The Jolly Kitchen

Crunchy Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:
4oz reduced fat sour cream
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups dry stuffing mix
2 lbs chicken tenderloins

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine sour cream, mustard, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.
3. Put stuffing in a ziplock bag and crush stuffing into smaller pieces. Transfer to a shallow bowl.
4. Dip each piece into sour cream mixture and then roll in stuffing coating each piece as thoroughly as possible.
5. Put chicken strips onto baking sheet and spray tops of chicken with cooking spray.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are cooked through and lightly golden.


Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:
2-3 large sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tbsp Olive oil
salt and pepper

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut sweet potatoes into fries and place into large bowl.
3. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to fries and stir.
4. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray and place fries in a single layer on the pan.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes until fork tender and slightly crispy.

This week The Jolly Kitchen is featuring some delicious recipes courtesy of Felicia from Go Graham Go. Felicia is helping us stay out of the kitchen by bringing us simple recipes for busy moms! When you get a chance, stop by her blog and let her know how much you love her recipes!

Ingredients:

Family pack of cubed steak

Flour

Cream of chicken soup

Beefy onion soup mix

1 Cup of water

Directions:

Add water and cream of chicken soup to crockpot and set to HIGH

Coat the cubed steak in flour lightly

lightly brown in frying pan

Mix Beefy Onion Soup mix in with water/cream of chicken soup mixture in crockpot

Put browned cubed steak in crockpot with mixture and cook on HIGH for about 5 hours (more or less depending on how much cube steak you have)

Serve as is or over rice!

This week Felicia from Go Graham Go is helping us stay out of the kitchen by bringing us simple recipes for busy moms!




Chicken Squares
Ingredients:1 tube of crescent rolls
1/2 cube of cream cheese
6-8 chicken tenderloins
1/2 small onion finely chopped
1 can of cream of chicken soup

Directions:
Cook chicken thouroughly. Finely chop cooked chicken. Melt cream cheese for about 15 seconds in microwave for easy mixing. Mix all ingredients together.
Lay crescent rolls out flat, spoon mixture onto the biggest section of crescent roll. Wrap sides around the mixture to form a "square" or pocket. Bake according to crescent roll package. Serve with cream of chicken soup on top for gravy!

If you want, you can also shape the dough into a ring as featured in the picture above. Just lay the crescent rolls out like a star and fold over top. This is a wonderful presentation if you are having dinner guests!

This week The Jolly Kitchen is featuring some delicious recipes courtesy of Felicia from Go Graham Go. Felicia is helping us stay out of the kitchen by bringing us simple recipes for busy moms! When you get a chance, you should stop by her blog. She has some great giveaways going on right now and always has the best product reviews.


Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

1 box of spice cake mix
One can of pumpkin (the regular sized can not the jumbo)
About 1/4 cup of water (use more or less to liking)
3/4 cup chocolate chips (tossed in flour so they don't sink to the bottom)

Mix it all together and bake them for 15 minutes at 350!

I have to admit I have a bad sweet tooth! I never buy anything sweet for our home because I will devour it in 1.2 seconds! During the holidays, though, I totally indulge on Thanksgiving Day, the day after, Christmas, and the day after! One of my favorite desserts is pie. Any type of pie. I love pie! Here are some links to recipes from various websites that I have used before and I know are delicious! I do want to note though, that at Thanksgiving I don't bother with making crusts. I just buy the rolled Pillsbury crusts instead. There is way too much to bake and cook to bother with making crusts.

Classic Pumpkin Pie


















French Apple Tart
I make this tart for my family ALL of the time! It is delicious, but a bit time consuming to make. I always cringe a little when I get requests for it at times other than the Holidays.

There's nothing like creamy mashed potatoes. When you make mashed potatoes, never ever use a hand mixer or food processor. You will get glue. Instead, use a potato masher, ricer, or food mill. I like my mashed potatoes lumpy, but if you don't just keep mashing until you reach the consistency you like.

Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
Coarse salt
1 8oz container of sour cream
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish

Directions
Place potatoes in a large pot; cover with cold water by 1 inch, and add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until potatoes are tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain; return potatoes to pot.
Stir potatoes over medium heat until dry (a film of starch will form on bottom of pot), about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Add butter to mash potatoes and mash just until smooth. Add sour cream and stir until combined. Stir in parsley and chives; season with salt. Garnish with more herbs.

This is number 2 in The Jolly Kitchen's Thanksgiving Series. Today, I will be offering tips and instructions on how to roast and carve your turkey!

Roasting Your Turkey:
1. Place turkey, breast side up on a shallow roasting pan and brush with melted butter or oil. I suggest that you use an oven proof thermometer. If you do, insert it into the thickest part of the thigh and make sure it is not touching the bone.
2. About 2/3’s of the way through cooking time, make sure to untie the drumsticks so that the inner thighs cook through.
3. Start checking doneness about an hour before the end of recommended roasting time. Your bird will be done when the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees and juices run clear. If you stuffed your bird, then the stuffing should reach 165 degrees. If your turkey is already golden brown, but it is not done yet, then loosely place an aluminum foil tent over the turkey.
4. When the turkey is done, transfer it to a carving board and cover with aluminum foil. Let the bird rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving. This is a very important step in ensuring that your turkey is moist and easily carved.

Roasting Turkey Timetable:



Carving Your Bird:

It’s almost Turkey Time and many of us are starting to prepare our menus for the Big Day. We hosted our first Thanksgiving last year and we were really nervous. It feels so overwhelming and intimidating to host such a special dinner for a lot of people. If you take it a step at a time and plan ahead, it really is not bad. We will be hosting Thanksgiving at our home again this year. I have to admit that I am still nervous about it so I am posting this series to help you and me too! Let’s get started!

The turkey is really the main event at Thanksgiving and deserves and requires the most attention.

Selecting the Perfect Turkey:
To have enough for your Thanksgiving feast and enough for the ever popular leftovers, allow 1 pound of turkey for every person. Make sure that the turkey you choose is plump and meaty with smooth, moist skin. The cut ends of the bone should be pink to red in color. If you decide on buying a fresh turkey, make sure that you will be cooking 1 to 2 days after buying and store it in the refrigerator. If you buy a frozen bird, it will keep for up to 6 months and follow the thawing instructions offered below.

Thawing: There are three safe ways to thaw your turkey.

1. Slowly thaw in the refrigerator. Place your turkey (keep in packaging) on a platter to catch juices. You should allow 24 hours for every 5 pounds of whole turkey. So, an 8-12 pound turkey will take about 2 days to completely thaw.
2. Slowly thaw in cold water. If you need to quickly thaw a turkey, then place the turkey still in its original packaging in your sink or container filled with cold water. Make sure to change out the water often. Allow 30 minutes for every 5 pounds of turkey. So, an 8-12 pound turkey will take about 5 hours to thaw.
3. Microwave. I don’t recommend this method, but it can be done in a pinch if you need to thaw the turkey very quickly. Remove the turkey from its packaging and follow your microwaves thawing directions.

Preparing Your Turkey: If you have decided to stuff your bird, make sure to do it right before cooking to avoid bacterial contamination. Make sure you never prestuff a turkey and then store in the refrigerator or freezer.








1. Take your turkey out of the packaging and make sure to remove the package of giblets. Seriously, make sure to remove the giblets-lol! My mom has forgotten before…not pretty. If you are making gravy from the giblets, then set aside. If not, then discard the giblets.
2. Wash out the neck and cavity of the bird with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the skin and cavity of the bird with salt. However, if you are stuffing the turkey, do not salt the cavity.
3. Stuff turkey if you would like. I honestly prefer not to because it is more difficult to get a juicy bird. If you decide to though, make sure you pack the stuffing lightly since the stuffing will expand as it cooks. Using skewers, attach the neck skin to the back and fold wings across the back with wings touching. Finally, tie the drumsticks together or tuck under the band of skin at tail.
4. If you are not stuffing your turkey, then fill cavities with various fruits like lemons, oranges, or apples or season with herbs. Then, close up the cavities as described in step 3.

