German Pancake

This recipe never fails to impress and it is fast becoming attached to memories! One morning when Emma was having a very hard time with math I stopped everything and we made a whole recipe for the two of us.  It was the first time I baked it in a cast iron skillet and we ooohed and aaahed over the presentation.  The best part was sitting at the table laughing and chatting until we finished the whole thing and were stuffed to the brim.  Now it has become one of my best go to's for company or comfort! This delectable dish also has the name Dutch Baby.  I've only tried it this one way but there seems to be several others on the web who have added berries or apples and other assortments.  All I know is that its simple, visual pleasing, and mouth watering!  Here's how we do it...

1/4 cup butter  

1 cup flour  

1 cup milk

6 eggs

1/8 teaspoon salt

1-2 Lemons

1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While your oven preheats, melt the butter in the baking dish inside your oven.  (In the past I've used a 10 inch cast iron pan or a 13X9 cake pan.  It is pictured here with the recipe doubled and made in a large deep dish pizza pan; it just needs high sides, a pie tin would even work and it doesn't seem to make a difference whether it's glass or metal.)  In a blender mix flour, milk, eggs and salt. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish once the butter is melted and the oven has come to temperature.  Bake on center rack in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. While it bakes slice the lemons into wedges. Serve by dusting powdered sugar over the top. Your guests can squeeze fresh lemon juice to their hearts desire! Makes me crave it just writing about it!

Roger's Chili

Fond thoughts surround my little brother Roger when this chili gets made.  The recipe is not his, it's my Dads but there are funny memories surrounding Roger and this chili and so the title goes to the brother.  After Christmas and right before my niece Madeline was to be born, Anita, Roger, Trevor and I flew to Texas to see Karl and the very pregnant Sally.  That night before our flight Dad made his chili.  This is one of our families favorite dishes and so we all tucked in and had a few bowls not considering the flight ahead of us.  Well before I embarrass anyone too much let me just say that the chili affects Roger the worst and our plane trip to Fort Worth was fragrant. When we got off the plane Trevor and I heard someone say they were so relieved to be in the fresh air!!!!  I will never eat Dad's chili again without laughing about that plane ride.  Well here is the recipe to creating your own fragrance....

1 30oz. can of Crushed or Diced Tomatoes

4 30oz. cans of Chili Beans.  Hunts are the most expensive, Krogers are very good and Bushes do great.  You may need to total up more smaller cans if you cannot get the 30 oz. cans which are not available everywhere.

3 regular cans of Tomato Sauce

3 packets of Chili Spice,  I prefer Kroger but Lawry's is also good

1 packet of Hot Chile Spice

1 very large Onion or 2 Medium Onions

2-3 lbs Ground Beef

In a large stewing pot cook ground beef until not pink any longer, making sure to chunk it up well while cooking.  While that cooks dice the onion and open all the cans then set aside. I usually drain the fat from the meat and rinse it with warm water after it's cooked.  While that drains Add the diced onions to the pot and let them soften a little.  When the onions start to turn translucent add back in the meat and all the canned items along with the packets.  Bring to a simmer and let simmer for a while.  The longer it simmers the better chance the flavors have to marry.  Also once the onions and meat are cooked everything can be thrown in a crock pot to sit on low or even warm until ready to serve.  Serve with crackers, tortillas, chips, cornbread, or sourdough bread.  Also we like to mix in cheese, fresh onions and sometimes sour cream.  Lastly to really spice things up you can add jalapenos to the onions while they cook or have them fresh on the top.  

Baked Blueberry & Peach Oatmeal

This recipe comes from my moms best friend Maureen Smith.  Now, of course, there's a story about this fabulous woman.  When I was nine or ten or so, Sis. Smith scared the living tar out of me.  She is a tall intimidating woman and much to my dismay I was treated just like one of her kids.  I was disciplined and loved just the same as Rachel, Nicole and Stephanie.  The love part I came to understand later in life but nonetheless I learned to respect her when I was playing with the girls.  Knowing how much I feared Sis. Smith one would think I would never do anything at her house to get myself in trouble but unfortunately that was rarely the case. Now the story I'm about to share has nothing to do with this recipe nor really have anything to do with Sis. Smith per-say but it is my favorite memory to recall when I think about this sweet woman, probably because of the fear factor.  

One day Rachel, Nicole, (they are twins) and Stephanie their younger sister were the only ones home.  At the Smiths house when an adult wasn't home, the girls weren't allowed to have a friend inside but on this rare day I got invited in.  Of course I don't remember what play or fun we had, I just remember the sauerkraut.  Sis. Smith had this gallon size jar full or sauerkraut in the fridge for whatever meal she'd planned but we had other plans for it.  Each of us grabbed a fork and started digging out cold kraut much to our delight. It could have been the risk of sneaking forbidden food or the risk of being inside when parents weren't home but whatever the reason, that sauerkraut was the best thing I'd ever eaten!  We never got caught that day and I don't know if later the girls got in trouble but truly it was wonderful.  Years later I realized just what a treasure Sis. Smith had been and continues to be to my family and I.  The best part, she's not only the neighbor down the street or my moms best friend, she's family.  Yup that's right she's my mom's 2nd cousin once removed. So it's with her in mind that I give you one of our breakfast favorites that she passed down to us....

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 C packed brown sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 egg whites

1 egg

1 1/4 cups fat-free milk

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla

15 oz can sliced peaches in juice and chopped

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk the egg whites, egg, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and stir until blended. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in peaches and blueberries and walnuts. Transfer to a 3 quart glass bowl, coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Serve with additional milk if desired.

Additional Note: This freezes beautifully.  We usually bake it in a cake pan and then freeze individual portions for easy breakfasts.  Microwave for a minute or so from frozen.  Perfect!

Zucc Pizza Bites

When my mom had knee surgery back in April my sister and I flew to Las Vegas to help her out.  I was determined to show my parents how my culinary talents (not that they really need showing because they are  already aware how much I like to cook and aware that they are a major part in my talent developing) have begun to include vegetarian and vegan dishes.  I cooked all sorts of things for them but the one thing I think they liked the best was this one.  This is NOT a "vegan" dish just in case you thought I was intimating that it was and it wasn't the only thing I served them for dinner, it was just a side dish.  My parents gobbled this down.  There was not one little bite left on the whole platter.  Needless to say, they approved!  This is how I made my Zucc pizza bites....

