Caramel Apple Mini Pie Pockets

I woke up this morning feeling very fallish.  Is that a word?  I saw pumpkins at the grocery store and had pictures of crunchy leaves and pumpkins on the porch.  It is still hot in Southern California, but I still had a sense fall is here.

I decided to try out a Pinterest idea to welcome fall.  Taste of Home has a recipe pin for pumpkin filled crescent rolls, but I wanted to try it with apples.  I also threw a container of caramel dip into my grocery basket and decided to make the pies caramel-apple filled.

Besides some sugar from your pantry, these are the three ingredients you need.

I sprinkled sugar over my crescent rolls to sweeten up the "crust."

I separated the cresent rolls, added a tiny bit of cinnamon, and used a dollop of caramel dipping sauce in each roll.

I topped the caramel with a little bit of apple pie filling.

I pinched together all the sides to cover the filling until it looked like a little pastry ball.

As it baked, the breading spread and made little pie pockets.

While the pies were still steaming and hot, I drizzled more caramel across the top.  Here is what the gooey filling looks like once you dig into the pie pocket.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 crescent roll container (8 per container)--butter flake kind

sugar for sprinkling

cinnamon for sprinkling

Melted caramel or caramel dip (about 1/2 cup)

1 can of apple pie filling

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375

Spread out the crescent rolls out on a sprayed cookie sheet

Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the pastry

separate the rolls into individual crescents

Add a small dollop of caramel in the middle of each crescent

Add a small dollop of apple pie filling in the middle of each crescent

Pinch up all the dough sides to cover all the filling and keep it inside.  It results in looking like a pastry ball.

Cook at 375 for about 10-12 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and cooked through.

Remove from oven and drizzle caramel over the top while it is still piping hot.

Easy Chicken Kiev

This is one of those recipes that I think, "I can't believe I haven't shared this one!"  This is my go-to company dinner.  It is delicious, easy and always gets rave reviews.

I remember the first time I had chicken kiev.  I was at a well-to do friend's home when I was a little girl, and her cook--yes, they had a hired cook--made us chicken kiev for lunch.  It was the traditional chicken kiev--pounded thin, rolled around a cube of butter and dipped in bread crumbs and herbs.  I thought I had just tasted the most delicious thing in the world.

Fast forward a few years (or more), and I discovered a recipe for EASY chicken kiev in college.  My mom had bought me an easy recipe book, as I was just learning to cook, and this was one I could make without burning, mixing up ingredients or undercooking.  That is saying a lot--just ask the cumin coated chicken fiasco or the great chicken flauta flop back in my college days.

Here I am, married, years in a career, 2 kids and some years later, and this is still one of my favorite recipes.  I was bringing dinner to some friends, and I thought, "I have to SHARE this recipe!  It needs to be in other kitchens!"

So, here you go.  This is my adaptation.  It is rich and delicious and makes your belly happy.

Here is the infamous book--well loved and used, as you can see.  It is full of recipes from home economic teachers in CA.  The teacher who contributed this recipe is Bonnie Pius from Sanger High School.

Though the recipe calls for chicken breasts, I have started using tenderloins at times.  They cook faster and are very tender.  (When I use tenderloins, I change the cooking time to 20 minutes and then do the last ten minutes after adding the last ingredients).

Italian bread crumbs, parmesan, garlic powder, and basil all ready to mix (fresh basil works well too). . .

Take each chicken for a butter bath.  Yes, this is a butterific recipe.

Cover it in the bread crumb mix until it is camoflauged!

Put in your sprayed pan and get ready to cook.

While it is cooking, cut up your green onion and parsley

Mix the left over butter with apple juice or white wine (I use apple juice and it works well) and pour over the partly cooked chicken . . . finish baking.  That last little naked chicken is my diet, breadcrumbless chicken in the back.  He is very sad.

Voila!  You will thank me! Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Kiev

(serves 4)

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs (original recipe said 1/2 cup, but I always run short.  I use Italian seasoned bread crumbs.)