I hope that these tips are helpful! Make sure to tune in tomorrow for the second installment in my Thanksgiving Series in which I offer directions and tips on roasting and carving the perfect turkey. See you then!

First, I must give credit to The Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog! I got this Apple Muffin recipe from their AMAZING blog that you must visit. Seriously, those girls can cook and their blog is beautifully done.

I did subsitute the white flour with white wheat flour (healthier option) and they were delicious! The husband and the toddler gobbled them up. I made them 2 days ago and there are only 3 left-we had 12! I have eaten 2-you do the math-LOL!

Now, for the recipe:
Apple Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup salad oil
1 cup coarsely grated apple
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or sub with white wheat flour)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:
1. Beat egg. Stir in milk oil and apples.
2. Mix in remaining ingredients, just until flour is moistened. The batter should be lumpy.
3. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full.
4. Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes or until golden. Immediately remove from pan.

My husband says this is the BEST meal ever! It really is great. The chicken has a tangy taste from the mustard. So good!

Chicken Dijon

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp paprika
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp water
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Pound the chicken breasts with a mallet to a uniform thickness of about 1/2 inch. This is so they cook evenly and quickly.
2. In a shallow bowl or plate, combine the bread crumbs, flour, and paprika. In another shallow bowl or plate, combine the mustard, honey, water, salt, and pepper. Coat both sides of the chicken breasts with the mustard mixture, then the bread crumb mixture, and place them on the baking sheet.
3. Melt the butter in the microwave and drizzle it over the chicken breasts. Bake the chicken for 10 minutes or until the thickest part is no longer pink inside.

**Note** I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs because it tastes a lot better and is harder to dry out. However, if you use chicken thighs, you will need to cook longer. I cooked them about 20-25 minutes.


Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Tomatoes

Ingredients:

8 oz (2 cups dry) macaroni
1 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tbsp butter
1 egg, beaten
2 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 Tbsp bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cook the macaroni according to package instructions and drain it.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together the milk, salt, and mustard. Set it aside.
4. In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the macaroni with the butter, the beaten egg, and 2 cups of cheese. Stir it thoroughly.
5. Place the macaroni mixture in the microwave on high for 2 minutes to melt the cheese more thoroughly. Mix well.
6. Add the milk mixture and tomatoes to the macaroni and toss it. Place it in the casserole dish and smooth the top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and the bread crumbs and bake it, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes or until set.

So simple to make and very good! Also, this is much lighter than traditional Alfredo.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (16 oz) penne pasta
1/2 pound (1 head)broccoli florets
3/4 cup reduced fat ricotta cheese
3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it until is 2 minutes short of being done, then add the broccoli for the final 2 minutes of cooking.
2. While the pasta cooks, use a blender or food processor to combine the ricotta, yogurt, butter, garlic, walnuts, Parmesan cheese, basil, pepper, and salt. Blend until it is smooth.
3. When the pasta and broccoli are cooked; drain then and toss them with the sauce. Serve pasta warm.

**Note** I ommitted the walnuts because my son is under 2 years old.**
***Note*** This recipe calls for 1 box of pasta. This made A LOT and the pasta seemed to need more sauce so the next time I make this, I will only use 1/2 box of pasta. If you are feeding a lot of people, use 1 box of pasta and double the ingredients for the sauce.***

These are definitely a little bit of work, but they are really good!

Ingredients:

10 green onions roots and ends trimmed
Olive oil for coating onions
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rub a baking sheet with oil.
2. Lightly coat the onions with olive oil, place them on the baking sheet, ans season with salt. Roast for 5 to 8 minutes, until lightly browned. Chop into small dice.
3. Decrease the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Grease the cups of the muffin tins with butter.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, buttermilk, and egg.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
6. In the bowl of the stand mixeer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on high speed until smooth. Continuing to beat on low speed, add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk mixture until smooth. Add the cheese and green onions. Mix just to blend.
7. Use a small ice cream scoop to spoon batter into each cup. Bake on the center rack for 20 minutes until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Let cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes before removing muffins from tin. Left over muffins can be refigerated for 2-3 days and frozen for 2-3 weeks.