1 Italian squash (zucchini) per person (usually the ones that are 6 to 8 inches long)
1 Medium Bottle of favorite Spaghetti Sauce (we like Prego)
1/4 Grated Cheddar Cheese per person (maybe more or less)
Parmesan Cheese
Spray Canola oil

Start by preheating your oven to 400 Degrees.  Lightly spray a cookie sheet with the canola spray oil.  Wash and cut both top and bottom of the zucchini off then cut the remaining zucchini to 1/2 inch circles.  Place circles on the oiled cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove cookie sheet and turn oven to broil.  While the oven is warming up further, flip all the circles over or they will burn and then spoon spaghetti sauce and both cheeses onto the circles.  Move your oven rack to the top notch and place back into oven. Watch that the cheese bubbles and browns but does not burn.  It takes my broiler about 3 minutes and then I have to turn it around 180 degrees and broil it for a few more minutes.  Serve and enjoy!  Hope you love them as much as we do!

Breakfast Bundles

This dish doesn't have a name yet.  Leave your suggestion here or on Facebook and I'll have my family pick their favorite!

This little cup of deliciousness is fast becoming a favorite at our house.  It's fairly fast and a beautiful start to breakfast.  My mom even went home after being at our house and tried them on some of her guests.  Here's how we do it...

12 Eggs
12 Thin deli slices of ham
Green onions
Parmesan Cheese
Fresh ground pepper
Cooking spray
1 Muffin tin

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees.  Then spray each cup in your muffin tin.  Place a ham slice in  each cup then gently crack your egg into each ham slice/cup.  Add a few sprinkles of diced green onion, some shredded Parmesan cheese or any other cheese that you love and a bit of fresh ground pepper if your heart desires. I have done Parmesan and cheddar together and that is yummy or I have done Parmesan and mozzarella, yumm!  I usually don't add salt because the ham is plenty salty.  Bake any where from 12 to 14 minutes depending on if you want your yoke runny.  Emma doesn't like a runny yoke so all of us get to have harder yokes!  After you pull them from the oven they should pop right out.  Occasionally I've had to slip a table knife down one side to loosen in but typically they are ready to eat!  I've thought they would be perfect for going into an English Muffin as well.  Next time perhaps!  Hope you love them as much as we do and don't forget to comment with your suggestion of a name!

Cranberry Relish

In my family at the Ross house, Thanksgiving dinnertime cranberry sauce meant opening the can of cranberry jelly, slicing it into thinish slices and viola' that's as good as it gets.  Last year Brent changed our tradition!!!  In the Hedden house they ground fresh cranberries and oranges together to make such yummy yummy cranberry relish.  Now I'm not about to say that I will altogether give up on the log o' cranberry but this is fresh and tart and a perfect side for the holiday's!  Here's how he ate it as a kid...

1 package of Fresh Cranberries
1/2 an Orange
1/4-1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

Using a meat grinder, grind the cranberries and orange together.  Add in the sugar to taste and refrigerate for one hour at least!  Serve cold.  I'm sure there's another way to grind it without a meat grinder but I really have no clue!  We love it and hope you do too!

Stir-Fry

Stir-Fry...bleck!  That was coming from the younger me!  My dad on occasion would make his version of Stir-Fry and all I remember were bean sprouts...bleck, again the younger me!  Yes it's true, I hated it!  I hated it so much that one time I tried to sneak it into the garbage.  I was the last at the table, told I would sit there and eat every last bite, and it was pretty obvious when one minute your plate contained a whole bunch of food and the next, my plate was empty.  Mom was ticked and starting picking the stuff out of the trash....Well you can see where this is going!  That started my love affair with Stir-Fry or lack there of and it wasn't until years later when I discovered my 7 year old palate had changed and bean sprouts were a fun crunchy food!  This Stir-Fry recipe calls for tofu but you could substitute chicken or just take the tofu out.  This is something Brent and I cooked up, measured out, tested on the kid, and put our stamp of approval on.  Here's how it goes...

2 Bricks Firm Tofu or 2lbs Chicken
3 Carrots
3 Stalks Celery or Bok Choy
1 Yellow Onion
4 Green Onions
3 Cups Bean Sprouts
3/4 lb Button Mushrooms
1/4 Head Cabbage
3 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste

Sauce
2 Tbsp Oyster Flavored Sauce
4 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
4 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
3 Tbsp Finely Chopped Garlic
2 Tbsp Fresh Ginger Zest
1 Tsp Sugar 
1 Tsp Sriracha or Hot sauce of choice