2 tbsp of grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

4 chicken breasts (or I use 6 tenderloins)

1/4 cup apple juice or dry white wine

1/4 cup green onion chopped

1/4 cup of chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 375.  Melt butter in microwave.  In a different bowl, mix bread crumbs, cheese, basil, and garlic powder

Dip each chicken piece in butter and then roll in the bread crumb mixture.  Place in a sprayed 9 by 13 pan.

Bake breasts for 35 to 40 minutes or tenderloins for about 20 minutes.

While baking, combine apple juice with left over butter.

Cut up onion and parsley.

sprinkle onion and parsley on top of chicken.

Pour apple juice and butter mix over top of chicken.

Bake 10 minutes more.

Fresh, Homemade Cream of Broccoli Soup

I am watching my carbs, so a creamy vegetable soup sounded so good to me--low carbs when you subtract the fiber and very filling!  I was at the store and just opened the Epicurious app on my phone.  Up popped this recipe gem from Gourmet magazine, 1993.  It looked easy enough, and it was!

First, I sauteed carrots, onions, salt, pepper and mustard seed in butter.  I was skeptical at the use of mustard seeds, but it MADE the soup.  Do not skip this ingredient.

I then added stock, water, thinly sliced carrots and chopped broccoli into my pot to simmer and soften.

After everything is nice and soft, you put it into a food processor or blender and puree.

Take the soup off the heat and whisk in some acid (lemon juice) and sour cream.  I sprinkled cheese over each serving and put a little dollop of sour cream on the top too. 

If you love fresh vegetables and creamy textures, you'll love this soup.  It is perfect for spring or summer, as it is lighter than most cheddar/broccoli soups.  I can't wait to try the recipe with asparagus or cauliflower.

The reviewers recommended some garlic and white wine to add more flavor layers to the soup.  I haven't tried this, but you might.  I found it absolutely delicious the way it was.  Click the link at the top to view the full recipe, view more pictures and read the reviews.

Enjoy!

Pinterest Recipe: Pizza Bites

My kids are BOTH picky eaters.  They will eat fruit and milk, which is basically why there are still alive, but protein beyond milk gets tricky.  The youngest will down some yogurt, but I can't overdo it or he'll sense I'm actually feeding him something that is healthy and stop eating it.  Sigh.
When we have pizza, they both tend to find ways to nibble around the cheese.  My youngest will turn his pizza over and just plain nibble on the crust bottom.  We have to pull out the big time discipline guns in order to get a few pepperoni or cheese bites into them.
I was curious how this Pinterest recipe would work from Rags to Riches.  They are easy peasy pizza bites.  It has lots of bread surrounding a little hot pocket of mozzarella cheese and pepperoni in it.  Plus, it is a dippable food, which always earns a higher score for a kiddo. 
So I adapted the recipe to my kiddos and tried it.  Instead of cheddar and mixed cheeses, I went mozzarella inside of the pizza bite.  Also, I made the same recipe on Zucchini slices for me--low carbing it.

Flatten a buttermilk biscuit

Top with pepperoni, mozzarella and more pepperoni

lift the sides and pinch the dough together

Turn it over for the smooth dough balls

Top with egg wash, parmesan, garlic powder and Italian seasoning

Cook and voila!

(Exact Recipe on the link above)

It was well received.  My youngest wouldn't eat it, but he is on an especially stubborn "I don't like that" phase. Afer his milk and a couple spoonfuls of apple sauce, he went on dinner strike.  He'll probably eat us out of house and home when he is 16 to make up for it.

My hubby and older boy liked it.  My zucchini variation was good too!  The parmesan crisped up nice and salty.  Yum!

Marshmallow Pops

Marshmallows are my new best friend.  I have made cake pops a few times, and they aren't difficult, but I find them time consuming.  I hate lengthy projects.  I need a lot of bang for a little effort--sad but true.