Makes 18 regular sized muffins or 36 mini muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup low fat sour cream
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound cubed Angus stewing meat or beef tenderloin tips
2 Tbsp butter
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
3 large celery stalks finely chopped
1 tsp fresh dill or 3/4 tsp dried dill
1/8 cup red wine
1/8 cup light soy sauce

Instructions:

Remove the sour cream from the refrigerator so it warms slightly. Stir the mustard into the sour cream and set aside.

In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Sear the meat (cook without moving it) on all sides for about 1 minute until it is no longer pink on the outside. With a slotted spoon, tranfer the meat to a plate.

Using the same skillet, reduce the heat to medium and add butter. Add the mushrooms, celery, and dill and saute them for about 5 minutes until they are softened. Add the red wine and soy sauce and continue cooking the mixture for about 5 to 7 minutes until the vegetables are very tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. If the vegetables get too dry, add 1/4 cup water to the skillet.

Return the meat to the skillet and cook it for 2 to 3 more minutes until it is cooked through. Reduce the heat to low, let the temperature lower for a minute, and stir in the sour cream mixture until it is warmed through. Remove from heat and serve immediately over potatoes or egg noodles.

This is the best meatloaf I have ever had. The couscous is delicious and a total comfort food.

Apple Meatloaf

Ingredients
2 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 1/2 c. packaged stuffing mix
2 c. finely chopped Paula Red apples
3 eggs
2 t. salt
2 T. prepared mustard
1 large onion, minced
3 T. prepared horseradish
3/4 c. ketchup

Directions
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing well. Pack into a greased 8×5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 1 and 1/4 hours.

Couscous with Cauliflower and Carrots



Ingredients:

5 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 head cauliflower (or 1 bag frozen florets)
1 pkg Near East Parmesan couscous
chicken broth
salt to taste

Directions:
1. Put cauliflower and carrots in a large pot with water and bring to a boil until vegetables are fork tender. Drain. Lightly mash cauliflower and carrots and set aside.
2. Cook couscous according to package directions BUT replace the water with the chicken broth.
3. Combine couscous and vegetables and stir to combine.Season with salt according to your taste.

This pizza was so good and the closest thing to pizza from a true pizzeria. The reason those pizzas are so good is that they are cooked at really high temperatures in stone ovens. Your oven at home can never come close to that. The next best thing is using your grill.

White Wheat Pizza Dough Recipe

4 1/2 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 Tbsp Honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 3/4 cups water, ice cold
a few tablespoons chopped herbs (optional)
Semolina flour or cornmeal for dusting

Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. By hand stir in the oil, honey, and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed. Add the herbs. Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl (to me it looks like a tornado). Add a touch of water or flour to reach the desired effect. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky.

Transfer the dough to a floured countertop. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces and mold each into a ball. Rub each ball with olive oil and place in a bowl. Cover the bowl with a dishtowel and let rise for at least an hour in a warm place. I like to put really hot water in a baking dish in the lower rack of my oven (do not turn oven on) and place covered bowls with dough on rack directly above. After the dough has risen, roll out the dough. Take each ball and form into a disk and roll out. I like thin crust, but thick works as well.

If you do not want to grill your pizza, then preheat your oven to 450 degrees and bake for 10-15 minutes on a pizza stone or baking sheet.

Makes six 6-ounce pizza crusts.

Toppings:
Really, anything goes here. We did sauteed mushrooms, ham, mozarella cheese, and tomato sauce. The best thing to do when grilling a pizza is to use less toppings. Do not load the pizza.

Grilling:
Turn on all the burners of your gas grill to high and let heat for 10 minutes. Bring out the rolled dough and all of your toppings. It is best to have your toppings already cooked. For example, I sauteed the mushrooms beforehand. I put all of the toppings on a plate so they were ready as soon as the crust was ready. Once you get the dough on the grill, everything goes really fast.

Ok, so you have preheated the grill for 10 minutes on high. Turn the burners down to medium heat.