To start heat a large skillet to medium high heat.  Add into pan 1 tbsp sesame oil and 2 tbsp light soy sauce.  When the pan is to temperature cook the tofu or chicken.  The point to this is to dry out the tofu and give it some initial flavor and texture so it's not so mushy. (Side note-It took me a long time to get used to tofu!)Turn the pieces every so often so every side browns.  Once everything is brown set the tofu aside on another burner on low and let it continue to loose some of it's moisture.  (If it's chicken you'll want to cook it the same way but for not as long because it will cook faster and also you will want to have all the prep done before hand because you won't want the chicken to dry out.)  While this is happening wash, peel, and prepare your veggies.  Separate the veggies into two batches (a medium to large bowl).  The first will have the carrots, yellow onion and celery.  These all should be cut to about the same size.  I Like to cut them on the bias because it looks nice.  Plus the carrots need to be a thin cut so they cook faster.  The second batch will have the cabbage, bean sprouts, mushrooms and green onions.  Slice the green onions on a bias to 1/2 inch long.  The cabbage needs to be long slices sliced very thin and the mushrooms can be thin slices across the whole mushroom.  This batch cooks fast because everything is relatively water! Now mix the sauce.  You will use half the sauce for each batch.  The chicken or tofu should be cooked by now so set that aside and get your pan back up to a medium high heat.  Pour the first batch of veggies in and add half the sauce.  You can put the tofu or chicken in the bottom of the bowl you just emptied. Turn the veggies a few times to mix the sauce through the veggies and let it sit for approximately 5 minutes stirring only once or twice.  The carrots should be still crunchy but not raw.  The onions should be still on the white side but turning opaque and the celery should be just on the side of getting mushy.  You don't want a strong onion that is going knock your socks off but you don't want your celery mushy either.  Remember this will continue to cook while you are cooking your second batch even while it's off the heat.  Once it's ready the 1st batch goes back into the bowl it came from.  Now do the same for the second batch.  At this point I like to put the 2nd bowl over the top of the first bowl and trap some of that steam in.  This will also reheat the chicken or tofu because it should be in the first bowl already.  Cook the 2nd batch only until you see that it is starting to wilt the cabbage.  There should be more water at the bottom of the pan than there was in the first batch.  This is good!  At this point, add everything back in to the pan, mix it all together, give it another minute on the heat to marry the flavors and viola', you have Stir-Fry! You can add the cilantro diced up on top if you like a little fresh flavor at the end!  If you don't like the spicy you can certainly omit the Sriracha or have it to the side for others to add in on their own.  Prep time is about 30 minutes depending on how fast you are with chopping and cleaning.  Cooking time is about 15 minutes.  I tried one time to prep and cook at the same time but it was hard to keep up with everything.  Don't get me wrong, it can be done! This feeds 3 people nicely if this is all you're planning on for dinner.  There's typically enough for small seconds at our house!!!  Oh two more side notes!  It looks like it's way too much food when you get started but just remember, the second batch is mostly water and cooks down a lot and Bok Choy is an Asian celery and you just use the stalk not the leaves!  Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Frozen Hot Coco Shakes

This is one tasty tall drink of chocolate! Brent and I made up this sweet dessert one summer night we when were dirt poor and dying of heat! Now some time back before I was married I remembered drinking something like this at the Cheesecake Factory. Being of the adventurous sort I figured I could whip us up something to sorta match it. All I found was old Hot Coco from the previous winter and of course Las Vegas summers and hot coco just don't mix but hot coco, ice, and milk do!!! Just like that this drink was born. Now it may be similar to the one from the fore mentioned restaurant but the next time I was back there they had taken it from the menu so for now...it's mine!!! It really is as simple as 1,2,3! Here's how it goes.....

2 Packets of Coco per person
3/4-1 Cup of milk per person
2-3 Cups of Ice per person

Throw it all in a blender and Zoom! You have a frozen Hot Coco! Now if you want it thicker, add more ice and less milk. If you want it more chocolatey add more packets of coco. There really isn't any way to mess it up! Enjoy!

Mamma's Potato Salad (the best ever)

Everybody has a potato salad recipe but no one has one like my mamma! Now don't bother arguing, this will be the best you've ever tasted and you'll have to go back to your mothers house and tell her, "Mom, I'm sorry to say this but I tasted this other potato salad recipe and it was better than yours!" She'll be mad at first but then when you make it and let her try it....watch out, she will thank you!!! No seriously though this side dish is a staple and a tradition at almost all Ross BBQs or family dinners. It always makes me smile to reminisce about my mom and dad in the kitchen arguing over the amount of pepper and onions! Oh sweet memories! So now I pass it to the next generation, here's how my mamma makes it...

5lb Russet Baking Potato's
12 Hard Boiled Eggs
6 Green Onions (green and white parts)
8 Large Dill Pickles
2-5 Tbsp Ground Black Pepper
6-8 Tbsp Yellow Mustard
1 1/2 Cups Best Food Mayonnaise
1 1/2 Cups Kraft Miracle Whip
Paprika for garnish

Now this is the way my sweet dear Mother makes it and I'm following her directions because that's how it always turns out the best! Start by washing and boiling the potatoes just until they are barely fork tender. YOU DO NOT WANT SQUISHY POTATOES! Set the potatoes aside to cool in the fridge. Next boil the eggs. (How do you boil eggs? Cover your eggs just barely with water, add a tsp of vinegar, cover and bring to a boil. Once at a boil turn off the heat and let sit for 13 minutes. When 13 minutes is over remove eggs immediately to a bath of ice water.) Set the eggs aside to cool in the fridge. Next chop your onions and pickles in small dices and set aside. When your eggs and potatoes are cool, peel both. Cut the potatoes into large chunks. The chunks need to be larger at this stage so that when you're mixing it all later they won't be to tiny and break apart into tinnier pieces. Now peeling potatoes isn't fun but in front of good movie helps as does a sharp knife to help pull up the peel! When you peel the eggs make sure to keep the best two aside to garnish the top. When the eggs are finished being peeled dice them into the same bowl as the potatoes or whichever bowl is large enough to mix everything. It's easiest to use an egg slicer! They need to be about the same size as the onions and pickles. Now add all the other ingredients together and stir. Make sure to get the mixture well coated around everything. The next step is to taste. TASTE is everything. It should be creamy and savory with a kick from the mustard and pepper. If you don't like pepper that's fine but it has to have a little to balance everything so just add less. Also if you want to try to go with a little less calories, no one will blame you but try to stick with the name brands listed. Those salad dressings work well with each other and add the perfect amount of zing! Don't skimp out and only add one because then your dish will be yucky! TRUST the mamma! She's been making it for as long as I can remember! Now that it's mixed dish it out into a prettier bowl, slice your eggs one way only, garnish the top with the pretty egg slices and add a few dashes of paprika. Eureka!!! You've just made the best potato salad ever and you'll never need to find another recipe.

P.S. My mom makes this by sight and memory. I tried pretty hard to make measurements for the blog but just know it's one of those kind of recipe's!!! I hope you love it just as much as all my family does!

