Bistro Chicken Twist

So, a few years ago I was a consultant for a certain kitchen tools company, and I fell in love with many of their recipes. I love how easy they are to make, and how amazingly good they are to eat... my friends ask for me to make those recipes the most, and mmm I'm getting hungry just thinking about this one!

When I'm making this, I have been known to skip the rolling pin part and just form the well with my fingers. When closing the loaves, its REALLY IMPORTANT to use DRY fingers to pinch the loaves shut, otherwise they wont stick. I try to have one wet finger (pushing the filling down) while bringing the sides of the loaf up with my dry fingers and pinching closed. Also, it is not necessary to use a baking stone, I have used a cookie sheet and it was just fine. I usually skip the egg white on top of the loaf, since the bread browns nicely anyway.

Bistro Chicken Twist

1 cup chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup snipped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh
Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 (11 ounce) packages refrigerated French bread dough
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon dry Italian seasoning mix

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Chop chicken. Dice bell pepper. Snip basil with kitchen shears.

In a bowl combine the chicken, bell pepper, basil, Parmesan, mozzarella, mayonnaise and garlic.

Place bread dough, seam sides up, on cutting board. Using a serrated bread knife, slice each loaf lengthwise, end to end, cutting halfway through to center of loaf; spread open flat. Lightly sprinkle flour evenly over dough. With rolling pin roll dough crosswise a four-inch width, creating a well down the center of each loaf.

Spoon half of the chicken mixture down center of each loaf. Gather up edges over filling, pinching firmly to seal. Place loaves, seam sides down, in an 'X' pattern on a baking stone. Crisscross ends of dough to form a large figure 8, keeping ends of dough one inch from edge of stone and leaving two 1 1/2-inch openings in center of twist.

In a small bowl, combine egg white and seasoning mix; lightly brush over dough. Cut a three-inch slit in each of the top sections of the twist to reveal filling. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese over loaf.

Bake 30-32 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes.

Serves eight.

Nutrition values per serving: 130 calories, 10 g fat, 1 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 10 g protein, 28 mg cholesterol, 189 mg sodium

Best. Brownies. EVER.

This recipe is a true gem... I just made it again last night, and the brownies were soooooo yummy!! I got it off the side of the Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa box many years ago, and they have since stopped printing it on the side! I don't know why they would use a different recipe, as this one would probably sell a gazillion boxes of unsweetened cocoa! Anyway, I usually leave the nuts out (as I am surrounded by a bunch of nuts that don't like nuts... what is WRONG with people?!) Last night 30 minutes in the oven was spot on for just cooked, chewy, melt in your mouth delicious, slap-ya-mama cause they're so good brownies!

Best. Brownies. Ever.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13”x9”x2” pan. Microwave butter on HIGH 2 minutes or until melted. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with spoon after each addition. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; beat until well blended. Stir in nuts. Pour into pan and bake 30-35 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely. About 36 brownies.

Beef Casserole #2.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, my ex-husband and I (when we were still married) were researching new recipes, and he came across this one. It's really delicious, but was kind of.... vague... about some of the directions.  For instance... sugar in a beef casserole?! Weird. But good! We had to figure out where to add it in (as it was included on the ingredients list but not in the directions themselves!) and I think it came out great. There's no need to go crazy on the "layers," as just one or two alternating layers of noodles and beef works fine.

Beef Casserole #2

1 ½ lbs ground beef, browned

2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 16oz can diced tomatoes

1 8oz can tomato sauce

2 cloves garlic

1 pkg wide egg noodles, cooked

1 cup sour cream

6 green onions, chopped

1 3oz package cream cheese, softened

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine beef, salt, sugar, tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, and pepper in skillet. Cook on low 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine noodles and sour cream, softened cream cheese, and green onions. Arrange beef and noodle mixtures in layers in greased 3 quart casserole or 9”x13” pan. Top with cheese. Bake for 35 minutes.

Ahhhh... my own space on the web!

I've always thought about starting a blog, and I guess the time has finally come to do it! I don't know that I have much of anything interesting to say, but I'll be posting various things that go on in my life, and what-not. Any suggestions on topics are greatly appreciated!!

I love to take pictures, and will probably post some of the more artistic looking ones here. I also dabble in graphic design, and am always looking for inspiration and work! I'll put up a couple of things I've done in that regard as well.

I also wanted a space to post some of my favorite recipes so I have access to them wherever I may be... you never know when you'll have the opportunity to volunteer to cook and get caught without your go-to recipe! I am pretty good about remembering ingredients, but I stink at remembering amounts, and little details... like what temp the oven should be set to!

So, if any of you out there in cyberspace give my recipes a try, please let me know, and include notes as to any variations... I love changing things up a bit! I'll separate the recipes into different posts, so they can be commented on individually.

And away we goooooo!!!!