Colleen's Chicken Pasta Salad with Grapes

I have a great friend who has THE BEST recipes, and she has been willing to share some of them with me. In fact, I've gotten so many good recipes from her that I have to set up her only section of recipe deliciousness here in the blog!  This is a recipe she brought to a party and I definitely fell in love with it. I've made it several times now and it's always a hit!

Thank you Colleen for making me happy!

CHICKEN PASTA SALAD 

1 ( 16 oz.) box bow tie pasta

2 c. cooked chicken, chopped 

(or 1 (10 oz.)can chicken, drained and chopped)

4 celery stocks, and chopped

1 ½ Tbsp. sweet onion, finely diced

1-2 bunches red grapes, sliced in 1/2 

1 (8 oz.)can sliced water chestnuts, drained and cut in half

1 ( 8 oz.) can pineapple tidbits, drained

2 Fuji apples, peeled and chopped

Cook the pasta as directed on the package, until just al dente.  Rinse under cold water until pasta has cooled to room temp.

In a large mixing bowl combine all of the ingredients, mix salad dressing, pour over salad and stir well.  

Chill for a minimum of 4 hours.

Dressing

1 (16oz.)bottle coleslaw dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

Whisk together until well incorporated.

Note:  The first time I made this recipe, I used the Kraft Coleslaw dressing and I really didn't care for it at all.  Since then I've been using Hidden Valley Ranch coleslaw and I love it.

As you can see in the photo's, I sliced my grapes into quarters because they were huge!

Spinach Artichoke Chicken Calzones

This is a really lovely recipe.  It's simply delicious.  The left overs warm nicely in the microwave too.  YAY!

SPINACH ARTICHOKE CHICKEN CALZONES

1 c. cooked chicken, shredded

1 (6 oz.) jar of artichoke hearts(about 1/2 c.)

(I use canned artichokes)

2 Tbsp. canned sliced jalapeno's, diced

1 c. spinach leaves, finely chopped

1 tsp. minced garlic

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

1 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded 

salt and pepper to taste

1 (8 count) can Pillsbury Grands refrigerated biscuits 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium size bowl combine the chicken, artichokes, jalapeno's, spinach, garlic, cream cheese, shredded cheeses and S&P.  Mix well.

Open the can of biscuits, and flatten each one out.  Divide the chicken mix evenly placing it on each biscuit. 

Fold the biscuit over the filling and press the edges together (I used a fork to do this). Poke a couple of holes in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 15-17 minutes, until golden brown. 

Serve.

January is Slow Cooker Month!

JANUARY IS FOR CELEBRATING CROCK-POT COOKING!

I love the idea of celebrating slow cooker's (I still call them crock-pot's, I'm from THAT generation) all month long.

So far I've used my crock-pot 3 times this month, and today is January 6th...
I've been wondering for quite a while what the correct spelling for the term crockpot, and it turns out I've been mis-spelling it forever according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the correct spelling is Crock-pot (with the hyphen).  Sheeesh.  Another new thing to remember... 

With all of that rambling being said, I wanted to create a post linking back to  some of my personal favorite crock-pot recipes, as well as other popular recipes found via my Crock-pot Crazy Pinterest Board.
You will definitely want to create a link to this post, you'll want to come back often!

Crock-pot Beef Stroganoff

(This is our family favorite!)

Crock-pot Refried Beans

(from our blog)

Amber's Chili

(from our blog)

Six Sisters' Stuff~ Crock-pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken


Paula Deen's~ Crock-pot Macaroni and Cheese


Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen's~ Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

Better Home's and Garden's~ Creamy Tortellini Soup

The Little Kitchen's~ French Onion Pot Roast

Bubble Crumb's~ Rootbeer Pulled Pork

Creating Through Life's~ Crock-pot Lasagna

Family Fresh Meals'~ Slow cooker Scalloped Potatoes

Plain Chicken's~ Slow cooker Ham and White Beans

Six Sister's Stuff~ Parmesan Honey Pork Roast



Inspired Housewife's~ Gluten Free Bread in the Crock-pot

Crockpot Ladies'~ Carrot Cake w/Cream Cheese Frosting

Six Sister's Stuff~ Crock-pot Apple Cobbler

Life As A Lofthouse's~ Crockpot Chocolate Lava Cake

Plain Chicken's~ Crock-pot Creme Brulee French Toast

The Gingerbread Blog's~ Sugared Pecans

Basic Cream Puff Shells

The first time I decided to try making cream puffs I was pretty intimidated.  They seemed so complicated and I was sure my first attempt would be horrible.  Wrong!
The cream puff is so easy to make that it's kind of shocking! 
This is a basic recipe for the cream puff, and it works equally well with sweet or savory fillings.
In fact, try them with my Chicken Salad recipe, or my Pumpkin Spiced Cream Puffs recipe. 
Go ahead, give this recipe a try.  Your friends will think you've become a pastry chef!

Cream Puff Shells

1 c. water

1/2 c. butter or shortening

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. flour

4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
In a large sauce pan, bring the water, salt and butter to a boil.  Make sure the butter has completely melted.  When the water mix reaches a boil, add the flour and stir until the mix forms a ball, and pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Remove from heat.
With an electric mixer, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Here is the dough after adding 1 egg.

Consistency of dough after all the eggs have been incorporated.

Drop by large tablespoon onto greased or parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.  Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 20 minutes.
The puffs should be golden in color, and if you tap lightly on the top they will sound slightly hollow.

Remove to wire racks and cool completely.
Once completely cool, slice the top 1/3 of the puff off, and set it aside.  Remove any dough that is in the puff.

Fill with your choice of filling,savory or sweet and replace the top.  Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with chocolate, whatever makes you happy, and that's it!

 

GRILLED CHEESE FOR GROWN-UP'S

This Recipe is so delicious!

My family are big fans of grilled cheese sandwiches, and this recipe is our favorite.

GROWN UP GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES

4-oz. cream cheese, softened

3/4 c. mayonnaise

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. seasoning salt

Blend cream cheese and mayonnaise together until smooth.  Add garlic powder and seasoning salt. Stir in the grated cheeses.

Spread 1/3 c. mix onto a slice of bread (sourdough is awesome), then place a second slice of bread on top.

Butter the outside of each bread slice, then fry on a griddle

over medium heat.

Let stand 2 min. before slicing.

Makes approx. 5-6 sandwiches.

Store unused mix in the fridge. It keeps well up to 1 week.

 For the ultimate comfort meal try our recipe for Creamy Tomato Soup. Exquisite combination!