Baked Artichokes

It's time to open the flood gates to Memory Lane! I always knew when summer rolled around or was just around the corner because Mom and Dad would come home from the market with artichokes! Being from a large family meant sharing your artichoke with a sibling and typically because I was one of the younger kids I always felt like I got the raw deal. I couldn't eat as fast so I didn't get as many leaves and I always felt like I got the smaller piece of the heart which we all know is the best part! Artichokes are very often an expensive item in a large family and so they were saved for special occasions or only bought once or twice during the season which meant they were special. Oh, how I love artichokes! They are my A, number one, top of the list, go straight to go and collect 200 dollars, favorite veggie! The smell of the steam pouring out of the large stock pot on the stove meant it was time to help Mom in the kitchen with whatever task she needed because you were so thankful they bought this extra special present for dinner that you were willing to do anything asked! In our house it was always served with melted butter to dip in but I've learned that it is also served with mayo (YUCK) or baked. Now mind you, my favorite way will always be butter but seeing as how I'm trying to feed a family healthy foods I wanted a new way to try out this most delectable, glorious flower! I've heard of baking it and always scoffed because that is NOT how you eat an artichoke but again letting go of a little bit of tradition isn't so bad, so I looked up recipe's. Now my problem is that I don't like what I find and so I change it. Such is the case here. This is my version of Baked Artichokes and I hope you like what you find!!! My family sure did! Here's what I came up with...

3 Large Artichokes
1/2 cup Lemon Juice (or the juice of one lemon)
3 Tbsp dry basil
4 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 heaping Tbsp chopped garlic
1-2 Tbsp Pepper
1/2 cup Vegetable Stock

Start by cutting your lemon in half. Once the inside of the artichoke is exposed it browns but if you rub it with lemon is stays nice. Clean your artichoke by cutting away the little sharp edges with kitchen shears and cut the stem off near the bottom leaves. Rinse the flower well with cold water. Set aside upside down and work on the next one. Then cut your artichoke in half from the tip of the flower to the stem. Core out, with the edge of a large spoon, the choke (which is the hairy looking portion) and the thinner leaves until you have a hollowed out center. Remember that there are several layers of leaves that are yummy eats so don't cut out too many! Often the center will be purple and you can rest easy taking the purple portions out! It would be a good idea to now rub your hollowed out flower with the lemon. Set that aside and repeat until finished with all halves. Juice your lemon in a medium size bowl and mix together the lemon juice, basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and pepper. This should form a thick grainy paste. At this point you want to taste your paste and decipher whether it needs more of anything. If it's too thin you can add more basil and Parmesan to help thicken it up. Pour your broth in a casserole dish big enough to fit all your halves in. Time to get messy!!! I tried this with a spoon at first and found my hands worked better. Scoop up a dollop of your mixture and spread it all over the artichoke half then place it center down into the casserole dish. Do this with each of your halves. Be generous with your mixture, getting down between the leaves and in the hollowed inside as well. When all halves are in the dish and covered with the lovely mixture, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 1-1 1/2 hours. Notice I didn't have you turn your oven on before hand. This is something that can warm up with your oven. No sense in wasting energy when you don't need to! When an hour has passed pull the foil off carefully and test the bottom with a knife. If it is soft like a baked potato then you are good. If not put it back in and check it every 15 minutes or so. There's no need to have a dip to accompany! Let the artichokes rest for a few moments while you set the table and then it's time to start scraping leaves!!! Enjoy!

Spicy Turkey Chili

When I was little girl my parents would serve this funny grayish meat and bean thing they called Spicy Turkey Chili. Now if you grew up in my house eating my Dad's (real) Chili you would instantly know that there is no substitute to his spicy, steaming, bean bowl of goodness but nonetheless my parents would try. They would ooh and aah about how good it was for us and tell us that it was so tasty. I don't know what my other siblings thought but for me growing up it wasn't, to say the least, my favorite. Now it wasn't that it was the worst thing they ever served us; like the time my Dad tried to dupe Roger, Trevor and I into eating this crazy concoction called Strawberry Chicken, but again it wasn't my favorite offerings like Meatloaf and Scalloped Potatoes or Steak and Mushrooms! I ate it and now I hope I didn't complain too much. As an adult, I have changed my palate to say the least and don't have the problem I once did with this (still a little on the gray side) Turkey Chili. (The turkey is more white than the brown ground beef and I always thought it looked gray) Yes this recipe is very similar to another recipe that has been passed around the dieting circles for years but it's not exactly the same nor is it exactly, come to find out, the same my mom makes either. In any case my family ended up liking it more than I ever remember liking it! How's that for a turn?! Hope you like it too. Here's how it goes...

1-2 lb Ground Turkey
1 large onion chopped 1 cup
1 cup celery
1 cup carrots
1 cup green pepper
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes w/ juice
1 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp tomato paste
16 oz cooked kidney beans rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp salt

Optional toppings:
1/4 cup scallion
1/4 cup cilantro
Fresh squeezed lime juice
4 oz shredded jack cheese
Sour cream

Dice all your vegetables into about the same size medium small dices. In a large stock pot saute onions, carrots, and celery until half way soft. Add garlic, and turkey. Brown turkey and break up into small pieces. Then add everything else, give it a stir, cover your pot, reduce your heat to simmer for about 45 minutes and stir occasionally. You may need to add salt but remember, you can always add salt but you can't take away salt once it's added! Serve on it's own or with any of the additional optional items.
Note: If you add the sour cream or jack cheese it will add calories and fat which this recipe has always touted to be low on.

Finger Lickin Honey Lime Chicken

Oh my oh my oh my. I'm lickin my lips right now just thinking about this chicken dish. We've only had this once at our house but it won't be the last time that's for sure. When I was making this Emma kept coming up to the stove top and sniffing just to get a whiff of all that sweet smell. This recipe is so easy that I can't wait to try it again. It started off with something on the simpler side (it wasn't much more simple than it is now I promise) but while it was in the crock pot I got thinking about it all that liquid gold just sitting in the bottom of the crock pot that most likely would go to waste so I decided to change it and here's how I did...

