reduced fat colby jack cheese.

from TidyMom.com

Roasted Red Potato Bites

For my recent Christmas party I wanted to find easy, tastey, healthy(ish) recipes.  And I believe I did pretty good with that.  Except when you don't practice "eat in moderation", and you "sample" and "taste test" during the cooking process.

First up we have a Weight Watchers recipe...  Off to a good start don't you think?

 Roasted Red Potato Bites
PointsPlus value:  2

Ingredients
12 small uncooked red potatoes, each cut in half (about 1 lb)
1 oz. smoked gouda cheese, shredded (about 1/4 c)
3 slices crisp cooked bacon, finely crumbled (about 2 tbs)
1/4 c fat-free sour cream
2 tbs fresh chives, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.  Spray a nonstick 10x15" jelly-roll pan with nonstick spray.
2. With a spoon or melon baller (worked like a charm!), make a 1/2" deep well in the top of each potato.
3. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Lightly spray the potatoes with nonstick spray.  Bake until tender and golden, about 40 minutes.  Remove the potates from the oven.  Leave the oven on.
4. Top each potato half with 1/2 tsp of the cheese and 1/4 tsp of the bacon.  Bake until the cheese begins to melt, about 5 minutes.  Top each potato half with 1/2 tsp of the sour cream and sprinkle with the chives. 
5. Yields 2 pieces per serving.

Comments

• Bite size potatoes were a little difficult to find, but I found them at a nicer grocery store.
• To help the potatoes stand flat on the baking tray, cut a small slice from the bottom of each potato half.  (I didn't have to do that)
• If you don't have a melon baller, scoop out the potato flesh with a 1/4 tsp measuring spoon.
• I used green onions since I needed to buy them for another recipe, just chop them up a little smaller.

Pumpkin Roll

Who doesn't love a good pumpkin roll?  For Thanksgiving...?  Yea, I do too.  So I decided to improvise and make it up as I went along, and I found a yummy sounding frosting for the middle.

Cakey Part
Ingredients:
1 box spice cake mix
1 can pure pumpkin (15 oz)

Instructions:
Mix 2 ingredients together.  Spread onto greased jelly roll pan.  Bake about 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.  *Trick I didn't know about at the time, let it cool for a few minutes, then flip the cake onto a towel and roll with towel; this will help it from cracking later.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) brick 3rd less fat cream cheese, room temp.
1 stick butter (1/2 c), room temp.
2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions:
Cream together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.  Mix in powdered sugar on LOW speed for about 15-20 seconds, then mix on HIGH until combined.  Add vanilla and cinnamon; mix until thoroughly combined.

Making the roll:
Gentle unroll the cake from the towel.  Spread the frosting onto the cake, thickness as you desire.  Roll it back up.  I wrapped mine in plastic and put it in the fridge to help set it a little.  Slice and serve.

Verdict:
It tasted SO good, which is a relief because it looked like a sad pumpkin roll.  I'd definitely make it again!

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

As a healthier option to the pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year I decided to make this recipe that was given to me at a weight watcher's meeting.  It was good, really good.  The consistency wasn't as dense as normal pumpkin pie filling.


Ingredients:
1 can pumpkin (15 oz.)
1 can evaporated skim milk (12 oz.)
3/4 cup egg substitute (or 3 egg whites)
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 c splenda or sugar (or to taste)

Instrustions:

1. Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth.
2. Pour into a 9" sprayed pie pan.
3. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes, and then 325F for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Serves 8
Whole Pie:  8 WW Points (or 1 pt for 1/8 of the pie)
Although, WW just revamped their point system, so I don't know how many PlusPoints the pie is yet.