That is why I love marshmallows.  Marshmallow pops, which I made for the first time last fall, are the easiest and cutest things ever!  I served them up at my son's airplane party, and the kids couldn't get enough.  Cupcakes, shmupcakes.  They were all about the marshmallow pops.

When my oldest had his birthday this last month too, I had to make treats for his 30 kindergartener friends at school.  I decided to make two marshmallow pops for each kid.  Even though I was making 60 marshmallow pops, it was done in a VERY short amount of time.

Simply pop a marshmallow on a decorative lollipop stick or straw, dip it in melted chocolate and add any decorative candies, sprinkles, etc. that makes you happy.

My cake pop/marshmallow pop holder trick:  I buy floral foam (cheaper than styrofoam) and wrap it in wrapping paper that matches the theme/colors of the party.  Wrap a coordinating ribbon around.  Finally, punch holes with a thin screwdriver and you are done!  I don't unwrap the foam but keep just adding the paper over the other paper (I do remove the ribbon).  This keeps the foam stable and lasting party after party.

Try them!  I promise you'll love them!

A Week in Pictures

Tonight is date night and I won 12 of these beautiful cupcakes from my amazing baker friend, Alicia's, giveaway!  Yay!  After a week that included a 3 year old with the stomach flu, decorating for an end of the year ministry dinner for 200 people, making the 3 teacher appreciation posters, a jog a thon at school, making 60 birthday treats for school, crazy hair night at AWANA on Thursday, construction going on throughout my downstairs, and just life, I am ready to have a relaxing night with my sweetie.

Here is a quick look at the week in pictures and numbers:

Six years old . . .T-ball time!  Our just turned six year old is loving his first experience playing baseball.

12 carame,l chocolate marshmallow pops.  I made these for a Girl's Night Out with some friends.  I love marshmallow pops!  Hot caramel made the marhsmallow melt a bit, but it was still gooey deliciousness.

4 months at the Crazy Chicken.  My husband worksin Marketing Finance for this company.  We sure are thankful for this job, and we love El Pollo Loco!

12 cupcake prizes.  Another picture of Alicia's amazing cupcakes.  They are red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese buttercream frosting.  Yummers!

60 marshmallow pops to hand out to Carter's class (2 per kiddo) for his birthday/being Star of the Week.

1 week of construction--about 1 to go.  Our family room, kitchen and small hallway are getting wall paneling!

ONE messy house.  This is the dust that is covering my downstairs.  I love the paneling that is going in my house, but I am a neat freak, and the dust from wood cutting is killing me!

7th day of work.  The inner paneling got installed.  No it just need the top and bottom quarter rounds and some paint!

7 pretty panels

4 pretty knick knacks.  If you read my blog, you know I l-o-v-e Costco.  I found these 4 malamine bowls with lids for under 20 dollars.

There is my crazy, blessed, busy, wonderful week at a quick glance. 

I didn't take a picture of my sick kiddo with "tummy bugs".  He was a trooper and barely cried even though it was his first time with the stomach flu.  He couldn't understand what was happening.  Poor little guy!

You can see my THREE superhero posters for teacher appreciation week in my last post.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Tidy Mom's Enchilada Puffs

Do you know about the Tidy Mom blog?  Cheryl is very sweet, and her blog is amazing!  It is full of great recipes and crafting tricks.  She is a great photographer too!

Tonight we made her enchilada puffs for the first time, and it was a delicious hit!  My husband had three helpings!

It is a simple recipe, with very little prep time.  You can read Cheryl's recipe and see her simple directions here.

I boiled a chicken breast and cut it into small pieces. 

I mixed my cheeses.

After I softened the cheese and mixed all the ingredients, I had a yummy enchilada mix.

I filled my crescent roll puffs with the mixture and sprinkled on some cheese.

The crescent rolls came out of the oven bubbly and smelling delicious.  This will be a repeat dinner!