12 Chicken Drumsticks
1 cup Honey
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce (we use the reduced sodium)
2 tbsp minced Garlic
Juice of 1 medium Lime
1/4 cup chopped Cilantro

You can start with frozen chicken. Place your chicken in the crock pot. In a medium bowl whisk together honey, soy sauce and garlic. Pour mixture over the chicken and cook on low in the crock pot for 6-8 hours. When you come home and about half an hour before serving dinner, remove most of the liquid into a separate bowl leaving a small amount in the bottom of the crock for the remaining chicken to cook with. (You don't want to dry out your chicken.) Strain this liquid through a tight knitted strainer removing any yucky chicken extra's. It will also remove all the garlic but that's ok. Pour the strained liquid into a small pot and bring to a medium boil but WATCH IT, you do not want this to burn. Also if it's too high it will really bubble up and over so keep an eye on it. You want this liquid to reduce by about half or until it becomes sticky like thick syrup. While the liquid is reducing chop your cilantro and your lime in half to squeeze. Once the liquid has reduced, remove it from the heat and add the lime juice. Remember to taste your sauce before adding in the lime and go slowly, adding in only 1 or 2 squeezes at a time. It can be strong but it gives the sauce a great fresh kick at the end! Move your drumsticks onto a platter and pour your now syrupy sauce over the top of the drumsticks. Last sprinkle the fresh cilantro over the top of everything. This recipe is so gooey and finger lickin fun. Next time I might try it with Chicken Wings! Oh it's making my mouth water!!! Enjoy!

Stuffed Mushroom Caps

This recipe is clearly controversial! Mushrooms are some of the worst food in the world! Or that's what my little brother Trevor might say anyway! I think mushrooms are clearly delightful and stuffed and baked this way they are even better! Oh let me count the ways with how delicious these caps of wonderfulness are! I first had mushroom caps years ago and since have only had the pleasure of having them rarely more off than on. I'm not sure why they aren't featured more on menu's but I can only guess it's because there are so many people out there who hate them. Sad I'm telling you, it's just sad! This specific recipe, however, I tasted for the first time at our ward Christmas party. We had a tasters contest and these weren't even submitted! I couldn't believe it. I asked around and everyone I asked said that they were the favorite and would have been voted for if they had been submitted. The next day in Relief Society I put out the word that I wanted the recipe and funny as it sounds, Heidi, the one who made them was sitting right next to me! When I found out my parents were joining us for Christmas I decided that I wanted appetizers and positively wanted to serve these. My parents LOVED them! So my dear sweet readers, here's the recipe that you chose in the poll, here's Heidi's stuffed mushroom caps...

20-30 Mushrooms
8 oz Cream Cheese
8 oz Bacon Bits (the good soft kind)
Chopped Green Onions to taste

Note: Make sure to soften the cream cheese for easy mixing of ingredients and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Also note that mushrooms soak up water when rinsed so it's better to clean them by rubbing any dirt off with a damp cloth. This will especially help when you go to cook them because they won't be soaked with unnecessary moisture, thus giving you a shorter cooking time! Also feel free to omit the green onions. We loved the taste of them but Heidi says she never puts them in. If you do I would start by just chopping 1 stalk up fairly fine.

First start by cleaning and de-stemming your mushrooms by twisting off the stems. Set those aside. Mix all your ingredients together in a mixer and fill the caps to the top but not overly full. Place in your oven safe dish and bake @350 for about 13-15mins. The tops should be golden brown. You really want that golden brown color too. If they are not cooked all the way it doesn't make for a tasty treat. We got the huge mushrooms from Costco and after decided that they were too big and next time would go with small caps. The cooking time for the bigger ones was much longer and they are better as a one bite pop in your mouth kinda thing because they do have a little bit of squirty juice that develops inside and you want all that in your mouth and not squirting in someones eye! My family certainly didn't think these "mushrooms" were gross when served. In fact I couldn't get them out of the oven fast enough! I hope you love these as much as we do! Enjoy!

Sweet Koky's Yam Chips

These Sweet Yam Chips are brought to you by Mrs. Carmen (Koky) Bermudez. I walked past her home one day and this incredible smell was emanating out her windows. I had to knock and find out what it was. When I asked her what that smell was she looked at me like I was asking the silliest question in the world and said, "It's just some chips."(Like duh, what's the big deal?) Really though it's not just chips. These are sweet and salty and are like a fun appetizer rather than a fried after thought. The beautiful thing about making these is that it's sooo easy, so without further adieu, here's the directions Carmen gave to me...

1-2 Medium size straight as possible yams
2 cups vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a shallow pan suitable for frying, heat 2 cups or about 1/3 of you pan full of vegetable oil to medium high. Peel the outside of the yams with a vegetable peeler then slice as thin and evenly as possible. I used my Kitchen Aid slicer attachment for this to make the slices even. The reason for even slices is so that everything cooks at the same pace. Once the yams are sliced, check the oil. Take a small piece of yam and put it into the pan. If it starts to bubble then your oil is ready. Depending on the size of your pan gently drop the slices into the oil until about 3/4 of the top of your pan is filled. DO NOT OVER CROWD YOUR PAN! There are two reasons for this. If the pan is too crowded the oil will bubble over the top rim of your pan and start a fire and second if it is to0 crowded you loose tons of heat and you will have soggy chips. FYI when you put your slices into the pan it will make the oil bubble. Now ,it is time to take the chips out when you see they have started to darken in color. Don't wait until they are too dark because then they taste burnt. Once they are out of the pan spread them out over a layer of paper towels or a layer of paper sacks and sprinkle on the salt and pepper. You might want to go easy the the seasoning for the first batch. Soon you will be able to see my favorite part of the cooking process. When you very first put the slices in the bubbles get all orange. It's a really cool thing to see! Thanks for this recipe Koky, we've used it a few times!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie (the Kathy Bils cookie)

This is my favorite cookie ever! I really really like the Chocolate Chip Pumpkin ones as well and they come in a very very close second but this one takes the...cookie? There's a really sweet story that goes with this sweet treat. When Emma was in kindergarten I sent these cookies into her teacher as a little surprise. Up to this point I had been volunteering in the class room for a short while but really hadn't gotten to know her teacher very well. The day I sent the cookies in was mid week and I volunteered on Friday's. When Friday rolled around and I went in to volunteer Ms. Bils (Emma's teacher) grabbed me in an arm lock and told me that the cookies were her favorite. During lunch we got to talking about the cookies again and then one thing lead to another and then another and then eventually to a grand friendship. Just recently Emma invited Kathy (yes we're on a first name basis now) to her baptism. Now every time I make these sweet cookies, I think of my sweet friend Kathy Bils! Here's how they go...

