Crescent Chicken Squares

QUICK AND EASY!

This is one of those semi-homemade meals
 from Mr. Food that I love so much and
 yet another use for rotisserie chicken.

Love the clever crust!

Serves: 4
Cooking Time: 20 min


Ingredients:

1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
2 cups chopped cooked rotisserie chicken
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon chopped red bell pepper (optional)
1 (8-ounce) can refrigerated crescent rolls
3/4 cup seasoned croutons, crushed


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and 2 tablespoons butter; stir in chicken, milk, and red pepper, if desired. Set aside.

Unroll crescent dough, separating into 4 rectangles; press perforations to seal. Spoon 1/4 of the chicken mixture into the center of each rectangle; bring corners of each rectangle together over chicken mixture, and twist gently to seal.

Place crushed croutons in a shallow dish. Brush chicken packets with remaining butter, dredge in croutons, and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden.

Source:  Mr. Food . . . there is a video recipe on this page

Chicken Pot Pie . . . from scratch

One of my favorite comfort food meals is Chicken Pot Pie.  As a child, I would beg my mom to buy lots of those frozen chicken pot pies for lunch when I was home for the summer . . . and I would eat one every day if I had my say.  I still could!

I've given up the frozen pot pies and have moved up to semi-homemade chicken pot pie, using Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup, chicken, vegetables and a refrigerated pie crust.  So much better than the frozen ones.

Even better is made from scratch chicken pot pie for those days you want to linger in the chicken and make something special.  Semi-homemade is awesome, but made from scratch is super awesome!

Try it when you have some time on your hands for cooking something special . . . make a pie crust from scratch if you have lots of time on your hands.

Ingredients:

• 1 rotisserie chicken OR 3 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1-1/2 cups sliced carrots
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup frozen baby peas
• 1 refrigerated pie crust
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove chicken from rotisserie chicken and cube; set aside.

In large saucepan, melt butter. Add onion and garlic; sauté and stir 3-4 minutes. Add celery and sliced carrots; cook and stir 3-5 minutes longer until crisp-tender.

Add flour, salt, pepper, and thyme; cook 2-3 minutes until bubbly. Add broth, stirring well, then add evaporated milk. Simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens.

Add Monterey Jack cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat and add peas and chicken. Pour into 2-quart round casserole dish and top with pie crust. Seal crust to edges of casserole and cut slits in top crust to vent steam.

Brush crust with 1 tablespoon milk and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 40-50 minutes until crust is golden brown and filling bubbles. Cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

Source

Fruit Pies Recipe Guide and more

Fruit pies and tarts are delicious sweet treats that can be as simple or difficult to make as you want . . . the choice is yours!  The fastest and easiest is pre-made refrigerator pie crust with fruit pie filling . . . however, the possibilities are endless.

This post will take you to articles I have found all over the internet . . .

Pillsbury knows how to do fruit pies and they have a ton of ideas and recipes . . . many are quick and easy!

About.com's section on Southern Cooking has all types of fruit pie recipes!

Collection of fruit dessert recipes from The Food Network

"How-to" videos for fruit pies

Collection of fruit pies and lots of tips from Epicurious

Fruit pies and tarts from Food and Wine

Top 10 Fruit Pies from Chew On That

Demeter Clarc on Pies

5 Simple Steps to Fantastic Fruit Pies from Zesty Cook 

Gorgeous pies and tarts for the holidays from Better Homes and Gardens

Impressive fruit pies and tarts made easy 

Gina's pie board from Pinterest

Pumpkin Mania

Pumpkin Mania has taken over the food blogs and websites!  This past week I could not go cruising around the internet without running into pumpkin delights, crafts and decorating ideas for Halloween.

I will be featuring pumpkin recipes on this post as I did last year . . . I'll post them as I find them!

Fun Home Things has 10 pumpkin recipes posted!

In My Own Style wants to teach you how to carve a pumpkin with a hot knife for your Halloween decorating . . . use the pumpkin inside for your recipes :)

Pumpkin carving tips from HGTV

Pumpkin Butter from The Gracious Pantry

20 Ways to cook your pumpkin seeds from SusieQT Pies Cafe

Pumpkin Magic Bars from Bakers Royale

Starbucks Pumpkin Pound Cake from Something Swanky

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles from Key Ingredient

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars Recipe from Taste of Home

Pumpkin Cookies from HGTV

Skinny Pumpkin Muffins from I Should Be Mopping The Floor

SusieQTPies Cafe presents Top 10 Yummy Mummy Halloween Recipes and Halloween Crafts

Pumpkin Bread from Alexandra's Kitchen

Stuffed Jack O'Lantern Bell Peppers . . . one of my older posts

Click here to go last year's post on Lots of Pumpkin Recipes!

Bourbon Caramel Pumpkin Tart

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Pumpkin Croissant Bread Pudding with Pecans

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cinnamon Cream

Amy's Pumpkin Board on Pinterest