Chicken Pastry Bundles with Red Pepper and Cream Cheese

OK. I've done it. Following the good example of many of you do-gooders out there, I've decided to return to tracking my *many* eats. I'm a completely excessive snacker, and somehow have the appetite of a 300lb man who hasn't been fed in days. Thankfully, nature has been kind to me and I'm merely a 300lb man stuck in a woman's body, but don't look like it! :) Eating 3 granola bars a day isn't the worst thing you could do to your body but probably not the best, either. I tend to eat and forget exactly how much I consume when I'm hungry, stressed, and at work.

In any case, from here on out I'll be writing down what I eat. Hopefully I'll now eat 9 pieces of candy as opposed to 10. :)



Prior to my food journal days, I ate copious amounts of this tasty dish, courtesy of hubby's Man Food Mondays. For those of you new to the game, hubby has graciously offered to cook us dinner on Mondays and I must say he's gone from not cooking to a total chef. I may have competition here, folks! It's been awhile since my last MFM post but that's out of my own sheer laziness, not his. Oh, and it's not Monday, but work with me here.


We're not sure where this recipe came from, though it's one of the first meals that my boyfriend-now-husband cooked for me. Diced chicken is mixed with a cream cheese and dill mixture along with sauteed red pepper and onion. The delightful result is wrapped with crescent dough, then dunked in a bath of breading before baking to a golden crisp. Sound like a lot of calories? Well, it may be, but it's worth it! Try using reduced fat crescent dough and/or cream cheese if you're worried. I've given it a fancy name, but really we just call them Chicken Pockets!


Chicken Pastry Bundles with Red Pepper and Cream Cheese aka "Chicken Pockets" in our house

2 tablespoons of diced onion
1/2 cup diced red pepper
2 cups cooked chopped chicken
3 oz of cream cheese softened at room temp
1/4 - 1/2 tsp dill (to taste)
2 tablespoons of milk
3 tablespoons of melted butter
Italian bread crumbs
2 tubes of crescent roll dough

Directions:

1. In a pat of butter, saute diced red pepper and onion in a pat of butter. Cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

2. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, cream cheese, dill, onion, red pepper, and milk.

3. Roll out crescent rolls. Take two sections and press edges together to form a rectangle. Place 1/3 cup filling onto dough; wrap mixture with dough & seal the corners with warm water.

3. Dunk pocket into melted butter and then in Italian breadcrumbs.

4. Place on sprayed cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Healthy Chile Con Queso with Baked Lime Tortilla Chips

Though I distinctly remember one or two occasions where I nearly chucked a shoe at ESPN, or Fox Sports, or ESPN2 for constantly hogging up our TV, I must admit I'm a little sad that football is nearly over. I'm much more of a college football fan, so I'm just hanging on till the Super Bowl. Since no team I have a vested interest in made it to the big game, I've already picked my new favorite to win.


Not only will I miss football, but I'll dearly miss having a great excuse to eat junk food in the middle of the day, having friends over just to eat said junk food, and of course, spending a Saturday or Sunday with a beer in hand and dedicating myself to nothing but drinking, eating and watching the TV. I promise I'm not really lazy at heart :)

In honor of the near end of the football season (really, one of the only regularly televised sports that can keep my attention) here's a tasty and healthy treat that doesn't actually taste healthy!


I grew up eating Chile Con Queso in the Velveeta form. No mockery of this quintessential snack,but here's a real deal dip that's heart healthy. Baked tortilla chips are never as crispy and delightful as their fried cousins, but at least you're not consuming a mountain of fat, right?

The dip is a little bit thinner than what I'm used to, but if you let this sit in a crock pot or even on your stove (on low heat) while you're watching the game, it will thicken up!

The Recipe Girl is having a Super Bowl Party Recipe Smackdown contest. Send Lori your best football fare, and you could win $250! Woohoo! Check it out here.

Chile Con Queso with Baked Lime Tortilla Chips
Eating Well, Feb '09

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup light colored beer
1 1/2 cups milk, divided
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
1 10 oz can Rotel (drained)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
cayenne pepper to taste
1/4 cup scallions
2 tbsp fresh cilantro

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion & garlic, and saute until beginning to soften and brown. Add beer and cook until reduced slightly, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup milk and bring to a simmer.

2. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until bubbling and thick, about 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add cheese and cook, stirring until melted. Add tomatoes, lime juice, salt, chili powder and cayenne (if using). Serve warm, garnished with cilantro & scallions.

Chile-Lime Tortilla Chips
12 6 inch corn tortillas
cooking spray
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Coat both sides of tortillas with cooking spray and cut into quarters. Place wedges in an even layer on 1-2 cookie sheets. Combine lime juice & chili powder in a bowl. Brush the mixture on the tortillas and sprinkle with salt.

2. Bake tortillas until golden & crisp, about 15-20 minutes. Try flipping them mid-bake to get an even crispiness.

The Pioneer's Crash Hot Potatoes

Digital cameras are clearly a godsend, allowing us the liberty to take countless photos of life's greatest minutiae. Remember when you actually had to buy rolls of camera film?

The novelty of taking countless shots of the same colorfully gorgeous sunset from each and every angle could get a little costly. Plus, how did you know that your last shot sucked and you needed to take another? In this age of instant gratification, it seems almost odd that we used to wait hours, days or even weeks to witness the fruits (...or duds) of our photography efforts.

On the other hand, I must say that a part of me misses the excitement of rushing out to the drugstore to develop film, tearing open the envelope when they were finished, and having all the good memories unfold before me like a storybook. I now find myself forgetting where I saved pictures, kind of bored of them since I can look at them over and over again on my camera, and worst of all forgetting to get them developed. Do you agree?

While combing through forgotten photo files, I found these delicious potatoes in a random Thanksgiving folder. I'm not sure how I forgot about these potatoes as we never make potatoes any other way after trying these!


I first found the recipe for these potatoes on the admirable Pioneer Woman's website. Small red potatoes are boiled until tender. Once drained, you smash them with a potato masher and sprinkle with Kosher salt, pepper, Rosemary (or a spice of your choosing) and a nice bath of olive oil. Roast and voila, you have some of the most delectable, crispy and flavorful potatoes you could hope for. The Pioneer Woman is always full of magic :)

These are so easy, you really don't need a recipe. For those of you who still want one here you go!

Crash Hot Potatoes
Courtesy of the Pioneer Woman Cooks

Small red potatoes
chopped Rosemary
Kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you'd like to cook. Boil until forked tender. Drain.

Drizzle a cookie sheet with olive oil. Place potatoes on the sheet and with a potato masher gently press down on the potato. Rotate the masher 90 degrees and mash again. Repeat with the remaining potatoes. Brush the tops with olive oil.

Sprinkle rosemary, salt and pepper on the potatoes.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.