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tps vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups uncooked quick cooking oats
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; slowly pour and stir flour mixture into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes. I like to let the cookie set up on my stoneware for a couple of minutes after it comes out of the oven and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Turkey or Chicken Dumplings

It's an "almost" guarantee that after turkey day, my mom will make Turkey Dumplings. If you've never had dumplings before you might think that boiled dough in broth sounds a bit on the odd side but TRUST ME it is one of those recipe's that calls you back year after year! It seems every time I think about Turkey Dumplings, my mind wanders back to my mom's kitchen where deboning the Thanksgiving turkey happened. There was always one of us kids talking with her as she sat in front of the big turkey roaster picking off every last tiny morsel of turkey for later use. Mom is almost always around in the kitchen or sitting at the table doing one thing or another and it was and still is the best place for a chat or in some cases a deep heart felt discussion. Whether at one in the afternoon or one in the morning, quite a few of the most important visits with my mom took place right there at the kitchen table. (Addendum-2015 This past Thanksgiving as things were quieting down and the turkey was settling us into a nice slumber I saw that the turkey hadn't been deboned yet so I took it upon myself to do my mothers job (as she was in Las Vegas and I was in Corinth). Sitting there in the quiet I realized that this job was not only something that needed to get done but it was so satisfying as well and memories of years past watching Momma do this job came quickly to mind. I'm was awfully thankful for the times I spent visiting with my mom while she deboned the turkey!) After those now memorable visits, and after the turkey had been deboned, those tasty morsels typically found their way into this dish and this is how she always make it so warm, homey and delicious...

Soup stock ingredients:
3-4 cups cooked chicken or turkey
2-3 Chicken Bullion cubes or to taste
Water to cover 2 inches above meat
Salt & Pepper to taste

Dumpling ingredients:
2 1/4 Cups of Bisquick
1- 1 1/4 Cups of Milk

In a large stock pot, mix the soup ingredients together and warm to taste. You will want to taste the broth before bringing it to a boil so that you can add bullion or salt and pepper if needed. After you are satisfied with the taste bring stock to a boil. While waiting for the stock to boil, mix together the dumpling ingredients. Dough should be sticky and mushy. Once the stock has come to a boil, using a large spoon, spoon medium to large dough balls into the boiling soup. When all the dough has been spooned in, lower to simmer and cook uncovered for ten minutes. Then cover the pot and cook for another twenty minutes. The dough should be fluffy not doughy and the broth should have thickened. Add salt and pepper to individual bowls to taste and its time to serve! Watch out that first bite usually burns my tongue! This recipe serves three to four people.
Note: For easier prep time, buy a precooked rotisserie chicken. They are relatively inexpensive and EASY to debone! Also if you want to cut back on the salt you can add low sodium canned chicken stock instead of the water and bullion cubes. One last thing...if you want to start from scratch you can do that too! Just boil your chicken like normal the strain the yuckies out of the stock and set it aside then add as much water and more spices as needed once your chicken is shredded and your ready to start your soup.

Rhubarb Pie

If you read the post before on my Grandma Abbott's Rhubarb, you'll know my intense love of this interesting menu choice. Just to expand my horizons, (ya right!) I talked my husband into making rhubarb pie. Brent, since the beginning of our marriage, has made all different varieties of these beautiful pies. I'm still not sure after 10 years of marriage what the draw for pie is but I'm certainly not complaining. In fact I love that he finds this fun to do and because of that I'll be his sous chef anytime!

Here's how he makes it so sweet...
6 Cups Fresh Rhubarb
3/4 - 1 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Flour
1 Box pre-made pie dough from the refrigerated section of your local grocery store!
(no he doesn't make his own and I used to have a great recipe but it's been lost through the years.)

Preheat oven to 375 degree's. In a large bowl stir together flour and sugar then add the Rhubarb and toss gently until the rhubarb is coated with mixture. Set aside. Unroll one package of pie dough and press lightly and evenly into a 9 inch pie dish. Using the mixture from before spread the rhubarb into the pie dish. Now the next direction is up to the artist. You can place the 2nd pie dough over the top, cutting a few air vents into it and crimping the edges or you can go with a lattice top or even a crumb topping if that's what your heart so desires. Seeing as how this was for the blog, I begged Brent to make a lattice top. I've also read that if you are making a dough topping that you can brush it with egg or milk to make it pretty and shiny. Unfortunately I don't have a recipe for a good crumb topping but the Better Homes and Gardens cook book does and I'm sure Martha does! Google it as a last resort! After you figure out the top to your pie place the uncooked pie on a cookie sheet. Wrap the top of the pie loosely in foil covering the dough. Bake for 25 minutes then remove the foil and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes until topping is golden and the filling in the center is bubbly and smells like heaven! DON"T TRY TO TASTE THE BUBBLY GOODNESS RIGHT THEN! Let you pie stand on a wire rack or in our case on the unheated hot plate until the pie is cool throughout. Serve a la mode or don't worry it can stand on it's own! One thing is for sure however, you are going to need a cold glass of milk to accompany it! Enjoy!

Clark Richter's Baby Back Pork Ribs

A few months back I attended a week night Relief Society Meeting (Formerly known as Enrichment, formerly know as Home, Family and Personal Enrichment, formerly known as Homemaking etc...) all about cooking great meat in your home. It might sound a bit different to some to have an entire night dedicated to meat and the many ways to cook it BUT it was incredibly eye opening, informatively educational and down right delicious! The carnivore in me still is pining for another taste of the kinds of meat served that night! Our Relief Society meeting coordinator (is that the title we're going with now? formerly known as Enrichment leader) Maren Reece brought her parents all the way from Arizona to give the instructions. They in and of themselves were completely entertaining and I can't remember the last time I laughed and cried almost in the same sentence. This recipe as well as a few others I got that night are like I said earlier, down right delicious and yes I plan on adding them as well. Clark Richter is Maren's dad and so when you see his name in front of the recipe you will know that's where I got it from. Maren said that she wasn't sure where these inspired words from her dad came from and since she doesn't know we'll just give the credit to him! This is also his directions as were written. I decided not to put them in my own words. Here's how I was taught to make these yummy carnivorous baby back pork ribs at home....