Rub olive oil onto top of dough and put that side down on the grill. Close the grill. Check the dough about 2 minutes later by using tongs and peeking under the dough to make sure it is not burning. If you need to, rotate the dough. Don't worry about grill marks-you are supposed to get them. Close the grill again and wait 1 minute and check again. At this point, if you have a thin crust, it will probably be done. Take the dough off the grill and now rub olive oil onto the top (ungrilled) of the dough.

Flip over so that you have the grilled side up and put your toppings on. Turn off 2 burners (if you have a 3 burner grill or turn off 1 burner if you have a 2 burner grill). Place pizza on the grill over the burner that is turned off and close the lid of the grill. You will be using indirect heat to finish the pizza. The key is to get your cheese to melt BEFORE the crust burns. Keep checking the underside of the crust to make sure it is not burning. When your cheese melts, the pizza is done. If your cheese melts and the crust does not seem done on the bottom, slide it over to the burner that is on for 30 seconds to a minute.

I know this seems like a lot, but it is actually very easy and goes really, really fast. We were really nervous about it at first because we had never grilled a pizza, but it was really easy and so delicious.

I forgot to take a picture of this meal, but I have to post it on here because it so good and a favorite at my house. It is especially good in the winter because it is such a comfort food.

1 tray boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 small onion coarsely grated
1-2 cups peas or broccoli
1 can biscuits
salt and pepper to taste

1. Pour soup into crockpot and using can from soup, add 2 cans of water to pot and stir soup and water.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken into crock pot and add onions. Flip chicken in crockpot to coat with soup mixture.
3. Set crock pot to low and cook for 5 hours.
4. When done, remove chicken from crockpot and shred. Put back into crockpot and add vegetables. Stir.
5. Place biscuits over chicken mixture.
6. Turn crockpot to high and cook 30 more minutes.

These are really tasty and the whole family loved them! I really made them for the tot to serve with lunch or a snack. You can make a lot and freeze for up to a month. You can use all sorts of veggies instead of zucchini such as yellow squash, broccoli, corn, peas, etc.

8 oz zucchini coarsely grated
3 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 free range egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp white all purpose flour (I used white wheat flour)
2 tbsp sunflower oil (I used olive oil)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Squeeze the zucchini in a dish towel to remove any excess moisture. Mix the zucchini with the parmesan, egg, and flour, then season.
2. Heat half the oil in a nonstick skillet. Add 2 tbsp of the zucchini mixture to the skillet for each fritter to make approximately 6 total. Cook in two batches for 2-3 minutes on each side until set and golden. Drain on paper towels and let cool.

These mini tarts are really wonderful and make a great lunch for the kiddo. I give him 1/2 a tart,some veggies, and fruit and he is happy. I made them in actual mini tart pans, but the recipe called for a muffin tin. I made 6 of them, but I froze 4 of them right away. If you try this recipe, I have to warn that it calls for only 2 tbsp of water to make the crust, but I had to add more than that. I just kept adding in small increments until the dough formed a ball and was not dry. The key with making a pastry dough is to not "work" the dough too much. I used my food processor to make the dough. If you do that, make sure you use the PULSE feature to go slowly. Also, I added a bit of chopped ham to egg mixture.


Mini Tarts
2/3 cup milk
4 free range eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 oz grated cheddar cheese
1 tomato, sliced into 8 circles
freshly ground pepper, salt to taste

Dough:
1 1/3 cups wholewheat plain flour
3 1/2 oz cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
pinch of salt


1. Sift the flour into a bowl, adding any bran left in the sifter. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until it forms breadcrumbs. Pour in 2 tbsp of iced water and stir with a fork, then your hands, until it forms a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.
2. Grease an 8 cup deep muffin pan. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and use to line the holes, leaving dough slightly on top. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Chill the dough shells 15 minutes.
3. Bake the dough shells 6 minutes then remove from the oven. Whisk the eggs and milk together and season. Sprinkle the cheese into the shells, add the egg mixture and a slice of tomato, and bake 15 minutes until set.
4. Cool slightly before removing with a paring knife.