Buy pork back ribs, not spare ribs or beef ribs
Costco has Cryovac 3 slabs/package for around $30
Remove from package; season with Lawry’s or other favorite seasoning.
Place 3 slabs on a cookie sheet and add 1/2 cup water for moisture
Cover tightly with heavy duty foil
Bake at 300 for 3 hours our until tender
Ribs must be tender but the slab must not fall apart
Remove ribs from oven; rest meat for 15 minutes
Transfer to another cookie sheet and baste with barbeque sauce:
KC Masterpiece Original is a good mild sauce
Bullseye is a good spicy sauce
Use tongs to lift ribs onto grill and cook on low for 10-15 minutes
Use grill protectors (Home Depot, etc) and cook with lid closed.
No need to turn ribs over

I want to just add a few little tips that I learned that night. When he says season with Lawry's seasoning he doesn't mean just sprinkle it on. He means pour a bunch on and rub it into the ribs on both sides. The other thing that we found was that if you planned on being gone longer, like when you have ward council in the morning but you want ribs for dinner after church and you are going to be away from the house for more than 3 hours, just lower the temp 50 degree's for every extra hour you plan to be away. We have done this a few times and it turns out great. One more tip that we learned is that when we first did this we didn't have a BBQ so we basted the ribs with the BBQ sauce after they rested for 15 minutes and in that time we turned on the broiler in the oven and put the ribs uncovered under the broiler for 10 minutes. That made the BBQ sauce hot and acted sorta like a real BBQ. Dude! After typing this up I'm gonna have to go get me some more ribs to cook! Oh BOY!

Grandma Abbott's Rhubarb

Momma says that rhubarb grew like a weed in the garden at Grandma Abbott's house. Grandma was the first one to ever give me rhubarb at least that I remember. I ate it plain, in a little white Corelle bowl, cold from being in the fridge or warm from coming right off the pantry shelf. Either way it was always poured out of a tall Mason jar that Grandma had canned herself. It wasn't something we got all the time. It...was...special. I remember coming into Grandma's tiny kitchen, smelling rhubarb cooking on the stove, (because once you've smelled it you know the smell forever) standing tippy toed on the stool, barely able to peer into the pot of simmering rhubarb. Stringy, chunky and all sorts of sweet, Grandma smiled down at me and said that it was almost ready but then told me we had to wait for it to cool. TORTURE!!! As soon as she said that though she opened her little fridge, got out an already opened Mason jar and poured me a small amount of liquid gold! Oh Grandma how I miss you so. Momma said that she remembers it best the same way as I do but that they also had it often over Vanilla ice cream so that's how I took my picture. Now you may be wondering why mine looks a little like boiled celery. This bunch was given to us by a sweet couple in our ward and they said it never turned red. It may not be red but it is certainly rhubarb and tastes just as sweet and wonderful as I remember Grandma making it. Here is her legendary (to me anyway) rhubarb recipe...

4 Cups of Cubed Rhubarb
1/2 - 1 Cub of Sugar
Water

Start by cutting off the very end of the rhubarb then cube the stalk. Place the rhubarb cubes in a large stock pot. You want a pot that the cubes can be in a single layer (if a few are above the single layer it won't hurt anything) Add the water. The water should NOT cover the cubes. Pour only enough water so that it comes about half way up the cube. Start with 1/2 cup of sugar. You might want it sweeter so once it's finished you can add more to taste. Bring to a boil and then once at a boil lower to medium. As soon as you can squish the cubes up against the side of the pot you are done! Remove it from the heat, taste, add sugar if needed and let cool. Your rhubarb should last in the fridge for awhile. I don't ever let it stay in the fridge for very long! If you've never had rhubarb before watch out, it's bitter. It's kinda like saying have a little rhubarb with your sugar! If you don't add enough sugar though, you'll regret it!

Anita's Holy Cow Cake

Holy Cow Cake (Also known as Better Than Sex Cake in some circles but not this one) has quickly become my favorite cake. I first had this at Mom and Dad's when my sister randomly made it for us one night. I've found that it gets randomly made more often than for an actual event. Like the other night when we randomly had it at our house because my sister thought it would be fun! We made up the excuse that it was our early birthday cake seeing as we weren't going to be together for our birthdays for the first time in many a year. (August 9th and 10th) Honestly though, it was just a delicious whim and to tell the truth I'm so glad it was just that! Sometimes random is the best way! At any rate, here's how to make it...

1 pkg devil’s food cake mix
1 1/3 cups water
½ cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs

Topping:
1 – 8 oz jar caramel topping
1 – 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
4 Heath candy bars, crushed
1 container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Place cake mix, water, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl and mix with an electric mixer until well blended. Pour batter into a 13x9 cake pan that is lightly misted with vegetable oil. Bake 35 to 38 minutes at 350o. After removing from oven, immediately poke holes in the top of the cake with a drinking straw or chopstick. Prepare the topping by mixing the sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping in a small bowl. Spoon this mixture over the cake so that it can seep down into the holes. Measure out half of the crushed candy bars and sprinkle the pieces over the cake. Place the whip topping on the cake and sprinkle the remaining crushed candy bars on top of the whip topping. Chill cake in refrigerator for about 20 minutes before cutting into squares and serving. The cooler the better! Thanks Sis!

Daddy's Sauteed Mushrooms

If there is one meal that my Daddy makes and makes so well that it surpasses all other meals it would be BBQ steak with Sauteed Mushrooms and his oh so famous Steak Sauce. The man seriously has this meal down pat! If you even SORT OF like mushrooms you will like this! When I was younger there would be times when I would walk into the house and from the smell of the mushrooms cooking on the stove I would know we were having BBQ steak! You could always count on a big portion of steak, a nice helping of mushrooms and Daddy's steak sauce! Sometimes there would be potatoes or other delectable items but you could always count on the classic three! Thinking about these mushrooms makes my mouth water!!! Here is how the man makes it great...

¼ cube butter or ½ cube of chicken bouillon with ¼ cup water
1 Package of fresh sliced mushrooms (or slice them yourself)
¼ Onion
3-4 cloves garlic or ½ tsp garlic powder
½ diced celery stalk or ¼ tsp celery salt
1 tbsp dried parsley
¼ tsp black pepper
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Hard pinch of crushed chili pepper for extra heat if desired

Start by putting into a pot the butter, onion, and garlic all together and cooking over medium high heat until the onions become translucent. If you are using fresh celery, now would be the time to throw that in the pot as well. Once the onions have gone translucent add in everything else and let sautee for as long as possible or until the juices reduce by half. If you are trying to watch your figure then use the chicken bouillon instead of the butter and use fresh celery instead of the celery salt. The thing about using the fresh celery is that you have to let it cook down for a little longer. Daddy says you can always add more salt or pepper later but you can't add garlic after it's finished so don't forget to add that in the beginning! Serve over steak or eat alone but whatever you do....Enjoy!

Brent Ross' Beef Stew

This is one of my all time favorite recipe's. Not only is it a favorite recipe but it is a favorite memory as well. More than once we gathered together as a family, on a chili Sunday afternoon, over a steaming bowl of Beef Stew that my dad had made before we went off to church that morning. I would walk into the house and BOOM, I was hit with the most wonderful aroma and I couldn't wait until my spoon hit that bowl and sure enough, every time, I would burn my tongue on the first bite! The first time I made this was as a newly married bride. I wanted my sweet Brent to be so impressed with my cooking skills. I carefully cut out all the ingredients and lovingly filled the crock pot, expecting to come home to that heavenly smell and have my brand new groom be so impressed with my culinary skills. Well the stew was bland and the meat was tough! I was an utter failure! I called my dad near to tears, nearly weeping misfortune and he simply told me two things....I was missing the secret ingredient and I was missing the point of the name. The name is STEW meaning you let it stew....all day! The secret ingredient, however, he was not so willing to quickly share. After prodding him a bit he gave in and told me that the secret was an entire bottle of my favorite BBQ sauce?! He said that besides a few bay leaves, salt and pepper, that was the only spices he added. I couldn't believe it. The next time my stew was a hit and every year when I am feeling lonely for my Daddy and the temperature is just nicely chili outside (and I find a good price on beef) I whip up a batch of the best stew out there, my Dad's! Here's how to make your stew as good as my Daddy makes his...

1 6Qt Crock Pot (or as big as you have)
6-8 Potatoes depending on size or 3-5 lbs
1lb Carrots
3 Celery Stalks
1-2 Large Yellow Onions
4-6 lb Beef
3 Bay leaves
1 Bottle BBQ Sauce (your favorite)
2-3 Cups of your favorite cheese (Brent likes Mozzarella)

Start by peeling the carrots and potatoes. Then cut everything into 1/2 inch cubes. I like to try and make everything the same size for this dish so that each bite is about the same and so everything cooks even. After cutting all the ingredients, put them all in to the crock pot and add water that just covers the top of the ingredients. Add in the Bay leaves and the entire bottle of BBQ sauce. I like to pour a little water into the last of the bottle and shake it up to get all the saucy goodness out of it! Let that stew for 8 hours on high. It may spill over so you might want a cookie sheet under your crock pot to catch any spillage. Every so often you can lift the lid and stir in around. Make sure your ingredients are always covered with water but try not to lift the lid to often. If you are leaving it for the day while you are out don't worry about having to check on it. I've left it often enough and never had a problem with it. Oh one more tip...I buy the beef that I find on sale. I've used London Broil or a roast. I've used stewing meat before but it was expensive and I didn't find that I liked the results any more than the London Broil and plus it's easy to cut up since it's not to fatty. This dish is good the next day as well but you know what the best thing about next day stew is? All the fat coagulates to the top so you can scoop it out and have it be just that much more healthy! Oh sorry one other thing...this is a bit on the thin brothy side. If you want it thicker you can add a slurry of water and corn starch and that will thicken it up a bit but we find that once you add in the cheese right before serving, it does a good job of making it just a bit thicker. I also found a great bread recipe that I am excited about trying out for next time and might add it to the blog if it comes out pretty good so if you are interested in that just click here. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have all these years.

Applesauce Muffins

Does this picture look familiar? It should, I used it for the Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins. This is just about the same recipe but using apple sauce instead. Go to the other muffin recipe (Click Here) but instead of using pumpkin use the same size 15 oz. can of natural, no sugar added, applesauce. They turn out great. There's probably not as much fiber with the applesauce as there would be with the pumpkin but if it's March and you are craving these muffins and can't find canned pumpkin because the stores won't stock CANNED pumpkin, USE APPLESAUCE!

Black Bean Brownies?

Yup that's right, Black Bean Brownies. This recipe is figure friendly! My dear sister Anita turned me on to these dense tasty chocolaty treats. She is always looking for something that reduces calories and brings in more fiber and these do just that! At our house growing up, it seemed like, every Sunday night was time to make treats. It was a time when everyone would wake up from their naps and it would be a little to late to make a full dinner so instead, usually Anita would be the one think to make some tasty delightful treat. Brownies on Sunday night were and still remain such a favorite of mine. So let me tell you how she taught me to whip these up quick...

1 Brownie Mix
1 15 oz can Black Beans

Puree the entire can including the liquid of black beans in the blender until really smooth. Mix Brownie Mix and pureed beans only until it's just mixed. DO NOT OVER MIX. This will cause the brownies to be more like cake than brownies. Then follow the cooking directions from the Brownie mix box. Yup that's it. No other ingredients necessary! They come out a little flatter than typical brownies but are so good especially if you are trying to watch the waist but need a snack! TRY THEM! I promise they won't be dissapointing!

Sweet Chicken Salad Pita Pockets

This recipe is for those people who like a little sweet with their chicken salad. I personally loved how these pita pockets turned out and when ever I have a little chicken left over I always want to whip up this recipe. Here's how it goes....

12 oz. Cooked Chicken
1 Apple
5 Tbsp Celery (include the leaves)
4-5 Tbsp Light Mayo
2-3 Tbsp Favorite Preserves ie. apricot, raspberry
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Zest of 1/2 a Lemon
1 Package of Pita Bread

Cube the chicken and apple and chop celery semi fine. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Refridgerate for one to two hours. Now I didn't peel the apples because I like the peel but you might want to peel them first. Also I chopped the leaves of the celery because there is so much flavor there. The lemon zest is optional but again add so much flavor. The mayo you may want to add one tbsp at a time because you really don't want to over do the mayo. I slightly warmed the pita bread just to get it opened and more maneuverable to fill them. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!